Dear parents,

All eyes are on the English Language Arts during January. Students at GIS and through out the state will be taking the NYS Assessments during the week of January 7 through January 11. Please check the calendar for our local dates. Please note that in case of a snow day or a two hour delay, these NYS Assessments will be given on the next available day.

Now in its third year of full implementation for all students in Grades 3-8, the testing program is providing valuable information on student progress in ELA. Whether a student is on grade level or above or below, the testing program reports are helping teachers to target areas requiring special attention in the classroom.

At the intermediate school level, the students are making significant progress in comprehension, an array of skills that are essential to their learning in the content areas of science, social studies and math. During these grades, students make the important transition from “Learning to Read” to “Reading to Learn.” Obviously, constant reading practice helps every student to master these essential skills.

Winter evenings provide a little more time for shared reading with your child. Be sure to spend some time talking about the reading or predicting what will happen next when you’re reading together.

Sincerely,
Mary Ann Knight, Principal