Dust Devil Weekly

Although my calendar now shows the month as November, it is difficult to look back on this week without a deep dive into the last day of October. Tuesday was Halloween and all across Joan MacQueen’s campus students and staff wore the most creative costumes. There were spooky Corpse Brides, Zombies, and Vampires. There were hilarious Dinosaurs! There were cute Teletubbies and Pokemons. Almost every pop culture icon from the 80’s, 90’s and today were seen, from Barbie and Ken, to Marty McFly, to Dumb and Dumber characters. What a fun and celebratory day it was!

We closed the week with a lovely Lunch on the Lawn. It was the perfect way to end the week and to open the month of November.

Trimester 2 begins tomorrow, and that means we have officially begun the second ⅓ of the school year. With vacation times fast approaching these next few months are going to fly by! We cannot wait.

Enjoy this latest edition of the Dust Devil Weekly!

November 13-17 is Conference Week at Joan MacQueen Middle School and this week’s FOCUS ON shines its light on Parent/Student/Teacher conferences. During conference week the school will shift to a full minimum day schedule, with student dismissal at 11:30 am each day. The reason for the early dismissal is due to the value of using that time to build a bridge between the school, the classroom, and the home. JMMS values the partnership of all families, and in the middle grades it is essential to continue to build and grow this partnership, because, although middle school children are indeed becoming more independent and responsible for themselves, they still require the guidance and support of their families. During conference week we have dedicated times set aside for families and loved ones to sit down and hold honest and collegial discussions about student progress, and learning.

Conferences should not be a time to dread, as my father did so many years ago. It should be a time to address learning challenges and to celebrate learning successes. It is perfectly appropriate for the student to be present during this open and honest dialogue, but their attendance is not necessary. With two-thirds of the school year to go, conferences come at a time where students can reset their goals for the year, or to cement positive academic behaviors that have resulted in growth and success.

Undoubtedly there will be conferences that are more challenging than others, as children may not perform consistently across all classes, but if everyone comes to conferences in the spirit conferences are intended–to help support the growth and academic success of every child–these conversations can be invaluable in ensuring the best for all students.

We hope to see you ALL during conference week. Conference details can be found inside this edition of Dust Devil Weekly. We will hold day and evening sessions to better assist with your busy schedules. If you are unable to make it to the November 13-15 conferences, teachers will be available by appointment on November 16 and 17th.