Midland Messenger
Jan. 31-Feb. 4, 2022
Midland Elementary
Email: midland@fpschools.org
Website: http://midland.fpschools.org/
Location: Midland Elementary School, 105th Street East, Tacoma, WA, USA
Phone: 253-298-4500
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Midland-Elementary-Mustangs-112865059416899/?ref=settings
From the Principal:
I am excited to let you know of our continuing partnership between Midland Elementary School and Franklin Pierce High School! FPHS has developed a class called Teaching Academy for students who are exploring a career in the field of Education. Nineteen students have been learning about everything from classroom management to curriculum and what the job of a teacher is really like. For the second semester of the Teaching Academy class, Midland Elementary will host these high school students in our classrooms, so that they can begin to experience what teaching looks like first-hand. Most of our classrooms will have a Teaching Academy student for a half-hour, two days each week. These high school students will help tutor students, help teachers, and learn first hand about careers in education.
Creating relationships with our partner schools and our community is another way that Midland can extend learning both in and out of our classrooms. We are proud to continue this partnership for our sixth year!
It's great to be a MUSTANG!
~Dr. Paula Dawson
PTA and Volunteers Wanted!
Our PTA has historically been an important part of our school community. Truthfully, with COVID and the movement of our previous PTA leadership, we have had a difficult time having an active PTA. I feel strongly that we are missing this important part of our community and it's time to build it up again! I would love your ideas of what you would like to see in a PTA. If you have ideas, please email them to me at pdawson@fpschools.org.
Have you been wanting to volunteer at Midland? It's been almost two years since we have been able to have parents in our building, but we are excited that we can now do so! Due to the ongoing pandemic, we do have some restrictions which are outlined in the attachment below. Our classrooms could use tutors, we would love to have additional adults on our playground, and we could even bring back Friday snack sales during recess if we had adults who could help. Again, please email me and we will get you plugged in!
I'm looking forward to your partnership!
~Dr. Dawson
Important Dates to Remember:
February 2 ~ Wear RED day for Heart Health
February 2 ~ 1:55 Dismissal
February 8 ~ Election Day
February 8 ~ HOPE Assembly
February 9 ~ 1:55 Dismissal
February 14 ~ Happy Valentine's Day!
February 16 ~ 1:55 Dismissal
February 21-25 ~ No School for Mid-Winter Break
**For additional future scheduled activities, please check out our Midland calendar at https://midland.fpschools.org/**
On February 8, voters will have an important choice to make on two levies that support all students enrolled in Franklin Pierce Schools. Propositions 1 and 2 are replacement levies which means that tax rates will not increase.
- Proposition 1: Educational Programs and Operations Levy accounts for approximately 15% of annual operating budget and pays for things not funded or only partially funded by the state: teachers, paraeducators, counselors, nurses, athletics, curriculum adoptions, routine maintenance of school facilities, security measures, transportation, special education, McKinney-Vento, etc. Prop 1 replaces an existing levy passed by voters in 2018 at $4.74/ $1,000 with a new levy set at $2.50/$1,000 from 2023-2026.
- Proposition 2: Technology Levy pays for staff and 1:1 student computing devices, classroom technology, network infrastructure that supports all of the devices, safety technologies, telecommunications, technology help desk and technicians, etc. Prop 2 replaces an existing levy passed by voters in 2018 at $.41/1,000 with a new levy set at $.41/$1,000 to support continued investment in technology from 2023-2026.
Have questions? Visit www.fpschools.org/vote or contact the Public Information Office at info@fpschools.org or (253)298-3087.
Social Emotional Learning:
Social emotional Learning corner
Content by Mrs. Blaisdell
January 31st
Managing Our Emotions
This week we will be having beginning level discussions about managing our emotions. Emotions should come and go and if any emotion gets too big, it can be distracting and hard to manage. Even comfortable emotions can be overwhelming if they are too big. We will talk about strategies for calming down in the moment and lifestyle choices that can lend to more manageable levels of emotions in general. We will discuss our core practice of breathing, physical activities, relaxing activities, creative activities and lists of people that we can talk to about what we are going through and emotions that are too big for us to handle on our own. Having information and strategies to manage big emotions can improve our well-being and lead us to feeling capable of handling big/strong/intense emotions.
Yearbook Cover Contest for Students
Healthy and Safe practices at Midland
Just a reminder of the things that we'd like you to consider before sending your child to school each day:
- A temperature of 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit or above?
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Chills
- Repeated shaking with chills
- Muscle pain
- Headache
- Sore throat
- New loss of taste or smell
These are some safety precautions we will be practicing at Midland:
- Students will be required to wear a mask on the bus, in the halls, in class, and at recess.
- Students will wash hands and use hand sanitizer throughout the day.
- Students will sit 3 feet apart in the classroom, and 6 feet apart during breakfast & lunch.
If your child has been exposed to COVID, or if they are showing symptoms of illness, you may not send them to school until they have been quarantined and symptom free for 5 days. After 5 days, they can be tested at school and if they test negative, they can return. Teachers will provide work for students during this time. We are counting on everyone to keep Midland safe for all students and staff. Thank you!
Franklin Pierce Schools does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sexual orientation including gender expression or identity, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups.
Questions and complaints of alleged discrimination should be directed to James Hester, Compliance Coordinator for State and Civil Rights Laws; Wendy Malich, Title IX Officer; or John Sander, 504/ADA Coordinator at 315 129th ST S, Tacoma, WA 98444-5099 or at (253)298-3000.