The Cat's Connection
October 24, 2014
Learn from the past and look ahead
Recently I had the opportunity to discuss with our School Board the progress we are making and the accomplishments of which we are proudest. During the presentation, I reviewed our state report card for last school year, which can be viewed at the Oregon Department of Education website: http://www.ode.state.or.us/data/reportcard/reports.aspx or on our website under the links tab. Our report card shows that we scored a 4, which puts us above the state average compared to other middle schools.
One of my favorite sayings I used to hear from my own dad was, "Don't let yesterday take up too much of today." We are proud of many things here at LaCreole, and we celebrate our past success, yet we are very aware that the landscape for this school year has drastically changed and the challenge of transitioning toward the new Smarter Balanced Assessments will not be easy for our students. So, though it is good to know we are making progress, our steps have been to look briefly at the past year to evaluate our performance and how our efforts made us better or helped us identify room for growth.
We have since moved forward, looking at the learning needs of our kids in the present. Our staff believes the energy we committed to the building blocks of writing and math problem solving the past couple of years -- both areas in which our students have made a great deal of growth that is not reflected in the State Report Card -- are the things that will have a sustaining benefit to our students. Our students demonstrate the ability to organize their thinking at a higher level in all content areas. This is the kind of learning our students will need to be able to demonstrate increasingly more in school and in real life. So, despite the ever-changing target of measuring student growth in our world of education, I believe we are doing the right work for our students to ensure their academic progress not only now but in the future as well so they can be successful.
We have lofty goals for ourselves and our students, which is nothing new, and I am confident we will make even more progress this year. The number one thing of which I'm the proudest, and which I shared with our School Board, is our staff's unwavering high level of commitment to our students and their success.
Great Things Are Happening at LaCreole
Wildcat Band -- Awesome!
Homework Club!
Leaders in our Community!
Fall Spirit Week Dress-up Days! 10/27 - 10/31
Monday 10/27 - Ducks vs. Beavers Day
Tuesday 10/28 - Mismatch Day
Wednesday 10/29 - Pink-Out Day
Thursday 10/30 - Crazy Hair Day
Friday 10/31 - Wildcat Pride Day
Staff Spotlight
Meet Mrs. Shryer, Attendance Secretary
Linda Shryer, LaCreole’s amazing new Attendance Secretary, thoroughly enjoys her new job because she loves connecting with students and their families each and every day! She also loves the people she works with because everyone’s focused on doing what’s best for kids.
Family is important to Linda. Not only does she enjoy taking care of her LaCreole “family,” but she loves spending time with her husband, Larry, and two boys, Jeff and Jake. Jeff is serving in the Air Force in Misawa, Japan, and she is anxiously awaiting a visit from him during Christmas. In the meantime, she’s busy helping Jake, who’s a senior, explore options for college next year. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, being outdoors, and watching baseball come springtime.
Linda likes a challenge, and she likes the variety of work she does, but mostly Linda likes taking care of people, which is what Linda does best! Next time you are at LaCreole, stop by and hello to our wonderful Mrs. Shryer.
Class Updates
Creativity in Digital Arts
After-School Science
We've had many students asking, "When do we get to dissect something?" Last year the answer was that we don’t really have standards that call for it. In PLCs we discussed student interest and the fact that we have a stockpile of “patients” needing dissection. Since we knew it wouldn’t be happening in class, we figured it would be an enriching after-school activity for those interested. Students were able to gain hands on science experience. We still have plenty of supply and demand and expect to do at least one more dissection event later this year, probably in the spring.
Student-Organized Learning in our 6th, 7th, and 8th Grade Technology Classes
A Dallas Alum Has Got SOLE
7th Grade Science - Earthquake Simulations
Over the last weeks, seventh grade science has been evaluating the risks earthquakes and volcanoes pose to the Willamette Valley. Students then used what they had learned in the unit to create a public service announcement to help inform the public about these hazards.
7th Grade Language Arts
Our 7th grade language arts classes are currently listening to The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. Our kids are excited about this engaging fantasy that centers around a boy who is the only living resident of a graveyard, raised by its inhabitants. The Graveyard Book is an award-winning novel -- winner of the Newbery Medal, the Carnegie Medal, and Hugo Award for Best Novel.
Rather than reading the book, kids are listening to the story and answering questions in preparation for the state reading test that requires students to listen and comprehend what they've heard. The book link and the questions are both posted on our website for easy use. Please go to: http://molliefisher.wix.com/7th-grade-ela for these valuable resources.
Upcoming Events
Wildcat Spirit Week
NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
November 7 - District Assessment Day
November 10 - District Inservice Day
November 11 - Veterans Day
Have a wonderful long weekend!
LaCreole Food Drive to Support Dallas Area Christmas Cheer!
Monday, Nov 3, 2014, 08:00 AM
LaCreole Middle School, Dallas, OR, United States
We are LaCreole! Stay Connected!
Website: www.lacreolemiddleschool.org
Phone: 5036236662
Facebook: facebook.com/lacreolems
Twitter: @lacreolems