Auer Time @ LPMS
May, 2021
One Purpose. Your Pathway. Our Promise.
Let's Go!
Pillar 1 - Teaching and Learning
Return to 5 Day In person Instruction
As Mr. Casseri has mentioned in his community emails, we will be returning to 5 days of full instruction beginning Monday, May 24th. We look forward to having the whole Lew-Port Family back on campus for the first time since last year, March 13th, 2020.
We are hopeful and confident that the return to full in person instruction is just another sign that our lives are returning to a sense of normalization. Please check your email for in depth information and details related to our return to full instruction and some important details to be aware of. Some highlights include:
Pick-Up times for students being picked up by a parent or guardian will be staggered to accommodate the anticipated increased traffic for student pickup. Times for pickup will be as follows:
6th grade - 2:20 pm
7th grade - 2:30 pm
8th - 2:38 pm
Please do not arrive earlier than your scheduled time as we need to keep traffic flowing. Drop off time will remain the same and we ask that you please make sure to pull all the way forward prior to having your student get out of the car so that we can keep the traffic flow moving and eliminate backups on the main drive.
Please note that our District will be observing the Memorial Day Recess from Thursday, May 27th to Monday, May 31st. Staff and students will return to school on Tuesday, June 1st. Our last day of student attendance for anyone not taking a Regents exam will be Monday, June 21st. A detailed calendar for the end of the year and exam schedule can be accessed in your email or by clicking the link below
Assessment & Evidence of Learning
- The 35 Week marking period is coming to a close on May 21 and we will be closing out the 4th Quarter!
- Just a reminder that all grades are based upon work that the students have been asked to complete and turn in. If there is a failing grade, it is most likely due to missing assignments.
- If you would like to see what is owed or what assignments make up the grade, just log into PowerSchool and click on the number grade for the subject. This will give you a listing of assignments, quizzes, and tests that make up that grade. If you see an exclamation point next to an assignment, that means it is late or missing. Please encourage your child to get this missing work in as soon as possible for some credit.
- Grades and attendance can be accessed through the Powerschool Parent Portal at any time. A link to the portal can be accessed from our District web-page at www.lew-port.com and by logging into your Powerschool account.
- If you need assistance in setting up this account or have questions regarding access, please contact the Guidance office at bvandeusen@lew-port.com or (716) 286-7208.
- As a reminder, each teacher is available for office hours from 2:45 - 3:10, for any extra help or assistance.
- Please reach out to individual teachers to set up a day and time for a conference as necessary. We want to make sure students have support as necessary.
Year End Grading Procedure
We would like to draw your attention to the updated end-of-the-year grading policy for students in grades 6-12. We are providing this important information regarding necessary changes to our end-of-the-year grading policy. Informing you of these end of year changes now will allow for the necessary time for our students and their families to be prepared and understand the options and expectations outlined in the grading policy as listed below as we close out the school year.
In order for a student to earn course credit for the 2020-2021 school year, students will receive a final grade for the course/subject based upon one of the three options listed below (whichever is highest):
Three Pathways to Passing
- Option 1: Cumulative Average - Cumulative average of 65% or higher for a given course over four quarters. (2020-2021 school year)
- Option 2: Local Final - The student earns a 65% or higher on the local final exam for a given course.
- Option 3: Regents Exam - The student earns a 65% or higher on a Regents Exam being administered for a Regents level course.
These three options are only for students that are participating in the in person academic model. Due to the self guided pacing of the 100% Remote/Apex model, all grades will be determined by the APEX program.
We are hopeful that this end of the year grading policy will allow for us to accurately measure academic proficiency, while also setting that stage for program development for the 2021-2022 school year.
If a students’ cumulative average is 64% or lower on all three options listed above, for course credit, students must follow one of the options below:
Two Options For Students who Fail
- Option 1: Lew-Port APEX Summer School - Participate in our District’s APEX Summer School Program being offered at our High School and Middle School campuses.
- Option 2: 21/22 APEX Credit Recovery - The student will be scheduled for the credit recovery program next school year, being offered by the high school.
Attendance Reminder
- When we return to 5 day in person attendance, attendance codes will be adjusted to reflect the following:
Attendance codes for full in-person instruction should a student be absent will be:
Absence Unexcused
Absence Excused
Present
Remote Present for quarantine students- Students that are absent due to a quarantine or other Covid Related issue will still be required to fill out the grade level Google Classroom that was created, and each student will fill out the form based upon their grade level and Green(A-L)/White(M-Z) grouping.
- The students are expected to complete this Google Form each day they are not in person by 11:59 PM. If a student fails to complete this Google Form, they will be marked Remote Unexcused Absent.
