August 2011

Dear Students and Parents;

I am excited to be your new Principal and look forward to meeting each of you. Strong Middle School is a wonderful place to learn and further develop life-long skills.  Strong is a safe and comfortable environment where each of our students is well cared for.  Below is information that was included in a recent mailing to all Strong parents and students.

Building and maintaining positive relationships is paramount to student academic success and connectedness to school.  In the August 2010 edition of Middle Ground an article entitled The Power of Positive Relationships by Tara Brown states, “We are social beings who thrive on healthy relationships… For middle grades kids who are trying to gain some independence and figure out which way is up, relationships with classmates and teachers are crucial to success.”

The article points out many ways in which teachers and students can work together to develop rapport and foster positive relationships.  Allowing student’s individuality to shine and developing (maintaining) a climate of respect and dignity in individual classrooms and in the school as a whole are key components to successful schools.  Additionally, promoting and acknowledging student achievements are another key component to student connectedness.

As we continue to explore technology and expand communication options, we will be providing you with access to the Parent Portal component of the PowerSchool database.  This will allow you access to your student’s grades, attendance, lunch account, and demographic information.  Each team will develop protocols regarding posting of assignments and grades.  Teachers will also articulate their respective grading policies. Team and teacher specific details as well as login information will be provided under separate cover at a later date. 

Should you have any questions or otherwise want to say hello, please do not hesitate to contact me by phone at 860.349.7222 or email at ssadinsky@rsd13.org.

Sincerely,

Scott D. Sadinsky