Success can be seen in many aspects of education
LAURA CHABE Amherst School Superintendent
It is hard to believe that we are quickly approaching the end of another school year. Preparations for graduation and the many other activities that symbolize the end of the school year are well under way. This is always an exciting time for our families and our faculty members.

It has been a very busy year for our students and staff. Our students continue to participate in the various local and state assessments at all levels.

Although we have not yet received the state reports, we anticipate that our students will continue to do well in the various subject areas. As an educator, it is important to keep in perspective that one of the primary purposes of this testing is to provide the school districts with a quantitative approach of measuring academic performance over a period of several years.

We hope that through this information, we will be better able to determine the strengths and weaknesses of our students and programs in the assessed academic areas.

This can then assist the district in determining the best practices for providing educational programs for our students. In addition, we will also continue to provide our staff with professional growth opportunities that will encourage our instructional staff to identify and modify instructional strategies that will best address the individual needs of our students while working toward continued improvement on our state assessment results.

Success also comes in many shapes and forms. Our students have demonstrated a great deal of success in the many other areas that we offer as part of our educational program at Amherst.

For each individual, student success may mean very different things. Knowing an individual student's strengths and weaknesses and giving them the opportunity to experience success based on their abilities are critical. Amherst has traditionally been a district that encourages all students to work toward their potential in an effort to achieve the goals that they have set for themselves.

The options for every student are endless. I hope that through the education that they have received at Amherst all students feel that they are ready to take on the challenges that lie ahead. As an educator, it is certainly satisfying and rewarding to watch these students receive their diplomas and be recognized for their efforts and hard work.

As one year winds down, we immediately begin preparing for the next school year. Once again, the administrative team and Board of Education will be faced with the challenge of maintaining educational programs and mandated services for our students within the budgetary guidelines that have been established. We will continue to evaluate and prioritize the needs of our district as we face these challenges.

At the least, we want to continue to provide our students with opportunities to excel and continue to help prepare them for the ever-changing world that lies ahead.

As always, I thank you for your continued support and look forward to seeing many of you at the activities and programs throughout the end of May and June.