- Please make sure to remind your child to log into the appropriate google classroom and complete the form for their grade level.
Spring AIMS Web+ Benchmark Data
Spring Benchmark Screening called AIMSWeb+ was administered for the third and final time to all students during in person instruction during the week of May 18 - 21.
As you may recall, this universal screening is given three (3) times per year to identify those students who either need additional academic support or who might qualify for advanced enrichment. This screening was given to all students in September, January and will be given again in May.
The New York State Education Department requires that teachers provide clear evidence that students are acquiring the necessary skills to perform assessments at various times during their educational years. New York State also requires that teachers identify students who may require additional support in developing academic skills. Lewiston-Porter also recognizes that there are some students who may benefit from advancement in certain instances.
A percentile rank on the report indicates the student’s standing relative to other students in the same grade level. For example, if a student earned a percentile rank of 50, that student’s score is the same as or higher than 50 percent of the students in the norm group. The percentile rank listed on your child’s report is based on a nation-wide norm group.
Parents are encouraged to review individual reports and contact the guidance office or individual teachers for further assistance in understanding how scores compare to national scores. Teachers continue to use multiple tools to determine individual students' need for Academic Intervention Support in the specific subject areas of Math or Reading.
If a student needs any level of AIS, they will be placed in a WINN (What I Need Now) period to work on specific skill deficits for a period of time.
We will also be using this data to identify any gaps in skills as well as to make recommendations for remedial help.
PowerSchool Tutorials
Covid- 19 Procedures and Protocols
COVID-19 Contact Tracing
- The New York State Department of Health issued updated school reopening guidance based on the information provided by the CDC almost 3 weeks ago. The new guidance allows for schools to reduce social distancing in classrooms to 3 feet without barriers.
- The guidance maintains 6 feet of social distancing in most other areas of school buildings, including cafeterias. For transportation and bussing, the new guidance talks about appropriate social distancing and mandatory mask wearing.
- Mask wearing is mandated at all times in all buildings throughout the new guidance. The new guidance also requires that 6 feet of social distancing be maintained at the Middle and High School levels if student cohorting is not an option and community transmission rates at the county level are at the High level, according to the CDC website.
- The new guidance will also requires full classroom quarantines if a Covid positive case is discovered in a particular student within any given class.
It is important that we all continue to implement established health and safety protocols like social distancing, face coverings, good hygiene practices, and monitoring for symptoms, among other equally important preventative techniques.
- We ask that if you or your child(ren) do experience any symptoms of COVID-19, please stay home and contact your physician. We ask that you please respect and honor the privacy of any individual in our school community who has tested positive and, instead, focus on the measures that we know to be effective in stopping the spread of the virus.
2020-2021 Marking periods
Quarter 1 (10 Weeks): September 7th - November 13th
Quarter 2 (20 Weeks): November 16th - January 29th
Quarter 3 (30 Weeks): February 1st - April 23rd
Quarter 4 (40 Weeks): April 26th - June 25th
Technology Update
- We are anticipating to collect 8th grade student Chromebooks after final exams on Monday, June 21. The collected Chromebooks will be replaced with a device that they will use starting in 9th grade and throughout their four years in High School.
- All other students in Grade 6 and Grade 7 will keep their Chromebook and charger over the summer.
Pillar 2 - Leadership
Teacher Leadership
Parent resources
Virtual Musical Showcase!
We are so pleased to be able to share with you some excerpts from the Lewiston Porter Virtual Musical Showcase that was held at the Transit Drive-In on Wednesday, May 19th at 8:30 pm. Recorded professionally on the high school stage, it features the amazing talent of our middle school and high school students, singing pop and Broadway hits and was presented on the big screen! Click below to see some of the outstanding performances.
With the wild year so far for music and bands in schools, these students really came through!
It was wonderful to be able to give them a performing experience. This was a large undertaking for all involved, and we are proud of your kids for working hard to bring all the parts of this piece together!
Please enjoy! Thank you for your continued support of music in our schools!
Coping with Stress
What is Stress? "Stress can be defined as the degree to which you feel overwhelmed or unable to cope as a result of pressures that are unmanageable."
Do your students really understand stress? This 5 minutes video explains and normalizes stress and teaches breathing strategies to help students with stress.
Student Leadership
Builder's Club
Autism Awareness Week - May 11-14
- The Builders Club raised monies to benefit Summit Educational Resources
- Students and staff were encouraged to support this cause is by wearing BLUE on days of in person attendance for that week.
- They also sold Autism puzzle shaped suckers in the cafeteria during lunches that week for $1 each.
Be a Builder's Club Member!
