IB Snapshot Introduction: As you probably know, Julian is an International Baccalaureate (IB) school. What does this mean? How does this affect the teaching and learning that happens in our classrooms? We will be using this space throughout the school year to continuously answer these questions by sharing pictures from our classrooms. We hope to show you through pictures of how the teaching and learning at our school are in align with the IB Mission Statement.
IB Snapshot #4: To develop “challenging programs of international education and rigorous assessment,” as identified in the IB Mission Statement, teachers collaborate when creating unit content and summative assessments. During IB Snapshot #3 I shared a Humanities unit in which students learned about the Revolutionary War by focusing on those who challenged authority. During teacher collaboration time between the Language Arts and Humanities teachers, the teachers decided to bring their units together. They did this by identifying a central theme they could both frame student learning around. They came up with the statement of inquiry below. All content from both subjects was designed around student experiences to explore this idea, whether that be analyzing historical events in Humanities or analyzing short stories in Language Arts.
Excerpt from 7th Grade IB unit plan “Challenging Authorities”
Earth Day Event – Monday, April 22
Students (and their families) are invited to walk to or meet at Scoville Park AFTER SCHOOL on Earth Day, Monday, Aprill 22 to advocate for climate change action. Inspired by Greta Thunberg and organized by Brooks' Eco-Eagles, students are invited to the Climate Comeback rally to make their voices heard, communicate what they are personally doing to combat climate change, and what they would like to see others do as well.
The poster's reference to "12 years to save our planet" is from the latest United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report authored by the world’s leading climate scientists. In this report, they warn that there are only a dozen years left at the current rate of global warming until the temperature hits a tipping point that significantly worsens the risks of drought, floods, extreme heat, and poverty for hundreds of millions of people.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
On Time for Class
The great majority of our students are on time and ready to learn every class period. We do have some students that struggle with being punctual. We typically provide these students support by looking at their schedule and determining when they should make stops at their lockers, we help them plan out which route they should take to get from point A to point B, and we remind students to walk and talk so they are moving and not standing around as the minutes go by between classes. Even with these supports, some students are still not getting to class on time. As a result, we are implementing a School Wide System to address Tardy Infractions for students that are not getting to class on time. The following will occur:
- Assistant Principals will track tardy infractions from Thursday to Thursday each week.
- Advisory teachers will receive tardy data on Thursday evening or Friday morning.
- Advisory teachers will email the parents/guardians of students that have had 5 or more tardy infractions during that week.
- Students with 5 or more tardy infractions will serve a lunch reflection/detention the following week.
This reflection is designed to help the student identify what is causing them to be tardy. The goal is for the student to either determine how he/she can address the issue independently or get support from their teacher. We started collecting tardy data for students today (April 18). Any support you can provide your student as it relates to being on time for class is appreciated.
Smart Phones in School
Please remind your student that they should not be using their phone during the school day unless given permission by a teacher. These devices are increasingly turning into a greater and greater distraction to our learning environment here at Julian Middle School. Often times conflict between students occur as a result of the inappropriate use of social media such as Snapchat, Instagram, and others. As a reminder, phones are to be turned off at all times during the school day and stored in a safe place that is out of sight. Staff will request that phones are put away if seen during school time in the building. They may also take phones away from students and return them at the end of the day. Multiple infractions may require the parent to pick up the phone. Finally, please contact the main office at Julian (708) 524-3040 if you need to communicate with your child during the school day. We frequently have students on their phones stating that they are texting or talking to a parent. We appreciate your support related to this matter!
Madison Street Construction Project
Attached is information regarding the construction project that began April 15 on Madison Street between Harlem Ave and Austin Blvd. Please review the information that we received from the village of Oak Park regarding the time schedule and impact on traffic due to the scheduled road work.
Upcoming Events:
No School - Friday, April 19
MAP Testing - April 30, May 1, and May 2
District 97 Multicultural Parade & Festival - May 4
Sincerely,
Dr. Todd Fitzgerald