Well the end of the year is quickly coming to a close. Our year end testing is wrapping up. The parent surveys are being returned. We've finally had a few sunny days so the children can enjoy some outside time for recess and P. E class. The choir has enjoy their combined district choir concert with the other elementary choirs.  End of the year field trips have been happening to places like the state capitol, the Minnesota History Center, the planetarium in Rochester, the Pelican Breeze, the Albert Lea Medical Center, the Freeborn County Museum, etc.  Classroom picnics are being planned.
For me this is the end of a 40 year career in what I consider without questions the very best profession there is.  I want to thank the Hawthorne parents for allowing me the privilege to be a part of your child's education. These past nine years have truly been an honor.

Red Shirt Fridays

We are asking all students and staff to wear a red shirt on the next two Fridays, April 29th and May 6th.

The mission of red shirt fridays is to show support for our servicemen and women.  We have several parents of Hawthorne students who will be deployed at the end of the month as well as one of our staff members. We'd like to demonstrate our support for their efforts and sacrifice by wearing red on the next two Fridays. 

Math MCA Assessments

We have now begun the Math portion of our MCA (Minnesota Comprehensive Assessments) testing.  This year the students complete these math tests electronically.  Being we need to use our computer labs, these tests will be spread out over several days.   The fifth grade will also complete their MCA Science tests electronically.  Please continue to support and encourage your children as they work hard to do their very best on these assessments.

I'm very proud of the Hawthrone students for how seriously they approached the MCA reading tests. They truly understand the importance of demonstrating their best efforts.Thanks, kids!!!!
Thank you to all of the parents as well for making sure your child had some extra rest and some good nutrition so they were ready to face the day.
This week we take a short break from our MCA testing.  There are a few students who need to make up their reading MCA due to absence.  We will begin the math MCA's immediately following Spring Break.

There is no school due to Spring Break!

April 21, 22 and 25

Immediately following Spring Break we will begin the math MCA tests.

I'd like to wish you each a wonderful time with family and friends over break.  Make sure your child spends time reading over break.  Reading is a lifelong skill and a wonderful way to relax and acquire new knowledge.  As educators, we know the very best intervention for improving a child's reading is VOLUMES of reading at the child's independent level.  Please encourage this at home! 

 

Minnesota State Comprehensive Assessments Begin

It is that time of year again.  The Minnesota State Comprehensive Assessments or MCA's will begin this week.  Students in grades 3-6 take these tests.  This week we begin with Reading.  Tuesday and Wednesday the 5th and 6th graders test with the 3rd and 4th graders take theirs on Thursday and Friday.  As parents, you have an impact on how well your child performs on these assessments.  You can help with words of encouragement, making sure your child gets some extra rest and sending them off to school with a good breakfast.  Students and teachers have worked hard all year so it's important that everyone for everyone to do their very best.
The math testing will begin for Hawthorne right after Spring break on April 26th with third grade starting the math testing.  This year, for the first time, these assessments are taken electronically.  We will use both of the computer labs to facilitate this testing.  Students will complete two sections a day for four different days. 
Both the reading and the math tests are untimed tests so children are encouraged to take their time and pace themselves. 
If you have any questions regarding these assesments or the process that is followed, feel free to call your child's classroom teacher or the school office at 379-4960. 

Mrs. Tims to Retire

As many of you may have heard, I will be retiring at the end of the school year. I came to Albert Lea nine short years ago and these years have, without question, been the highlight of my journey as an educator. It is with mixed feelings that I make this decision to retire. I know I will miss students and staff terribly, but I’m also looking forward to new pursuits as my professional and personal journeys continue. I entered this profession 40 years ago because of my passion for children and the my work with each child and family at Hawthorne has only enhanced this passion. Your children are truly a joy to be with.


I will be handing the leadership of Hawthorne off to Mrs. Karen Zwolenski. I know that you will greet her with the same warm welcome that I was given when I joined the Hawthorne community and the Albert Lea School District.
I close with a quote that has been in my office for years….

“A hundred years from now,

it will not matter what my bank account was,

the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove.

But the world may be different

because I was important in the life of a child.”

Forrest E. Witcraft

Family Engagement Influences Student Achievement

A review of 50 recent studies on how family engagement affects student achievement found that students with involved parents are more likely to:

• earn higher grades and test scores and enroll in higher level programs
• be promoted, pass their classes, and earn credits
• attend school regularly
• have better social skills and show improved behavior
• adapt well to school.

These students are also more likely to graduate and go on to post-secondary education.  (Henderson and Mapp, 2002.)

"Monitoring how children use their time, engaging in home learning activities, and expressing high expectaitons for their children have a greater effect on student achievement than does family income or structure.  Reginald Clark's studies of what families do at home, across all backgrounds, have found that many high-achieving children live in single-parent households where the mother does not have a college education."  Beyond the Bake Sale by Henderson, Mapp, et al.