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| January 6, 2012 Welcome to 2012 and the second semester of this school year. It's hard to see Winter break come to an end; however, 2012 brings with it a new set of exciting opportunities, challenges and goals to face before the final bell rings for summer break. During the month of January you will see and hear a lot about Columbus City Schools' "Come See Us" campaign. We want families to "Come See Us" during Open House Wednesdays, January 11 through February 29. This is an open invitation to visit our schools and engage with teachers, administrators and staff about the challenging academic, art, music and athletic programs Columbus City Schools offers. In addition, the High School Fair will be held January 18, and the Elementary and Middle School Fair will be held February 1. Our greatest focus remains on student academic achievement. We are seeing steady academic gains however we remain strategic in our approach to further improve student performance and attain our goal of 100% student achievement. The district has dedicated a great deal of time and resources to making sure that we are strengthening our curriculum, providing high-quality professional development, and classroom support, particularly in the areas of teaching and supporting literacy across the content areas. We have set a challenging, yet attainable district goal of 75% reading proficiency for our students to pass the state's reading tests by the end of the 2012-2013 school year. We also will be setting targets for math in the coming weeks. We are assessing students quickly as they enter our schools to better meet their individual learning needs, we are providing a safe and stable environment in which to learn, and the strong commitment of our teachers, administrators is relentless; I'm confident of our success. As we move forward, three South side schools will close at the end of the school year along with a 7-12 grade configuration change for South High School, and a K-6 change for five of the South side elementary schools. While it's never an easy decision to close schools, I'm excited about the new possibilities in academic programming and our efforts to increase student performance in these neighborhoods. I welcome any thoughts you may have in making these transitions as smooth as possible. Nearly four years ago I set a huge goal for the district, one many thought we would not achieve. I'm proud to say we are nearing ever closer to reaching our 90% graduation rate goal. Based on preliminary data the district has provided the state and using the state's current calculation methodology, Columbus City Schools' graduation rate will hit a record 85.1% for the class of 2010. As a district, we are very proud of this great accomplishment. Collectively, our shared commitment, our ability to work in partnership with our parents and the community is vital to the overall success of our students and our district. Again, I want to thank you for your commitment to our children. Together, we will make tremendous progress in seeing our vision, and mission becoming a reality for every student in our district to be highly educated, prepared for leadership and service, and empowered for success as a citizen in a global community. I'm looking forward to a strong second semester, and I appreciate your continued support of Columbus City Schools.  Gene T. Harris, Ph.D. Superintendent/CEO  | |||
| Columbus City Schools | 270 East State Street | Columbus, Ohio 43215 | (614) 365-5000 |
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