Respect Responsibility Kindness Character MMS Roars With Panther Pride! 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS I. Point Pleasant Board of Education Page 2 II. Memorial Middle School Administration, Supervisors, Guidance, Child Study Team, Guidance Staff Page 3 III. Mission Statement Page 4 IV. Principal Floyd’s Message Page 5 V. Overview of Memorial Middle School Program Page 6 VI. Grade Six Page 7-8 VII. Grade Seven Page 9-10 VIII. Grade Eight Page 11-12 IX. Related Arts Page 13-19 2 POINT PLEASANT BOROUGH SCHOOLS CENTRAL ADMINISTRATION Mr. Vincent S. Smith, Superintendent Mr. Steven W. Corso, School Business Administrator/Board Secretary Dr. Susan Ladd, Director of Curriculum and Instruction Mr. Robert Dunn, Supervisor of Pupil Personnel Services Ms. Heather Karagias, Supervisor of English and Social Studies - K-12 Mr. John McAllen, Supervisor of Mathematics and Science K-12 Mr. Kevin McDermitt, Supervisor of Technology - K-12, and Supervisor of Business & Computer Science BOARD OF EDUCATION Joan Speroni, President Cheryl Salway, Vice President John Florio Diane Peterson Jacquelyn Wieland Larry Williams William Munn The Board of Education is responsible for establishing the quality of education in the district. As elected officials, they represent the public by: • Defining the philosophy of the district • Establishing policies for the operation of the school district • Developing a budget consistent with educational needs and community resources • Setting goals and objectives to achieve education progress • Evaluating the effectiveness of district programs and services • Communicating the needs and progress of the district to the community, educational governing boards and legislators 3 Memorial Middle School Laura Herbert Drive Point Pleasant, NJ 08742 (732) 701-1900 Principal — Gary A. Floyd ext. 2300 Assistant Principal — David R. Kirk ext. 2301 Guidance Services: Grade 6—Jennifer Kelly —ext. 2312 Grade 7—Amy Miele—ext. 2312 Grade 8—Megan MacDonald—ext. 2312 Child Study Team: Debra Marra, LDTC—ext. 2328 Marcie Bradley, Social Worker— ext. 2328 Jan Weaner, School Psychologist—ext. 2328 Nurse: Deborah Ewtushek —ext. 2303 School Hours: 7:30 AM – 2:15 PM 4 Point Pleasant Mission Statement To ensure that all students are equipped with the essential skills necessary to acquire knowledge and understanding; To instill the desire to question and look for truth so that students may become critical thinkers and life-long learners; and To ensure that all students practice self-discipline, perseverance, fairness and judicious decision making. It is the expectation of this school district that all pupils achieve the New Jersey Student Learning Standards at all grade levels. Memorial Middle School Priorities: • Safe, Secure and Orderly Environment • Academic, Social and Emotional Growth • Sense of Community/School Spirit 5 Principal’s Message Greetings from Memorial Middle School! Our “Program of Studies” has been prepared to give students and parents an opportunity to review the academic offerings at each grade level. It was developed with input from the teaching staff and content area supervisors to provide descriptions of courses currently offered here at Memorial Middle School. This document is a valuable resource and I encourage you to review it regularly. Keep in mind this is just one of many helpful resources at your disposal here at Memorial. Our student agenda book, district calendar, district and school web pages, parent portal and teacher websites/Google Classroom are just some of the options available to you for staying in- formed about the world of Memorial Middle School. Please remember though, your best resources are the incredible human resources available to you each day in our school. The professional and dedicated staff of teachers, counselors, supervisors, and administrators are here to make this a challenging, rewarding, and enjoyable academic experience for all. Stay in touch with them regularly to promote success. And, as always, be com- fortable reaching out to me personally with feedback or concerns. I am looking forward to a fantastic school year. Together we can make it happen. Go Panthers! Gary Floyd Principal Respect Responsibility Kindness Character MMS Roars With Panther Pride! 