Page 3 - McDowell Family Hanbook

MCDOWELL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Welcome Letter from the Principal

Dear Parents:

Welcome to McDowell Elementary. As you may or may not know, McDowell
Elementary is a very unique school in the Hudson District. How are we unique? Well,
for one thing, McDowell serves only one grade level. Everything at McDowell caters
exclusively to the needs of third graders. Our library is chock full of books aimed
at the varying interests and abilities of third graders. On the playground, in the
classrooms: all is third grade!

Admittedly with a little bias, the McDowell staff is the finest in the land. With a
blend of unique personalities, varied experiences and a wide range of ages,
McDowell cultivates and achieves a family type atmosphere.

One goal is to challenge all students to reach their potential. This is done with a
challenging curriculum based on the individual needs of your children. In conjunction
with the challenging curriculum, is the analysis of how each child is succeeding in a
particular unit of study. For example, on a regular basis a team of your children’s
teachers (Pods) meet and examine student results on various and sundry academic
endeavors. During this examination, data is explored in a formative manner to
ascertain the degree to which children have mastered a particular area of study. At
that point, decisions are made and programming is adjusted to meet the needs of
your children. For example, after a unit on number sense, some students will have
mastered the material and are ready for more in-depth and challenging activities
related to number sense. Others may struggle with the concepts in the unit and
need some remediation. The staff then formulates a plan to meet these various
needs. This illustrates one way McDowell attempts to meet the needs of individual
children. However, this cannot be done satisfactorily without the support of you,
the parents. McDowell is a family of dedicated staff members in a joint effort
with parents to promote learning for all the children in the school.

Sincerely,

Mark Leventhal

Mark Leventhal
Principal

2