Message from the Principal

Dear Wayland-Cohocton Families,

I hope this letter finds you all resting and relaxing as you enjoy the last few weeks before school starts! You will be trading in bathing suits and lazy summer mornings for back to school supplies and anxious anticipation of the first day of school! Please know that we have been busily preparing here at school for your September 7^th arrival and couldn’t be more excited to begin another successful year! Before we jump ahead at our 2011-2012 school year, lets recap some of the successes we had last year…

1. Our Parent Survey results were fantastic! Research shows that when surveys are submitted to the public, only 20-22% of them are returned. At Cohocton last year, we had a whopping 63% of our surveys returned! Kudos to our supportive families who see their voice as a valuable part in the school improvement process. Please see the chart below with actual results.

2. As two combined elementary schools (Wayland and Cohocton) our goal was to reduce the number of children who missed 10 or more days of school from 157 (in 2009-2010) to 118 (in 2010-2011.) Although we did not meet our goal, we came close. The number of Wayland and Cohocton Elementary students who missed 10 or more days of school last year dropped from 157 to 128. That was about a 20% decrease. That is a reflection of you as parents, getting your child here, prepared each day!

3. Our third goal last year was around improving the reading fluency of our students. Our goal was to have 85% of our students in grades K-4, NOT in the “at risk” range as measured by our DIBELS assessment. I am happy to say that both Kindergarten and First Grade exceeded our goal! The other grades are not far behind and will continue to work hard this year to meet this lofty goal.

This year we will continue to set goals as a building and with Wayland Elementary, working together to provide all of our children and families with a positive elementary school experience. With the 2011-2012 school year comes positive changes and much to be excited about. Below lists some of those changes and things to look forward to this year…

We sadly say goodbye to our beloved Art teacher, Ms. Stieve. With a recent resignation at the high school, she will now be transferring to cover that position. We are happy that she will now have a full time job here at Wayland-Cohocton and look forward to the fact that now our children will have a familiar face when they get up to the high school. We welcome Mrs. Severson back as our Tuesday/Thursday Art teacher, splitting time with us and Wayland Elementary.

We welcome our new teachers from the Wayland Building including Mrs. Tyree (kindergarten), Mrs. Cooper (kindergarten), Mrs. Frick (third grade), and finally Mrs. Glanville, formerly known as Ms. Wyant (reading.) We also welcome back Mrs. Wilkinson (fourth grade) from her leave of absence and Ms. Englert, formerly known as Mrs. Alsheimer, who will be moving to fourth grade this year! Also new to our building, we welcome the following aides, Mrs. Schwab, Mrs. Pragle and Mrs. Hartzell. 

Morning Program will continue this year in our building and all families are welcomed to come join us each morning from 8:45-9:15.

We will be bringing back our “Monthly Celebrations” this year, where we will be asking families to share a special hobby or talent with our students. Look for more information coming soon!

Our Shared Decision Making Team will continue to meet monthly to guide and analyze our growth and development as a building. The parents who serve on this Team have been a huge resource in planning our Family Fun Day and in analyzing our survey results. We will be asking more interested parents to join this great team…so look for more information to follow.

Finally, I would like to warmly welcome all of our NEW STUDENTS, including those who will be transferring to Cohocton from Wayland Elementary this year. On behalf of the entire faculty and staff, WE CAN”T WAIT TO HAVE YOU JOIN OUR FAMILY! And to all of our returning students…WELCOME BACK!