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from Dr. Jenn Milam, Middle School Director<\/p>\nfrom Dr. Jenn Milam, Middle School Director<\/p>\n
Winter Conferences Are Almost Here<\/strong> We are eagerly preparing for the winter conferences that are coming up next week. Please take this time to ask questions, listen with curiosity, and work to find ways that you can support and reinforce the learning that is happening at school at home\u2013and we pledge to do the same!<\/p>\n Save The Date! Middle School Community Event<\/strong> More information is forthcoming regarding participation release, food costs, and transportation information for both students and families. Please SAVE THE DATE on your calendar and plan to attend to meet other families, teachers, and students.<\/p>\n Reminder: Quarter 2 Grade Reports<\/strong> iTERM 2022\u2013Update<\/strong> Grade 5 Music Share\u2013New Date<\/strong> Our amazing fifth graders are thrilled to share all their musical talents with you in our annual fifth grade music share concert. We will showcase the band, orchestra, and choir\/drumming ensembles. Music has been such a gift this year and our fifth graders are so excited to perform for you. This concert will be their first of many in the years to come. We would love your attendance but understand that the timing may be difficult for some families. We will offer a livestreaming option that will be sent in an email to you with a link and code before the concert starts.<\/p>\n Upcoming Events:<\/strong><\/p>\n If you have questions, please feel free to reach to one of our amazing music teachers!<\/p>\n What Teens Want Us to Know\u2026<\/strong> In all seriousness, in my scrolling a few days ago, I happened upon \u201c7 Things Teenagers Desperately Need Adults to Understand\u201d in Psychology Today and immediately wanted to share it with you all \u2013 my tribe, my fellow parents, those who share this twisty, turny, bumpy, brutiful (brutal + beautiful), journey of raising teens.<\/p>\n It begins with this powerful rendering of what it\u2019s like to be a teenager today:<\/p>\n Every day is a prison, trapped inside this changing body, repeating the same day over and over. My whole life is made up of things I have to do, not things I want to do. Tests, quizzes, reading assignments, papers, group projects\u2014I spend the entire day with people I am forced to be with: teenagers who feel just as messed up as me.<\/p>\n The rest of the article goes on to share seven insights that I think all parents need to hear\u2026and if you already know, maybe you need to be reminded, like me. While their bodies are bigger and their ideas even more so, teens still need us and, in many ways, they need us more.<\/p>\n I invite you to read the article available here<\/a>:<\/p>\n
\nYour partnership with us is an integral part of your student\u2019s success. Most importantly, your student needs to know that you hold them accountable for being a good student academically, a caring human being and positively contributing member of our school community, and that you value and work with their teachers to help them be there best!<\/p>\n
\nOn Friday, February 25, we will load up five (yes, I said 5!) buses and take all middle school students to Badlands SnowPark for an afternoon of SnowTubing fun (2:30-5:30 PM)! This is not just a student event, in fact, our Middle School Parents\u2019 Association has planned to bring a food truck, build a giant bonfire, and an event that will welcome parents, families, and siblings to the hill for fun and community time.<\/p>\n
\nAvailability of grade reports for Quarter 2 was delayed from Monday, January 24 to Monday, January 30 to account for the short shift to virtual school for grades 7-12. We made the decision to allow teachers and students a bit more flexibility and time to wrap up Quarter 2. We hope that this helped to mediate any negative impact on student\u2019s academic standings that may have happened with all the shifts in the last few weeks.<\/p>\n
\nAt this time, iTERM 2022 is still \u201con\u201d and planning for field trips, community outings, guest speakers, and awesome experiences is underway. We continue to monitor all things on the COVID front and will adjust as needed. While it seems that the surge is slowing and that we are in good a position to move forward, I urge cautious optimism in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n
\nThe new date for the awesome music share event is Thursday, February 17. We will welcome parents and guests (2 per family, only) to the performance from 2:20-3 PM.<\/p>\n\n
\nI read a lot. And I\u2019m grateful for the internet because a good bit of what I read is keenly curated, edited for length, and gets right to the point. I mean, who has time to read an entire book?<\/p>\n