Greetings, Maggie Walker Community!
I hope this update finds you well and enjoying the warmer, longer days. Spring break is right around the corner, so I hope you and your family enjoy a restful break from school beginning Monday, April 10.
As always there is a lot going on at Maggie Walker. I am tempted each month to list the many accomplishments and successes of our students, but I often run the risk of leaving someone or a group out, so instead I will simply encourage you to keep up with school news by visiting our website and Facebook pages regularly.
As the weather gets warmer, we have reminded students of the MLWGS dress code, and we ask parents to support us as we work to ensure that students come to school dressed appropriately. While most of our students always meet the dress expectation, from time to time we are compelled to speak to students who do not. This is an uncomfortable conversation for the administrator and for the student. Please help us avoid these awkward moments by making sure your student leaves home dressed for school.
This week we began opening the athletic fields during lunchtime, weather permitting. We believe fresh air and a bit of exercise at midday can reduce stress and improve attitudes. Please encourage your student to take advantage of the opportunity to join us outside during lunch if his or her schedule permits.
I do want to share with you that we are in the midst of updating the Bluestone entrance to the school and the auditorium lobby, so the next time you come to school after spring break, I hope you will have a chance to check out the improvements. We have a few more projects in the works before the end of the school term, so I will keep you posted as the school year progresses.
Finally, we are moving forward with a recommendation to move to a 10-point grading scale for the 2017-2018 school term. Below is information about the transition and a link to the School Advisory Council report. Please feel free to contact me with questions or concerns.
As always, thank you for your continued support of our wonderful school!
Recommendation for a 10-point Grading Scale
In response to Goal 3 of the Maggie Walker (MLWGS) Strategic Plan and at the request of former MLWGS Director, Dr. Jeff McGee, the School Advisory Committee (SAC), comprised of students, parents, faculty, and administration, formed a Grading Scale Committee during the 2015-16 school term for the purpose of determining whether or not MLWGS should move from a seven-point to a 10-point grading scale. MLWGS has always used the 10-point scale in dual enrollment and AP courses, so the move to a 10-point scale would align all courses at the school under a single grading scale. A copy of the committee’s report and recommendations are included for your review at the conclusion of this narrative.
In response to the work of the committee and consistent with its recommendations, the current MLWGS administration is making the following recommendation to the MLWGS Regional School Board in the form of a policy change:
- Effective for the 2017-18 school term, the new grading scale will be:
| Letter Grade | Range | Honors | AP–Dual Enrollment |
| A+ | 97-100 | 4.5 | 5.5 |
| A | 90-96 | 4.0 | 5.0 |
| B+ | 86-89 | 3.5 | 4.5 |
| B | 80-85 | 3.0 | 4.0 |
| C+ | 76—79 | 2.5 | 3.5 |
| C | 70-75 | 2.0 | 3.0 |
| D+ | 66-69 | 1.5 | 2.5 |
| D | 60-65 | 1.0 | 2.0 |
| F | Below 60 | 0 | 0 |
There will be a meeting in the MLWGS auditorium for interested students and parents on Thursday, April 27, 2017, at 7:00 p.m. at which time a discussion/question and answer session on the new grading scale transition will be held. A number of parents have written expressing an interest in seeing a retroactive transition to the 10-point scale. At the meeting on April 27, the administration and counseling staff will explain the rationale for supporting the recommendation of the SAC committee for a non-retroactive transition. Please click here to view the School Advisory Committee report.
Thanks again.
Jonathan Lewis, MLWGS Interim Director
