January 19, 2021
Hello Sankofa United Families:
This is a big week at Sankofa United to assess what students know and for teachers to reflect and modify our instruction. All students will be taking an English Language Arts assessment this week. Our kindergarten, 1st and 2nd graders will be doing this on the iReady platform. 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders will be taking the Reading Inventory assessment. Families play an important role in supporting distance learning, but it is important to remember that with assessments, the best way to help is not to help. Just like we would never give our kids answers on a vision test, we also want to be sure that the information is accurate when we look at what students know in English and math. I recommend that all families watch this short video for some great tips..
In addition to using iReady for diagnostic and assessments, it is a highly engaging personalized learning tool. All Sankofa United students will be using this during independent learning time weekly. Here is a two minute video that gives a great overview. If you want to learn more, you can visit https://i-readycentral.com/familycenter/
There are two important opportunities this week for families to get involved at Sankofa United. Our School Site Council meets Wednesday, 1/20/21, at 6 PM, and our PTA general meeting is Thursday, 1/21/21, at 6:30 PM. Both are virtual at tinyurl.com/SankofaZoom . All families are welcome and encouraged to attend.
On another note, we are getting GREAT feedback from families who have to a virtual enrollment tours. There are 3 more remaining: Jan 21, Jan 25, and Feb 1. Please continue to spread the word to your friends and neighbors. They can find out all the details and RSVP at this link. The deadline to enroll (and for our 5th graders to enroll in middle school) is February 5. Current Sankofa United Kinder-4th grade families do NOT need to enroll as you are automatically enrolled with us for next year.
And finally, realizing that many of our students have not yet been on campus, due to distance learning, I filmed a fun and fast walking tour of campus. Enjoy.
~ Dennis Guikema, Principal.
Past weekly messages are archived on www.ousd.org/SankofaUnited or can be found here.
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