Principal’s Welcome Principal Walter Willett

1. Principal’s WelcomePrincipal Walter Willett

2. First Things First 1) PTO-OTIS SPUNKMEYER COOKIE FUNDRAISER 2) BOX TOPS! BIG THANKS TO THE PTO, and the TEF

3. OCTOBER 21, 2011 – TMS PUMPKIN FESTIVAL

4. On line issues • Pinger • FormSpring • Facebook • MySpace

5. 6th Grade Open House • OPEN HOUSE SCHEDULE • 2010-2011 • Time Presentation Presenter Where • 6:30 – 7:00 Welcome Walt Willett Auditorium Curriculum Coordinators • 7:00 – 7:40 Classrooms visits on the following schedule • 7:00 – 7:08 Period 1 • 7:10 – 7:18 Period 2 • 7:20 – 7:28 Period 3 • 7:30 – 7:38 Period 4 • 7:40 – 7:48 Period 5 • 7:50 – 7:58 Period 6 • 8:00 – 8:08 Period 7

6. TMS STRUCTURE • 7 Period Day • 5 ACADEMIC PERIODS (2 LA, 1 SS, 1 Math, 1 Science, Lunch, 1 UA) • TEAMing • SPORTS/ CLUBS – PAY TO PLAY • $125 initial fee to participate + remaining amount / # of players

7. TMS STAFF 745 Students (approximate) 67 Certified Staff (including Nurses) 5 Instructional Paraprofessionals 16.5 Special Education Paraprofessionals 5 Custodians 3 Secretaries Class Size Grade 6 - 21.4 Grade 7 - 21.4 Grade 8 - 21.4

8. TMS PAY TO PLAY

9. TMS ANTI-BULLYING PROGRAMS • Anti-Bullying Programs at TMS – What is done at TMS to address harassment and bullying as a school? • Efforts as part of General Instruction include: • Classroom incentive programs for good behavior as well as academics (team auction programs). • Language Arts addresses these issues through literature, discussing what students can do to respond to injustice, however great or small, including the devastating effects of doing nothing. This is covered in many places, but as an example through units such as: The Devil's Arithmetic – Holocaust, Warriors Don't Cry - Civil Rights Movement - including supplemental poems and resources, The Pearl - injustice and oppression, The Greenies – prejudice, Terrible Things: An Allegory of the Holocaust – and during the Salem Unit with Tituba and A Break with Charity. In addition to the conflict of society vs. the defenseless, the last novel also develops the group of accusers as a bullying force that intimidates the main character. Flowers for Algernon, demonstrates bullying under the guise of "just kidding around" and "he's our friend." Class projects that exhibit the lessons learned include the creation of an acceptance chain and work on how students can respect and accept people who are different than us.  Class attention in Language Arts is also given to work with non-violent conflict resolution. Social studies also addresses these issues from a historical/societal perspective. • Guidance Class Lessons: Guidance counselors visit classrooms regularly to present lessons. (Grades 6-8) Guidance curriculum topics include: Interpersonal Relationships, Diversity/Celebrating Differences, Bully Proofing/Violence Prevention, Conflict Resolution, Bully/Victim Characteristics, Respect for Others, and Peer Pressure. • PGM meetings (Principal Grade Meetings). ROPE is intended to address the concerns of children who are faced with the transition of moving from childhood into adolescence. Topics include: increasing self-awareness, developing positive self-confidence, learning decision-making and problem solving skills, increasing cooperation and trust, and increasing communication skills. • Guidance Program/Mediation Services. Important functions of our school counselors with respect to improving our school climate: deliver comprehensive counseling curriculum in a systematic manner, provide individual counseling, assist students and parents in addressing school related problems, provide mediation services, consult with school staff regarding student achievement, behavior, and school culture, consult with outside agencies (youth services, clergy, mental health providers). Reconnect meetings are typically done following a suspension, the student meets with his/her guidance counselor to review the reason for the suspension, discuss appropriate strategies for the future, replacement behaviors, and recommend in-school or community counseling/support as needed. • School Psychologist works directly with students and parents to resolve problems. In addition, she provides counseling and training in social skills and anger management. • Social Scene 101: 6th Grade Exploratory class focusing on survival skills, interpersonal skills, problem solving, and conflict resolution. • TMS utilizes comprehensive Focused Monitoring and Intensive Assistance Meetings. Meeting agendas include: Review/identify patterns of discipline history, review current grades/progress, review current in-school and out-of school counseling/support/remediation, discuss incentive/reward strategies used at home, review Focused Monitoring/Intensive Assistance modified discipline/demerit system (rewarding expected behavior by decreasing demerits), and completion of Student Action Plan writing samples. • TMS will implement a Positive Behavioral Supports program beginning 2010-2011.

