September 30, 2016

In this post...

• MYP
• Student Leadership
• Coffee Talk
• Spring Journeys
• 6th Grade Trip to the Waterhouse Center
• What We Are Learning...highlights from Arts and Math.
• Things To Do in our Community

MYP

If you've been in the Middle School this week, you may have noticed an addition to the stairwell to the MS Lounge - a beautiful graphic depicting the front of the School with the attributes of the IB Learner Profile seeming to emanate from the building. This was designed by our colleague Cristiana Ventura in the Communications team. The image is particularly fitting this week as we submit our application to IB to be authorized for the MYP. Our work toward this over the last few years impacts not only the Middle School curriculum and experience; it also links the Lower School PYP to the Upper School DP. If we attain authorization, we will be one of very few schools in the US (and ever fewer independent schools) that offers all three programs. This is a truly distinctive aspect of our program!

The new graphic isn't the only visible reminder of our embrace of the MYP. In every classroom, you'll see the Statements of Inquiry for units being taught, as well as relevant concepts and contexts. As we move through the year, you'll see this language consistently applied by students, advisors, and teachers in conferences and progress reports. Please join me in congratulating the Middle School Faculty, with the leadership of our MYP Coordinator Mr. John Hunt, in completing this important (and consuming) step in the process.

Student Leadership

Student Council held its first meeting of the year! Officers Ranbir Pental (President), Caroline Hall (Vice President), and Pauline Deng (Secretary) were joined by newly elected class representatives Zoe Carlisle and Caleb Hyun (6th Grade), Kate Collie and Saul Kontos-Cohen (7th Grade), and Mary Belisle and Connor Stockton (8th Grade). The Council is already bursting with ideas and ready to plan upcoming events like the Fall Dance, Hallowgrams, and the annual Advisory Pumpkin Decorating Contest. Student Council is also designing and leading the re-introduction of Clubs to the Middle School! Clubs will meeting during the Friday Morning Activities block, and three six-week rounds of clubs will convene this year to give students an opportunity to try different things and explore new (or continued) interests. Thanks to our new Student Council for a great start to their year of leadership!

Coffee Talk

Thanks to all the 6th and 7th Grade parents who came to our first Grade Level Coffees last week and yesterday! Next week, 8th Grade Parents are invited to join for coffee and conversation on Thursday at 7:45am in the Dining Room. For this first round of Coffees, we'll use two recent articles as a starting point for conversation - Sue Shellenbarger's "What Teens Need Most from Their Parents," a synthesis of research on the affective development of teenagers, and Eileen Torrez's "The myth of the Ivy League," a reflection on the author's own academic journey and what she didn't get along the way (spoiler: constant focus on achievement diminished her sense of purpose and self-worth). We'll have a few copies of each article available, at the Coffees, so no need to print them out!

8th Grade Parents Coffee: Thursday, October 6

Spring Journeys

If you haven't already, please register your student for the Spring Journeys via the links below by October 16, 2016. 

• 6th Grade Journey to California To register your 6th Grader, click here.
• 7th Grade Journey to the Southwest To register your 7th Grader, click here.
• 8th Grade Journey to Costa Rica To register your 8th Grader, click here.

6th Grade Trip to the Waterhouse Center

The 6th Grade will visit the Waterhouse Center on October 21 for a day of team-building activities and and ropes-course challenges. This will require an early departure and a late arrival. 6th Graders should arrive at school by 7:30am and plan for a 5:30pm pickup. The Waterhouse Center requires a Release of Liability and a medical form for all participants. Please download and complete these brief forms (or pick them up from the Middle School Office) and return them to the Middle School Office by September 30.

What we are learning...

This week, we highlight our Arts and Math programs!

We're making music...

In Sixth Grade Strings class, students have completed a complete review of their entire Fifth Grade class in just six sessions. They are now moving on to new skills in playing style, bow technique, music reading and improvisation.

The Middle School Orchestra (now 22 members - the largest ever!) is starting three entertaining and fun pieces and is producing great sounds already. With the speedy progress we will be looking for special opportunities to perform both in and out of school. The new Advanced String Ensemble provides a more challenging outlet for the most developed players in the Middle School. The ensemble meets every Friday before school and will perform at the November 11 Veterans Day Chapel.

We had a great turnout for MS Chorus and Band auditions. Members have been selected and Chorus rehearsed on Tuesday. Band auditions have been extended until Friday for guitarists only.

Seventh Grade Music students completed their unit on Ancient Music and were assessed on drumming. They began a Band unit, learning drum, bass, keyboard and vocal parts for “Radioactive” and started rehearsing in their groups.

Eighth Grade Music students are studying The Blues, composing original Blues songs, and beginning a unit on the Broadway musical Hamilton.

