School-Wide Attention to Tolerance

I am ready to re-organize and meet with our SWAT Team for the 11-12 school year!  Last year, I worked with a team of about 15 students to analyze and address issues related to bullying.  We will continue that work this year and of course invite new students to join us.  Our first meeting will take place on Friday during Hawk Time.

It is unfortunate that we have students who participate in bullying behavior.  Through SWAT, I want our students to understand that it is wrong to tease, make fun of others, spread rumors, and horse-play.  We also want our students to have the courage to not become the silent bystander.  The SWAT Team will help me determine the best way to address these problems.  They will also encourage their peers to show a true Hawk Attitude by treating others with respect and demonstrating tolerance for the differences that we all possess!

We currently have an online reporting form on our website.  If you know of an instance where a student is being bullied or harrassed, click on the SWAT Report Form on our school website and tell us about.  We want every student to feel safe and to know that Williams Middle School is a Center of Academic Excellence where differences are celebrated.  Go Hawks!

Hawk Time Highlights

I hope by now, your child has told you a little about Hawk Time.  This is our school-wide enrichment program that takes place daily from 7:55-8:20.  We began last Wednesday and I want to highlight one of our new classes.  Our Toastmasters Junior Leadership program is one of our exciting new Hawk Time offerings.  We have over 20 students who will complete this 8-week program.  The class has already elected officers and met with Jesse Barber, our Toastmasters mentor.  Mr. Barber is from a Toastmasters club on Redstone Arsenal and he is thrilled about working with our students.  This program is the only one of its kind in our area so look to hear more soon as the members develop the competency they need to become effective communicators and inspired leaders.  Being an effective public speaker is such a valued skill so we are extremely pleased to have Toasmasters as one of our enrichment options.  I will highlight other Hawk Time classes in the future.  In the meantime, if you have any questions about your child's class, just contact the teacher!

Awesome Week!

What a week! I must say that I have thoroughly enjoyed this week. We have the BEST kids and it was such a pleasure seeing their smiling faces and getting to know them this week. I conducted grade-level assemblies with each group and it was quite enlightening. Students asked some insightful questions and the time was indeed well-spent and mutually beneficial. Hawk Time classes were also selected and we will begin those classes on Wednesday. I hope your kids enjoyed this week as much as I did! Have a wonderful, restful weekend and Go Hawks!!

Day Two!

We are well on our way to a fantastic week!  Today progressed quite smoothly and I think we are all getting back into the swing of things.  With that said, we still have some glitches that we are working through with our student information system.  This system, called iNow, is used to create student schedules.  Ms. Jones, our systems operator is working diligently in an effort to meet the needs of all teachers and students.  She is phenomenal so worry not!  We will get it done!

I met with all 7th grade students this morning.  What a great group of young people!  I know our parents must be extremely proud and for good reason.  Also, today our numbers approached 500 students!  The growth we have experienced is very exciting.  Our teachers and I are truly looking forward to fantastic year!  Football and volleyball seasons are right around the corner so get geared up to support our athletes and coaches!  Go Hawks!

Day One!

Today was a good day overall! We welcomed over 120 new students and we are so excited about the 2011-2012 school year. The morning was pretty smooth with just a couple of late buses but I feel certain that the rest of the week will improve. Students began their day in Homeroom and most received their schedules. Remaining schedules will be given tomorrow. Students also received paperwork to go home for parent completion. Please complete and return the paperwork with your child tomorrow. We appreciate your promptness!

We had our Grade-Level Assembly for 8th graders after homeroom. We look forward to adding a Student Leadership Team this year and believe that our 8th graders are ready to step up to the plate! We certainly have many bright and talented students in this group so I'm sure establishing leaders will not be difficult.

Lunch and the remainder of the school day progressed nicely. Then, it happened. At 3:00pm the bottom fell out and we experienced quite a storm. I apologize for the bus delays and any confusion that the weather and late buses may have caused. Overall today was truly a good day...Tomorrow will be even better! Thank you so much for your support and patience as we work through the challenges of this first week. We appreciate you!!

We Made AYP!

Congratulations to all our teachers, staff, students and parents for making Adequate Yearly Progress!  As we continue to set our goals high, we can take a moment to celebrate along the way.  Many of you know that the AYP standards are more difficult to achieve each year so we will not rest on our laurels.  AYP is our minimum standard and we certainly want to excel well beyond.  More information will be displayed here and on our school website soon.

We are busy preparing for our opening!  I hope to see you this week.  We have our 6th Grade Meet and Greet on Tuesday August 2nd from 5-6pm in our lecture hall and our Open House on Thursday August 4th from 4:30-6:30pm.  We hope to have student schedules available for pick up on Thursday.  There will be a New Student Orientation in the lecture hall Thursday beginning at 4:30.  Other students should report to the gym beginning at 5pm.  See you soon and Go Hawks!!