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4/1/08                    FCAT Update

 

The state has released tentative dates for the release of FCAT test scores.  These dates and other useful parent information may be found at: www.fcatparentnetwork.com 

The school will provide a letter at the end of the year that will provide your login ID and the password for your student's information. 

This site will allow you to access your student's scores before the paper copies are made available. 

 

 

Are Your Students Prepared for the Organizational Demands of Middle School?
Susan Mulcaire

Middle school moves at a fast pace. Students have many different teachers, each with his or her own homework, test schedules, and due dates. Add to the mix the after-school clubs and sports that students participate in, and it is a challenge to get organized.

Good work management and organizational skills are essential for balancing the load and minimizing the stress. For some students, organizational skills come naturally, but for most, they must be learned. While there is little classroom time to assess and train students in work management skills, here are some ideas for how you can help your students be prepared.

Help students make the connection
Getting students to value good organizational skills is the first step. Teachers can help by connecting the benefits of good organizational skills to the things this age group values most—more independence, less stress, more free time, better grades, and more self-confidence.

Organized binders are key
A binder is like a compact file cabinet that a student carries around all day to file and retrieve papers, homework, and information. Students must be able to access materials quickly and keep papers neatly stored by subject. Be sure to give students time in class to file papers in the correct place in their binders—no shoving loose papers into backpacks!

Planners are essential
No matter how good a student's memory is, he or she must have a central place for recording activities. A student's planner should contain important dates and events such as bell schedule changes, holiday breaks, exams, homework assignments, and project due dates. It's a good idea for students to include personal items scheduled during school days such as medical appointments, vacations, and after-school activities.

Have a study bud
Students should identify a classmate in each class who can be contacted in the event of a forgotten homework assignment or lost worksheet. The study bud can also help when a fellow student is absent and needs a handout or class notes. Study buds should exchange home contact information.

A homework space that rocks
Encourage students to locate, design, and stock a work space at home. This will help them do their best work in the least amount of time. The space should be quiet and free from distractions such as people talking, TV, and video games. They can deck it out with posters, pictures of friends, or team photos to make it a place they won't mind hanging out. Make it a "Designer's Challenge" classroom activity in which students design and photograph their work spaces and vote on the work space "most likely to succeed."

Be proactive!
Most students, particularly those fresh out of elementary school, have no idea that a typical middle school teacher works with 100 or more students each day. Unaware of the many demands on a teacher's time, students continue to believe that, as in elementary school, their teachers will track them down to provide a missing assignment. Encourage students to take personal responsibility for following up. You can role-play various student dilemmas in a "What Would You Do?" classroom activity to help students learn to recognize and follow up on matters that affect their grades.

Without basic organizational skills, middle school students can become overwhelmed. In some cases it begins a downward spiral of underachievement that can last into the high school years and beyond. Take some time to help students recognize and appreciate the benefits of good basic organizational skills.

Susan Mulcaire is a teacher, lawyer, and mother of three in Corona del Mar, California.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
Healthy Students are Better Learners
  • In the past 20 years, the incidence of overweight among adolescents has tripled.
  • One-fifth of U.S. children are likely to be obese by 2010.
  • Overweight children are likely to have at least one complicating medical condition, such as asthma, high blood pressure, or Type 2 diabetes.
  • Overweight and obese children are more likely to suffer depression and isolation from their peers.

When children are sick, depressed, or feel excluded by their peers, they miss school. When they are in school, they are less likely to be able to fully participate and learn. But schools can take steps to make a difference for young adolescents.

The Villages Charter Middle School is a unique and exciting learning environment.  Each student, parent, and teacher strives to do their personal best every day; we work as a team to support one another as we pursue our dreams.

The guidance office plays an integral role at TVCMS.  The following is a brief list of the activities that are initiated by the guidance department. 

  • Supervise the administration of the FCAT and NRT testing administered in the Spring.
  • Coordinate the testing for Exceptional Student Education placement and any subsequent services.
  • Consult with students, parents and teachers as needed for both academic and social-emotional issues.
  • Facilitate parenting groups as they are scheduled.
  • Work closely with our assistant principals, Joel Dreher and Jennifer Cowart, and  Mark Pienkos PhD., our principal, in behavioral management.

I encourage you to contact me if have any questions or concerns.

Parents, if your student has received any type of school related, special services please make our data entry clerk, Robin Glenn, aware. We want to insure that your child receives appropriate services.

Have a great day, or not. The choice is yours.

“The buck stops here. I accept responsibility for my past. I am responsible for my success. I am where I am today because of decisions I have made. My decisions have always been governed by my thinking. Therefore, I am where I am today…because of how I think.”

David Ponder
The Traveler’s Gift by Andy Andrews

This is a very thought provoking quote. We grow as individuals when we first take responsibility for our choices, and then evaluate them in order to plan for the future. Think about it.

The science of learning is a relatively new area of study. Much of the material available has been written in the past five years. While the data is relatively new, it is exciting. New medical diagnostic breakthroughs are providing valuable insight on how the brain works and how we learn. This new field of study is supporting some previous theories and helping to create others. We incorporate this new knowledge into our program in order to make your students' education as exciting and successful as possible.

 

 

Contact: Sheryl.Graham@TheVillagesCharterSchool.org

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