Principal’s Update - August 2009Dear Parent/Guardian:

Greetings to the Roxboro Family! I hope everyone had a wonderful summer and that you were able to enjoy this relaxing time with your child. I enjoyed my time relaxing with family, reading books, traveling, and gardening. I can’t wait to hear all about your family experiences!

I am excited beyond belief to kick-off the Roxboro Mandarin Chinese Program for the 2009-2010 school year. Students at Roxboro Elementary in grades Kindergarten and 1st grade will have Chinese language instruction four days a week, and 2nd grade to 5th grade will have Cultural Immersion class two times a month. The students will be receiving instruction from our new Chinese teacher, Mrs. Grace Chen. Mrs. Chen is an experienced teacher and holds a B.A. in Accounting from Soochow University in Taiwan, a Masters of Computer and Information Science from Cleveland State University, and her Chinese Teaching Licensure from Cleveland State University. Her previous teaching experience was at Fitch Intermediate School in Olmsted Falls, Falls-Lenox Primary in Olmsted Falls, and the Chinese Academy of Cleveland in Shaker Heights. Mrs. Chen has been involved in many summer day camps, art camps, and Chinese programs throughout Cleveland over the past years. We are very excited to grow our Chinese program each year, and we will be adding an additional grade-level to receive language instruction every year.

Our goal for the 2009-2010 school year is to continue to meet and exceed the needs of all of our students. Our goal continues to be a Performance Index Score of above 100, which would rate us as an “Excellent” school. Roxboro Elementary School received a score of “Effective” for the sixth year in a row on the district report card. This year our Performance Index Score is a 94.6. This accomplishment is due to the hard work of our staff, our students, and our parents! We will continue to strive for an EXCELLENT rating and focus our attention on giving our students the rigor and academic excellence they will need in the 21st century.

Your child’s teacher looks forward to meeting you and your child on the First Day of School: Tuesday, September 1, at 8:45 a.m. on the playground. Students will line up where they see their teacher’s name posted, and we will have a short flag-raising ceremony. We will have all support staff outside that morning to assist students and parents in finding their teacher’s area.. When your child is settled in his/her classroom, please join other parents and friends in the Media Center for Coffee and Pastries with Your Principal from 9:15 to 9:45 a.m. after the flag-raising ceremony to catch up with the principal, friends and neighbors, or to meet the Roxboro community if you are new to our school. Also, Roxboro’s Annual Family Reunion this year will be held on Thursday, September 3, from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. Please bring a picnic dinner to share with your family on the lawn. There will be a D.J. who will play songs for the whole family to enjoy! PTA will provide the ice cream for dessert. Please be sure to attend with your student as this will be a great way to get to know the Roxboro community.

I believe in the public schools, and I know that Roxboro Elementary is a very special place in which all students can achieve personal excellence. I look forward to a productive, fun-filled, and exciting year!

Sincerely,
Tara K. Grove
Principal