For the past two weeks the sound of water rockets, compressed air raquetball launchers, catapults, and the swoosh of pinewood derby race cars has filled the Middle School courtyard. The preparatory sounds of Science Challenge! Walking from the Middle School and toward the Galli-Curci Performing Arts Center, the sound of electric guitars gives evidence that Rock projects are under two weeks away. An upcoming fossil dig for the sixth grade, and the Houses of Worship field trip for the seventh grade further confirm that this last month of school remains filled with the opportunity to learn.
Nonetheless, as we proceed toward the last day of school and promotion for our 8th Grade, a little restlessness is not uncommon. In response to that restlessness, we encourage students to continue making good choices in their organization, study habits, and relationships with friends and others. With lifeskills discussions on the agenda for our seventh and eighth grade this week, students will be involved with several discussions about health and wellness for their bodies, minds, and relationships. I encourage you to continue these conversations at home. While a typical Middle School response to an inquiry about the day may typically end with the brief, "it was fine," I encourage you to push a little further with your children and discover what they really learned.
On a related note, I had the occasion to exchange emails with another Head of Middle School this past week, and learned that some Middle School aged students are making poor decisions with respect to a social media website called Ask.fm. While the safety tips on the site discourage anonymous questions and responses, and warn against being mean or hurtful, often times the cloak of anonymity allows for just those types of behavior. Please make some time to review the social media sites your child is using. Certainly, social media sites have vaild uses, but the potential for poor choices is high, especially for Middle School students, who are still learning and adapting to the shifting terrain of Middle School friends and relationships. At school we will address these topics during our Lifeskills Week. In addition, this past week we learned of an Instagram account with the unkind purpose of posting insulting or non-flattering pictures. With some help from our webmaster, Laura Coburn, we were able to have the account shut down.
Finally, while the ubiquity of technology and the popularity of social media sites may be "new," the behaviors that they allow are not. I find encouragement in this since the wisdom of our parents and grandparents about raising children is still applicable. My grandmother's advice to "build people up, rather than tear them down" applies in person, on the telephone, and even in cyberspace.
Thank you for checking out all that we do here “In the Middle.”
Have a great week!
Smiles,
LIFE SKILLS WEEK THis Week...
This week our 7th and 8th grade students will complete the third in a series of Human Development sessions. Our consulting psychologists Karen Anderson and Chris Miller will facilitate these sessions, and our science teachers will connect to this learning in the coming weeks with a study of human anatomy and physiology. We will also have break out sessions on Nutrtion, Body Image and Decision Making hosted by other wellness professionals. While we intentionally set aside time to discuss these important issues at school, we encourage you to engage your children in a similar discussion at home.
Natural High...
As part of our Life Skill Week, the local nonprofit organization Natural High, founded by Francis Parker parent Jon Sundt, will host two assemblies for 8th grade students. On Monday, May 20th from 1:30 – 2:30, and Wednesday, May 22nd from 1:30-2:30.
Natural High is a 501-c3 nonprofit drug-prevention organization that helps youth discover, amplify, and pursue their natural highs so that they have a reason to say “no” to an artificial high. Reaching millions of youth nationwide, natural high works with youth, educators, and parents to reach youth where they are at: in schools, online, and in the community. Enlisting celebrity role-models and youth as their messengers, Natural High empowers youth to find what they truly love to do – activities that inspire them to turn their back on drugs and alcohol, to establish their true identities, and to influence their peers to say “YES” to a drug-free life.
At this week’s assemblies, Jon Sundt, and Natural High’s Youth Engagement Coordinator, Allura Garis, will speak with our 8th grade students – sharing personal stories, the natural high message, leading discussions, and screening a recent Natural High film.
Ipad Accessories and Information...
As we move ever closer to our iPad rollout we would like to make some links available to you. First and most important, if you have not completed the iPad Ownership Survey, please do this as soon as possible. Here is the link: iPad Ownership Survey
Also, before iPads are delivered and we hold orientation sessions, each parent must create an Apple ID for their child(ren) using the Parker email username and password. Our technology department has created a job aid with very specific instructions that you may find here: directions to create an Apple ID for use with the Parker iPad program..
