|
|
Patty Brinkman |
|
 Frequently Asked QuestionsYour Question is Our Opportunity! What would you like to know?
Do you ever permit a child to switch Houses? Not usually. Under extreme circumstances, if a placement in one House does not work out, the Principal may permit a child to switch to the other House. However, there is a 4-step process to this change which includes parents and teachers meeting to explore what is not working and develop strategies to correct it; then giving time to implement those strategies; then coming together again with parents, teachers, counselor to evaluate what worked and what did not work with this change. Finally, after attempts to take corrective action have been exhausted, the Principal may decide to permit a House change. My child takes medication regularly. How can I get the school's help with this? Our school nurse, Ms. Juanita McLeod, is expert at handling this and any other health-related issues. Some students take medication at school in a quiet, confidential setting with our school nurse. Contact the counselor or the nurse for any questions or to set up this arrangement. Some students are very organized and bring papers back and forth from school to home without a hitch. Other students seem to leave all the deadline and important papers one place or the other! We have three ways to improve the chances that you are informed about what's happening at school. First, our Principal, Mr. Crocker, sends weekly "Falcon Footnotes" e-mail newsletters to all parents highlighting general activities around school; ANY parent without e-mail or preferring a hard copy can contact our school and we will send it in the U.S. mail. Secondly, our House Teachers send out weekly "Week In Preview" notes, also on e-mail to all parents in the House about what work is coming up for the week; again any parent may ask for a hard copy to be sent home by U.S. mail instead. Thirdly, parents may contact their child's homeroom teacher or the school counselor to be sure to ask that ANY notices going home be sent through the mail instead (or in addition) to handing them out in class. Sports tryouts, sign-ups and announcements are included in these updates. Many of my child's friends are in the other House. Will they see each other during the day? During the school day, the two Houses are generally together only during lunch however even then, students generally sit by House. Students may earn a "Falcon Pass" however, and this pass gives them the privilege of open seating during lunch. Otherwise, students of the different Houses mingle usually before and after school. What does "Vertical Teaming" mean? How is my child affected? Lyman Moore particiaptes in what is called "vertical teaming." In "vertical teaming" the students are divided into two different Houses at the beginning of their sixth grade year and these students remain associated with this "House" (either Katahdin or Cadillac) for three years, with different teachers as determined by who is teaching grade 6, 7 or 8. This way, students remain with their same peers throughout the three years and the 6th 7th and 8th grade teachers in each vertical team can work with each other to develop continuity throughout the curriculum. Vertical teaming also makes it possible for subject area teachers to occasionally meet with each other to ensure continuous student learning that builds on the work covered the previous years. Students are "placed" into a House at the beginning of their middle school education. This way, "placement" does not happen again and again in each of the later grades. What is a "House" and a "Pod" and what does that have to do with grouping? Sometimes, in spite of ourselves, one of the things we do best in education is use unusual words and then we assume everyone knows what we're talking about! If you are not new to Lyman Moore then most of this is familiar to you. But if you are new to the Portland schools or to Lyman Moore, I'll explain. The "House" concept in middle schools is a structure that allows a school to have smaller "Learning Communities" within one grade. In 2007, Lyman Moore began "Vertical Teaming" and we now have two House names representing two Vertical Teams -- that is, students who stay with their same peers (their "team" or their "House)as they go up from grade 6 to 7 to 8. Our "Houses" are "Katahdin House" and Cadillac House" named after two beautiful mountains in Maine. Katahdin is the name for one of the vertical strands of 6th 7th and 8th grade Houses, and Cadillac is the name for the other 6th 7th and 8th grade House. The benefits of the "House" concept in middle school education include: 1) House teachers plan together for the approximately 100 students per each House and can customize material or gear it toward one particular integrated unit of study. 2) The curriculum and the scheduling of content is more flexible for an interdisciplinary approach (meaning, teachers may explore how to combine two subjects ares together to explore a topic in depth from two different perspectives). 3) A field trip or a "theme" can be explored by one "House" so that students see a topic carried over perhaps from one subject to another, for example, Language Arts and Social Studies join together to explore different elements of the Constitution, or Civil War, yet combine those elements to get in-depth learning. 