James Tucker
Middle School Principal
Please be aware that in last week’s list of paid events and activities throughout the year I missed the exciting opportunity to participate in the NAE Performing Arts Festival.I have updated the list you can find updated list of events here. More information will be forthcoming. It takes place between the 5th and 10th of February in North Broward Preparatory School in Florida and cost $1,410USD.
The Math department would like to share some important information regarding out new “CPM” (college preparatory math) program.
Parents / guardians / tutors (and students) may find this video which describes using the ebook useful: https://vimeo.com/121402318. They can access the e-book at www.cpm.org then go to Courses then Core Connections courses as appropriate for their grade (see below). In the course book (in the left-hand menu:) Reference then Student Support then (in the top tabs:)
Parent Guide - this can be accessed online or downloaded for free.
Year 6 - Course 1
Year 6 Accelerated - Courses 1 and 2
Year 7 - Course 2
Year 7 Accelerated - Courses 2 and 3
Year 8 - Course 3
Year 8 Accelerated - Course 3 and Algebra
Please contact your child’s Math teacher if you need more information or would like more guidance on what your child is learning in class.
The deadline for enrolling all students and inviting parents to google classroom for teachers is the end of August. We will give you more information about Google Classroom and how it works at the open house on the 3rd of September. There will be some teachers who might begin inviting parents to google classroom prior to that but the end of August is the deadline
We have now finished our first week of the new STEAM and Computational Thinking courses. There was a little confusion around some students due to a clash with drama however this is now resolved. If you or your children have any feedback about the new courses - good or bad - please reach out! I will talk more about the objectives and planning for these innovative new courses at open house.
Middle School open house takes place on the 3rd of September. You will follow your child’s schedule and meet each teacher. You will also have the opportunity to hear from Melida Barbee who is organising our Field Trips program about this years’ activities. There is an option to start paying from now and we hope to get 100% attendance this year. The dates are included in the information letter sent out last week which can be found here.
In Middle School we value a safe, productive and healthy learning environment. To this end we have very high expectations for all students and aim to create a consistent and predictable environment. We have shared with students our “keys to character” - these are Be responsible, Be respectful, Be kind, Be honest - each key has an explanation associated with it. In the case of students not being compliant with these expectations they will be given one verbal warning by the teacher who will refer to the agreements. If the behaviour continues then the students will be sent to my office to fill out a reflection form which should be signed by myself, parents and the office before the student returns to class. These reflections will be registered and repeated reflections will result in further disciplinary actions as specified in our family handbook.
As we are now opening out the MUN to all students (including 6th graders) we have had an overwhelming display of interest. This is exciting however we do need to keep the group down to a maximum of 25 students. For this reason we’ll need to ask those who wish to enter MUN to complete an application process. This will be administered and communicated by our MUN Director Sean McLaughlin via email to students who have expressed an interest.
18th September, 8am, 7th and 8th grade, Alcohol Prevention workshop
In this workshop we’ll discuss some of the challenges impacting families around Tech use including social media and gaming. More than a presentation, this will be a workshop for parents to learn from other parents, share ideas and concerns and problem solve as a team. We’ll generate some Tech Agreements for 6th grade and share these with students. This complements our Digital Citizenship Unit which begins in the 3rd Quarter.
25th September, 6th Grade Parents, Tech Agreements workshop
In this workshop we’ll discuss some of the challenges impacting on parents regarding alcohol and substance abuse. More than a presentation, this will be a workshop for parents to learn from other parents, share ideas and concerns and problem solve as a team. We’ll generate some alcohol Agreements for 7th and 8th grade and share these with students. Accompanying this, we’ll be working with Educalcohol - an organisation who work with young people to bring awareness around alcohol abuse.
