Dear Lab School Families
Quite a rainy day - or really a rainy week here. It is with great anticipation and worry that I think of our field trips for tomorrow. Half of our school will be out of the building on outdoor field trips (the entire 7th grade and half the 8th grade). I am hoping that these storms will clear in time for these activities. Please send your children prepared for both "regular" school and the field trip tomorrow. The joy of Autumn in New York : )
Lab AfterSchool started this week. Record numbers of students piled into the different courses. It was great to see such high student involvement. The first few weeks is meant to be a trial period for students to explore the courses and decide which one(s) most interest them. Please help your child choose courses that they are interested in.
The fall sports season is picking up pace. Last our soccer teams played their first games against a middle school up in East Harlem. Our girls had their first win in a game that was 3-1. The boys' game was close...but in the final moments the other team scored a goal. The final score was 0-1. A truly great start to the season.
I wanted to be the first to share some wonderful news. Lab Middle School earned an A on the 2009-2010 Progress Report. We have earned an A for a number of years now. The difference this year is that the city raised the standard of what constitutes each letter score. The number of schools receiving an A this year (compared to year's past) dropped by over 50%. The score is encouraging but also reminds us that there is always room to grow and become even better. This year we will continue to work hard - working to meet even more rigorous academic and community goals.
I consider this a community-wide achievement. Thank you for all of your hard work in helping us meet this goal. Parental involvement is a key factor in student achievement and well-being. A parent guide Progress Report Overview will be backpacked home tomorrow. This guide gives families a breakdown of the score and explains the different components. It also discusses the progress of the Progress Report and shows the city-wide breakdown for Middle and Elementary schools. It is important to note (for parents with high schoolers) that the high school progress report is on a different timeline and has yet to be released. The report and overview will be posted on our school's website. I am including a link to that and further DoE resources below.
www.nyclabschool.net
http://schools.nyc.gov/Accountability/tools/report/default.htm
We have two parent events coming up next week.
On Tuesday, October 5th the guidance faculty and I will be hosting High School Information meetings for CURRENT 8th GRADE families. Our guidance faculty will review the process for High School admissions and answer all of your questions. There will be two meetings - 8:30 -9:30 and 5:00 - 6:00. They will both be in the auditorium. This is for 8th grade families only - the process changes each year and it is not that useful for 6th and 7th grade families to attend. 7th Grade families will have an Introduction to the High School Process in June.
On Thursday, October 7th we will be holding Curriculum Night (followed by a Parents' Association Meeting). Curriculum Night starts at 5 pm and the PA meeting will start around 6:30. The Curriculum Night is an excellent opportunity to be a middle schooler again. You will get to meet your child's teachers, see old friends and make new ones during passing periods and learn about what's to come this year. More information will be backpacked home about the night. I hope to see everyone there.
Warmly,
Meg
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Friday, September 24, 2010
Happy Fall
Dear Lab School Families
As Week Two comes to a close students (and teachers) seem to be settling nicely into the routine. I find it always takes a few weeks for children to get adjusted to school.
Our 6th graders are finally finding their way around the building - they have mastered the fourth floor, located the library and are able to get to gym class. You may laugh but I can tell you from personal experience that this building can be very confusing for newcomers.
Our 7th and 8th graders are experiencing the change in homework load and complexity of assignments. Middle School is only three years - in that time we must change students from being elementary schoolers to high schoolers. Each year the work will become much more challenging, much more demanding and challenge the students to push their own understanding. To support this challenge Lab has designed a number of structures and interventions for student learning. Next week Academic Study Groups will be starting for 7th and 8th grade students (6th grade will start one week later). Letters will be backpacked home on Monday and letters will also be mailed to families. Teachers built the groups based on student need. The groups are fluid and will change throughout the school year. Parents should contact their child's homeroom teacher or guidance counselor if they have question.
Success in school also relies on you and what your child is doing at home. I included this is a lesson that was shared in the NYTimes blog http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/13/learn-your-lesson-using-effective-study-strategies/. I found it incredibly interesting and thought that much of this could be applied at home. There are also other links to some great resources that you might be interested in as parents.
We had a wonderful turn-out to the Inclusion Information Night on Tuesday. It was great to see so many of you there. I loved hearing the students' and teachers' reflections about our Collaborative Team Teaching program - it was also great to have so many parents share their own experiences. This is annual event at lab School. We feel that it is important to share information about our inclusion program because it is central to our work. We also find that there are lots of questions from gened parents whose children are in these classes. If you were unable to make the night and have questions please let me know.