4)Students in one "House" or the other have a shared identity - students get a sense of belonging (and sometimes a little playful competition!) Schools use the words "House" or "Team" to describe that these are smaller "Learning Communities" within the school, working to enhance a smaller learning environment. A "Pod" at Lyman Moore refers to how teachers combine even smaller groups of students within the House. The "pod" is the small group of five or six students who are generally in all classes together with one another. Each class of 24 students or so, combines several "pods" in order to make a heterogeneous class mix. The students in the "pod" stay the same, but the mix of "pods" from class to class change to re-arrange all the students in the whole "House," so that no one class has exactly the same students as another class. The "pod" is not an ability-grouping but rather is a mix. Usually, a "pod" is a balance of different characteristics of students including learning-style, ability, gender or sending school. The "pod" may change periodically throughout the year, whereas, the "House" the student is in does not change. What is so important about the Houses both being "balanced?" This is why a change to another House may seem simple can skew this whole balance. Middle School truly is about adolescent development and all the adaptations required to help that transition into maturity as a young adult. Confidence to rise to accept the challenge of new learning in a new environment with new friends is one of the most crucial elements in this development and we believe parents will support this. How do Number Grades Translate into Letter Grades? What number grade translates to an "A" "B" "C" etcetera? 93 - 100 is an "A" or "Exceeds the Standard" 92 - 85 is a "B" or "Meets the Standard" 84 - 78 is a "C" or "Partially Meets the Standard" 70 - 77 is a "D" or "Does not Meet the Standard" 69 and below is a failing grade. We do not issue failing grades on report cards below a 60. My child has special needs. How will I be sure these needs are met? Our school has many specialists and resources in place to provide a range of services and supports for students with special needs. *Chapter 104 services: Consultation on behalf of students identified as among the top two percent of academic achievement in the areas of Science, Math, Language Arts, Social Studies and Art; This consultation is often broad and includes contact with parents. It may include co-facilitation of a group or project within the classroom or unique opportunities outside the classroom. * Individual Education Plans (Special Education, iep) are examined each year and a new iep meeting with parents, teachers and our Learning Strategist will help make clear how our specialists and regular education teachers can work to provide specialized instruction for your child. * Resource Room support is also available at certain times. This may be a special educator working with your child on one particular subject area to go over something more in-depth; or, it could be the special educator working with your child and other peers to teach some concept in a specialized way in advance of the regular education teacher presenting it to the whole class. Some students who do not qualify for special education services may also be provided service by our special educators in the Resource Room or in the regular classroom. * Section 504 Accommodation Plan is a specialized plan for students with a particular disabling condition that prevents them from fully accessing school in the way non-disabled students can. The Section 504 plan stipulates certain accommodations, or strategies and alterations that teachers and others will make to help the child get access to his or her education even in spite of the disability. * English Language Learning support is called "Academic English" support at Lyman Moore, and it is provided by trained certified specialists in learning English as a Second Language. This support may include working with small groups of students two or three times per week to enhance their understanding of the academic terms and vocabulary of learning. * Reading, Literacy Support with Read 180 includes providing specific reading instruction through a licensed program called Read180 two or three times per week for students identified with this need. Special Educators serve as Case Managers for students with an iep. Even though official "annual" meetings are held only once per year, parents may request a staffing, or consult meeting at any time throughout the year to check in about how things are working or to make adjustments along the way. Teachers meet each day with each other as a Team and parents may request to come in for a portion of that team meeting to discuss their child's learning needs or issues that need to be addressed. Lyman Moore teachers welcome parent input! You are invited to request a meeting with teachers, the counselor or others at any time. If you feel you need to have the Learning Strategist or an administrator join you to meet with the teachers, the teachers would welcome that as well; we all share the same goal for your child to enjoy learning and succeeding in every aspect of middle school life!  |
|
