Background Information
As we move closer to the end of the school year, we will begin preparing to group students for next year's classes. Considerable thought and deliberation go into creating individual classes. With the accountability measures implemented under federal and state laws, it is only fair, and indeed vital, for students and teachers that each class is equal according to skill levels and challenges.
Every effort is made to create classes that can function as a community to create a positive and productive learning environment. This means each class is composed of students with a wide-range of personalities, learning styles, abilities, attitudes and behaviors, as well as special education or other needs. Unbalanced classes that result from special requests create challenges and inequities that affect the learning of students throughout the entire grade.
Just as each child is unique, so is each teacher. An individual experience that one of your children may have had with a teacher can differ drastically from what another one of your children may have with the same teacher. Our society is made up of people with tremendous varieties in personality, behavior, and temperament. Learning to get along with all kinds of people, making new friends, and accepting challenges and changes is an essential part of the personal growth of our students.
Having a wide variety of teachers with different teaching styles and personalities is a benefit to our students and, perhaps, one of the best opportunities you, as parents, have to help prepare your children with the skills they will need to relate to the many people with whom they do and will interact. With few exceptions, every child can learn to successfully work with their teacher. We have a truly exceptional faculty that is committed to giving children the finest education possible.
Requirements for Consideration Requests
Keeping the above in mind, if you feel your child has unique circumstances or educational needs that must be considered as we create next year’s classes, you must submit those concerns in an email or letter to Ms. Miller no later than April 26, 2024. If you have requests for multiple children, a separate email or letter must be submitted for each child. Requests received after April 26, 2024, may not be considered. You may request a face-to-face meeting with Ms. Miller to clarify your concerns.
Your letter should include the following:
- At the top of the page, include your name, your child’s name, the grade they will enter, and your telephone number.
- Describe the educational needs of your child and specific concerns you may have in regard to your child and their learning.
A review and consideration of your concerns will then be made as class lists are created. Thank you for your understanding and support of this important process. We appreciate your trust in the faculty of Orchard Springs Elementary and look forward to a successful school year.
