The status report given by second-year Principal Gary Morris at the meeting sparked calls to action to improve Standard of Learning scores and the overall school culture.
School Board member Sara Brescia said the unique nature of Metz – having a 50% turnover rate each school year because the school houses only children in 7th and 8th grades – makes building a consistent, positive culture challenging.
We write to you as individual members of the Manassas City School Board regarding the recent article “Metz Middle scores decline…” and the significant online discussion that ensued.
However, we reject the notion that a high share of ESOL students inevitably condemns Metz to its current level of performance. To move forward, we must thoughtfully and accurately identify the problems facing our middle school, and we firmly believe that our students can achieve at a higher level.
The Manassas City School Board met on Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2o24, in a regular meeting to discuss Grace E. Metz Middle School, revise the calendar, and send off a longtime colleague.
The School Board heard from Grace E. Metz Middle School Principal Gary Morris on student academic success, challenges faced by the school, strategies to improve the workforce, and communication with parents.
“Representatives from the contractor working on the new Jennie Dean Elementary School recently presented updated plans to the Manassas City Public School Board, including space for keeping sports fields on the site, reports Emily Seymour at Insidenova.com. “The proposed design plan is a version of design “Concept E,” which would place the school on the northern part of the site and would displace the fields that currently exist.”
Manassas City Councilwoman Theresa Coates Ellis: “After the new Dean School construction plan was presented by the Manassas City School Board to the Manassas City Council last Thursday, I planned a Year End Wrap-Up for this upcoming [Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023, 5:30 p.m., City Tavern, 9550 Center Street, Manassas], and have invited the public to hear more details and welcome questions.”
“The original plan “A” would be to build the new Dean behind the existing Dean and leave all athletic fields and track in place and available for the Dean Sports Complex. Plan “E” was recommended by the School Board. This plan would eliminate the track, a rectangle field, and a diamond and possibly a second diamond.”
