Welcome to the 2005-2006 school year! There are some significant changes this year. The first is our early release on every Wednesday. All Lake Washington schools will dismiss students 90 minutes earlier than the regular day. For Wilder that means students are dismissed at 2:00 PM every Wednesday. The purpose of the early dismissal is for our teachers to plan for your learners. It is also an opportunity for us to present new curriculum and new strategies to help your children learn.

A second significant change is the adoption of Power Standards. At Curriculum Night in September, I shared the purpose of Power Standards. Basically, a standard is learning that is essential for students to succeed. We’ve known for a long time that we try to ‘cover’ too much in each subject during the year. We’ve decided to teach the specific standards that all students need  to progress from year to year. We are calling it curriculum refinement. This is our first year implementing the power standards and we are starting with math. Our early release Wednesdays give us the chance to work together to ensure that all our teachers are prepared to impart the standards to your children. 

Those are two significant changes that will enable us to a rewarding year working to bring out the best in every child. We also plan to continue the many enrichment programs that our students love. Wilder is a school that benefits from strong parent participation and support. Your continued involvement remains vital to our success. For example, parents make programs like Classic Books, The Watershed, Art Docents, Math Adventures and Math Olympiad thrive in our school. You can assist in many ways, such as volunteering in those programs and/or in your child's classroom. I also recommend that you participate in PTSA.

Finally, I will keep you informed with regular letters about school programs, issues and opportunities. Your children's teachers will apprise you of the classroom activities and programs. Please remain informed and involved. Together we can make excellence in learning a reality for your children. Let’s also make the love of learning implicit in all our efforts!

Sincerely,

Larry Pollock