I'm sure there was a real buzz going around quite a few homes in Grundy Center yesterday! That was the day all elementary students learned which classroom they will be in this year. You may have some questions about why the method of distributing this information was different than in the past, so I thought I would share some of the reasons.
The administrative team met earlier this summer and decided to distribute the information in the most student-safe, practical way. We decided to wait until after registration because we wanted to know for sure which students were returning, leaving, and coming new to our district. There are many factors that come into play when creating classroom lists including number of students and social and academic needs. With registration information still coming in, class lists were being created and students were added and moved from classes as late as the day before the information was sent out! Waiting allows us to provide families with the most accurate information and prevents having to tell a student that although all summer he believed he was in a certain class, he has been moved from a class.
We chose to distribute the names by individuals and not entire class or grade level lists this year or a few reasons. First, while class lists are likely final, it occasionally happens that a student or two changes attendance centers or does not make it to school, even after registering. In the case that results in an imbalance of classes and we must make a class roster change by unfortunately moving a student to a new class, we would want to do that as privately as possible to reduce the feeling of being "that one" who was removed from a classroom by not sending out an updated class list with the student name removed. Secondly, the distributing of classroom teacher names now goes through Infinite Campus in all grades K-12. Finally, it is understood that teachers may choose to share class lists when school starts.
The decision to distribute classroom information was changed from school website to via email because not everyone is comfortable having their child's name and location in the building made public on the Internet for a variety of reasons. Occasionally, we have a legal obligation not to share that information.
In the case that a student has a medical condition where not knowing the classroom placement causes psychological harm, we would most certainly make accommodations for that student.
As with all decisions we make at school, we feel we have the best interest of students in mind. We also evaluate these decisions and see where we can improve. After 18 "first day of school" moments in my teaching career, I still find it a magical time of excitement, nerves, and extreme exhaustion. Best wishes on the final days of summer and see you soon!
The administrative team met earlier this summer and decided to distribute the information in the most student-safe, practical way. We decided to wait until after registration because we wanted to know for sure which students were returning, leaving, and coming new to our district. There are many factors that come into play when creating classroom lists including number of students and social and academic needs. With registration information still coming in, class lists were being created and students were added and moved from classes as late as the day before the information was sent out! Waiting allows us to provide families with the most accurate information and prevents having to tell a student that although all summer he believed he was in a certain class, he has been moved from a class.
We chose to distribute the names by individuals and not entire class or grade level lists this year or a few reasons. First, while class lists are likely final, it occasionally happens that a student or two changes attendance centers or does not make it to school, even after registering. In the case that results in an imbalance of classes and we must make a class roster change by unfortunately moving a student to a new class, we would want to do that as privately as possible to reduce the feeling of being "that one" who was removed from a classroom by not sending out an updated class list with the student name removed. Secondly, the distributing of classroom teacher names now goes through Infinite Campus in all grades K-12. Finally, it is understood that teachers may choose to share class lists when school starts.
The decision to distribute classroom information was changed from school website to via email because not everyone is comfortable having their child's name and location in the building made public on the Internet for a variety of reasons. Occasionally, we have a legal obligation not to share that information.
In the case that a student has a medical condition where not knowing the classroom placement causes psychological harm, we would most certainly make accommodations for that student.
As with all decisions we make at school, we feel we have the best interest of students in mind. We also evaluate these decisions and see where we can improve. After 18 "first day of school" moments in my teaching career, I still find it a magical time of excitement, nerves, and extreme exhaustion. Best wishes on the final days of summer and see you soon!