Message from the Lower School Admin Team: Semester 1 Reports and Updates

Dear Lower School Parents and Guardians, 

As we prepare for the end of our first semester, we want to thank you for your support and for giving us the privilege of working with your children. We understand the significance of this responsibility and look forward to another great semester. On Friday, December 20 at 12:00 PM noon, you will have access to your child's report for semester one through PowerSchool. 

We are committed to standards-based learning and assessment in the lower school. Some of the benefits of this include: 

• Learners have the opportunity to work towards mastery of competencies over time 
• Teachers can cultivate a growth mindset in students. Children are given multiple opportunities to take risks and make mistakes as they move toward mastery 
• Only standards are measured on our reports allowing for transparency and equity in assessment. Students (and their families) can understand what they’ve learned and where they’re going next 

Our student report performance indicators have been revised for this school year 2024-2025 as follows: 

P Proficient 

• Consistently meets standard for grade level 
• Demonstrates a thorough understanding and application of skills and concepts 
• Completes tasks accurately and independently  
• Performs consistently across various contexts and tasks 

D Developing 

• Making progress toward grade level standard 
• Demonstrates a partial understanding &/or application of skills and concepts 
• Completes tasks with occasional support 
• Performs inconsistently and may need additional time/practice 

B Beginning  

• Building foundational understanding of grade level standard  
• Demonstrates an emerging understanding of skills and concepts 
• Requires support, reinforcement & additional time to understand skills/concepts and complete tasks 

These indicators are consistent with our commitment to an asset-based approach to learning and our belief that all students can learn in an inclusive environment. 

Please also note the following: 

Language Arts 

Student progress in Reading and Writing (in English) is measured against end-of-year Common Core standards. Skills in these content areas are developed in various units across the school year, giving students time and practice to grow competencies. Consequently, it is typical for students to be at the Beginning or Developing levels during the first semester. 

Math 

Student progress in mathematics is evaluated based on the Standards for Mathematical Practice (SMPs) and the specific Content Standards relevant to each module. Performance indicators reflect how students meet these standards both within individual modules and by the end of each semester. Since each module focuses on different skills, a student's proficiency may vary across different math modules. 

In all other subjects, students are assessed according to the standards and expectations set for the end of each semester. 

We strongly encourage you to view the following short, animated videos in advance as these explain the following: 

1. How to Get to the Digital Report 
2. Portfolios 
3. Exemplars 

Additional Information 

• In the writing and math sections' banner, you will notice an icon - it looks like a lowercase "i" in a circle. Click on this icon to access grade-level exemplars (expectations for the grade level).  
• You will see a button for each content area to access your child’s learning portfolios.  For example, you will see “Literacy Portfolio, Math Portfolio, PE Portfolio, etc.).  You may be prompted to log in with your family’s Seesaw credentials to access these portfolios. 
• PDF printable versions of the report will be available on PowerSchool at the end of the school year should you wish to retain paper copies for your records. If your child withdraws at the end of the first semester, a PDF version is available.   

These reports will provide specific, clear, and helpful information about your child’s school experience. 

Take care of yourselves and your family. 

Best wishes, 

Tara Simeonidis, Ed.D. 
Lower School Principal 

Becky Klar 

Lower School Associate Principal 

Rick Rabon 

Lower School Associate Principal 

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親愛的小學部家長和監護人： 

隨著第一學期接近尾聲，我們感謝您一直以來的支持，並且給我們這個機會跟您的孩子一起學習。我們深知這份責任的重要性，並期待迎接精彩的下學期。12月20日星期五中午12點，您將可以通過PowerSchool查看您孩子的第一學期成績報告。 

我們致力於在小學部推行標準導向的教育與評量，其帶來的益處包括： 

• 學生有機會隨著時間推移逐步掌握各項技能。 

• 老師能夠幫助學生培養成長型思維。孩子們在追求掌握技能的過程中，能夠有多次嘗試與犯錯的機會。 

• 成績評量僅以標準呈現，確保評量的透明性和公平性。學生（及其家庭）可以清楚了解所學內容以及下一步目標。 

本學年（2024-2025學年），我們對學生成績報告中的表現指標進行了修訂，具體如下： 

P 熟練 (Proficient) 

• 穩定地達到該年級標準 
• 展現對技巧與概念的透徹理解和應用 
• 能準確且獨立完成任務 
• 在各種情境和任務中表現穩定 

D 發展中 (Developing)  

• 正在朝該年級標準邁進 
• 能理解部分觀念並（或）應用部分技巧 
• 能獨立完成部分任務 
• 表現不穩定，可能需要更多的時間和練習 

B 起步階段 (Beginning) 

• 正在掌握該年級核心概念 
• 逐步掌握技巧和概念 
• 需要更多指導和練習才能掌握技巧和概念 

我們堅持資產導向學習法，也相信每位學生都能在包容的環境中學習成長。這些指標體現了我們的堅持與信念。 

請您也閱讀以下注意事項： 

語文 (Language Arts) 

學生的閱讀與寫作能力（英語）是根據年底的《共同核心標準》(Common Core Standards)進行評量。學生透過學年內的不同單元發展這些領域的技能，因此有足夠時間和練習來增強能力。因此，學生在第一學期處於起步階段 (Beginning) 或發展中 (Developing) 是很常見的。 

數學 (Math) 

學生的數學能力是基於《數學實踐標準》(Standards for Mathematical Practice, SMPs) 以及每個單元所涉及的特定內容標準進行評估的。表現指標反映了學生在各個單元以及每學期末達到這些標準的情況。由於每個單元著重於不同的技能，學生在不同的數學單元中的熟練程度可能會有所不同。 

其他學科 

其他科目的成績，學生的評量標準為是否達到每個學期末的學習目標。 

我們強烈建議您提前觀看以下簡短的動畫影片，這些影片解釋了以下內容： 

1. 如何看孩子的數位成績單 
2. 學習檔案 
3. 標準示例 

附加資訊 

• 在寫作和數學部分的橫幅中，您會注意到一個圖示⸺看起來像一個小寫字母“i”在圓圈內。點擊此圖示可以查看同年級標準的示例（該年級的期望標準）。 
• 在每個學科部分，您會看到一個按鈕，可以點擊查看您孩子的學習檔案。例如，您會看到「語文檔案 (Literacy Portfolio)」、「數學檔案 (Math Portfolio)」、「體育檔案 (PE Portfolio)」等。您可能需要使用家長的 Seesaw 帳戶登入以查看這些檔案。 
• 學年的最後，PowerSchool 系統將提供 PDF 格式的報告供列印，如果您需要保存紙本紀錄，可以下載。如果您的孩子在第一學期末休學，也可以獲得 PDF 格式的成績報告。 

這些報告將提供具體、清晰和有用的資訊，讓您更了解孩子的學校生活。 

請照顧好自己和家人。 

祝好， 

Tara Simeonidis 教育博士 

小學部校長 

Becky Klar  

小學部副校長 

Rick Rabon 

小學部副校長