L`Anse Creuse Middle School - North

2012-2013
L’Anse Creuse
Middle School - North
School Mission Statement:
Students of L’Anse Creuse Middle School - North will grow
intellectually, physically, emotionally and socially in a safe, positive
environment with the support of staff, parents and community.
Principal’s Message:
L’Anse Creuse Middle School - North is the oldest middle school in continuous
use to the L’Anse Creuse Public School District, and also the newest! Originally
constructed in 1966, the last twelve months have been a whirlwind of activity.
As a result of the success of the district’s 2005 Bond, MS-N has added a new
gymnasium, a new fitness center, a new student commons area, a new band room,
it’s first ever dedicated choir room, a new outdoor (weather permitting) lunch
area, and has completely rebuilt its cafeteria and media center. Every classroom
was painted last summer, and three former classrooms will be re-converted into
classrooms by next fall.
While the physical structure of the building has undergone changes, the
commitment to excellence has remained the same. This fall, MS-N students again
performed at the top of the district and among the top schools in the county on
Michigan’s annual assessment, the MEAP. Programs such as Academic Support
(providing students having difficulty in any of their classes a half-hour Monday,
Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday to meet with their teacher), and Homework Help
Opportunities (giving students progressively more opportunities to complete
homework at school) that were devised by MS-N staff have spread to other
buildings in the district. These programs have reduced the percentage of students
failing any of their core classes to less than 5%. The supportive partnership of our
staff, parents, and outside community deserve much of the credit for our
students’ success.
Thirty-seven of thirty-nine of our teachers have earned Master’s Degrees and
every teacher is highly qualified to teach the subjects they are assigned to teach.
I am sad to report that two of our most experienced highly qualified teachers are
retiring at year’s end.
• Ms. Joy Lewis has spent her entire career of thirty-nine years at MS-N, starting out as a home economics teacher, and going back to school to become the fine Science teacher she is this year. Our student’s Science MEAP scores, which have been at the top of the county, are a direct result of Ms. Lewis’s efforts.
• Ms. Christine Williams has devoted forty years of teaching to the L’Anse Creuse Public Schools, first as an elementary teacher at Atwood and Tenniswood Elementary Schools, and for the past 13 years, at MS-N. Her knowledge and experience with
elementary students made her an invaluable resource in teaching our sixth graders.
As much as these teachers will be
missed, the lessons that they’ve shared
with their students will hopefully
remain with them throughout their
educational lives.
John Da Via
Principal
Soon-to-be retirees Ms. Joy Lewis and Ms.
Christine Williams. Together they have
served the L’Anse Creuse Community for 79
years! We wish them the very best.
The Michigan Department of
Education (MDE) will provide
the 2012-2013 data relating to:
√ Teacher Quality,
√ Student Assessment, and
√ AYP for schools, districts and the state, available individually or
in a combined report at
www.michigan.gov/aer
Click on the combined report then, select Macomb ISD, then L’Anse Creuse
Public Schools and the school you’re interested in viewing results. The
combined report from the state will also be available on your school’s Web
site as a downloadable pdf.
For individuals without computer access, contact the Office of School and
Community Relations at 586-783-6300 ext. 1214 to request a hard copy of
the report. Please indicate whether you want the school’s annual report or
the district annual report. We will mail a copy to your home.
Middle School - North
School improvement goals and strategies:
1.All students will improve in Reading
Strategies include:
i. 40 Minutes per day of Sustained Silent Reading
ii. Reading Comprehension Screenings
iii. Academic Support Time
2.All students will improve in Mathematics
Strategies include:
i. STAR Math Screening
ii. Common Assessments
iii. Daily Warm-Ups
3.All students will improve in Writing
Strategies include:
i. Regular writing practice in a variety of genres
ii. Practice in writing multiple drafts
iii. Pre/post Writing Assessments
4.All students will improve in Science
Strategies include:
i. Pre/post Testing
ii. Academic Support Time
iii. Internet-based Review
5.All students will improve in Social Studies
Strategies include:
i. Common writing assessments
ii. Focus on Power Units
iii. Increase use of activity-based problem-solving
46201 Fairchild, Macomb, MI 48042 • (586) 493-5260
www.lc-ps.org
Parent involvement
When parents become partners in the educational
process, students succeed.
Participation in conferences
FALL
SPRING
2012-2013
74%
52%
2011-2012
70%
59%
2010-2011
77%
55%
Parent involvement policy
At Middle School – North, we understand that parent
involvement is a key factor in student success. We, therefore,
encourage parents to become involved in as many aspects
of their child’s educational process as their time and
experiences permit.
Parent participation
There are many ways to become involved in school
activities with your student:
• Attend our Open House and First Day for Parents
• Volunteer to chaperone school activities, dances,
field trips, Metro Beach Day or even help sponsor a club
• Participate in Parent Roundtable meetings each month
Parents and students alike enjoy the Open House and Ice Cream
Social each September.
• Attend parent-teacher conferences
Parents interested in volunterring should submit a form
available on Crusader Day, with more than 10 ways to help out at our school.
MS-N Parent Mr. Boyce, an airline pilot, shows sixth grade
Science students the kinds of maps that pilots use.
Middle School - North
Points of Pride
7. MS-N makes many of its building-wide decisions through its Building Leadership Team with administrative, secretarial and teacher representation at each grade level.
