Dear Parents/Guardians:
We all understand that the climate and culture of our schools play an essential role in fostering student learning and achievement. As required by Connecticut State Statute, and Board of Education Policy, school climate teams will soon be organized at each of Portland’s schools. These teams, led by each school’s principal, will begin to craft school climate plans, which are comprised of strategies for promoting and enhancing a positive school climate.
In the coming weeks these teams will be considering a new plan for the 2014-2015 school year. Toward that end, we will be gathering feedback from our parents, from our teachers and staff, and also from our students. On Tuesday, October 14, 2014, parents/guardians of students in grades 2,4,6,8 & 10 will be receiving an email inviting them to participate in a short survey. Those parents will follow the link in that email and complete a school specific climate survey.
All survey responses are confidential. No one will see how you responded to the questions. A separate organization, Panorama Education, is managing security codes to ensure confidentiality and will compile all the data for our teams. We thank you for your feedback and time. Please feel free to reach out to the building principals or me if you have any questions.
For your information, students in grades 2,4,6,8 & 10 will participate in a grade appropriate survey of their own. In addition, all teachers and staff will be asked to participate in their own specific climate survey at school next week. Please be assured that we will do our best to translate all this feedback into meaningful practices that sustain a positive school climate.
Most sincerely,
Philip B. O’Reilly, Ed.D.