Transcript Sahuarita Middle School Open House

Sahuarita Middle School
Open House
Welcome
Students and Families
August 21, 2012
5:00 PM
Sahuarita Middle School
Home of the Jaguars
Introductions:
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Ms. Stephanie Silman, Principal
Mr. Bryan Huie, Assistant Principal
Mr. John Haas, Counselor
Ms. Traci Butler, Prevention Specialist
Ms. Aprylmarie Vassar, Volunteer Coordinator
Shared Expectations
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Students—Jaguars GROWL!
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GET THERE
RESPECT
OWN UP
WATCH OUT
LEARN
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Teachers and Staff—Prepare students academically and
socially for future success and personal excellence.
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Parents/Guardians/Family—Communicate with your
student’s teachers, have high expectations, and discuss
school work with your student daily. Consistency is key.
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Student success is greatly improved when there are
support and teamwork between the school and home.
PBIS Philosophy
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School-wide Positive Behavior Interventions and
Support (PBIS) Philosophy
– The goal of PBIS is for all adults to teach and
promote positive, acceptable behavior
practices to all students throughout the
campus. By promoting appropriate behavior,
PBIS reduces behavior problems, establishes
a safe environment for learning and teaching,
and has a positive influence on a school’s
climate and culture.
Grading and Assessment
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SMS uses a standards-based, mastery assessment and grading
system. The foundational philosophy of this system is as
follows:
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“A grade is supposed to provide an accurate, undiluted
indicator of a student’s mastery of learning standards….It is
not meant to be a part of a reward, motivation, or behavioral
contract system. If the grade is distorted by weaving in a
student’s personal behavior, character, or work habits, it
cannot be used to successfully provide feedback, document
progress, or inform our instructional decisions regarding that
student---the three primary reasons we grade (Wormeli,
“Accountability,” 19)” (VanDeWeghe, 2007, 75).
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VanDeWeghe, R. (2007, July). Research matters: The gray areas of grading. English Journal, 96
(6), 74-77.
Grading and Assessment
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Letter grades reflect a student’s academic achievement
and proficiency on academic standards, as evidenced by
multiple measures and assessments within a grading
period. This scale is used for grading individual
assessments as well as the course as a whole.
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A
B
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C
D
F
Mastery of all the Standards
Mastery on some of the Standards
and Proficient on remaining Standards
Proficient on all the Standards
Lacks Proficiency on some of the Standards
Fails to demonstrate Proficiency
on many of the Standards
90-100%
80-89%
70-79%
60-69%
59-50%
Grading and Assessment
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95% of the grade is based on multiple assessments of
standards.
– Examples include tests, quizzes, projects, essays,
portfolios, oral presentations, and other summative
assessments given at the end of learning a concept or
concepts.
– Students that do not demonstrate proficiency on
assessments will be re-taught and re-assessed until they are
proficient on the standards. Completion of homework and
other forms of practice may be required between the reteaching and the re-assessment to ensure that the student
has learned the concepts and will be more successful when
re-assessed.
Grading and Assessment
– Every effort will be made to provide re-teaching and reassessment during class time. However, it may sometimes
be necessary for students to come in before or after school
to receive the appropriate amount of re-teaching and
assistance to be successful.
– Grading on a curve and dropping low grades distort the
overall grade and are not sound grading practices. As such,
they are not permitted in the grading guidelines.
– Formative assessments monitor how students are
progressing while they are in the process of learning new
concepts. As such, they are not included in the summative
assessment grade, but they may be included as practice in
the grade book. Examples may include checks for
understanding, bell work, closure, etc.
Grading and Assessment
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5% of the grade shall be based on practice.
– Examples may in-class work, homework, extra credit or
bonus points related to the standards, participation, group
grades, formative assessments, and completion check
work.
– Homework is practice and reinforcement, not assessment.
However, completion of homework and other forms of
practice is essential. It helps teachers to monitor students’
progress in mastering the standards and helps students
prepare for assessments. While homework and other forms
of practice account for a small percentage of a student’s
overall grade, its importance should not be
underestimated. It shall be meaningful, not “busy work.”
Grading and Assessment
– Written homework should be assigned when the teacher
believes that the students can complete the work
accurately and independently.
– If no written homework is assigned, students should:
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Read their Accelerated Reader (AR) book for 30 minutes
Practice their band or orchestra instrument for 30 minutes
Review their notes, vocabulary terms, and spelling words
Redo incomplete or incorrect homework for make-up
Play educational computer games (IXL.com for math and reading)
– Extra credit will not be given for something unrelated to
the standards.
Behavior, attendance, and effort are non-academic factors and
do not have a place in the final grade that represents student
mastery of the standards.
Athletics
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Quarter 1: Volleyball,
flag football, and
cheerleading
Quarter 2: Boys’
Basketball, Girls’ soccer,
and cheerleading
Quarter 3: Girls’
Basketball, Boys’ soccer,
cheerleading, and
wrestling
Quarter 4: Track and
field and softball
Clubs and School Spirit
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Clubs:
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Art
Yearbook
Wrestling
Weight-lifting
Lady Hoosiers
PBIS
Reading/Book Club
National Junior Honor
Society (NJHS)
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School spirit:
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Pep rallies
Awards assemblies
Spirit shirt days
Positive incentives
School-Home Communication
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SMS Facebook page
District and School
Websites
Monthly Newsletters
Marquee Reminders
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World By Me Log-in
– Direct link to
PowerSchool
attendance and grades
– Mass emails
– Grades will be
updated and current
every Monday
 If you have a concern, please contact the specific teacher,
counselor, or administrator right away so that we can resolve
it quickly. We are here to be of service and can only help if
we know there is a problem.
Visiting Classrooms
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Visit your child’s teachers according to
his/her schedule.
Classes are 7 minutes long with 4-minute
passing periods.
Please arrange a phone call or conference
for a later time with the teacher if you have
individual questions that relate only to your
student.
Closing Remarks
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Thank you for your time. Classroom visits are
from 5:20-6:22 PM.
If you have Choir 1st hour, please stay here.
Check our website, Facebook page, and marquee
for information regarding upcoming events.
Fall Parent-Teacher Conferences—Thursday,
October 18th
 Teacher team conferences are by appointment from
1:30-4:00 PM. Call Mr. Haas at 625-3502, ext. 1404.
 Brief, individual teacher conferences on a walk-in
basis will be from 5:00-7:00 PM in the SMS gym.