We're doing math...

Both Seventh and Eighth Grade Math students have been reviewing basic operations with whole numbers, decimals, fractions, and integers. They put themselves into the role of teachers by figuring out the computing errors of some imaginary students. This provoked some insights. They used these insights to investigate of their own errors in math operations. In this investigation they selected operations in a number system that caused them some problems. They described these problems and then showed how to use the proper algorithm (recipe) to correctly find the answer. The work as a whole shows how to add, subtract, multiply, and divide with fractions, decimals, and negative numbers. The students who have already mastered basic operations investigated more complex topics such as irrational numbers or the Pythagorean Theorem. Much of the work is displayed in the middle school hallway.

This review is now completed and Seventh Graders are exploring equations. Eighth Graders are applying their quantitative skills to measures of central tendency using scatter plots and stem and leaf plots.

Sixth Grade Math students are building their number sense while working on operations with whole numbers. In class they have enjoyed group challenges where they need to arrange the expression to equal a specific value, create a “chain reaction” of expressions, and model powers. Most recently, students have been working on breaking numbers into their factors and discovering common multiples between numbers. In addition to focusing on whole number operations and number sense, sixth graders have been focusing on how to take notes in math. Next, we will build on whole number operations and begin working with fractions and decimals.

Things To Do in our Community...

Looking for ways to explore Tacoma and Seattle? Stay up to date with the events calendar on The Tacoma Weekly and Visit Seattle.

September 23, 2016

In this post...

• MYP
• Service Learning 
• So much stuff!
• Coffee Talk
• Spring Journeys
• Certificate of Immunization Status!
• 6th Grade Trip to the Waterhouse Center
• Coming to the Fair?
• What We Are Learning...highlights from Language & Literature and Science

MYP

Next week, we will be submitting our application to the IB to be authorized for the Middle Years Programme. This is the culmination of several years of research, reflection, professional development, and creativity on the part of our faculty and staff. The application asks for a good amount of factual information, such as details about program and campus, but the real core of the application revolves around two themes: articulation of our curriculum and reflection on the impact of the MYP framework on our program.

Schools articulate their curricula in a variety of ways. The "old school" approach focuses on the summary of content and topics that are taught. Some use structures that focus on essential questions, such as the mapping methods promoted by Heidi Hayes Jacobs. Others engage in "backward planning," using methods like Understanding by Design. Still others will focus on scaffolding the development of skills. The MYP framework attends to all of these aspects. As a conceptual and inquiry-driven framework, each unit begins with a Statement of Inquiry (SOI), a pithy (and often complex) phrase that piques students' questions and anticipates the ideas that are coming. Our students are beginning the year with SOIs like, "Absolute and relative locations have consequences for human and economic development," "Systems facilitate the analysis of evidence in an argument," and "The expression and interpretation of aesthetics can be influenced by philosophies and ways of life." The Learner Profile projects an end-goal, a vision of the qualities and attributes of an educated person. The Approaches to Learning (ATLs) provide a taxonomy of skills and strategies, and, guided by the MYP, we have been able to thoughtfully and thoroughly map out when and where particular skill clusters are deliberately introduced and developed.

The harder part is capturing (succinctly) the ways that the MYP framework has impacted our program. The IB philosophy and MYP framework already resonated beautifully with the Annie Wright mission, our Middle School program, and the collaborative atmosphere already present among the faculty, but the structural requirements of the MYP really forced us to deliberately articulate when and how we attend to student growth and learning. This process has allowed us to identify a few redundancies and gaps in the curriculum, and it has challenged us to be systematic in reviewing and reflecting on the program. It has also helped us to clarify priorities in our academic programming and catalyzed new courses like Design and Physical & Health Education. We had drawn on the language of the Learner Profile to formally recognize students who embody or strive toward those traits, and teachers draw on the language of the ATLs to talk about student progress in reports.

We will continue to share information and reflections about the MYP as an invitation to families to engage in deeper understanding of the framework and toward developing a common language about learning and growth, and we will keep you updated as we anticipate a spring visit by an authorizing team.

Service Learning

In Chapel this week, Tiffany Shaw, our All Schools Service Coordinator, launched our yearlong reflection on service learning by connecting it to the Learner Profile trait "Caring," inviting students to think broadly about what service to one's community means, and offering that it begins with choosing "to lead with kindness" in every interaction. Each month, we'll devote one MS Chapel to service learning, both to explore various aspects of service and to prepare for the Spring Service Learning Days which will give students a direct service experience. 

