Every Monday, I send the Monday Memo to friends of Oakdale who want to be kept in the loop about happenings at Oakdale Christian Academy. If you do not receive the Monday Memo and would like to, click here.) Students receive, every Monday, what might be called their “Monday Motivation Memo” that helps the unmotivated student to achieve and helps the excelling student see how they can improve.
Every Monday, all students receive a freshly calculated cumulative grade report for their classes. This lets them know exactly where they are so that they can take additional action if needed. That’s the first thing they receive.
What else? They also receive an “effort score” that is compiled from every teacher for every class period, taking into account completion of assignments, participation in class, following of directions, and engagement. The effort score is a strong indicator of future grades, so we pay close attention to that. It is great piece of information, but that’s not all our students receive on Monday.
Students also receive a printed summary of all assignments not yet turned in from the previous week or weeks. Usually, students are able to use this guide to get completely caught up from the previous week. Today at lunch, one student who spent several days sick last week showed me the long list of assignments she would be completing this week!
GPA and effort scores are shared with the residential life staff to support the academic program. They are used to determine athletic and other extracurricular eligibility, and that’s a big deal to students! Rarely does a student willingly allow these to falter without serious corrective action!
Sometimes a prospective parent calls, concerned about their child’s motivation to complete schoolwork. I easily reassure them that Oakdale could be the right solution for their child, because I’ve seen this great “tradition,” together with the support of our entire staff, make the difference!
