SKYRIDGE MIDDLE SCHOOL
JUNE NEWSLETTER
LETTER FROM PRINCIPAL WILLIAMS
Hello Skyhawk Families!
Welcome to the last Skyridge newsletter for the 2019-20 school year. It goes without saying that this has been the most unique school year that many of us have faced. As we wrap up the year with remote learning, we still don’t have a clear picture of what next year will look like, but discussions are continuing at the state and district level. As we know more, we will be sure to communicate this information to you.
Usually this last newsletter is full of events that our kids are engaged in and many that we invite our families to attend. While we don’t have as many to wrap up the year, I do want to draw your attention to some drive through events happening during our last week of school. We want to see our students’ faces before summer starts so we have scheduled grade level celebrations on June 16 and 17. These events will also be an opportunity to pick up yearbooks that were ordered and to drop off any school items that might still be in your student’s possession. More information will be coming concerning the logistics of these events in the next couple of weeks.
Also included in this newsletter is some information on math pathways at the middle school level, 8th grade ELA classes for next year, and an update on our Spanish lottery. Please see below to learn more about the topics that apply to your students.
Remember that our last day of school will be June 19. The last week of school will be reserved for students to make up any missing work that they might have and allow our teachers to reach out to students that might be less engaged one last time. This means that we will have two weeks left of new material, so please encourage your students to remain engaged through the end of the year. We are all feeling a little screen fatigue at this point, but we want to make sure we finish the year strong, despite the circumstances in which we find ourselves.
As always, and maybe more than ever, please reach out to us if you need support for your student. We are all in this together and will be when next year begins as well, no matter what the format will be.
Go Skyhawks!
Clint Williams
Principal
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 17 2-4PM
TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2020
7th Grade: 1-3 PM
THESE ARE DIFFICULT TIMES
MATH PATHWAYS
As many of you know, as a district, we adjusted our math programming last year in response to data that we were seeing as students continued on their mathematical journey into high school. We had a number of students who had accelerated in middle school but then struggled in high school or stopped taking math altogether toward the end of their high school careers. In response to this trend, and after researching this in other districts, all of our current 6th graders took 6th grade math this year in order to build a strong base grounded in mathematical practice. As students transition to 7th grade, acceleration opportunities will be available, but we want to make sure that students continue to build on that base.
These acceleration opportunities will be open to any student who would like to build their math strength. This means that there will not be a test for students to take in preparation for this class. The exact nature of the class will depend on what school looks like in the fall, but completion of this math pathway will prepare students to take Algebra as an 8th grader. Look for more information coming as we continue to gain information about next year. We will be seeking interest from families and students around this class in August and into September, so there is no need to do anything at this point.
PRE-AP FOR 8TH GRADERS
Every year, we have 3-4 sections of Pre-AP language arts classes at the 8th grade level. It is great that we have so many students that are looking for the challenge of a Pre-AP class. Recently, we were told that we could no longer use the label Pre-AP because it is actually a copyrighted label and cannot be used if we are not using the company's format for the class. This has provided us with an opportunity. We truly believe that all of our students would be able to rise to this level of challenge in all language arts classes, so next year we will not have Pre-AP classes at the 8th grade level. Instead, we will raise the rigor and discussion level in all of our language arts classes and provide the support that students might need to engage in those classes. This of course means that there is no need to apply for Pre-AP classes this year, so you have not missed any deadlines!
7TH GRADE SPANISH LOTTERY
As we have mentioned, we have a high interest in Spanish class at the 7th grade level. We have spent this week catching up with all of our 6th graders and will be conducting our lottery on Wednesday, June 3. Following this lottery, we will be notifying all students of their status for Spanish. There will be a waiting list in case we have students drop out and we will continue to update students and families of changes that occur during the summer and into next fall.