Dear Parents/Guardians:
The school year has begun
and we are back into a school routine. Our construction/ renovation
projects are coming along very nicely, and I know that you will be very
proud of the end result. Our Marion-Walker Elementary Project is
scheduled to be completed in February of 2007; however, the work is
progressing very well, and the chances that the building will be
finished before that date are good. Our Bellefonte Area High School
Project is progressing with an anticipated completion date of July
2008. Safety is of the utmost concern for us all during these projects,
and you can be assured that every precaution that we can possibly take
to continue to make these buildings safe will be occurring throughout
this process.
I have
said many times throughout my career in education that the more involved
parents are with the school, the better the student achieves in school
and the better the student feels. Here are several important ways you
can make a difference in your child’s education.
1. Show an interest in what your child is learning.
¨
Ask many questions about what they are learning. Four
questions you can choose from to begin a conversation that will help the
thinking process are:
a. What do you know today that you did not know yesterday?
b. What do you want to learn about tomorrow that you
do not know now?
c. What can you do today that you could not do yesterday?
d. What do you want to do tomorrow that you cannot do today?
¨
Ask your child to teach you what they are learning,
regardless of their age. Teaching is a great way to increase
understanding. You do not need to know the content to have a great
learning experience with your child. All that is needed to be
successful is your interest. Some questions you can ask include:
a. What ideas are you learning about in math
class that you can help me understand?
b. Are there any other ways to think about or
solve that problem?
c. What book are you reading?
d. What is it about?
e.
Why do you think the author wrote it?
f. Do any of the characters remind you of
characters from other books?
g. Do any of the characters remind you of real
people you know?
h. Do any of the characters remind you of you?
i.
Can you teach me a song you sing in music class?
j. What is your favorite?
k. What sport are you learning in gym class?
2. Show an
interest in what your child does at school.
¨
Ask questions about the social aspects of the school day.
a. What happened today?
b. What was the best thing about your day?
c. What was the funniest thing that happened today?
d. What was the most enjoyable part of your day?
e.
What was the hardest thing you had to do today?
3.
Communicate with your child’s teacher(s).
a. Call the school to speak with your child’s teacher.
b. Send a note and ask your child’s teacher to respond.
c. E-mail your child’s teacher if that is more convenient
for you. Contact the school if you want a teacher’s e-mail address.
4. Visit the school.
a. Be sure to attend “back-to-school” nights,
conferences, open houses, and student performances.
Our goal in the Bellefonte Area School District is to help each and
every child be successful. With your help and support, that will
happen. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if we can be of assistance
in helping your child become successful.
Sincerely yours,
BELLEFONTE AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT
James T. Masullo, Jr., Ph.D.
Superintendent of Schools
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