Terman Middle School WELCOME

Class of 2019!

ALL Home of the Tigers!

Ohlone Barron Park

Hoover Briones

Transitions and Growth

! Middle School is a time of important transition

!  Students are changing, growing, and developing rapidly ! Physical, Academic, Social, and Emotional growth and change

! Academic pace increases – complexity of learning environment; assessments

!  Physical development – adolescence and puberty

!  Social-emotional adaptations – resiliency and asserting increased independence, self-advocacy, changing friendships, development of greater empathy

Staff – Team in Support of Student Success

!  Pier Angeli La Place, Principal

!  Debra Matthews, Assistant Principal

!  Charlie Rohrbach, Dean

!  Michele Chin, 6th Grade Guidance Counselor 2016 - 2019

!  Veronica Melero, School Secretary (Bilingual - Spanish)

!  Annabelle Alderette, Attendance Secretary (Bilingual - Spanish)

!  Angel Luong, Health Technician (Bilingual – Tagalog)

!  Many other Staff and adults: Teachers, Instructional Assistants, School Psychologist, Custodians, ACS Interns, Parent Volunteers…

Role of Guidance Counselor

!  Loop for 3 years to develop positive, supportive relationships with students and families !  Open, trusting communication is essential

!  Socio – Emotional Support !  Fostering resiliency, healthy coping skills, and developing

greater independence with increased self-advocacy !  Confidential relationship

!  Academic Support and Interventions !  Regularly meet with teachers and teams

!  Navigation of Peer Relationships !  Adolescence is a normal period of engaging social skills

!  Social Kindness Program !  Promoting kindness, respect, and inclusion

SUPPORTING OUR STUDENTS

!  TEACHER TEAMS !  Five core teams of two

teachers

!  COUNSELORS LOOP

!  SOCIAL KINDNESS PROGRAM

!  HOMEWORK HABITAT/MATH ADVANTAGE

!  SIXTH GRADE MATH

SUCCESS (teacher input)

!  TEACHERS @ LUNCH AND AFTER SCHOOL by arrangement

!  LUNCH CLUBS

!  STUDENT COUNCIL

!  STUDENT SPIRIT ACTIVITIES

!  AFTER-SCHOOL SPORTS

(City of Palo Alto)

Every Student, Everyday

!  How many kinds of students do we have at Terman?

!  How many students do we have at Terman? That’s the number!

!  Everyone is valued and brings unique gifts, perspectives, identity, assets, challenges, talents, heart, mind, and spirit…

!  Diversity in its many forms brings richness to our community. It is one of our strengths – equity and inclusion

!  Helping students to explore what learning means and exploring who they are requires:

!  Willingness to listen to each other!

!  May not always agree on everything, but can agree that we are working together to bring our best intentions and efforts

!  Our kids are worth it for us to work in positive partnership

Our School’s Mission and Vision

Terman Middle School is an inclusive community of students, families, and educators engaged in achieving high academic and social standards with respect for diversity in a positive school climate.

Diverse Needs – Diverse Learning

! General educational setting – heterogeneous

! Co-teaching (two credentialed teachers supporting learning)

! Universal Access, Inclusion, Universal Design for learning

!  Special Education ! Maureen Duffy I.S. (mduffy@pausd.org)

! ELL Program (rshen-lorensen@pausd.org) ! Rebecca Shen-Lorensen Coordinator (Bilingual Mandarin)

! Direct Instructions – basic skills emphasis (Feb. 3 meeting)

Transition Activities and Events

!  February 8th, February 9th, and February 10th !  TASK Students (8th graders) , Guidance Counselor

and Principal Visit Elementary Schools – Parent Input Cards distributed

!  Guidance Counselors Visit 5th Grade Teachers !  Student Support Talks

!  Fifth Graders Visit Terman Campus May 12th

!  First Week of School - Tiger Camp!

!  Guidance Counselor Visits Each Classroom at beginning of middle school after Tiger Camp

Upcoming Events

!  Parent Visitation Day

!  March 9th 8:10 – 3:05p

!  Check-in in office

!  BTS Check-In Day

!  Scheduled for Monday, August 15th

!  Bring forms, get uniforms and information, meet some staff

!  First Day of School

!  Tuesday, August 16th!

!  Tiger Camp begins

Calendar on Terman Website

Tiger Camp – 6th Grade Orientation/Transition

!  First week of school (placement in classes after)

!  Orientation to Middle School

!  Procedures (e.g. Fire and Evacuation Drills)

!  Lockers assigned, Schoology & IC access

!  Meet every sixth grade teacher !  skills review/assessments

!  Team Building, Sense of Family (becoming Tigers)

!  Tribes Philosophy and developmental assets

!  Introduce our Mission – a school climate: welcoming, fostering kindness, respect, and inclusion

Bell Schedule

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday school hours are 8:10 – 3:05p.

