There’s something wonderful about a new beginning for children on a modern, spacious and well-maintained school campus; comfortable, mahogany-walled corridors, adorned with current student writing and drawings from new and returning students, forging fresh relationships with their teachers for the school year. While a state-of-the-art building and safe hallways are of course nice, at Ignite Elementary School, it’s the new relationships nurturing the whole child that are our most important priority.
Our staff believes in every child no matter what the readiness level! This means that every child will get exactly what they need because their teachers will work together to make it happen. For example, if a student is struggling with reading, and the homeroom teacher has done extensive lessons and the child is still not getting it, no one will ever throw up their hands and say “” Öh well – I taught it but she just doesn’t get it! No, at Ignite, our teachers will consult with their colleagues, teacher leaders, specialists and administrators to come up with different instructional techniques that might be worthwhile trying in order to help that specific child learn.
This year we have adjusted our strategy to allow us to focus on writing. I have already seen many students beginning the day by responding to writing prompts and continuing to write during each core subject. From even this shift alone, I know that our students will improve their writing!
I can also tell that our students will be served well because of the fresh new contact with our families. At this early point in the school year, even before our Virtual Open Houses this week, every teacher has made some form of positive contact with the families of their students – and this is what sets the tone for an awesome new year!
Relationships are everything! Relationships with you, our families, and relationships between staff, students and families. This is why new relationships are critical. Research shows that families who are involved in their children’s education produce students who perform better in school.
When I see the gleam of educationally related enjoyment in the eyes of our young students, borne as a result of the instructionally focused, emotional connections by our teachers, it gives me hope, that in spite of being in the midst of a global pandemic, our teachers and learners have not given up, and that at Ignite, we will not only survive but we will thrive!