10. BOE Policy 6020: Homework Approximate times for homework completion are as follows: Kindergarten: up to 10 minutes per day – 2 days per week, as determined by the teacher. Grade 1: up to 15 minutes per day – 4 days per week, as determined by the teacher. Grade 2: up to 20 minutes per day – 4 days per week, as determined by the teacher. Grade 3: up to 30 minutes per day – 4 days per week, as determined by the teacher. Grades 4, 5 and 6: up to 45 minutes per day – 4 days per week, as coordinated by the instructional team. Grades 7 and 8: up to 90 minutes per day – 5 days per week, as coordinated by the instructional team. Grades 9 through 12: up to 180 minutes per day – 5 days per week, dependent on class level and teacher’s expectations.

11. Tolland Middle SchoolAvg Class Size = 21.5 Math Reading Writing

12. CMT Results

14. Curriculum Coordinator Reports

15. Grade 6 Science • Content & Process is based on CT State Frameworks for Science • Content Standards: • Three Units • Roots of Life • Ecology • Weather • Process Standards: • Science inquiry, literacy, & numeracy • Embedded within all units • Science CMT is administered to all 5th & 8th graders in March • Carolyn Tyl, Coordinator- ctyl@tolland.k12.ct.us Science Is Everywhere!

16. Tolland Public SchoolsLanguage Arts Laurie Coulom K-12 Language Arts Curriculum Coordinator

17. LITERACY Literacy is the ability to use reading and writing, as well as listening, speaking, viewing, and presenting, to communicate and learn new ideas.

18. Did You Know…? Reading and writing demands increase in middle grades. Family support often declines in middle to high school years. Students’ success in school is related to family engagement. 4. Students in the top 5% of national reading scores read 144 times more than students in the bottom 5%.

19. What’s a Family To Do? Encourage your child to read for pleasure by setting aside 20-30 minutes a day for reading. Help your child learn to question what is read and heard. Find new words in reading and use in writing. Put learning to use. Ask your child what he/she thinks about a current issue. Use television as a conversation starter.

20. LITERACY RESOURCES Connecticut State Dept. of Education www.sde.ct.gov International Reading Association www.reading.org/resources/tools/parent.html The National Center for Family Literacy www.familylit.org U.S. Department of Education http://www/ed.gov/parents/read/resources.edpicks.jhtml

21. TMS Mathematics

22. Criteria • Work Ethic • Chapter Assessments • Benchmark Assessment data • Report Card Grades • Placement Assessments • CMT Data

23. Contact • Mmckee@tolland.k12.ct.us

24. Introduction of TEAMs • Team Red • Lynn Cayward, SE, Room 206 • Tonya McDermott, SS, Room 203 • Rosalie Rioux, MA, Room 212 • Faye Sleeman, SC, Room 205 • Melanie VanOstrand, LA, Room 211 • Team Gold • Heidi Leone, SS, Room 210 • Diane Hart, Special Education, Room 206 • Mary Kay Knox, SC, Room 207 • Shelia Fleming, LA, Room 208 • Tracy Olander, MA, Room 209 World Language Teachers Buffy Harris-Fogarty Michael Callahan Allison Valli • Team Blue • Michelle Campbell, MA, Room 215 • Stephanie Cassidy, SC, Room 217 • Diane Hart, SE, Room 206 • Diane Krantz, SS, Room 214 • Claire Markow, LA, Room 213 UA Teachers/PE Teachers Gina Cohen Lisa Ballard Celeste Estevez Scott Schneider Beth Stewart Nancy Rosenzweig Heather Titus Norma Marchesani Anastasia Lemaire Greg Emerson, Steve Tozier, Hannah Thibodeau Reading Specialists Alyse Castonguay Lisa Matson (located in the Library) ANY and ALL Parents of BAND STUDENTS, please meet with Ms. Titus at this time.