As we build the Middle School Service Learning Program, we are hoping to connect with a variety of local agencies that address issues like childcare, disabilities, education, eldercare, environmental stewardship, food insecurity, human rights, poverty, and violence. If you are connected to such groups, please send any contact information to Mr. Hulseman or Mrs. Shaw!

So much stuff

The lost-and-found bins are already overflowing! Items ranging from clothing and books to water bottles and bags have been sorted in the Library hallway. Please encourage your student to peruse the tables to find missing items. 

Coffee Talk

Thanks to all the 6th Grade parents who came to our first Grade Level Coffee yesterday! Next week, 7th Grade Parents are invited to join for coffee and conversation on Thursday at 7:45am in the Dining Room. For this first round of Coffees, we'll use two recent articles as a starting point for conversation - Sue Shellenbarger's "What Teens Need Most from Their Parents," a synthesis of research on the affective development of teenagers, and Eileen Torrez's "The myth of the Ivy League," a reflection on the author's own academic journey and what she didn't get along the way (spoiler: constant focus on achievement diminished her sense of purpose and self-worth). We'll have a few copies of each article available, at the Coffees, so no need to print them out!

7th Grade Parents Coffee: Thursday, September 29

8th Grade Parents Coffee: Thursday, October 6

Spring Journeys

If you haven't already, please register your student for the Spring Journeys via the links below by October 16, 2016. 

6th Grade Journey to California

• The 6th Grade will venture to San Francisco and Monterey Bay, exploring the natural landscape, the local culture and history, and engaging world-class museums like the Monterey Aquarium and the California Academy of Science. 
• This year, the group will depart early on Tuesday, May 2, 2017, and return late on Friday, May 5, 2017. 
• Shelli Strate is the Coordinator for the Journey to California. 
• To register your 6th Grader, click here.

7th Grade Journey to the Southwest

• The 7th Grade will traverse the terrain and culture of the Southwest, exploring the natural landscape of the desert and mesa regions of Nevada,  Utah, and Arizona and hiking some of the most beautiful canyons in the US. 
• This year, the group will depart early on Monday, May 1, 2017, and return late on Friday, May 5, 2017. 
• Kyle Price is the Coordinator for the Journey to the Southwest. 
• To register your 7th Grader, click here.

8th Grade Journey to Costa Rica

• The 8th Grade Journey to Costa Rica takes the group to the beaches, rainforests, and mountains of Central America! The experience includes exploration of the natural environment, the history and culture of Costa Rica, an opportunity to serve, and a chance for the Class of 2021 to bond one last time. 
• This year, the group will depart early on Monday, May 1, 2017, and return on Monday, May 8, 2017. 
• Students traveling to Costa Rica MUST have a passport that is valid until August 8, 2017 (3 months after the trip). International students must arrange for any appropriate visas to travel outside of the US and to Costa Rica, and they must plan to travel with original copies of essential documentation, such as I-9s. See the Costa Rica Embassy website for more details. 
• John Hunt is the Coordinator for the Journey to Costa Rica. 
• To register your 8th Grader, click here.

Certificate of Immunization Status (CIS)

All students must have a Certificate of Immunization Status (CIS) or appropriate waiver on file to attend school. Students who do not have a CIS on file by October 1 may not attend school. We will be reaching out to families of students missing this and other important health information in the coming weeks. If you are uncertain of whether your student's file is up to date, reach out to Nurse Paula. 

6th Grade Trip to the Waterhouse Center

The 6th Grade will visit the Waterhouse Center on October 21 for a day of team-building activities and and ropes-course challenges. This will require an early departure and a late arrival. 6th Graders should arrive at school by 7:30am and plan for a 5:30pm pickup. The Waterhouse Center requires a Release of Liability and a medical form for all participants. Please download and complete these brief forms (or pick them up from the Middle School Office) and return them to the Middle School Office by September 30.

Coming to the Fair?

If you're heading to the Puyallup Fair on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday, look for Carson McKee '21 and his horse, Flip, in the 4-H barn in the Pierce County section. He’ll be doing showmanship Friday morning at 7:30am, a public presentation sometime during the day Friday, and running the barrel race Friday afternoon at 4:30-5:30pm. All his other events start at 7:30 a.m. on Sat & Sun mornings. Best of luck to Carson!

What we are learning...

This week, we highlight our Language & Literature and Science programs!

We're doing Science...

In Sixth Grade science we are finishing up our beginning unit on the scientific method. With this unit we are looking at how the scientific method is a system that allows us to examine the world/universe. So far, students have conducted two experiments start to finish: how many drops of water fit on a penny, and how do different substances affect the amount of time it takes for alka-seltzer to dissolve. Now, students are preparing for their summative assessment, where they will conduct their own experiment. Some highlights: 

• 6th Grade students had a blast working on the alka-seltzer lab. Depending on what substance they tested, their alka-seltzer tablet could have produced quite the reaction! Some reactions even overflowed the beakers! 
• Students are also excited to design and perform their own experiment. They are investigating topics including how long it takes for candy to dissolve in different materials, which mentos and coke filled rockets shoot the highest, and how different acids react with alka-seltzer. I’m excited to see the end results! 

