When students, families, and teachers talk together . . .

Dear LREI Families,

Over the past week, I have heard from many of you about your Family Conferences and how they provided an important opportunity to learn more about your child’s school experience.  Many of you commented not only on how deeply your child’s teachers  knew your child as a learner, but also on how much insight your child had into his or her own learning. I’m not surprised when I hear this because I know just how hard everyone works to prepare for these conferences. Changes to the advisory system helped to ensure ensure that students had ample time to prepare for their conferences and to identify areas of strength and challenge that they wanted to share. Many of you mentioned your excitement at looking at and talking about specific work samples and how they helped to provide a meaningful frame for your discussions.

What’s clear to me is that when students, families, and teachers get together and apply their combined knowledge and experience to the challenges of teaching and learning, amazing things can happen. The commitment to inquiry that guides our Family Conferences encourages all participants to work collaboratively to arrive at a set of goals and strategies that can best support each student’s learning. It’s my hope that each of you left your conferences with a deeper insight into the link between instruction and your child’s school experience—and with a renewed sense of how best to support your child’s continued success.

Thank you for partnering with us in these crucial dialogs and I wish you the best for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday.

 Best,
Mark