Roaring Fork School District

Roaring Fork School District Re-1 Jeremy Voss, Principal Ty Hayden, Assistant Principal 51 School Street Basalt, Colorado 81621 (970) 384-5900 (970) 384-5905 Fax

Roaring Fork School District BMS NEWS FOR THE WEEKS OF JANUARY 17-24, 2014

FROM THE PRINCIPAL:

Dear Basalt Middle School Community,

Martin Luther King clearly had a Growth Mindset. Faced with monstrous barriers, he said, "Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability but comes through continuous struggle." As we move into Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on Monday, it is a perfect time to reflect on the difficulties we face and dedicate our energies to overcoming those barriers with resolve and commitment. While the hurdles our school community face pale in comparison to those of Dr. King, they still are of considerable import to our students.

This year, our staff is dedicated toward the common goal of raising the percentage of students who hand in their assignments on-time. This trait is a critical component of BMS' Academic Responsibility learner behavior. Throughout the first semester, our work completion rate fluctuated between 30 and 50 percent, with no clear upward trend. These numbers need to improve. As students move into adolescence, their attitudes toward homework and school often decline as peer and social influences become more prominent in their lives. In many ways, this struggle has been hard-wired into their brain development. So what is it that our system lacks to overcome this hurdle, and how can a school community rally together so that education reasserts itself at the top of a student?s list of priorities?

The answer is a complex one. Foremost, or school staff must establish the relevance and purposefulness of schoolwork. When students understand the underlying purpose of a task, they are much more likely to be motivated to complete it. Secondly, we need to ensure our students are equipped with the necessary executive skills to manage their time and organize their materials. Teaching them how to use their planners effectively and creating strong student work habits are of paramount importance.

Additionally, we realize that parents play a key role in improving our students' academic responsibility, but only if we communicate effectively. At our last check-in, 197 students were missing at least one assignment, which makes personally contacting every household a challenge. Enter the Robo-Dialer! Next week we will begin informing parents by robocall message that their child is either on the Academic All-Star List or on the Missing Work List and needs to create a plan to get caught up on work. If a child is on the missing work list for multiple weeks, we will contact families directly. With this system, I am hopeful that all parents will have up-to-date information on the work habits that their child demonstrates at school. We will be communicating missing work to parents and students on the following days: Tuesday ? 7th grade; Wednesday ? 8th grade and 5th grade; Fridays ? 6th grade. If you do not receive a robocall, please contact the front office to make sure we have a correct phone number for you.

If you are aware that your child is missing work, we would greatly appreciate your assistance. Actively check your students? planners, set aside a quiet time and place for them to work, and assist them in developing a plan to return to the Academic All-Star list.

I?ll be communicating out our progress regularly and look forward to setting up our students with an academic skill set that portends success into high school and beyond.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, I welcome your input.

Sincerely, Jeremy Voss BMS Principal

WHAT WE'RE READING THIS WEEK: "Adolescents and executive function skills." While this article is rooted in learning disabilities, it is an excellent read on the ways executive functions impact all adolescents and how parents can help build these critical life skills, which will be an important part of our third quarter plan to improve academic responsibility in students. http://www.smartkidswithld.org/ages-stages/high-school/adolescents-and-executive- function-skills

"The Age Kids Need You Most" (Posted by the Family Resource Center) http://www.mamamia.com.au/parenting/kate-hunter-age-kids-need/

"TV linked to brain changes in kids" https://www.sciencenews.org/blog/growth-curve/tv-linked-brain-changes-kids

EVENTS: JANUARY 17-24, 2014: ONGOING: ACES LECTURE SERIES. The ACES Potbelly Perspective Slide Show & Lecture Series (Wednesdays) and the Naturalists Nights Lecture Series (Thursdays) offer excellent programs in both Aspen and Carbondale Jan-March. www.aspennature.org

ONGOING: BASALT RECREATION. Cross country skiing classes are starting from 3:30-5 p.m. January and February sessions. Details at http://www.basaltexpressrec.org/

JANUARY 17: Last day of second quarter at BMS. Does your student have all his/her homework completed and handed in? Now's the time to check in! Lists of students with overdue homework are posted on classroom doors.

2 JANUARY 18 & 19: It's a Nordic weekend in the RFV with the Aspen Nordic Festival & Cross Country Extravaganza at one end of the valley and the Sunlight Telemark Festival at the other. Visit the Aspen Times online calendar for details on these events.

JANUARY 19: LITERATURE OUT LOUD. Join local radio personalities Roger Adams and Tom Eagan at Pitkin Library as they read excerpts from Desert Solitaire, Desert Hideaway, and other literary works. Free. 3 p.m.

JANUARY 20: NO SCHOOL! School's out to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Have a great day off.

JANUARY 20: LEGOS AT THE LIBRARY. For ages 8+, head to the Basalt Regional Library for some afternoon Lego time. 3:30 p.m. Free.

JANUARY 21: GIRLS' 7TH BASKETBALL takes on Grand Valley at home at 4:30 p.m. Come support our athletes!

JANUARY 21: TIME TRAVEL TUESDAYS. The Aspen Historical Society presents, "Photography: Turning Negatives into Positives" with major local photographers at the Limelight. 5:30 p.m. Details at http://www.aspenhistory.com/index

JANUARY 21: SQUIRREL APPRECIATION DAY. Why squirrels? Why not? Squirrels, after all, are excellent planners. They think ahead. They need top-notch organizational skills to manage all those nuts, although they probably don't use a planner. They should! We hope all BMS students will learn to do so this quarter when we focus on building academic responsibility. Here's to a successful 3rd Quarter filled with lots of student growth and learning!

