Mount Vernon Schools

The 2011-12 school year is now in full swing!  As I traveled around to schools and classrooms on Wednesday, I saw, time and time again, evidence of our staffs’ talents and abilities.  The effort they devoted to planning and preparing for the school year resulted in another smooth start!

Of course, it wouldn’t be the start of the year without some glitches.  Many of these have been shouldered by our Transportation Department, which has been working to respond to the new bell schedules with a significantly reduced staff.  A huge “Thank you!” to our drivers, dispatcher Mary Polley, driver trainer Candi Hockett, and business office employee Cheri Duncan for their patience and perseverance.

Class sizes are up noticeably in some spots at the elementary level.  Monday is the first official enrollment count date.  At that point, we will know numbers of students actually attending and will be in a position to mitigate problem areas. 

Our technology staff is working hard to plug password, equipment, and accessibility gaps common to the beginning of the school year.  It takes time to identify all new staff and to accommodate for relocated equipment. 

Enough of glitches and on to celebrations.  There is some good news to be found in the MSP and HSPE data from last spring.  While only one of many pieces in the picture of student success, it’s rewarding to see our staffs’ hard work (and our students’ effort) reflected in the numbers.  For a detailed look, go to the OSPI Report Card page for Mount Vernon, found at http://bit.ly/p3YfKe.  Here are a few of the highlights:

• Our on-time graduation rate increased to 88.4%, with little variability between student sub groups;
• Reading and math scores improved at all grade levels, 3–6;
• We met AYP in 80% of the 18 cells for grades 3-5 and 82% of cells for grade 10;
• 79% of the 141 8th graders who took the algebra End of Course assessment passed;
• 94% of the 114 9th graders who took the geometry End of Course assessment passed;
• The gap between scores of white and Hispanic students continued its multi-year pattern of narrowing in 10th grade reading and writing, 6th grade reading and math, and 3rd grade reading and math.

This weekend, McIntyre Hall will host several performances of Remembering 911 a musical performance written to observe the 10th anniversary of the September 1, 2011 attacks.  A number of local and regional musicians are involved.  You can learn more about the event at http://www.remembering911.com/about-the-event/.

That’s it for now.  Enjoy the weekend!

Carl