EMS Special Bulletin
October 30, 2022
Dear Excelsior Families,
I wanted to reach out with a few notes for the coming week on the topics of restroom vandalism, MAP testing, Halloween Costumes, and our special Veteran's Breakfast and Huddle. I also wanted to highlight some amazing falcons who were selected by their teachers to be our first students of the week! Feel free to share this information with your student. It will also be covered in tomorrow's TEAM class. As always, please email me directly at jkeith@byron.k12.ca.us if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Ms. Jamie Keith
EMS Principal
Please join us in congratulating our first EMS Students of the Week (10/24-11/4)!
6th Grade
- Nikki DiBerardino (nominated by Ms. Murray) - Nikki has been consistent in her efforts to learn each and every day at Excelsior Middle School. She is considerate of others; assisting fellow classmates as needed. Nikki is always respectful, conscientious and consistently responsible. She has truly earned the honor of being our first Student of the Week in Room 204. Thank you Nikki for continually sharing your excellence with others each day.
- Malina Graves (nominated by Ms. Goodwin) - Malina is a star student by giving 100%. She is prepared for class, works hard, helps out the classroom and does her homework. Thank you Malina!
7th Grade
- Calista Edwards (nominated by Ms. Madere) - Calista is almost always paying attention. She seeks knowledge and understanding of mathematics. She is eager to participate and she does what is asked the first time something is requested.
- Madianna Garcia (nominated by Ms. Tickner) - Madianna is a student who uses her time wisely when given an assignment, and always finds time to help others, as well. At the end of the classes that Madianna is in, she is always the student who helps clean up the room, and pick up all of the extra little things that help me get the class ready for the next class. Madianna is also very kind-hearted and helps others whenever they need it.
8th Grade
- Tai Nguyen (nominated by Ms. Hund) - Every day Tai has a positive outlook at school, an excellent sense of humor, he is curious about everything, and is the kind of person that his peers and teachers genuinely enjoy being around.
- Andrew Olwell (nominated by Mr. Colbert) - Andrew is a tremendous student in 8th Grade History, both in terms of his academic performance and his citizenship. He remains actively involved in all of our lessons and activities, and he shows an enthusiastic interest in the subject matter. It is obvious that he values the knowledge being offered to him and has respect for and interest in his country. As a teacher, I thoroughly enjoy having conversations with Andrew, as he is very well-spoken, mature, and he enjoys branching out from the discussions we have in class. Andrew represents what is good about Excelsior.
- October 31st - Halloween Costume Contest at lunch
- November 1st - No School (staff development day)
- November 2nd - MAP Testing window opens
- November 3rd - Veteran's breakfast and special Veteran's Huddle
Bathroom Vandalism Continues
In the two weeks we've been back from break, we have had multiple incidences of boys bathroom vandalism (see photos below). This includes garbage and debris thrown around the room, purposeful urine or feces outside of the toilet, and damage to sinks and other items. Additionally, two students using the restroom in a stall have been hit by trash cans tossed over the divider. This is a major safety issue for our students using the restroom (germs, slips, flying objects) and it affects our campus in multiple ways:
- Restrooms must be closed for cleaning, limiting access for students
- Impacts to time for our day custodian (of which we have one) - multiple vandalism clean-ups take her way from other items she works on around campus
- I must also take additional time to do extra restroom walkthroughs to monitor for damage, taking me away from other duties
This type of behavior cannot continue and, if caught, students will be given severe consequences as they have been warned multiple times about keeping the bathrooms clean for all students to use and the behavior is a flagrant violation of those warnings. Additionally, if the vandalism continues, restroom usage will be limited to one restroom open on campus with limited usage (20 minutes during the middle of class) and constant adult monitoring.
Please have a discussion with your students about the restroom issues. It would be a huge help to our campus if students who are witnessing these acts spoke up and told an adult on campus (this does happen but it's rare for this particular issue).
Restroom Issues
Plant debris in the 6th grade restroom toilet
B Wing Restroom
B Wing Restroom
Halloween Costume Contest
Tomorrow at lunch (both 7/8th grade lunch and 6th grade lunch), Leadership will host our annual Halloween Costume Contest. Costumes must be school appropriate and students are not allowed to bring weapons or wear masks (face paint is okay).
MAP Testing Begins November 2nd
Our second round of MAP testing for the year begins on November 2nd. Students will take the Reading exam in their English Language Arts class and the Math exam in their Math class. Generally, it takes 2-3 class periods for a student to complete their exam and most teachers will start administering their exams this week (though there is a two week window for testing).
What can parents/families do to support us?
For any exam - MAP, statewide testing (such as CAASPP), etc., help ensure that your student has a good nights sleep prior to testing days and has had a healthy breakfast each morning. Additionally, since these exams are designed to measure student growth, please encourage your student to give their best on the exam to ensure that their growth is accurately measured.
Why MAP?
We rely on multiple measures of data--including data from external tests--to show that we are meeting the needs of our students. The MAP Growth assessments give our school critical data to help us use our time and resources effectively to improve student learning.
How is MAP data used in the classroom?
MAP Growth scores help teachers check student performance by measuring achievement and growth. Teachers use results to tailor classroom lessons and set goals for students. Since MAP Growth tests provide immediate and accurate information about your child’s learning, it’s easy for teachers to identify students with similar scores that are generally ready for instruction in similar skills and topics, and then plan instruction accordingly.
How does it work?
MAP Growth tests are unique, and it adapts to your student's responses to measure your student’s skill level. If your student answers a question correctly, the next question is more challenging. If they answer incorrectly, the next one is easier. These results will provide a more complete picture of what your student knows and is ready to learn—whether it is on, above, or below their grade level.
How are students measured?
MAP Growth exams are nationally normed, standards based assessments. This means that student scores provide typical growth data for students who are in the same grade, subject and have the same starting performance level. Scores reports include percentiles, allowing you to see your student's achievement level as well as growth over time as they take the assessment throughout the year.
Are the scores used for placement?
Yes - we utilize the scores from our MAP exam to assist us with student scheduling for interventions. In our 6th grade reading and math groups, MAP exam scores are one of the measures that determines student placement. For our 7th and 8th graders, MAP scores are also one of the data points used for placement in our Reading or Math support classes.
For more information about MAP Growth, visit NWEA.org/familytoolkit.
Veteran's Breakfast and Huddle
Veteran's are welcome on our campus this Thursday, November 3rd, for a pancake breakfast. Students and families are encouraged to invite family members, friends, and neighbors who have served our country to this special event. Our service members are also invited to stay on campus through our morning Huddle where there will be a special presentation honoring our service members. As a reminder, tomorrow students will meet in their TEAM classes with their teachers and our monthly Huddle will take place on Thursday for this special event.
For more information on the breakfast, please see the flyer below.
Excelsior Middle School
Email: jkeith@byron.k12.ca.us
Website: https://ems-busd-ca.schoolloop.com/
Location: 14301 Byron Highway, Byron, CA, USA
Phone: 925-809-7530
Twitter: @EMSFalcons