MIDDLE SCHOOL CURRICULUM SUMMARY FOR DECEMBER 1, 2011

Present: Dr. Peter Osroff, Mrs. Lee, Mr. Marr Mrs. Tavernise, Ms. Linardos, Mrs. Basel, Mrs. Kaczynski and Mrs. Nagel

1. ERB Test Results:

Results have been mailed home.  Results, which are in the high average range, have remained steady or improved.  The score is based on a six point rubric and the highest score achieved in the middle school has been a 5. 

1. Electives for 7th and 8th graders:

Students are encouraged to choose an elective that interests them. It is nice to give the students a choice and this is not common in most middle schools.  The current course description is designed to give a brief overview of what the course will involve.  If a student or parent has any questions regarding the requirements of an elective class, they are encouraged to contact their guidance counselor who can provide more information.  It is anticipated that the budget will not affect elective offerings but may affect the class size.  Generally a new section is opened if the enrollment reaches 30 students.  Electives will not be run with an enrollment under 15.  90% of students get their first choice elective.

1. Co-teaching in Spanish:

The district has not provided co-teaching for Spanish or any other World Language.  There used to be an aide that spoke Spanish but that is no longer available.  IEPs do not cover foreign language.  However, the Middle School does offer a support class in Spanish that meets every other day.  This class has been very successful and the Middle School has 100% passing rate on the World Language Proficiency Exam that is given at the end of eighth grade.  This counts as one year of High School credit in World Language.

1. The NYS Common Core Learning Standards, changes in Math and ELA curriculum:

After a summer review of the current English curriculum and the new Common Core Learning Standards (CCLS), it was determined that the curriculums are well-matched.  There are a couple of gaps that are being filled in.  Teaching of academic vocabulary already starts in the elementary school and continues through the Middle School.  Writing from sources is a major focus of the eighth grade curriculum.  The current curriculum in other subjects, such as Social Studies, provides a large portion of the informational reading that the CCLS suggests.

This year in Math, teachers are covering the current 2005 curriculum that is necessary for the State Assessments in 2011-2012 as well as integrating into the curriculum aspects of the CCLS that aren’t currently covered.  The goal is to fill-in the gaps before they occur.  There is no anticipated change to the current accelerated program in Math. 

1. Reduction of library hours

The library will be open for the students and staffed by the librarian for 3 periods during the day beginningthe next school year (2011 – 2012).  It is unlikely that any staff member will be available to cover the library during the students’ lunch or home base periods.  There is a possibility that the library may be kept open for about 20 minutes during each lunch period for a student’s quick use to take out or return a book.  It is doubtful that the library will be open before or after school as there is just no staff coverage available.

Another possibility is that during the periods Mr. Daniels will be teaching, his classes may be held in the library so that the library can remain openduring that time.

The library search engine (OPAC) is not operational on the dedicated terminals and is not expected to be.  Students can however access OPAC by visiting the library webpage on the Middle School website on another computer or at home 24 hours a day.

1. Summer Assignments

Students will be provided with summer math assignments (through Castle Learning), ELA reading assignments and world language assignments. The completedELA assignmentswill count as a test grade in September well after the students return and there has been a classroom discussion with the teacher.  None of the summer assignments are due the first day or week back to school.  The Castle learning for math is self-graded as the student completes the assignment on line.  The world language review packet will be discussedin class and after the review, there will be a test given on the material.

1. Guidance

8^th graders participated with Mr. Tumminello in a career interest inventory  web-based program called Guidance Direct.com.  Student and parental feedback was extremely positive. Going forward will this be done annually for 8^th graders.  It may be moved to December so as to help students with scheduling of their high school electives in 9^th grade.  The program is also used again in 10^th grade.

1. ERB/Wrap Test

The results of this year’s 7^th grade test are not yet available.

1. 8th grade Integrated Algebra and Earth Science

As of now, the Integrated Algebra and Earth Science Regents exams counts as 10% of a student’s final grade in 8^th grade.

For those students taking Regents exams in 9^th grade,the Integrated Algebra and Earth Science exams count as 20% of a student’s final grade.  A question arose as to why there is a discrepancy between 8^th and 9^th grade since both grades appear on a student’s high school transcript.

