Brooks Families:
Welcome back and welcome to 2016!!!
I trust that you had a great winter break and you all feel refreshed! We are nearly half way there. As we make resolutions, let's put our students at the forefront of them. They are our future. We know that all of us impact their lives.
Teachers are charged with the responsibility of marrying content with skill and then add relevance with social responsibility. Sounds like a tall order...but teachers are super heroes. We can't worry about what they may or may not come with, we must give them what they need. Grammar, deductive reasoning, communication skills, social skills, respect, perspective and a love for learning. Teachers need our enthusiasm. They need our high levels of engagement. They need our civic responsibility. They need you....all of you! So thank you for your continued support of Brooks Middle School.
Perfect Attendance Trimester 1:
I want to say congratulations to those students who have perfect attendance for Trimester 1. Great attendance habits are a key to success in a student's school career. See the list here!
Scheduling for Next Year
In the coming weeks students will select their electives for next year. I have attached the course description for each grade level and the constraints for each class. 6th grade , 7th grade , 8th Grade
Bravo News
Bravo is gearing up for another exciting Junior Theater Festival 2016 in Atlanta, GA over the Martin Luther King weekend! 45 kids are representing our district and state once again. We are thrilled to be given the prestigious honor of performing again for the 5,000 personal festival audience on both Saturday and Sunday evenings. See the press release here.
MAP Testing
Will administer the Winter MAP Test beginning Monday January 11th. I have attached the schedule for your review here.
PARCC Scores
You received your student's PARCC scores before break. Some of you have questions and concerns about what the score may imply. When districts made the shift to Common Core, this had implications on what teaching and learning looked like. Educators have had to think more about intellectual engagement, text complexity, task complexity, questioning and discussion and assessment in ways that may have been different than they have before.
Last year I wrote a controversial essay that was published about the PARCC that had some vocal critics. With that said, that was the first time students experienced a standardized test with this level of connection to Common Core. I am confident that our instructional shifts will prove to have positive results with all students.
Yours in education,
LeeAndra Khan, Principal
Gwendolyn Brooks Middle School - Oak Park, IL
See my weekly announcements at Middle Matters
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