In 7th and 8th Grade Science, students are reviewing and expanding upon their ability to use the Scientific Method to explore the world around them. Both 7th and 8th Graders have designed a lab on viscosity. The 7th Graders are exploring the question, “How does the thickness of a liquid affect the speed that it flows?” and the 8th Graders have formed their own question about a factor that affects viscosity. Highlights so far include our observations on various liquids to build background knowledge on the topic. Ask your students about the hypotheses they wrote and if they can explain the scientific reasoning behind why the particles in high viscosity liquids flow differently than the particles in low viscosity liquids!

We're writing in Language & Lit...

The English curriculum through the Middle School builds each year. In 6th there’s a larger focus on the mechanical, in 7th the structural, and then in 8th the stylistic elements of writing.

If you’re a parent, it’s probably hard sometimes to know what middle school writing should look like. In 7th Grade at the start of the year, the students complete in-class essays on every F Day. The essays are always about the importance of a literary element in a short story, but the first essay is about the summer reading. The students can use their books and notes, but they do not know the question ahead of time. A couple days after taking the essay, the students see an anonymous example on the board to help direct the next F Day effort. Here is the first anonymous example the students saw. I have not edited it at all; this is what the student produced in the 45 minutes.

In one paragraph explain the importance of setting OR conflict in your summer book. In Shug by Jenny Han the conflict with Jack helps to develop the plot of the story. Anne Marie, the main character, is an average 7th grade girl that faces the struggles of friendships, love relationships and family issues throughout her middle school journey.  Anne Marie’s number one enemy, Jack, causes trouble throughout the book. Jack is major in her life because of the conflict that he brings. Most of the other boys in her class are not noticed as much by Anne Marie. The first conflict causes them to have to spend more time together. Anne Marie challenges him to a contest and she wins meaning he must carry her books for her. They still maintain a tense relationship but the plot starts to thicken around their new togetherness. The conflict caused Jack to be a new factor in her life, which helps create the new start of the plot; Anne Marie often thinks about Jack. Another example of how the plot is impacted by conflict is Anne Marie finds out she has to tutor Jack. He makes things difficult for her by not caring about the work and getting in trouble. This frustrates her and causes conflict between them. Through this conflict Anne Marie starts to care about his wellbeing and Jack about hers. The conflict becomes more flirtatious and this greatly develops the plot. In the end it creates an unexpected plot twist, Jack and Anne Marie fall in love. In this tale the conflict greatly influences and creates the plot.

I used this example because it effectively highlights the idea of reconnecting to the topic. Students sometimes think about paragraphs as an arbitrary number of sentences, but a paragraph is really a structured chunk of information. Communication requires structure--that’s the abbreviated statement of inquiry for this unit. I’ve given the students a scaffold for the basic paragraph structure, so they should know the parts of what they’re trying to write. You might ask to see your son’s or daughter’s first essay. With the example above, you’ll have some frame of reference for how things are going and how things can improve.

September 16, 2016

In this post...

• Coffee Talk
• Spring Journeys
• Certificate of Immunization Status!
• MS Performance Ensembles
• 6th Grade Trip to the Waterhouse Center
• Recycling & Composting on campus
• Messages in myAW
• What We Are Learning...highlights from Design and Language Acquisition

Coffee Talk

Next week, we will have our first round of MS Grade Level Parent Coffees! Each Coffee begins at 7:45am in the Dining Room and provides a chance for parents in a particular Grade Level to engage with each other, to hear about upcoming events, and to connect with Mr. Hulseman and other MS Faculty. For this first round of Coffees, we'll use two recent articles as a starting point for conversation - Sue Shellenbarger's "What Teens Need Most from Their Parents," a synthesis of research on the affective development of teenagers, and Eileen Torrez's "The myth of the Ivy League," a reflection on the author's own academic journey and what she didn't get along the way (spoiler: constant focus on achievement diminished her sense of purpose and self-worth). We'll have a few copies of each article available, at the Coffees, so no need to print them out!

6th Grade Parents Coffee: Thursday, September 22

7th Grade Parents Coffee: Thursday, September 29

8th Grade Parents Coffee: Thursday, October 6

Spring Journeys

Planning for the Middle School Spring Journeys is underway! Faculty are laying the groundwork for curricular connections, and our travel partners at Grand Classroom are already developing our itineraries. See below for a few starting points as we prepare for these exciting experiences and to register your student. Please register your student with Grand Classroom by October 16, 2016!

