Middle School Email
10/3/08
McLEAN MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS & SCHEDULE
Dear Middle School Families,
“Tea for more than two” happened during a literature class in Selena Smith and Gwen Goad’s grade 5 class. After reading the second chapter of The Year of Ms. Agnes by Kirkpatrick Hill. The class had a magnificent tea party as part of the re-enactment of the story plot. Also in their social studies class students created a map of the classroom to demonstrate their understanding of the terms legend and scale. The students enjoyed drawing and measuring items in the classroom to present the project.
Two of our Middle School students, Helena C. and Ethan W. have been nominated to participate in a 3-day camp sponsored by the Montgomery Country Office of Human Rights, on October 17-19, 2008. This Human Rights program is designed to bring together students from diverse racial, cultural, religious, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds for a weekend experience in support of interracial and intercultural understanding. We wish the best of luck to Helena and Ethan during the selection process.
Senior Speech-Language Pathologist Ellen Fye will be contacting new Middle School families for whom additional services or further evaluation are being recommended as a result of the Speech-Language screenings. If you are not contacted about the screenings, your child has met the age-based criterion of the screening tools.
Although it is just the start of fall we are already planning our annual ski trips. This year there will be a grade 8 overnight weekend trip to Seven Springs, Pennsylvania, Saturday, January 10 to Sunday, January 11, 2009. A second ski trip (day only) open to students in grades 5 through 8 will be on Saturday, February 28 at Massanutten ski slopes in Harrisonburg, Virginia in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. Contact math teacher Elyse Cantor at ecantor@mcleanschool.org if you have questions regarding these two Middle School trips.
In recent weeks, we have held a number of meetings with parents, teachers and support staff to discuss concerns about students and ways to help them get a good start on their school performance. In these meetings the candor of the exchange and observations regarding your children help us to better understand the students and the families we serve.
Our welcome to the new Parents Association grade representatives: Lisa Kazor (grade 5), Leslie Lane (grade 6), Joyce Crowe and Michael Lennon (grade 7), and Ellen Kirsch and Beth Swartz (grade 8). Thank you for coordinating and supporting the upcoming activities that benefit our students. Your time, effort and generosity are greatly valued.
Enjoy the cool weather!
Judy Townsend
Head of Middle School
240.395.0676
jtownsend@mcleanschool.org
www.mcleanschool.org
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 5 ——-
MONDAY, OCTOBER 6 ——-
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 7
6:30PM New Parents Reception at Darlene Pierro’s Home
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 8
Book Fair Begins
Grades 5-8 will hold a Free Dress fundraiser in support of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society —Contribute $1 or more and students can have Free Dress rights for the day and help a good cause.
K-12 NOON DISMISSAL (3:20 Club Available)
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 9
K-12 NO SCHOOL-YOM KIPPUR
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 10
Sally Foster Gift Wrap Orders Due
8:30AM Parent Coffee with Middle School Head Judy Townsend
Book Fair
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11 ———
REMEMBER!
K-8 PIZZA LUNCH BEGINS Monday, October 13 (Bring a bag lunch if you have opted out of this special treat—no school lunch will be served on Pizza Lunch Day)
BOOK FAIR Monday, October 13-Saturday, October 18
FALL FESTIVAL Saturday, October 18 from 11:00 am-2:00 pm
9/26/08
McLEAN MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS & SCHEDULE
Dear Middle School Families,
Grade 5 students have taken on the world and are embracing languages like never before. During morning meetings in Diane DeCrosta and Traci Wagner’s homeroom, students are learning and using greetings in several languages. They have begun learning simple words or phrases from the languages of the students’ ancestors and are keeping track of their ancestry marking their diversity on the world map in the classroom.
