Dear Parents,
This is our first post of the Middle School Principal’s Notes in a blog format. Please note that there is a lot more information at the top of the page, in the tabs, are links to communications from the Counselor and the Athletics Director.
Our Middle School Intramurals program will be starting next week. This lunch-time program provides physical activity, fun, and emphasizes sportsmanship. Our two physical education teachers, Mr. Tommy Bohorquez and Mr. Ron Thomson will be organizing various sports activities for students to join throughout the school year. We are starting the intramural program with table tennis on Monday Aug 20 in the auxiliary gym. All middle school students are welcome to come together at first and depending on numbers and skill level we may change it to specific groupings. Please encourage your son or daughter to get involved and have some fun and fitness during the lunch break.
Getting involved in school activities, events, and athletics helps students to widen their circle of friends, explore other interests, and have a richer well-rounded middle school experience. Please encourage your child to get involved in athletics, activities and clubs that are available in the school.
Teacher web pages: Last year teachers were using either TeacherWeb or Sharepoint as the location of their teacher web pages for their courses. This year the whole school has moved to a new Learning Management System (LMS) Moodle. Teachers have created the basics of their pages and are learning about the different features of the system. Information will be coming out in the next few weeks from our new IT Director, Mr. Kevin Crouch, on how parents can access the LMS Moodle and what training is available.
Digital Citizenship at the middle school level: Our grade level team of teachers, supported by our middle school technology coordinator, Ms. Laura Deadman, have been leading students through technology orientation sessions. Ms. Laura has created four modules that will be covered over the course of this month including the Agreement of Use Policy also known as the Responsible Use Policy, Digital Citizenship, Moodle Basics, and the how-to’s of using Google account features.
Honing our skills: Last Thursday teachers were trained in the use of our new (LMS) Moodle system. Teachers learned how to post homework to their course webpage calendar, and learned the various features for creating assignments on line. This Thursday our middle school English as an Alternate Language (EAL) coordinator and the high school EAL coordinator gave a session to teachers on the concepts of language acquisition and understanding of current research to clarify perceptions about language acquisition. The topic areas focused on the affective filter, the role of home language in instruction, the importance of interaction, and alternative assessment. The strategies, while helping EAL students’ access information, are also good instructional strategies for all students.
PTA - Middle school parent team: Parents are a wonderful support to the school.
I would like to welcome our middle school PTA parent grade representatives: Aditi Vasu (grade 8), Rachna Chowdhary (grade 7), and Betsy Elad (grade 6). Our parent team helps in a number of ways in the middle school from arranging for food and decorations at middle school events, supporting the teachers as requested by the grade-level team leaders, helping out with our annual yard sale fundraiser, and helping organize the middle school contribution in school events i.e. UN DAY, Charity fair, among other things. It is important to note that the parent team don’t hold formal meetings with parents, but may arrange social times to get to know each other better. They don’t address parent concerns but should always direct parents to the classroom teacher first and secondly to the principal. It is a great partnership and we are fortunate to have the support of our committed parent team.
Grade 8 Week Without Walls: On Tuesday, August 28 at 3:00 P.M., the grade 8 teacher team will be holding a parent/student information meeting in the Black Box theater. This meeting is to share with you the exciting plans for this year’s proposed Week Without Walls grade 8 trip. For this year’s trip, we are returning to a site used for many years by the American School of Bombay, flying into Mumbai followed by a three hour bus ride to the site. The focus for the Week Without Walls experience will be an outdoor education experience along with a community service “build” task in a village close to the site. We are excited about our planned trip and look forward to sharing the trip details with you. Please come to the presentation on Tuesday at 3:00PM.
The HS Yearbook class announces the photo shoot! All middle school yearbook photos will be taken on August 28. The photographers will be taking individual shots, (head and shoulder shots) and group photos by grade level. Details of timing for each class will be in the student daily bulletin.
Back to School night is on August 30. The evening begins at 5:30 pm where parents follow a schedule prepared by their child indicating the courses, teachers, and room numbers. The purpose of this night is for parents to meet the teachers and find out information about the course content, expectations of the teacher, and set the foundation for school to home communication and discussing ways that teachers and parents can work together to support learning. There is not enough time in this evening to discuss individual student progress: 3-way conferences are provided mid-semester specifically for this purpose or parents can feel free to set-up an appointment with a teacher either through email or through the Middle School Secretary. Please reserve the evening of August 30 to attend this event.
The Middle School Student Activities Club will be hosting a Pool Party on Friday August 31, from 4:00-6:00 pm. Tickets will be sold during lunch time by the grade 6 lockers near the courtyard Tuesday-Friday for Rs. 200/-. If tickets are bought at the event, they will be 250/-. There will be food, drinks, water activities, and a live DJ! Join in the fun and be there with your ‘one piece’ bathing suits.
I hope to see you at the back to school picnic on Saturday, have a joyous weekend.
Ms. Michele
Middle School Principal