If you are interested in being an officer for Builders Club next school year, complete the online application by June 1. The application can be accessed through the QR code on posters around the building or from the Lew-Port Builders Club website. If you have any questions, contact Mrs. Oddy or Mrs. Rampado.
8th Graders Making Music
Check out this article that talks about the project!
WEB Leaders begin to recruit for next year's leaders.
Lewiston-Porter Middle School 8th grade WEB Leaders are beginning the recruitment process for the 2021-22 school year. Coordinators and Leaders met with the entire 7th grade in a large (socially distanced) group to provide a brief introduction to the program. The WEB Leaders then pushed into 7th grade NEST to promote the program and answer questions. They had students join our WEB Google Classroom, which contains all of the information that they will need to apply to be a WEB leader for next year. WEB looked a little different this year, but we are looking forward to getting back to more “normal” activities next year!
Current WEB leaders along with our new 7th Grade WEB leaders will be tour guides for the 5th grade students who will be coming to tour the Middle School in June in preparation for their transition to 6th grade!
Washington D.C. trip 2022
- By now you may be aware that the 2021 Middle School trip to Washington, D.C. has been postponed. While that is disappointing, the good news is that now ALL current Middle School students will be eligible to travel to D.C. in 2022.
- Next April 30th - May 2nd, 2022 a group of 7th, 8th, & 9th grade students will be traveling to Washington, D.C.
- Many students are already registered. Interested students can check the list outside of Social Studies classrooms.
- Anyone still interested should contact Mr. Bollinger or connect using the QR code to Mr. Bollinger’s D.C. Google Classroom that can be found on the posters throughout the school. Be sure to join and check it out. You can also check the Middle School website for details.
- The Early Bird Registration Deadline is June 4, so don't delay to get your discount if you are considering going to DC in 2022.
Pillar 3 - Community and Culture
Redefining Student Success Team
- As part of the District wide Strategic plan implementation, the Lew-Port Redefining Student Success team is currently looking for stakeholder response to this question, “What’s the single most important student trait that leads to individual student success?”
- After the responses have been collected, “word clouds” will be created from each stakeholder group to show the responses. That information will also be used by the Student Success Team for their next-steps in our Strategic plan process.
- A representative group of students will be meeting on May 25 with the Strategic Planning Group to give their input and perspective on what attributes are most important for a Lewiston Porter student when they exit at graduation.
Birthday Treats and Celebrations!
- Looking to do something special for a birthday or special treat for a student? Our cafeteria staff can help.
- Orders for birthday treats and special occasions can be placed for students through our kitchen liaison, Anna Thomas. As you are aware, students aren't able to bring in treats or food items due to Covid - 19.
- If you would like to place an order, there is an updated birthday and celebration menu on the website. Anna would like you to know that they are also happy to work with parents if you would like to order something different or special for their child as well.
- If you have any questions, please feel free to contact athomas@lew-port.com or call the high school and ask for extension 7288 and she will be more than happy to help.
Calendar Updates
- Currently, the State Education Department is allowing all synchronous and asynchronous days to be counted toward the 180 days of required school. This gives us many days available beyond the required 180 days of instruction.
- In terms of the school calendar, we have three (3) weeks where there would be a change in the schedule; please make note of these changes.
Week of May 24th (Memorial Day Holiday Break):
Monday, 5/24 - Virtual Learning (Remote Monday Schedule)
Tuesday, 5/25 - Green Group Attends
Wednesday, 5/26 - White Group Attends
Thursday, 5/27 - Memorial Day Holiday Recess Non-Instructional Day - No Student Attendance
Friday, 5/28 - Memorial Day Holiday Recess Non-Instructional Day - No Student Attendance
*Memorial Day Federal Holiday is Monday - 5/31
Upcoming Dates/Events (Subject to change. Please use other sources to confirm/verify)
May 24 - All students on campus for In Person Instruction
May 25 - All students on campus for In Person Instruction
May 26 - All students on campus for In Person Instruction
May 27 - Memorial Day Holiday Recess Non-Instructional Day - No Student Attendance
May 28 - Memorial Day Holiday Recess Non-Instructional Day - No Student Attendance
May 31 - Memorial Day Holiday Recess Non-Instructional Day - No Student Attendance
June 21 - Last Day for In person instruction
June 22-25 Regents Exams
Lewiston-Porter Middle School
Website: www.lew-port.com
Location: 4061 Creek Road, Youngstown, NY, USA
Phone: 716-286-7201
Twitter: @LewPortMS
Don’t forget to follow us on Twitter! @LewPortMS and if you see something great with our students or staff, share it with us using #lewport!