RARE Event: Deliveries home from the the Middle School!

Hey Middle School Parents,

It’s a BIG DAY OF DELIVERIES

from

WINFIELD MIDDLE SCHOOL

Look for them from your students!

HANDOUT items included:

1. OPT OUT LETTER for 6th graders only.
2. MAP SCORES for most students.
3. The updated Acceptable Use Form.**
4. PROGRESS REPORTS emailed to most families but some hard-copies delivered.

** Sign and send this one back please. It will continue to improve the students’ communication with their teachers on their chromebooks!

#1

#ToughConversations

Look for this coming home with 6th graders Monday!

OPT OUT of this?

At Winfield Middle School we don’t ever want to try and take the place of parents. We see ourselves as support, reinforcement and back-up to what goes on at home. However, as students enter the middle grades, it really is a new season in their life and we all want to work together! Changes will be mixed schedules, the diverse nature of the larger groups and moving from class to class with plenty of Choices as they practice growing up! Eventually, students will face other things outside our reach, and we want to prepare our young wards for the ever tough, “No!”  

Therefore, we have invited Crider Health Center to be here all week sharing with the 6th graders in Social Studies class to continue building on their current foundation.

#2

MAP SCORES: What we have all been waiting for…

Look for this coming home with ALL Monday!

Our MAP scores have been delivered to school, are organized and will be sent home Monday with grade reports, Acceptable Use forms and the Opt Out form for students wishing to opt out of the Crider Health Center Program.

#3

Look for this coming home with ALL Monday!

This revised Acceptable Use Policy (Printable copy here) allows staff and students to communicate through a school based email to facilitate higher levels of feedback. Please RETURN THIS FORM ON TUESDAY. You may also get on of those forms at the link here.

Speaking of Computers...

We use eValuate Data to track progress. Results look something like this:

This programs track our students’ progress from one month to the next in Math and ELA while we prepare for the State MAP tests scheduled for the springtime. This year, MAP will be May 1 - May 12th! Please avoid planning vacations or appointments during this window if at all possible.

Additionally, we have a program called MOBYMAX (www.mobymax.com) that connects content, effort and reward games AFTER students reach authentic goals. Students work through problems assigned according to their own ability and experience levels. Then after a set amount of time and success, they earn GAME TIME:

This Dashboard view allows teachers to supervise, plan and work towards their personal goals. Interestingly, these assignments are “adaptive,” meaning they match their degree of difficulty with the students’ abilities. The problems are neither too hard, nor too easy! Students seem to enjoy working on MobyMax on their chromebooks.

September 26 - October 1

This week

• HANDOUTS COMING HOME MONDAY!
• Changes and Choices for the 6th graders (See sample above)
• This week, Crider Health Center will come and share with our 6th graders a bit on Changes and Choices. Please follow this link below to preview the curriculum ahead of time.
• http://compasshealthnetwork.org/about-us/crider-health-center/
• Parents may OPT OUT if they would rather address these issues themselves
• MAP Results - Students earning Advanced or Proficient or raising their scores a level will be invited to BRUNSWICK! (See sample above)
• A revised Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) form for the students to use to communicate with their teachers via school email. (See sample above)
• Progress Reports will be emailed to most parents and guardians. Those with no email address on file will receive a hard copy.

Monday

• RARE EVENT: STUDENTS WILL BE COMING HOME WITH PAPERWORK TODAY.
• 2016 MAP Scores will be sent home with the Recently Board Approved Acceptable Use Form.
• This Acceptable Use Form needs to be returned to school on Tuesday, please.
• 8th Grade Softball vs Wright City has been moved to October 4
• Volleyball @ Troy Middle

Tuesday

• Football @ Louisiana

Wednesday

• Bus Evacuation training
• 8th Grade Softball at Elsberry
• Volleyball at Home vs Montgomery County

Thursday

• FUNDRAISING KICKOFF
• 8th Grade Softball @ Fulton
• Volleyball @ Hannibal
• Grade Reports

Friday

• Softball Pizza Party and Uniform Turn-in after school

Saturday

• 8th Grade Volleyball - Troy Tournament

Ongoing

• Brunswick Bowling for those who have Advanced, Proficient or growth from one category to another. - Oct 19 - Guest list under construction

#WeLoveFreeBases

#WalkOfFame

After their 17-9 victory over MoCo, our softball girls take one more “free base.”

