Warrior Weekly
June 1-June 3, 2020
Words from the Principal,
No words can express the deep appreciation I have for the students, staff, and parents of this community. Twin Creeks Middle is truly a special place, and I feel blessed to have the opportunity to be a part of it even with the school year ending so abrupt.
It is safe to say the year didn’t finish the way any of us had expected. I am so proud of our students, staff, and parents for their dedication and hard work as we all try to make remote learning a success. I have enjoyed being a part of so many Google Meets and Zoom events with staff and students these last few months. While it isn’t perfect, we are moving forward as a TCMS community. It has been a tremendous year watching our students develop and achieve milestones, both in and out of the classroom. Academic and social growth is evident in the number of students who achieved high grades and positive academic responsibility comments.
We have consistently received positive comments about our students from the staff members, parents, and visitors in our building over the past years. I am very proud of all the students at Twin Creeks Middle!
Many important people play major roles in providing leadership and encouragement to our students. Involved parents, grandparents, and family members are vital to our school community, both at home and as volunteers in our building. Parents have been responsible for assisting in the library, volunteering in offices, and fundraising to enhance the culture and climate for our students. I am thankful for your endless support! In addition to our fabulous parents, Twin Creeks Middle is fortunate to have teachers and support staff who care about children. They are dedicated to learning through professional development opportunities in order to provide optimal experiences for students to learn. It takes a team of committed people to make a school successful. I am thankful for our partnership in what I believe is the most important job in the world – educating children.
I wish the best for our eighth graders as they move into the next phase of their schooling. We will miss our eighth-graders, but know they are ready for the transition to high school.Every year at this time I am reminded of one of my favorite bumper stickers. It reads, “Growing old is mandatory, growing up is optional.”
Have a fabulous summer break and continue to check your email for updated information.
With gratitude,
Kenisha Williams
Principal
NEW REMOTE OPTION TO BE OFFERED TO ALL STUDENTS DURING 2020-21 SCHOOL YEAR
Please know that we continue to plan for every possible contingency this fall and will be sharing information as decisions are made. We will soon send out a survey to collect your concerns and feedback related to instruction as we consider different models for students and staff.
We are pledging to offer an entirely remote instructional option for families who prefer to keep their children at home during the upcoming year. We believe this virtual choice fits with our district’s overall mission to expand opportunity and choice at all levels, and we look forward to rolling out this option in August. More details will be shared as they become available.
NEW INSTRUCTIONAL CALENDAR IS APPROVED FOR 2020-21 SCHOOL YEAR
Parents and guardians, please be advised that our Board of Trustees approved our new instructional calendar on Thursday. This revised calendar is designed to give us the flexibility to deal with potential COVID-19 disruptions or closures.
The approved calendar most closely matches the recommended intersessional option proposed by TEA, with students starting in August and having longer breaks around Thanksgiving, in the winter and in the spring. The last day of instruction will be June 25 for all grades except seniors, who would finish on May 28.
Specifically, the first day of the new school year will remain Aug. 17, with intersessional breaks scheduled for Oct. 5-9, Nov. 16-20, Jan. 4-8 and March 8-12. All of those breaks are set to occur around regularly scheduled vacation times, except for the week in October. The built-in breaks give the district more options to cover required instructional time. For instance, if a COVID-19 closure period was needed in the fall or early winter, one of the planned intersessional breaks later in the year could be used to recoup instructional time.
During those COVID-19 breaks, seniors will continue remote learning at home, which will give them the required instructional time to graduate by the end of May – the same as with a traditional calendar. To see the complete calendar, please visit: www.springisd.org/calendar.
HAC INFORMATION
CHROMEBOOK INFORMATION
June 1st from 2:00 p.m. -4:00 p.m. or June 2nd from 8:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.
READING CHALLENGE
@deshaunwatson & his @DW4Foundation have partnered with @AshleyHomeStore
to launch a summer program encouraging Houston-area children & teenagers, ages 5-18, to read with the opportunity to win a $5K room makeover for their families. Called “4 Books for #4,” Deshaun’s Summer...Summer Learning Opportunities
We’re inviting your student to take part in our online summer school experience, Summer Learning At-Home, to make sure they stay on track and are ready for the upcoming school year.
As we noted in an email last week, our summer school program will be virtual this year and tailored to meet specific instructional needs of individual students. Specifically, we will be hosting two Summer Learning At-Home sessions to run Monday through Thursday with the first scheduled for June 10-30 and the second slated to run July 7- 28.
Your student is invited to take part in one or both sessions. Please take a moment to fill out this registration form to indicate your preference. The Literacy/STEAM Camp option would be a great choice for your student. Summer Learning At-Home will prepare students for the upcoming school year, keep them on target with grade-level standards and help reduce what is typically known as the Summer slide.
Our teachers will use project-based learning to engage your student and keep them challenged during either or both sessions. We look forward to seeing them in class this summer! Should you have any questions, please reach out to your campus principal or Mr. McLain, our summer school administrator at jmclain@springisd.org.
Important Update about Final Grades
Please be advised that final marking-period (MP) grades will not include assignment grades recorded prior to the COVID-19 closure period. Students’ last marking period grade will only include assignment grades from the project-based learning (PBL) plans that were part of our Empowered Learning At-Home program.
THE DEADLINE TO SUBMIT ASSIGNMENTS WAS FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2020.
This decision was made to ensure that no student was penalized as a result of not being able to make up or resubmit assignments that had been completed prior to the COVID-19 closure period and for which the student may have received a low grade.
Additionally, we are taking steps to ensure that if a student participated in Empowered Learning At-Home and showed effort and progress, grades received during the COVID-19 school closure period will not negatively impact their course average. For instance, if a student’s final marking period grade lowers the student’s average for that course, it will not be included in the course average. If a student’s MP grade during this school closure period improves their course average, it will be included.
One last note, students in Advanced Placement (AP) courses, will receive their AP weight for their courses regardless of their ability to take the AP exams.
We hope this clarifies how grades will be determined for the final marking period and for the year. As a district, our goal is to ensure the COVID-19 closure does not negatively impact students, who have all faced unique challenges as they learned from home.
Drive Thru Parade was a success!
Thanks to our parents and students for supporting the parade!
We will miss our 8th graders!
Thanks to all of our staff that came out!
Staff were excited to wave our 8th graders to high school!
Wow, look at that line of students and parents!
Free Summer Meals
Email: kwilliam@springisd.org
Website: https://www.springisd.org/twincreeks
Location: 27100 Old Cypresswood Drive, Spring, TX, USA
Phone: 281-891-7850
Twitter: @TwinCreeksMS1
Important Information about Special Education in Spring ISD
We are pleased to share with you some important information from the Texas Education Agency on Special Education. These two attached flyers are required to be distributed to all families under Senate Bill 139.We hope you find the information useful should you have any questions about Special Education in Spring ISD.
Please know we also have helpful resources on our website. Should you ever have any questions about our Special Education program in Spring ISD, we encourage you to reach out to your campus or call our Special Ed department at 281-891-6265.