Washington Montessori Public Charter School 2330 Old Bath Hwy. Washington, NC 27889 252.946.1977 WMPCS.org November 3, 2014 Dear Families and Community Members, As we enter the second quarter of our school year, we want to update you on the exciting things that are happening in and around campus. We are prepared to open the parent portal for Montessori Records Express (MRX), to release the IOWA test scores for the school, to discuss the intricacies of our discipline policy through level wide meetings, and to celebrate the movement on the construction of the new building. After almost two years of pilots, testing and recording we are happy to announce the opening of the MRX parent portal. This will allow you to see your child’s progress almost in real time. In response to your questions and interest, MRX will provide you access to your student’s work throughout the year rather than just at reporting periods and year’s end. As we complete the implementation of this project, please be patient with us; we expect that all parents who are interested in accessing the system will have access by next week’s parent conferences when passwords will be distributed. For more information and answers to frequently asked questions, please visit our website http://www.wmpcs.org/mrx.html. In an effort to determine how to best serve our students, the school administered the IOWA tests last month to students in first through eighth grades. The IOWA is a nationally normed test and in many cases is one that tests our students in more of a parallel fashion to our method than the state EOG tests do. We have compiled the school wide data which is located on our website (http://wmpcs.org/WMPCS_IOWA_FALL2014.pdf); additionally, your child’s teachers have been provided a copy of your student’s test results which they will share during parent conferences. Although our students did well and we are proud of them for their success, we maintain our commitment to developing the whole child. In the words of Principle Rachel Tomlinson to her students, “… tests do not always assess all of what it is that make each of you special and unique. … the scores you get will tell you something, but they will not tell you everything. So enjoy your results and be very proud of these but remember there are many ways of being smart.” We are proud of our students for who they are and how they are developing. While we value the children’s independence and freedom of choice, experiencing the consequences of poor choices is an integral part of our discipline policy. With this in mind, we will host level wide parent education meetings to discuss our discipline policy- why it is written the way it is and how it affects our students, staff, and community. Hopefully, these meetings will provide insight in the method behind the policy and help explain the purpose of the th policy. The meeting for our 3-6 level is scheduled for Thursday, November 13 at 6:30 p.m. in the middle school, th Building 4. On Tuesday, November 18 the 6-9 and 9-12 discipline policy will be discussed at 6:30 p.m. in the middle school, Building 4. Last but not least, we are happy to see the progress and movement on the new gym/HS/MS building. We have been eagerly waiting for final backing of the loan through USDA after it was approved by Select Bank last February. In order to make sure that the building is opened on time for next year, the Board of Trustees has authorized the ground work to be completed since the Federal Budget, and hence the backing of the loan through USDA, has been delayed. We would like to thank the Honorable Congressman Jones for his work and diligence on behalf of the school in an effort to complete the process as quickly as possible. We would like to recognize the dedication and commitment of our teachers as they have worked tirelessly and consistently through this first quarter of “normalization” for the students. Also, thank you for all that you do for the children and the school. Sincerely, Darla Prescott Austin Smigel