Date: 11/28/2011
To: Michael Green, SuperintendentFrom: Cari ThomsonRE: WMS Summary of Teaching and Learning - September
November has been a busy month at Woodland Middle School. Albeit, which ones are not?
Monday professional development time has been spent in department meetings and School Improvement Planning Groups. The WMS English department was released to work on common reading and writing assessments. Math training has focused on inputting common assessments into the SIPS program and developing Integrated I support classes.
Beginning at semester, those students wishing to take the EOC and Integrated I course will be assigned an Integrated I support class to address the additional standards. The students wishing not to do this will stay in their regular math classes, which will have a course name change to 8th Grade Mathematics and will focus only on the 8th grade standards.
Michael Smith's art class is currently working on two murals inside the district office. Students had to go through the process of submitting ideas, with cost sheets to a committee for approval. Lego Robotics will also participate in their first competition of the year On December 10. The Seabots have been researching ways to preserve fish and have been working closely with Fish First and Royal Ridges.
Good news is on the horizon for lower income families who don't think that a four year college is a reality for their student. The Washington State Higher Education Coordinating Board is providing scholarships for 7th and 8th grade students who are lower-income and sign a pledge to graduate with a cumulative GPA of at least a 2.0 and maintain good citizenship throughout their secondary school experience. Information will be mailed out to middle schools in December and WMS plans to do a parent night and a mailing to provide families with this information. To learn more, please go to http://www.hecb.wa.gov/paying/waaidprgm/collegeboundscholarship.asp.