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November 2017
Junior High
NEWSLETTER
Ms. Beth Lindsay | Principal Brookwood Junior High School
"We are what
Building a Culture of Excellence... Dear Parents/Guardians: At Brookwood Junior High School, we are committed to our students’ [SUCCESS]. As we have reflected upon our first quarter of the school year, we have decided to
We repeatly do. Excellence, then is Not, but a
raise the bar for our students. We must demand and insist upon excellence from our students. This will require students to work harder and focus more attention and effort to their classwork. Teachers will provide students with meaningful feedback regarding their work and allow students to make corrections for improvement. Students will be encouraged to make corrections to their classwork and keep working on the assignment/project until it is completed with quality (while still meeting initial deadlines).
Habit." --Aristotle
(708) 758-5350
Brookwood Junior High School Ms. Beth Lindsay | Principal
200 E Glenwood-Lansing Road Glenwood,IL 60425
EXCELLENCE... "If you want to Achieve Greatness, Stop asking for Permission." All teachers at BJHS will: •
Set a clear bar of excellence for students where students clearly know the key points and criteria for success;
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Aggressively monitor student work and provide corrective feedback to students for improvement. Teachers will share with students how their work aligns to the criteria for success established and require students to make corrections based on the feedback until the work is completed with a quality of excellence;
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Celebrate positive improvements being made. Students will receive continuous positive feedback and recognition for high quality work from their teachers;
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Provide clear, actionable steps with students that allows students to understand the expectations they must meet to attain high quality work products;
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Teach and provide time for students to evaluate their own work based on objective criteria;
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Cycle back to ensure students improved their work based on the feedback given to them. Teachers will provide positive reinforcement to students for their growth and improvement;
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By doing this, we will see rapid improvement in the quality of student work. Additionally, we will be defining excellence and demanding it through rapid feedback and redo cycles. By incorporating feedback and redo cycles, we will see teachers getting some pretty amazing outcomes, and we will also see the quality of work increase significantly across Brookwood Junior High School.
INTEGRITY... In order to demand [EXCELLENCE], we need to protect the integrity of all classrooms in the school. Students must be able to learn and thrive in classrooms that are respectful, nurturing, and free from inappropriate disruptions.
Students’ education and engaged learning time needs to be protected. Therefore, if at any time a student’s behavior interferes with other students’ learning, the teacher’s ability to teach or if the behavior is unsafe, he/she will be sent to the office to complete classwork in an independent setting.
If this occurs, the parent of the student will be called and notified. Information will be shared with parents about the teacher’s availability (plan time/office hours) for the parent to follow up regarding this matter as well as information on how the student can come in before or after school to make up any work missed due to the disruption caused.
Not only do we have high expectations for our students, but we also care immensely about ALL students. We have a strong commitment to our students’ success and we will share with students a passion for learning each and every day. We will devote our time to their achievement and growth. We expect great things from students at BJHS!
BUILDING A CULTURE OF EXCELLENCE... What does the research tell us about the impact parent involvement has on student achievement?
Help Your Child Explore College Education and Career Options--It’s Not Too Early!
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The more intensely parents are involved, the more beneficial the achievement effects -Cotton, K. School Improvement Research;
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Parent involvement leads to higher grades, test scores, and graduation
Junior High is not too early for students to begin exploring their career and educational options;
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Have frequent conversations and encourage your child
rates;
to continue his/her education after high school. Most
•
Parent involvement leads to better school attendance;
careers today require education and/or training beyond
•
Parent involvement leads to increased motivation and better self-
high school;
esteem -Epstein, J., 1995. Research on Parent Involvement; •
Parent involvement has a greater impact on student achievement than SES/income level;
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excellence is a by-product of interest; •
Parent involvement can close the achievement gap between high SES/ income and low SES/income students. -Keith, T. & Keith, P. (1993). School Psychology Review.
Tips for Parents: •
Pay close attention to weekly folders and communication from school;
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Read frequently with your child and encourage non-fiction, as well as fictional reading;
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Play math games with your child to support development of math fluency;
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Review homework for accuracy and completion;
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Contact the school if you need additional resources for your child or if you think your child needs additional help;
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Watch documentary programs with your child, using the closed-captioning features so your child is able to view the text;
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Observe your child and stay engaged because there will be changes in how your child learns and new materials may be unfamiliar;
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Encourage and challenge your child to learn;
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Visit the state education department’s website to see the standards and how they are being implemented (ISBE);
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Ask your child questions about what he/she is learning.
Help your child pursue his/her own interests… Remember For more information on helping your child plan and prepare for a career, go to www.mappingyourfuture.org.
Parent Involvement/Home Connections: Supporting Learning and Achievement at Home. •
Study Island
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ISBE - PARCC Practice Items
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Electronic Book Shelf
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Various Educational Websites
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PowerSchool
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Mathia X
Parent Resources For Reading
Ron Berger, author of [An Ethic of Excellence], shares the following:
Parent Resources For Math
The key to excellence is this: It is born from a culture. When children enter a family culture, a community culture, or a school culture that demands and supports excellence, they work to fit into that culture. A culture of excellence transcends race, class, and geography; it doesn’t matter what color, income, or background the children come from. Once those children enter a culture with a powerful ethic, that ethic becomes their norm. It’s what they know. Once a student sees that he or she is capable of excellence, that student is never quite the same. There is a new self-image, a new notion of possibility. There is an appetite for excellence. After students have had a taste of excellence, they’re never quite satisfied with less.
PARCC...
The [Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers] (PARCC) is the state assessment and accountability measure for Illinois students enrolled in a public school district.
PARCC assesses the New Illinois Learning Standards Incorporating the Common Core and will be administered in English, Language Arts, and Mathematics.
PARCC assessments in English, Language Arts, and Mathematics will be administered to [ALL] students in grades 3-8.
Parents should encourage their child to practice at home to prepare for the PARCC assessments:
English/Language Arts | http://www.parcconline.org/samples/ELA
Mathematics | http://www.parcconline.org/samples/math
NOTES...
Homework For Parents • Check your child's
Available Before School
Planner & Grades on PowerSchool [Everyday]!;
7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.
• Parents get to know your child's teachers and school personnel;
School Closings Information
• Communication is very important, parents are
As we proceed further into the school year, we want to make
encouraged to regularly contact their child's teachers
sure you are aware of important information regarding school
either by phone of e-mail;
closings especially the emergency closing sources that are
• Parents are encouraged to visit the school and their child's classroom(s).
accessible in case of an emergency school closing. You can receive information about school closings from a variety of sources:
Radio:
T v:
• WGN Radio 720 am
• CBS 2 Chicago
• WGN Morning News
• WBBM News Radio 78
• NBC 5 Chicago
• FOX 32
• WGN Morning News
• ABC 7 Chicago
• CLTV News
• FOX 32 • CLTV News
Online: • www.emergencyclosings.com
