Mr. Baughman's Monthly Message

December 10th, 2007

Dear Parents, Students, and Community members;

I would like to begin with some very impressive and exciting news from the State Board of Education.

This past month, the State Board of Education awardedJamieson Elementary School the 2006 Illinois Honor Roll and the 2006 Illinois Honor School Awards. The awards recognize Jamieson Elementary for its outstanding and continued academic successes.

Highlights of the awards include:

• Have had at least 60 % of students meeting or exceeding standards in both reading and mathematics in 2006.
• Have had at least 50% of students meeting or exceeding standards in both reading and mathematics in 2004 and 2005.
• Made Adequate yearly Progress (AYP) in 2005 and 2006.
• Showed an improvement of at least 7.5 points in state test scores in both reading and mathematics between 2005 and 2006.
• Showing an improvement of at least 15 points in state test scores in both reading and mathematics between 2004 and 2006; and
• Showed an upward trend in state test results.

This trend has continued based on the 2007 ISAT test scores. Jamieson again improved in reading, math, and made Adequate yearly Progress (AYP). Over 83% of our students meet or exceeded state standards last year. Way to go Eagles!!

Parents, please help us continue to make gains by making sure your child attends school every day, is on time, completes their homework, and if you ever have any questions, please call.

By working together we can continue this trend and progress. We appreciate everyone’s help and focus on education.

This upcoming week we will be having some very exciting and fun activities.

• Monday all progress reports will be sent home. It is extremely important that parents see, sign, and discuss these reports with their children. Please be sure your child returns them to their homeroom teacher. If you have any questions regarding your child’s progress, please contact the school and set up an appointment with your child’s teacher.
• Tuesday we will have our 3rd through 5th grade sing along starting at 2 p.m. Please plan on joining us in the school auditorium.
• On Wednesday we will have our Kindergarten through 2nd grade sing along starting at 2 p.m. Please plan on joining us in the school auditorium.
• Thursday and Friday we will be having our annual Jamieson Craft Fair. The students and many parents have been working hard on creating one of a kind crafts for purchase for the winter holidays. All students will have an opportunity to participate in the fair and we would like to extend the invitation to all parents. Visitation time is between 9:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. The fair will be ending earlier on Friday.
• Students will also be taking their winter assessments test this week Monday thru Wednesday.

Finally, just two weeks of school before the winter break. Please try your best to help us maintain a high attendance record by making sure your child is at school every day and that any holiday travel plans are made over the natural break in school. I really appreciate your help in this matter.