In the next eight weeks, 15 students in grade 7 will take part in the Architecture in the Schools (AIS) program. The program’s objective at McLean will be to enrich the learning experience of our students using architectural concepts to bring math and art to life. The volunteer architects from AIS will guide students to exercise their analytical and creative skills through the architectural design process. This program will involve four of our Middle School teachers (Art teacher Claudia Alp, Learning Specialist Piper Caswell, Math teachers Monica Lewis and Jonathan Tyson) and two architects from Muse Architects who will meet the students once a week to develop a project based on the theme “Geometry: Forms, Structures, Spaces.” The students will study a range of units from scale, forms and patterns, to geometry in structures, the neighborhood and the world around us before taking a visit to an urban neighborhood. After a field trip to a location in Washington, DC students will initiate their final project of designing a building of their choice, building it as a model and applying both the concepts discussed and the appropriate architectural elements within the building’s design. We are very excited to welcome this program to the Middle School.
We would like parents to be aware that your children cannot stay on campus after dismissal time unsupervised. Students in grades 5 and 6 who do not participate in after-school team sports, drama or are enrolled in the 3:20 Club cannot stay to watch a home game unless accompanied by a parent, guardian or a care-giver. If your schedule prevents you from picking up your child at the bus satellite or cluster after school, you need to make arrangements with us via a phone call to Administrative Assistant Robin Forbes in the Middle School office at 240.395.0670. There is a charge for providing supervision after school.
Interim Reports will be mailed on Friday, September 26 to all new 7 and 8 grade students and any returning students averaging a C- or below. Please review these reports with your children and follow the recommendations offered by the teacher and ask for their guidance and help. Self-advocacy, what we want to instill in the student to be a better learner, is a key and a good strategy that students should continue to develop. I suggest that your child establishes a plan on how to take advantage of his/her strengths and set short-term goals to make improvements and complete the quarter in good standing.
The grade 5 and 6 Climate Committee has been selected and is comprised of 14 grade 6 members and six grade 5 members. At their first meeting the students enthusiastically generated a long list of potential community service projects and will begin working on one of these in the near future. The grade 7 and 8 Climate Committee has also been selected. Eleven grade 7 and twelve grade 8 representatives are actively working this month on a community service project in conjunction with the Upper School Service League collecting school supplies to benefit a school in Viet Nam.
As mentioned during our Back-to-School Nights, several new flags will be displayed in the All-Purpose Room (APR). We have ordered flags from Botswana, Colombia, Greece, Jamaica, the Netherlands and Trinidad and Tobago. This project started about four years ago with the purpose of honoring the country of origin of our student body, faculty and staff. If you feel that your nationality is not represented, please contact me.
Have a good weekend.
Judy Townsend
Head of Middle School
240.395.0676
jtownsend@mcleanschool.org
www.mcleanschool.org
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 ——-
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 ——-
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30
NO SCHOOL-ROSH HASHANAH
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 1
Ramadan Ends
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 2 ——-
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 3 ——-
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4 ———
REMEMBER!
New Middle & Upper School Parent Reception at Darlene Pierro’s Tuesday, October 7 at 6:30 pm
K-12 Noon Dismissal Wednesday, October 8
K-12 No School-Yom Kippur Thursday, October 9
Parent Coffee with Head of Middle School Judy Townsend Friday, October 10 at 8:30 am
Book Fair Begins Friday, October 10 at 8:30 am (after Parent Coffee)
9/19/08
McLEAN MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS & SCHEDULE
WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 14, 2008
Dear Middle School Families,
On Tuesday and Thursday this week, we celebrated our Back-to-School Nights. We hope that meeting your children’s teachers and listening to their overview of this year’s curriculum left you with a sense of a commitment from our faculty to create an exciting learning community. This is the start of a new school year and as I highlighted on both nights, you are an important part of the Middle School. Please, feel comfortable to communicate to us your questions, concerns or needs and our support team and faculty will do our best to be responsive. My personal thanks to all of you for attending these meetings and to our student guides who helped us so professionally on Tuesday night.
We continue to revise and adjust some students’ classes and schedules. As part of our core values, we value flexibility so we are usually able to make these changes to facilitate students’ schedules and interests, while continuing to provide them with challenges that promote their intellectual and personal growth. We have asked students to work on important organizational skills, not only by keeping their lockers organized, but by making good use of their planners and binder/notebook/folder system. Before long, they will figure out what system works best for them and what strategies are useful to keep them on track. Our Learning Specialists and Counselors are working diligently to provide support to the students, parents and teachers to make these efforts successful.
