Dear Middle School Families, We are excited to welcome you to the new school year! We are beginning this year with a lot of enthusiasm and high expectations for a great school year! One of our biggest goals in Middle School is to prepare students for high school. Listed below is information that will help you have a successful and enriching year.
Block Scheduling We are excited to institute block scheduling this year. We will run on a Monday/Wednesday and Tuesday/Thursday schedule. Classes will alternate every other day except for math which will be taught every day. On Friday students will have Mass, Math tests, Language Arts and Elective.
Study Hall Block schedule has allowed us to institute a 20 minute study hall period at the end of the day. During this time students will have the opportunity to start on their homework and meet with teachers to get help.
Electives We are bringing back the much loved Elective period on Friday afternoons. The elective period is meant to be a fun and safe way for students to explore areas of interest without the burden of grades. In order to make this a reality, volunteer instructors are needed! We know there are many talented parents at our school. Please consider the possibility of helping us. More information will be sent home at a later date. Schoology Schoology is a new learning platform that will integrate various technology tools which should make it easier for the students to navigate. Students will be instructed in how to use this new platform. Should we need to move to remote learning Schoology will help us make this transition easier.
PowerSchool Both parents and students should be checking grades on PowerSchool on a weekly basis. This is the most effective way to be informed on the students’ progress in class.
Syllabi Each class has a syllabus that will be posted on the teacher Weebly page. Please be sure to go to each teacher’s site to read the syllabus for each specific class. In order to make it easier for you to navigate, we have created one middle school site where all the teacher’s websites are linked. The address for that is below.
Saxon Math The Saxon math program consists of daily lessons and problem sets. Students will be taught the lesson and practice the new concept together. They will then be expected to complete the lesson set during class and at home for homework. It is imperative that the student complete these assignments! Lessons will be checked each day in class. Homework and corrections will be graded on a regular basis. Tests will be given almost every Friday. We strive to make sure that all students are placed in the math class where they will achieve the most success. In order for students to maintain their current placement, students are expected to maintain specific math scores. Advanced math students must not score below an 80% on three tests. Grade-level math students must not score below a 70% on three tests. Grading
Math will continue to be graded as follows: Tests are 40%, Quizzes are 25%, Homework is 25%, and Participation is 10%.
All other class grades will be broken down in the following format. Category 1 assignments are 40%, Category 2 assignments are 30%, Category 3 assignments are 20%, and Category 4 is 10%. Teachers will place assignments in a specific category according to the demands of the task. Some examples of Category 1 assignments could be tests and projects, Category 2 could be quizzes and homework etc.
Please note that Spelling will now be included with the English Grade. It will no longer be a separate subject on the report card.
We are implementing a new writing program throughout the school this year. Writing requirements will be implemented in all subject areas.
In order to ensure that students do not have too many tests in one day, teachers will use a Middle School Test Calendar. Parents and students can access this calendar on the teacher Weebly sites.
Assignments Students are expected to use their agenda daily to keep track of assignments and tests. If a student is absent he/she is responsible to find out what material he/she missed and is responsible for completing work or making up tests. Teacher web sites (Weebly sites) will be updated daily with this information, as well. Classwork and homework are expected to be completed on time. Late assignments are penalized 10 points per class day. If students are missing work or tests, students will be required to make them up during Electives on Friday.
Respect for Property We are very excited to be in the new school building. We want to ensure that we are taking care of our school and materials.
Books: Please be sure to cover all textbooks with brown paper - no fabric book covers please. Students will be responsible for these books and will be asked to replace damaged or lost books.
Lockers: Locker shelves may be used to help organize student belongings, as well as magnetic accessories. No stickers or any type of tape are permitted in or outside the locker. Locks will be provided by the school. Students will be given their combinations and time to learn how to use them. Students may not use anything else to lock their locker.
Tables/Plexiglass: We are ensuring student safety by providing plexiglass dividers on the classroom tables. Students are asked to not write or mark on the dividers or tables with anything.
New Procedures for COVID-19 In order to maintain safety, we are instituting some new policies this year:
Supplies: For safety reasons, we are not allowed to have shared classroom supplies, so it is imperative that students have their own school supplies. Students are not permitted to share supplies with classmates either.
Masks: Following the CDC guidelines, we ask that students wear masks between classes, at lockers, in the hallways, during electives, and Fridays during Mass
Bathroom: In an effort to maintain proper social distancing, classroom bathroom breaks have been scheduled as follows:
10:00 6th
10:20 8th
10:40 7th
In the afternoon students will be sent to the bathroom during math class NOT during specials.
Water: To accommodate students’ needs, students are encouraged to bring a CLEAR plastic water bottle (24 oz or smaller) to keep in their backpack and used in between classes. Water bottles should only be filled with water; no other drinks are permitted. Students will not have access to water fountains, instead they will have a touchless water bottle filling station.
Locker Trips: In order to maintain social distancing, locker visits will be very limited. Teachers will work with students to help them organize their materials for the day.
Birthdays: In order to comply with current safety recommendations, we ask that if you choose to send in treats to celebrate your child’s birthday (or any other reason) to please be sure they are store bought and in a sealed container.
Behavior Please be sure to review and discuss with your child the School Handbook Guidelines regarding dress code and behavior. We will be using a referral system to address student infractions. Referrals will be given for disciplinary and dress code violations. If a student has an infraction, a “Discipline Report” will be going home. These notes need to be signed and returned the following day. Three infractions will result in a student serving detention during the elective period. Please remind your children that due to allergies and other health concerns students are not permitted to share, exchange, or sell food or any other items. Gum is never permitted in school.
Thank you for all of your support! We look forward to working with you this year! If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact us.
Please be sure to log onto the middle school weebly site below to access the teacher web sites and the syllabi for each class. The syllabi will be found on the homework page for each teacher. After reading through them with your child, please sign and return the form below.
OUR MISSION The Mission of Saint Patrick Catholic School, rooted in the richness of Catholic Tradition, is to provide a Christ-centered learning environment, leading our students to do God’s will in this world. Recognizing that our students are unique creations of God that are blessed with special talents and gifts, we strive to empower them to become active and creative 21st century learners.