Dear ICS Families:
May the love of the Father, the grace of our Lord Jesus
Christ and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
I write to you in advance of our two upcoming State of
Incarnation meetings so that you may have an opportunity to digest this
information prior to coming. It will be discussed in detail at the meeting.
As many of you know, we have been met with an annual
question over the course of the past five years: will any grade level have one
or two sections?
Unfortunately, we have not been able to answer this
question with much certainty, consistency or conviction. Re-enrollment limps
along both because of human nature and because of families' worry about whether
or not there will be two sections for any grade level. As such, projections
based on educated guesses and the numbers of students enrolled at certain
checkpoints throughout the spring and summer have been the only ways that
decisions for one or two sections have been made. What results is an unreliable
and somewhat unfair distribution of resources. Grade levels can have close to
the same amount of students, but one can end up getting split to two sections
while the other remains consolidated into one.
As a way to respond to this phenomenon instead of react,
I would like to unveil to you a model that maximizes our resources and provides
a stable response to a dilemma that may never go away.
We would look to offer two sections in all grade levels
(with the exceptions of PreK and K as these grades have different class size
requirements according to accreditation standards) for LA and Math, but
consolidate for Science, Social Studies and Religion. Should the number of
students enrolled for a particular grade exceed accreditation standards (more
than 35 students), we would then split the grade into two legitimate sections.
This will allow for us to offer smaller class sizes in all grade levels for the
two most academically rigorous and vital subjects, Language Arts and
Math.
In order to make this possible, teachers would begin to
specialize in content in grades 1 - 5 (similar to what already occurs in Grades
6 - 8). Furthermore, some teachers in grades 1 - 5 would teach two consecutive
grade levels for particular subjects. Doing this would allow for greater
collaboration, creating true academic departments that run across the entire
school. It would also help ensure the vertical alignment of the curriculum between
and among grade levels.
While we would hope that this allows us to get ahead of
our enrollment concerns, we will not know the exact program needed until we
begin and get into the heart of the re-enrollment process. ICS faculty and
staff are committed to making this a strong alternative to the inconsistent
approach currently in place; we firmly believe this will enhance our great
school.
This structure allows for a more just and equitable
division of our resources. I look forward to dialoguing with
you about your thoughts, worries, questions and concerns about this
concept either tonight or on Saturday. If you cannot attend either, please know
of my willingness to speak with any family with questions or concerns.
Thank you for your openness to this idea and to the Holy
Spirit working in our school and through each one of us.
I hope to see you either tonight (March 11, 7:00 p.m.; or
Saturday March 14, 9:00 a.m.). Families with students in grades PreK – 7 should
plan to attend.
Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.
Be blessed. Be bold. Fight for JOY!
Peace,
Mr. Zelenka
Principal
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