Every Student, Every Lesson, Every Day
Dear Neighbors,
May 2-6 is Teacher Appreciation Week, and I hope you’ll take a moment to connect with the teachers in your life. I still see a few “We support Euclid teachers” signs around town, and I like the idea that our community appreciation doesn’t have to be limited to contract negotiations and nationally recognized holidays.
I also love seeing all of the “We are Proud of You, 2022 Euclid High School Senior” and “My Student is a Euclid Scholar” signs popping up in the front yards of our students and their families. Celebratory events like prom, field trips, and graduation are taking place all month, and the last day of school is Friday, May 13 for seniors and May 27 for everyone else.
Last month’s Euclid board of education meetings were full of good things, including a lot of community members and guest speakers. I enjoyed being able to vote “Yes” for StudySync, a high-quality 9-12 grade English Language Arts (ELA) curriculum. This means we will now have a comprehensive K-12 ELA curriculum to provide all of our students with the best tools for success. This investment will also provide Euclid teachers with a level of resources and support they haven’t had in recent years. Our board vote was the final step in a detailed process that our curriculum department has undertaken over the past year, including extensive pilot testing and teacher/student feedback.
The Board also authorized an agreement with the Branching Minds MTSS (Multi Tiered System of Support) program. I have heard a lot of excitement about this program from our teachers and administrators, but without a background in education, it’s not the easiest concept to understand. Donna Sudar, longtime board member and former board president, did a good job explaining how the Branching Minds platform will help merge our current academic data (test scores, student growth, etc.) with each student’s social-emotional assessment information.
“What this means is that for each individual child we will now have a picture of where they are academically and social-emotionally, so teachers can make a determination as to how to best support each child,” said Sudar during our April 13 meeting when the vote was held.
Superintendent Chris Papouras, said the system will also “streamline and improve our multi tiered systems of support, to save teachers and administrators time and effort using this technology. This is a step toward equitable opportunities in that all students will have their academic and behavioral needs met.”
Benefits of using this platform include:
* Support plans for every student, based on universal screening data
* Consistent reviews of student progress and interventions based on evidence-based reccomendations
* Leadership support, professional development, and resources to support our MTSS
These and other investments are taking us one step closer to being a district that can meet the needs of “every student, every lesson, every day.” I first heard a paraphrase of these words from superintendent Chris Papouras referring to the district’s strategic goals, and I can’t think of a better way to emphasize our responsibility to care for the whole child, both academically and social-emotionally. Thank you to everyone who has worked to help us reach this turning point for our students and our community.
The best is yet to come, Pam