她们都在做点啥？ （2015/10/14）

每个marking period，学区都会发送一份关于她们的课程的update。以前我是不关心的。现在上七年级后，学业也开始重了。我开始瞟上一眼。

LMS/UMS Mathematics & Science
It’s a catastrophe or is it? Students in Science 6 are exploring storms and catastrophic events. They will collect evidence from various sources and develop models (may be physical, drawing, or explanation) and support their models and ideas with their evidence. What questions do students have? What are possible causes of catastrophic events? Why would we want to learn more about them? The 6th grade will be taking a journey through time and across the world exploring various types of catastrophic events and the contributing factors. Meanwhile, the Ecology Club at UMS has begun their activities. Ms. Witsen is the advisor of this globally conscience club. Come along for a walk and observe. Ms. Witsen has rich experiences from around the globe she brings to the students. In other news, tryouts have begun for both the Montgomery Mathcounts team and the Science Olympiad team. If you recall, they both achieved outstanding success each year. Last year the Mathcounts team came in 4th place in the Region and the Science Olympiad team came in 2nd in the State! The Mathcounts coaches are Ms. Donovan & Ms. Yip and the Science Olympiad coaches are Mrs. Blakemore & Mrs. Sowa. The coaches do a great job inspiring and coordinating events and practices. Best success Montgomery! During the year there are other math and science contests that students may participate in. These are announced ahead of time and usually open to all at a grade level.

MTSD World Languages & ESL
The MHS World Languages Department conducted the STAMP assessment in all its foundational living language courses from September 15-18. Students were successfully assessed in the domains of reading, writing, speaking and listening in either Chinese, Spanish, French or German. The standards-based Measurement of Proficiency obtained through STAMP is an objective, real-world, web-based and computer adaptive assessment used to determine student proficiency in multiple domains and languages at any point along the learning path. Scores correlate with the American Council of Teachers of Foreign Language (ACTFL) standards, state standards and established proficiency benchmarks. The assessment is valid and reliable based on field testing and expert panels and is widely used in the state of New Jersey and throughout the United States. The World Language Department is currently using STAMP as a pre-course proficiency assessment which requires no student preparation, but rather, engages them with computer-adaptive technology that helps them to understand their own proficiency levels. The results offer teachers data about individual student language skills - weaknesses and strengths - 

LMS/UMS Language Arts & Social Studies
During these first few weeks of school, teachers and media specialists throughout the middle schools have worked diligently in an effort to bolster students’ desire to read, read, read. This initiative includes placing students in their just right books, conferencing with students to determine their reading interests, and implementing the practice of recording reading behaviors on reading logs in an effort to assist students in establishing an awareness of their developing reading lives. The PTO has supported the schools’ effort to strengthen the reading lives of all of our students by hosting the 2015-16 Scholastic Book Fair in our middle schools. During this reading promotion the PTO assists students in selecting books of high interest levels and at the same time supports teachers in their efforts to expand their classroom libraries with titles of interest and relevance to our current students. Be a part of this great