- 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.
- 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.
- 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!
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.