JANUARY 22: PHYSICS LECTURE @ THE WHEELER. "Higgs Boson, A Natural Disaster!" is the topic this week at 5:30 p.m. at the Wheeler in Aspen. Free.

JANUARY 22 & 23: ACES FILM SCREENING. A Fierce Green Fire is the first big- picture exploration of the environmental movement spanning 50 years. 5:30 p.m. @ the Third Street Center in Carbondale on 1/22 and 7 p.m. in Aspen on 1/23. http://www.aspennature.org/learn/programs/Naturalist-Nights/A-Fierce-Green-Fire

JANUARY 23: GIRLS' 8TH BASKETBALL takes on Glenwood at home at 4:30 p.m. Come support our athletes!

JANUARY 23: VALLEY VISUAL ART SHOW OPENING RECEPTION. CCAH celebrates Roaring Fork Valley artists from 6-8 p.m. in the Third Street Center's R2 Gallery. The show features over 30 Roaring Fork artists and includes two and three dimensional work in a variety of mediums.

JANUARY 23: WYLY ART OPENING. The Wyly Community Art Center presents WHAT IS HERE? WHAT IS THERE?, an exhibition of pieces that reflect on notions of place and time by internationally established artist Nancy Lovendahl. Opening reception is 5? 7 p.m. 3 JANUARY 24: NO SCHOOL! It's a teacher work day today. Have a great long weekend. We'll see students back on Monday, January 27!

SAVE THE DATE: JANUARY 29: ALL PARENT EDUCATION NIGHT. Join Principal Voss for an important evening dedicated to helping parents learn about how they can reinforce at home the critical life and learning skills being emphasized at BMS. The evening will hit key areas like planner usage, homework completion, organization and time management, coaching your child's mindset development, and more. Have a 5th grader? Help your student start working on these skills now. Have an 8th grader? Your student needs these skills for high school. Over a third of high school students at BHS are failing at least one class and are thus ineligible for sports. A key reason cited is a lack of executive function skills. 5:30 p.m. Cafeteria. (Please note-- this date is corrected from last week's enews).

FEBRUARY 6: 2ND QUARTER HONOR ROLL/LONGHORN PRIDE ASSEMBLIES. The 7th and 8th grade assembly will take place at 1:30 p.m., and 5th and 6th grades will take place at 2:30 p.m. Please join us in our auditorium to celebrate your students' hard work.

ACCESS ROARING FORK: Classes kick off February 24 and run through April 24. A variety of after-school classes will be offered at BMS from 3:30-5 p.m. on Tues., Wed., & Thurs., so stay tuned! The schedule is coming soon. Cost is only $20 per course for these 9-week sessions.

FEBRUARY 28: JOY OF MUSIC. This BMS Band fundraiser evening is a must for families supporting the band program. Stay tuned for details about this important and fun all-band event. Parent volunteers are needed!

ANNOUNCEMENTS & NOTES: HOMEWORK HELP. Was your student behind in one or more assignments last quarter? Don't wait until they fall behind. Check out the homework help schedule this quarter-- teachers are available after school to help keep students on track with their assignments. Homework Help schedules are posted in English and Spanish at: http://bms.rfsd.k12.co.us/parents.html

LEGALIZED MARIJUANA: Did you miss the panel discussion on legalized marijuana last week? Head to the BMS Parent Resources page for links to some of the resources they handed out. http://bms.rfsd.k12.co.us/parents/links-resources.html

JANUARY ACCOUNTABILITY NOTES: It was a great parent meeting-- thanks to all who came. Lots of exciting changes are in the works! Check out the accountability notes now posted online: http://bms.rfsd.k12.co.us/parents/accountability-notes.html 4 SEEKING SILENT AUCTION ITEMS! The Band Program is seeking silent auction items for its Joy of Music fundraising event on February 28. Please contribute to the silent auction or ask your neighbors, businesses, and friends to contribute! See below to sign up. www.SignUpGenius.com/go/5080A49AEA729A31-joyofmusic/3384203

SCRATCH CLASSES MOVING. This semester the Scratch computer programming class will take place at the Cornerstone school in El Jebel from 3:30-5 p.m. on Wednesdays for $10/class. If you are interested in your child attending, contact Steve Kauffman at (970) 618-3912 or [email protected].

SUPPORT BMS AT WHOLE FOODS: FINAL FEW DAYS! This is your last chance to help earn money for BMS! Bring in those reusable grocery bags to Whole Foods and give the 10-cent credit per bag at checkout to BMS through January 19! Proceeds go to environmental education at BMS, including subsidizing costs of field trips.

STUDENT CITIZEN OF THE MONTH: Congratulations to BMS students chosen for the Town of Basalt Student Citizen of the Month! December and January nominees were: Nathaniel Crawford, Sara Lambert, Tai Kim, and Mariaine Gonzales.

SPRING MUSICAL: BMS is in the planning stages for adding a Spring Musical. Keep an eye out for information as we pull together this plan. Parent volunteers will definitely be needed to help with sets and production to pull this one off!

LOOKING FOR LUNCH MENUS? Visit the RFSD website to get the monthly lunch menus. http://www.rfsd.k12.co.us/parents/lunch-menus.html

BMS ON FACEBOOK: Want to keep up on the latest BMS news? Don't forget to "Like" our BMS Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Basalt-Middle- School/278113132258261

SUBMIT TO THE BMS NEWSLETTER: Do you know of an event or resource that BMS could include in the weekly newsletter? Send your information to [email protected] or contact Allison Johnson at (970) 309-5485. Deadline for submission is Wednesday at noon for the following week. All posts are subject to administration approval.