The first informational meeting with Professore Leonardis for the Middle School Italy Trip scheduled for our Spring Break 2009 was well attended. Families of grades 7 and 8 students interested in this trip should address your questions directly to Foreign Language Department Chair Ms. Elizabeth Adum at eadum@mcleanschool.org.
Our grade 7/8 students participated on Thursday in our fall CALLEVA outdoor education experience. Grades 5/6 will partake in these activities on Friday. These excursions, seen as exclusively leisurely day-trips, are actually activities planned to develop technical skills, foster team work and enhance individual leadership skills while students enjoy age-appropriate outdoor activities.
As the new season approaches, and changes of all kinds are confronting us, we want the Middle School to be a source of stability and enrichment in your child’s life. Thank you for being there with us.
Judy Townsend
Head of Middle School
240.395.0676
jtownsend@mcleanschool.org
www.mcleanschool.org
GRADE 7 & 8 STUDY HALL Thank you for the emails and interest in the Study Hall for grade 7 and 8 students. We are in the planning process and hope to have the program up and running by the end of the month. More to follow next week.
DID YOU SIGN UP FOR PIZZA LUNCH? Pizza Lunch sign up sheets are due on Friday, September 26? Remember the school lunch program does not serve lunches on Pizza Lunch Day—so remember to pack a sandwich for your child. Pizza Lunch Forms can be found at www.mcleanschool.org. Click on “Parent Center” on the top menu, click on “Lunch Program” on the side links, click on “Lower/Middle School Pizza Form.”
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 ——-
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22
Outside Providers Begin
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 ——-
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 ——-
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 25
Grade 7-12 Interims
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 26
8:30AM Parent Coffee with Head of School Darlene Pierro
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 ——-
REMEMBER!
No School-Rosh Hashanah Tuesday, September 30
9/12/08
MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS & SCHEDULE
WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 14, 2008
Dear Middle School Families,
Soon it will be time to strike up the band!! Middle School Band for the 2008-2009 school year will begin during the second quarter (October 24) and will run through the rest of the year. Grade 7 students joining the band during the second quarter will be exempt from the Art and Creative Writing classes. Grade 8 students joining the band during the second quarter will be exempt from all the electives with the exception of Brain Works, which they must take during the first quarter. This change in arrangements is good for the students, the band, and the Middle School and we thank you for your support.
Reading and math assessments were performed for grades 5 and 6. These important strategies were coordinated by the Director of Learning Specialists Martha Ein, and K-6 Math Specialist Linda Pelzman in conjunction with the grade 5/6 homeroom teachers. The students have been grouped and teachers will be contacting parents to let them know their child’s reading and math teacher. These groups are fluid and flexible throughout the year. Should you have any concerns regarding your child’s learning needs, please do not hesitate to contact Martha Ein at mein@mcleanschool.org.
As this year’s Back-to-School-Night approaches, we are getting ready to welcome you during your visit to McLean. On this night, parents will be able to meet their child’s homeroom/advisor and sign-up for Parent/Teacher Conferences coming up in November. We welcome all of you in advance.
After the Grade 7 & 8 Back-to-School Night visit on Tuesday, September 16, the Foreign Language Department would like to invite parents to join us for an informational meeting at 9:00 pm to learn more about our McLean in Italy trip during Spring Break 2009. Any parent who has a child that is studying Latin and/or who is interested in world history is welcome to attend. Tentative departure and return dates are March 19 and March 27 respectively. The trip coordinator will address the parents on the tentative itinerary which may include exploring the Beautiful Bay of Naples, including Pompeii and the Herculaneum, Cortona. Hope to see you there!
