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West Valley principal unveils new electives, planetarium visit and a trial grading change for fourth grade
Summary
The principal told the board the school will add greenhouse, hydroponics and STEM electives, host a Montana Learning Center planetarium for grades 5'8, and pilot a conventional grading scale in fourth grade next year to ease students' transition to middle school.
The principal reported that registration for next year is starting and described a revamped slate of electives for grades 5'8, including a greenhouse elective with hands-on construction, a hydroponics course, and a new STEM challenge class funded by advanced opportunity grants that cost the district nothing.
The principal said the Montana Learning Center planetarium visited the school and will serve grades 5 through 8 with instructor-led, digital 3D programs, calling the experience a strong enrichment opportunity for students.
To ease students' transition to departmentalized middle- and high-school instruction, the principal announced the district will trial a fourth-grade shift from standards-based reporting to a more conventional grading scale next year. The change, she said, is intended to align student language and expectations with receiving schools and make the move to fifth grade less jarring for students.
Board members pressed for details. One member asked whether the change was developed with teachers; the principal said the fourth-grade team worked on the proposal with committees and staff conversations throughout the year and that teachers are excited to try the approach.
The principal emphasized logistics for the new registration process: seventh graders will have about nine elective options and will request courses digitally through Infinite Campus; parents will sign registration sheets and staff will monitor requests and add class sessions where demand is sufficient (for example, one hydroponics session may be expanded if enrollment warrants).
Board members also discussed adding a work-ethic metric (respect, engagement, timeliness) to reporting. Supporters said it gives parents clearer communication about classroom behavior and submission patterns; a board member cautioned such marks can feel subjective for students who try hard but still struggle academically, prompting the principal to describe teacher rubrics and daily engagement marks used at the middle school.
Principal remarks noted registration timing and early kindergarten numbers: 29 kindergarteners have registered so far, an improvement over prior years, which helps staffing decisions for next year.
The principal closed the report by listing other new offerings (a career elective funded by grants and hand chimes for eighth-grade music) and inviting board members to review registration sheets and the proposed fourth-grade grading policy ahead of implementation next year.
