Message from Suzanne

This message was posted in last week's bulletin. It's one that parents sometimes miss, so I thought I would post it just in case.

Dear Eliot Parents,
It is the time of year when we begin thinking about class placements for next year. The process of building new classes is one of the most complex, sensitive, and challenging activities we undertake as a school staff.

Placement decisions are the responsibility of committees working to insure that all-important information about each child is considered in constructing classroom groups for the coming year. The committee consists of sending teachers (your child’s current teacher), receiving teachers, guidance, Title I, special education teachers, the reading specialist, and the principal. The entire process takes more than two months time to complete.

How Placement Works:
In April, sending teachers will meet to discuss their present classes. At that time, the information from special education staff is included and preliminary lists are drawn up. Our system-wide guidelines state that teachers must prepare classes that meet the following criteria:

*to build a distribution of children that is balanced with respect to social, physical, and academic potential to balance girl/boy ratios in each classroom to consider peer relationships that support an optimal learning environment to achieve an equitable teacher/pupil ratio

The Parental Role: The primary goal of placement is to construct balanced classes. We are unable to honor requests for specific teachers. To make such requests further complicates the process. If you feel that there are special or unusual circumstances that your child’s current teacher is not aware of, you are encouraged to bring that information forward in a letter to me.

While we value your ideas and wish to make the very best placement for your child, we must emphasize the need to make decisions that benefit the entire group of children in a classroom.

Any information, in the form of a letter, must be received by Friday, April 15th - the last day of school, before April school vacation.
We appreciate your support in our efforts to construct the best possible classroom units as we plan for the 2011-2012 school year!

Class placements will be mailed at the beginning of July. Suzanne