Contents Message from Mr. Day............................................................................................................................... 2 C.O.R.E. Expectations ............................................................................................................................... 3 Classroom Instruction Integrity .................................................................................................................. 3 Car Riders – Student Drop Off and Pick Up Procedures ........................................................................... 3 Time to Smile for the Camera! ................................................................................................................... 3 Tyler – Parent Portal .................................................................................................................................. 3 A Note from the Athletics Department: ...................................................................................................... 4 Request for Meal Assistance ..................................................................................................................... 4 Immunizations--Exclusion Date [September 18 th ] ...................................................................................... 4 Music Fundraiser........................................................................................................................................ 4 Scholastic Book Fair .................................................................................................................................. 4 Homefest .................................................................................................................................................... 5 How Can My Child Become a Better Writer?............................................................................................. 5 Shoes from the East Side Rotary Club. ..................................................................................................... 6 Clinic Notes Immunizations--Exclusion date is September 18 th . ............................................................... 6 Boys and Girls Club ................................................................................................................................... 6 News from your Social Worker .................................................................................................................. 7 Nicholson’s Notes: ..................................................................................................................................... 8 PBIS ........................................................................................................................................................... 8 Congratulations to the August Grade 7 Students of the Week! ................................................................. 9 SMS Refrigerator Information .................................................................................................................. 10 Red Storm Forecast September 2017 Stonybrook Middle School – GROW: It’s What We Do! Guide. Recognize. Organize. WIN!
Transcript
Contents Message from Mr. Day ............................................................................................................................... 2
A Note from the Athletics Department: ...................................................................................................... 4
Request for Meal Assistance ..................................................................................................................... 4
Immunizations--Exclusion Date [September 18th] ...................................................................................... 4
Music Fundraiser........................................................................................................................................ 4
Scholastic Book Fair .................................................................................................................................. 4
How Can My Child Become a Better Writer? ............................................................................................. 5
Shoes from the East Side Rotary Club. ..................................................................................................... 6
Clinic Notes Immunizations--Exclusion date is September 18th. ............................................................... 6
Boys and Girls Club ................................................................................................................................... 6
News from your Social Worker .................................................................................................................. 7
Congratulations to the August Grade 7 Students of the Week! ................................................................. 9
SMS Refrigerator Information .................................................................................................................. 10
Red Storm Forecast
September 2017
Stonybrook Middle School – GROW: It’s What We Do! Guide.
Recognize. Organize. WIN!
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Message from Mr. Day
September 2017
Hello Stonybrook Middle School Families!
It is hard to believe that we are already past the half-way point of the first grading period! We recently sent home a copy of several pieces of critical student performance information regarding how your child performed last year on ISTEP+ and how he/she is off to their academic start this school year. This information serves as a baseline for teachers to plan reading instruction that bridges a student’s independent level vs. instructional level and extends a student to a hard level. I have included a definition of what these education terms mean in the newsletter. Based on our schoolwide results, improving our student’s ability to respond to text is a common area of needed growth. As a result, we are currently planning on infusing writing prompts across the curriculum as it is applicable to every content area.
If your child is having challenges with any content comprehension, please do not hesitate to contact any teacher to get some ideas and/or resources on how your child may benefit from spending some additional time outside of school or improve his/her performance throughout the school day. We are fortunate at Stonybrook MS and in Warren Township to have a number of resources available for our students and families. At the same token, it is my belief that we want to ensure students can still be children outside of school and take time to play, relax, and most importantly spend quality time with family.
We had over 200 students participate in watching the eclipse outside on August 21st. While the clouds wanting to interfere with our view, just prior to going back inside a number of students were able to get a great view of the eclipse. It was wonderful to see a number of students in amazement of this natural phenomenon. Ms. Hobbs, our science department chair, led this activity with passion and zeal that left a positive impact on many students – and perhaps opened the door for a student to take interest in becoming a scientist!
As we approach the end of the first quarter, please keep in mind that teachers will be contacting parents to request conferences for October 3rd. Given the number of students a teacher sees, we are unfortunately not able to accommodate a conference with every teacher for every student in a single day. Teachers will work to prioritize conference requests, but you should feel free to request a conference as needed outside of October 3rd if you are not able to meet with all the teachers that you would like to.
Regards,
Nathan Day
Civility – Order – Respect- Excellence
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C.O.R.E. Expectations If you are the parent/guardian of a returning Warren Township student, then you have likely heard of
our township’s C.O.R.E. expectations that reflect our philosophy and beliefs. If you are new to
Warren Township, you will see references of this throughout many of our communications. C.O.R.E.
is the foundational message of our Positive Behavior Intervention Strategies (PBIS) and stands for
Civility, Order, Respect, and Excellence. We believe if our students embody these characteristics,
they can achieve anything they put their mind to. Our goal is to recognize and reward students when
they are demonstrating these through the manner in which they conduct themselves, whether in be in
a classroom, cafeteria, bus, sporting event, or otherwise.
