December update –
November and December have been busy months for the transition work for both the 8th and 9th graders and the incoming 6th and 7th graders. The entire staff are involved in specific “work/focus groups” during November – February working to develop the specifics of the Middle School Beliefs and the Evergreen Middle School program. The groups are expanding current research and clarifying how the systems and structures will be implemented in Fall 2012 in order to create a successful opening of Evergreen Middle School. The work groups are focused on Personalization, Student Support, Extension of Learning Opportunities, How to Do School Routines and Procedures, and Parent/Student Communication.
This morning the Building Leadership Team met and shared the current work of the staff focus groups and there was a sense of excitement and pride in their work. This is such a wonderful opportunity to step back and keep what is working well and what can be adjusted to increase the efficiency and successful experiences for students, parents and staff.
In November, Anne Balicki, assistant principal, and Jan Olson, principal, attended PTSA meetings in each of the elementary schools and provided information on the Middle School Beliefs and overview of the program design for Evergreen. The PTSA work group consisting of both junior high and elementary representatives continued the monthly meetings and provided feedback and input on the communication to date as well as the upcoming activities in January. We also hosted a meeting with the Front Office personnel from each elementary school to meet our staff and discuss similarities and differences in how we currently are providing “customer service” to the parents and students. It was a great meeting, and we quickly realized that many of the routines and processes are very similar from building to building.
In January, Incoming 6th and 7th grade Parent Nights are scheduled as well as “Coffee Chats” at Evergreen Jr. High School. Please do refer to the 5th/6th Transition calendar information under other tabs in the Middle School Configuration part of the EJH website.
We are also working hard focusing on the needs of our current 8th and 9th graders. The counselors, Barbara Gregory and Dawn Riley, have presented High School and Beyond information [Aim High] to all 8th and 9th graders, high school students from Eastlake High School and Redmond High School have participated in student panels in the 8th and 9th grade Language Arts and Social Studies classes, the administrators from Eastlake and Redmond High School have met the incoming students through a “Town Hall” question/answer format. We are very intentional in providing information to the students early in the school year. Additional events in January and February will include student registration for classes and Parent Nights scheduled by the individual high school staff.
This work is energizing and important. We will continue to define the specific processes throughout the spring with the commitment to be “very ready” to welcome the students and parents of the Classes of 2018 and 2019. Thank you to all of the individuals assisting in the transition work.