Principal Newsletter // January 6th, 2025
Dear Appleton Community…
THE BEST PREDICTOR OF ACADEMIC SUCCESS IS...
If I could share one piece of advice that makes all the difference in the world for a child’s academic success or one “magic bullet” to academic success it would be this… reading volume outside of school hours is the best predictor of academic success!
The combination of time spent reading and the number of words students actually consume as they read is defined as reading volume. Viewed across a year, there are striking differences in reading achievement between the high-volume readers outside of school and those students who avoid reading.
Now take those numbers and multiply them by 6, the number of elementary years from Kindergarten through 5th grade. As you can see, there is a major advantage for the child where reading outside of school is a priority.
Reading outside of school hours has a profound influence on students’ cognitive abilities, their vocabulary development, and knowledge of the world. Keep in mind that children spend 1,190 hours a year in school versus 6,475 hours outside school. I know it can be tough to get in those minutes. But it is worth it!
Happy Reading!
Mid Year Conferences Take on New Importance
The Appleton staff made a decision starting last year to emphasize mid-year parent/teacher conferences and dedicate more evenings for these important meetings. Rather than waiting until the last few weeks of school, every student will have a scheduled meeting at the midpoint. Our hope is that the mid year conferences will help us partner together while there are several more school months to impact the growth of our students. Then at the end of year, there will be a shorter version of student led conferences set up to celebrate their growth. Mid-Year conferences will be January 15, 21, & 22.
White Iced Tickets on Sale Now
The White Iced Celebration for the D51 Foundation is Saturday, Feb. 7 at the CMU Ballroom. Check out the link to this D51 Foundation sponsored event. GET TICKET HERE!
Go Bookworms!
Corey Hafey
“Expect Excellence!”
Appleton Elementary School
2358 H Road Grand Junction, CO 81505
Phone (970) 254-6400 Fax (970) 243-6604
Corey Hafey - Principal
Todd Witzel - Assistant Principal
Lisa McClelland / Angie Wallace - Secretary
Upcoming Dates to Remember
Jan. 7 - First Day Back for Students -School In Session
Jan. 8 - 4:10 PTA
Jan. 15 - Vision and Hearing Testing for 2nd, 3rd, & 5th grade
Jan. 15, Jan. 21, Jan. 22 (4pm-8pm each night) - Parent/Teacher Conferences
Jan. 19 - No School MLK Jr. Day
Jan. 30 - 5:00-7:00 Art Night