8. MS-N’s supportive parent community is at the top of the district’s middle schools in their use of the district-
supported Parent Portal program.
9.
MS-N has added a new gymnasium, a new fitness center, a new student commons area, a new band room, it’s first ever choir room, a new outdoor (weather permitting) lunch
area, and has completely rebuilt its cafeteria and media center due to the success of the district’s 2005 Bond.
10. Annual FundRun Walk-a-thon Fundraiser raises funds with 100% of proceeds devoted to student activities. In 2012, this fundraiser generated approximately $18,000.
Seventh graders congregate in the new commons area. It is a very
popular place every morning and at lunchtime.
1. All teaching staff is highly qualified in the subjects they teach.
11. MS-N behavior statistics recorded through the Schoolwide Information System (SWIS) demonstrates that 2012-2013
was the best of the past ten years in fewest discipline referrals throughout the school year.
2. 37 of 39 teaching staff have earned Masters’ Degrees.
3. Students can earn high school credit for two years of Spanish and one year of Algebra while still in Middle School.
4. MS-N offers students who need extra help a developmental Reading
class, at-risk students - two SOAR classes, and will offer developmental Math classes in the 2013-2014 school year.
5. MS-N’s Celebration of Excellence honoring all MS-N students
earning a 3.7 or above grade point average each quarter included over 30% of the school population in 2012-13.
6. MS-N’s English Language Arts classes require that all MS-N students read 40 minutes per day throughout the school year (and hopefully in the summer too).
Ms. Lewis’s Science classes constructed structures
that could prevent an egg from cracking during an
earthquake.
Finalists from the 2012-13 MS-N building-wide Spelling Bee.
Champion Alex S. represented MS-N at the Macomb County
Spelling Bee at the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts.
Middle School - North
Points of Pride
18. MS-N schedules two fifth grade student/parent nights each spring for students and parents from each of our two feeder elementary schools to introduce them to our school, give students
the opportunity to open vacant lockers, and ask questions about the transition from elementary to middle school.
19. MS-N and Middle School – East host Friendship Day at Lake
St. Clair Metropark on the last full day of the school year as a reward for our students efforts during the year and as a transition activity for our eighth graders from both schools who will be classmates at High School – North in the fall.
20. MS-N was Macomb County’s First Top Green School in 2006 and has been an Evergreen School (highest state designation) from 2007 to the present.
MS-N sixth graders analyzing water quality samples
as part of their field trip to the Clinton River
Watershed.
12. MS-N offers a Homework Help Opportunities Program for
students having difficulty completing homework, beginning with Lunch Club daily every other week, and extending to Saturday School once per quarter.
13. MS-N earned a Michigan Blue Ribbon and US Department
of Education Blue Ribbon School of Excellence designation
in 2000.
14. Eighth grade staff annually sets up a token economy during fourth quarter culminating in two eighth grade auctions of donated items and items purchased with FundRun funds.
21. MS-N sixth graders annually conduct water quality testing at the Clinton River Watershed.
22. MS-N participates in the Scripps National Spelling Bee program and holds classroom bees in English Language Arts classes and a school-wide bee each year.
23. Clubs offered include Running Club, Ski Club, Bowling Club, Jazz Band, Science Olympiad, Yearbook Club, Scrapbook Club, STATIC, and Going Green Club.
24. MS-N has participated in Statewide and County Law Day Essay contests for eleven years and has had students earning top awards in ten of those years, including two sixth grade essayists earning county-wide recognition in 2012-2013.
15. MS-N has an active elected Student Council and National Junior Honor Society that are extremely involved in community service and fundraising for community charities. In 2012-2013, MS-N’s Student Council was the highest contributing group in support of our district’s Backpack Program.
16. MS-N cares about the environment. We recycle bottles, cans, and bottle caps weekly from our lunchroom. We provide every student Michigan apples on MEAP testing days, and collects the cores for placement in Atwood Elementary School’s compost pile. This benefits the student nutritionally, Michigan farmers economically, and the earth ecologically.
17. During the first week of school, MS-N has an Open House and
Ice Cream Social that permits parents to meet their child’s new teachers, follow their child’s schedule, and enjoy some delicious ice cream and comraderie with other parents. During this event, we also have a meeting for parents of our Spanish and Algebra students to discuss what options their children have concerning high school credits earned for these classes.
Middle School - North
MS-N sixth grade award winning
Law Day essayists Josh C. and Payton
W. at the Macomb County Law Day
Celebration sponsored by the Macomb
County Bar Foundation.
Points of Pride
25. MS-N initiated the academic support program (30 minutes at end-of-day Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays) now implemented in all district middle schools.
26. MS-N students consistently score at the top of the district and among the top schools in the county on MEAP tests.
27. MS-N has had a fully-functioning School-wide Positive Behavior Support Program for thirteen years awarding student prizes weekly at each grade level during the school year.
28. MS-N offers a “Pizza with the Principal” and “Fifth Grade Student Ambassadors” activities to ease the transition from fifth to sixth grade.
29. MS-N offers an award-winning competitive Cheerleading program and a side-line cheer program through the district’s community education department.
The MS-N Science Olympiad Team continued to improve under
the leadership of Mr. Eric Lanivich
Middle School - North
30. MS-N hosts an annual Staff – Student Softball game fundraiseer for charity on the second-to-last school day each year. This year proceeds for the game will be donated to the American Brain Tumor Association.