I met with your children today in their regularly scheduled math classes to discuss their summer math work. This work is on an online program called Study Island. They may access it from the internet. The students had the opportunity to log on and start this important work. I gave each student a packet with directions and username and password information. There is also a letter explaining the purpose of practicing math over the summer and a list of school supplies they will need for math next year. I have attached that information here as well.
If you have any questions or concerns after thoroughly reviewing the work and discussing it with your child, please don't hesitate to contact me at eheyman@mvyps.org. Also, if students misplace their username and password, please email me to retrieve it.
If your child was absent today and won't be here tomorrow, I will mail the packet home to you.
Thank you to all of you who attended the fund raising meeting last night. I know it is a busy time of year for everyone, so if you couldn't make it, here is a synopsis of the meeting. Attached is a sample itinerary for the trip, a trip deposit letter and a road race sponsorship form. I also sent these forms home with children today if you weren't at the meeting. There will be extra sponsorship forms in the office all summer.
First, I described the point system for raising money. Each family will earn money from each fund raising event in which they participate. Participation in all events is voluntary. However, unless you can afford to pay the entire amount, we strongly encourage you to participate in the fund raising efforts. The Oak Bluffs School does not have a scholarship fund; nor can it afford to assist in the cost of the trip. This is why we fund raise. Even if your child does not currently express an interest in going, please participate in the fund raising. That way, when your child changes their mind (and they often do), you will not have such a huge financial burden on your own. Also, our group decided last night that we would fund raise the necessary cost for Jacob Gurney's trip to help alleviate this burden on his family.
For each event, points are assigned for the shifts and tasks for that event. The total profit of that event is then divided by the total points earned to determine the point value. If the point value is $30 and your family earned three points working the event, then you just decreased your trip cost by $90.
Melanie Bilodeau and Misty Araujo have volunteered to run the OB Fireworks fund raiser in August where we sell food and drinks to the crowd. They will be getting in touch about what you can do to earn money from this event. Each shift that a family member works for this event is worth one point. Please watch out for future information.
We are in charge of the Columbus Day Road Race. Over the summer, we are asking you to solicit sponsors for the race. This information is detailed on the attached document. This is our biggest and most successful fund raiser. The more sponsors we get as a class, the better off we are as a group. Families can earn points by working the event and for each $300 worth of sponsors you get. This is the big money maker and I can't emphasize enough the importance of collecting sponsorships.
The PTO will give 25% of what each child sells in the fall Meadow Farms fund raiser. If your child sells $200 worth of merchandise, you lower the cost of your trip by $50.
We also have the opportunity to run the Turkey Trot race on Thanksgiving Day. Information about that will come out in the fall.
If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to get in touch with me (eheyman@mvyps.org).
I hope you are finding time to enjoy the weather and the upcoming summer. This is an extremely busy time of year for all of us. As we come to the end of the school year there are many thing that need to be finalize as we begin the work of preparing for the beginning of the 2016-17 school year. One aspect of planning for next year is reviewing our current curricula and determining any necessary changes that will help our children to build the foundational skills needed for the 21st Century.
One important change that is happening in the middle school is the development of a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) program. The retiring of our Home Economics position presented me with a difficult, yet extremely exciting opportunity for the vision of our school and for developing our children’s college and career readiness while building their 21st Century competencies needed to successfully achieve in middle school, high school, and college and future careers. Through conversations with the Oak Bluffs School Committee, the Oak Bluffs School Advisory Committee, staff members, and state and national policy makers I decided to change the position from a 50% Home Economics/50% Industrial Arts position to a 100% middle school Engineering/STEAM position. Currently, we have gathered exemplary Engineering/STEAM curriculums. These curriculum will not only support the Oak Bluffs School Community’s vision to prepare our students for college and career readiness and develop their 21st century skills but they will also allow the teacher to incorporate the learning objectives set forth by the Home Economics and the Industrial Arts Technologist standards.
Developing a strong STEAM education is vital for the future of our children. Job opportunities in STEAM fields are growing fast but too few of our high school graduates are ready for college coursework or careers in STEM areas (National Center for Education Statistics, 2011). The majority of U.S. students, particularly low-income and minority youth, lack foundational skills and knowledge in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (Change the Equation, 2012). Employers report a shortage of talent for STEM-specific jobs – and in areas such as health care that require basic STEM competencies. These gaps have broad implications. They limit not only individual prospects for college readiness they also limits our students readiness to enter the work force if they decide alternative routes. The bottom lines is this gap could limit our children potential for further economic independence. We are very excited to be developing an innovative program that will grow our students overall potential.
We are very excited to implement this new program yet know that we also value all of the standards that are embedded in the Home Economics curriculum. Discussion has begun with the Oak Bluffs School Committee which has focused on investigating ways we can offer food, nutrition, and cooking classes to middle school students in an after school club next year.
Thank you for your support and understanding. If you have further questions, please feel free to contact me.