Shining the light on assessment data

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Understanding student academic growth for students with learning differences requires deep understanding of a student's strengths and challenges. Examining standard scores obtained in achievement testing- say from the Woodcock Johnson Test of Achievement- against the scores obtained from IQ tests (such as the WISC) gives educators greater data for realistic and unrealistic expectations for their students.  Sharing with parents the information gathered helps to shine the light on student strengths and challenges against performance and allows reasonable goals to be formulated. 

Parents, please check your inbox for a link to sign up for these assessment conferences. 

Tales from Astro: our school dog

The first week of school was amazing. There's no smell I love better than the beginning of school.   I was so happy to be back with all the students. I am amazed at how well they got back into the school routine again. I enjoy getting attention from them, but when the teacher is talking they kind of ignore me, which I guess is okay. The students have been preparing for the upcoming solar eclipse.  They even made a sun out of cake and licorice to help them understand that the sun has many different layers. They didn't offer me a bite of it, though...I need to train them better that dogs like human treats too.  As part of their earth science unit, the Jr High has been learning the science behind why an eclipse occurs and the different stages of the eclipse. All Lower School students are looking forward to various activities on Monday as we watch this great natural phenomena. I hope they remembered to get a pair of NASA approved glasses that are dog sized.

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Yep. We remembered. 

Hit the Ground Running

We are off to a great start at Fortune Academy High School!  Students and teachers have hit the ground running and are already getting back to work.  In Dr. Tulbert's biology class, they have been learning terminology and safety procedures for the many dissections planned for this year. Mrs. Ahearn's class has been taking advantage of Google Classroom warm up activities in math, and all students received technology training during our intensive study time.  It has been great seeing the smiling faces of our students and sharing fist bumps and high fives celebrating our first week back.  

Yours for Fortune, 

Holly Simon

Save 30% on Land's End Uniform Orders + FREE SHIPPING

UPDATED: DEAL EXPIRED

It's not often that it pays to wait. In this case though, it does. Land's End will be offering 30% off uniform orders by using promo code "SMART" and using pin "2449" at checkout. The promotion runs from the 17th through the 21st, so don't wait any longer to place that order! Oh, did we mention free shipping on orders over $50.  #dealsondeals

TLDR; Land's End uniform sale. Save 30%. August 17th- August 21st. Use promo code: SMART and pin: 2449 at checkout. Free shipping on orders over $50.

 

CLICK HERE FOR FORTUNE ACADEMY LAND'S END STORE

You can also get to our Land's End page anytime using the ORDER UNIFORM link at the bottom of our website. 

The fine print: Receive 30% off all kids' and Land's End school uniform merchandise. Online, in-store, or by phone (excludes buy more and save pricing, monogramming, gift boxing, gift cards, shipping taxes, duties, Land's End Business Outfitters and excluded items as marked.) Promotions and products may vary in-store. Discounts will applied at checkout. This offer has no cash value. Promotional savings may be deducted from returns. 5-7 business day delivery to most addresses. Offer valid through 11:59pm Central, August 21,2017. Not valid on previous purchases or when combined with any other promotional offers.

 

Leading the Way

I tell parents time and time again, “It doesn’t get easier, it just gets different.” Having a child with learning differences is not an easy job. Teaching a child with learning differences is not an easy job. These children are not broken. They don’t need to be fixed. They need support. They need time. They need direction instruction. Step by step by step. I love seeing the small steps that our children make every day at Fortune. It’s an honor to lead the way!

Yours for Fortune, 

Janet George

 

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Our Solution For TMI

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From time to time we get a little excited and like to have fun. So from time to time we like to write, a lot. Sometimes it feels like too much information. But we've heard your feedback and some of you would like us to get straight to the point. So today, we introduce, TLDR. 

TLDR is an acronym for Too Long, Didn't Read. As in, "this post was way too long, I didn't even attempt to read it all. What do I really need to know?" It's everything you need to know from our post, just condensed and with potentially horrible grammar. 

In all of our important news, you can scroll to the bottom of the post and find a section labeled TLDR. And if you find that you still have more questions, just scroll back up and find more information in the post above. This is just one of the many ways we are trying to make information easier to get and digest. 

Of course, for bite sized blasts of information you can always follow us Twitter or join us on Facebook. 

So without further ado, our first TLDR. 

TLDR: You want important news fast. Our important news will feature a TLDR section for no-frills, need to know information. Join us on social media. 

 

Sweet Words From Our Students

There are no greater gifts that the sweet words that come from our students. Here are just a few highlights of today:

"I'm really glad to be back. I've missed my friends and teachers."

"I am having a super great day."

"I have a new best friend!"

"I think I am really going to like this school."

It's so good to have the students back at school. Comments like these mean the world to us. All is well in the halls and classrooms at Fortune. 

Yours for Fortune, 

Janet George

It's Totally Normal

Back to school time can be exciting and scary all at the same time. That is normal. It's normal for students. It's normal for parents! Gosh, it's normal for teachers and therapists! A lot of changes happen pretty quickly in the first week back of school. It's totally normal to be a bit more stressed this time of year. 

For parents of children with learning differences, it is important to know that YOU ARE NOT ALONE! Finding support in a community where others share similar stories helps keep fears at bay. I encourage you to create friendships with others in school, volunteer, and understand that this thing called "school" is really a marathon, not a sprint. What happens inside the doors of this learning community is magical. Be a part of the magic! Welcome aboard!

Yours for Fortune, 

Janet George

8 Things You Might Not Know About Our Website

Our new website was built for you. This is our list of 8 things you might not know about our website that makes our new website better than ever. 

There are ACTUALLY 8 upcoming events on our homepage

Our home page is set to display two upcoming events at a time, however, if you click the next arrow, it will scroll over to show you 4 more events. 

There is a built in search feature

Ok, so this isn’t our best kept secret. But it’s not meant to be either! This is an easy way to find exactly what you’re looking for. You can find the search bar at the very bottom of any page.

You can sign up to volunteer online

This year we are going all in with SignUp Genius. It’s an easy to use way to sign up to volunteer at school and at events. It also keeps track of all of your service hours. No more filling out time sheets! Huzzah! 

You can like and share our news

Like what you see? Share it with your friends! We really do want to hear your feedback. If we post something that you’ve enjoyed, let us know by hitting the like button. You can also click the share button and post a link to the article on your social media. Help us get our message out! 

You can save upcoming events to your calendar

We’ve talked about this before, but let’s be honest, it’s something we’ve all REALLY REALLY wanted. So now that it’s here, we can’t stop talking about it. From the “Upcoming Events” page OR the “School Calendar”, you can click on Google Calendar or ICS to automatically save that event to your personal calendar.

 You can sign up for emergency/ important updates

You’ll find a lot of really great information on our website. However, we will utilize a system called Remind to send out emergency and important updates via text. Sign up to receive these notifications here. 

You can filter your news

You might not want to see everything we post, and that’s cool with us. If you just want to catch the most important news, you can filter news down to either High School News or Lower School News. We also won’t post our features in those sections either, so you’ll only see the most important need-to-know news. 

There are quick links to our social media

You’ll find a lot of really great content on our website, butif you still want more, check out our social media. You’ll find quick links to our Twitter and Facebook page where we’ll be posting even more Fortune fun!

So what's your favorite feature? Share your thoughts on our Twitter or Facebook.