Ray School Principal’s Podium

State of the School Address
February 23, 2009

Dear Ray School Parents:

We are now into our second semester. It is time to review some of the accomplishments of the first semester and discuss what to expect in the second semester. One goal that I spoke of on curriculum night was to overall improve student-learning behaviors so that classroom disruptions and classroom time lost would be diminished.

We implemented this with a program of Positive Behavioral Intervention and Supports or PBIS. As with any new initiative, we have had our challenges, but over all, teacher referrals and suspensions are down at least fifty percent compared to last year at this time. As children learn what is expected of them and realize that all adults have the same expectations, and with a system of positive rewards in place, being reinforced on a daily basis, student behavior has greatly improved. Many children who were seen regularly in the office last year have either not been seen or referrals have been greatly reduced. The lunchroom, which was the bane of existence for most volunteers, has become not only bearable but also at times quite pleasurable. As part of PBIS, we have instituted School Based Problem Solving for students who are underachieving academically or may be acting out in some way. We hope that this support will provide teachers and students with tools to increase student achievement.

The second goal was to improve our after school program. We have added many new offerings such as Art for the Younger Child, Studio Art, Board Games, Cheerleading, Homework Help, Sewing Club, Knitter’s Circle, Baton Twirling, South Side Scribblers (writing club), Debate Club, Spoken Word Poetry Club, Yoga, Jewelry Club, Chinese Language and Culture, Science Club, Spanish Song and Dance, Soccer, and Chess for Girls. The already existing drama club, girls’ and boys’ basketball, tutoring, B.I.G. Baseball, and Big Brothers, Big Sisters still remain.

Thirdly, the physical plant is improved with all new flooring and with all lockers sporting a fresh coat of blue paint. The tenacity and dedication of Mr. David Myles (parent), who single-handedly painted all of the student lockers in the building, paid off in double digits for us. These improvements, along with theme-focused student work, decorations in the corridor and large plants, have greatly improved the look of our school. Student work is now displayed in the main office so that it is readily evident that we are proud of our students. Our tuition-based after schoolroom has been fashionably coordinated with new green tables and rugs and curtains made by our after school sewing club. We purchased new computers, computer tables and software for students using the tuition-based revenue. Our lunchroom looks less institutional due to the bright bulletin boards featuring our successes in improved student responsibility and theme-based artwork hung on the walls. Lastly, our tricycle room now has child-patterned curtains at the windows and a wall hanging to reduce starkness of the room.

Other goals involved creating more of a student connection to our school. Our morning radio show features one class per week with up to four students being radio show announcers per day. These students give the thought of the day, which is based upon the character theme of the month. Depending upon the age of the announcers, they may also give important information for teachers and students. Students are excited to speak on the intercom system and get a boost of self-esteem in the process. Children, who have received stars for responsible behavior are eligible to have their names put in a lottery, and if their name is drawn, are publicly recognized and receive a token in the lunchroom once a week.

Our Spanish Celebration and Holiday performances were spectacular. The addition of costumes along with stage and auditorium decorations created a sense of pride among the students. I would like to commend the collaboration between our Spanish Language teachers and our Fine Arts team for putting together such high level programs. The pride that children felt about their performance was obvious. For the first time, children wore beautiful costumes and displayed their talents on a beautifully decorated stage, in an auditorium where student artwork was displayed.

Our rally celebrating the nomination of a Chicagoan and fellow Hyde Park resident and the Inauguration Assembly gave students of all ages a chance to exercise their speaking, writing and artistic abilities in front of their peers. Our International Night was wildly successful with great student performances and a virtual feast of gastronomic delights from around the globe. Spearheaded by Ray School parent Julie Coward, it was a tremendous success with more donations and talents and many more teachers attending than ever before.

The Lunar New Year was celebrated with fortune cookies and a dragon dance at lunchtime at Ray. A much larger collaborative happened between Ray School and the U. of C. where there were arts and crafts, a variety of Asian food and musical performances by our students and a professional Asian musician.

As Ray School has long been known for academic excellence and achievement, my goal is to continue in this tradition and seek to raise the bar. As promised, Ray students began to compete at the school and area wide levels in science, spelling and Young Authors and will compete in the Academic Olympics. As competition for selective enrollment schools increases, our students must learn to perform well to compete for their places in these schools or other schools of choice. Our after school science club focuses on Lego robotics. Our students are learning the basics of building robots and learning to program them through computers. This is a great example of allowing children to find their interest and challenging their intellect. Though we were not ready for the competitions this year, we will be ready in the next school year. Mrs. Webb and parent, Michael Scott provide guidance and instruction.

Our school was given a challenge by Mr. Duncan to improve the quality of our Spanish Language Department’s service delivery. The addition of Mr. Fernando Martin to the fifth and sixth grades provided instant improvement. Weekly meetings of the Spanish department to plan and coordinate curriculum with regular classroom teachers and providing more staff development in best practices have reaped rewards for our students. Monitoring of the lunchtime “Spanish Tables” has increased participation among students and provides more practice in the language.

