Mustang Minute- Summer Edition
Upcoming Dates
- August 8- New to the District Family Orientation (9AM or 5PM)
- August 12: PowerSchool Goes Live (To Access Homeroom Teacher Placement)
- August 22- Kindergarten Parent Night (Parents only)
August 23: Supply Drop Off Night, Student Pictures 3-6 PM
August 25: First Day of School, 11:00 Dismissal
August 26: First Full Day of School
****Back to school event: Please save the date for our District 24 Welcome Back to School Event on Friday, September 9th. More information to follow.
- Optional Insurance Form (Info Below)
- LCHS Dance Kids Camp
Newsletter Topics
- Supply Drop Off/Pictures (NEW)
- New to the District Orientation
- Homeroom Teacher Notification (UPDATED)
- Optional Accidental Insurance Coverage (NEW)
- Why Standards-Based Grading? (NEW)
- Parent Pick Up List (NEW)
- Lunch Program
- Remote Learning
- Student Attendance
- MIllburn Job Opportunities (NEW)
- Helpful Links
- EPIC News
Supply Drop Off and Pictures- August 23
Supply Drop Off Night will be Tuesday, August 23 from 3:00-6:00. This is an opportunity for families to come in to drop off materials, introduce yourself to the teacher, and for students to take their school photo. Come anytime during that time frame.
Pictures will taken place in both of our gyms. You child's last name will dictate which gym they will take their photo (we will let you know which gym in the August 19th newsletter). Tables with student ID stickers will be out with your child's name on it. Find your child name and then stand in line at any photographer station.
Picture proofs will then be sent home about four weeks later for you to order pictures. Ordering is through the picture company online.
**Yep, this is my 4th grade school photo!
New to the District Orientation
- School Information
- Schedule
- Assessments
- Arrival/ Dismissal Procedures
- Lunch
- iPads
- Extra-Curricular activities
- Building Tour
Monday, August 8, 2022
MES Welcome- 9:00AM or 5:00PM
MMS Welcome- 10:30AM or 6:30PM
**This is designed for families that are NEW to the district
Homeroom Teacher Notification
Please note, if you have not return your registration materials, or have any outstanding fees, you will not be notified until those things are resolved.
Optional Student Accident Insurance Coverage
MIllburn has chosen to carry medical insurance for students injured in accidents on school premises. The district has also approved a medical and dental accident insurance plan worthy of your consideration to add to coverage purchased. This coverage will extend the hours your child is
covered and also may cover your child during certain activities not covered in the school purchased plan. If you are interested in this coverage, the information and application form can be found in the Virtual Backpack.
Why Standards-Based Grading?
Standards-based grading is based on the principle that grades should convey how well students have achieved standards. In other words, grades are not about what students earn; they are about what students learn. Brookhart, S.M. (2011). “Starting the Conversation About Grading.” Educational Leadership, 69(3), 10-14.
A traditional grading system reduces everything that a student does to a single letter grade, making it neither timely nor actionable. Standards-based instruction, assessment, and grading has the potential to provide a rich array of information on a student’s academic progress.
There are several advantages of standards-based assessment, grading, and reporting:
- It ensures consistent expectations across grade levels.
- It helps teachers and students focus on the standards in their learning activities.
- Assessments are aligned to standards and provide evidence of what a student knows and/or can do. It provides feedback as to a student’s proficiency level allowing the teacher to better individualize instruction.
- It provides parents with valuable information on how their child is progressing on the critical concepts and skills of the grade level as well as individual standards.
Research has shown that letter grades do not motivate students to learn. On the contrary, research has found three consistent effects of using and, especially, emphasizing the importance of letter or number grades:
- Grades tend to reduce students' interest in the learning itself. Research in the field of motivational psychology has found that the more people are rewarded for doing something, the more they tend to lose interest in whatever they had to do to get the reward (Kohn, 1993). Thus, it shouldn't be surprising that when students are told they'll need to know something for a test or, more generally, that something they're about to do will count for a grade, they are likely to come to view that task (or book or idea) as a chore.
