GIT changes shared, elem. after-school program kicks off
Greetings, Loyal families!
I hope you all enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving break and for those of you who don the blaze orange, I hope you all had a safe, successful hunt.
As we finish up our first term of the school year and shift gears to Term 2, I want to just take a moment and share what a great start to the school year it has been for me in my new role. I have really enjoyed working with all the elementary teachers and spending time with all our elementary students. Being in a small school definitely has its advantages and this is definitely one. Being able to sit in and watch our 4K students interact with each other one moment and then sit in on a high school class the next moment definitely brings to light the impact our adults have on our students every day of their educational journey. We are fortunate to have the staff, students and families we have in our district to keep Loyal a place to learn and grow. I am excited for the work we will continue to do throughout the rest of the year.
In grades 8-12, we will have a slight change to our GIT (Guided Instructional Time) period. A group of teachers has been spending some time looking at ways to improve the educational programming and opportunities during GIT. In order to increase the time our students have with their teachers for additional support and enrichment, GIT will now follow our students’ daily schedule. For example, on Monday students will attend their first-period class during GIT. On Tuesday, they will attend their second-period class; on Wednesday, their third-period class; on Thursday, their fourthperiod class and on Friday their fifth-period class. This will give our students access to their teacher 40 additional minutes per week. For some of our students, this will allow our teachers to work more closely with those students who may be struggling to understand the material. It may also provide opportunities to redo/retake quizzes, tests and exams with their teacher.
During this time, students will also be able to do some extension work within their classes to further develop their skills and knowledge in the subject area. Although this may not be the perfect solution, our GIT period has been something less desired from the beginning of the school year by many of our teachers. The work a group of teachers has put in to get us to this point with a new look to GIT, is definitely worth the time to see how it goes during Term 2. We will continue to monitor the effectiveness and gather feedback to see how it is going with our staff and students.
We have made it through another round of parent/teacher conferences for the first term. As we look at our attendance, we will continue to look at ways to improve the experience for all our families. We greatly appreciate seeing our parents in the school meeting with their child’s teachers on these evenings. Thank you to all who attended conferences this fall. Our elementary after-school program, “Lil Dawgs,” has begun. We are excited to finally get this kicked off for our families. This program is open to all our elementary students from 3:20-5:15 p.m. on Monday through Thursday, except for those days school is not in session. We have had a great start to this program and continue to look for ways to grow. If you would like to know more about it or want to sign up, please contact the elementary office. Our middle school also offers after-school programming on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m., known as Loyal Enrichment Group (LEG). Again, this is open to all students in grades 6-8. If you would like to sign your child up or need more information, you can contact the middle/high school office.
Over the next few weeks, we will begin the scheduling process for the 2024-25 school year. This will include working with Greenwood on master schedule planning and conversations around co-op programming opportunities for both Loyal and Greenwood students. Shortly after the winter holiday vacation, meetings will begin to take place with grade groups and individual students to assist in their four-year plans. As this will be new to our eighth graders, it is an exciting time for the students and staff to work through this together.
Our student organizations have been in full swing throughout the school year. Many of our groups spend countless hours working on community service projects and learning about service, leadership and what it means to be a part of an organization. We have many students involved in our clubs throughout the school. This takes a lot of time and dedication from both our students and staff advisors to keep these activities going. I encourage you all to follow our groups and stay connected to the events that are happening in and out of school throughout the year.
Lastly, just a reminder that with the winter season approaching, please remember to have your children dress appropriately for the weather. Hats, gloves, coats, boots and warm clothes are encouraged for all of our elementary and middle school students. Remember, we continue to have outside recess for all students in grades 4K-8. It won’t be long and the sub-zero temps and winter snowfalls will be here!
Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns, and have a merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
Happy holidays, Mr. Dieckman
Loyal 4K-12 Principal Doug Dieckman