Looking on to this second semester, we will finally see the Community Schools Initiative finally come to fruition. Our new partnership means increased funding so that much of our after school programming will continue until the last week of June. This initiative will also support more “Coffees with Mrs. Butler.”

In an effort to reduce class size in the early grades we have been able to hire an additional teacher to support students who are underachieving or who are accelerated, in grades kindergarten through second grade. Using discretionary funds we were able to secure this half-time position to run small groups for both reading and math. Early diagnosis and support will help student success in third through sixth grade.

In conclusion, as school funds grow even scarcer, I will continue to focus on high academic standards as the top priority for Ray School. With the continued support and cooperation I have received from so many of you who volunteer your time and expertise, I am sure that our students will continue to flourish and become the responsible citizens of the world and life-long learners we describe in our vision and mission statements.

Sincerely,

Bernadette Butler
Principal

Dear Ray School Families: It’s hard to believe that the first six weeks of school have so quickly passed.  We have had Open House, our first fundraiser, Book Fair, PTA meeting and  the five week progress reports have been issued.  It has been a very busy time.

I would like to take this opportunity however to personally welcome you to the 2007-2008 school year at Ray School.  For some of you, along with myself, this will be your very first year at this wonderful institution.  For many others, you have experienced many years being part of the Ray School Family.  I am deeply honored to have been chosen as instructional leader of a school so steeped in the tradition of excellence.  It is my goal to continue this tradition as did former leaders, Salvatore Valente, Sara Spurlark and of course Cydney Fields. Every new leader brings his/her own personality and focus to the job, thereby enriching the culture with a different perspective.  This year most of our time-honored traditions will remain the same, however there are a few innovations.

As the instructional leader of the school, my focus will be on increasing student achievement in writing.  Last year’s scores indicated that we address this concern across all grade levels.  To this end, the administration wrote and received a grant to work with two other schools to receive high caliber staff development in this area. The grant allows teachers to visit the other two schools at the same grade level to look at and talk about student writing.  The other two high achieving schools are Sayre Language Academy and Edgebrook (named by Chicago Magazine as one of the 20 highest achieving schools in the state).   Another area of focus this year is on the achievement of our special education students.  We did not meet annual yearly progress in this area last year and we must study and ameliorate the cause.  Thirdly, though our overall reading scores are certainly decent, I believe that we can certainly raise these scores over time.

One change in tradition is that we will use Halloween as a Reading Day.  All students and staff are encouraged to dress as a book character on that day. Just as an aside to those parents who are concerned with how to do that, almost any costume can be related to a book.  Of course, pre-k and kindergarten students have much more latitude with their costumes.  Let’s be creative and have fun.  Classroom activities will be centered on reading.  We are inviting authors of student books to read to classes.  Parents are invited to come and read stories or poems to groups, help prepare recipes based upon a story, lead songs or skits.  It should be a fun-filled day but with a specific purpose in mind.  The student parade will of course be the highlight of the day.

This year, in the implementation of a school-wide discipline policy I will use the CPS Student Code of Conduct.  This system will allow for fair and equal treatment of all students but also allows for each case to be looked at on its own merits.   The basis of this policy will be utilization of individual classroom management strategies to ensure that the classroom teacher is the authority figure and who will teach students to be responsible for their behavior.  A system of consequences and incentives should be built into every classroom curriculum.  Each classroom will develop and post a list of specific behaviors that will promote a  respectful climate for sharing and learning.

Another part of the plan is to build community relationships by increasing positive communication between families when an issue arises.  Detention, suspension and expulsion are still a part of the code and will be used as outlined in the Student Code of Conduct.

Conduct in the student lunchroom is a high priority.  In every school, the lunchroom is a somewhat noisy place but students should not think that it is okay to throw, spill and drop food without having some responsibility for cleanup.  Beginning with first grade, students are expected to pickup and toss their own garbage when they are finished eating.  We are utilizing classroom helpers to wipe tables to facilitate building responsibility.  We will build in incentives for classrooms for positive behavior and for leaving their areas in good condition.

This year, for the first time, we are without a technology teacher. To ensure that our students do not regress I met with Dr. York from the University of Chicago and other members of CUIP to begin addressing concerns surrounding this new situation.  In addition, our technology committee is meeting regularly to come up with ways to facilitate the use of the lab and to talk about how and what needs to be taught at different grade levels.

Finally, I believe that school climate is affected by the cleanliness, attractiveness and orderliness of the school building.  Teachers, staff and students feel better when they can be proud of their environment.  I intend to work with the custodial staff and the facilities committee to ensure that our building is kept in the best shape possible.

I will continue the tradition of having Coffees to meet with parents and will communicate with all of you through the various resources at my disposal, Ray News, E-News, a newsletter, on the Ray website and at the PTA meetings.   I do look forward to getting to know all of you during this next year and working towards continuing to make our beloved Ray School an attractive, very high performing and unique place of study for all of our students.

Sincerely,

Bernadette Butler