Dr. Osroff responded that he was unaware of the discrepancy.  He will look into the matter but is hesitant to change the 10% for several reasons.  First, the students are taking the exams in Middle School and not High School. This is the students’ first exposure to the Regents exam and students may be nervous, stressed, etc.  20 % of the final grade is a big proportion especially if a child has a bad test day and does not do well on the exam.  Moreover, the Regents exam usually reflects how a child has performed throughout the year in the class.  The difference between 10% and 20 % is only truly 1 or 2 points in either direction.


Summary of the March 22, 2011 Middle School Curriculum Meeting

 Present: Ms. Fregosi, Ms. Corcoran, Ms. Basil, Ms. Kaczynski, Ms. Muldoon, Mr. Giacalone, Dr. Osroff

 World Language- New York State cut the Language Proficiency exam given to eighth graders as their final exam.  Because of this cut, all of the language supervisors from Nassau County got together to devise a final exam that would be acceptable. At this point, many other districts besides Nassau County are involved, (approx 75-80) and the test is almost near completion. The exam is modeled after the SLP, which consisted of four sections; listening, speaking, reading and writing. This final, similar to all final exams, will count as 10% of the students’ grade. Students will receive one high school credit for the completion of 7^th and 8^th grade world language. There will be an in school presentation to the 8^th graders regarding world language in the High School.

Library- The library used to be open before and after school for student use. Over the years, the Middle School’s Library staffing went from two librarians to a single librarian and a library aide, to now only one librarian staffing the full library.  Next year, our single library staff member (librarian) will need to have split duties and teach two periods of Grade Six Study Skills. During this time, the library will remain open and supervised by other teachers on duty. The library’s current hours of operation are 8:05 AM - 3:30 PM. It is no longer open for student use before and after this time. Unfortunately, the budget is the main issue that stands in the way of us having a full time librarian and use of the library before and after school.

Regents Review- The eighth grade will receive information on the Regents Review that the Middle School is offering within the next couple of weeks. Review will probably take place before and/or after school.

Minutes of February 2, 2011 Middle School Curriculum Meeting

In attendance:  Dr. Osroff, Mrs. Lee, Ms. Tavernise, Ms. Linardos, Dina Muldoon, Barbara Jean Kaczynski, and Nancy Basel

1. Home Base in Middle School

The home base coordinator is Mrs. Tarazi.  She works with Ms. Greenwald to incorporate anti-bullying programs into Home Base.  There is a curriculum and weekly guidelines. However, the curriculum is somewhat “fluid” to allow for discussion to take place freely between students and teachers.  For example, cheating and plagiarism were brought up and discussed.  There is a Home Base Advisory Guide Book for each grade level.  Dr. Nancy Doda, a consultant, came in, worked with teachers, made suggestions, and provided materials.  There was also a teacher subcommittee.

There are team based activities and twice a year, a locker clean out.  Home base is purposefully organized by teams/clusters so as to help inform students what is coming up within their cluster, i.e. exams, papers, etc.  There are weekly game days to help students better react to losing, winning, and social interaction.  There are “quality circles”to discuss whether kids have witnessed bullying, and if so, how they responded to the situation.  Each home base discussed Ryan’s Story to help relieve angst after the presentation. There are student peer leaders, trained to lead discussions of their peers.  Topics discussed during home base may lead to further discussion with teachers, the school psychologist, guidance, social workers, etc.  Serious issues are sometimes discovered and so teachers always keep eyes and ears open.  Kids self-report and feel comfortable speaking to teachers.  The Pride Survey and Caring Community Survey are administered during home base.  Student responses help drive what is further addressed in home base.  For example, cheating and respect for property.

Home base is not a study hall, students can study at home. Home base is an academic based program.  However, kids can ask teachers for extra help duringhome base. The 8^th graders spent time talking about high school and asking questions about the upcoming tours

Ultimately, teachers get to see kids in a different light, not taking tests, more relaxed and vice versa.  Home base is like a social microscope to see kids in various roles -- leaders, bystanders, followers, etc. It is also a time to discuss subjects that aren’t touched upon in others subjects due to time constraints, such as holiday celebrations like Chinese New Year, etc. There is also opportunity to discuss etiquette and manners. Home base is an important part of the day, different but important nonetheless.  Since the implementation of home base, suspension and detention numbers have decreased dramatically.

