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Resource Helps for parents on bullying
Recently we have had some parents express some concern on how to help their students when they encounter bullying. Here are some good resources we use that also have some great information for parents.
#icanhelp
Teenage Bullying in Secondary Schools
StopBullying.gov
The Bully Project
Violence Prevention Works
#icanhelp
Teenage Bullying in Secondary Schools
StopBullying.gov
The Bully Project
Violence Prevention Works
Mission for our students
Our mission at BRMS is to ensure all students learn at higher levels. It will take all of us at BRMS working together to accomplish our mission.
Our mission for our students is to:
Have Grit:
Be resilient: When you experience a setback or disappointment bounce right back. Life is still good. Be persistent: Know what your goals are and stick to them. Don't give up when things get hard. Stay focused on your goals and don't get sidetracked. Communication: Communicate with teachers, counselors, administrators and parents.
Be a self-advocate: Take care of your own affairs and be responsible for yourself.
Be on time and attend school: This ensures important instruction is not missed and helps increase how successful students are.
Be proactive: Plan for future situations by taking control and making things happen. Take advantage of BEAR time and check your grades often.
Keep organized: Use your BR planner, homework app, or homework folder. Do homework first and hangout later. Don't procrastinate.
Get Involved: Attend school activities and go with a friend. Sit by others at lunch; we don't want anyone eating lunch alone.
Be a self-starter: Don't wait for others to tell you to get started. Notice what needs to be done and do it. Start on bell ringers and classroom starters as soon as you get to class.
Our mission for our students is to:
Have Grit:
Be resilient: When you experience a setback or disappointment bounce right back. Life is still good. Be persistent: Know what your goals are and stick to them. Don't give up when things get hard. Stay focused on your goals and don't get sidetracked. Communication: Communicate with teachers, counselors, administrators and parents.
Be a self-advocate: Take care of your own affairs and be responsible for yourself.
Be on time and attend school: This ensures important instruction is not missed and helps increase how successful students are.
Be proactive: Plan for future situations by taking control and making things happen. Take advantage of BEAR time and check your grades often.
Keep organized: Use your BR planner, homework app, or homework folder. Do homework first and hangout later. Don't procrastinate.
Get Involved: Attend school activities and go with a friend. Sit by others at lunch; we don't want anyone eating lunch alone.
Be a self-starter: Don't wait for others to tell you to get started. Notice what needs to be done and do it. Start on bell ringers and classroom starters as soon as you get to class.
Honors Classes at BRMS
The purpose of honors classes at Bear River Middle School is to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate mastery of content standards at a higher level than the expectation in the general education classroom. Help will be provided for students seeking honors status during BEAR Time as well as in the general education classroom. Students who complete the honor requirements will receive honors credit on their transcript. Honor students will opt into the honors track during the first trimester of their math 9 class and/or Language Arts 8/9 general education class. The honors assignments and expectations will be presented to the student in their general education class.
Bear River Middle School ensures every student learns at higher levels.
Requirements for Math 9 Honors:
This course extends the algebraic and geometric concepts learned in Mathematics 8. Students who wish to complete the course without receiving ”Honors” credit will need to complete the homework, quizzes, and test and show proficiency with the material taught.
Students who wish to earn “Honors” credit must ALSO:
Requirements for Language Arts 8/9 Honors:
This course includes the study of grammar and literature with an emphasis on writing which will include argumentative and informational texts. Students will read various novels and Shakespearean plays. Regular students will simply display competence in these concepts.
Students who wish to earn “Honors” credit must ALSO:
Bear River Middle School ensures every student learns at higher levels.
Requirements for Math 9 Honors:
This course extends the algebraic and geometric concepts learned in Mathematics 8. Students who wish to complete the course without receiving ”Honors” credit will need to complete the homework, quizzes, and test and show proficiency with the material taught.
Students who wish to earn “Honors” credit must ALSO:
- Complete the regular course work while maintaining an 80% grade percentage
- Complete additional “Honors” (deeper/critical thinking) assignments
- Pass the “Honors” section of the Unit Tests
- Attend extra “Honors” classes available during BEAR TIME
Requirements for Language Arts 8/9 Honors:
This course includes the study of grammar and literature with an emphasis on writing which will include argumentative and informational texts. Students will read various novels and Shakespearean plays. Regular students will simply display competence in these concepts.
Students who wish to earn “Honors” credit must ALSO:
- Maintain at least 80% in course work.
- Complete 3 Summit Projects (extension projects for content relating to core standards).
- Reach a Level 4 (highest level of thinking and performance) on 80% of class assessments and projects.
Bear Dens...
Bear River Middle School has some exciting improvements taking place next year. Our school will be implementing teaming between language arts, math and science teachers in 8th grade and language arts, and math in 9th grade. So what does teaming look like and why is this better for students?
Students will be grouped into “Bear Dens.” This means the same group of students will share the same language arts, math and science teacher in 8th grade. In 9th grade students will share the same language arts and math teachers. In order to keep the students grouped together in a Bear’s Den, if a parent or student request is made to change a language arts teacher in 8th grade they will also be required to change their math and science teacher. In 9th grade if a request is made to change a language arts teacher the student will also be required to change the math teacher.
