April 3rd - 7th
It must be the middle school!
We are the champions, my friend...
We’ll keep on fighting till the end.
#onthemap???
Just a brief examination of these scores shows incredible growth and progress. Anticipation reigns. We are so excited about our student’s growth over the year!
As protocol suggests, the GREEN Boxes are this year 2016-17 and the RED Boxes surround last year’s scores.
What can we do for anyone reaching their personal best on this last April cycle of eValuate 5 tests?
As protocol suggests, the GREEN Boxes above are this year 2016-17 and the
RED Boxes below surround last year’s scores.
We have one more eValuate cycle to go!
BBQ Hot Dog Coupon for the Field Day Lunch for anyone getting a Personal Record this last test?
As protocol suggests, the GREEN Boxes above are this year 2016-17 and the
RED Boxes below surround last year’s scores.
A building wide focus on achievement and academics is only part of the progress. Questions of the Day, good pedagogy, feedback, formative testing and collaboration all seem to be contributing factors. Family support, asking questions about school, making a good place to do homework, ensuring their computers are charged are just a few ways to support and encourage achievement.
For the week of April 3rd - 7th
Monday - April 3
- Track Practice continuing
- Cardinals Opening Day - District wide, staff and students alike are invited to wear Jeans and Cardinals gear! #GetUp and #GoCrazy Folks!
Wednesday - April 5
- Early Release Day
Thursday - April 6
- Chess Club - Mr. Utlaut’s room
Upcoming/Ongoing
- Step Up Day for the 5th Graders will be nearer the last day of school, after the testing is complete and no longer a distraction. Fifth grade students will be invited up to spend a few hours reviewing lockers, schedules, rooms, teachers and myths about middle school.
- We will also host another Back to School Night exclusively for 6th graders and mentors to ease the transition.
- 2017-18 6th Grade Back to School Night - Thursday, August 10, 2017
- Block Scheduling starts April 18th and goes two weeks to April 28th.
- City Museum trip is not till April 13th.
- Summer School Registration till April 26th - ALL STUDENTS WELCOME
- Semi-Formal Student Dance - April 21st
- BOGO Book Fair - April 24 - 28
- NJHS Induction - April 25 at 6:30 pm in MS Gym
- Spring Choir Concert - May 2nd
- Middle School MAP Testing - May 4th - 11th
- Field Day - May 15th - The Consummate Ac Lab Challenge
- Spring Band Concert - May 16th
- Six Flags - Due, Tuesday, April 18th
- Last Day of School - May 17th
- High School Graduation - May 21st at 2:00 PM
- Teachers continue their professional preparation in striving to be the best they can be by participating in Summer PD Planning and Data Days. They invest up to three paid days in the summer to look at data, plan common assessments and prepare for next year’s teaching.
Attendance
Still climbing!
Let’s continue growing our relevance, rigor and relationships
to help our students reach their best #nextlevel and urging them to want to attend.
Follow up Notes and Comments
Summer Student Learning Opportunities
The Summer Journey, as hosted by Catapult Learning and eValuate, is taking registrations till April 26th. Late signups might be allowed but depending on our final numbers, we could all be in the Intermediate building or the Middle School.
Summer Academy will still operate with a select group of 8th graders invited. Unlike recent years past, transportation WILL be available for any Winfield Student. Instead of the Summer Journey, eighth grade students will also have an academic focus in the AM and the adventure based Summer Academy session in the PM.
School Wide Six Flags Registration Procedures
The students have already been signing up for the trip. We request checks payable to Winfield Middle School or Winfield School District and discourage cash. Students will then log-in through their Chromebooks and confirm their registration choices using the google forms. (NOTE: They might need their school account to log in.) Thank you for your flexibility in this matter while we assemble this epic trip for the students. I have already heard a few students say, they have “never been to Six Flags before!”
Back to School thoughts (already?)
After the huge success last year, we will duplicate our 6th Grade Back to School visit again this year. Preliminary dates imply we’ll host it August 10th, the Thursday before school actually begins.
- Let’s also consider a club recruitment area, table, informational booth or other device to make the incoming families feel like there are opportunities for them here in this building as well.
- Yearbook, Chess, Art etc
- We will probably retain the Black Tuxedo CONCIERGE shirts for us all and order new ones for students new to the Mentor Process. Consider students for this leadership opportunity. We will also retain the shirt credit for attending staff.
Think hard! Think Smart?
We have all played along with the TV show Jeopardy. The metaphor of the Jeopardy Game helps articulate differences learning and participating. Playing jeopardy is definitely a great way to get everyone involved. We all guess, think about the answer in terms of a question and push our brains to recall potentially lost items of understanding. For instance, we call out “Category for $100!”
But a #nextlevel twist comes when we actually develop a game! Creating a Jeopardy Game by picking the content, creating the questions, and then organizing the questions in increasing levels of difficulty demonstrates deep critical thinking. This assessing, sorting and then organizing takes simple learning and adds an extra degree of difficulty, yet it is still attainable. Therefore, a student participating, doesn’t necessarily mean they are maximizing or reaching their highest levels of deep thinking.
At the Middle School, we are watching the eValuate scores climb indicating students are doing more than just “playing along.” They are thinking deeply about the content, considering variables, applications and extrapolations into other situations and verifying true mastery. Only after this true understanding do we see scores climb!
Keep up the good work. Ask your student to make up a question or two for you, like they might be the teacher and see what discussions come from that. Ask them to design a math problem where you give them the answer and they derive the problem. Ask them to write in in 1st person AND 3rd person. This is the real next level learning that gets us ready to show how much we have learned, as much as how much we already knew!
Finish Strong
Our eValuate scores lead us to consider what is already going on AND our next steps or gaps in learning. Let’s finish strong and assemble a bonus for anybody that reaches a Personal Record on their final eValuate score in April. In the Springtime, when the weather gets conducive to a motorcycle ride, it is also time to BBQ. Maybe we could celebrate a strong APRIL score by grilling a hot dog for ANYBODY that gets their highest score on the eValuate test? I will cook on one of those last days for any of them reaching their goal! What do you think about a Field Day Coupon for a grilled Hot Dog?
Progress Reports out on Monday, April 3rd.
Tom McCracken
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