Computers as Teachers

Well, it seems that computers are taking the place of reading and math at Walker Grant for many of our students.

Within the next few weeks, all math students will be required to spend one math class per week in the computer lab on a program called SuccessMaker.

All Special Education and ESL students will be substituting reading class and ESL classes EVERY DAY with a reading program called FastForWord.

Don't our children spend enough time sitting on their bottoms staring at a computer screen?

adv chem @ jm

hello it seems this website is not being used much . So I was wondering if anyone had a child in adv chem and how it was going. First period is the class I am most interested in. Thanks plesae feel free to give me a call also 760-9151

New School Building

Budget talks begin soon. Maybe it's time for a new elementary school for our younger students since the city has built 2 new buildings. Accomodations for everyone.

Counselors are too busy?

I received this comment from a concerned parent today. Maybe one of our counselors or administrators out there could provide an answer to her concerns.
Are our counselors too overworked to take time to see our children?

Hi, I'm concerned about the amount of time testing is taking from guidance counselors. My daughter was in a difficult situation at school (a city school not walker grant) and I was told the guidance counselor would see her once a week. That never happened, and the guidance counselor prevaricated about the situation when I asked her how my daughter was doing. Several months later when confronted with the fact she had not seen my daughter even once, she told me she was too busy with testing to actually do what she promised. The principal did nothing about this situation after I told him my daughter was not being seen. The superintendent did nothing when told about the situation. Just sign me discouraged mom.

Vocational Education

One of the first issues I'd like to address is the dire need for vocational education in Fredericksburg.

Many of our children in the school system would benefit from a program that teaches auto mechanics, woodworking/carpentry, plumbing, electric, welding, and other such trades.

With the focus on NCLB, we have fallen into a strictly academics-oriented school model. This model simply isn't working for all children.

What is needed is a community-based program within our high school, or the possibility of a charter school, that will fill this void. There are many models for votech high schools - I've looked at some in Massachussetts and Connecticut. These are charter schools and are either state run or are associated with a local school.

I'd like to hear any ideas on this subject.

spread the word

PLEASE - if you know the emails of parents who would be interested in supporting, visiting or commenting on this blog -send 'em an email.
I've informed all the FCPS teachers about it, and have given it out to people I see frequently, but let's spread the word, so it CAN be effective.

Thanks!

What a great idea!!! I hope this will be a productive blog where we can all share our expertise and voice our opinions and create a community that will benefit our kids.

Mary S

Glad you found us!

Thanks for logging on to what I hope will become a constant source of dialogue for all persons associated with Fredericksburg City Schools. I want to invite anyone associated with the school system to make comments, ask or answer questions, or raise issues.
As a teacher at Walker Grant I am always asked questions about issues at the schools. I often find that I don't know the answers to these questions, and sometimes don't even know how to direct people to the proper source for the answer. Through this forum, I'm hoping that parents will have a quick way to ask and receive appropriate answers to any question they may have.
Administrators and school board members are constantly bombarded with phone calls and questions. My hope is that they, too, will frequent this blog and become part of the anticipated dialogue.
Finally, I would like to state that this blog was not set up by Fredericksburg City Schools, but by myself as a private citizen, in hopes of achieving the above stated goals.
Enjoy!