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Dear Sunset Ridge Families,
Our PTA and parent volunteers are amazing! The Carnival was so fun, and I know so many former students remember these special events very fondly!
While connecting with several families, I was reminded of how, because of my job, I am privy to so much personal information. I hear about academic, behavioral, and medical concerns, family and neighborhood challenges, sleeping problems, mental health concerns, and more.
My wife and I struggled with infertility for 9 years and, when we heard others' stories, thought, "Why didn't we hear that others also struggled with this before now?" In a similar vein, I want to reassure families that significant concerns or challenges are so common that, if they're not the norm, they're common enough that I hope you know you're not alone :-). Parenting is hard, and life is full of unexpected challenges.
In order to support students at school, teachers collaborate with staff at school who are generally known as "specialists" or "student services." Those specialists might help teachers better meet the needs of multilingual learners or kids who are experiencing academic, behavioral, or friendship challenges, among other things.
We might do friendship groups or try using the application Lexia Core 5 to help kids catch some early foundational literacy skills or have people work with them individually or in small groups. They span a range from informal problem-solving to research-based, sustained interventions. If those interventions are not successful, we would definitely be in touch with families and might consider a potential disability.
My main point - we do a lot to help kids in a variety of areas and in a variety of ways. There's no need to panic if you hear your child is working with a certain person or getting extra help in some way - many, many kids are! We'll be in touch if there is something more you should know.
For families of 4th graders, we will have their "graduation" ceremony on the last day of school (Friday, June 7th) from 8:00 - 8:45am in the gym.
And remember the "Concert on the Lawn" on the back playground is on Friday, May 17th from 5:00 - 8:00!
And please fill out the family feedback form for class placement by May 10th!
Brett Wilfrid
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