Judy Townsend
Head of Middle School
240.395.0676
jtownsend@mcleanschool.org
www.mcleanschool.org
AFTER SCHOOL STUDY HALL As we venture into another school year, questions have come up about After School Study Hall. Previously we have offered a supervised place Monday -Thursday from 3:20 pm - 5:30 pm for students in grades 7 & 8 to work on their nightly assignments. The cost for 2 hours was $20, however we did pro-rate the cost for those students arriving late from sports practices or tutoring. Before deciding whether to offer study hall again this year, we would like to get an idea of how many families would be interested in signing their child up on a regular basis (drop-ins are also welcome). If you are interested please email After School Program Director Jenny Whichard ‘92 at jwhichard@mcleanschool.org.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 ——-
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
6:45PM Board Meeting
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16
6:30PM Grades 7 & 8 Back-to-School Night
9:00PM Grades 7 & 8 McLEAN in ITALY Meeting
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17
MS Community Meeting on Walk for the Homeless
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 18
Grades 7 & 8 Experiential Education with Calleva
6:30PM Grades 5 & 6 Back-to-School Night
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 19
Grades 5 & 6 Experiential Education with Calleva
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 ——-
REMEMBER!
Grades 7-12 Interims Thursday, September 25
Parent Coffee with Head of School Friday, September 26 at 8:30 am
No School-Rosh Hashanah Tuesday, September 30
9/5/08
MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS & SCHEDULE
WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 7, 2008
Dear Middle School Families,
The sounds of metal locker doors closing, children’s voices commenting about their day, and lunches devoured—to provide more time for conversation—indicates that our school year has started and our first week was completed with great success. The new students to Middle School have quickly shed their fears and have fit extremely well into their homerooms; they now have adapted to the excitement of the transition. The returning students are also content to be back and master their day-to-day schedule, while getting to know their grade level teachers and school-work expectations.
During our Community Meeting we had our “Fashion Police” modeling performance on the dress code do’s and don’ts. In addition, we discussed the purpose and ways to participate in our student Climate Committee as well as in opportunities for Community Service.
Students in grades 5 and 6 received a visit from Grades 5 & 6 Counselor Mr. Gregg Moses and Grades 5 & 6 Dean of Students Ms. Rosie Waugh, who talked to them about the loss of Barbara Greer our Lower School Technology teacher. Ms. Greer taught the majority of our Middle School students while they were in Lower School. Lower and Middle School students and faculty will plant a Memorial Garden on-campus in Barbara’s honor in mid-October. Students and faculty will be invited to add pages to a Memory Book that will be presented to Mr. Del Greer, Barbara’s husband on the day of the planting. Parents are also welcome to contribute entries. The students will also raise funds for the Montgomery County Chapter of the Humane Society to purchase wish list donations in Ms. Greer’s honor. Details are forthcoming.
As we take another step into the second week of school, we thank you in advance for your support this year. Our teachers are ready and prepared for the challenges and successes the year will certainly bring, and we acknowledge their skills and service on behalf of the McLean community.
Judy Townsend
Head of Middle School
240.395.0676
jtownsend@mcleanschool.org
www.mcleanschool.org
AFTER SCHOOL STUDY HALL As we venture into another school year, questions have come up about After School Study Hall. Previously we have offered a supervised place Monday -Thursday from 3:20 pm - 5:30 pm for students in grades 7 & 8 to work on their nightly assignments. The cost for 2 hours was $20, however we did pro-rate the cost for those students arriving late from sports practices or tutoring. Before deciding whether to offer study hall again this year, we would like to get an idea of how many families would be interested in signing their child up on a regular basis (drop-ins are also welcome). If you are interested please email After School Program Director Jenny Whichard ‘92 at jwhichard@mcleanschool.org.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 ——-
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 8
K-8 School Photos
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 9 ——-
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 10
8:30AM Parents Association Meeting-All Welcome!
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 11 ——-
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 ——-
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 ——-
REMEMBER
Grades 7 & 8 Back to School Night Tuesday, September 16 at 6:30 pm
Grades 5 & 6 Back to School Night Thursday, September 18 at 6:30 pm
Grades 7 & 8 CALLEVA OUTDOOR ADVENTURES Thursday, September 18
Grades 5 & 6 CALLEVA OUTDOOR ADVENTURES Friday, September 19
Forms for the Calleva Outdoor Adventures went home on September 2 and are due back in the office by FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 12 with your signatures of consent. The students will participate in either rope courses with high and low elements, or split activities such as caving, mountain biking, and canoeing. McLean chaperones will accompany every group of students, in addition to the team of professional Calleva instructors.