NFMS School Counselors' Newsletter
*Mrs. Jacques, 8 * Ms. Mooney, 7 * Mrs. Severino, 6*
Winter/ Spring Edition 2015
8th Grade Rocks!
Creating safe places for your student.
We are revisiting our goals as we get ready for high school.
8th Grade Transistion Resources
New Fairfield High School's Program of Studies are available online now.
Click on the link below to connect to the Program of Studies:
Letter from Dr. Donald Przytula, of NFHS, Director of Guidance
THIS LETTER WAS EMAILED TO ALL FAMILIES ON JANUARY 30th 2015
January 28, 2015
Parents of 8th grade students, Class of 2019:
Eighth graders have toured the high school elective program and have had an ample opportunity to preview the on-line “Program of Studies.” It is now time for them to select their electives for the 2015-2016 school year. Attached to this email is a set of instructions that will guide them through the selection process using Infinite Campus.
At this time students are only selecting electives. Students will see temporary place holders for English, science, mathematics and World Language have already been added to their course requests in Infinite Campus. After the end of the second trimester the temporary placements will be changed based on the placement rubrics. Students wishing to appeal academic placements will be given instructions at that time.
All students must select 1.5 credits in electives and an additional 1.5 credits in alternates. Alternates will be substituted only when a student’s first choices are not possible.
Students selecting band, chorus, Civil Air Patrol, Digital Academy or a second World Language may choose another one credit in electives to replace their study hall. Students choosing this option will need to complete the bottom portion of the attached scheduling form and return it to Ms. Jacques in the Middle School. Students will not be able to enter the course(s) to replace the study hall themselves; the counseling department will complete the over-ride to allow for this option.
I will be at the Middle School the week of February 9 to assist students having difficulty with this process.
We are all anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Class of 2019 in September.
Sincerely,
Donald Przytula, Ed. D.
Guidance Director
9th Grade Elective Course Request Form, Class of 2019, 2015-2016 School Year
THIS FORM WAS EMAILED TO FAMILIES ON JANUARY 30th, 2015
9th Grade Elective Course Request Form
Class of 2019
2015-2016 School Year
You will be using the Infinite Campus Portal for making your 9th elective course requests.
1. You will need to log onto the Infinite Campus Portal in order to enter your elective requests.
2. Once in the IC Portal select from the menu bar on the left “Course Registration 15-16.”
3. Select “course search” from the menu bar across the top.
4. Next, enter one course name or course number you are selecting in the search area.
5. After selecting the course, a course description will pop up. Check that this is the course you are requesting and that you meet all the requirements. Scroll to the bottom of the course description and select it either as a request or as an alternate. Then add the remaining electives and alternates.
Students must select 1.5 credits in electives and another 1.5 credits of alternates (year = 1 credit; semester = ½ credit). All 9th grade students will be scheduled for a total of seven credits and a Study Hall.
There are four exceptions. Students may choose (1) Band or Choir, (2) Civil Air Patrol, (3) a second world language, or (4) Digital Academy in place of study hall. (IC will not allow you to enter more than 1.5 credits, see instructions below)
9th Grade Elective Choices
Art
_____ 05102 Studio Art 1 (semester)
_____ 05112 Studio Art 2 (semester)
Business
_____ 12102 Introduction to Business (semester)
_____ 12112 Business Communications (semester)
_____ 12122 Personal Finance (semester)
_____ 12132 Word Processing (semester)
_____ 12142 International Business (semester)
_____ 12152 Computer Applications (semester)
_____ 12162 Strategies for Classroom Success (sem.)
English
_____ 01612 Creative Drama (semester)
Family and Consumer Science
_____ 19102 Clothing 1 (semester)
_____ 19112 Clothing 2 (semester)
Military Science
_____ 09602 Civil Air Patrol (year)
Music
_____ 05602 & 05612 Band Year (must enter both numbers)
_____ 05642 & 05652 Concert Choir Year (must enter both #’s)
_____ 05662 Band & Choir (year)
_____ 05632 String Ensemble (year)
Technology
_____ 17102 Woodworking 1 (year)
_____ 17112 Mechanical/Architectural Drawing 1 (year)
_____ 17122 Desktop Publishing –Graphics I (year)
_____ 11222 Web Design/Video & Animation Graphics II
_____ 21152 Technical Engineering and Design 1 (sem.)
_____ 21162 Technical Engineering and Design 2 (sem.)
_____ 17172 Theatrical Design & Technology (semester)
_____ 21182 Robotics 1 (semester)
_____ 21192 Robotics 2 (semester)
_____ 11192 Digital Academy Skills 21 (year) see below
World Language (second World Language as elective)
_____ 06113 Spanish 1 (year)
_____ 06203 Latin 1 (year)
_____ 06303 Italian 1 (year)
_____ 06613 Mandarin Chinese (year)
Only students requesting Band, Choir, Civil Air Patrol, Digital Academy or a Second World Language need to complete the portion below.