6th Grade Journey to California

• The 6th Grade will venture to San Francisco and Monterey Bay, exploring the natural landscape, the local culture and history, and engaging world-class museums like the Monterey Aquarium and the California Academy of Science. 
• This year, the group will depart early on Tuesday, May 2, 2017, and return late on Friday, May 5, 2017. 
• Shelli Strate is the Coordinator for the Journey to California. 
• To register your 6th Grader, click here.

7th Grade Journey to the Southwest

• The 7th Grade will traverse the terrain and culture of the Southwest, exploring the natural landscape of the desert and mesa regions of Nevada,  Utah, and Arizona and hiking some of the most beautiful canyons in the US. 
• This year, the group will depart early on Monday, May 1, 2017, and return late on Friday, May 5, 2017. 
• Kyle Price is the Coordinator for the Journey to the Southwest. 
• To register your 7th Grader, click here.

8th Grade Journey to Costa Rica

• The 8th Grade Journey to Costa Rica takes the group to the beaches, rainforests, and mountains of Central America! The experience includes exploration of the natural environment, the history and culture of Costa Rica, an opportunity to serve, and a chance for the Class of 2021 to bond one last time. 
• This year, the group will depart early on Monday, May 1, 2017, and return on Monday, May 8, 2017. 
• Students traveling to Costa Rica MUST have a passport that is valid until August 8, 2017 (3 months after the trip). International students must arrange for any appropriate visas to travel outside of the US and to Costa Rica, and they must plan to travel with original copies of essential documentation, such as I-9s. See the Costa Rica Embassy website for more details. 
• John Hunt is the Coordinator for the Journey to Costa Rica. 
• To register your 8th Grader, click here.

FAQs about the Journeys

What kind of information or payment do you need from us now?
We need you to register your student on the Grand Classroom site before October 16, 2016. You do not need to make any payment for this trip, as it's included in tuition. It is the expectation that all students participate in the Journeys, but if your student is not planning on traveling with the group for some reason, please notify Mr. Hulseman a.s.a.p. In late winter/early spring, we will prepare packets for students that include finalized itineraries and a variety of agreements and waivers that are essential for the trip. 

How do you keep parents up to date about the trip?
In advance of the trips, the Journeys Coordinators will keep parents up to date with any itinerary changes and other important information. During the trip itself, each Coordinator maintains a blog to share photos and updates about the experience as well as any last-minute travel changes, such as flight delays. 

Do you need chaperones? 
In addition to four AWS faculty members, for each trip we invite one medical professional, usually a current parent in the Middle School, to travel with the group, serve as a group chaperone, and tend to all medical needs of the group. If you are an MD, RN, PA, or NP and are interested in traveling with one of the Grades, please reach out to Mr. Hulseman or the Journey Coordinators. 

Can our family travel with or alongside the group?
We do not encourage families to travel along with the Grades, as it risks mitigating two important aspects of the experience - building community with classmates (students may feel obligated to spend time with family, or even feel torn about their families being present) and developing a sense of independence (this is their experience to tell you about, and each trip offers countless opportunities to make decisions, step out of comfort zones, self-advocate, and support others). While California, the Southwest, and Costa Rica are attractive destinations, we hope your student's stories about these places will inspire a family trip in the future! 

Certificate of Immunization Status (CIS)

All students must have a Certificate of Immunization Status (CIS) or appropriate waiver on file to attend school. Students who do not have a CIS on file by October 1 may not attend school. We will be reaching out to families of students missing this and other important health information in the coming weeks. If you are uncertain of whether your student's file is up to date, reach out to Nurse Paula. 

MS Performance Ensembles

MS Orchestra rehearsals are already underway! And next week, Ms. Gettel will hold auditions for the MS Select Chorus and MS Band. Auditions for Select Chorus will be on Tuesday, September 20 during Flex; students planning to audition do not need to prepare a song. Auditions for the MS Band will be on Friday, September 23rd; students planning to audition should bring their instrument (a piano and keyboards are available). For more information, reach out to Ms. Elizabeth Gettel. 

6th Grade Trip to the Waterhouse Center

6th Grade trip to the Waterhouse Center: The 6th Grade will visit the Waterhouse Center on October 21 for a day of team-building activities and and ropes-course challenges. This will require an early departure and a late arrival. 6th Graders should arrive at school by 7:30am and plan for a 5:30pm pickup. The Waterhouse Center requires a Release of Liability and a medical form for all participants. Please download and complete these brief forms (or pick them up from the Middle School Office) and return them to the Middle School Office by September 30.

