Beginning this year, the administrators at Washington-Wilkes Elementary School are employing a new process for gathering parent input. "Buzz Sheets" will serve as the major instrument for letting the school know what it's doing right and what it needs to improve. The idea for using the "Buzz Sheets" was first introduced to Instructional Specialist Janet Pharr at the Promising Practices Conference sponsored by the Georgia Leadership Institute for Student Achievement (GLISI) this past fall.

The "Buzz Sheet" format is a simple one. Each student in grades PreK, fourth, and fifth took home a sheet asking parents to tell about the good things going on at WWES and to tell about any improvements they felt were needed. These forms were sent home in January when the students returned to school after their winter break. As the forms came back to the school, the comments and suggestions were typed into a master list so that no responses would be ignored. Faculty and staff members at the school followed a similar process to voice their opinions, but their comments were compiled separately from those contributed by parents.

After all the comments and suggestions were compiled, a copy of the entire list was distributed to all members of the WWES faculty and staff. This information, in its entirety, was also displayed on the walls of the WWES Data/Conference Room. This way, the information will be available for view to all visitors at the school.

Positive comments about the school focused on the open lines of parent communication at the school, opportunities for parent involvement, and the genuine caring nature of the faculty and staff. Suggestions for improvement involved requests for more parent conference times for working parents and ways parents can help their children who are struggling in the classroom. Solutions to these and other suggestions for improvement will begin immediately. The School Improvement Team will analyze the data further as it makes plans for the upcoming school year.

We want to thank everyone for their comments and suggestions. Please know that you may always share your thoughts and opinions with us at the school at 706-678-7124.