Finally, Each student will need to have a sturdy iPad case for the iPad Orientation, and headphones or earbuds for class at the beginning of the year. Our tech department has put together a list of accesories that you will find useful. The link is here: iPad Accessory list.
Summer Robotics Camp...
If you like robots, don't miss this opportunity. Learn more about our Summer 'Bot Camp here: Summer 'Bot Camp Flyer
DROP OFF SAFETY...
For the sake of our students’ safety, we need to send this gentle reminder: Please do not drop off students in the San Diego County Office of Education parking lot. If you have an older student who drives, please remind them not to park in that lot either. Students walking from the County Ed parking lot are crossing the paths of vehicles entering the faculty/staff parking lot. Our bus drivers have observed enough students running alongside a bus hoping to cross in front of it as it makes its approach to the unloading zone to make them concerned. Thank you.
MS FLOWER DAY, MONDAY, MAY 20...
As a special part of our Teacher Appreciation week, we invite you all to bring one or a few flowers to school on Monday morning, May 20, to contribute to the beautiful bouquets that will be made and distributed among all of our teachers. Volunteers will be available in the Middle School courtyard starting at 7:30 to arrange all of the blooms. So check your garden, ask your neighbor, or visit a flower stand. Greenery is appreciated too!
All interested parents are welcome to come assist in arranging the flowers and everyone is then invited to stay immediately following, for a friendly coffee social. Volunteers: please consider bringing gloves, clippers, and a water bucket, if you have them handy!
ROCK PROJECTS...
Middle School Rock Projects Concerts: The 7th and 8th grade guitar students will be presenting their rock projects onWednesday, May 29th in Crivello Hall. The 7th grade performance will be from 3:00pm to 4:30pm, followed by the 8th grade from 4:30pm to 6:00pm. Students will be required to stay for the duration of their 90 minute concert to show support for their fellow classmates. Students may perform in dress down attire. Rated "G" rock t-shirts are OK.
PROMOTION PHOTO ORDER FORMS...
Each year our Director of Communications, Cathy Morrison, arranges for a professional portrait of our eighth graders all dressed up for promotion. If you would like to purchase a copy of that photo, please use the order form below.
Each week there is much to celebrate in the Middle School and much to look forward to. This week I would like to begin by celebrating our moms. Of behalf of all of us in the Middle School, I wish our moms the very best Mother's Day, and thank you for partnering with us during this amazing time in your child's life.
As Peter Pan comes to a close, and we celebrate a successful run, I am reminded of one of my favorite lines. In response to Wendy's inquiry regarding the location of Peter's home, his reponse, "second to the right, and straight on till morning" captures the fearless childhood imagination. Perhaps "As Far As The Mind Can See..." is an appropriate echo for the maturing mind, still fearlessly imaginative, yet focused on embracing the possible rather than only escaping the ordinary.
With plenty of the school year left and events like Sixth Grade Portfolios, Rock Projects and Science Challenge still to come, our students have many opportunities to highlight how far their own "minds can see."
Thank you for checking out all that we do here “In the Middle.”
Have a great week!
Smiles,
ERBS ARE This Week...
On May 14, 15 and 16 Middle School Students will participate in the Comprehensive Testing Program (CTP) distributed by the Educational Records Bureau (ERB). We will have a modified schedule on those days, but students will still have classes.
The CTP is one data point in a wide blend of assessments our students complete each year. As a test that is normed at the national level, the CTP gives us a good look both at how individual students are performing, and how our program is performing broadly. Skillful use of data like our CTP results helps us shape our curriculum and instruction and maintain a teaching and learning environment that is at the pinnacle of excellence. While not part of a student’s “grade” we do want students to “show what they know,” so please encourage your students to be well-rested, eat a good breakfast, and do their best. Fortunately, this is just the same thing that we ask of them each day!
DROP OFF SAFETY...
For the sake of our students’ safety, we need to send this gentle reminder: Please do not drop off students in the San Diego County Office of Education parking lot. If you have an older student who drives, please remind them not to park in that lot either. Students walking from the County Ed parking lot are crossing the paths of vehicles entering the faculty/staff parking lot. Our bus drivers have observed enough students running alongside a bus hoping to cross in front of it as it makes its approach to the unloading zone to make them concerned. Thank you.
MS Flower Day, Monday, May 20...
