FAQs

Your child’s day is structured to support both academic learning and personal development. Here's a general outline:

• Huddle (Morning Meeting/SEL & Homeroom): Focus on social-emotional learning, goal setting, community building

• Math: Students work in grade-level math classes

• Literacy: Students study novels and short stories connected to our Project-Based Learning units

• Science: Hands-on, inquiry-based learning about matter, energy, interactions, and space

• Electives: Students choose 2 electives per semester, alternating one every other day on our “Black and Gold” schedule. 

• Specials: Students alternate between 3 special classes, PE, Art, and Music, weekly on our “ABC" schedule.

• Social Studies: Project-based learning and authentic writing about civics, geography, economics, and history

• iBlock (Intervention/Enrichment Block): Students participate in book clubs and intervention groups

Your generous student supply donation helps us provide your child with most of the materials they will need to engage in hands on learning. We kindly ask that students come to school each day with: 

1. 🎧 Wired headphones (Please no wireless headphones)

2. 💧 A refillable water bottle (Labeled with student's name)

3. 🍎 A daily snack

4. 🎒 A backpack to carry belongings

5. 🔌💻 A fully charged 1:Web Chromebook and charging cord (both are needed at school every day)

Schoology is our learning management system where students can access instructional materials, slideshows, assignments, grades, and feedback. This is synced with Infinite Campus, which can help parents stay up to date with your child's grades and missing assignments. Here’s how you can stay informed:

• How to Log In to Infinite Campus: 

  • Use the Infinite Campus Parent Portal Link

  • Create or log into your parent account (separate from your child's)
    
    

• What You’ll Find There:

  • Grades: Current progress in each subject. Note that grades are synced between Schoology and Infinite Campus manually; Schoology will always be the most up to date.

  • Assignments: Upcoming work, due dates, and teacher instructions

  • Feedback: Teacher comments on assignments and assessments

  • Schedules: Your child’s daily course schedule

  • Attendance: Report an absence 

• Pro Tip: Download the Infinite Campus App on your phone. Allow push notifications because they will immediately alert you about new grades, missing assignments, and attendance. If you do not have the app, log into Infinite Campus on your computer and set email notifications.

In our learning community, we use a standards-based grading system to more accurately reflect what students know and can do. We look at how well your child is mastering specific skills and concepts over time. 

Here’s what each number means:

4 – Exceeds the Standard

What it means:
Your child demonstrates deep understanding and can apply the skill or concept in new and complex ways, beyond what was taught in class. 

What you can do:

• Celebrate their effort and curiosity!

• Encourage continued challenge (e.g., independent projects, teaching others, asking “What’s next?”).

• Help them reflect: “What did you do that helped you reach this level?”

3 – Meets the Standard (Grade Level Target)

What it means:
Your child understands and can consistently demonstrate the skill or concept as expected for their grade level.

What you can do:

• Praise their hard work and progress.

• Ask them to explain what they’ve learned in their own words.

• Reinforce consistent study habits and organization to maintain this level.

2 – Approaching the Standard

What it means:
Your child is making progress but still needs support or practice to fully meet expectations.

What you can do:

• Review feedback together on Schoology or classwork.

• Practice the skill at home (flashcards, extra reading, redoing assignments, etc.).

• Encourage your child to ask questions or advocate for more support.

1 – Needs Support / Beginning Understanding

What it means:
Your child is struggling to understand or apply the concept. They need significant support and may require additional practice or instruction.

What you can do:

• Stay calm and frame it as a starting point, not a failure.

• Talk with your child about how they feel and where they’re stuck.

• Reach out to the teacher to make a plan for support.

• Set short, manageable goals at home (e.g., review 2 math problems each day, read together for 15 minutes).

📝 A Note About Progress Over Time

A lower score early on doesn’t mean your child is failing—it just means they’re still learning. As they grow and build understanding, their scores should improve. Think of it as a snapshot in the learning process, not a permanent label.

We believe in strong partnerships with families. Our LC publishes a monthly newsletter with important dates, permission slips, and reminders sent in the MavMinute. Newsletters are also available on our website. 

