Week of September 2
Julian Families,
The first week of school is behind us. There have been a lot of team/community building activities going on in our classrooms the past 5 days. Hopefully your student is getting back into the routine of being in school every day. Thanks to our PTO for hosting a Back-to-School picnic last evening here at Julian. What a great way to kick off the new year!
I will be sharing "Middle Matters" newsletters a couple of times each month with information related to things going on here at Julian. Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns as the school year moves forward.
Why IB?
The IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) encourages students to become creative, critical and reflective learners. See this graphic that outlines the top 10 reasons why IB is amazing!
John Colucci Nominated as Teacher of the Year!
John Colucci, one of our 6th grade Language Arts teachers at Julian Middle School has been nominated for Teacher of the Year in the state of Illinois. This is a tremendous honor and accomplishment. Please go to page 3 of the State Superintendent's Weekly Message for a write up on Mr. Colucci. We are extremely proud of John and are pulling for him to be named Teacher of the Year.
Second Step and Senate Bill 100
On September 15, 2016 a new Illinois law, PA 099 -0456/ Senate Bill 100, goes into effect that makes several changes to student suspensions and expulsion procedures. School districts are encouraged to pursue other non-exclusionary discipline for students, including early intervention and utilization of district and community resources as measures to help students make good choices.
In addition, districts are tasked with ensuring they provide a clear path for re-engagement of students after a suspension, including opportunities to make-up academic work. As a result, the school board approved revisions to the following district 97 policies: 7190, 7200, 7210, & 7220. In conjunction with these policy changes, teachers in grades K-8 will implement Second Step.
Second Step is a research based social emotional learning curriculum, which promotes self-regulation, awareness, safety, and support. You can read more about this new law at http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/publicacts/fulltext.asp?Name=099-0456 and about Second Step at http://www.cfchildren.org/second-step.
Dan Goodwin-New 8th Grade Assistant Principal
Mr. Goodwin comes to D97 with 17 years of experience as a teacher and administrator. He has taught grades 4-8 and served as an assistant principal the past 5 years at CICS Wrightwood Charter School in Chicago. Mr. Goodwin has a wide array of experience that includes evaluating/observing teachers, designing professional learning opportunities for his staff, analyzing data, curriculum development, and coordinating after school programs to name a few. He has already worked closely with many of our 8th grade parents/guardians. We are very excited about adding him to the Julian staff.
First Week of School Activities
We spent time the first week of school sharing information with our students about expectations. Our goal is to establish a school culture/climate that is supportive and caring. Part of making this happen is being explicit with our students about expectations as it relates to various aspects of our school. The schedule below will give you a sense of what we accomplished this week.
Tuesday:
- Arts/Music/Speech and Drama classes covered iPad expectations and passed out the Acceptable Use Policy.
- PE/Health classes shared information about lunchroom expectations and procedures.
Wednesday:
- Science teachers focused on before and after school expectations and procedures for students.
- Math teachers spent time sharing hallway expectations and procedures.
Thursday:
- Integrated Studies/Technology Design staff members shared information with our students about extracurricular activities that they can participate in during the year.
- World Language teachers focused on creating a respectful and safe school environment and also shared information with students about earning IB tickets.
Friday:
- Language Arts teachers discussed the IB program with students and shared information with them on how being IB provides many benefits to our school community.
- Humanities staff members used their time teaching students how to use their iPads as an organizational tool.
Upcoming Events
September 5-No School Labor Day
September 12-PTO Meeting/7:00 p.m. in the Julian Media Center
September 15--Curriculum Night/6:00 p.m.-7:45 p.m.
Sincerely,
Dr. Todd T. Fitzgerald
Principal, Percy Julian Middle School