Midland Messenger

Email: midland@fpschools.org
Website: http://midland.fpschools.org/
Location: Midland Elementary School, 105th Street East, Tacoma, WA, USA
Phone: 253-298-4500
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Midland-Elementary-Mustangs-112865059416899/?ref=settings

Dear Parents and Families,

Happy New Year! I hope that you and your family had a very joyous holiday season and that you are looking forward to the coming year! At Midland, we have been preparing for this year in many ways. Immediately upon our return, our LAP staff will be doing our winter benchmark testing. The purpose of this quick assessment is to check the progress of our students’ basic reading and math skills. Information gathered from our benchmarking will inform our instructional practices for the coming months.

One of the values of being a Kids at Hope school is that we “time travel” to our future to determine the skills we need to be successful. We want our students to know where they are with learning the standards, and then we help them to progress so they can be successful. Although our teachers do not send home “new learning” for homework, you can certainly help your student to achieve success by keeping or starting some new year habits. Midland students should be reading (or being read to) for at least 20 minutes each night. Additionally, kindergarten students should be counting to 100, first and second grade students should be learning their addition and subtraction facts, third grade students should know their multiplication facts, and our fourth and fifth grade students should be mastering multi-digit multiplication and division. Your support of these learning goals will help your child to succeed in the coming year!

It's great to be a MUSTANG!

~Dr. Paula Dawson

January 4 ~ 3:25 Dismissal (Full day of school)

January 11 ~ 1:55 Dismissal

January 16 ~ Martin Luther King Jr. Day - NO SCHOOL

January 18 ~ 3:25 Dismissal (Full day of school)

January 24 ~ Dental Day

January 25 ~ 3:25 Dismissal (Full day of school)

January 19 ~ 3:25 Dismissal (Full day of school)

January 27 ~ NO SCHOOL for teacher training

We want to thank Alex Davis, Gil Mendoza, Ron Nerio, Tono Sablan, and Mary Sherman for the many hours they volunteer on behalf of every child in our school district. Their duties include setting the vision and mission of education in the district; establishing policy; adopting an annual budget; approving all expenditures; employment of personnel; curriculum, textbooks and courses; and deciding on school sites, building plans, and construction.

Social Emotional Learning Corner

Content by Mrs. Blaisdell

January 3rd

Goal Setting

January is always a good time to focus on Goal Setting.

Why is goal setting important for children?

First and foremost, setting goals is important for kids because it establishes a sense of purpose for their actions. Realistic, meaningful goals have plenty of other benefits too. They help with decision making, improve self-confidence and independence, and teach perseverance alongside countless other positive impacts.

The SEL Standards for goal setting are as follows:

Early Elementary (K-2)-With adult assistance, I can identify steps to achieve a personal goal or complete a task.

Late Elementary (3-5)—I can learn in the midst of challenges, create a goal, and track progress toward the achievement of that goal.

We anticipate the need for volunteers this year as well. If you are interested in volunteering as a chaperone for field trips or in any other capacity that may come up, please complete the volunteer application as soon as possible. It may take up to two weeks to process an application and we don't want you to be left out of a volunteer opportunity because you are not approved yet! Click here to begin your volunteer application. If you were cleared as a volunteer last year. Please complete an application as well. Volunteer applications must be completed every year.

In the event of emergencies, a team of Franklin Pierce Schools staff work to balance safety and our commitment to support student learning. The choice to delay or cancel the start of a school day includes assessing road conditions and consulting with other local services. Franklin Pierce Schools will attempt to offer updates about delays and closures by 5am.

Staff and families can expect to receive information about school closures and delays in the following ways:

• Recorded Telephone Message contact the main office at your child's school to ensure your contact information is up to date

• SMS Message for families/staff who have opted-in, click here for Text Message if you would like to opt-in

• Email from info@fpschools.org

• Website www.fpschools.org

• Flash Alert Notification sign up to receive email notifications and download the Flash Alert App, click here.

• Local Media including KIRO 97.3 FM, KOMO 1000 AM, KIRO TV Channel 7, KOMO TV Channel 4, and KING TV Channel 5

• Social Media Facebook and Twitter

Serving students at ALL 8 Elementary Schools

Right at School will operate before and afterschool programs at all eight Franklin Pierce elementary schools! Right at School offers a safe environment for students to learn, to play, and to grow!

Franklin Pierce Schools does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sexual orientation including gender expression or identity, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups.

Questions and complaints of alleged discrimination should be directed to James Hester, Compliance Coordinator for State and Civil Rights Laws; Wendy Malich, Title IX Officer; or John Sander, 504/ADA Coordinator at 315 129th ST S, Tacoma, WA 98444-5099 or at (253)298-3000.