1. Grammar

There is aset, scaffold grammar curriculum program for grades 6 through 12.Grammar is taught with workbooks, exercises, tests, etc. Usage is taught through writing, proofreading and editing. Unfortunately, kids pick up bad trendy habits which the teachers try to overcome.  For example, students use of shortened words in texting, using all lowercase letters, etc.

There has been positivefeedback from the High school that studentsare well prepared in grammar.  In High School, there is less grammar testing and more emphasis on grammar usage in a paper or writing.

1. Midterms and Finals

In 6th, 7th and 8th grades, the midterm counts as one test grade for the second quarter.  The midterm is essentially a midyear benchmark to help flag and identify those kids who need extra help.   Stress and pressure about the midterms seems to come from parents and not the middle school. Subject review packets were initially created in co-taught classes.  Some students received review packets and others didn’t.  Parents complained that this was unfair and so now pretty muchall classes offer common review packets.  Midterms are administered in two period back to back classes.  Each midterm is a 40 to 50 minute test but students are given two full periods to complete the exam.  All midterms were completed in one week.

The final counts as 10% of the year’sgrade.It is a percentage rather than 2 test grades because different teachers administer different numbers of tests in a given quarter.

Minutes of the December 3^rd Middle School Curriculum Meeting

 Present: Mr. Curran, Mrs. Christel, Mrs. Lee, Ms. Tavernise, Ms. Kennedy, Mr. Marr, Ms. Weiner, Mr. Tumminello, Ms. Ingoglia, Mrs. Basel, Mrs. Kaczynski, Mrs. Muldoon,

 1. Guidance-

The Guidance department in the Middle School is the “heart and soul” of the school. The program is considered to be “developmental” which means that the guidance Program is tailored to address the developmental issues a child faces as they transition from adolescence into young adulthood. Who needs help and how can we help them? For the incoming sixth graders, guidance focuses on the student’s successful adjustment to their new school. Seventh grade’s focus is academic, since seventh grade is the student’s first exposure to secondary education. Eighth grade’s focus is getting students prepared for high school. Before the sixth grade students reach the front door of the Middle School, the counselors have had several conversations on their behalf, with their teachers at either Stewart or Stratford Schools. They actually hand schedule each student into the cluster that they believe will be the most fitting for each student based on the feedback they receive from the elementary schools. Guidance continues their relationship with the students through student meetings, attending the class functions, spending time in the lunchroom, attending all grade level presentations, and making sure they see the students in a variety of different circumstances.

Many parents have concerns with regards to the transition from 8^th grade to 9^th grade. Questions arise concerning the students academic planning, rigor of course selection, rules at the High School, and a basic understanding of the move from Middle School to High School. Most of these questions can be answered at the 8th grade open house presentation. This presentation will take place on January 13^th, 2011 at 7:00 pm in the High School auditorium. Present at this meeting will be the High School principal, asst principals, Curriculum coordinators and current High School Students. Graduation requirements and diploma types will be discussed. This is the perfect time to bring your 8^th grader to the high school to get to know some of the faces that will help form their High School experience. The high school course guide will be given to students and parents before the January 13^th meeting, this way both parent and child can familiarize themselves with the different choices.

In addition, parents will have the opportunity to meet with their high school counselor in a group setting. (Counselors are assigned to students alphabetically.) There will be six sessions, one session for each of the guidance counselors to go over specific talking points and to answer specific questions. By the time your child reaches the front door of the High School you will feel confident they are beginning their high school experience as a well -informed student. During the first week of school, counselors meet with the freshman for a two period assembly. They continue to reinforce the expectations at the High School and discuss different rules students must be familiar with.

The Guidance Department is available for all questions. Please feel free to contact them at any time.