Classroom Instruction Integrity To ensure classroom instruction is not disrupted, we generally refrain from making any
announcements during any class period that an item is in the office for a student. While we will
attempt to manage deliveries throughout the day, it may not be feasible for us to get the item to your
child in time for the intended class. Our advice to students is to plan thoroughly the evening before to
ensure you are ready for the next day. We realize that on occasion we all forget something; however
it should not be a pattern to expect a parent/guardian to be available to bring something in and in turn
that we are able to get the item to its destination upon receipt. We do attempt to prioritize lunch
delivery.
Car Riders – Student Drop Off and Pick Up Procedures As our processes continue to be more efficient and as we monitor student safety each day, please note the following safety reminders for all students and your own children.
Do not use your cell phones while actively within the pickup and drop off processes. Safety of all people is more important than any phone conversation one may be having.
Have your child enter/exit from the CURB side only. Getting in/out on the driver’s side puts your child at substantially greater risk.
Also, please note that the official drop off time at Door 5 is from 7:20A-7:27A. While we have been able to staff the start of this process earlier, this may change due to other needs in the building. At 7:27A, we turn our attention to students who are already in the building and ensuring they get to first period in a safe and orderly manner. If you arrive after this time, you will need to drop your child at Door 1.
Time to Smile for the Camera! Picture Day is Tuesday, September 5. This includes pictures for all students and our athletics program This is the day after Labor Day. Flyers have been made available to students prior to Labor Day weekend.
Tyler – Parent Portal Our student information system, Tyler, has a parent portal that allows you to access information
regarding your child including grades, attendance, lunch accounts, and book rental fees. Copies of
the application requesting access are available in our main office or by visiting
Request for Meal Assistance Please note that September 12th is the last date to submit your application for free and/or reduced meals. If you have any questions on regarding this process, please contact our treasurer, Ms. Courtney Montgomery.
Immunizations--Exclusion Date [September 18th] If you received a letter stating that your child needs immunizations, please note that the exclusion date is September 18th. After that date your child will not be allowed to attend school unless you provide proof of an appointment to get the immunizations. If you have any questions please call the school nurse, Ms. Larpenter, at 317-532-8800, ext. 8806.
Music Fundraiser All Band, Orchestra, and Choir Families: Fundraiser Money is due August 25th, 2017.
Scholastic Book Fair The Mediaplex will be hosting a book fair September 27 thru October 4 during the school day. They will be open October 3rd from 12-8pm. One of the greatest gifts we can give a child is the opportunity to read as it is the gateway to lifelong learning! Plan on stopping by!
Homefest It is an all new and improved Homefest! In fact, we are changing the name to Warren Community
Fest!!!Let’s all get behind our Warren community and come together in a fun-filled event sure to
entertain you. We are bringing back the best of Homefest (FunRun, Bingo, Vendors, Food) and
much more!
Warren Community Fest will be held on September 29, 2017 at Warren Central High School. More
information will follow, but mark your calendars now! Plan on an enjoyable community event.
How Can My Child Become a Better Writer? Note: Each month we will spotlight one of our content areas. This month the Language Arts Department provides you with helpful information to support your child’s learning. Check out the following links from National Council Teachers of English (NCTE) and Scholastic about what you can do at home with your child to help them become a better writer. http://www.ncte.org/positions/statements/howtohelpenglish http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/writing-activities/prompt-your-child-to-be-better-writer What Does My Child’s Lexile Number Mean? Does it seem like you are always hearing that word? Your child is below his or her Lexile? They need to be at a 540 or at a 1080? What exactly is a Lexile and how can you make it work for you? Lexile is a reading meta-matrix that actually takes reading material and assigns it "value". The "value" is referred to as its Lexile score or simply as its Lexile. It is simply a numerical device for charting reading material. As with all reading values, there are anticipated levels each student will reach at each grade. You will hear them referred to as benchmarks. They also have other names and phrases teachers use, though. Perhaps you have heard expressions like “just right books”, or “on level”, or “on grade level”. These are all used to refer to books meeting Lexile expectations. Not all books are created equal in the Lexile system. Higher value is awarded to non-fiction, to books that require reader stamina (longer books) and books that deal with portions of history considered culturally relevant. You will see these things reflected in the scores of the books themselves. For a typical 8th grader, their Lexile range would be 800L-1100L. Does it matter if your child is meeting their grade level Lexile expectations? Yes, to a degree it does. Lexile measures word frequency and sentence length. Note that it does not measure complexity and structure. How can you get your child where we need them to be? While we will read many things in all of our classes, the reading experience isn’t limited to the classroom. It is important that parents encourage reading in whatever format they feel their students will engage—comic books, magazines, YA literature, non-fiction…the list of possibilities is endless. We just want them reading. What’s Happening in the 7th Grade ELA hallway? Mr. Fisher has stated that NWEA scores this year are looking amazing down his end in the 7th grade hallway!! He’s also excited to start their first novel this week, Castle Diary by Platt Ridell and stoked for the Canterbury Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer next week!! This quarter Miss Clark's 7th grade ELA class will be reading Linda Sue Park's A Long Walk to Water. This novel tackles, the Sudanese Civil War in 1985 through the perspective of Salva Dut--one of the Lost Boys of South Sudan. Throughout this unit students will explore how time, place, and culture can have an impact on identity. Through classroom activities and Socratic circles,
students will have the opportunity to discuss and collaborate their ideas pertaining to the novel, along with connections they are able to make in their own lives. At the conclusion of this novel, students will be introduced to Salva's organization, Water for South Sudan, and try to brainstorm ways they can actively help get clean water to Sudan. Major learning targets for students will include how to become active members in society to help those around us. What’s Going on in the 8th Grade ELA Wing? Currently 8th Grade students are examining storytelling as a personal, social, and cultural form of expression that is used to make sense of ourselves and our worlds. Students are building an understanding of the power that stories and storytelling hold. They are learning the social power of stories through the protagonist, Josh, of The Crossover. They are learning their potential to help humans navigate complex social situations, becoming more empathetic to others, and integrating different world views. During this unit, students will produce their own poetic performances allowing them to communicate an understanding of their sense of self and the power of storytelling.
