Welcome to the 2010-2011 school year.
I am confident that this will truly be an exceptional year!
Are you ready for some football? Please join our middleschool fan section "The Trojan Pride" for all home football games this year. Students attending these contests will be able to win prizes and cheer our Trojans on to victory. We have a great time! Sports schedules are available in all school offices. Go Trojans!
Are you looking for an opportunity to help support our middle school? If you are caring, helpful and motivated, I would love to have you become an active member of our CHAMP Club (Caring, Helpful and Motivated Parents). Our group meets monthly and helps plan activities, coordinate fundraisers and serve in many other volunteer capacities. Being a middle school student can be extremely challenging. We need to let each child know that we understand what he/she is going through and that we appreciate the person that they are becoming. Please join us on Thursday, September 16 at 7:00 p.m. in the media center for our first meeting.
Our 2010 MEAP testing window runs from October 12 through October 28. Please encourage your student to be well-rested and to eat a good breakfast. A schedule of all MEAP testing will be sent home prior to testing. I want to stress the importance of student agendas. This is a great organizational, communication tool and it is used as a hall pass. Please encourage your child to fill out their agenda completely and neatly. They are encouraged to bring them home at the end of each day. Please remind them that they need to have these at school the next day. Included in each student agenda is our middle school handbook and student rights and responsibilities.
Our middle school core classes will continue to be on nine week marking periods. Each student will also participate in three rotation classes. These rotation classes will be working on twelve week marking periods. When nine week marking periods end, grades will be printed on blue paper stock and distributed to the students. The cards do not need to be returned. To increase instructional time in math and English Language Arts, additional minutes were added to the middle school schedule a few years ago. This has proven to be an extremely positive change. Students in the fifth and sixth grades will continue to use the Everyday Math Program. I am excited about the progress that our students are making with this new mathematics series. With the ever-changing challenges
that our students are facing with the new high school standards and graduation requirements, we will continue to offer algebra and earth science to all of our eighth grade students.
I have analyzed the reading data, Accelerated Reader, STAR Reading and DIBELS scores. They have shown an increase in our students’ academic progress. The gains that our students made in reading last year were impressive. The Battle Creek Science Kits will be used to enhance our science curriculum, and we are in year three with our new social studies materials. We are beginning year four with Writing Workshop. Our writing scores rank among the very best in Barry, Branch and Calhoun counties. As a result of these curriculum changes, coupled with the hard work and dedication from our entire student body and teaching staff, last spring our school was recognized as the eleventh highest performing school in Michigan (sixth highest middle school). It takes a total team effort of teachers, students, parents, community members, etc…to receive these accolades.
Please feel free to contact the office if you have any questions or concerns. We are looking forward to a great year!
Scott Salow, Middle School Principal
5th Grade Math Guide - http://www.promse.msu.edu/_documents/MCSM/grade5guide.pdf
6th Grade Math Guide - http://www.promse.msu.edu/_documents/MCSM/grade6guide.pdf
7th Grade Math Guide - http://www.promse.msu.edu/_documents/MCSM/grade7guide.pdf
8th Grade Math Guide - http://www.promse.msu.edu/_documents/MCSM/grade8guide.pdf
Promoting Rigorous Outcomes in Math & Science (PROMSE)
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