In that tomorrow night we will have our first Town Hall meeting (Viscaya Club House at 7:00 p.m.), I would like to re-post our Frequently Asked Questions for 2009-2010. This was also a hand out at a parent coffee in September. We would like to be prepared for your questions at the Town Hall meeting so please email me directly any questions you may have.
Thank you in advance and we look forward to seeing you on Thursday.
Sincerely,
Ron Roukema
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I go for the most up to date information on Middle School Events? http://teachers.sachina.org/mspudong
1. Explanation of CISSA sign-ups. When do they have them and how do
the kids sign up?
Information pages regarding CISSA philosophy and the 2009-2010 schedule can be found on the CISSA blog. Students sign up for the different sports seasons during lunch hours, usually several weeks before a particular season starts. Notification of upcoming registration is also placed on the CISSA blog.
2. Schedule/rotation explanation with regards to Specials
We do have PE, Band and Global Languages on a 3 out of 4 day rotation, Art on a 2 out of 4 days and Health 1 out of 4 days. Our philosophy is for middle school is to expose students to a variety of activities. This will not only enhance their learning but also help them develop a healthy, well-balanced life. It is true that some of your students have PE twice in a day. This is an experiment with the Fitness component for PE and will be evaluated at the end of the first quarter.
3. Humanities class in grade 6 and 7 meets for the same amount of time than any other core classes. How will the teachers cover the curriculum for two subjects?
The Humanities Philosophy is more than just a class that meets during the core block. The entire middle school must be focused on the philosophy. In schools our size it is common to integrate subjects through the use of a flexible core block. The three core teachers have common planning to discuss how integrate vocabulary, grammar, writing and critical reading in to each subject. Additionally, through authentic opportunities (electives and specials) students are engaged in reflection, writing, and reading in areas of interest. Furthermore, the teachers are provided additional time with core teachers (45 minutes every other day) to work in Advisory on grade appropriate areas. To facilitate the integration of language arts in to math and science these classes are given additional time in the weekly schedule. Therefore, math and science receive over 225 minutes each of contact time in a four day schedule compared to 180 minutes over a four day period at Puxi. In grade 7, the teachers use an Extended Learning Opportunity block to reinforce skills that are taught in Humanities such as grammar, reading and writing with the content areas. This strengthens not only a student’s comprehension of the material but also helps them transfer skills to other disciplines.
4. When will student directories be published and distributed?
Student directories are usually distributed at the end of September.
5. Can the students arrive to homeroom 10-15 minutes early so they
have more time to get organized?
Supervision for students begins at 7: 40 each morning.
Our staff arrives to campus on buses just prior to the designated supervised visits to the instructional areas.
6. ASA’s – There are not enough choices for the kids. Need alternatives to
sports.
Our Electives program is world class. Through this program, we have 100% participation of Middle School students, an unreachable total if we were we to schedule such offerings through the more traditional format of after-school activities. Additionally, we offer Homework Opportunity Time (H.O.T.), After School Activities (ASA) and CISSA which offers a comprehensive sports program. This year’s Middle School Musical will also add balance to our offerings.
7. Please post all homework on blogs.
While individual grade-level teams set their Blog policy, all teams agree on two major premises: one, all major tests and assignments will be posted on Blog; and two, from grade six on, teachers must emphasize a shift in responsibility for daily homework to the students. Because we value this responsibility, and the skills of note taking and recording homework that are stressed in Advisory, students are taught to write down their own homework in their agendas rather than depending on parents looking it up on Blog. Please view your child’s agenda, and if you have any concerns about the ways they are tracking their homework, feel free to contact his/her teacher.
8. Wednesday afternoon is a great time for HOT. Why is this time not
utilized?
With a school like SAS, it is vital that one day of the week be left for administrators and teachers to meet, coordinate curriculum with colleagues at Puxi, and hold full-staff meetings. Teachers are required to be available until 4:30 for these purposes, and as such are unavailable to students on that day only.