For content related questions, please reach out to that teacher. For general questions, reach out to your child's Huddle teacher. We encourage the development of self-advocacy skills in 5-6 and recommend students email us directly whenever appropriate, with parent support as needed. Here’s how to reach us:

Damian Tate - damian.tate@bvsd.org

Chris LeBlanc - chris.leblanc@bvsd.org

Shannon Clowes - shannon.clowes@bvsd.org

Lisa Kennedy - lisa.kennedy@bvsd.org

Allison Smithwick - allison.smithwick@bvsd.org

Jim Tingley - jim.tingley@bvsd.org

In this learning community, students begin to develop independence through:

• Keeping track of their own schedules and materials

• Managing long-term projects and deadlines

• Practicing self-advocacy and communication

• Reflecting on progress and setting goals

How You Can Help at Home:

• Email Writing Support:
  Encourage your child to write their own emails to teachers when they need clarification or help. You can coach them by revising their emails, making sure they include enough information, or prompt them with sentence starters like:

  • "I was wondering if you could help me understand..."

  • "I’m confused about the assignment due on..."

  • "Can I meet with you to get help with..."

• Daily Check-In:

  • Ask: “What’s something you learned today?” or “What’s one goal for tomorrow?”

  • Help them review their Schoology classes for upcoming and missing work.

• Use a Planner or Calendar Together:

  • Sit down weekly to help them map out assignments or project milestones.

  • Celebrate small wins together!

• Create a Homework Routine:

  • Consistent space and time

  • Break big tasks into manageable steps

  • Use timers or breaks for focus and stamina

We know how important technology is to your child’s learning, but we also know it can be a challenge to manage at home. As your child builds independence with their Chromebook, it’s perfectly okay (and encouraged!) to set clear boundaries and expectations around screen time and schoolwork.

Here are a few gentle suggestions to help you support healthy habits: 

🕰️ Create a Consistent Chromebook Routine

• Set a regular time for homework or Schoology checks - and a set time when the Chromebook is closed for the day.

• Keep the Chromebook in a common space (like the kitchen or living room) during homework time and charging overnight.

🛏️ No Chromebooks in Bedrooms at Night

Even responsible students can get distracted! Keeping Chromebooks out of bedrooms after a certain time helps protect sleep, focus, and emotional well-being.

🔌 Charging Station Check-In

Set up a charging station so devices are left there each night. This small step reinforces structure and helps students start the next day prepared.

💬 Talk About Balance

Remind your child that a Chromebook is a tool, not a toy. 

Help them learn to balance screen time with other activities: reading for fun, getting outside, creative play, or just taking a break. 

Bell to Bell No Phone Policy

During the school day, all student cell phones are to be kept in backpacks unless students are given explicit permission, and they are being used for educational purposes with adult supervision. Students are still accountable for safe, respectful uses of technology and adhering to the BVSD Policy JICJ. Students are discouraged from wearing smart watches, but they must be kept in school mode during the school day, including at recess, lunch, and during breaks. We appreciate your support in responsibly managing your child's personal technology. 

Please make daily plans with your students before they leave for school. Text or emails directly to a student will not be acceptable for changing transportation plans after school. In the event of an emergency, contact the office and office staff will communicate with the student. All other messages will be delivered at lunch or near the end of the day. 

If students need to contact you during the day, they will be allowed to use the phone in the event of an emergency and with teacher supervision. Forgotten homework, forgotten instruments, and play plans are great problem-solving opportunities for your child and are not considered emergencies. 

Consequences

Students will be given a reminder at the beginning of the day that phones and earbuds should be stored out of sight, and smart watches are not to be used for communication. If a student has a phone (or smart watch) out without permission from a teacher, the device will be taken to the office and parents will be contacted. The student may pick it up at the end of the day after the first situation. If it happens a second time, the phone will need to be picked up by a parent or guardian in the office. A third offense will result in a required meeting with parent, administration, and student as well as the loss of the privilege of having their phone at school. If a student needs to use their phone during the school day to check a phone number or contact parents, they may always ask an adult for this permission.

Meadowlark's middle school (5-6 LC and 7-8 LC) is on a rotating schedule for curriculum.

Our 5th and 6th grade curriculum is designed on a two-year rotation model to ensure that students do not repeat the same standards in consecutive years. 

Writing assignments in 6th grade are assessed with different rubrics that reflect the higher-level skills expected at that grade. This helps students build on their previous knowledge and develop more advanced writing abilities.

Additionally, our middle school science curriculum follows a four-year model. This approach ensures that students who complete science at Meadowlark cover all the 5th-8th grade science standards without repetition, providing a comprehensive and progressive science education.

In short, the rotation and grading systems are thoughtfully designed to challenge and engage students appropriately at their grade level while avoiding content overlap. 

Math is not affected by this rotation in curriculum because students are divided out by grade level for math.