Dear Eastern Elementary Families:
The start of the school year is here!
This is my 18th year in education and 7th year as Elementary Principal here at Eastern. Prior to becoming a principal here at Eastern, I spent 5 years as a classroom teacher in grades 4, 6, and 8. I feel truly blessed to have the opportunity to work in this wonderful community and with our awesome children on a daily basis.
Last school year was one that was ever changing. We started the year by losing Mrs. Davis, our beloved elementary teacher of more than 20+ years. Our district then saw a change in leadership in the retirement of Mr. Leist as Superintendent. As the year progressed we were able to get back to more of a normal school setting with our children. Our students were able to enjoy many of the evening and extracurricular events that had been canceled the prior school year. Lastly, we were able to cap off the year with field trips and field day. It was so exciting to see the enjoyment our children had in these activities. Moving forward into this school year, we are excited to once again begin making preparations for the PTO Fall Festival and Christmas Program.
Students in grades 3-5 were given the Ohio State Assessments in April and May of 2022. The results of the assessments are not finalized, but it appears Eastern Elementary will once again be at the top of Pike County. Finalized Results should be released in September of 2022. Initial results show 3rd and 4th grade at the top of the county and making improvements over last year's scores.
Our school district has made some changes moving into the 2022-2023 school year to help meet the needs of all students we serve. First, our Intervention program has added an Intervention Specialist in the grades 3-5 building. This will allow us to have an intervention specialist teacher in each grade level to meet the needs of any student who may require interventions. Second, our talented and Gifted Program has also changed and will now be conducted at our school with Mrs. Tasha Cody being their instructor. Families of talented and gifted students will be receiving information in the coming days before school starts. We are very excited about these opportunities to help our students reach their full potential in the classroom.
We will continue to have all K-5 students dropped off at door 23 by the elementary gym. No exceptions unless prior arrangements are made. Pick up will be conducted in “flights” at different times like last year. We ask that all parents stay in their car and create a line just like we did last school year.
I would like to encourage all families to connect to the Seesaw Learning program that our school will once again be using. This “app” provides a way for your child’s teacher to communicate with you as well as post pictures of activities taking place throughout the school year. I will also be using this program to send school wide messages when information needs to be distributed to families. This program is super easy to use, can be a way for you to help monitor your child's progress, and see many of the great things taking place at Eastern Elementary.
Lastly, our District will continue offering an after school learning program beginning later in the fall. This program will be used to help students who may need extra support to master their grade level reading and mathematics expectations. More information will be given about this program in the coming weeks.
Today is a Great Day to be an Eastern Eagle!
Sincerely,
Matthew E. Hines
Eastern Elementary Principal