Sports try-outs started yesterday with Flag Football. Pleas make sure that your student has the appropriate paperwork so that are eligible. Please contact the coach or Mr. Jessup (our Athletic Director) if you have any questions. Our Lab Afterschool Programs will be starting next week. There is information on the website and a flyer is being backpacked home today.
Signing off for now...I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.
Warmly, Meg
As Week Two comes to a close students (and teachers) seem to be settling nicely into the routine. I find it always takes a few weeks for children to get adjusted to school.
Our 6th graders are finally finding their way around the building - they have mastered the fourth floor, located the library and are able to get to gym class. You may laugh but I can tell you from personal experience that this building can be very confusing for newcomers.
Our 7th and 8th graders are experiencing the change in homework load and complexity of assignments. Middle School is only three years - in that time we must change students from being elementary schoolers to high schoolers. Each year the work will become much more challenging, much more demanding and challenge the students to push their own understanding. To support this challenge Lab has designed a number of structures and interventions for student learning. Next week Academic Study Groups will be starting for 7th and 8th grade students (6th grade will start one week later). Letters will be backpacked home on Monday and letters will also be mailed to families. Teachers built the groups based on student need. The groups are fluid and will change throughout the school year. Parents should contact their child's homeroom teacher or guidance counselor if they have question.
Success in school also relies on you and what your child is doing at home. I included this is a lesson that was shared in the NYTimes blog http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/13/learn-your-lesson-using-effective-study-strategies/. I found it incredibly interesting and thought that much of this could be applied at home. There are also other links to some great resources that you might be interested in as parents.
We had a wonderful turn-out to the Inclusion Information Night on Tuesday. It was great to see so many of you there. I loved hearing the students' and teachers' reflections about our Collaborative Team Teaching program - it was also great to have so many parents share their own experiences. This is annual event at lab School. We feel that it is important to share information about our inclusion program because it is central to our work. We also find that there are lots of questions from gened parents whose children are in these classes. If you were unable to make the night and have questions please let me know.
Sports try-outs started yesterday with Flag Football. Pleas make sure that your student has the appropriate paperwork so that are eligible. Please contact the coach or Mr. Jessup (our Athletic Director) if you have any questions. Our Lab Afterschool Programs will be starting next week. There is information on the website and a flyer is being backpacked home today.
Signing off for now...I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.
Warmly, Meg
Friday, September 17, 2010
Happy First (full) Week
Congratulations on completing the first full week fo school - it has been quite a busy one! Thank you to all of the families that were able to come out to our Parent Coffees and Parents' Association Meeting. It was great to meet new parents and see old friends. Thank you to the Parents' Association Executive Board for running these events.
This week I started my classroom walk-thrus. I try to be in all of our classrooms as frequently as possible. I consider myself a teacher first and foremost and the classroom is where I feel most at home. Classroom are the best way to understand what is going on at Lab. I am able to observe teaching practice, student learning and larger school trends. They are also the highlight of my day. Sitting next to an 8th grader in a Math lesson is what I find most fulfilling in my work as as a principal.
In 6th grade Spanish students are learning how to say Hola, me llamo.. and ¿Cómo estás? Foreign language is a challenging subject for students because it forces them to take risks in trying something that many have never done before. Ms. Clavijo had the students break into small groups to practice these exchanges before moving speaking in front of the entire class. Our 6th graders are doing a lot of get-to-know-you (and get-to-know Lab) activities in their classes. In humanities class students are learning about our school values and what they mean in the context of our work as middle schoolers. They created posters in groups illustrating these values and are doing a gallery walk to explain them to their classmates.
Ms. Isaacson's 7th grade Humanities classroom was engaged with a study of figurative language when I sat in yesterday. The students were doing a close reading of the segment of The House on Mango Street. Students were given a passage and asked to find sentences that most exhibited these literary techniques. What started off as a simple literacy lesson evolved into a beautiful discussion around words - word choice and meaning. It was great hear such thoughtful conversation. When I went into 701's math class they were working on bar graphs using data they collected from fellow students. Ms. Feurtado was teaching into the concepts of data presentation and analysis.
Our American Studies (8th grade Humanities) classes are starting a unit on slavery. 801 and 802 were doing a close reading of a segment of Narrative Life of Fredrick Douglas. Yesterday they discussed the topic of dehumanization using a graphic organizer. They will be continuing with this text throughout the unit. The other four sections are also studying the same topics. Earth Science is starting with a season study. Students were assigned to interview a family member about how why seasons happen. A seemingly simple concept has such myth and misunderstanding around it. It is always funny to hear what parents remember from their 8th grade science. 8th grade parents -study up before you're interviewed :)
Our sports program is in full-swing. We had informational sessions for 4 of our 5 sports this week (with pep squad next week). Each of the meetings had 60+ students attend. I was excited to see such enthusiasm in representing Gator Green. Charles Jessup is our Athletic Director (cjessup@schools.nyc.gov) Please contact him if you have any questions related to sports.
