Parents

Dear Foothill Parents 

As the Chairperson of the Foothill School Improvement Team (SIT), I would like to take this opportunity to share important information about SIT and encourage you to consider becoming involved in this vital group.  SIT has an advisory role in the development of our School Improvement Plan (SIP) each year, beginning the work of reviewing data and school goals within the first 8 weeks of school.  As a SIT/Parent member, you will participate in decisions about issues ranging from curriculum to culture, and school reform.

At monthly SIT meetings, parents work together with school staff to ensure accountability for student learning and school climate.  Using the “TIES- Tools for Inquiry for Equitable Schools” model, the school improvement process begins with the forming of goals targeted at improving three aspects of Foothill culture: Academics, Equity, and Climate.

As a SIT member, you will help keep the focus on student needs, help brainstorm potential solutions, discuss actions and strategies, and will review progress reports and feedback from the district.  You will help monitor the steps taken to reach school goals and provide input for future improvement goals by monitoring trends in school data.

Last spring, the District provided TIES training to 3 parent participants from each school.  We came away with a better understanding of the role that parents can play in the TIES/SIP and the work that needs to be accomplished.  In addition, we were able to hear how other schools implement this process and came away with great ideas as to how we might improve our process here at Foothill.  We hope the new format for SIT will be a positive change and will allow us to be more focused, efficient, and more productive; thus accelerating the improvement process for our school.

Please join us for the Fall Community-wide SIT meeting on Tuesday, August 26^th from 6:00-7:30 pm in the Library.  We will be looking for parents from all grade levels to fill the remaining 3-4 parent positions on SIT.  A second Community-wide SIT meeting will be held in January or February (TBA).

Please feel free to contact me with questions and/or concerns at any time: julenethom@comcast.net

Sincerely,
Julene Thom

Equity Goal
Students at Foothill in grades 3-5 will decrease the gender gap in writing as measured by the weighted index with boys increasing from a weighted index of 98 to 100, while maintaining or increasing the girls’ weighted index score of 110 in 2007-2008, as measured by CSAP.  Our goal is to have 10 points or less difference between boys’ and girls’ writing scores.

Achievement Goal
All students in grades 3-5 at Foothill Elementary will increase their CSAP scores by at least 3 weighted index points in writing from 104 to 107. As a baseline, 85% of students in grades K-5 at Foothill Elementary will be proficient on the Foothill Writing Assessment by the end of the year.   

Foothill Elementary School
303-443-1847
Email: bvsd.foe@bvsd.org
1001 Hawthorn Avenue, Boulder, CO  80304