Hey 6th Grade Jr. Huskies!
Yes…so far the start of this school year has been a very good one indeed! Activities and events that have helped contribute to this include:
• Tours of WMS in late spring and summer: These tours allowed 6th grade students and families to get acclimated to WMS, helping to ease the transition from elementary school into the middle school setting.
• The “Bite of Washington” night: Hundreds of students and family members were able to network among themselves, meet WMS faculty, eat great food prepared by community vendors and parents, and watch the “Bite of Washington Olympics” in a packed and loud gymnasium.
• Making classroom visits to the 6th Grade Science classes: These visits were so fun! I was able to introduce myself, describe to students what I do as their 6th Grade Counselor, and to introduce the idea of academic goal setting. I taught the kids what S.M.A.R.T. goals were: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Rewarding and Time-oriented. Ask your child what his or her academic S.M.A.R.T. goals are for this year.
• Curriculum Night: It was wonderful to see so many parents/guardians attend Curriculum Night last Thursday the 8th. It proved to be a great way for folks to meet their child’s teachers, get an idea of how the school day flows, and to understand what goes on academically in their child’s class. It was also a nice opportunity for me to meet parents/guardians of students that I’ve never met before.
Okay, so now what? There are a few other fun and important activities and events coming up that 6 grade students and families need to know about. These include:
• The 6th Grade Dance: The 6th Grade Dance will be held this Friday the 16th of October. This dance gives 6th graders the unique opportunity to get to know what a middle school dance is like just between other 6th graders. This gets them prepared for the first all school dance—the Halloween Dance on October 30th. By the way, all school dances are conducted during a shortened academic day, so that students are still able to catch their school busses home.
• 6 Grade Literature Night: Teachers Melanie Olson and Laura Lehni along with librarian Laurie Amster-Burton will be meeting with 6th grade students and their parents/guardians to introduce reading strategies that will support student reading skills. This event takes place this Thursday, October 15th from 5:30-8:00 in the Library. Dinner will be served first and then the real fun begins!
• Testing for the Accelerated Progress Program: Advanced Learning application forms for APP testing were due October 8th. The test for WMS students will be held in our cafeteria, and will probably take place sometime in November. However, the day and time are still to be announced.
• Parent/guardian-teacher conferences: These conferences offer parents/guardians another great opportunity to meet their children’s teachers and to briefly discuss student progress. The date and time of these conferences are still to be announced.
In my opinion, it truly has been a wonderful start to the school year. Many of you know that this is my second year at WMS—the first with 6th graders. I look forward to working with my students, and you as their parents/guardians in a collaborative effort to build upon their academic and behavioral skill set. Please call and/or email me whenever you have a question or concern about your child’s education. That goes for you too students. You can also call or email me if you need to. My phone number is 206-252-2614 and my email address is (JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Let’s have an outstanding school year together!
Thanks,
Corey Goldstein