Family Newsletter 3/18/24
Family Newsletter 3/18/24
Hello Maverick Nation!
News items:
Student-Led Conferences Were a Hit!!
Thank you so much for participating in student-led conferences this year. We learned so much from our first year (last year) and I really did see the difference in the overall experience for our kids, families and staff. One of the goals of the student-led conferences is to build community with our families. This is a big reason to have student-led conferences in person. There are so few opportunities to have families into the school, say “hello”, check in, tour the school, etc. We really value the time with you and having you in the building. I think the Scavenger Hunt helped with this as well 😊. As I said before, teachers wanted to meet you half-way this year in lieu of not being able to meet with all 7 of your child’s teachers. They took a lot of time to fill out the check-in sheets to give you just a little bit more information about how your children are fairing in their classes.
A few parents asked me why they couldn’t meet with their child’s teacher or why this wasn’t built in. Again, in one 8 hour conference day (which is all middle schools are allotted) it would be impossible to schedule 460 families to meet with all 7 of our students’ teachers. Also, you can always request a meeting with your child’s teacher – just email or call them and they can set it up!
Thank you, too, for taking the exit survey. Families rated all survey questions at 4 or above (out of 5)!! That’s amazing!
I will share your feedback with our Leadership Teams and the staff as a whole and we will continue to make adjustments for next year.
Thank you again for participating!
8th Grade End of Year Fun!
Okay 8th grade families – it’s time to start planning for your 8th graders to celebrate their departure from middle school. (Don’t oversell this at home. We still need them to focus for 3 ½ more months!)
Here are the detes:
- 8th grade Beach Day will be Tuesday, June 18th. We will have permission slips coming out in the months to come. We are asking you to volunteer if you are able and also to provide some food…more of this to come. It is a super fun, chill, and easy field trip. The kids just play, eat, and sign yearbooks. It’s magical!
- 8th Grade Celebration will be Wednesday, June 12th 5:30-6:30. Most middle schools (at least in the northend) have stopped having formal, stuffy promotion ceremonies. We instead have switched to a more kid-friendly celebration which involves a student parade around the school (by advisory) and meeting up in the field for refreshments and merriment 😊…and there’s a balloon arch!
Budget and Staffing Allocations for 2024-25 School Year
I wanted to follow up on my previous Parent Newsletter regarding budget – just in case you missed it! The short story is that McClure’s budget allocations for the 2024-25 school year are severely depleted which makes budgeting for supplies and other very basic school needs very challenging. I am including this news item just to keep this on your radar and to include the District-Published contacts in case you have questions, are seeking clarity, or want to express concerns through these channels. I do encourage you to attend one of the Equity Focused, small group discussion later this month or a “well-resourced schools informational meeting” later this Spring. I think it is important for our parent community to be present in these forums to share your perspectives and experiences.
- Community Voice Matters: This month, we [District] are hosting several equity-focused, small group discussions with our students and families. Later this spring, we will be hosting well-resourced schools informational meetings for all families, staff, and community.
- On March 20, the School Board will hear a status update for 2024-25 budget from the central office leadership team. The School Board will decide on the budget in July.
- For more info, visit our budget webpage. There you will find a form to ask questions.
- Also, apparently the District 4 (which is us!) Board Position was vacated in February. Under state law these positions will be appointed by the Board (just learned this!) Since McClure’s families appear currently to not be represented on the Board, I think it is fair to reach out to other Board members if you would like to express concerns, ask questions, seek clarity, etc. Here are the Board Members per the SPS Board website:
District 1 – Liza Rankin
District 2 (Position Vacant: Information about the appointment process)
District 4 (Position Vacant: Information about the appointment process)
District 7 – Brandon K. Hersey
Join the PTSA! (You’ll be so glad you did!!)
Please join the PTSA! It’s a fun and easy way to connect with your McClure community and contribute to the school. Please click on the link and join as an individual or family. Join McClure PTSA
That’s it for now!
Go Mavs!
Principal Shannon Conner McClure
McClure Middle School