This Week, from Dr. Cuthbert | October 10

Dear Stoddert Parents:

It is such a pleasure to arrive each day and enjoy the mums, benches, and outdoor playground. We have received so many compliments on our ambiance from visitors. The students are enjoying all the amenities.

I hope you have had a chance to look over the Parent/Student Handbook. It was designed to be a handy reminder of some procedures. The attachment listing all the tiers of behaviors and consequences is a DCPS document that is in effect. I wanted you to see it in its entirety, but recognize that it has many sections listing behaviors that we will not see at Stoddert. A school discipline committee that includes parents will go over the proposed plan for Stoddert. We will keep you updated. The decorum has been exemplary thus far and we want to continue the positive emphasis on appropriate behaviors. We have had several assemblies and the students’ behavior was stellar.

Just to let you know that Stoddert did have to make budget reductions. We had not filled one custodial position (for a third custodian) so it was eliminated for this year. Additionally, as we had last year, we have a combined special education teacher/special education coordinator so we were able to eliminate the full time special education coordinator position. We were able to retain two of our three resource teacher positions. For this school year, we were not able to fund the Spanish position. As the year moves forward and new budgets are built for the next school year, we will revisit all positions.

Please mark your calendars for October 17, 2009, for the Fall Fun Fair. Stoddert East will be very festive as the PTA hosts a day of fun.