October 2018 Greetings to
the Bulldogs Community! It has been a
great start to the 2018-19 school year! We celebrate having passionate,
student-centered instructional team who are excited at building strong
relationships and establishing high expectations for each and every student every
day. Thank you for your partnership as
we establish strong procedures, routines, and expectations to support our positive
school culture. Throughout the year, we
will focus our time on ensuring the following: ·
Teaching school-wide routines and procedures for entering the
building in the morning, classroom expectations, a minute of mindful breathing
at the start and end of class, and procedures for group events! ·
Engage students in conversations regarding positive culture,
empathy among students, conflict resolution, ability to connect grit, and
positive mindset with success, and goal-setting. ·
Review the expectations in the student handbook; the classroom discipline
expectations, the MTSS progress monitoring system for academics, behavior, and
attendance; and expectations for Bulldogs Meeting. This embodies our belief
that: “Consistent
expectations keep students happier because it is easier to know what to do…You
can set up a beautiful vision for student culture, but if you don’t practice,
it will only last a week.” – Bambrick-Santoyo, Leverage Leadership Below is information
about our tracking and student monitoring as well as the importance of Bulldogs
communication with families: Grade Level
Tracking: To better
prepare our students for high school and beyond, we are monitoring student
progress more closely in the areas of academics, attendance, and behavior, and
will keep in frequent communication with students and families about whether
their students are “on track” or “off track” with metrics that combine those
areas. Students are expected to have no behavior referrals, a 2.5 score average
or higher with no scores of 1 in any class, and 95% attendance. Students who
meet these guidelines consistently will have the opportunity to engage in a
student field experience celebration at the end of each quarter; students who
are off track will have opportunities throughout the quarter to recover missed
assignments, make up missed time in class, or repair the harm caused during
behavior incidents. Students who do not get back on track by the end of the
quarter will not be eligible for the quarterly incentive. Parent
Communication: Bulldog
agendas are the primary tool used by teachers to communicate daily with all of our
Bulldog families, and weekly newsletters home.
Starting in Quarter 2, there will
be an opportunity to have coffee with Principal Fernandez at the end of each
month. Please feel
free to contact us at any time. Your feedback is welcome and appreciated. I encourage you
to ask questions and seek us out if something is unclear or there is a concern.
I have an open door policy, but to guarantee face time, it is best that you schedule
a time to meet with me. If there is a specific concern or question with
something directly connected to your child's classroom, I ask you to first talk
with your child's teacher. If you find that no resolution was reached or
concerns are still present, then I encourage you to contact myself or our Administrative
Dean – Ms. Elizabeth Aldahondo. Sincerely Dr. Joy Gordon
Fernandez BridgePrep
Academy of Orange, Proud Principal |