While “supervising” games, I see and hear extra comments from fans and parents and even teachers alike. Later, I overhear players remarking about how excited they were to have their special guests at their games.  

Idea: Take in a game or two. Maybe even this Friday, our 7th grade Football Squad will host Warrenton before the Varsity game under the big lights.

Game Time:  4:30

(In case you were wondering, a "free base" in softball is one that doesn't require any effort on our part. The other team grants us a free base by a walk, error or ???)

Home School?

Wednesday, I popped into some classrooms and was able to sit, soak and get a pulse of the connections teachers build with our students, gleaning a sense of the structure, developing an accurate assessment of the goals and really getting to know what is going on. Watching this staff, I came to an epiphany. I realized I would send my children to these classrooms. Teachers come here to work, serve and provide the best for these children, often times when nobody else in their lives even knows they have a need. Together, they are creating a crucible for success!

Honored,

Tom McCracken

A little DAB will do...

State of the State Address

Winfield Middle School Parent Blog

September 19, 2016

The DAB!

Attendance: 90% at 90%

Perfect attendance is our goal. However, the Missouri State Education Department expects 90% of our students to be here 90% of the time. Not surprisingly, data has shown that a direct correlation exists between attendance and achievement.  

Randomly, we sample ‘attendance moments’ and travel to a few rooms as determined by picking their names out of a bucket! Than, we head to the room to see if everyone is present.  If so, #boom! They get a yummy prize! Ask if your child has received one.

Regardless, we have already begun interventions on students already below the 90% threshold. If this is your child, please help your them do their best to be here.

August 2016 HISTORY

• Wk 1 99.39% Aug 2015 96.49
• Wk 2 97.63% Aug 2014 96.25
• Wk 3 95.88% Aug 2013 97.58
• Wk 4 95.30%
• Average 97.05 for August 2016 - Great start to 2016/17

DISCIPLINE:

We teach academics, routines, and procedures!

We also teach manners!

Is it working?  You decide!

Special Musical Guests joined the Intermediate and Middle school staff and students in the WMS gymnasium.

Cornet Chop Suey

It was such a fun show; I expected to pay a cover charge!  

A note from our guest...

“You're welcome, I'm glad the program was a success! It was great to meet you and some of the Winfield teaching staff. Thank you all for your interest and participation. Keep in mind Raintree Arts Council is a good resource for your district. We can help provide programs and also connect you to other resources for the arts. Plus I am always interested in what programs the schools would like to have. You might want to check out these websites/pages for ideas: http://www.missouriartscouncil.org/touring-performers-directory/ http://www.springboardstl.org/programs/  

Also one possibility you might want to explore, available directly to schools from the Missouri Arts Council, is a small grant known as The Big Yellow School Bus, this helps provide ($300.) travel to MAC supported art events that would be otherwise unavailable to your students.   Find out more at:  http://www.missouriartscouncil.org/education/#grants

I did pass out small stacks of Feedback Forms to the teachers present (which I got from your secretary!). I explained to them briefly how I use the feedback information from the students and teachers as "support material" when I'm writing the narratives within the grant for the Missouri Arts Council.   The [age groups and] number of students in attendance helps to show that the programs have occurred; and the feedback gives me information as to how the performance was received.

Also, the St. Louis Jazz Club helps to contribute funds to bring Cornet Chop Suey to the schools, so any feedback I can pass along to them is appreciated.   I've attached a copy of the feedback form if anyone should need it.  Feel free to contact me with ideas or questions!