9. Some parents would like end of year exams.
Middle School research and philosophy has led most Middle Schools to replace end-of-year summative assessments with more effective assessment tools. However, given the pressure on new grade nines to adjust to high school, a discussion is planned with the grade eight teams about the possible benefits of an end-of-year exam
10. Please make sure language classes (Spanish, French, Chinese) are coordinating with core classes in regard to homework load and testing.
Our teachers are aware of the importance of communicating within the grade level. This of course presents extra challenges to our Specialist teachers who often teach at all three grade levels; nevertheless, we will remind them to continue to seek new ways to ensure homework and testing are balanced.
11. Why am I being asked to fill out all these Health Forms? Health and Safety have to be at the forefront of our concern. We all need to know that our families are in an environment that meets the standards of a predetermined level. As we are an American school we follow the American CDC vaccination recommendations. This is different to the Canadian, Taiwanese and other countries schedules and sometimes causes confusion for parents. Most kids have had the last vaccination around 4 to 6 years of age. All students require a Tdap vaccination for tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis between the ages of 11 and 12 years.
12. What does 1:1 Computing mean for a SAS student?
Technology 2012: The Future of Learning @ SAS
Rolled out in the Student Programs Committee and discussed in the Board’s finance committee, the plan will provide every SAS student in grades 7, 8, 9 and 10 with a laptop computer and associated softward. In approving the plan the Board voted to allow the levying of a technology fee for laptops for students in grades designated by the administration.
Beginning with school year 2009-2010 SAS students in grades 7, 8, 9 and 10 will receive a 1:1 Technology laptop bundle that includes:
• Macbook Computer with 2 GB of RAM
• Intel Core 2 Duo
• 2GB DDR2 Memory
• NVIDIA GeForce 9400M graphics
• Custom SAS Computer Bag
• Software including: Microsoft Office, iLife, iWorks, Adobe CS and specialized content area software.
• Access to network services and software necessary for classroom and school collaborative experiences.
• 3 year Apple care Warranty
What will 1:1 mean to my student?
As I stated last week, we have been planning this educational change at SAS for some time. Because of this, we have many schools that have gone before us as it pertains to 1:1 computing, and the educational results are quite impressive.
One particular study listed these benefits: Laptop classes were more active learning environments. Most revealing was the Laptop students’ superiority in using the computer as a learning tool. Laptop students were more attentive and interested in learning. (Lowther and Ross, 2003).
Ubiquitous computing
Ever more prevalent, and presupposing at least a 1:1 ratio between students and computers, is the concept of “ubiquitous computing” (Weiser, 1991).
Computers are embedded in everyday life activities to the point of “invisibility,” so that we unconsciously and effortlessly harness their digital abilities as effort-saving strategies for achieving the benefits of “distributed intelligence” (Pea, 1993).
At a National Research Council workshop on improving learning with information technologies that brought together K-12 educators, learning scientists and technology industry leaders, Pea et al. (2003) characterized 1:1 computing as an essential “first transformation” for realizing the potential of computing to support learning and educational processes.
Laptop students demonstrate superior writing skills and have two seemingly important advantages over non-Laptop students. One is that their teachers placed greater emphasis on research and problem-solving tasks. Second, Laptop students have greater accessibility to and better skills at using application software geared to solving open-ended learning problems. (Lowther and Ross, 2003)
In the Year 1 evaluation of the program results indicated greater uses in the Laptop classes of student-centered teaching strategies, such as project-based learning independent inquiry/research, teacher as coach/facilitator, and cooperative learning. Overall, the Laptop classes were “busier” and more active learning environments. Most revealing was the Laptop students’ superiority in using the computer as a learning tool. (Lowther and Ross, 2003)
Another positive impact is suggested from the significant finding in Grade 5 (and directional trend in Grades 6 and 7) for Laptop students to be more attentive and interested in learning relative to Control students. (Lowther and Ross, 2003)
If you \have other questions that you would like to see answered, please feel free to email our teachers, counselors or administrators.