I'll end this blog with my favorite student story from this week. Yesterday morning I escorted a new 6th grader upstairs for first period. She was late and very upset about it : ( As we were in the elevator I asked how the first couple of days of school had been for her. She said that at first it was a little scary but she was feeling more comfortable now. I said to her that my first day her was pretty scary too. Her response, "wait, you're a student her too". I laughed for a moment and reintroduced myself as I walked her to Humanities class. After I thought this 6th grader was right - I am a student (or at least a learner) here too. In a school that's what we all become.
I hope that everyone has a restful weekend. Fall has almost arrived to the city and it is suppose to be beautiful.
Warmly,
Meg
This week I started my classroom walk-thrus. I try to be in all of our classrooms as frequently as possible. I consider myself a teacher first and foremost and the classroom is where I feel most at home. Classroom are the best way to understand what is going on at Lab. I am able to observe teaching practice, student learning and larger school trends. They are also the highlight of my day. Sitting next to an 8th grader in a Math lesson is what I find most fulfilling in my work as as a principal.
In 6th grade Spanish students are learning how to say Hola, me llamo.. and ¿Cómo estás? Foreign language is a challenging subject for students because it forces them to take risks in trying something that many have never done before. Ms. Clavijo had the students break into small groups to practice these exchanges before moving speaking in front of the entire class. Our 6th graders are doing a lot of get-to-know-you (and get-to-know Lab) activities in their classes. In humanities class students are learning about our school values and what they mean in the context of our work as middle schoolers. They created posters in groups illustrating these values and are doing a gallery walk to explain them to their classmates.
Ms. Isaacson's 7th grade Humanities classroom was engaged with a study of figurative language when I sat in yesterday. The students were doing a close reading of the segment of The House on Mango Street. Students were given a passage and asked to find sentences that most exhibited these literary techniques. What started off as a simple literacy lesson evolved into a beautiful discussion around words - word choice and meaning. It was great hear such thoughtful conversation. When I went into 701's math class they were working on bar graphs using data they collected from fellow students. Ms. Feurtado was teaching into the concepts of data presentation and analysis.
Our American Studies (8th grade Humanities) classes are starting a unit on slavery. 801 and 802 were doing a close reading of a segment of Narrative Life of Fredrick Douglas. Yesterday they discussed the topic of dehumanization using a graphic organizer. They will be continuing with this text throughout the unit. The other four sections are also studying the same topics. Earth Science is starting with a season study. Students were assigned to interview a family member about how why seasons happen. A seemingly simple concept has such myth and misunderstanding around it. It is always funny to hear what parents remember from their 8th grade science. 8th grade parents -study up before you're interviewed :)
Our sports program is in full-swing. We had informational sessions for 4 of our 5 sports this week (with pep squad next week). Each of the meetings had 60+ students attend. I was excited to see such enthusiasm in representing Gator Green. Charles Jessup is our Athletic Director (cjessup@schools.nyc.gov) Please contact him if you have any questions related to sports.
I'll end this blog with my favorite student story from this week. Yesterday morning I escorted a new 6th grader upstairs for first period. She was late and very upset about it : ( As we were in the elevator I asked how the first couple of days of school had been for her. She said that at first it was a little scary but she was feeling more comfortable now. I said to her that my first day her was pretty scary too. Her response, "wait, you're a student her too". I laughed for a moment and reintroduced myself as I walked her to Humanities class. After I thought this 6th grader was right - I am a student (or at least a learner) here too. In a school that's what we all become.
I hope that everyone has a restful weekend. Fall has almost arrived to the city and it is suppose to be beautiful.
Warmly,
Meg
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Welcome Back!
Welcome to the 2010-2011 school year. I am incredibly excited - we have a great year to look forward to. Before I talk about the day I wanted to remind folks of some upcoming meetings. Next week I will be hosting a series of Meet and Greets for parents. 6th grade families are invited to the meeting on Tuesday, September 14th at 8:15. 7th and 8th grade families are invited to a meeting on Wednesday, September 15th at 8:15. Both meetings will be in the library on the 2nd floor. On Thursday, September 16th the Parents' Association will be holding their first meeting of the year. It will be at 6pm in the cafeteria. The topic will be sports and afterschool. September is a busy month at Lab School. For a complete list of meetings please check-out the school calendar on our website at www.nyclabschool.net.