Recycling and Composting on Campus

It's not easy being "green." It takes a lot of coordination and the mindful actions of every member of the community (and our 4th Graders do an awful lot of that, taking out and sorting the compost bins after lunch every day). While on campus, please dispose of recyclable and compostable materials in appropriately marked bins. If sending food to campus with your student, either for lunch or for a special occasion, please consider sending compostable materials (napkins, plates, utensils) and reminding your student to dispose of these items accordingly. 

Messages in myAW

Please remember to check your messages in the myAW portal. When logging in to myAW, you will see the Messages icon at the top of the site if on a laptop or desktop, and in the drop down menu on a smartphone. The number of unread messages is highlighted in red. You can set up notifications about these messages by visiting your profile. For a quick tutorial on how to set up notifications, watch this short video. While email is often the easiest and fastest way to communicate, large distribution lists (like emails to a large group of parents) sometimes flag our server as "spam." We depend on the Message function in myAW for large group notifications, including some communications from Advisors and information about Athletics. 

What we are learning...

This week, we highlight our Design and Language Acquisition Programs!

We're doing Design...

Design is in its third year as a Middle School course at AWS. This is an ungraded course that challenges students to develop their skills in creative problem solving, developing empathy, time management, and rapid prototyping. Using the Design Cycle criteria - inquiry and analysis, developing ideas, creating a solution, and evaluating - each unit builds on concepts, focusing on the process rather than the end product. Whether your Sixth Grader is currently designing hamster habitats, or your Seventh Grader redesigning a client’s locker, or your Eighth Grader working as a team to design a new app, each student is developing skills that can be used across the board in all subjects. We encourage you to follow along with your child’s progress by reading his or her personal Design Blog and seeing the Design Cycle in action!

We're exploring Latin American culture...

Bienvenido (Welcome) to a new year of exciting Language Acquisition and cultural learning in the Annie Wright Middle School. Our students are getting back into the groove of meeting their goal of 90% target language while in the classroom. This year, opportunities will be given outside the classroom for students to enrich their personal experience with the spoken language and cultural observances. As opportunities become available, Senora Paco will send out an invitation for you to accompany your student to events in our community that are safe, fun, and will motivate your student to participate in a Spanish-speaking environment. Participation in the event is not required.

Our first event, Fiestas Patrias, will take place this Saturday, September 17th at the Fisher Pavilion in Seattle. Sra Paco will be in attendance from 12pm-3pm and would love for you and your student to also come and enjoy the festivities and to celebrate Latin American independence. Please contact her either by email (jessica_paco@aw.org) or text/call 541-968-8999 with questions and/or to sign up. Hope to see you there!

We're learning Chinese...

There are 24 students in the Middle School Chinese program this year. We just moved to a “new” place. This is what our “new” classroom looks. We are so excited about the move. Now, this classroom is easier than the “old” one to access the Middle School lounge, and has less distraction and bigger size. While we lost the good view and the breeze on the 3rd floor, but we all like it.

I would like to welcome all my Chinese students, particularly the Sixth Graders Lauren Arnold, Kendall, Emma Holmes, Caleb Hyun, Tyson, Johnston, McKayla Jones-Bishop, Jonathan Lane, and Jack Montgomery; Seventh Grader Beatrice Gomlak, and Eighth Graders Emilie Haedt and Noelle Hwang. Sharing why they chose to study Chinese, some stated that they wanted to be ambassadors in the future or do business with Chinese as the economy in China is growing fast. Some told me that they were interested in Chinese culture because it is very old. Some wanted to learn Chinese in order to travel in China on their own, and others just simply like Chinese food.

I gave each of my Chinese students a Chinese name. They feel very cool. This year, we will try to speak as much Chinese in the class as possible and apply more authentic teaching materials. We will learn Chinese under the frame of MYP unit and may not exactly follow our textbooks. We will employ some good changes to the class to make the Chinese learning more effective and fun.

September 9, 2016

In this post...

• Mr. Hulseman's September Letter
• What We Are Learning...
• Important Reminders Concerning Traffic & 10th Street
• Signing in and Signing out!
• Dress Uniform
• After School Clubs
• MS Tech Orientation & Using Technology at Home
• Anticipated Absences
• myAW Course Portals
• A few notes on the schedule...
• MYP

Mr. Hulseman's September Letter

“The Summer Day”

Who made the world?

Who made the swan, and the black bear?

Who made the grasshopper?

This grasshopper, I mean -

the one who has flung herself out of the grass,

the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,

who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down -

who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.

Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.

Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.

I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.

I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down

into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,

how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,

which is what I have been doing all day.

Tell me, what else should I have done?

Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?

Tell me, what is it you plan to do

with your one wild and precious life?