6 OVERVIEW OF MEMORIAL MIDDLE SCHOOL PROGRAM Memorial Middle School is a thriving educational institution located in beautiful Point Pleasant, New Jersey. Our school is populated by approximately 670 students in grades 6, 7, and 8. The professional staff of highly qualified teachers is organized into six academic teams (two per grade level) comprised of 100-125 students each. Each team includes con- tent specialists in Mathematics, Language Arts Literacy, Science and Social Studies, as well as a Special Education teacher to provide in-class support for students with special needs. Team Leaders work with their colleagues to monitor individual student progress and main- tain communication with parents. In addition, a guidance counselor is assigned to each grade level and travels with students as they move through our school. Memorial Middle School utilizes a block schedule model. Core academic courses are taught in 78 minute blocks. Mathematics and Language Arts Literacy classes meet daily, with Science and Social Studies classes meeting every other marking period. This format allows for expanded opportunities for hands-on, student centered instruction. In addition, students attend a variety of Related Arts programs including: Health and Physical Educa- tion, World Languages, Technology Literacy, Art, Family Consumer Science, Instrumental and Vocal Music, Character Education and S.T.E.M. Memorial Middle School operates on the philosophy that all students can and will learn. We also use our district mission statement, which promotes the development of “life-long learners,” as a guide for our instructional program. Differentiated instruction is a hallmark in our classrooms and is evident in programs such as: sections of Academically Talented classes at all three grade levels, special education in- clusion, a Life Skills course for students with special needs and a classroom for students with Autism. Our dedicated staff models the idea of “life-long learner” through rigorous and on-going professional development opportunities. Best practices and current research from across our state and nation are presented via our district Teacher Induction Program for novice teachers and experienced teachers new to our district, the annual “Panther Acade- my” staff development courses, and during monthly faculty/departmental presentations. Our students also benefit from the availability of educational technologies such as Achieve 3000, at school and at home, to promote the achievement of the demanding New Jersey Stu- dent Learning Standards, as well as the New Jersey Student Learning Standards in English Language Arts and Mathematics. The students, staff, community and administration of Memorial Middle School take great pride in our programs and accomplishments. However, we continue to work together to meet the new and varied challenges we face on a daily basis. To learn more about our school and its programs, please find us at www.pointpleasant.k12.nj.us. Thank you for your continued support and Go Panthers! 7 Grade Six Hypothetical Student Schedule H.R. 7:37-8:55 8:57-10:15 10:17- 10:57-12:15 12:17- 12:57- 1:37- 10:55 12:55 1:35 2:15 PER 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Subject English Language Science-MP 1 & 3 Lunch Math Phys. Italian Art Arts Soc Studies-MP 2 & 4 Ed Grade 6 English Language Arts This course is designed to cultivate an appreciation of reading and writing across multiple genres. Stu- dents will gain an appreciation of prose, poetry, fiction and nonfiction works through the Readers Workshop approach and book club opportunities. Writing will be incorporated throughout the year with an introduction to argumentative, informative, and narrative essays through the Writer’s Work- shop Units of Study. Instructional technology will be infused where appropriate to meet the needs of the 21st century learner. This course is aligned to the New Jersey Student Learning Standards in Eng- lish Language Arts and the National Council of Teachers of English. Grade 6 Math In the Grade 6 Math class, curriculum is aligned to the New Jersey Student Learning Standards . In- structional time is focused upon four critical areas: (1) connecting ratio and rate to whole number mul- tiplication and division and using concepts of ratio and rate to solve problems; (2) completing under- standing of division of fractions and extending the notion of number to the system of rational numbers, which includes negative numbers; (3) writing, interpreting, and using expressions and equations; and (4) developing understanding of statistical thinking. Student experiences will include hands-on activi- ties, collaborative discussions, technology applications and meaningful connections to real world prob- lems. Grade 6 Science (Earth Science) The Earth Science course focuses on developing scientific and technological literacy by fostering an understanding of Earth’s Place in the Universe, Earth’s Systems, and Earth & Human Activity. Stu- dents will study earth-sun-moon relationships, the scale and characteristics of our solar system, the his- tory of planet Earth, and Earth materials and systems. Earth materials and systems include plate tecton- ics, water resources, weather factors, natural resources, natural hazards, human impacts on Earth and global climate change. Woven throughout the course are