The first day back is always one of mixed emotions for me. I feel nervous for our youngest ones. You can spot a 6th grader from a mile away. Eyes - WIDE...a little confused, apprehensive, reserved and unsure. Walking toward the gym this morning I thought I had missed our new 6th grade class because it was so quite. To my surprise I found almost 200 children gathered around their homeroom signs silent. I thought, this is the quietest these children will ever be in the next three years.
This peace was quite a contrast to the excitement in the front of the building. The 7th and 8th grade scene was one of sheer joy. Friends reuniting - yelling, laughing, hugging. You would think they haven't seen each other in years. It made me so happy because there was such love among the children - they were greeting like family.
Middle School is a dynamic time. The students go through so much change over the course of the three years. I notice this change most at the beginning of the year. It was exciting to see this 8th grade class so differently than I remember only two Septembers before. And our 7th graders - taking on a new level of prestige because they are now no longer the youngest.
Our 7th and 8th grade students went though a pretty normal school day. Homeroom time was spent doing introductions and reviewing rules. Teachers used class time to review the syllabus and handout textbooks - even some homework.
The 6th graders had a modified day. Students spent a lot of time in homeroom participating in teambuilding activities and get-to-know-you games. They also took a tour of the school and had a grade-wide assembly where they were introduced to school personnel . On Monday they will begin to have their normal schedule. Our teachers understand that 6th grade is a challenging transition year. They build a lot into the curriculum over the next month to help students feel ready for middle school.
I was quite pleased with the 1st day of school. All of your students behaved beautifully - let's hope that continues : )
Please check your child's backpack. There are lots of materials for you to read.
Next week is our first full week and we have a lot happening. We will be holding sports information sessions for our fall season. The Beacon Afterschool program will also be starting.
As we transition into a new school year please make sure you have established a good routine for your child. It is always a little hard to transition between summer and the school year :)
I have included some links below for articles about helping students transition. Please also feel free to contact our guidance department if you need advice or support.
http://kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/school/back_to_school.html
http://parentingtweens.suite101.com/article.cfm/starting_middle_school
http://www.education.com/reference/article/quick-tips-preparing-middle-school/
http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_15746600
Have a restful and happy weekend.
Warmly,
Meg
The first day back is always one of mixed emotions for me. I feel nervous for our youngest ones. You can spot a 6th grader from a mile away. Eyes - WIDE...a little confused, apprehensive, reserved and unsure. Walking toward the gym this morning I thought I had missed our new 6th grade class because it was so quite. To my surprise I found almost 200 children gathered around their homeroom signs silent. I thought, this is the quietest these children will ever be in the next three years.
This peace was quite a contrast to the excitement in the front of the building. The 7th and 8th grade scene was one of sheer joy. Friends reuniting - yelling, laughing, hugging. You would think they haven't seen each other in years. It made me so happy because there was such love among the children - they were greeting like family.
Middle School is a dynamic time. The students go through so much change over the course of the three years. I notice this change most at the beginning of the year. It was exciting to see this 8th grade class so differently than I remember only two Septembers before. And our 7th graders - taking on a new level of prestige because they are now no longer the youngest.
Our 7th and 8th grade students went though a pretty normal school day. Homeroom time was spent doing introductions and reviewing rules. Teachers used class time to review the syllabus and handout textbooks - even some homework.
The 6th graders had a modified day. Students spent a lot of time in homeroom participating in teambuilding activities and get-to-know-you games. They also took a tour of the school and had a grade-wide assembly where they were introduced to school personnel . On Monday they will begin to have their normal schedule. Our teachers understand that 6th grade is a challenging transition year. They build a lot into the curriculum over the next month to help students feel ready for middle school.
I was quite pleased with the 1st day of school. All of your students behaved beautifully - let's hope that continues : )
Please check your child's backpack. There are lots of materials for you to read.
Next week is our first full week and we have a lot happening. We will be holding sports information sessions for our fall season. The Beacon Afterschool program will also be starting.
As we transition into a new school year please make sure you have established a good routine for your child. It is always a little hard to transition between summer and the school year :)
I have included some links below for articles about helping students transition. Please also feel free to contact our guidance department if you need advice or support.
http://kidshealth.org/kid/feeling/school/back_to_school.html
http://parentingtweens.suite101.com/article.cfm/starting_middle_school
http://www.education.com/reference/article/quick-tips-preparing-middle-school/
http://www.denverpost.com/headlines/ci_15746600
Have a restful and happy weekend.
Warmly,
Meg
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