Wednesday school hours are 8:10 – 1:40p.

Minimum Day hours are 8:10 – 12:20p. No lunch served.

English

!  Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking skills

!  Core literature and non-fiction sources

!  Grammar and mechanics embedded in curriculum

!  Writing: argumentation, narrative, expository compositions, research reports, and responses to literature.

!  Formal presentations, conversations, group discussions.

History- Social Studies

!  Dawn of humankind and major ancient civilizations of Africa and Eurasia.

!  Geographical, political, economic, religious, and social structures

!  Early Human evolution, Mesopotamia, Egypt and Kush, Israelites, India, China, and Greece.

!  Reading for information, Note-taking, Research, document-based questioning (DBQ), and presentation skills emphasized

Language arts skills are emphasized and applied across the curriculum.

Hayley Dupuy – English IS hdupuy@pausd.org

Nicole Bliss – Social Studies IS nbliss@pausd.org

Effective and Meaningful Learning

Current CA Standard

21st Century Skills

Common Core State Standards

Teaching Content Mastery

Communication Collaboration Creativity Critical Thinking

Teaching Content Mastery

With Critical Thinking

Literacy – The Foundation

! Literacy is the most fundamental skill of learning

! The ability to read, write, and explain ideas are the pillars underlying all subject areas

! Common Core emphasizes Literacy skills across content areas

Mathematics

!  Number, Measurement, Geometry, Patterns & Functions, Statistics & Probability, Logic & Language, Algebra

!  Problem Solving; Building Connections; Computational Skills

!  California Mathematics 1: Numbers to Algebra

!  Connected Math Series

!  Supplemental & Enrichment

Science

!  NGSS alignment development, hands-on, discovery activities (FOSS units and materials)

!  Earth Science, Astronomy

!  Scientific Method

!  Individual/Group Projects

!  Science Camp - environmental

!  NGSS and Common Core

!  Emphasis on scientific methods, hypothesis, observation, lab notes

Becky Rea– Math IS (brea@pausd.org)

8 Mathematical Practices

WHEEL, P.E., AND MUSIC

! Music (Choir, Band, or Orchestra) ! Year-long classes, meet 2x/week

!  Physical Education ! Year-long classes, meet 2x/week

! Exploratory Wheel ! 7-8 weeks per subject, meet 4x/week

! Art ! Computer Applications ! Drama ! Industrial Technology ! Language Transfer (basic Latin)

Band, Choir, Orchestra

Three subjects available: Band (winds and percussion) Choir (singing) Orchestra (strings)

6th Grade Music

Each subject has the same expectations for practice and number of performances. Rehearsals foster a sense of community and focus on concert music, music theory, and technique.

!  Select the subject your child feels most connected to. !  Stay with that course all year long

!  If you prefer singing to playing an instrument, choir is the perfect class.

!  Band and Orchestra classes continue where 5th grade left off. !  Continue on same instrument (most common) !  Common switches: Saxophone, Percussion, Horn, Viola, Bass !  Start the school year on your current instrument.

Common Concerns

!  Students may store instruments in the music rooms during the school day.

!  School instruments are available to those who need them. Borrow from Terman, not the district office.

! Depending on inventory, we may have extra instruments available for transportation concerns.

Families will select their music course in April. The district music office will provide a selection form and further information.

Music Course Selection

Contact Information: Nancy Coffey, District Music Coordinator

ncoffey@pausd.org, 650-329-3944

Mark Dungan, Terman Band mdungan@pausd.org, 650-354-1450

Brittney Kerby, Terman Choir bkerby@pausd.org, 650-354-1462

Tiffany Ou, Terman Orchestra tou@pausd.org, 650-354-1451

Communication !  BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT

!  Wednesday, August 24th

!  INFINITE CAMPUS – grades…

!  SCHOOLOGY – assignments…

!  PTA eNews (Weekly)

!  TIGER TALK (Newsletter)

!  E-MAIL: Teachers, Guidance Counselor, Administration

!  UpToUs Parent Networks

!  TERMAN WEBSITE: www.terman.pausd.org

“If you want to be successful, just talk with your teachers.”

“8th Graders are really nice to you!”

“Tyrone Rocks!”“You will LOVE the cookies!”

QUESTIONS ?

Pier Angeli La Place, Principal

plaplace@pausd.org

Debra Matthews, Assistant Principal

dmatthews@pausd.org

Charlie Rohrbach, Dean

crohrbach@pausd.org

Michele Chin, Guidance Counselor

mchin@pausd.org