Let's Keep In Touch...
 
The PTO and I are asking you to take a survey to helps us evaluate our 8th grade Celebration and Ceremony for this year. This survey is for all parents as we value each parent and student's input. Please click on the link and fill out the survey. There are only 5 quick questions. http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/KJTRKX9

Thank you for participating!

Our SJMS Bands, Orchestra, Choirs, Advanced Art students, and Drama students are doing an excellent job in their UIL seasons. They have received good and superior ratings and we still have several competitions scheduled for this Spring. We are so proud of the students and their teachers for these incredible performances!

Hummer the camel was there when Mr. Curry kissed him. He graciously agreed to so if the students would donate items for an animal shelter. SJMS raised over 400 items for the shelter. He was very proud of our kids generosity and empathy. Hummer seemed to need no Chapstick :)

New Grading Guidelines - Mastery Learning...

MISD has developed new grading guidelines for secondary schools that focus on Mastery Learning. Grades will continue to be a combination of formative and summative assessments, but the percentages have changed.

Summative grades, big tests, will count 70% of the grade and formative; daily work or short quizzes, will count 30% of the final grade. Students will also be allowed to demonstrate a higher level of mastery on the material and improve any grade below 70 by attending tutoring or another re-teaching activity and taking a different test on the same material. The maximum score on the second assessment is also 70. Only one retest is allowed.

Teachers are also diligently working with students to turn-in completed assignments. Rather than penalize students with a grade reduction for work turned in after the due date, teachers will be asking for your help.

• You will be notified by phone or email of missing assignments.
  
• If the work continues to be late, teachers will assign times during the day, including lunch, when the assignment can be completed.
  
• If necessary, teachers will arrange a time before or after school.
  
• If a student continues to have missing assignments, administrators can assign him/her to a late afternoon detention that will be supervised from 4:00-7:00 PM on Friday. Please remind your student of the importance of completing and turning-in assignments to avoid the Friday night detentions.

HOME ACCESS CENTER MAILOUT

We recently mailed you a registration confirmation form to you. This is for next year's Home Access Center and New Online Registration Systems. Please fill in the correct information and send it back with your child. We will be picking them up beginning January 23rd during lunch. This is just the beginning as we move away from "snail mail" and utilizing our electronic information systems.