Friday, October 23 was originally going to be our Fall Bazaar, however with our current protocols, we are not going to have that event. Now it is a full day of school, but the middle school staff have decided that we would like to have a Middle School Community Event. The students will have a regular first block, skinny block elective class, and fourth block. During second and third block, we are planning multi- Middle School grade level activities. We wanted to do something fun as well as something that would promote community and still follow COVID19 CAJ Protocols.
Our grade 8 students are scheduled to go on a hike that day, however the weather right now does not look good. If the hike is postponed, the grade 8 students will join the Community event during blocks 2 and 3. The following Friday. October 30th, our grade 6 students will be going on a hike as well. The grade 7 hike is scheduled for the spring.
In a couple of weeks, Thursday and Friday, November 5 and 6, we have parent/student/teacher conferences. In middle school, we do encourage students to also attend their conferences. It is very beneficial to have both the parents and teachers hear what students share about the questions that may be asked. We want our Middle School students to be advocates for their learning and this is one way it can happen.
The MAP results were shared with the students and a paper copy was mailed home. The conferences could also be a place where you may have your questions answered. To also help you as parents, Northwest Educational Association (NWEA), who provides MAP tests for us, has created a Family Toolkit (https://www.nwea.org/the-map-suite/family-toolkit/) This tool kit and other parts of their web page may be able to give you some additional resources.
Before you come to conferences, it would also be a good idea to make sure you check Markboard for the rubrics. Look through your child’s rubrics to see how they are doing. Sometimes students will receive a Beginning, but if it is something that has just been introduced to the students it is understandable. If you are seeing a consistent Beginning, it may be something to ask the teachers about.
It would be good to write down any questions you may have before you come to the conference. It may also be good to take notes as you are at the conference. If you have more questions after your conference you may send an email to the teacher.
These two days are a great opportunity for you to meet with your child’s teachers and maybe get a glimpse of how your child is doing here at CAJ. It is one way we work together with you and your child to provide the best education for your child.
