Jaguar Journal
November 9, 2020
News from Principal Nicely's Office!
Greetings Unity Braxton Family!
Welcome to the start of the 2nd quarter of learning! We are all working very hard at UBMS and are committed to making the learning experiences, our communication and our practices and routines better for students! My message this week is focused on student success and how this is directly related to participation and assignment completion.
The first marking period has come to a close, and in about a week, students will be receiving their report cards for the first quarter. At UBMS, however, report cards results should not come as a surprise. Each student is able to see progress through their StudentVue accounts. We really worked hard to connect with students during Quarter 1, and even extended our deadline for work completion to support our students. Remember - your quarter 1 grade is only a small percentage of your yearly grade.
If you didn't do well, work hard, seek help from your teachers and make improvements. Your progress will be defined by your work over the entire year, not just the first quarter.
If you did great the first quarter, I need for you to continue working hard, seeking help from your teachers, and maintain your momentum. For you, as well, your progress will be defined by your work over the entire year, not just what you were able to accomplish in the first quarter.
If your student receives a grade of I on their report card it means that their work for the first quarter is incomplete, and that the teacher is still looking for evidence and work about what they have learned. Please work with your teacher to get them this evidence quickly.
It is so important for your child’s learning that they attend all of their classes, fully participate in class, and complete all of their assigned tasks. I have asked the teachers to record assignments in very specific ways in their gradebooks beginning with Quarter 2. More information on the types of tasks students complete and how they are recording in teacher gradebooks is included in the Quarter 2 Grading section of this newsletter.
It is so important that you check your ParentVue account frequently or sit with your student and have them review their StudentVue account with you. In the resources section of this newsletter, I have included a chart to help students track their weekly progress and note any missing assignments. You might find this helpful to use with your student!
UBMS teachers are amazing and have been working collaboratively to develop some technology support and skill-building sessions to help students engage in their class activities. These will be offered both during school and after school on select days in November and December. We are calling these learning opportunities “Student Engagement Support Sessions”. For students, these resources (once available) can also be found on the School Counseling Canvas Page.
We will send out an e-mail to students and parents with more specific schedules / times / dates for the November Student Engagement Support Sessions!
Your feedback is important to us and are continuing to accept feedback on our first quarter of learning and what needs you may be having at home that we can support. Please look for the link to the survey in both English and Spanish below!
Lastly, our transition to Unity Braxton Middle School continues to take shape. The muralist is making steady progress on adding murals to five walls in our building, and I am excited to share the updates with you each week! This week we are focusing on our gymnasium mural!
GO JAGUARS!
Sincerely,
Mike Nicely
Principal
Our Transition to Unity Braxton Middle School (Gym Mural)
INFORMATION ABOUT GRADING, ASSIGNMENT TASKS AND TEACHER GRADEBOOKS DURING QUARTER 2
There are two distinct types of tasks that teachers assign students, and when students do not complete them, they will be reported a little differently within a teacher’s gradebook:
Formative tasks such as classwork and homework give students valuable opportunities to practice what they are learning in class, and more importantly get valuable feedback from teachers about how students are doing and what they can do to improve. When these assignments are not submitted by students, we are going to be recording them as NE (No Evidence) in the gradebook. If you see NE (No Evidence) in the gradebook, this means for student has missed an opportunity for practice and feedback.
Summative tasks such as projects, quizzes and tests are opportunities for students to prove what they have learned through practice and feedback. When these assignments are not submitted, we are going to be recording them as INC (incomplete) in the gradebook. When these assignments are not submitted, we will reach out to students and parents. If these are not turned in after a week, we will change this to an NHI (Not Handed In) and the student’s score will become a ZERO for the assignment until it is submitted.
An INC means this assignment is due and missing. An NHI means this assignment is over a week beyond the due date and it is negatively impacting your student’s grade.
If your student is doing poorly in a class, look for NHI’s first. Those tasks must be made up for a student’s grade to improve. Secondly, look for NE’s – these can inform you that your student is not completing the everyday work that is critical for them to gain the knowledge and skills in order to have success on their projects, quizzes and tests.
PARENT RESOURCES
PWCS PEP PROGRAM INFORMATION
PEP Program Classes With Rosetta Stone : Classes are held at both the Ann Ludwig Center and the Global Welcome Center near our school in addition to in some other local schools. Please contact Regla Perez Pino, PEP and EL Counseling Coordinator at 703-491-8432 for more information.
Key Dates in November
November 25-27 - School Closed for All Employees (Thanksgiving Break)
Advisory Council Meeting (Virtual)
Monday, Nov 30, 2020, 06:00 PM
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R2L Packet Submission is Needed for Many UBMS Students!
We will be reaching out directly through e-mail and text messages to encourage a greater completion of the Return to Learn packet by UBMS parents. Beneath this message, you will find a file with instructions on how to complete the process, and a button that will take you to ParentVue so that you can complete the packet.
I'm including it in this newsletter because I could really use your help to get this done!
UBMS Counseling Department Newsletter
Additionally there is information about community supports including an upcoming clothing/food/sanitary products give away, and links to various forms you may need regarding scheduling, enrolling, withdrawal and registration.
Your child's social / emotional / mental health and development is important to us!
Unity Braxton Middle School
Please follow us on twitter, facebook and check our school website for important school information!
Email: UBMS-Helpdesk@pwcs.edu
Website: https://unitybraxtonms.pwcs.edu/
Location: 10100 Lomond Drive, Manassas, VA, USA
Phone: (703) 361-3185
Facebook: facebook.com/UnityBraxtonMiddleSchool
Twitter: @unitybraxton