Minidoka Jr. High Parent Newsletter

November 1: 3:30-4:30 Parent Support with Summit Platform

November 6: 6:00-7:30 pm Parent Event: Cooking Class with Krista Sagers

November 8: 12:30-1:30 Parent Patron Advisory Team Luncheon Meeting

November 13: Student Responsibility Rewards Celebration-"Floats and Fun"

November 15: 3:45-4:45 Parent Planning Meeting (We need parents to help plan family events and have a voice in our financial expenditures for parent events.)

November 22-26 Thanksgiving Break

November 27: Student Responsibility Rewards Celebration-"Board Game Party"

We look forward to getting to know our parents/guardians, and support you in the education of your child.

• We are offering parent support with the Summit Platform every month. You are invited to come to the school on the first Wednesday of each month between the hours of 3:30 and 4:30 as needed- for support with the Parent Portal of our Summit Program. We want you to be proficient at checking your child's work, progress, and observe any gaps or address concerns.
• We are also offering a monthly parent meeting and encourage you to attend as you can to provide input on decisions as to how money is spent, activities that interest you and your child, and potential volunteer opportunities. These meetings will be the third Wednesday of each month from 3:45-4:45.

Students are just finishing up the second math unit!

So far this year we have learned about Scale Drawings and Proportional Relationships in 7th grade, and in 8th grade we have learned about Linear Relationships, Linear Equations, and Linear Systems of Equations.

Each math unit has several daily Cool Downs, which are a diagnostic to determine a student's understanding of the lesson that day, one Portfolio Problem which each student is able to choose their preference from the list given, and a cumulative End of Unit Assessment which students may retake given that they have completed all Cool Downs correctly.

60% of 7th graders and 72% of 8th graders are on track in math, with several students only off track by one final product! It's been a great start to the year..

In English class all students are right in the middle of a project. Seventh graders are reading the book Flying Lessons and Other Stories edited by Ellen Oh. This book is a collection of many stories about having or developing a sense of belonging. Students are working to write good evidential and inferential questions AND to have appropriate conversations with peers using those questions. At the end of the project students will write their own personal narrative and give an oral presentation about their personal culture with classmates. We are celebrating with Jaida Juarez because she has passed ALL power focus areas for 7th grade English class!

Eighth grade students are reading two graphic novels/comic books. They finished reading Ms. Marvel by G. Willow Wilson and are now reading American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang. Students are analyzing and evaluating the texts. Many of the characters in these stories are also struggling with their sense of belonging. For one of the eighth grade final products, students will be required to write their own narrative on a social issue of their choosing. Students will also be encouraged to make their narrative into a graphic novel or comic book, but that will not be a requirement.

Please take a look at your student's Summit PROGRESS page and click on English class. If your student is off track, pay careful attention to the Grade Summary (see sample image below). This summary will help you and your student see what areas need some extra attention (in the sample, the student needs to focus on improving some things on projects but Power Focus Areas and Additional Focus areas are ON TRACK).

.

7th Graders are completing their first Final Products for science. Creating a map of an area explaining the ecosystem that exists there.

7th graders have been learning about medieval honor codes like chivalry and bushido, and how they compare to modern day honor codes, such as our school's student handbook!

8th graders have finished our unit on the study of how different groups in America were treated during the time the Constitution was created, and now we're researching the intent and impact of westward settlement in America. In Health class, we've been looking at the cons, effects, and potential consequences of smoking, drinking, and marijuana use. Next we'll be looking at some of the downsides and dangers of advertisements.

Choosing to be grateful makes you more powerful and in charge of your life experience.

Scientific studies consistently prove the positive effects of gratitude for body, mind, spirit and emotions. It is proven that gratitude reduces stress and anxiety. Yet, it’s not always easy.

We all know we “should” be grateful. But telling yourself that you really “should” be grateful will actually create more negative feelings and less gratitude.

How do we shift from knowing we should be grateful to actually being more grateful?

Here’s where choosing comes in… Searching for that small thing to be grateful for is a conscious choice. I’m not saying it is easy, but you can choose to do it.

Choose to search for a silver lining. Choose to look at both sides of a coin. Choose to allow yourself to feel better by finding one positive thing, even if you seem to be swimming in a sea of problems.

It’s a gift to yourself. Gratitude is a way you can take control of how you feel, no matter the circumstances around you. It makes you feel better and reduces stress and anxiety.

Research shows gratitude increases happiness, reduces depression, creates positive changes in your brain activity, improves relationships, increases motivation, and reduces anxiety. These are great gifts to yourself.

So choose. Choose because you want to feel better.

Choose because you deserve it.

Moment by moment…keep choosing gratitude.

The district nurses are doing vision screening next week. They use a mobile vision screening device called a PlusOptix; the kids look at the cartoon eyes on the front of the screener and the screener takes a reading, detecting abnormalities in the lenses of the eyes if they are there. Vision screening will be November 9th. 7th grade will be screened as well as any students that teachers refer to be screened. If you don't want your student to be screened, you may call the school to ask that they be excluded.

Students are eligible to participate in the current Responsibility Rewards Activity if they have met the following criteria:

1. Attend at least 90% of classes since the last reward activity (must be on time to count as attending unless previously excused)

• ANY student who has perfect weekly attendance will earn one entry each week into a drawing for random prizes that the winner can choose

2. No more than two incomplete checkpoints or projects in any core class

3. No unresolved student responsibility sheets behavior concerns

4. No more than two responsibility sheets since the last reward activity

***Students are expected to pass at least one PFA each week in order to be eligible to participate in each Responsibility Reward activity.

