Fair Haven Union Middle School

Good afternoon FHUMS Families,

November is national gratitude month. Being grateful doesn't mean we deny the fact that negative things happen. It just means we also choose to notice and focus on the good. This can help us appreciate the little things that we can find ourselves taking for granted. Noticing and appreciating the good can increase our happiness, health and overall satisfaction with our lives.

We know it can be tricky to get details from Middle School students about their school day. Despite many positive moments, they some times only want to share a negative or they answer all your questions with just a yes or no. Here are some tips to help with these conversations:

1. Ask open-ended questions, avoid the yes/no questions.

2. Share something about your experiences in school or from your day.

3. Memorize their class schedule so you can ask more specific questions.

4. Schedule regular times to talk.

Here are some possible questions to try instead of just asking about their day:

What was the coolest/weirdest thing you learned today?

If your teacher called me today to talk about you, what would they say?

Who do you enjoy talking to the most?

If you were the teacher, how would you run class(es) differently?

What are the biggest changes from last year to this year?

Which classes do you feel the most motivated in? The least? Why?

Did you laugh today? What made you laugh?

Did you feel mad or sad today? What made you feel that way?

Did you do anything to help someone else have a better day today?

What was the hardest thing you had to do today?

What did you learn today that you didn't know before?

Wishing you a wonderful weekend,

Jennefer Paquette

FHUMHS Co-Principal

Recently, a group of our 8th graders had lunch with our Superintendent. It was an opportunity to represent the middle school and share their thoughts about a number of topics. It sounds like it was a lively dialogue and Superintendent Olsen-Farrell shared how much she enjoyed her time with the students!

Over the past several weeks the students in Mr. Clark's social studies classes have been actively engaged in an authentic civics lesson. The students have transformed into members of the Fair Haven Union Middle School Congress! His 7th grade students make up the House of Representatives and the 8th grade students act as the Senators. The two legislative bodies had to work together to take an idea that solved a problem, create a bill, push it through Congress and await the president’s approval or potential veto!

I am happy to report that HB 1-2324 was successfully signed into law and is currently being enforced by the President and rest of the executive branch of FHUMS. The first bill solved the problem of the classroom layout. The first few weeks of school all of the desks were intentionally pushed up against the walls and students sat in chairs arranged in a circle. This project gave students ownership of and a sense of responsibility to the learning space. They have come to see the room not as Mr. Clark’s room, but “our” room.

As a summative assessment for this project the 7th grade students made large flowcharts documenting the steps it takes for a bill to become a law, and how we utilized those steps within our work creating a classroom design. These flowcharts are currently on display in the middle school hallways. Come check them out!

LINK TO ATHLETIC PRACTICES AND GAMES

SLATE VALLEY ACADEMIC CALENDAR