The first quarter is quickly coming to a close and students
are gearing up for final exams. We are
very pleased about the start to the school year and the many improvements we
have made to our facilities and to our continued academic growth. Our district has significantly improved its
academic standings and has continued to provide a significant increase in
summer programs, college courses, improved facilities, and student/community
programs, all while maintaining negative tax levies for the past four years. These programs and successes are a direct
result of the teaching staff, support staff, and administration working
collaboratively for one common goal.
We also realize that our district must continue to
improve. Staff have been very busy understanding
the Common Core standards, reflecting on prior teaching strategies, and looking
to improve overall student achievement.
We recognize our state test scores have significantly improved, but we
also know that test scores alone are not a true indication of student future
success. As a result, this year we have started
to measure Lexile reading levels and Quantile math levels. This universal screening method allows our
staff to recognize weaknesses in curriculum and allows for staff to make the
necessary adjustments. We also know that
the upcoming changes to the SAT and ACT will dictate students not only do well
on state Regents exams, but must also be improve their reading skills. This focus on national indicators of reading
and math levels will tremendously help us monitor the continued improvement of
our district. We know these terms and
expectations can be cumbersome to understand.
As a result, we are hosting a series of Family Engagement Nights that
are designed for parents and community members to come to “class” and see
specific strategies, gain ideas, and better understand what our children are
learning. We encourage you to take part
in these.
In addition, we are eager to hear from you and have setup an
email address that goes directly to the Board of Education. Many times misinformation is given out and
we all wonder on how the information is communicated. This communication vehicle ([email protected])
will provide anyone with the opportunity to ask questions, leave comments, or
just clarify something they have heard.
We will ensure that every email is answered and if it is not directly
related to our function as a Board of Education, then we will direct it to the
Superintendent to address. Also, the
district continues to update the district webpage (www.sidneycsd.org) and the district
Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/pages/Sidney-Central-School-District).
As always, your children’s success in a strong public
education system is our primary goal. We
welcome your input and hope to continue to have you as an educational partner
that places preparing our children for the future as its primary goal.
Sidney Central School District
Board of Education