Jaguar Journal
December 17, 2020
News from Principal Nicely's Office!
Greetings Unity Braxton Family!
At UBMS we are a little more than half way through the second marking period, and we are still slated to return to in person learning using the PWCS 50/50 model beginning January 26. You will notice an increased amount of communication regarding the 50/50 return to in-person learning over the month of January as we work to prepare our students and families for what to expect in the building.
As parents/guardians, you were last given an opportunity to update your child's learning preferences near the end of quarter 1. You will have another opportunity to update your preferences between January 4th - 8th. Like before, you will only need to go in and update your preference (choosing to keep your student all virtual for the third quarter, or have your student attend school in person two days a week) if you would like to change it. You do not need to do anything if your decision has not changed.
I wanted to thank the teachers and staff in our building who have been working hard every Tuesday over the past five weeks to hold in-person help sessions for students during the day, and also for holding evening help sessions for students and parents. Thank you also to the dedicated students and parents who have participated in these sessions! We are all trying very hard to make the virtual learning experience positive for all of our students!
Please take a moment over Winter Break to review your students progress on StudentVue or ParentVue. As you are reviewing grades, pay special attention to assignments marked NHI (Not Handed In) and NE (No Evidence Submitted). Both of those mean that the student has not completed or turned in the assignment. All NHI and NE grades are important, but I want to emphasize that it is critical that students complete all assignments marked NHI as soon as possible, because these are negatively impacting their grade for the class. If you have questions or concerns about any of your child's grades, please send their teacher an e-mail and we can work together to support your student during the month of January!
Our transition to Unity Braxton Middle School continues to take shape. We have completed mural work in the main lobby of our building, outside of our cafeteria and in our gymnasium! If you have been by the school lately, you may have noticed some construction happening in our main and visitor parking lots. The lot in front of our school is being expanded, and there is some maintenance work on a storm drain occurring in our main parking lot. These should be completed (weather permitting) before the end of January.
Lastly, as 2020 nears conclusion, I wanted to take a moment to wish everyone "Happy Holidays" if you are celebrating this month, and to wish everyone in our UBMS family a "Happy New Year!"
GO JAGUARS!
Sincerely,
Mike Nicely
Principal
Our Transition to Unity Braxton Middle School
Main Lobby - Mr. and Mrs. Braxton
Main Lobby - Unity
Main Lobby - Welcome to UBMS!
Key Dates in December / January
Jan 4 : Office Hours / Asynchronous Learning Day
Jan 5 : Virtual Classes Resume
Jan 4 - 8 : Return To Learn Preference Survey Open
Jan 18 : Martin Luther King Jr. Day (School Closed)
Jan 26 - 29 : 6th Grade Students who have chosed in-person return
Winter Break : December 19 - January 3
Front office staff will be on break and will not be answering our UBMS main telephone line. Teachers and staff will be returning to work on January 4th and will respond to any individual e-mails or calls at that time.
Student Work over Winter Break
If students or parents wish, students may continue to work on any missing tasks that were due prior to winter break that they have not completed. We have asked teachers to make sure that previously due assignments are unlocked in Canvas. This will enable students access assignments and submit them for review by the teacher once winter break has concluded.
No PWCS Food Distribution Over Break
PARENT RESOURCES
Parents as Educational Partners (PWCS PEP PROGRAM)
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.
50/50 Survey for Q3 open for Parents
If you would like to change your preference for your student (from in-person to virtual, or from virtual to in-person) for quarter 3 it must be done by January 8th for planning purposes.
You do not need to complete this survey if you do not need to change your preference.
Monday, Jan 4, 2021, 08:00 AM
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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.
Advisory Council Meeting (Virtual)
Monday, Jan 25, 2021, 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!
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