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MIDDLE SCHOOL REDESIGN INFORMATION The district will be reviewing the Middle Schools and considering making some changes. We have created this website to collect and distribute information about this process. At the bottom of the page is an active blog that we invite you to leave comments. September 2012 Dear White Plains School Families, If you are reading this, no doubt you are well aware of our plan to redesign our successful middle school program to make it even better. Starting in September 2013, all incoming sixth-graders will attend our Eastview campus for a specialized sixth grade only campus. All seventh and eighth grade students will attend our Highlands campus. I am chairing an Implementation Team made of up middle school teachers and the two principals. Based on the extensive research on the subject, some of which is posted on this site for your review, we are planning specific ways to enhance the middle school experience so that the transition from elementary school into adolescence –middle school, high school and college - is a successful journey for all students. We are redesigning the middle school experience to ensure that each student will have a stronger connection to their teachers and to each other. We are planning for a school experience that will build up the confidence and the skills of each child so that they will be prepared for the rigor of the upper middle school and eventually for the challenging courses available at the high school level. We know that many students make lifelong decisions about themselves at this age. We know that defining who they are as students and how they imagine a future for themselves takes root at this crucial age. Please review the previous letter posted on this site (February 2012) as well as the articles. The Implementation Team will be posting minutes of our meetings so that you can follow our progress. After our November meeting with the joint faculties of both schools, I will start a new blog so that parents, students as well as staff can offer ideas and comments as we move towards our 2013 opening. The State Education Department is impressed with our efforts. They have provided some grant funding so that we can build a digital media lab at Highland, similar to the facility we built at East View, expand our AVID program, and provide staff training to constantly improve on how we prepare of our students to nurture and realize their dreams. Sincerely, Superintendent Click aqui para Español ________________________________________________________ Middle School ReDesign Steering Committee Dr. Christopher P. Clouet, Facilitator
Fundamental Guiding Ideas From Breaking Ranks (full set available in the reference files link below) these are the fundamental guiding ideas that will frame the decision making process for Middle School Redesign.
Recognizing that schooling is a continuum, educators must understand what is required of students at every stage and ensure a smooth transition academically and socially for each student from grade to grade and from level to level.
Click below for the link to SCHOOLS TO WATCH and the Forum to Accelerate Middle School Reform: 2012-13 MS ReDesign Committee - Oct. 17, 2012 Meeting Notes 2012-13 MS ReDesign Committee - Oct. 3, 2012 Meeting Notes 2012-13 MS ReDesign Committee - Aug. 27, 2012 Meeting Notes 2012-13 MS ReDesign Committee - Aug. 15, 2012 Meeting Notes Should Sixth Grade be in Elementary or Middle School? An Analysis of Grade Configuration and Student Behavior Putting MS Students on Graduation Path Breaking Ranks in The Middle: Strategies for Leading Middle Level Reform Answers to Parent Questions Regarding Middle School ReDesign - This document reflects some of the questions parents have brought up to Mrs. Diane Cassidy, a member of the MS ReDesign Steering Committee. They will all be discussed by the committee. College Readiness Begins in Middle School-ACT Policy Report Public Forum Presentation - September 2011 Public Forum Presentation - February 2012 (En Español) How EQ Is Key to Mental Health and Student Success Middle Schoolers Getting Prepped for College Gaining Ground in the Middle Grades: Why Some Schools Do Better?
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