October 2008 District Newsletter
After School Programs Continue to Get Students InvolvedDeer Park Middle School is delighted to announce the new after school program scheduled to begin October 1. The “Stepping Stone Program” will be open Monday-Friday from 3:00-6:00. The bus leaves at 5:05 with a set route determined by those enrolled. Activities include the following: Gaming Club, Drama, Open Gym, Cooking, Book Clubs, Tutoring, Homework Help, Computer Lab and several other programs the students will create. We will also have Whitworth College students working in the Program to support math, science and literacy curriculum in our building. Sign up packets are in the main office. For further questions, contact Gina Keller at 464-5838 or kellerg@dpsd.org.
Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying Taken Seriously at DPMS
Washington State passed House Bill #1444, which requires schools to intervene and take all steps necessary to stop bullying, harassment, and intimidation. The bill requires that all schools make it a priority to intervene and stop bullying and harassment that occurs in their building. “We were just kidding” and “They were just being middle school kids” is not an excuse for their behavior. We will be educating the students on what bullying and harassment is and what steps they will need to take if it is happening to them or they see it happening to someone else. We are using the Second Step curriculum, which is a violence prevention program used in grades six through eight. It is our hope that we can make school a place where all kids feel safe and are free from being harassed, intimidated, or bullied. We will take all complaints very seriously and will do whatever we need to do to get kids to stop.
Homework Center: A Key for Academic SuccessHomework Center continues to be offered after school in conjunction with our new after school program “Stepping Stone.” The primary goal of Homework Center is to provide students with additional academic support and to help them with organizational skills. Thus, Homework Center is designed to help students get prepared, stay organized and experience success in the classroom.
Homework Center is available from 3:00 – 4:30 pm Monday – Thursday. A staff member is available during this time to help students with class assignments, special projects and make-up work. We will also have a tutor available in the Stepping Stone After School Program from 3:00 – 5:00 pm Monday – Friday to help students with math facts and concepts, writing procedures and strategies, test preparation and organization skills. Please sign up for Homework Center by completing a Stepping Stone registration packet available in our main office. Contact Stepping Stone After School Coordinator Gina Keller at 464-5838 for further assistance or if you have any questions concerning Homework Center. 2008 – 2009 ASB Officers Provide School Leadership and Hard Work
The DPMS 2008 – 2009 officers were elected last spring and were sworn into office on the first day of school. The officers have set goals to encourage school spirit, to encourage fellow students to take pride in DPMS and to be the best leaders possible. The first big event the ASB planned was the annual Jogathon Fundraiser on September 19. The theme this year was “Pirates of Deer Park Middle School.” The goal was to raise $6,000. Prizes were awarded to the students with the best pirate costumes. The student raising the most money will receive a brand new bicycle and will get to throw a pie in Mr. Seedall’s face at an assembly.
The student leaders are enthusiastic and highly motivated. They are looking forward to planning events that include a Toy Drive for the Greenhouse in December, a Spirit Week in January, several assemblies and a Variety Show in June.
The ASB advisor is Kathy Turner; officers are President, Melaina Kohlieber, Vice President, Autumn Vanderburg, Secretary, Brittani Forbes, Treasurer, Allison Rummer, and Seventh Grade Officer, Rachel White. The ASB Senate includes Angie Reardon, Kellee Vanhook, Kaitlyn Kidwell, Nichelle Farrand, Sara Cessnun, McKenna Adams, and Jeremy Beal.
October 2008 Events
Oct. 3 September Students of the Month Celebration 11:45 am
Oct. 4 Jogathon Dance 6:00 – 8:00 pm
Oct. 8 Site Council Meeting 3:15 pm
Oct. 10 No School – LID Day
Oct. 27-31 Red Ribbon Week
Oct. 27 Volleyball and Wrestling begin
Oct. 31 1st Quarter Ends
Nov. 7 Report Cards Go Home with Students Attendance: A Key to Your Student’s Success
Research shows that children who are in school most of the time do better on state tests. Studies also show that kids who are absent more often score lower on state tests.
Being late for school hurts a child’s learning, too. A student who is 10 minutes late every day will miss 30 hours of instruction during the year. Children can copy notes or make up an assignment, but they can never get back what’s most important: the discussions, the questions, the explanations by the teacher and the thinking that makes learning come alive. Your child’s success in school depends on having a solid educational background – one that can only be gained through regular school attendance. Here’s How You Can Improve Your Child’s School Attendance:
· Talk with your child about the importance of attending school regularly.
· Avoid scheduling family trips or doctor appointments during school hours.
· Make sure your child stays healthy by eating nutritious and getting enough sleep and exercise.
· Don’t accept excuses for why your child “must” miss or be late for school.
· Discuss with your child what happened at school each day.
· Support school rules and consequences for skipping class and being tardy.
· Show your child why education is important. Give specific examples of how education helps people succeed.
· Lead by example. If children see parents taking off work for no real reason, they may expect to be able to do the same thing.
Research shows that attendance is the single most important factor in school success.