As a special part of our Teacher Appreciation week, we invite you all to bring one or a few flowers to school on Monday morning, May 20, to contribute to the beautiful bouquets that will be made and distributed among all of our teachers. Volunteers will be available in the Middle School courtyard starting at 7:30 to arrange all of the blooms. So check your garden, ask your neighbor, or visit a flower stand. Greenery is appreciated too!
All interested parents are welcome to come assist in arranging the flowers and everyone is then invited to stay immediately following, for a friendly coffee social. Volunteers: please consider bringing gloves, clippers, and a water bucket, if you have them handy!
Rock Projects...
Middle School Rock Projects Concerts: The 7th and 8th grade guitar students will be presenting their rock projects onWednesday, May 29th in Crivello Hall. The 7th grade performance will be from 3:00pm to 4:30pm, followed by the 8th grade from 4:30pm to 6:00pm. Students will be required to stay for the duration of their 90 minute concert to show support for their fellow classmates. Students may perform in dress down attire. Rated "G" rock t-shirts are OK.
Promotion Photo Order Forms...
Each year our Director of Communications, Cathy Morrison, arranges for a professional portrait of our eighth graders all dressed up for promotion. If you would like to purchase a copy of that photo, please use the order form below.
During the week of May 20 students will meet for our third Life Skills Week with consulting psychologists Karen Anderson and Chris Miller. We will also have break out sessions on Nutrtion, Body Image and Decision Making hosted by other wellness professionals.
Last Monday the combined faculty and staff of Parker’s three divisions came together to receive our Head of School’s “State of School” message. Two of the many takeaways I would like to share with you include: “Three Divisions, Two Campuses, One School” and “There is No Limit to Better.”
As we head into the final six weeks of school, two natural transitions approach for us in the Middle: over sixty of our current families will now bring one of their children to the Linda Vista campus rather than our Mission Hills campus as they matriculate into Middle School, and over one hundred of our eighth graders will now be Upper School students and continue their Parker education across the lawn. The concept of “Three Divisions, Two Campuses, One School” can be seen as we guide our students through these milestones. Beyond the ceremony of promotion day, our fifth and sixth grade teams, along with our eighth and ninth grade teams will hold transition meetings to gently pass the Class of 2020 and the Class of 2017 to the next division.
In addition to transition support, we have been working on the infrastructure that connects our divisions all year. Department chairs like Alex Gomez and Monica Gallardo have been working on the vertical integration of curriculum across our three divisions. Our English and Social Studies departments have been working toward a pilot that will unite each department into a grade 6-12 structure with a single department chair to steward the course sequence from Middle through Upper School. Professional development that began with the Middle School in partnership with the Lower School last June has blossomed into the Middle School and Upper School continuing the good work of our Lower School colleagues and adopting iPads in grades 6-9 in the fall of 2013.
Following our “State of the School” message, members of our three faculties spent the remainder of the day in Professional Development pursuing our charge “No Limit to Better.” In the Middle School we took time to explore the “flipped classroom” model and how the iPad can be an effective tool for differentiating learning. Other initiatives that we are pursuing, including a proposal for a new Middle School daily schedule, are all in the spirit of “No Limit to Better.” As our eighth grade level coordinator Jeremy Howard likes to say, “the next 100” are going to be very exciting.
Thank you for checking out all that we do here “In the Middle.”
Have a great week!
Smiles,
ERBs are approaching...
On May 14, 15 and 16 Middle School Students will participate in the Comprehensive Testing Program (CTP) distributed by the Educational Records Bureau (ERB). We will have a modified schedule on those days, but students will still have classes.
The CTP is one data point in a wide blend of assessments our students complete each year. As a test that is normed at the national level, the CTP gives us a good look both at how individual students are performing, and how our program is performing broadly. Skillful use of data like our CTP results helps us shape our curriculum and instruction and maintain a teaching and learning environment that is at the pinnacle of excellence. While not part of a student’s “grade” we do want students to “show what they know,” so please encourage your students to be well-rested, eat a good breakfast, and do their best. Fortunately, this is just the same thing that we ask of them each day!
California State History Day Results 2013...
