SIGSBEE SCOOP 2016-2017: Week 2 (August 29-September 2)

Sigsbee Charter School SCOOP

Respect, Responsibility, Resilience

A Week In Review...

We welcomed the first full week of school with the booming sounds and bright lights of thunder and lightening.  Students mastered rainy day routines with great flexibility.  Remember, in the event of inclement weather, Sigsbee follows the guidance of the Monroe County School District (MCSD).  Any delays or closures will be announced on the radio and posted on the Keysschools website.  Additionally, you will receive an email and text via JupiterEd.  Please be sure your account is active.  We don't expect this storm to amount to much so please just send appropriate attire for rain on Monday.

The highlight of our week was seeing that we've already saved over 1100 water bottles by using our refillable water bottles and new bottle filling stations.  The kindergarten class is paving the way with four consecutive days of NO disposable bottles.  Thank you all for assisting us by sending a filled water bottle to school everyday.

We are looking forward to welcoming our K-5 parents into the classroom on Wednesday evening.  Back to School Night is intended for parents to listen to teacher presentations about expectations, routines and highlights of the year.  The information will guide you through the year. The meeting will also provide an opportunity for you to ask questions to your child's teachers.  Please remember that individual parent conferences occur at the end of October.  It is not appropriate to use this event to discuss individual children.

A repeat presentation will occur for every classroom at 6:00 PM.  This gives parents opportunities to visit more than one teacher if you have multiple children in elementary.

Students do not need to attend this event.  It is intended for parents and teachers only.  If you are unable to find child care at home, you may bring your school-aged children for evening care in the portables.  Eighth graders will be onsite to help specialists entertain your children.  Tips/donations will be used to start raising funds for our graduating class.; this class is hoping to travel to Cuba.

Attending Back To School Night will grant you service hours too!

UPCOMING EVENTS:  

Wednesday, August 31st: K-5 Back To School Night  5-7PM (please sign in at the classrooms)
5:00-5:45 PM:  Presentation 1
6:00-6:45 PM:  Presentation 2 (repeat of first presentation)
Daycare available for school-aged children in K-5.  Sign in at the portables.  Families with a last name A-N in Mrs. Kirk's art portable.   Last names O-Z in Mr. Weinstein's music portable.   There will be a movie ready in each room.   Please note that families with babies and toddlers should bring them to the classroom.

Monday, September 5th: Labor Day- No school
Tuesday, September 6:  Jennifer Holm book pre-orders due
Thursday, September 8: Jennifer Holm Author Visit (grades 4-8)

Click here for:
Tips from Parents of Charter Schools about the start of the year

Middle School Students Shape Their Learning

Last spring, middle school students developed a survey for their classmates to provide input to their teachers and administration about courses, schedules and special events.  Their responses led to several changes in the MS program.  Course elective choices were created based on the most popular ideas from the survey.  They now include a blend of returning classes that most students enjoyed and new opportunities such as foreign language (French), industrial arts (Build-A-Bunch), visual arts (Creative Photography) and instrumental instruction (Drum Circle).  In addition, students are able to choose their elective classes rather than having them assigned.

Students also mentioned that they would like opportunities to visit teachers for extra help with projects or review of material.  They wanted some time to follow-up on their learning from their core classes.  A Help/Advisory class was created for all grade levels; the course is called, Temporary Instructional Placement (TIP).  Students will have time on Wednesdays to meet with teachers for such matters.  In addition, humanities and STEM blocks were developed so that grade level teams could use time flexibly for more student-driven projects.

Another pervasive request was made for additional physical education classes.  Sixth graders have PE or recess 5X/week this year.  Seventh and eighth graders have it scheduled 3X/week and are able to enroll in team sports for additional physical activity.  Additionally, the PE class time was extended to an hour for some periods- so make sure your middle schooler is well hydrated!

To transition our sixth graders to a middle school culture, a course named Personal Development was created.  This course will focus on the middle school level of Second Steps (our character development and anti-bullying program), AVID type organizational strategies, and keyboarding. Sixth graders will participate in this course twice weekly.

It was not a surprise that students were also interested in after school clubs.  Our teachers are developing several opportunities covering a broad spectrum of interests.  Once our schedules get settled, MS students will be able to participate in after-school clubs or programs such as: Intramurals, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math), Math Counts, Book Club, NJHS (National Junior Honor Society), Student Council, Mentoring,  Special Olympics Unified Track and Field, and more.

In the next few weeks, students will become familiar with their schedules and routines.  We appreciate your flexibility as we made changes to accommodate our new student information system and our new students' placement.

PHOTO GALLERY FROM WEEK 2

Did you know that after this summer's renovation, SCS now has 4 science labs.  Our teachers wasted no time immersing students in the tools of science.

Wednesday Enrichment is a highlight of the week for many of our students.  "Game On" is a great opportunity for students to learn teamwork, strategy and sharing while playing some good old-fashioned board games.

FROM OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS