A Message from Paul Bauer, Director of Special Education Schools

Dear Parents/Guradians:

As we head toward the end of our school year, I would like to share some positive news with you about our schools.

1.      School Climate  Each year, we ask staff, students, and parents to complete a survey to provide their input about the climate of our schools.  The surveys ask questions about things like how safe a student or parent  feels school how much support students think they receive at school, clear expectations from teachers, and how fair students and their parents think their school handles discipline.  The good news is that in this year’s survey, parents gave our schools an average score of 4.5 out of five possible points.  Students gave their schools an average score of nearly 4.4 out of five.  We always try to do better, but these scores are great!  They show that our schools are places of learning where students and their parents can feel safe, secure, and supported in their striving for success!

If you wish to find out about the survey results for your child’s school, please contact your school principal.

2.       Attendance  The Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) sets a target for student attendance.  The target is that each school will have 93% attendance or that each school’s attendance will improve over the previous year.  So far this year, student attendance has improved over last year’s total at five of our seven schools or sites.  Out attendance totals are below:

                                               Through March                                           All Of              

                                                                                 Of This Year                                              Last Year

Ackerman Elementary School                         93.38                                             92.06

Neuwoehner High School                                  92.54                                             92.12

Litzsinger School                                                   92.78                                             93.63

Northview High School                                       89.28                                             89.36

Southview Elementary School                         93.76                                             93.37

Southview High School                                       94.10                                             93.54

Bridges Program                                                   86.54                                              78.64

                Good school attendance is very important for every student.  Our attendance is improving because of the efforts of parents, students, and our school staff.  Please continue to make sure you send your son or daughter to school every day they can attend.

3.      Curriculum  This year, our curriculum team consisting of teachers and administrators is completing an update of our social studies curriculum for students who take the MAP test and End of Course Exams, and a science curriculum for our students who participate in the MAP-A.  Teams have also revised our music curriculum for all students.  This means that by the end of next school year we will have a revised curriculum for all of our students in each core content area – English/Language Arts, Math, Science, and Social Studies.  These new curricula, along with new books and materials we have bought, will help give our students their best opportunity to learn new knowledge and skills.

In closing, our students and staff in SSD’s special education schools – Ackerman, Bridges, Litzsinger, Neuwoehner, Northview, and Southview – are working hard to have great places of learning for all students.  As parents, you have a large role – we invite you to become closely involved in your child’s school by joining committees, by volunteering, or just by helping out.

Sincerely,

Paul Bauer

Director of Special Education Schools