Isanti Middle School

Parent/Family Newsletter December 15, 2023

January 19, 2024

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Upcoming Dates

January 24-31: Conference Sign-up
January 26: 8th grade Music Festival at CIHS
February 1: IMS Winter Conferences
February 5-15: IMS Selected Conferences
February 16: No School - Professional Development Day
February 19: No School - President's Day
February 22: 7th & 8th grade Band Concerts
February 23: Spring Pictures
February 29: 7th & 8th grade Choir Concerts

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Winter Conferences - Sign-up Starting Next Week

Winter conferences are coming up in a few weeks. We have two types of conferences; Scheduled, and Selected.

Scheduled Conferences In-Person

Family Initiated
Dates: Thursday, February 1
Time: 4:15-7:30pm
Conference Setup: In Person
Conference Length: 10 Minutes
How to Schedule Conferences: Skyward Family Access Conference Signup Directions.
Scheduling will be open from Wednesday, January 24th thru Wednesday, January 31st.

Selected Conferences: Teachers contact families to conference with specific students.

Teacher Initiated
Dates: Flexible times between February 5 and February 15
Time: Flexible

Conference Night Potluck : Please use this link, Conference Night Potluck at IMS, if you are interested in contributing to the potluck for staff

Scheduling for February 1st will be open from Wednesday, January 24th thru Wednesday, January 31st.

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SmartPass

As a learning organization focused on building a strong school culture that accounts for safety and security, we are pleased to announce that we will begin using SmartPass - a digital hall pass system that replaces traditional hall passes such as sign-out sheets, wooden blocks, passbooks, and lanyards.

The benefits of introducing SmartPass include (but are not limited to):

Improved classroom management through seamless, one-touch pass approvals
Reduced foot-traffic in hallways during instructional time
Centralized management of building “hotspots” that are known to be problematic, such as bathroom meet-ups and unmonitored areas
Flexible management of release time for students with unique, individualized needs, including medical attention, counseling, cool-down walks, and academic interventions
Real-time insights on student movement, which is essential during emergencies, weather alerts, and other incidents

SmartPass does not utilize or support GPS tracking; there is no ability to pinpoint a student location. That said, the system does give our administration, faculty, and staff better insight into whether students are in class or have been approved to be elsewhere.

After sharing information on this system with students this week in Advisory, we are excited to roll-out SmartPass building-wide next Monday, the 22nd. If you would like to take a look at how SmartPass works for students, please take a look at the video linked below.

SmartPass - Student View

Use this button to access the video.

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National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP)

Isanti Middle School will participate in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) on Tuesday, February 13, 2024. IMS participation will consist of 50 randomly selected 8th grade students. NAEP is the largest nationally representative and continuing assessment of what students know and can do in various subjects. NAEP is administered by the National Center for Education Statistics, within the U.S. Department of Education. NAEP is different from our state assessments because it is a common measure of achievement across the country. The results are released as The Nation's Report Card, which provides information about student achievement to educators, parents/guardians, policymakers, and the public.

50 students in 8th grade have been randomly selected to participate in this assessment. You can see the full letter from Mr. Pauly by using the button below.

NAEP Letter to Parents - January 2024

Click this button to view the full letter.

Repeat Items

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Inclement Weather Plan

What happens if school is closed for the day?

Cambridge Isanti Schools may use eLearning days due to inclement weather. A flexible eLearning Day means that school can be in session without students and staff being physically present at the school. Below is more information on our eLearning Day.

Teachers will post the day's lesson in Google Classroom by 10:00am. All teachers will be available from 10am-3pm by school email or within their open Google Meets. Students may work on lessons independently throughout the day. If a student needs help with a lesson they can access their teacher according to the modified schedule in the slides linked below. Students are able to access Google Meets via their school issued Chromebook or other personal devices

IMS eLearning Day Slides

Attendance Intervention Meeting (AIM)

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AIM meetings serve as the initial intervention for students facing attendance challenges. AIM represents a collaborative effort between C-I Schools, the Isanti County Probation, and the Attorney's offices. When students accumulate three unexcused absences, we refer the student to the Isanti County Probation Department and they are invited to attend an AIM meeting held at the courthouse.