  2. Support

             If a child is struggling with school, and they have either a low average, or have failed a state assessment, they may qualify for a support class. In sixth grade, math support is offered. In seventh and eighth grade English, Social Studies, Science, Math and Spanish support is offered. These classes replace a state mandated elective, and entry is by teacher recommendation. Students can join support classes any time during the year, and once the teacher feels the student is ready, they will be put back into their regular elective.

            There are also reading specialists available. Two types of help are available, either reading comprehension or decoding/encoding. The specialists meet with the students before school, or during the day either every day or every other day depending on the students needs.

            Teachers have extra help once a week, either before or after school. Children with specific questions with the current lessons are encouraged to go to their teacher’s extra help. Students are also able to attend the extra help of any of the teachers.

            The middle school offers a homework center every Tuesday and Thursday after school. This program is by teacher recommendation only due to a limited number of spaces available.

 3. Report cards will be mailed home going forward for each quarter. They are also available on the parent portal.

 4. The Garden City Middle School would like to see our children learn to be a little more independent. For example, if your child wants to change their elective, let them go to guidance and get the paperwork. If a child wants to volunteer at summer enrichment, let the child pick up the forms at guidance. This small step will allow them to gain independence, and learn how to talk with adults. Along the same lines, try to let your 7^th and 8^th grader have a say in what elective they choose. Let their interests dictate the elective choice, they will be excited and enthusiastic about their choice.

 5. We discussed and agreed that there is a need to over communicate information to parents. Parent-school communication is a key point to raising a successful and happy student.

Summary of the September 28, 2010 Middle School Curriculum Meeting

Present:  Dr. Osroff, Mrs. Lee, Mr. Marr, Ms. Tavernise, Ms. Dumar, Mr. Tullo,

and parent representatives, Dina Muldoon, Barbara Jean Kaczynski and Nancy Basel.

 Technology/Engineering

Although the names of the courses have changed, there has been no change to the curriculum of the technology classes.  6th grade remains one semester of technology, 7^th grade is a full year comprised of half a semester of technology and half a semester of engineering and 8^th grade is technology and engineering split over the course of one semester.  Mr. Marr is the AP in charge of technology.

            At back to school night, the teachers reviewed the course requirements and expectations with the parents.  The students should be aware of the course requirements and can check the website for homework, projects and extra credit.

            One of the goals of the technology classes is to promote independent learning, i.e., independent thinkers.  It is a fundamentally different class in that all of the class work and projects must be completed in the classroom, without parental assistance. A student cannot move on to the second assignment until the first assignment has been successfully completed.  This is done in an effort to ensure that the students understand the topics being taught.  The teachers are available for extra help.  Additionally, if parents have questions or concerns, they can contact the teacher.

            Although technology is a demanding class, the grades do tend to reflect students’ overall English, Math and Science grades.

 Physical Education: Changes in homework policy

The physical education department has revised its homework policy.  At back to school night, parents were advised of the revisions and what is required of the students.  The homework requirement did not go into effect until after back to school night.  In addition, all students were advised of the new policies in their physical education classes and were to bring home and review their physical education contract with their parents. The new policy is also explained on the website.

            There will be a different homework project assigned for each of the 4 quarters in an effort to promote a healthy lifestyle and increased physical activity. The first quarter project is a daily execerise journal or log.  Every student is asked to fill out an exercise journal and record what if any physical actitivity he or she engaged in that day.  Parents are asked to sign the completed journal. The journal runs from Sunday to Sunday and is due to the physical education teacher the following Monday or Tuesday (depending on day 1 or day 2 gym).  The completed journal is worth 10 points.  It is hoped that students will become more aware of their physical activity and that it will spark family discussion about the importance of exercise. The goal is for students to engage in at least 60 minutes of exercise a day.  Self awareness will hopefully lead to a healthier lifestyle. There is no penalty if a student does not engage in any physical activity but is hoped that some activity occurs on a daily basis.

            At the present time, there are no health article summaries assigned this quarter. There will be opportunities to write over the course of the year.  It was decided that it would be too difficult to assign article summaries to the incoming 6^th graders.