"The district nurses are doing vision screening next week. They use a mobile vision screening device called a PlusOptix; the kids look at the cartoon eyes on the front of the screener and the screener takes a reading, detecting abnormalities in the lenses of the eyes if they are there. Vision screening will be November 9 from 10:00-11:00 for 7th grade students only.

All 7th grade students will be screened as well as any students that teachers refer to be screened. If you don't want your student to be screened, you may call the school to ask that they be excluded."

Attendance is a crucial piece for success in school! It is always vital for students to attend all classes. This year, it is even MORE vital-our state funding is determined by attendance. Please make sure that students missing school for appointments bring excuse notes from the doctor/court/counseling agency. The district has a 90% attendance policy.

• Students can miss a maximum of 7 days in a semester (August 21-December 20).
• Doctor's/court/counseling notes need to be delivered to the school within 5 school days after returning to school.
• When a licensed physician or psychiatrist shall state in writing to the board of trustees that physical, mental or emotional condition of a child does not permit attendance at school, and a petition is filed with the board by the parent or guardian of the child requesting such child be exempt, the board of trustees may at its discretion grant the requested exemption during the existence of such condition.
• Click link to view policy. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/16gXdG2iHucMfD0G9H1inlIVDPMxfn7FX

• All students attending MJH need the signed "Statement of Cooperation" form turned in to the secretary.
• No backpacks/binders
• No open drink containers
• Cell phones will be turned in to staff at the beginning of the day and returned as students leave the building. Students who do not turn cell phones in will receive graduated consequences: warning, parent only (no siblings) pick up the phone from the office, not allowed to bring a phone for the remainder of the year.
• No dropping off students before 7:30-students need to be dropped off in the back of the building by the gym doors. We do not have supervision earlier than that.
• Students will go home on their assigned bus unless you contact the school (preferably by noon if possible). Please do not send notes, and we do not allow students to call home to change transportation plans.
• Click Link for Statement of Cooperation. https://drive.google.com/file/d/16LDAXmNpc04mSIwifE5RTokNt96NQ5Fm/view?usp=sharing

How do I log into the Summit Learning Platform?

To log into the Summit Learning Platform as a parent/guardian:

1. Go to https://www.summitlearning.org
2. Click Parents Login in the upper right
3. Sign in with your username or email address, as well as your password

If you’ve forgotten your password:

1. Click Forgot Password? on the login screen, under Password
2. Enter your username or email address, then click Reset Password. You’ll receive an email with further instructions to reset your password
   

If you don’t receive the email, or if you’ve forgotten your username or email address, your child’s teacher should be able to provide you with that information.

If you don't have a parent account, please reach out to your student's teacher or principal and provide them with your name and email address for them to create an account for you. They will provide you with a username and password, which you can later update.

If you have additional questions or need more help, just contact our help desk.

Where can I see my child’s work?

As a parent/guardian, you may want to see what your child is working on at school. From the menu on the left, you can explore this through 3 different avenues:

• Week
• Year
• How do I see my child's specific assignments?
• Progress

Week

In the Week section, your child can plan and set goals for focus areas and checkpoints they are working on. Clicking on a goal will take you to the corresponding focus area or Project it is associated with.

Year

The Year section shows your child’s progress across all subjects. Scroll down to see each of your child’s courses, as well as the Projects and focus areas for each course.

The vertical blue line is the pacing line, and it indicates where your child should be today in order to be on track, or on-pace, to complete a given course by the end of the school year. Projects and focus areas to the left of the line are either completed or behind schedule, while all Projects and focus areas to the right of the line are upcoming in the school year. Students are free to work on focus areas ahead of time or return to previous focus areas for review at any time. You can toggle to past or future school years by clicking on the left or right arrows at the top right of the page.

Note: Projects that have been assigned are sized proportionally, depending on the start and end dates of the Projects. For example, a longer Project will take up more space than a shorter Project. Projects that are unassigned, as well as all focus areas, are spaced equally and are presented at the same width.

How do I see my child's specific assignments?

You can view your child's specific assignments by clicking into a project. Once you are viewing a project, you can click into the individual assignments to see your student's progress as well as the teachers' written feedback.

1. Go to your child's Year Page
2. Click into a project
3. Click into a checkpoint or final product

4. See your child's progress and the teacher's comments

Progress

In the Progress section, you can view everything your child recently worked on, a summary of his/her goals for each week, and a space to view notes from teachers and mentors.

You can also view your child’s grades in each of their classes based on their current pace. Keep in mind that these grades are not final until the school year ends and may change whenever students complete Projects or pass Content Assessments. By clicking into each course, you will receive a detailed grade summary.

• Federal Programs Information - English

• Federal Programs Information - Spanish

• Parental Rights Annual Notices - English

• Parental Rights Annual Notices - Spanish

• Parents/Guardians have the right to request professional qualifications of teachers and paraprofessionals.
• Parents/Guardians are invited to monthly meetings-They will be held the third Wednesday each month from 3:45-4:45 (latest)
• Parent/Patron Advisory Committee meets monthly at 12:30 here at our building. Lunch is provided, and parents/guardians have the opportunity to be part of the decision making process for our schools. We would love to have you participate as you can.