From the Principal

12/6/2024 7:11 am

​​Dear Dallin Families,

I hope this newsletter finds you well and that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends. It’s hard to believe that December is already upon us! I’ve heard we had our first dusting of snow earlier this week—a sure sign that winter is settling in—and I’m sorry I missed it.

I’m writing to you from the National EL Education Conference in Atlanta, where I’ve had the privilege of joining a small group of district leaders to engage in two incredible days of professional learning. The sessions I attended focused on topics central to our work at Dallin: building habits of scholarship, producing high-quality student work, embracing project-based learning, and fostering student leadership. I also had the unique opportunity to learn from some of the founders of the EL Education curriculum and attend teacher-led workshops featuring educators from across the country. This experience has been energizing, and I’m excited to bring back new ideas and insights to our school community.

As you know, we’ve begun implementing the EL Education ELA curriculum this year. This new curriculum brings exciting opportunities for students to engage with rigorous and meaningful content. At the same time, it represents a monumental effort by our educators, who are not only learning new material but also adopting new instructional strategies. This is a multiyear journey across our schools, and I am grateful for the hard work of our teachers during these early phases. There's so much that’s new to all of us!

As we look ahead, here are a few important updates and reminders:

Trimester 1 Ends Friday This Friday marks the end of the first trimester. Progress reports will be available to families next Friday, December 13th. These reports are an important opportunity to celebrate your child’s growth and progress.

Family-Teacher Conferences Next week, teachers will be sending out information about scheduling family-teacher conferences, which will take place during the first two weeks of January, following the winter break. These conferences are a valuable chance to connect with your child’s teacher, discuss their progress, and plan for the next phase of the school year.

Thank you, as always, for your partnership and support. I wish you a joyous and peaceful December as we move through this busy and festive season together. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns.

Best,

Thad