Dear Barksdale Family,
    As this school year begins, I am struck by the overwhelming sense of community our Curriculum Nights.  Please know that you won't find a more tireless and dedicated group of individuals as the Barksdale Staff.  We pledge anew our commitment to striving to "Do More For All Children" (Our PTA slogan for 1998-99).
    The first goal in our Local School Plan for Improvement states that we will work to increase the level of student achievement in the area of language arts.  We are celebrating our good fortunate because we applied for and received a Reading First Project Grant for $27,000 from the State of Georgia.  This grant will provide training and materials to implement learning activities which focus on children becoming more efficient readers.
    With these Reading First funds, Barksdale will purchase quality children's literature and materials for teaching direct, systematic and explicit phonics to kindergarten through third grade students.  During the fall of this school year, teachers will individually assess the reading skills of every student in grades K-3.  Teachers will use the results to select reading materials to meet the needs of all learners.  To supplement and enrich our reading instruction in the fourth and fifth grades, our PTA has purchased the Accelerated Reader Program to improve students reading comprehension skills.  Our expectation is that as students' reading skills improve; students will read more and enjoy it more.
    In addition to our concentration on reading and as part of our School Plan for Improvement, the staff at Barksdale will focus on student achievement in mathematics.  Plans have been made to provide staff development training on instructional models for teachers to develop strategies to implement in their classes, which will enable our students to increase their math skills.  Technology will be an integral part of our instruction.  Computer Curriculum Corporation software program, Successmaker, will be used to assess and diagnose student skills in our target areas of estimation, geometry, and measurement.
    Our goal at Barksdale is to provide challenging, relevant, and appropriate instruction for each student.  As always, I am enthusiastic about working with your children.  Please drop by the office to visit with me and share celebrations or concerns.  I hope to see you in the school often.
      Warmest regards,
      Dr. Cherry Stone