Parent Connection - September 21, 2018

Parent Resource

Educational research reveals that one of the most important factors that can influence how much a student achieves above his/her potential is the teacher having high expectations for each student.  Teacher expectations can be felt by our students by words, actions, and body language.  We strive to expect a lot out of our students because we know it matters a lot.  Turns out, holding high expectations for your kids is really important in parenting as well.  The article this week speaks to the rationale and application of this principle.

"The Most Successful Kids Have Parents Who Do This One Thing" 

https://raising-independent-kids.com/blog/

School Culture

During our weekly Homeroom lessons, students participate in activities that seek to enhance their understanding of positive social interactions and situations.  Coming up in the next two weeks, Mrs. Morton and I will be visiting classrooms to interact with students about what it takes to build on our positive school culture by focusing on recognizing and responding to bullying/harassment situations and school safety.

Upcoming School Referendum Information

Do you have questions about the upcoming referendum?  Do you want to learn more about the extensive process that was undertaken to determine the facility needs of the district?  Join us Tuesday (9/25) evening from 5:30 - 7:00 in the 1-8 Building for a Community Meeting.  

Updates from the Art Department

Mrs. Crawford has set up a blog for her Art classes.  Students access the blog for their classwork and their artwork is displayed.  Feel free to take a tour of the site by clicking HERE

6th Graders Learning how the Internet Works in Coding Class

Parent Connection - September 16, 2018

Parent Resource
The article this week provides 8 tips that can be helpful when working with your child as they go through their middle school experience.

"These Are the 8 Things Every Middle School Teacher Wants Parents to Know Before School Starts" by ALESSIA SANTORO

Opportunities to get involved

We have three clubs starting up this next week.

-Literacy Club will meet on Monday after school in Mrs. Rogness' room.  This group will focus on communication.  They will help report on events happening at school, and also help organize school-wide literacy events.  

-Art Club will meet each Tuesday after school in Mrs. Crawford's room.  Students can come in and let their artistic creativity grow and shine.

-No Name Volunteers will meet each Thursday after school in Mrs. Anderson's room. Mrs. Morton has an activity planned each week that our students can get involved with to make a difference for someone else in different ways.

The Week Ahead...

-Students will begin meeting in their IE groups on Monday.  Teachers will communicate the locations for each student during class on Monday.  

-There are a couple field trips coming up...parents should be on the look-out for permission slips.  8th graders to Devil's Lake (10/3), 6th graders to the Science Festival (10/11), 7th and 8th grade golf trips coming up in October.  

-Parent-Teacher conferences are also coming up in October (10/11 and 10/18).  Please be on the lookout for a letter that will indicate your scheduled conference time and location.

-Students should be bringing their Student Handbooks home with them this week.  The Handbook can also be viewed at this LINK.  Parents should have a conversation about the handbook (school rules) and can also review the handbook with your child.  Students should return a signed "Handbook Acknowledgement Sheet" to the office.

Images from the Week

Parent Connection - September 9, 2018

Parent Resource
"How was your day at school today?"  "Fine"...This is a pretty common question and answer session for parents of middle and high school kids after school on a daily basis...check the resource below for some tips on getting your child to open up a bit more about their day at school.

"Talking with Kids About School" -pbsparents

Math Lab for Middle School Students
We are pleased to announce that we will have a Math Lab available every night (M-F) after school from 2:45 - 3:30 in Mrs. Andringa's classroom (room .  Any student wishing to work or get some extra help in Math are welcome to attend.  As always, students that are staying after school from 2:45 - 3:35 must be in an assigned location with a teacher.  Students are also welcome to stay after school to work with their Math teacher, however, this is another option for students to come in and work on or get assistance with their Math work

The Week Ahead...
By the end of the week, our 6th graders were getting in and out of their locker a lot quicker, and the transition time between classes is just about at its normal time.  As we look to the week ahead, we will continue to meet in Homeroom groups during our IE time.  The goal of this time is to build a smaller, close knit group within our school community.  while facilitating discussions with our students about social/emotional learning and current issues students face.  Pictures from some of the activities are below.

Other Images from the Week