Kelly Powell Walker - Henderson County Public Schools

Christine M. Smith Office (828) 697­5568Principal F ax (828) 698­6122July 25, 2011Dear Parents or Guardians of Bruce Drysdale Students,We are off to a great start! I am looking forward to a wonderful school year; this will be BruceDrysdale’s best!Bruce Drysdale Elementary School receives federal Title I funds designed to help students inhigh poverty schools who are not achieving grade level standards. Based on the 2010-2011 testresults, Bruce Drysdale Elementary School did not meet the federal No Child Left Behindstandard of Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in math and will be a Title I School Improvementschool for the 2011-2012 school year. Fourteen schools in our district made AYP this past schoolyear.Since we did not meet all of our AYP goals for all of our children, this means several things forour school. First and most importantly, Bruce Drysdale will focus on ways to achieve success forevery student. Secondly, since we are identified as a school in Title I School Improvement wemust offer school transfer options with transportation provided for the 2011-12 school year.Remain at Bruce Drysdale Elementary SchoolIf you want your child to remain at our school, you do not need to take any action.In our school improvement plan, we have identified the following key instructional practices thatwill be implemented during the 2011-2012 school year: Vertically align the math curriculum from kindergarten through fifth grade so that allstudents use the same vocabulary Provide appropriate interventions for students who are not yet meeting North Carolina’sgrade level standards in math Provide intense instruction and ample learning opportunities and practice for problemsolvingand critical thinking skills in mathBruce Drysdale School will receive assistance from a technical assistance team comprised ofinstructional support staff from Henderson County Public Schools. This team will provideassistance during the development of our school improvement plan and will continue to monitorthe implementation of the plan.Parent support is essential and we welcome your involvement. There are many ways toparticipate including becoming a member of the Parent Teacher Organization (PTO), attendingparent conferences with your child’s teacher(s), making sure that your child is prepared andattends school each day, monitoring your child’s homework, volunteering in our classrooms, andparticipating in school decision-making. If you would like to be a member of the SchoolImprovement Team, School Advisory Council, or the PTO, then please contact me.834 North Main Street Hendersonville North Carolina 28792

Christine M. Smith Office (828) 697­5568Principal F ax (828) 698­6122Enroll your child in another designated schoolPlease know the Bruce Drysdale staff has a relationship with your child and wants to continueserving your child through fifth grade. You may, however, request a transfer for your child toattend either Clear Creek Elementary or Hendersonville Elementary. Enclosed is more informationon both schools. For even more information, you can go to www.ncreportcards.org/src/ on theWeb. School choice options are limited based on geography and proximity to Bruce DrysdaleElementary.If you choose to transfer your child, please complete and return a “Request for School Transfer”form (enclosed) for each child by Thursday, August 11, 2011. The district will respond to yourrequest by August 19, 2011 with written notice regarding your child’s school assignment. Yourchild will be allowed to attend the choice school through the fifth grade but free transportationwill be provided only through the time that Bruce Drysdale remains in Title I SchoolImprovement.If you are a parent of a child with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP), please call Dr. ConnieBrown at 697-4733 for the available public school choices that best meet the needs of your child.The many successes at Bruce Drysdale Elementary School cannot be measured in one test andwe appreciate your past and continued support. Please continue to work with us to make sure weachieve success for every child.If you have questions about your options or this letter, please call me at Bruce Drysdale at697-5568. You may also go to www.ncpublicschools.org/nclb on the Web for more informationregarding Public School Choice.Sincerely,Christine M. SmithEnclosures: NC School Report Card Snapshot for Bruce Drysdale, Clear Creek, andHendersonville Elementary Schools; School Transfer Form; Public School Choicefact sheet834 North Main Street Hendersonville North Carolina 28792