The Lord is blessing our school with wonderful growth! For the 2022-23 school year, we will be adding a second class to second grade. This raises the question of how TRA will place students into the two classes each year for grades 1 and above. As a parent of children who previously attended a school with three classes per grade, I know that this annual class shuffle can create a temptation to worry, as we all want what we think is best for our own kids. My hope is that this information will help to give your heart peace as you trust in God’s plan and wait for class lists to be announced sometime in August.
Our goal at TRA is to have two well-balanced classes for each grade. This means we strive to have a balance of genders, students from different classes the prior year for new friendship opportunities, and other factors to provide a positive learning environment in each classroom. I will be working closely with Mrs. Fox to place current Kindergarten students in each of the grade 1 classes for the 2022-23 school year, and with Mrs. Rose and Mrs. Creek to place the current first graders into two new second grade classes. Ideally each class in each grade would have 18 students, but due to our current classroom size constraints, some may have a couple more and some less depending on the grade.
I realize that each parent has in mind the best teacher and friend group for his or her child. However, TRA will not be letting parents choose their child's teacher or classmates for any grades that have two classes. I know from personal experience how difficult this can be to trust the school and the Lord to place children in the "right" class. Please know that the teachers and I will be prayerfully considering a lot of factors to make sure each student is in a healthy learning environment where he or she can thrive. We will do our best to make sure each child has at least one friend in his or her new class. We also had an amazing group of fantastic teacher applicants, so I know you will love all of our new teachers who will be announced in the coming weeks!
Thank you for your understanding and support as we take this big step forward to grow as a school. It is an exciting time of growth at TRA!
Lisa Hysom
Elementary Principal