- Grades tend to reduce students' preference for challenging tasks. Students of all ages who have been led to concentrate on getting a good grade are likely to pick the easiest possible assignment if given a choice (Harter, 1978; Harter and Guzman, 1986; Kage, 1991; Milton et al., 1986). If there is more pressure to get an A, then there is less inclination to truly challenge oneself. Thus, students who cut corners may not be lazy as much as rational; they are adapting to an environment where good grades, not intellectual exploration, are what counts.
- Grades tend to reduce the quality of students' thinking. Given that students may lose interest in what they're learning as a result of grades, it makes sense that they're also apt to think less deeply. One series of studies, for example, found that students given numerical grades were significantly less creative than those who received qualitative feedback but no grades. The more the task required creative thinking, in fact, the worse the performance of students who knew they were going to be graded. Providing students with comments in addition to a grade didn't help; the highest achievement occurred only when comments were given instead of numerical scores (Butler, 1987; Butler, 1988; Butler and Nisan, 1986).
Intrinsic motivation is the most powerful kind of motivation. When students are involved in the learning process by knowing their strengths and where they need to improve, they can work with their teachers and parents to set meaningful goals of excellence, strive to achieve the goals, and experience success.
This is an excellent video explaining this:
Parent Drop Off and Pick-Up
We will once again have students that are dropped off/ picked up by parents be in the back (north end) of the school this year.
To assure a safe "hand off" of students, any individual picking up a student at dismissal must be on our master list. At dismissal, the individual that is to pick the child up must show their ID and the name needs to match our list.
We would like to start creating our master list of pick-ups so that we are ready for Day 1. If you plan to pick up you child, please register by clicking the link below.
Lunch Program
This also means we are returning to paid lunches. Lunch prices next year will be $3.50. Please make sure you keep up with your lunch balances in PushCoin throughout the year.
Each day students will have three options to choose from for lunch: Hot lunch entree, cold sandwich, or salad. Of course, students will always have the option to bring in their lunch as well. Students will inform their teacher of the choice each day.
OPTIONAL: In order to take an additional entree choice, the student will need to be charged for the extra entree AND parents need to give permission for the child to take a 2nd entree. If you wish to give your child permission to take a 2nd entree, please click the link below.
Remote Learning- 22/23
In the event the student is absent from school, parents are required to contact the school office (not the teacher) stating the reason for the absence before the start of school. Failure on the part of the parent to report the student's absence requires the school to investigate the absence by a phone call beginning at 10:00 A.M. It is the student's responsibility to make up any work missed due to absence. Valid causes for absence are illness, observance of a religious holiday, death in the immediate family, family emergency, and includes such other situations beyond the control of the student as determined by the Board of Education, or such other circumstances which cause reasonable concern to the parent for the safety or the health of the student. In case of absence due to a communicable disease, a doctor's release may be necessary upon the student’s return.
Make-Up Assignments
Due to an excused absence, if a student is unable to attend school for three or fewer days, he/she will receive make-up assignments upon return to school and be given an appropriate due date. For short-term assignments, students may make arrangements to have homework picked up. For extended emergencies/illness, a parent may call the office to request assignments and pick up the work the following day. As a general rule, one day extra time is allotted for each day’s absence when scheduling make-up work.
Example: Miss 3 days of school= 6 days to complete make-up work
Student Attendance
Last school year, we had over 125 students who missed 17 or more days of school. We of course know we were in the midst of the pandemic, which is contributing to higher numbers last year.
When you do the math, our teachers have only 13% of a calendar year to teach your child. Yes, only 13%!
- 177 days of school x 6.5 Hours of School/Day = 1,150 hours of teaching
- 365 days in a year x 24 hours a day = 8,760 hours
- 1,150 / 8,760 = .13 x 100= 13%
If you are chronically absent, we now have significantly less time to teach.
