Written by Aaron Case, principal
There is a lot of talk across the State about high stakes testing, teacher quality and merit pay. Public schools are really taking a hit right now. The great thing is that Valparaiso Community Schools is not the norm. We are very fortunate to have a community that values and supports its successful schools.
Memorial Elementary School's purpose is to provide all students with the best educational opportunities possible. The Memorial staff in cooperation with parents and students will provide a safe and caring environment. Each student will be encouraged to expand to their potential in academic, creative, emotional, physical and social skills. This is Memorial's mission. Our teachers do this in the class room by treating every student as an individual. This mission includes more than just what happens in the classroom but also the extra things we do as well. As noted in the mission statement, our school values the cooperation of our parents and students to be reach our true potential.
Our PTO is a major part of what makes our school great. The working together with our parents provides different types of help that gives our students opportunities in and out of the classroom. The PTO helps support field trips, classroom parties, family fun nights, our walk-a-thon and many other opportunities to bring our parents and school together. Our parents volunteer to help with reading groups and helping enrich art in the classrooms. Another great example of an educational opportunity they help provide is just around the corner, Memorial's Saturday Night Live (SNL). SNL is a tradition that our students look forward to year after year. SNL is reserved for our fourth and fifth grade students with a focus on reading and exploring activities. Our PTO and parent volunteers will come in and transform the school into something spectacular. It takes months of planning and preparation. When you walk in the building, it takes you back and the students are transported to someplace wonderful where they forget about everything else. A place they can just immerse themselves into the experience.
In short, we as educators just want to say thank you to the Valparaiso Community, especially our parents , for your support. With your continued support, we can continue to work with our students making them well-rounded individuals that will lead our community into pre-eminence.