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Greetings Connect Families,
Happy New Year! We hope that Winter Break has been kind to your family. We are excited to welcome students back for the second semester starting on January 9th! We have spent the last week in Professional Development reflecting on our first semester projects and learning experiences, collaborating with our colleagues at Connect High School, engaging in critical feedback protocols to refine this semester's project ideas, learning more about inclusion models and differentiation through Universal Design for Learning, and refining our Multi-Tiered Systems of Support.
As we head into second semester, we are excited to share that we have been named a California Distinguished School!
From CA Superintendent Tony Thurmond: "The exceptional elementary schools recognized this year are illustrative of the hard work, dedication, and resilience shown by educators and schools across the state after communities struggled for multiple years with urgent effects to physical and mental health and unprecedented challenges to delivering education. To select California Distinguished Schools, the California Department of Education (CDE) uses multiple measures to identify eligible schools based on their performance on the state indicators as specified on the California School Dashboard (Dashboard). Specifically, schools were selected by analyzing data reported through the 2022 Dashboard, including assessment results, chronic absenteeism, suspension rates, and socioeconomic data. Information regarding the 2022 Dashboard is provided on the CDE California School Dashboard and System of Support web page.
It is my pleasure to honor and recognize these 356 elementary schools for providing outstanding public education and opportunities to students. Their innovation and hard work have helped to ensure their students can heal, recover, and thrive—even in the toughest times,” Thurmond said. “California Distinguished Schools represent examples of not just excellent teaching, learning, and collaboration, but also highly successful, data-driven school efforts ranging from professional development for educators to mental health and social-emotional wellness strategies to address the needs of students and families.”
The California Distinguished Schools program recognizes schools for their excellent work in one of two categories: closing the achievement gap and achieving exceptional student performance. Elementary schools and middle and high schools are recognized in alternate years; therefore, awardees hold the title for two years."
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