As we look ahead to this coming school year, please keep this in mind. Of course, if your child is sick, it is best to keep them at home. Sending a child to school who is sick will not be the best environment for them to maximize their learning experience. Yet, do your best to avoid vacations, doctor's appointments, or other activities that may require missed learning days.
Missing days effects learning:
5 missed days = 1 week of school
15 missed days = 3 weeks of school
25 missed days = 5 weeks of school
Our challenge to students and families next year... try not to miss more than five days. We know...not everyone can do that and things may come up. All we can ask is do your best!
STRIVE 4 FIVE!
Bring Attendance Home
Do you want to volunteer at school?
We encourage parents/guardians and other members of the community to share their time, knowledge and abilities with our students. Community volunteers in our schools enrich the educational program and strengthen our school.
The education of today’s youth takes a whole community. Caring members of our community bring new energies and resources into our schools. All over the country schools are drawing support from their communities through the efforts of volunteers who work in our schools, contribute goods and supplies, and support our schools financially.
Volunteering includes:
- Mystery Readers
- Guest Speakers
- Lunch Help
- Chaperoning Field Trips
- Helping small groups
- Assisting teachers
- So much more!!!
In order to volunteer, you must complete the application and have a background check done through our Raptor system here at school.
A master list of approved volunteers will be kept in the main office for staff to access when volunteers are needed.
We encourage parents to start the process now so that you can join us next year in volunteering.
Click the link below to complete the application.
Millburn Job Opportunities
SPECIAL EDUCATION PARAPROFESSIONAL
Primary Function: To provide support to one or more students with disabilities, enabling them to receive greater benefit from the district’s instructional program.
Organizational Relationships: The Special Education Paraprofessional receives guidance from the classroom teacher and reports to the Administration.
Performance Responsibilities:
- Under the supervision of the teacher, work with student or students to reinforce concepts initially introduced by the teacher.
- Assist student(s) in organizing tasks, schedules, materials or assignments.
- Establish a positive and supportive relationship with the student(s), which encourages independent functioning rather than dependency.
- Assist the teacher in devising special strategies for reinforcing the skills of individual students based on their needs, interests, or abilities.
- Help students operate and care for equipment or instructional materials assigned by the teacher.
- Distribute and collect workbooks, papers, and other materials for instruction,
- Guide independent study, enrichment work, and remedial work set up and assigned by the teacher.
- Assist with the supervision of student(s), including during emergency drills, assemblies, play periods, lunchtime, trips to the office, nurse, Media Center or field trips.
- Check notebooks, correct papers, and supervise testing and make-up work, as assigned by the teacher.
- Help student(s) with their clothing, dressing skills as needed.
- Assist with lunch, snack, and clean-up routines
- Assist with wash-up and toilet routines.
- Help student transition from one room to another.
- Alert the teacher to any problem or special information about the assigned student(s).
- Maintain the same high level of ethical behavior and confidentiality of information about students as is expected of fully licensed teachers.
- Participate in inservice training programs, as assigned.
- Support established classroom and behavior management procedures.
- Perform other duties that may be assigned by supervisor.
Terms of Employment: Must have or obtain a paraprofessional license as issued by the State of Illinois.
Work year established by the Board of Education.
Evaluation: Performance will be evaluated in accordance with Board Policy.
School year position, but benefits are 100% paid for the full year. 100% paid insurance includes medical, dental, vision, long-term disability, and $50,000 life. Enrolled in Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF); vested after 10 years. Paid time off includes sick and personal leave.
Salary: Based on experience and education ($12.80 minimum, $13.05 beginning January 1, 2023)
EPIC News
Back to school event: Please save the date for our District 24 Welcome Back to School Event on Friday, September 9th. More information to follow.
Help needed: We are looking for a number of Committee Chairs, Board Members and Class Liaisons for the upcoming year. Check next week for more information.
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*Contact us at president@millburnEPIC.com