WHY? Because the success of your student is our number one concern. We want to ensure higher levels of learning for all of our students. Organizing our students into Bear Dens will create smaller communities for learning. This basically means taking a large school and making it smaller. This will help us ensure our students are well known by the adults in our building. A small group of teachers will have the responsibility of taking care of and watching out for a group of approximately 150 students versus the 700 students in our building. The teacher teams will have the opportunity to discuss how to best help and meet each student’s individual needs. The teacher teams will make use of the expertise of each member in the team to gain the best possible outcome for each student.
Each of the Bear Dens will have a team name. The Bear Dens will also participate in team building activities, which will help students feel a sense of belonging at the middle school. Social bonding is important in the developmental stage of a middle level student. It is important that middle level students socially bond to peers, the school, and teachers. We feel we can accomplish this with the implementation of Bear Dens.
If you wish to learn more about teaming here are a few articles you can read.
https://www.amle.org/portals/0/pdf/rmle/rmle_vol30_no5.pdf
Students will be grouped into “Bear Dens.” This means the same group of students will share the same language arts, math and science teacher in 8th grade. In 9th grade students will share the same language arts and math teachers. In order to keep the students grouped together in a Bear’s Den, if a parent or student request is made to change a language arts teacher in 8th grade they will also be required to change their math and science teacher. In 9th grade if a request is made to change a language arts teacher the student will also be required to change the math teacher.
WHY? Because the success of your student is our number one concern. We want to ensure higher levels of learning for all of our students. Organizing our students into Bear Dens will create smaller communities for learning. This basically means taking a large school and making it smaller. This will help us ensure our students are well known by the adults in our building. A small group of teachers will have the responsibility of taking care of and watching out for a group of approximately 150 students versus the 700 students in our building. The teacher teams will have the opportunity to discuss how to best help and meet each student’s individual needs. The teacher teams will make use of the expertise of each member in the team to gain the best possible outcome for each student.
Each of the Bear Dens will have a team name. The Bear Dens will also participate in team building activities, which will help students feel a sense of belonging at the middle school. Social bonding is important in the developmental stage of a middle level student. It is important that middle level students socially bond to peers, the school, and teachers. We feel we can accomplish this with the implementation of Bear Dens.
If you wish to learn more about teaming here are a few articles you can read.
https://www.amle.org/portals/0/pdf/rmle/rmle_vol30_no5.pdf
Another Great Article On GRIT
Read this article written by Salman Khan. Learn why he will never tell his son he is smart. Click to read.
Information on SAGE Data
SAGE (Student Assessment of Growth and Excellence) has brought many changes to education this past year. This assessment was designed to measure more challenging state standards in mathematics, English language arts, and science. SAGE is a computer-adaptive test that is designed to measure students’ higher-order thinking skills. SAGE tests have replaced the end of year CRT tests although the two cannot be compared. CRT tests measured old standards and student recall via multiple-choice questions. SAGE measures all depths of knowledge through multiple-choice, essay, animated and virtual lab questions. Therefore, SAGE and CRT results cannot be compared.
At Bear River Middle School we are doing all we can to help ensure all students are ready for the global workforce. Students will be competing with individuals all over the globe when they begin looking for a job. We want our students to have the skills necessary to successfully compete. We feel SAGE is helping us prepare students by providing us a tool to help measure their thinking at deeper levels.
At Bear River Middle School we are doing all we can to help ensure all students are ready for the global workforce. Students will be competing with individuals all over the globe when they begin looking for a job. We want our students to have the skills necessary to successfully compete. We feel SAGE is helping us prepare students by providing us a tool to help measure their thinking at deeper levels.
- SAGE scores cannot be compared to the CRTs. The tests are different and measure different standards (expectations for student achievement.)
- SAGE tests measure a higher standard. When tests with higher standards are first introduced students typically score lower than they have in a past. This is not a reflection of decreased learning but an increase in expectation.
- The state’s higher expectations for college-and career-readiness are measured with SAGE.
The Importance of Regular School Attendance
Chronic absences can lead to academic struggles. Regular attendance at school increases the opportunities for students to benefit from their educational programs. Getting your child to school on-time, every day, unless they are sick, is something that you can do to ensure your child has a chance to succeed in school.
Here are some way parents can help. These suggestions are taken from Attendance Works. Please visit their website for more information.
While others can help, you are the bottom line. You can promote good attendance when you:
Here are some way parents can help. These suggestions are taken from Attendance Works. Please visit their website for more information.
While others can help, you are the bottom line. You can promote good attendance when you:
- Establish and stick to the basic routines (going to bed early, waking up on time, etc.) that will help your child develop the habit of on-time attendance.
- Talk to your child about why going to school every day is critical and important unless they are sick. If your child seems reluctant to go to school, find out why and work with the teacher, administrator or afterschool provider to get them excited about going to school.
- Come up with back up plans for who to turn to (another family member, a neighbor or fellow parents) to help you get your child to school if something comes up (e.g. another child gets sick, your car breaks down, etc.).
- Reach out for help if you are experiencing tough times (e.g. transportation, unstable housing, loss of a job, health problems) that make it difficult to get your child to school. Other parents, your child’s teacher, principal, social worker, school nurse, afterschool providers or community agencies can help you problem solve or connect you to a needed resource.
- If your child is absent, work with the teacher to make sure she or he has an opportunity to learn and make up for the academics missed.
