I’m writing this note with the hope that all of our readers have had a relaxing and safe summer. Hopefully everyone had a cool spot to wait out the sizzling summer heat and driving windstorms.

The school’s staff has been busily preparing for the return of students on August 27^th. The custodial crew cleaned and painted on the facilities throughout the summer. They’ve been kept extra busy cleaning up debris left by the strong storms that swept through the area. Most maintenance and repairs have been completed and the grounds should be waiting for the happy sounds of youth come August 27^th. Our teaching staff hosted a very educational summer school and the 21^st CCLC crew provided many exciting summer camps. Some of our teachers participated in workshops and classes that provided them with a wealth of “new” knowledge and instructional techniques that they will be implementing when students return. Teachers and other concerned community members worked diligently on a new District math curriculum this spring. The finished product is high quality. It references the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and Montana state standards throughout. It’s user friendly. We are excited to begin using it and tracking data that will measure its effectiveness. Parents and guardians please remember that the best teachers, teaching methods and the most efficient curriculums in the world will not be effective if your children are not in school. Please see that yours attend class everyday starting August 27^th.

It’s always nice to start a new project, like the school year, on a positive note and we are able to do that. As you may recall in last year’s school report card I reported that as a District we failed to make Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). This year I’m excited to report, according to OPI’s preliminary calculations, we have “climbed out of the hole” and made AYP in both schools (elementary & middle) as well as a district. I attribute this to a dedicated and passionate staff and of course hard working students. When you see teaching staff and students, please congratulate them. We must all remember this is an on-going process and the bar will be set even higher next year. So we can give ourselves a pat on the back for last year’s accomplishment, but we must prepare to work even harder this year in order to maintain this status.

In closing, please look at the “Dates to Remember” page of this newsletter. We hope it aids you in keeping informed about school functions. Parental participation is strongly encouraged at the Dixon School so please visit and participate whenever your schedule allows it.

Mark Faroni

Dixon School Principal