September
2019
Dear
Parent/Guardian,
Welcome to
Shadow Ridge Middle School (SRMS)! The
SRMS Staff is thrilled to start another year!
We will be
implementing our mission throughout the 2019-20 school year, “Preparing 21st
Century students to be productive and successful.” This year, we have changed our schedule. Each core content class will be approximately
70 minutes in length. Therefore, each
English, Math, Science, and Social Studies class will be 70 minutes in length. Teachers will incorporate brief brain breaks
during the 70 minute classes, allowing increased student engagement. Students will have a total of six classes and
a 30 minute lunch daily.
The school
day consists of a six period day (7.25 hours), all grades being on different bell
schedules. All students will be passing
from class to class at different times, with grade level (core content
teachers) and elective teachers supervising in the hallway. The core class periods will be approximately
70 minutes long, while the elective classes are 50 minutes long with a 30
minute lunch. On Wednesdays classes will
consist of approximately 50 minutes and a 30 minute lunch.
We continue
to implement SBG (Standards Based Grading).
The purpose of SBG is simply to raise student achievement by clearly
communicating a student’s progress toward learning outcomes. Research supports that standards-based
grading will help students learn more effectively through specific and timely feedback.
Another area
of focus is MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) testing. The individualized assessments are given a
minimum of two times a year (fall and winter).
Staff and students set goals, review growth, and analyze areas of
strengths while viewing areas of continued work. The assessments are taken on the computer and
assists with timely feedback.
Students, we
welcome you to another year of middle school.
The staff is committed to your success academically. Please continue to be prepared as you enter
each individual class. Although we do
not have athletics, we do have extra-curricular opportunities that will allow a
nice balance for an enjoyable and productive year. We are encouraging you to participate in a
club or intramurals. Intramurals run
throughout the year. Our district data
indicates a positive correlation between academic success and extra-curricular
participation, so find an activity you enjoy!
Parents, the
teachers and I would like to invite you to attend any of your student’s
functions, as well as classes. Your communication and feedback regarding your
child’s success is vital. All staff
members have email and voicemail, email is the most efficient source of
communication for our staff. Our goal is
to return your call or email within 24-48 hours of receiving it. We also encourage you to visit our school’s
web page, it is a great source for updated information. Please listen to the weekly auto-dialer
messages, we will continue to call on the auto-dialer system for important
updates or reminders. The school newsletter
is posted on the school website.
Newsletters will not be mailed or sent home with students. We will send out the newsletter through email
as well.
I am
thrilled to be a part of SRMS and developing a well-rounded experience for your
child. Thank you for supporting your
child, our staff, and our district!
Sincerely,
Susie Wickham
Principal
