Kudos to Mr. Stockstad, students, and the parent volunteers who made The Princess and the Pea such a wonderful experience for performers as well as members of the audience.  That the entire production resulted largely from the voluntary commitment of all participants is remarkable.  This is testimony once again to the spirit of stewardship that is the hallmark of St. Nicholas Catholic School.

Other news of note:

Iowa test of Basic Skills (ITBS)

Students in grades 4-8 sat recently for the Iowa Test of Basic Skills.  Parents, students, and teachers should receive ITBS results before the close of school. This test is used by most Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Seattle as a formative assessment tool.  One of the recommendations made by the visiting team during our school’s accreditation in 2008 was to develop a tool to aggregate standardized and other tests for the purpose of improving student learning.  For example, to improve student learning we might aggregate scores of a specific grade as they progressed through upper elementary or middle school to detect areas of strength and areas in need of improvement.  I will be attending a three day workshop at Seattle University in late June along with Mrs. Brinkman and Mrs. Lockwood to learn more about the effective use of formative assessments.  A significant part of our forthcoming August in-service time will be dedicated to exploration of formative assessment. 

The Archdiocese is looking at fall testing dates for ITBS for all schools next year.  The obvious benefit of the early date is that teachers can strategize based on assessment results and implement these strategies during the course of school year.  The disadvantage, particularly for schools that use standardized test results like ITBS as marketing tools, is that scores are going to be lower if students sit for ITBS in the fall rather than the spring. 

Bishop Tyson’s Visit

Bishop Tyson, Superintendent of Catholic Schools, and Anne Millam, a member of the Archdiocese of Seattle Catholic School Board visited St. Nicholas School on April 28.  Bishop Tyson visited each classroom and interacted with students.  I met with him after his classroom visits to discuss the present status of our school improvement plan.  I reviewed with Bishop Tyson the progress we have made to date on the school’s long-range plan.  When the accreditation team returns in March 8, 2011 their focus will be exclusively on the progress we have made toward fulfilling their recommendations from March of 2008.

Focus on St. Nicholas Catholic School Five Year Plan

The Facilities and Grounds Task Force and the Fiscal Health Task Force have nearly concluded their work and it is likely I will receive their final reports prior to the end of school.  The Curriculum Task Force is meeting for the second time on May 23.  The Technology Task Force had a very promising first meeting and a second meeting is planned for May 26.  I hope to have a draft of the Five Year Plan prepared for Fr. Hung to review in early September.

Thank You for Supporting Catholic Education,

Michael Sweeney