 District Wide Initiative on Writing

            Dr. Osroff advised that the Middle School is emphasizing differentiated learning styles through critical thinking, writing portfolios, big ideas, essential questions, etc.  There are quarterly benchmarks with writing components in every grade.  There are English writing portfolios which follow students from 6^th grade into the high school with various student writings contained in them.

            Differentiation is very important.  The teaming or cluster teaching allows the teachers to meet and discuss the students every day.  In addition, there are weekly grade level department meetings.

 ERB/WRAP Test

There was some improvement in the scores of the ERB writing test administered to the 7^th grade last year.  Results were mailed to the parents last week.  The ERB score is included on a sticker on a student’s portfolio.  Once again, the ERB is one of a few tests that exist to measure writing and it helps the district to take steps internally to improve writing. It helps teachers identify the strengths and weaknesses of the students with the ultimate goal of turning them into better and stronger writers.

 ELA/MATH scores

The first monthly newsletter will address the change in scoring by New York State.  The newsletter has been sent to all parents via e-mail.  Scores should be mailed out by BOCES by the end of the month.

 Choral Concert Attire

The chorus will being wearing a white polo shirt (at a cost of $10 per student) with black pants (no skirts permitted) to all future concerts.  This will be similar to the polo shirts worn by band members at their concerts.  If the students do not wear the polo shirt and pants, they will not be permitted to perform.

 Music Selection for Band/Orchestra/Choral concerts

Dr. Prasso will review the music selected by the teachers for the upcoming concerts.  The selections will be grade appropriate, seasonal and timely.

 Average Class Size for each grade

English:   6^th:24;  7^th:22;  8^th:22

Social Studies:      6^th:24;  7^th:22;  8^th::22

Math:        6^th:24; 7^th:17; 7^th acc: 27; 8^th: 20: 8^th acc:24

Science:      6^th:24; 7^th:17; 7^th acc:27; 8^th:20; 8^th acc:23

Italian:         6^th:27; 7^th:20; 8^th:24

Spanish:     6^th:22; 7^th:22; 8^th:24

German:     6^th:17; 7^th:21; 8^th:30

French:     6^th:12; 7^th:21; 8^th:21.

Chorus:     7^th grade has approximately 79 and 60 in each section which is standard.

 MS Website

 There is a wealth of information on the Middle School website as well as the PTA website. Parents should make use the website as much as possible.

Middle School Curriculum Committee Summary - May 2010

 Topics Discussed:

 1. The Eighth Grade Moving Up Day-

 This is a celebration for the eighth grade students for having successfully completed the middle school experience.  It is not, however, considered to be anything like a graduation ceremony.  The Day consists of many activities and only one small portion (less than an hour) consists of students receiving any type of individual recognition and, actually, the highlight of that particular event  consists of viewing a DVD prepared especially for this particular eighth grade students.  The DVD shows pictures of these eighth grade students and their years at the middle school. 

 The GCMS has weighed everyone’s concerns, including, but not limited to, the feelings of the students receiving some individual recognition, the students not receiving individual recognition as well as the parents of all of the students.   There are a wide range of awards which have been determined by many different GCMS teachers.  This particular portion of the Moving Up Day should not be confused with, or compared to, the Service Award Ceremony which is held on a separate evening.  That ceremony is a much more formal event.  The eighth grade Moving Up Day is a day consisting of a variety of activities where all of the students can recognize and celebrate each other’s accomplishments. 

 2. Music-

 There have been some recent significant discussions in regard to a few matters unique to the music department.  The music department coordinator, Dr. Prasso, will be reviewing and taking responsibility for all music chosen for any and all music concerts.  She is currently reviewing all the musical pieces to confirm that the music is appropriate for each grade in both tone and measure of difficulty.  After all the musical selections receive her approval, they will be forwarded to the individual school.   Some of the considerations will be the difficulty of any piece as well as whether the piece will be enjoyable for the students to perform, the parents to hear and the teachers to teach.  This is not to suggest that these things have not been considered in the past, it is only now that the process will have an even stronger presence from the appropriate administrators to make sure that the decisions in regard to musical selections continue to be enjoyable for the students to perform in order to have a successful concert.

