Message From Principal

August/September 2008

Mary A. Merritt

Dear McKnight Families:

Welcome to the 2008-2009 school year. I hope you have enjoyed your summer and are as ready as I am to begin the new school year.

We are beginning our third and final year of the School Improvement Assistance grant. With this grant we have developed and refined the school improvement plan; researched and implemented interventions using best practices in the areas of reading and math; and improved instruction using models such as Powerful Teaching and Learning. In addition, we are in the second year of the Microsoft Math & Science Initiative grant awarded to the district. Through this grant, teachers have received valuable training and equipment that have been infused into the math curriculum.

I am excited to report that the McKnight reading and math intervention programs were very successful in assisting students improve their reading and math skills. We will not only continue these programs, but have expanded them to all three grade levels.

As we continue our school improvement efforts, we will use the Friday delayed start days to delve deeper into truly identifying what students need to learn; how we will measure this learning; what to do when students don’t learn; and how we will provide a challenging curriculum for those students who excel in their learning. In addition, we will expand our vision of recognizing students more often and in a variety of ways. With this in mind, we will ask for and need your involvement as parents; whether it’s attending a tea, helping in the preparation—setup or cleanup or chaperoning an event. Thank you in advance for your support!

McKnight has received positive feedback from parents regarding the on-line Family Access program. If you are not familiar with this program, in the fall you will receive a flyer that explains how you can access your child(ren)’s grades, immunization records, etc. If you do not receive a flyer within the first three weeks of school, please contact the counseling department.

We will continue to send a weekly bulletin of events via email to parents and members of the community. If you are not yet on the email list to receive this bulletin and would like to receive a copy, please send your email address to suzie.bradford@renton.wednet.edu and your address will be added to the list.

As you can see, we have much to do and working together we will accomplish a great deal in the way of educational success for all McKnight students. McKnight is an excellent school with outstanding students and families and a wonderful staff. I look forward to another great year.

Sincerely,

Mary A. Merritt
Principal