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The teaching staff makes placement decisions based on several considerations:
- Your individual child’s academic, social and emotional profile.
- Classroom teachers and special educators put together tentative placements of heterogeneous groupings that strike a balance (to the best of their ability) for gender, academic ability, social and emotional variables and learning style.
- Input from specialists, special area teachers and support staff in the building.
- Parent input that speaks to a child’s personality and academic strengths as well as needs not necessarily apparent in the school setting.
- Friendships and other social groupings that might be encouraged or discouraged based on experience.
- Placement drafts are created and shared among specialists, special area teachers and administration for review and feedback, and revisions are made as needed.
Parents can support the classroom placement process in the following ways:
- Be sure your understanding of your child has been shared with the current classroom teacher during the course of the year. If you are confident this has been communicated and understood, know that the decision is in good hands.
- If you have specific information about your child outside of school the staff might not know, send a letter by May 22 to Johnson. Your letter should include your goals for your child, the type of classroom environment or teacher qualities that would best enhance your child’s strengths and/or address his/her weaknesses and any other academic or social concerns that would need to be considered in placing your child next year.
- Letters from previous years are not referenced each new year.
- Please do not request a specific teacher. Such requests will not be considered in the placement process. They value parent input related to classroom environment, but will not accept personal requests for teachers (even if an older sibling had a wonderful experience).
- Placement information regarding negative first-hand experiences with particular teachers may be relevant to share. However, a neighbor or friend’s thoughts regarding a teacher will not factor into the school’s placement decisions.
All letters should be delivered in an envelope to the attention of the principal no later than May 22. Contact Val Baumler/Jean Jerussi in the office with any questions regarding the placement process.
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