Principal's Note
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Hello, Soaring Eagles!
EastSide believes deeply in the marriage of all three dimensions of student achievement: mastery of knowledge and skills, student character, and high quality student work. In order to ensure achievement for all students, in all dimensions we provide various opportunities for students to take part. We hold Community Meetings where students are celebrated for their progress academically as well as our school Habits: Responsibility, Persistence, Collaboration and Courage. Our students measure their own progress academic and socio-emotionally by setting goals and measuring progress towards mastery of class learning targets. Every adult in our building is committed, above anything else, to support each student as a whole-child, not as a vessel to place knowledge into. These initiatives and our approached to student-centered learning create an environment where both students and staff are innovative, all-in, and joyous. In order to achieve our vision of student achievement, we know that families are at the core of it all. Former Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan said it best, “my vision for family engagement is ambitious…I want to have too many parents demanding excellence in their schools. I want all parents to be real partners in education with their children’s teachers, from cradle to career. In this partnership, students and parents should feel connected—and teachers should feel supported. When parents demand change and better options for their children, they become the real accountability backstop for the educational system.” As a school and learning center, EastSide values parent and community involvement as a means to increase the trajectory of student achievement far beyond our walls. Within the school, there are structures and traditions in place that support parent involvement and community through our Celebrations of Learning where students present their work and long term projects as experts (real world connections and authentic audiences), report card conferences (twice a year), Back to School Night (PreK, Lower School, Middle School), Classroom volunteer opportunities, Book Fairs, and more. Our parents are always welcome to meet with leaders and teachers to advocate for their students, and we often partner with parents to create action plans for student success. Our students participate in Community Service Days on the last day of every trimester in order to give back to the community and get involved in a positive way. Our mentoring programs allow for community engagement and relationships to thrive. We are excited to share in this journey with you and your child! Onward! R Demetri Sermons, Ed.D.
Principal EastSide Charter School |