Superintendent Hoover Excited About the New School Year
As I’ve been visiting classrooms, talking with principals and teachers, I am struck by the sense of excitement and engagement that I’m seeing this year. Students hit the ground running by participating in active learning, and our teachers were able to swiftly work through well-designed daily lesson plans. School spirit is high, with a sense of optimism for what this year holds.
One of the major initiatives we’ve launched this year is our 1:1 student technology program. We’ve branded it “Cruisers with Chromebooks.” Over the next two weeks we will put a Chromebook (a mini-laptop computer) in the hands of every student, grades K-12. Our teachers have been working exceptionally hard to learn how to best integrate this expanded technology into their instruction and daily learning routines for students. While computers can never replace high-quality teaching, they are essential tools teachers and students can utilize to make learning exciting and “real” as we challenge our thinking.
Students in grades 6-12 will be assigned a Chromebook computer that they can take home nightly and over the weekends and holidays. Just as it is the student’s responsibility to take care of his/her textbook, the same holds true of the Chromebook computer they will be using. As adults, we need to help our students understand the responsibility that comes with this privilege. We want them to appreciate your investment in their learning, using this device and the opportunity it presents them in their future. We have more information on the Cruisers with Chromebooks program in this newsletter, as well as on the technology page of our website.
Another exciting bit of news for us is the upcoming release of the State Report Cards. Based on preliminary data, we expect to see improvement in nearly every grade level of the report card. While we can’t take our foot off of the accelerator, this is a clear sign that we are moving in the right direction and that the investment that our community has made in our district is paying off.
I invite you to join us in this important work. We continue to need parents, grandparents, volunteers and others who will step forward to support their neighborhood school(s). Our children – your children – need to see that we value their education more than anything, and all of us want these young people to be successful in school and in life.
Thank you for your support of Groveport Madison Schools.
Respectfully,
Bruce Hoover
Superintendent
Posted: Thursday, September 7, 2017