As we prepare for an extra-long weekend, I took the opportunity to share one of my many favorite quotes with the students which comes to us from J.K Rowling through the character of Dumbledore:
"It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."
With the passing of the great English actor, Alan Rickman, the world of Harry Potter has been fresh on many people's minds. I used this quote to impress upon everyone the importance of choosing to help others regularly and to not let this weekend pass as simply a day off, but rather look for additional ways to honor the spirit of service and the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. If our choices show who we are then I expect that their choices should be tremendous...of course, sometimes their choices are currently disguised as questionable or confused...ultimately, I am confident that their choices will be tremendous as are they.
Speaking of tremendous...the recently released rankings by schooldigger.com, an organization that evaluates schools across the country, placed Westford as #3 out of 311 school districts in the state. The top two spots were given to a 7-12 charter school and PreK-8 district, so technically that makes us the top ranked PreK-12 district in their report. Additionally, both middle schools were ranked individually within the top 5 spots throughout the state which is something to celebrate, as well. So, thank you for all of the support that you provide which helps maintain a strong home/school connection which we know best supports all of our students!
Along that same line, you should have already received an email from Dr. Clery, our assistant superintendent, with links to all of the WPS State Report Cards which details our excellent Level 1 accountability rating and the strong performance on last year's state assessments. If you did not receive that email, please contact me and I can send you then the links directly.
So, the abilities of our students and teachers and the ability of the district to support all of their efforts are strong; hopefully, we can all work together to help the students make choices that reflect the greatness we know they possess.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Chris
