Newsletter for Week of December 14

Julian School Improvement Plan

The School Improvement Plan at Julian Middle School is focused on two primary goals:

  • Every Oak Park D97 student is a known, nurtured and celebrated learner.
  • Every Oak Park D97 student is a confident and persistent achiever.

The professional learning model being used to reach these goals consists of teachers working together in Learning Cohorts focused on the following areas aligned to our School Improvement Plan goals:

  • Small Group Instruction
  • Student Choice in Learning
  • Digital Portfolios to Support Student Learning
  • Differentiating Assessments
  • Restorative Practices
  • Classroom Climate and Culture

During the first few months of school, our learning cohorts have investigated their topic through reading, researching, sharing ideas, and then putting what they have learned into practice with our students. At our January staff meeting, teachers will participate in a poster session to share information, reflect on instructional practices, and discuss how these strategies have impacted their students to this point in the school year.

In addition to the poster session meeting in January, many learning cohorts are in the process of developing professional learning sessions for their colleagues. There will be a series of opportunities from February thru April for teachers to learn more about Restorative Practices, Classroom Culture and Climate, and Student Choice in Learning. These learning sessions are created and led by Julian teachers. At each staff meeting for the rest of the school year, Julian teachers are able to attend a professional learning session or work in their learning cohort to continue building their capacity and knowledge; as related to our school improvement plan goals of making sure all Oak Park D97 students are persistent and confident achievers in addition to being known, nurtured, and celebrated learners. A benefit of this approach is that we are building collective teacher efficacy throughout our building. Collective teacher efficacy is the shared belief that through our collective action, we can positively influence outcomes for all student groups.

 

Attendance Matters

One of the goals we have as a district is for 90% or more of our students to have 95% attendance or better for the entire school year. Included in this document is information about having strong attendance during the holiday season.

 

Julian Middle School - Homework Club

Our afterschool homework club is up and running. All students are welcome to attend on Tuesday and Thursday after school from 3:35-4:30. This is great for students that need some extra help with their assignments or for those that are looking for a quiet place to study. See below for more detailed information:

Days: Tuesday and Thursday

Time: 3:35-4:30

Grade Level Teacher and Location:   6th Grade – Mr. Turek / Room B208

                                                            7th  and 8th Grade – Mr. Lee / Room C305

 

International Baccalaureate – Statement of Inquiry

The IB Middle Years Program emphasizes the power of “the big picture.” This means that teachers work to collaboratively develop a single, central statement for each unit that captures and reflects what’s so important about what students are learning. This is called the statement of inquiry. This statement represents the greater learning our students achieve through our content, leaving a permanent mark of knowing and understanding that will continue to develop throughout their lives. Please click on the grade level statements of inquiry below to get a sense of what our students are learning about during the 2nd trimester.

6th Grade Statements of Inquiry

7th Grade Statements of Inquiry

8th Grade Statements of Inquiry

 

Julian Middle School - Communication Flowchart

Please refer to this flowchart when needing to contact someone at school for classroom related questions or issues. There may be times when it is necessary to reach out to a social worker, administrator, attendance clerk, or other personnel. Please start with your child’s teacher if you have a question about academics or any other matter that occurred within the classroom.

 

Illinois 5Essentials Survey

We are administering the Illinois 5Essentials Survey again this year to certified staff and parents/guardians from all 10 of our schools, as well as students in grades four through eight. Please click here to learn how parents/guardians can participate in this important endeavor  and click here to access the parent/guardian version of the survey. Please note that school-level reports will only be generated if at least 20 percent of our parents/guardians complete the survey, which can be accessed until Friday, Jan. 18, 2019.

We need your feedback!

 

Upcoming Events:

No School - Winter Break / December 24-January 4

Sincerely,

Dr. Todd Fitzgerald