 There will be some changes in the attire required for the performing students at the musical concerts.  One possibility is that will be more uniformity in what the choral students wear like there is in band and orchestra.  The band students currently all wear the same shirt with either a black skirt or slacks.  The aim is for a more uniform and consistent look for the band as well as the chorus without any possibility of the clothing creating a distraction from the music which is being performed.  Any changes would be disseminated to the parents as soon as possible so that there will be no time pressure in obtaining the requisite clothes before any concert.  (Many parents would prefer khaki to black since it is easier to find khaki pants which properly fit the boys and girls at any time of the year.)

 3.      The middle school will not have a paper progress report.  From now on, it will be online.  (Of course parents who would like a copy of these reports mailed to them will be provided with same.)

 4.   ELA, Math and foreign language summer packets will be online and they will all be due on September 17^th and count as one test grade.

The New York State Education Department provisions having to do with reading in grades six to twelve are found in the general education regulations.  Reading is not considered a “special education service” which could warrant inclusion on the student’s IEP.  For additional information and definitions please refer to the GCUFSD AIS PLAN which can be found on the GCMS homepage as well as the State’s website at www.emsc.nysed.gov.  

 Reading as a service, is not supposed to be discussed at CSE meetings.  However, a parent can request that a “reading” teacher be present at CSE meetings. Reading can be taught by elementary certified teachers and ELA teachers. However, the Middle School does have Reading Specialists for students who are identified as before expected standards.   Both our Reading Specialists Ms. Kimberly Greenwald and Mr. Carmine Filosa have very impressive credentials and training in regard to teaching reading and writing.

 Some of the reading programs used at the GCMS include the Lindamood Bell’s Visualizing and Verbalizing method for reading comprehension, some strategies from Orton-Gilligham for sight word practice as well as the Scope and Sequence of the Wilson program which is adapted to the group classroom environment for decoding and encoding groups. The specialists address a minimum of 12 strategies a year and currently utilize the WRITE TRAITS program to teach writing.  The District is currently looking for a new program to add to the reading and writing curriculums.

 In response to the inquiry regarding providing book lists which may or may not include the classics as opposed to free choice in Independent Reading Projects (IRPs), the English Curriculum Coordinator, Bernadette Arnone, offered some enlightenment.  The basic premise is that at this age the students should be encouraged to read whatever interests them so they develop a love for reading which will lead to reading even more books, including the classics. 

 If a child wants to read a classic, parents should be aware that there are many subjects in many of the classic books which might not be appropriate for middle school aged children.  Another reason for free choice is because not all families have the same values and beliefs.  This system allows students and their parents to make certain that any book chosen is appropriate for their child’s age and maturity and, also, in keeping with their family values. 

 During the meeting, the teacher representatives to the curriculum committee, Mrs. Dumar and Mrs. Tavernise (both English teachers), offered some suggestions to assist in the book selection process of IRPs for all readers, including reluctant readers.  If a student needs assistance with choosing a book, they should approach their teacher or the librarians.  The teachers and librarians would also be of great assistance in choosing the appropriate classic book for the student. 

 Students often get recommendations for books from their friends and this is fine since parents and teachers still have to approve any book selection.  Students as well as parents who may be assisting in this process should check their English teacher’s website for helpful links as well as the GCMS Library websites.  Parents can also access the School Library Database through the GCUFSD website.

 In this day and age of standardized multiple choice exams (SAT, GRE, ACT, GMAT, etc),  scan-tron use is a vital skill which all students must learn about and understand.  No one would argue that if errors are to be made in the use of scan-trons, it is better they are made in middle school rather than on the SAT exam!  All of the GCMS teachers are aware of all the possible errors that can occur with scan-trons.  This includes all technical errors made by students as well as mechanical errors by the machines that grade these sheets. 

 Part of the learning process in the use of scan-trons, however, includes teaching the students how they can determine if there are indeed problems with their scan-tron answers sheet and/or results. This is precisely why so many of these tests are reviewed in class and why, if possible, the actual answers may also be included on the graded sheets.  All the students are told that if they feel an error has occurred with their answer sheet during the exam or after it is graded, they must simply let the teacher know so the appropriate action can be taken to remedy these situations.