--Mary Oliver 

In our first Middle School Chapel this week, we heard this poem, and I shared the two reasons I love it. First, the poet spends a lot of time paying attention to one single grasshopper and notices things that she'd never noticed before. In this, Oliver demonstrates what it means to be mindful, to pay attention. Instead of dwelling in abstract questions, she lands firmly on the ground, noticing the discreet details of a single grasshopper's actions. The second reason I love this poem is the question with which she concludes the poem. "Tell me," she asks, after paying attention to what the grasshopper is doing with her life, "what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?" Paying attention, the poet implies, leads us to big questions - not just abstract suppositions but questions of purpose. Chapel is a time when we gather as an entire community (on Mondays) and as a Division (on Wednesdays) to stop, pay attention, and, hopefully, develop a deeper and maybe even shared sense of purpose and connection. 

As we enter the academic year, we also enter a political season that is already tense. Our job as educators is to make a space where students can develop a sense of self-awareness and an awareness of others, articulate good questions, and grow in both conviction and compassion. I hope that our students and all members of the community will be able to stop, pay attention, and seek understanding about each other's beliefs and motivations. It is because of this kind of attentive listening that we will ensure that we move through the political season respectfully, strengthening our already strong community. 

We are adapting our communication strategy (which you can already tell if you're reading this!), in large part in response to the feedback we received via a survey this summer - thanks for your feedback! The weekly Flash will aim to provide the most pressing and time sensitive information and to put important topics on your radar, and this blog will provide more insights into the program and general announcements. Please note the items below on this blog, and feel free to reach out with questions or concerns at any time. I'd also like to invite you to follow me on Twitter - @AWSMiddleSchool - for snapshots and highlights of our day-to-day. You can also follow Vicki Ball (@AWSLowerSchool), Jake Guadnola (@AWSUpperSchool) and Christian Sullivan (@AWSHead) to stay in touch with all three Divisions. 

September is already flying by, and there's one more important thing to say: thank you! Thank you for bringing your students to Annie Wright, for partnering with us to support their intellectual and personal growth. Thank you for the many ways you support our students. And thank you for participating in our mission to cultivate "individual learners to become well-educated, creative, and responsible citizens for a global society." It's a hefty task, and I'm glad we're all in this together!

Sincerely, 
Bill Hulseman
Director of Middle School

What we are learning...

The school year is off to a stimulating start! Our two day Orientation Trip brought students and faculty to Millersylvania State Park for a variety of group activities, giving Advisory groups, Grades, and the whole MS a chance to connect and welcome new members to the community. Many of the activities were shaped around the theme of journeys, inspired in part by the film “The Princess Bride.”

In future weeks, this section will link to a blog for Middle School families to follow, in more depth, highlights from our academic program. Each week, two subject areas will be featured, giving you a glimpse of what is happening across the curriculum. Stay tuned for plenty of rich insights into our program!

Announcements

Important reminders concerning Traffic & 10th Street:

• Please be attentive to Faculty & Staff who are directing traffic at morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up.
• Parking is never allowed in the 10th Street Circle between 7:30-8:30am and 2:30-3:30pm.
• Parking on the AWS side of 10th Street is for short-term parking only.
• Parking is never permitted on the opposite side of 10th Street without a residential permit.
• When pulling into the 10th Street Circle during drop-off and pick-up, pull all the way forward (to the Pottery Shed).
• Never stop to pick up or drop off students from the left lane of the Circle or from the middle of 10th Street.

Signing in and out!

When coming into the building, please remember to sign in at either the Front Door or the Day School Office/10th Street Entrance. All visitors, including parents, should wear a nametag at all times while on campus. This is extremely important, both for emergency purposes and for identification with students throughout the building. If you are on campus without a nametag, please don't be surprised if a staff member (or even a student) asks you to sign in and pick up a nametag. 

On a similar note, please do not enter the main building except at 10th Street or the Front Door on Tacoma Ave. Parents should never ask students to open other doors, such as the MS doors at the end of the Circle, or Dining Room doors.  

Dress Uniform

Students looked sharp for photos on our first Dress Uniform day! However, many students didn’t have dress shoes. Please remember that black dress shoes are required for all students, and black belts are required for students wearing khakis. This information was included in Summer News and is posted in the Day School Handbook. Please ensure that your student is fully outfitted before the next Dress Uniform day.

After School Clubs

Sign up is open for After School Clubs! Middle School offerings include Python Programming (coding), Film Club, and Improv Club! For more information, see the Extended Day page on myAW or reach out to Katelyn Hoffman. 

