EAST PAULDING MIDDLE SCHOOL
November 5, 2018
PARENT NEWSLETTER
Important Upcoming Dates
November 6 - Student Holiday - Election Day
November 8 - PTSA Trivia Night - 6:30-8:00pm
November 9 - Progress Reports Issued
November 13 - Fall Picture Retakes
November 15 - EPMS Dodgeball Tournament
November 19-23 - Thanksgiving Break
November 27 - 6th and 8th Grade Scoliosis Screening
December 5 - 2-Hour Early Release
December 11 - Chorus Concert at EPHS Auditorium - 7:00pm
December 13 - Holiday Band Concert - 6:45pm
December 19 - End of 2nd 9-Weeks
December 19 - Staff Christmas Party - 4:30pm-10:00pm - 655 West
December 20 - January 2 - Christmas/Holiday Break
January 2 - Teacher Work-Day
January 3 - Students Return
January 4 - Grade Reports Issued
Time is Flying!
EVERY DAY COUNTS! Did you know that there are only 29 school days in the month of November and December, combined? Yep, you read that correctly....29. And by the time you read this newsletter, we will be down to 26. I say all that to say that we need our students here EVERY DAY! We can't teach them if they aren't here, and completing make-up work at the end of an already busy time of the year adds so much more stress to our students. November and December should be our months with the highest attendance. Let's make attendance a priority.
GRADES AND COMMUNICATION: If you don't already have access to Parent Portal, please see the information below to gain access. The end of the semester can be stressful as due dates for assignments come and go and grades are entered into the grading portal. Did you know that I get a notification every time my own child's attendance and grades are updated? This is a great tool that has been extremely beneficial in my own home with our middle school student. Nothing gets past us when it comes to her grades and attendance. This also gives me an opportunity to reach out to teachers if I have questions or concerns. Parents "in the know" are a great resource for students. Join the club!
STUDENT HABITS: At this point in the year, your student has probably developed some study habits. Some of those may be good, and some of those may be bad. I want to encourage you to question your students about what they are learning as well as their assignments and homework. Stay away from the question, "How was school today?" Instead, ask your student specific questions...
1. What was your learning target in math today?
2. How do you know that you met the learning target?
3. What was something that you read in social studies this week? How can we connect that to things that are happening in our world today?
4. What lab are you completing in science? When is your next lab? How do the labs you are completing help you reach the learning target?
5. What book are you reading in ELA? Who is your favorite character? Why?
6. What reading strategy helps you the most? Why does it help you?
7. To what NBI group are you assigned? Tell me what you are doing in there that is helping you.
8. What are you learning in your PE/Connections classes that will benefit you in your future?
If they can't answer those questions or if they reply with "I don't know", then they aren't paying close attention. If they know that you are plugged in to what they are learning and you are truly interested in their growth, they will work harder.
We all want our students and kids to be successful, and when we work as a team, they have no choice but to stay on top of their game! As always, let us know if you have questions or concerns. We are here to help!
Get out and vote!
School Visitors - Please Help
Whether you are quickly dropping off something, picking up a student, or visiting for a quick meeting, our front drive can become jammed and difficult to maneuver through when cars are parked for an unintended extended period of time, leaving visitors frustrated and increasing the potential for minor accidents.
We appreciate everyone's help with this request!
Scoliosis Screening
6th and 8th Grade students will complete scoliosis screening at East Paulding Middle School on Tuesday, November 27th. A letter was sent home today with your child.
If you wish for your child to be screened, no further action is needed. If you prefer NOT to have your child screened, fill out and sign the form and return it to the school nurse by Monday, November 26th. While screening is done discretely, female students will need to wear a bra or swimsuit top.
Please take an opportunity to watch the brief video titled "Scoli What?" linked below. If you have any questions regarding the screening, please call our school nurse.
PTSA Trivia Night
Dodgeball Tournament
Yes, our PE Department will be hosting our annual Dodgeball Tournament on Thursday, November 15. This is fun event that our students really enjoy, so come join us for some completion and excitement! Sign-ups are continuing this week.
The tournament will begin immediately after school and it usually concludes around 7:00pm. Concessions will be sold during the event.
Students can sign up their team or sign-up to join a team. The cost to participate is $5 and entry into the event is $1.
Canvas Access for Parents
EPMS School Improvement Plan
Below are the key pieces of our School Improvement Plan. We have several areas of focus, and I will do my best to explain them in parent-friendly terms.
Goal #1 - We will increase the number of students who read at a proficient or advanced level. We will utilize lexile scores from the Reading inventory (RI) assessment to monitor this goal. The Reading Inventory will be given to students four times throughout the year. We will provide specific support to help students during our NBI period each day from 8:43-9:38 as well as during traditional instructional period through all contents on a weekly basis. This Needs Based Instruction plan will begin in September.
Goal #2 - We will increase the number of students who score a Level 3 (proficient) or Level 4 (distinguished) on the Language Arts EOG Assessment. We are hopeful that our focus on literacy will have a natural, positive impact on our overall ELA scores on the annual Milestones assessments.
Goal #3 - We will increase the number of students who score at a proficient or advanced level on the Math Inventory assessment. We will utilize quantile scores from the Math inventory (MI) assessment to monitor this goal. The Math Inventory will be given to students two times during the year. We will provide specific support to help students during our NBI period each day from 8:43-9:38 as well as during their traditional math class on a daily basis. This Needs Based Instruction plan will begin in September.
Goal #4 - We will increase the number of students who score a Level 3 (proficient) or Level 4 (distinguished) on the Math EOG Assessment. We are hopeful that the support we provide students during NBi and their traditional math course will have a natural, positive impact on our overall Math scores on the annual Milestones assessments.
Goal #5 - We will provide professional learning and training to our staff to help us reduce the amount of perceived bullying occurrences in our school. We will utilize PBIS, character education, bullying prevention, and diversity and inclusion strategies to grow a positive climate and culture at East Paulding Middle School.
Strength ~ Honor ~ Courage
Our main focus with Strength, Honor, and Courage will connect to our mission to end bullying in our school. If you want to help us spread the message, you can purchase a stop bullying t-shirt by logging on to RevTrak and placing your order. All t-shirts are $12.
Follow or Like us on Social Media
Contact Information for Tom Alverson
Email: talverson@paulding.k12.ga.us
Website: http://www.paulding.k12.ga.us/Domain/29
Phone: 770-443-7000
Facebook: facebook.com/eastpauldingmiddleschool
Twitter: @epmsraiders