ADAMSTON ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

1639 West Pike Street

Clarksburg, WV 26301

Office Phone (304) 624-3399

August 1, 2007

Dear Parent(s):

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome you and your child(ren) back to school here at Adamston Elementary. For some this will be a new experience; while for others it will be a return to a familiar school. Our school wide theme for the year 2007-08 is:

“JOURNEY” – “It is good to have to journey toward, but it is the JOURNEY that matters in the end.”

We look forward to having you and your child join us on an exciting JOURNEY this school year. In addition to going on a JOURNEY, Adamston Elementary School will be celebrating its CENTINTIAL YEAR. That’s right – 100 years of service to the Adamston and surrounding communities. There are not too many schools that can say they have been in the same community for 100 years! A planning committee will be making plans for various activities to take place during the school year. If you have ideas please share them with the school. We will be looking for old photos that can be copied and/or any sort of yearbooks or class records, etc. Call the school or drop by any time. Help us get the word out.

Adamston Elementary continues to be a West Virginia “SCHOOL of EXCELLENCE.” This is one reason that several persons request that their child attend here. Parents requesting that their child attend Adamston Elementary who do not live in the school’s attendance area must apply each year for the transfer of their child. Our policy is to welcome these students if the following guidelines are followed:

·  Parent first obtains an application and principal approval from the student’s home school.

·  Bring that request to Adamston. Approval or denial is based on the following factors:

  1. Grade level of request does not exceed classroom teacher/student ratio.
  2. Student has an excellent attendance history.
  3. Student has an excellent classroom behavior history.
  4. Student’s is not an academic concern.
  5. Student does not have an IEP that requires special education services.

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·  All requests must have approval of the Harrison County Board of Education and reapply each year.

We have a strong group of PTO officers, who will be working on and planning many projects to improve the school for both our students and staff. They need the support and help from YOU OUR PARENTS. Please be available to help when requested or feel free to contact any of the officers now to offer your services. Officers for school year 2007-08 are:

§  President Hope Dotson 624-7526 or 624-9883

§  Vice President Tammy Woodson 624-6238

§  Treasurer Dawn Wagner 622-7217

§  Secretary Paula Kirkwood 623-1158

The first activity to be sponsored by the Staff, PTO & some of the school’s business partners: is an OPEN HOUSE.

The OPEN HOUSE will take place on:

Thursday – August 23, 2007 – 5 to 7pm

Parents & children of Pre K & K will meet with their respective teachers and staff at 5:30pm in the classrooms on the ground floor. Enter by way of rear entrance.

Parents & students NEW to Adamston for first time will gather in the auditorium at 6:00pm for an orientation session with the principal and staff.

o  From 6 to 7pm ALL PARENTS & STUDENTS may visit with classroom teachers and enjoy food provided by the PTO and served by the cooks. Food will be served from 5:30 to 7pm.

Enclosed you will find a letter from one of our more active business partners WesBanco Bank of Clarksburg. Please take time to read and respond. It is so important that our students start early learning to save for the future. With the assistance of WesBanco this is possible here at Adamston Elementary.

WALL of BRICKS. We would like to complete the Wall of Bricks

near the flag pole. In an effort to complete the wall parents will have

the opportunity to purchase a brick in honor of their child or in memory

of a loved one who may have attended Adamston Elementary or

Victory High School. Application will be available the evening of open house.

PLEASE NOTE:

The first day of school for students in grades 1 through 12 is Monday, August 27h, with a TWO HOUR EARLY DISMISSAL. Students in Kindergarten will come to school for the first time on Thursday, August 30th for a full day, while Pre K students will begin on Tuesday, September 4th. Breakfast and lunch will be served beginning the first day of school, August 27h.

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New for beginning this school year 2007-08: Students in the Pre K program will come to school for a four (4) day week. Therefore they will NOT be in attendance on

Fridays. This may be confusing for parents who have students at other grades levels. Teachers will make every effort to keep you informed of the new change.

We, the staff and I, are excited and proud to announce that for the fourth consecutive year, our students in grades 3, 4, & 5 have met the requirements of Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) as measured by the WESTEST. These tests were first used beginning

with school year 2003-04. We will be presenting information to the Harrison County Board of Education during its annual school board effectiveness meeting to be held in October; date, time and place to be announced. We anticipate that there will be a large number of parents and staff from our school in attendance at the meeting. Since there are some decisions to be made about the future of our school, it would be extremely beneficial for the school to have parents in attendance.

We, the staff and I, have set as one of our goals this year is to secure more parent involvement and two way communication with the school, teacher and the student’s home. We will be exploring ways to involve parents in workshops that provide information on how to assist their child better in their educational careers and opportunities to meet with teachers during the school year. The earlier a parent starts this support of their child’s educational career the greater the positive results.

In closing, I consider it an honor and privilege to be the principal of Adamston Elementary School, the best school in the county, state and nation. I look forward to meeting each and every one of our parents during the school year. Many of you I already know and I look forward to knowing more. I maintain an open door policy, please feel free to contact me at any time and if you call leave your name and phone number so I can return your call.

Our motto continues to be:

“Preparing Students for TOMORROW – TODAY.”

With the support of you the parents this will hold true for many years to come.

Sincerely,

James W. Eakle, Principal

Come and celebrate OPEN HOUSE with us – Thursday, August 23rd, 5:30 to 7PM and 100 years of service to the community of ADAMSTON & surrounding areas. We have a lot to be proud of and many more years of service to come.