Evergreen Middle School
November 18, 2022
Message from Principal Collins
Hello Parents, Caregivers, and Guardians,
Thank you to all of you who came to the Student Led Conferences. It was great seeing all of the families and meeting new ones. If you did not have an opportunity to meet with your scholar’s teachers you still have time to make an appointment to speak with them.
I would also like to thank all those who participated in our Veteran’s Day Assembly. Thank you to those who served.
As you know, this month is Native American Heritage Month. A significant number of Native Americans have served in all of the nation’s wars beginning in the Revolutionary War. Twenty-nine service members of Native American heritage have been awarded the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military decoration which is bestowed “for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of life, above and beyond the call of duty, in actual combat against an armed enemy force”. Twenty-five Native American soldiers, three sailors, and one marine have received this honor. One of these recipients is Commander Ernest E. Evans of the U.S. Navy.
The weather is definitely getting colder and we want to make sure all of our scholars are dressed warmly and appropriately for school. Please make sure your scholar is following our dress code when they come to school. We still are seeing a lot of pajama pants, halter or half tops, pants too low, and shirts with drug symbols on them.
Next week is a short week. We are in school Monday -Wednesday. I always like to take time during the Thanksgiving Holiday to reflect on what I am most grateful for now. I’m sure most of you already do this but take time during this holiday to reflect on what you are most grateful for, it is amazing if you look for it you can find so many things. Take time to relax, spend time with friends and family, and enjoy your holiday!!
In Partnership,
Mrs. Collins
253 945 5100
1st Place- J. Kaiva, 7th grade
2nd Place: Z. Zaryab, 7th grade
3rd Place: A. Dean, 7th grade
Has Google revolutionized education?
I’m often told that education today needs to change to meet the needs of tomorrow. One of the reasons given is that our students no longer need to go to a teacher or a library to gain access to the world’s most powerful knowledge; They can simply Google it on their smartphones.
There’s a lot to unpack there, but if you follow my messages in this newsletter, you’ll know that I love a good unpacking. The first problem with having a “Google-based” education is well-known: Much of what is found on the internet is unhelpful, harmful, or factually incorrect. In order to sort through all of the nonsense that is on the internet, students need to know how to ask Google the right questions. And therein lies the next problem: In order to ask the right questions, students need to have a lot of knowledge already. We can’t expect a student to spontaneously Google “What materials were used to make sarcophagi” if they don’t have the faintest clue what a sarcophagus is or why they should care!
Another problem with replacing “old-fashioned teaching” with Google is something I learned very recently from Saskia Giebl, a scientist who studies Google and learning. In her research, she asked students to either a) Google questions to find answers or b) Think about the answers to questions and then use Google to check their answers. As you probably predicted, the students who thought about the questions first learned more from using Google than the students who Googled without thinking. While Google is a useful tool for finding information, it’s also the case that relying on Google can create passive learning experiences that do not engage the mind.
So, has Google revolutionized education? Kinda, sorta, but not really. We still need to teach students interesting and powerful stuff, and we still need to encourage them to think hard about that stuff. Only then can we expect Google to expand our scholars’ horizons in ways that weren’t possible before the internet.
Zach Groshell, Ph.D.
Instructional Coach
Evergreen Middle School
Free Turkeys for FWPS Families in Need
We’re excited to share that JTM Construction and Garner Construction have generously donated 100 turkeys and “all the fixings” to support Federal Way Public Schools families during the holiday season. These will be distributed to families in need on a first-come, first-served basis this Saturday, November 19 at Federal Way High School.
FWPS families are invited to arrive at 10:30 a.m. Distribution will begin by 10:45 a.m. and will continue until all turkeys are distributed.
This will be a drive-through distribution, and we ask that families arrive as close to 10:30 a.m. as possible to support traffic flow.
IMPORTANT DATES
11/19- 100 Turkey donations @ 10:30am- Federal Way High School
11/24-25- No School- Thanksgiving Break
11/30- Early Release @ 1pm
12/2- Wrestling- Takedown Duels- Varsity- Seq/Lakota @ Evergreen
12/6- Girls Basketball- Evergreen @ Lakota
12/7- Girls Basketball- Evergreen BYE
12/8- Girls Basketball- Illahee @ Evergreen
12/9- Wrestling- Evergreen/Kilo @ Illahee
Evergreen Middle School
Email: mnelsen@fwps.org
Website: http://fwps.org/evergreen
Phone: 253-945-5100
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EvergreenFWPS/