 The GCMS has excellent homework assistance programs available for students.  Twice a week an after school homework center is available for all GCMS students.  Students are recommended to participate in this program by individual teachers and/or guidance counselors.  If extenuating circumstances exist and, as a result, a parent feels their child needs homework assistance, they should speak with their child’s guidance counselor and explain the situation.

 As always the GCMS recognizes there are many situations when participation in this program is warranted and parents should not assume that their child will not be allowed to participate.  Even if it is determined that this after school homework program is not the best solution for a student, the Guidance Counselors may be able to offer other possible solutions, i.e. contacting the GCHS National Honor Society to obtain student tutors for a very modest fee.

 For a limited number of very high needs children, and with the recommendation of the Child Study Team, there is a homework room with teacher-aides providing supervision for two other afternoons.  This group meets twice a week after school on the alternate days of the week from the other homework program.  Therefore, there is actually a homework assistance program everyday except Fridays.  Both of these centers can be used for as long or as little as needed by the students.

 Parents and students should be reminded that all students may go to other teachers---including the special education teachers---for extra help.  In fact, any student may attend any teacher’s extra help sessions even if they are not in that particular teacher’s class as long as there is an academic (as opposed to social) reason to attend.  This is not an uncommon event since students are often so busy and can only attend extra help at the time it is given by another teacher.                       

 The curriculums in Home and Careers and Technology follow the NYSED mandates. The State did a modest update of the Home and Careers curriculum in 2003 and the very next year the GCMS Home and Careers curriculum was revised.  It was agreed that at some point an update and reconfiguration of the H&C classrooms (expensive) would be helpful in improving the program.  (These curriculums will be available on the GCMS website for review by 12/15/09.)

 The new Technology classrooms were completed last year so this is the first full year when the updated technology curriculum is being utilized.  All of the material found on the last page of this curriculum under the heading of SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY ENGINEERING MATHEMATICS (STEM) LAB (investigating the five modules of physics) has been added to the technology curriculum.  Until the completion of these new classrooms, those topics could not be as effectively taught at the middle school.  Although there is a State Assessment for this subject, it is a voluntary rather than a mandated assessment and the Middle School—as well as nearly all other area schools--does not participate.

Garden City Middle School October 2009 Update

Garden City Middle School was asked by New York State to apply as a Model Special Education Program. The application was sent to Albany the third week of August for review. If chosen, other school districts will come to look at our special education program. This is a very impressive invitation, proving once again the success of our Middle School programs.

Last year the seventh and eighth grades were assigned a Social Studies research paper. The students had to meet periodic checkpoints in order to move onto the next phase. Teachers were very pleased with the results of the papers.  We discussed the possibility of sixth grade being assigned a research paper. We were told that the curriculum for study skills was revised over the summer and now there is greater emphasis on teaching the fundamentals of writing and research. The revised curriculum also includes additional computer skills, including more excel.

 The new science curriculum coordinator is in the process of reviewing all the software Dr. Osroff purchased several years ago so it can be installed on all the smart boards in the science classrooms to enhance the learning experience for the students.

 Back to school night ran smoothly. An additional minute was added between classes to give the parents more time to navigate the building. All sports teams ended early that evening which made it much easier for parents to get to school and hear their entire teachers’ presentations.

 The WRAP/ERB test was given to last year’s seventh graders. This test is a writing exam that diagnoses the students writing ability into very specific categories. The results were sent out in July, with much need of clarification. Dr. Osroff will include the clarification in the MIDDLE VIEW. The main purpose of this test is to provide information to the curriculum coordinator, the district, and the schools on how they can improve the writing program.  As a result of this information, the teachers can see exactly where a child needs help, and address the individual need. This is a district wide initiative.

 The support classes continue to be a favorite among the teachers. The teachers feel that they are making a direct impact on the child possibly making them love a subject they once did poorly at. Support classes are offered in English, Math, Social Studies, Science, and Spanish.

 World language has not seen a change in number of students choosing one language over another. The concern was that the influx into Spanish would be great considering the students started Spanish in second grade. This was not the case. The teachers have seen that the students who have taken Spanish in elementary school are stronger in accepting any foreign language.