****************************************************************************************
If you are requesting Band, Choir, Civil Air Patrol, Digital Academy or a second World Language and would like to take an elective(s) in place of study hall, print your request(s) below, print your name, have your parent sign and return this form to guidance before February 12th 2015.
________________________________________________- _____________________________________________________
Course (s) requested in place of study hall (Not to exceed one credit)
__________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________
Student Name ` Parent Signature
7th Grade does rock!
Strategies for Success with Homework
Homework Tips for all grades.
Hello, 7th grade parents!
This is the time of the year when some of the 7th graders forget to complete homework assignments and grades start to slip. Here are some helpful homework tips:
- · It is helpful for students to ask teachers any questions they have about a homework assignment before they leave school.
- · 7th graders should be spending an hour to an hour and a half on homework every night.
- · Students should be starting their homework early in the day when they aren’t too tired to complete the work.
- · Make sure your house has materials they might need to complete homework assignments.
- · If your child says he/she doesn’t have any homework, check their teacher websites. 7th graders do get homework every night.
- Go to: http://newfairfieldschools.org, click on our schools, then click on middle school. Then click on staff, faculty and staff, type in the teacher's name, click on the teacher’s name, and go to their website or team page.
- · Once your child has finished his/her homework, check it over with them. Doing this will help ensure that your child’s name is on the work, it is complete, and was shared with that teacher.
- · If your child gets stuck on a problem or question, give them time to figure out what they don’t understand. Give them a tip or a suggestion. If you as the parent don’t understand the question or problem, have your child think about various ways to solve this problem. For example, he/she can call a friend, email the teacher, etc.
- · Make sure your child has at least two friends’ phone numbers in case they have a homework or class question.
· I highly recommend The Homework Club for any student. All of the 7th graders are together. It gives students an hour in a quiet place to get their homework done. The 2nd session of Homework Club starts on Monday, 2/2 and runs until 5/20. The application is in the office and online. Homework Club has 7th grade teachers to guide them if they get stuck, and it is offered on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays. Most of their homework should be done by the end of the session.
· It is important for every student to remember that if he/she completed the work, they need to share it with the teacher to get credit. If your child believes he/she completed the work but it isn’t reflected on Infinite Campus, he/she should talk to or email the teacher. Typically it takes teachers 4-5 days to post grades.
Also please check on http://connection.naviance.com/nfms to see your student's learning style inventory results as this information could help you set up your child's study environment. It is good information to know! Ask your student for their username and password, click on about me tab and then the Learning Style Inventory hyperlink.
6th Grade Rocks!
GOALS ARE IMPORTANT! They are our steps to success!
Dream Big! Create Goals! Make a Plan!
Strategies for Achieving Goals
Dear 6th Grade Parents/Guardians,
As we enter into the second half of the school year, one of our main focus points continues to be on academic and personal success. Recently, the sixth graders had the opportunity to revisit their Student Success Plans (SSPs) in Naviance, as well as assess their goals and their progress toward achieving them. During the goal setting process, we encourage students to create goals that are:
· Stated in positive terms
· Clear and specific
· Measureable
Once the goals were set, the students worked to fine tune their action plans. They incorporated specific strategies into these plans so that they had a clear picture of the steps needed to be able to achieve their goals. As a counseling department, we put together a list of strategies to help students achieve common academic and personal goals. Please see these strategies in the following link:
https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/attachment/u/0/?ui=2&ik=9033426116&view=att&th=14b50c6eb6dce008&attid=0.1&disp=inline&realattid=f_i5pme6nf0&safe=1&zw&saduie=AG9B_P9w-LFvNMwaaNEcXjIm9TBA&sadet=1423077199690&sads=k6W0cjaPfut3to0s7xh_i6Xu6pU
If this link does not work, try this link (once you do, scroll down for the Strategies For Success blue hyper link):
http://nfms.newfairfieldschools.org/group_profile_view.aspx?id=570f49cf-48c5-4564-b156-dc14fb11f5b3
In addition to goals, we have worked with the sixth graders this year to help them to better understand their learning style. Through use of Naviance, the students completed the Learning Style Inventory (LSI), which helps them to gather strategies for academic success based on how they learn best. In March, the sixth graders will again be revisiting their SSP and LSI with the assistance of our seventh grade peer leaders. They will have the opportunity to continue to monitor their goal progress, as well as discuss strategies and receive feedback from their peers.
Please have your child show you the work that they have done using Naviance this year. The website is: http://connection.naviance.com/nfms. Your child should have their username and password; however, please email me at severino.megan@newfairfieldschools.org if you need this information.