Creekside Chronicle
February 3rd, 2023
Important Dates
Thursday, February 16th: Half Day Dismissal @ 12:35 pm
Thursday, February 16th: Parent Teacher Conferences @ 2pm - 9 pm (In Person)
Friday, February 17th: Parent Teacher Conferences @ 8 am - 12:30 pm (Virtual)
Monday, February 20th: NO SCHOOL (Presidents Day)
Mr. Doyle's Message
I want to share with you a new opportunity to open up and bridge communication between our students and staff. This idea stems from our conversations with our Student Advisory Teams.
Introducing our Student to Staff Feedback Box! Any and all comments are welcome, entirely anonymous if students choose. Our goal is to encourage and gather feedback and/or ideas from students. This will help bring student voice into Creekside.
We have 2 physical boxes and forms as well as an online version. The boxes are located outside the front office and at the top of the main stairwell. Students can grab a physical form from 1 of the locations, fill it out, and then return it to a Feedback Box at their own leisure. Otherwise, the online version is linked HERE
We look forward to the feedback and are excited to find opportunities to bring student ideas to life.
Enthusiastically,
Mr. Doyle
Student Services Support Section!
10 Things Our Brains Need to be Healthy and Ready to Learn
Last week during our advisory sessions, students completed a self-assessment of the 10 things all brains need to be healthy and ready to learn.
We asked students to rate themselves as to how often they do these 10 things as well as one area they would like to improve. Below are the results of what improvements some of our students would like to improve on.
We would like to extend some helpful tips for families to use to help students improve in these areas. 57% of students noted that they would like parents/guardians to help them improve their habits. Be on the lookout for Healthy Falcon Habits in the upcoming Creekside Chronicles!
Please contact any one of us with questions or concerns about your child’s social, emotional, or mental health during the school year. We’ll be there for you!
Mrs. Nieman (School Counselor) hnieman@wcusd200.org
Mr. Dague (School Social Worker) adague@wcusd200.org
Ms. Tucker (School Social Worker) atucker@wcusd200.org
Miss Winters (School Social Worker) swinters@wcusd200.org
6th Grade
MATH:
In math, students are working on evaluating expressions with variables. Students evaluate by substituting variables, translate written forms to expression form and vice versa, and use the order of operations to solve. After our Order of Operation surgeries, we have seen students showing a lot of success in their understanding of the order of operations.
ADVANCED MATH:
Our advanced math students have been challenging themselves as they work through ratio and proportion problems. Some real-life proportional ideas we have been studying involve mixing paint colors proportionally and using scale factors on maps and models of large monuments and buildings. We will soon wrap up ratios and proportions and move on to studying percentages.
LITERACY:
The literacy blocks recently started our new collection which deals with animal intelligence. We will be working through texts that show the different ways that animals show intelligence and how we can measure that intelligence. In writing, we will be moving away from writing personal narratives and starting to work with literacy analysis.
DUAL LITERACY:.
In Dual Literacy, we have seen how a poem can be used as a means to raise your voice and try to influence change. Now the students are writing their own poem using simile or metaphor and also rhyme. When we finish, we are going to work on an activity about identity that will serve as an introduction to the novel we will be reading in the coming months.
SOCIAL STUDIES
In social studies, we are at the tail end of our Phoenician and Hebrew unit. From there, we will venture to our African Kingdoms Inquiry. At the conclusion of our inquiry, our focus will be developing the background knowledge for the founding of Ancient Greece (The Minoans & Mycaeans).
DUAL SOCIAL STUDIES:
We are finishing our unit about Mesopotamia, and we will start learning about Egypt using different strategies such as observation charts, pictorials and expert groups.
SCIENCE:
In Science students just started their new minerals unit. They are discovering the essential question, “What minerals do we use in our everyday lives?” Students are making connections to the real world. Students are also having hands-on experiences with minerals and learning minerals, color, luster, density, hardness and streak.
READ180:
We have started Workshop 6: No Ordinary Sport. Students will be reading about extreme sports such as rock climbing, Tough Mudder races, and Parkour. Mr. Doyle came in this week and talked to both classes about his experience doing a Tough Mudder race. Students will continue to work on citing text evidence and summarizing. Next week, we will begin writing our argument paragraph about free-climbing a rock face.
Students should have taken their first Reading Counts test on a Titanic or disaster book. The next Reading Counts test should be completed by February 16. The last one is due on March 9th. Students may retake their test as many times as needed until they earn a passing score of 70% or higher.
We have also taken our third Reading Inventory Assessment. Data sheets will be given out during conferences. If you are unable to attend or have no concerns, data sheets will be sent home the week after conferences.
Parent Teacher Conferences!
Parent Teacher Conferences:
Thursday, February 16, 2023 from 2:00 p.m.- 9:00 p.m. - IN PERSON ONLY
Friday, February, 17, 2023 from 8:00 a.m.- 12:30 p.m. - REMOTE/VIRTUAL ONLY
Click here for a step by step guide with pictures or follow the directions below.
1. Go to MEET THE TEACHER from any internet connected device
2. Enter your information as required on the screen - parent name, email address, student’s name, and student’s birthdate. Please make sure to use your child’s name and birthdate that you
provided for school registration.
3. Select the DATE you wish to book your conference.
4. If the option is provided, select In-Person or Video Call
5. Select Booking Method - Automatic allows the system to book your conference. The manual option allows you to choose the times.
6. Choose the Teachers/Classes you wish to schedule. If you have multiple children at the same school, you can choose classes to schedule for each child.
7. Click on the AVAILABLE TIMES you wish to schedule with each teacher. Once all of the classes have been scheduled.
8. Click on the GREEN BOX to view and print your schedule for this building. If you have children at other schools, follow the prompts to schedule them next. You may return to this website at any time to review, print or change your conference times.
If you need assistance with scheduling your child’s conferences, please contact us here at Creekside 815-337-5200
Creekside Winter Hats!
Kindness Closet
CMS Associate Position Openings!
WONDERFUL Creekside staff members! I will then share your words with the whole Creekside Staff as a Token of Appreciation! :)
The health, safety, and wellness of our students is a priority for our CMS Student Services department.
Creekside Middle School
Assistant Principal: Tyler Carlson
Dean of Students: Jason Laidig
Secretary to the Principal: Kerrie Butenschoen
Secretary to the Assistant Principal: Adriana Silva-Rodriguez
Nurse: Carla Schrock
Office Hours: 7:30 am - 4:30 pm
Email: rdoyle@wcusd200.org
Website: https://www.woodstockschools.org/creekside
Location: 3201 Hercules Road, Woodstock, IL, USA
Phone: 815-337-5200