Good evening, Hugh Mercer Students and Families,
We are excited to see you tomorrow and to keep the ball rolling with some wonderful learning opportunities as we continue to build upon our successful start of the new year and second half of the school year.
A reminder that Thursday, February 6th is an early release day for Hugh Mercer and FCPS. Students are dismissed at 12:45pm on early release days. Please make and notify us of any transportation changes if needed for the early release.
Reminders from last week:
As we continue to work towards a highly successful school and learning environment at Hugh Mercer, we would like to remind families of three key components to learning success for Hugh Mercer. Our success is based on three areas of focus and importance: regular attendance, high academic expectations, and clear behavior expectations for the school day. We want to keep moving forward with our goal of achieving educational excellence for all students at Hugh Mercer.
Instruction and Assessment
To help keep the focus on instruction and to assist with setting high academic expectations, we are focusing on setting a standard that our school day starts promptly after morning announcements. We are expecting teachers to prioritize the first 15 minutes (8:30 to 8:45) by starting instruction and keeping all students with them in order to set the standard that we are here to teach and learn and the importance of that begins from the start of each school day. Families can support this by ensuring that their children learn morning routines and see the importance of getting to school on time.
We will begin our WIDA testing to help monitor and guide our support of language learner students. Please help your child be well rested each day and ready to demonstrate their best as we assess their growth in language acquisition and proficiency. This information will help us better support them in their learning.
Remediation and support for students not demonstrating proficiency on their grade level SOL standards and grade level skills will begin January 28th for 4th and 5th grade and February 4th for 2nd and 3rd grade. Remediation and support are given during our intervention blocks during the day and during our after-school support sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Information has been sent home with students that need extra supports. Your child’s teacher can provide more information on your child’s needs and supports.
Safety and Behaviors
We are seeing increases in student’s demonstrating positive behaviors and practicing Patriot P.R.I.D.E. throughout the school day. Please talk with your children about the good things they see and hear at school and how they contribute to our school culture. We are working to start monthly recognitions for positive behaviors and improvements in behaviors. More information will be coming on those recognitions.
Upcoming Events:
February 3: School Board Meeting (7:30pm WGC)
February 3-28: Celebrating Black History Month
February 3-11: JM NHS Carnation Sales (information sent home)
February 4: Picture Day
February 5-14: PTA Buddy Bracelet Fundraiser
February 5: After-School Clubs begin
February 6: Q3 Interims sent home
February 6: Early Release Day (students dismiss at 12:45pm)
February 6: PTA Spirit Night at Urban Air
February 7: Deadline to submit SCA candidate applications
As always, we are looking forward to another productive and positive week ahead. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns. Your partnership is essential, and working together ensures the success of every Hugh Mercer student.
Patriot PRIDE, always,
Mr. Snyder