October 10, 2011

Random song:

This seems appropriate after yesterday:

In honor of the baseball playoffs that are now into the second round of games:

“put me in coach
I’m ready to play, today
Put me in couch,
I’m ready to play today
Look at me, I can be centerfield.”

A sweet John Fogarty tune.

First Interim

And so we are now deep into autumn. The fall sports season will end on Tuesday with the final boys soccer game of the year, the holidays are upon us, and the first interim grades have been sent home. With all of these events, the school year is no longer new and we all begin to see patterns, both with individual and larger groups of students.

EWS has two official grading periods a year - the end of the first semester and the end of the year. Those two grades are the only ones that go on the official school transcript. The semester grade is reached by a combination of the semester grade and the mid-term exam. In 6th grade, the exam counts 10%, 7th grade it's 15%, and 8th grade is 20% of the semester grade. The second semester grade is calculated the same way with the final year-end grade being the average of the two semesters.

However, interim grade reports go out twice during each semester. These reports are a snapshot of where the student is at that point in the semester. It also serves as an opportunity to review the status of all of out students. Advisors are made aware of their advisee's grades and are there to help students identify and make plans for any issues that arise. It is also at this time that the school may require students to attend tutorials or find additional time to work on studies. Although one of the goals of middle school is to provide students the space to become self-sufficient, often times this is a three year process that requires additional help from teachers and parents. As the first interim concludes, please know that we are working hard to provide your children the necessary scaffolding for them to reach their individual goals. If you have any questions, please call the teachers, the advisor, or the administration as we are all ready to lend a hand when needed.

Thanks and have a great week.

Happy birthday to the following students who celebrated birthdays last week or will this coming week:

Nathan Lederman and Sari Raizner - Oct 5
Sam Stewart and Audrey Goodman - Oct 7
Matthew Kronowitz- Oct 11
Eve Baliff and Natalie Goldberg - Oct 13

Mazel Tov to Hannalee Fox and Matthew Kronowitz who are celebrating their Bat and Bar Mitzvah respectively on October15.

Athletics

MS Boys Soccer v. Holy Spirit - 4 p.m.

END OF THE FALL SPORTS SEASON

Calendar events

Oct 10-11 - 7th Grade Retreat to The Outdoor School
Oct 12 - 6th Grade field trip to Holocaust Museum; 7/8 - Tikkun Olam
Oct 12 - school dismissed at 12:30 p.m.
Oct 13-14 - school closed
Oct 20-21- school closed