Laurel Norton

Executive Director,

Raintree Arts Council

Last Year and This Year

2015




2016

All these historical numbers actually mean things. They show us how we scored two years ago so we can compare that to how we did last year.  We look for growth and progress.  Do the 6th graders improve as they go into the 7th grade?  Do they get even better as 8th graders?  Do the 6th graders do as well as last year’s 6th graders? Teachers discuss how many students are scoring below basic, basic, proficient, and advanced. We try and always improve. We implement interventions to address specific and general needs. Than, we look forward to getting our scores back from DESE. We are just there. Parents and Guardians: look forward to getting notification and results of students’ scores soon! Anything you can do to help is always appreciated.

So what do we do???

In 8th grade ELA…

After taking eValuate, one of our lowest areas is Language (Grammar). We are increasing our focus on this and brainstorming ways to increase student achievement (MobyMax?). Students are beginning our first large writing unit over Journalism (narrative writing with non-fiction formatting). Students may also be working in book clubs to work on comprehension and discussion abilities associated with ‘talking’ about yesterday’s reading. Scholastic Test is finally up and running, so students are able to take Reading Counts tests over the books they have read to achieve points by the end of the quarter. We are increasing our use of the Chromebooks by publishing writing and completing to-do assignments on Google Classroom, as well as implementing Time Edge online. The MAP test is online, and students need practice at reading on a computer. Reading off a screen and reading out of a book are two very important, and two very different, skill sets that we will continue to utilize in the classroom.

And Math...

6th grade math is drawing nets, using a 3 Act Task to introduce surface area and nets.They seem to like the hands on activities!

7th grade math is working on comparing and ordering rational numbers. We just wrapped up adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing integers. They’re a little out of their comfort zone with negative numbers.

8th grade math is solving multi step equations with distributive property, variables on both sides, combining like terms, and manipulating formulas to solve for an unknown variable. This is hard stuff! The kids are powering through it, though!

Algebra is reviewing solving equations and absolute value equations.

All of the math classes are using the access to computers to explore Khan Academy, Prodigy, and Moby Max. We will be eValuating within the next two weeks.

Social Studies joins in…

Social studies is currently learning about Ancient Mesopotamia. We have been working on mastering Cornell style notes, learning how to plot and identify geographic features on maps, and, more recently learning about Hammurabi’s Code. We even incorporated technology into our learning about law codes by making class word clouds that use 5 student-created laws from each student submitted through Google Classroom.

 

Additionally, we are focusing on early explorers to the Americas and has been piloting online projects through Google Classroom to help bring Ancient Mesoamerica to life. Students completed a destination information worksheet based on a virtual tour/flyover of Teotihuacan. They were asked to identify 5 separate attractions in the city and then use Google to research each attraction’s description and importance to the culture of people that lived there.        SEE AERIALS HERE

PE Participates

As physical education teachers in the Middle School, our main focus is to get as many students as possible, moving safely. However, we are doing some other things as well.  

As we have in the past, this year students will read a brief history of new activities so that students may become familiar with the sport/activity before participating in it.  We will also do “words to know” for any new activity so that student are familiar with the vocabulary they will hear in that unit.  

We are very excited to announce that we have launched Google Classroom to assist with health, fitness tests, and student self-reporting.  Lastly, as in the past, we have our PE website up and running: (http://winfieldmiddlepe.weebly.com/) that contains information concerning things going on in class.

September 19-23

This week:

Monday

• 8th Grade Softball at Warrenton

Tuesday

• Football vs Bowling Green@5:00
• Volleyball to Montgomery County

Wednesday

• 8th Grade Softball at Montgomery County

Thursday

• 8th Grade Softball vs Van Far
• Volleyball at Troy

Saturday

• 8th Grade Softball - Troy Tournament

Ongoing

• Brunswick - Oct 19 - Guest list under construction.

Finally...

Wrapping up a regular week, full moon and all, we are into our 2nd Progress reporting session.  MAP Scores will be coming out soon. Students are becoming accustomed to their chromebooks. Bus routes are tuned and efficient. We are on the right path. We are helping these students grow into fine young men and women. We are a school! We are part of the community! Parents are the backbone for all of it. Without parents, it would never make sense!

Thank you, parents, for all your continual support.

Tom McCracken