1995 Town Report - Middle School -

Northborough, MAssachusetts
Northborough Middle School Report
December, 1995

Nadine Henderson, Principal

Implementing the School Council's Improvement Plan and the District's Strategic Goals, and reflecting the spirit of the Education Reform Bill are major objectives for the Northborough Middle School. Considerable success was achieved in both areas during the past year.

Piloting of the new Guide to Mutual Respect continues, and it has served as the basis for the theme for the year: Respect through Responsibility. A main thrust of the new guide is to develop strong relationships between students and teachers which promote a positive atmosphere in classrooms. The peer leadership and peer mediation programs also support respect for studentsand encourage students' active participation in the resolution of student problems. Another new aspect of the guide is to encourage recognition of appropriate student behaviors. A certificate of such recognition was sent to a large percentage of the students around the half year, and further recognition will follow at the end of the year for those students maintaining exemplary records.

Considerable staff Professional Development was devoted to the topic of Cooperative Discipline. The kickoff occurred in September with a six hour program enhanced by a PTO luncheon. Dr. Evans of the Cooperative Discipline Institute presented the initial workshop. The staff continues to explore this topic at faculty and team meetings with support texts purchased by the P.T.O. This new guide will, as directed by the School Council and the School Committee, be reviewed at the end of its pilot year.

Students also involved themselves actively and positively in Northborough and the world community-at-large, another important target of our council, district goals, and the reform bill. These activities cover a wide range of interactions sponsored by teams as well as student groups.

Team seven financially adopted a young girl who is of similar age from Burkina Faso. Students raise $22.00 a month for the project and have corresponded back and forth with their adoptee. The student council sponsored a Penny War which raised school spirit, as well as a large cash contribution for the Northborough Food Pantry. Students from across the school have been involved in community leaf raking, path clearing to Mary Goodnow's grave, and fund raising for local and national causes such as UNICEF and the Grade six Thanksgiving Food Drive.

A special bonding with the Worcester Art Museum program supported many important goals: interdisciplinary projects, research skills, and connecting with life long learning beyond the classroom. A sample of the type of projects being undertaken is the grade seven interdisciplinary unit on Greece and Rome. Students will be exposed to all areas of life, culture, literature, art, et cetera, from this time. Students will be adopting pieces of Roman and Greek art, studying them, writing about them, researching and explaining how they represent and/or teach us about Ancient Greek and Roman life. Students will then reproduce replicas of their art pieces to be displayed, museum style, for the school and public. Art, music, technology education, physical education, foreign language and computer instruction activities will be integrated into this exciting unit.

Fifth grade students are involved in a similarly all-encompassing program about the Solar System united under the theme: The World of Discovery. This unit involved reading fiction and non fiction relating to the universe and planets, and reflecting on the early explorers and their concepts of the New World. Studies culminated in a wide array of academic writing experiences and the imaginative task: "Create your own Alien." Parents were involved with this project from the very beginning of the year when they assisted with decorating the fifth grade wing in theme-related materials. Teachers will be further involved through professional development on this theme when they attend the Christa McAuliffe NASA Center at Framingham State for technical training. This program will enable teachers to assist students when they visit the Center in April and May. The fifth grade will be divided in two for those trips so that they can be accommodated in an exciting simulated space trip.

The arrival of a part-time librarian at the Middle School has made it possible to initiate some support instruction in research skills for these special visits. In addition, new multi media technological capabilities are being used for both research and presentation activities. Electronic resources are being tapped to find information, and a variety of media reporting devices are being used in each grade.

At all levels, great emphasis is being given to innovative teaching strategies and interdisciplinary teaching. Special professional development opportunities have been available for all staff to update their knowledge of new technological materials. Eighth graders are involved in cross disciplinary units on immigration and the Civil War which use this technological support.

Technology is also playing a larger part in foreign language instruction. In addition to the language lab which was always part of the program, computer multi-media activities are part of instruction. Spanish classes have been involved in an unusual pairing with the science department relating to nutrition. Students created menus in Spanish which reflected the seven categories of the nutrition pyramid. These charts were displayed in the cafeteria during December.

Increased cultural awareness has been fostered by reaching out to all students through the labeling foreign language students did of the entire school. Spanish and French names appear over various service and personnel areas. Responding to our concern for respect of diversity, students have also applied in large numbers for pen pals across the world to increase their understanding of other cultures.

Respecting Cultural Diversity is not limited to foreign language classes. Throughout the building, teachers seize opportunities to incorporate presentations about diverse cultures into the curriculum. Grade five sponsors a weeklong program which brings in individual speakers from the community to acquaint students with particular customs and life-styles. Parents, teachers, business and professional persons have volunteered for these cultural programs. In addition, celebration of American culture with events such as Memorial Day programs help keep the school community aware and respectful of each others' heritages. The educational community's concern for diversity of opinion is reflected in the questionnaire developed by the School Council to assess the feeling of parents, students and faculty regarding their Middle School experiences. Every effort is being made to respond to these concerns.

Intellectual exploration for students and teachers has focused on the open-ended question as a tool for upgrading our MEAP scores and concentrating on higher level thinking skills. District-wide professional development days have addressed open-ended questions, how to evaluate the answers to them, and the teaching techniques which prepare students for responding effectively to such questions. Staff meeting time has also been devoted to follow up in this area. Every technical education class begins with an activity that is open-ended-question based. Every discipline is reflecting this method of questioning and requiring written responses to such questions.

Music and art activities support all curricula areas in interdisciplinary programs much as the sixth grade Thanksgiving play, square dancing activities for the Westward Movement, Latin American music, Indian Artifacts, and illustrations related to every area of study. In technology education, art, music, and physical education every effort is made to allow personal choice of product or activity within a range of possibilities aligned to the over-all goal of each project.

Cooperative learning is also emphasized across all disciplines as groups work together, where appropriate, on problem solving issues, an additional expectation of the Curriculum Frameworks. The entire school continues with its study skills and organizational support program highlighted by the use of the new Agenda Book

Extra curricular opportunities for Northborough Middle School students include chorus, band, select chorus, jazz band, stand band, art club, yearbook, student council, intramural sports, newspaper, computer club, interscholastic basketball, Odyssey of the Mind, think tank, the school musical, peer leadership and community service activities, The inter-scholastic basketball program initiated last year continues to inspire school spirit and delights players and fans alike.

The Northborough Middle School educational community is indebted to the community at-large and to our P.T.O. in particular for continued support of our educational endeavors.