School Supplies 2008-2009
The following is a list of supplies students are required to have for sixth grade:
· 3-Ring Binder With 5 Dividers (2 inch Binder) 100 3x5 Notecards · 3-Ring Binder without Dividers for Student Portfolio Calculator (please!) · 3 Separate (1 Subject) Spiral Notebooks Kleenex · Notebook Paper (Please Replenish throughout the year) Glue Sticks · Markers/Colored Pencils (prefer both) Eraser · Pencils (a year’s supply - 50 plus) Ruler · Pens/Red Ink Pen Scissors · Red (Pink), Yellow, Green, and Blue Highlighters Sharpener The following is a list of supplies students will need for seventh grade:
· 2-inch 3-Ring Binder With 5 Dividers · Graph Paper (for Math) 5 sq. per inch · Sturdy Pencil Pouch · Notebook Paper · Scientific Calculator · 1-Subject Spiral Notebook (Mrs. Smiths’s Math Class) · 1 Pk Small Post-It Notes (Mrs. Floyd’s Class) · 3-Subject Spiral Notebook -1 Reading, 1 Writing (Mrs. Floyd’s or Mrs. Frank’s Class) · 1 Box Kleenex to 1st Period Teacher · Scissors · Markers · Erasers · Pencils/Pens (Blue or Black) and a Red Ink Pen for all classes · Pencil Sharpener with Shavings Case · 2 x Highlighters · Ruler · Glue Sticks · Colored Pencils (package of 8) · Folder w/pockets (Mrs. Ashford) · 1 Gallon Plastic Zip Top Bag (Mrs.Ashford) · Pencils and Erasers (Mrs. Ashford) The following is a list of supplies students are required to have for eighth grade:
· 2-inch 3-Ring Binder With 5 Dividers · Red (Pink), Yellow, Green, and Blue Highlighters · Notebook Paper · Small Spiral Notebook for Reading · Spiral Notebook for Writing (Mrs. Porter) · Scientific Calculator · Markers · Ruler · Colored Pencils · Pencils/Pens (Blue/Black Ink) · World Atlas (Paperback/Notebook Size) · Graph Paper (for Math) · Red Ink Pen · Post It Notes – Small (1 Pkg) · 1 x Box of Kleenex · Eraser · Glue Sticks · Scissors · Pencils · Eraser · Markers · Colored pencils · Black Sharpie-ultra fine · Black Sharpie-fine · Clear Ruler · Compass · Pocket Folder · Zip lock bag or large pencil pouch for supplies
WASL Resources
Washington State's Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) has put together two useful brochures to help you understand the thinking behind and make-up of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL). The Reaching Higher publication is designed to help parents learn more about the WASL’s place in our long-term efforts to raise learning standards and student achievement, and to understand and interpret their children’s WASL scores. The other publication, Aiming High, came out shortly after the Reaching Higher brochure and is intended to be used as a supplement, providing a fresh and practical look at WASL preparation and how to access resources and materials related to the WASL. To view these documents online please choose one of the following links (you will need the free Adobe Acrobat reader to view these documents). If you would like a hard copy of either of these publications please contact Travis Hanson, Director of Curriculum and Technology, at the Deer Park District Office.
GUIDELINES FINALIZED FOR PARENT ACCESS TO WASL BOOKLETS OSPI has finalized the procedures for parent requests to view their children’s WASL test booklets, as provided by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (commonly known as FERPA). The guidelines, as well as test booklet viewing request forms, are posted at http://www.k12.wa.us/assessment/StudentRecordRequest.aspx . There are two important dates to note. OSPI will accept requests from parents to review 2004 WASL test booklets through December 1, 2005. They will accept requests from parents to review 2005 WASL test booklets through February 1, 2006. Throughout summer and fall of 2005, local district staff have provided OSPI with a great deal of assistance in fulfilling viewing requests while guidelines have been finalized. All future test viewings will continue to be conducted at local school district offices, though initial parent requests must continue to go through OSPI. The OSPI assessment team will continue to coordinate viewing logistics with local district staff. Again, initial parent requests to view their children’s WASL test booklets should to directly to the OSPI assessment office at assessment@k12.wa.us or 360-725-6348. WASHINGTON STATE & SCHOOL REPORT CARD - OSPI is constantly adding resources and information to the assessment section of their website. The "school report card" has gone through many revisions and, in recent releases, it has developed into a very useful tool for analyzing school testing and demographic data. Using the web interface, you can choose to view state data, district data, as well as individual building level data - for all years back to 1997, in the various grades and content areas that tests have been administered. You can even compare your school district with others of like size or with similar demographics. This is a powerful tool for data analysis; click on the link to visit - Washington State & School Report Card. ITEM ANALYSIS - If you're interested in seeing how students in the state, the district, or in a particular school did on a specific strands of the WASL test, this is the web site for you. Using this tool, you can look at what particular questions of the WASL test were testing for (the "learning target"), as well as how students did on that question (the actual test questions are not in this section, just the learning target - if it's released test questions you're after, move on to the next section). Click on the link to try this out - OSPI's Item Analysis interface. RELEASED WASL QUESTIONS - This component of the OSPI WASL website allows you to download and view released test items from past WASL tests. In terms of knowing what types of questions are on the WASL, this is the best resource available. Actual test questions are shared, but, more importantly, in many cases actual answers and scorer annotations are included. This is an incredible resourse for developing an understanding of how the state's learning targets are being assessed via the WASL. Click on the link to see these resources - Released Test Items.
Created on 08/07/2007 01:14 PM by hansont
Updated on 10/02/2008 10:40 AM by daviss
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