Cubs Newsletter

We have eight more school days left in Semester One. Students will attend each of their classes six more times and then the semester will be over. Some things I'd like to note as this date approaches:

• At the secondary level, the end of the semester is a bigger deal than it was for kids in elementary school. A student's semester grade is an official grade that counts toward credit, and at the secondary level, students must earn credits and meet credit requirements to advance to the next grade and eventually earn a High School diploma. There is a law in the state of Idaho that pertains to middle level credit in core academic classes that public schools must follow. If students are failing, or in danger of failing, core classes right now, they are going to be hearing a LOT from teachers, counselors, Mr. Roberts, and me. We will be running daily grade reports and doing everything we can to support students in getting their grades up to passing. This means we might be keeping them busy during homeroom, and insist they use all their available time to complete school work - even if that means they miss out on unstructured time or fun activities. Working extra hard in these next few days will keep students from much more work and heartache next semester - remediating credits to fulfill the requirements of the middle level credit law is not fun or easy for kids. We want to help them avoid that if we can.

• As our students progress through grades 6–8, they become more and more independent. At the secondary level, students take on much more responsibility for their own work, learning, and behavior. For our sixth graders, the start of second semester marks a significant milestone. On January 22nd, they are truly “in the middle” of their journey through school. Starting on January 27th, they will be closer to high school graduation than Kindergarten. Accountability looks and feels different now, as opportunities and expectations for adulthood move closer into view. Things like working a real job for a real paycheck, earning a driver’s license, making career choices, and eventually supporting oneself are no longer distant ideas—they are just a few short years away. Middle school is where students begin practicing the skills they will need for that future: responsibility, follow-through, resilience, and learning from mistakes. Our goal is not perfection, but growth, as we prepare students for the increasing independence that lies ahead.

• We appreciate working as partners with you. We love our jobs and these kids.

We have finished up lessons and activities that have focused on our Cub PRIDE value of Respect and we are now leaning into Integrity. For our Respect activity, our Cubs created, wrote, and delivered over 700 Holiday and Thank You cards for members of our community including Senior Citizens living in local residential homes, Veterans, Firefighters, Law Enforcement Officers, Paramedics, and Active-Duty Military Service Members. It was a positive way to go into the Holiday Break and I'm very proud of our Cubs and the amazing teachers we have here at MMS. On January 22nd we will have an assembly to end the day that will include a few awards, small prizes, and some fun. Go Cubs!

Every year, Moscow High School and Moscow Middle School Unite for a cause. In January, we will compete with MHS to collect the most food donations for our school and community food banks. (Not to brag, but we have won every year since...well, for the last five years at least). Our Cheer squad will unite with the MHS Cheer Squad, our band with the HS band, for an MHS home basketball game in the Bear Den. This will happen on January 14th, so stay tuned for more information.

Hello Parents/Guardians, Our 7th period World Cultures class has thought of an event that will help the rising healthcare problem in Haiti. It is called Haiti night, it starts at 5:00 and ends at 7:00 at the Moscow High School. The activities that will take place are bracelet making, a notecard game, soccer, bingo, and more! After 30 minutes of going around and having fun, we will be showing Moana. Admission is $3 for kids 10 and under, over 10 is $5. We really hope you decide to join us for this event our students spent quite some time on! Sincerely, The World Cultures Class

Our amazing Drama Class students are proud to present, "Twice Upon a Time" on Thursday, January 22nd at 6:00 p.m. in the Middle School MPR. They have been working so hard! I sometimes sneak a peek at their rehearsals 😁. The Drama class teacher, Ms. Bird, always has the kids prepared to perform at their best. Please join us for a fun night to celebrate their hard work.

We have some no school days for kids coming up in a couple of weeks. If you are looking for something fun and informative for you student to do on Friday January 23rd our Community Schools program has just the thing...Engineering at WSU!! Students will spend the morning learning about science, technology, and engineering and then enjoy a free pizza lunch. Transportation from MMS is provided. See see the attached PDF for more information.

On January 29th, randomly selected 8th graders will take something called the NAEP test. The NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress) test is a large-scale, congressionally mandated assessment measuring student achievement in a variety of core subjects. Our 8th graders will be tested on either math or ELA. We are required to administer this test, and test proctors will come to MMS to do give the actual test, but we do not get access to any individual student test results or data or even school-wide data. This data is collected at the national level and is used to inform policy. Students have been randomly selected by the NAEP proctors, and letters have been emailed to parents of 8th graders selected. Parents can choose to opt-out their student, and need to contact me or Natalie Stone to do that as soon as possible. Thanks so much.

Last week we had some guests in our 8th grade science classes. Scientists working in a wide variety of fields came to share their knowledge and love of learning with our kids. These visits foster curiosity, make learning science skills and topics more meaningful, and provide models and examples of what a career in science looks like for our kids. Thanks to Ms. Sell for organizing this event and a special thank you to all our guests!

Next Week

Tuesday & Wednesday – Math benchmarks in math classes

Wednesday – Unite! MHS & MMS unite for basketball game at the Bear Den 7:00 PM

On the Calendar

1/14 – Unite! Night at the Bear Den. 7:00 PM start time.

1/19 – No School – MLK Jr. Day

1/21 – Wrestling at Home in the Bear Den

1/21 – Haiti Night at MHS 5:00 - 7:00 PM

1/22 – Last Day of Semester One

1/22 – Assembly at the end of the day

1/22 – Drama Performance here at MMS 6:00 PM in the MPR

1/23 – No school for kids – Teacher workday

1/23 – Engineering Day at WSU

1/26 – No School for kids – Teacher workday

1/29 – NAEP testing in the morning for selected 8th graders

1/29 – Wrestling away at Clarkston – busses leave at 3:00

1/30 – Podcast kids field trip to UI

Below is a link to MMS Events on our webpage where you can stay up to date with all the goings on at Moscow Middle School. Go Cubs!