Shoes from the East Side Rotary Club. The East Side Rotary Club is working with students in Warren Township to provide an opportunity to
“Kick-Off” the new school year with a new pair of shoes. We are given a limited number of spots so
if you are interested please contact me as soon as possible. We will be traveling to Meijer on
September 14th. All permission slips to back Mrs. Fersch by Monday, September 11th.
If you received a letter stating that your child needs immunizations, please note that the exclusion date is September 18th. After that date your child will not be allowed to attend school unless you provide proof of an appointment to get the immunizations. If you have any questions please call the
school nurse at 317-532-8800, ext. 8806.
Free Flu Shots:
Healthy Heros will be providing free flu shots to students at Stonybrook on September 11th starting at 8:00 AM. We will be sending consent forms home with students the week of August 28th. Please fill out and sign the form and return it to school on or before September 11th. Any questions please call the school clinic at 317-532-8800, ext. 8806
Boys and Girls Club The Boys & Girls Club is back for our 4th year and we are excited about this one!! We implemented a few changes in our programs to captivate our member’s attention span better! We shortened the time for each activity time and added new ones. So far it has been a smooth transition and we hope this continues. Our enrichment program the first week started off with stem based projects such as making lava lamps, balloon challenges and a paper cup stacking competition. This week’s subject is creative learning. The first project was to find your favorite book and use a shoe box or construction paper to bring the book to life by using things such a markers, color pencils, glue, stickers and etc. The rest of the week will follow with a skittle probability challenge and a smarties challenge. So as you can see we are kicking off the school year on a great note. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Alicia Sims at (317) 775-3799 or [email protected] or Kevin “Big Kev “Wilson at [email protected].
News from your Social Worker Stonybrook has had an awesome start to the school year with many parents attending Back to
School Night.
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Nicholson’s Notes: Hi! This is Mrs. Nicholson, the Stonybrook Middle School counselor. I’d like to share a little bit about my background. I attended Taylor University, after high school, and earned a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education. I started teaching here in Warren Township at Eastridge Elementary. I taught 1st, 3rd, and 5th grades while at EA. During that time, I attended Butler University for my Master’s degree in School Counseling. I have worked in Warren Township for the past 21 years within Eastridge Elementary, Creston Intermediate Academy, and currently Stonybrook Middle School. This is my 6th year as the Stonybrook Middle School Counselor & I love it!
Back To School Transitions - Tips for Parents
Getting a new school year off to a good start can influence student’s attitude, confidence, and performance both socially and academically. The transition from summer to school can be difficult for both students and parents. Here are a few suggestions to help ease the transition and promote a successful school experience.
Set alarm clocks: Have students set their own alarm clocks to get up in the morning. Praise them for prompt response to morning schedules and bus pickups.
Leave plenty of extra time: Make sure there is ample time to get up, eat breakfast, and get to school on time.
After school: Review with your teen what to do if they get home after school and you are not there.
Communicate with teachers: Let the teachers know you are interested in getting feedback on how and what your child is doing in school. Find out how they like to communicate (notes, email, phone).
Help your student stay organized: Create a homework area in your home - free of distractions. Check their Passport every night. Clean out/check backpacks weekly (maybe on Mondays or Fridays). Purchase a binder and organize it in the beginning of the year. Create family calendars and post important dates.
“If you aim for nowhere...that’s just where you’ll Go. Set Goals!”
PBIS At SMS, we utilize PBIS to support the Red Storm students in making positive choices and
celebrating their successes. PBIS stands for Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports. It is
a proactive approach to establishing the behavioral supports and social culture. During the first
month of school, all teachers worked to make sure their expectations were shared with and clear to
students, and students were rewarded with CORE cash for meeting those expectations. This year,
we are implementing a CORE quarter during students' 5th period or D Block classes. During this
time, they have been getting to know each other and learning how to be successful as a student.
We are off to a great start to year and look forward to lots of CORE celebrations this year! In the
following months, we will share more about Warren's CORE values of Civility, Order, Respect, and
Excellence.
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Congratulations to the August Grade 7 Students of the Week!
#7thGradeRoleModels
Emily Martin Dylan Chacon
Andrew Berling Jacqueline Rivera
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SMS Refrigerator Information 11300 Stonybrook Dr. Indianapolis, IN 46229