MS Tech Orientation & Using Technology at Home

Before school started, we introduced a new tradition to Middle School - Tech Orientation! All students who are new to the MS (the entire 6th Grade and new 7th & 8th Graders) and their parents were required to participate in a tech orientation session that covered everything from setting up laptops and accounts to policies and procedures at school and at home. Part of these sessions prompted students and their parents to come to some agreements about technology at home. As the new school year begins, we encourage all families to continue the conversation about using technology at home. Consider these questions as prompts:  

• When should students' laptops be in use?
• Where can students use the laptop?
• Who can your student communicate with digitally?
• When can students use the laptop for non-schoolwork related activities?
• How many hours a day can students use the laptop?
• What are acceptable activities on the laptop?
• What are the consequences for violating these agreements?

Anticipated Absences

As noted in the Handbook, MS students are required to notify their teachers at least 10 days ahead of an anticipated absence (for a family trip, for a non-AWS athletics competition or any other non-AWS event, for a religious observance, etc.). Absence Request forms are available in the Day School Office with Mr. Hicks, and they are to be signed by each of the student's teachers, her/his Advisor, and Mr. Hulseman. The ten-day notice gives the student plenty of time to develop a plan with her/his Advisor and teachers about scheduled work and assessments. If you know that your student will be absent later in the year, feel free to notify her/his Advisor now. 

myAW Course Portals

Course pages on myAW provide students and families access to the Gradebook, homework assignments, and other course information. This fall, we have faced a number of glitches in importing the new schedule, sections, and course information into the portal, but those glitches should be resolved by next week. If you or your student is still having trouble accessing her/his schedule or homework next week, please let Mr. Hulseman know!

A few notes on the schedule...

As you know, we have implemented a 6-day schedule for the Day School, and we've been getting some consistently asked questions! 

Why did you implement a 6-day schedule?

This was sparked largely by our process of working toward authorization as an MYP school. MYP requires each student to have 50 hours of instruction in each of 8 subject areas - Arts (Visual Art and Music), Design, Individuals & Society (aka Social Studies), Language Acquisition (Spanish and Chinese), Language & Literature (aka English), Math, Physical & Health Education (formerly called PE), and Science. In the MYP framework, PHE is not the same as Athletics, and so we've introduced PHE, which focuses on wellness, health, and a variety of approaches to social-emotional well-being) into the academic schedule. Squeezing one more course into an already rich program required a thoughtful analysis of our schedule. The team of faculty that looked at different models settled on a 6-day rotation that allows for more even distribution of specials and uninterrupted academic days (there are no "lost Mondays" in this kind of schedule). 

What are the benefits of this kind of schedule?
For us, the biggest benefit of the 6-day schedule is that it allows us to maintain our rich and varied program with fewer transitions during the day and longer instructional periods. Fewer transitions will have an impact on the student experience of stress, and longer periods directly benefit the process of learning. A rotating schedule also allows for an uninterrupted flow of class days - we won't "lose" Monday classes because of holidays. Another important consideration is that these kinds of schedules promote self-management in students - a student must think through the flow of each day and maintain her or his planner, as the schedule will provide variety each week in terms of the juxtaposition of classes (on a 6-day cycle) with community events (like Chapel, Flex, Long Advisory, and Clubs, on a Monday-Friday cycle). 

What are the downsides of this kind of schedule?
It's tough for teachers to transition to new schedules. Often, students are able to pick it up within a week, while teachers take a little more time to accommodate a new way of thinking about the structure of the learning cycle. Another downside is that, while the Middle School is sharing the 6-day cycle with the Lower School, the Upper School uses a Monday-Friday schedule that is developmentally and programmatically appropriate. For interdivisional interaction, this will require creative planning. 

How does my student know what Letter Day it is?

All MS students received a calendar of letter days (which is also published in the Handbook), and were encouraged to write the Letter Days into their planners. The letter day is posted throughout the building, including the board outside the Middle School Office and in every classroom. 

MYP

Over the course of the year, this blog will continue to offer insights, reflections, and updates on our engagement with the IB Middle Years Programme. MYP is an inquiry driven, conceptually based framework that resonates with the Annie Wright program in so many ways, and in October year we will be submitting our application to be authorized as an MYP school. Among other elements, you'll notice particular MYPisms throughout our program, including the titles of particular subject areas (such as Individuals & Society versus Social Studies or Language Acquisition versus Modern or Foreign Language), and you'll hear a lot about the IB Learner Profile, those attributes that reflect the end-goal of IB education. Walking through the halls and in classrooms, you'll also see unit overviews and Statements of Inquiry that identify the concepts and contexts that frame what and how students are learning. If you have any questions about the MYP and our work toward authorization, feel free to reach out to Bill Hulseman or John Hunt, MYP Coordinator.