PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE

Dear Odyssey Families,

It seems like just yesterday that we were planning for our Explorers to return to school, and now it's time for Thanksgiving in just a few short weeks! We appreciate your support during the first quarter, and have some amazing celebrations to share with you:

• Our percentage of regular attenders (students who have 90% or better attendance) has increased by over 20% from this same time last school year. 54% of Odyssey students had 90% or better attendance during the first quarter of the 23-24 school year, and 75% of students have 90% or better attendance this year! This is an amazing increase, and we are so grateful for your support in making sure your students are here and ready to learn each day.
• Each of our 1st-3rd grade students participates in a reading intervention or enrichment program each day called 95% Group. Our students are in a small reading group at their reading level, and they are re-tested and re-grouped every 15-17 days. During our first testing cycle, 65% of first graders, 56% of second graders, and 48% of third graders made growth! This is an incredible celebration! We are also fortunate to have support from Latinos in Action at Ogden High School who support some of our students by tutoring twice weekly.
• Our remodel in the Astro Camp area upstairs is complete, and we have a beautiful new STEAM learning space for our students. We are also excited to house the first Family Resource Center in the state of Utah here at Odyssey. We plan to open this center around the holidays, and are so excited for some of our families to be able to access the kitchen, laundry, and shower facilities.

Speaking of home-school partnerships, we enjoyed visiting with you during our first Family-Teacher Conferences earlier in October. Our teachers were eager to share how well your students are doing and how much they are learning. We are also excited to invite you and your students to our Family Literacy Night on Tuesday, December 5th, from 4:30-6:30pm. Our theme will be "Cozy Up With a Book," and we will have books, crafts, and warm winter items to give away. We will also have a reading training for parents so that you can support your students in reading at home. And most importantly we will have yummy pancakes and hot chocolate for dinner! We will be sending more information home in the next few weeks.

We are grateful for the opportunity to work with your amazing students each day, and we truly appreciate your support. Please ensure that your student is here, on time, and ready to do their best each day.

In appreciation,

Mrs. Davidson

Principal, Odyssey Elementary