On April 25th – 28th, 2013, forty-three Francis Parker students joined over 1000 students from throughout California to compete at the State History Day competition in Sacramento. We’re happy to announce that seven Parker students won first place in their divisions. These students will compete at National History Day at the University of Maryland in June. Many thanks to all who reviewed their projects, provided expert interviews, and accommodated them in numerous ways!
STATE CHAMPIONS Senior group documentary: Braxton Bell, Alex Devereaux, Jonathan Lemberg, Adam Linssen, Mary Tobin All Eyes on Tet: The Power of the Media to Fuel Change
Senior group exhibit: Olivia Ghosh, Soren Hansen No More Wars, No More Walls, A United World: The Fall of the Berlin Wall
SPECIAL AWARD: Outstanding Senior Entry from San Diego County Jessica Bocinski: individual exhibit Change Through a Lens: Dorothea Lange's Photography
STATE FINALISTS We also congratulate the following students, whose projects won their preliminary heat and advanced to state finals:
Aviva Waldman: junior historical paper Russia’s Bloody Sunday: Turning Monarchy into Marxism
Peter Bullard, William Southworth: junior group website Antietam: The Bloody Battle that Altered American History
Sarah Ogle: senior historical paper Hubble Space Telescope: Bringing the Universe into Focus
Anoushka Bose: senior Individual website Preserving American Antiquities: A Turning Point in the Progressive Era
Zak Brownlie: senior individual documentary Japan’s Economic Democratization: Turning Point from Martial Power to Economic Power
Isaac Gray, Ben Sachrison, M. Connor Smith: group website The Iranian Revolution: Turning Point in the New Middle East
Kate Lemberg, Katherine Owens, Arielle Swedback, Audrey Yang: group website Tearing Down the Divide: How the Fall of the Berlin Wall Facilitated a New World Order
Nurse Maggie....
Nurse Maggie says: Melanoma is the most serious type of skin cancer. Often the first sign of melanoma is a change in the size, shape, color, or feel of a mole. Most melanomas have a black or black-blue area. Melanoma may also appear as a new mole that may be black, abnormal, or “ugly looking." Parker is fortunate to have Dr. Edward McClay, MD, presenting an important and informative talk on sun-safe practices and how to protect children from the dangers of melanoma Please plan to attend this very important discussion on Thursday, May 9 th at Crivello Hall. Refreshments are at 6:00p.m. with the talk starting at 6:30p.m. Please invite friends and family to attend this event!
Save the Date for our Schedule Coffee...
Tuesday, May 7 light refreshments from 8 to 8:30...Program, Questions and Answers from 8:30 to 9:30
Save the date...
The Discovery Week preview for Seventh Grade parents will be held on May 7, 6:00 p.m.
iPad Ownership Survey for 2013-14...
Available through the link below, please find a survey to help us plan for the 2013-14 School Year. Please complete the form as soon as possible. Please note that the cost for leasing an iPad through the School is $350 per year for two years. Parker will lease the most current, full sized 16 GB iPad. Note that if you provide your own iPad, the School will make modifications to the iPad so that it will be a useful academic tool. This may require reconfiguration of settings, deletion of personal data or apps. New option this week: please note that Parker can facilitate the purchase of your iPad and pass through a modest discount. If you have any questions or concerns please contact our Director of Technology, Quoc Vo, qvo@francisparker.org or 858.569.7900 x4130.
For the sake of our students’ safety, we need to send this gentle reminder: Please do not drop off students in the San Diego County Office of Education parking lot. If you have an older student who drives, please remind them not to park in that lot either. Students walking from the County Ed parking lot are crossing the paths of vehicles entering the faculty/staff parking lot. Our bus drivers have observed enough students running alongside a bus hoping to cross in front of it as it makes its approach to the unloading zone to make them concerned. Thank you.
Discovery Week Art Display...
All students who participated in Discovery Week 2013 have been encouraged to submit original artwork to be displayed in the Rose Gallery from April 23 - May 8. Artwork may be in the form of photography, painting, sculpture, collage, journaling, blogging or any other original artwork. Prizes will be awarded to the pieces that best represent the theme of Global Awareness. We encourage all families to take a walk through the gallery during this time.
Dan Lang was appointed Head of Middle School on July 1, 2012. Prior to this appointment, Dan served as Middle School Dean of students. Dan joined the Francis Parker Middle School in 2006 as a 7th and 8th grade English teacher. Read more...
