February
PPMS Families,
It is hard to believe, but we are nearing the end of the 3rd Quarter of school - this year is flying by! We are so lucky to have a school with dedicated educators and students who show up and try their best every day!
As we head into Spring, we need family support in ensuring that students are in attendance as we prepare for and take on our state assessments. See more details below. March is also a time for new activities, from track to our spring play, there are always things going on at PPMS.
Finally, I ask that all families participate in the 5 Essentials Survey to help us gather information on improving our school. Thanks for all you do to support us all at PPMS.
Andrew West, Principal
5 Essentials Survey
Teachers, parents, and students across Illinois can participate in the Illinois 5 Essentials Survey. This survey is designed to generate a detailed picture of the inner workings of your child's school. Your participation in the parent portion of the survey will help us understand the environment at your child's school. Your identity and survey responses will be kept confidential and never connected to you or your child. The Illinois 5Essentials Survey will be conducted through Friday, March 29, 2024.
To take the survey.
Click on "Start here" under the Parent category.
You may enter your email address, but that is not required. It is completely optional.
Enter "Sangamon" for the county.
Type Pleasant Plains Middle School, and you should see it pop up.
Please take a separate survey for each school where you have a child enrolled. The Illinois 5Essentials gathers data related to five indicators that can predict important student outcomes. These five indicators that affect and predict school success are:
Effective Leaders
Collaborative Teachers
Involved Families
Supportive Environments
Ambitious Instruction
Research in more than 400 schools has shown that schools strong on at least three of these indicators were 10 times more likely to improve student learning gains in math and reading than those that were weak on three or more Essentials.
Families who complete the survey can send this form back with their student and the student will receive 2 bird bucks!
Illinois assessment of Readiness/Illinois Science Assessment
Spring is testing season in Illinois schools. At PPMS we take these tests seriously as the state grades us on our results. Please keep in mind the following dates and details.
Illinois Assessment of Readiness (All grade levels) - Week of April 8-12: Students will take two sections of English Language Arts/Literacy (ELA) and three sections of Mathematics assessments. This year we will be taking one test each day of this week in the morning. Please try your best to ensure your student is in attendance during these days to avoid makeups.
The English Language Arts/Literacy (ELA) assessments will focus on writing effectively when analyzing text. Mathematics assessments will focus on applying skills and concepts, understanding multi-step problems that require abstract reasoning, modeling real-world problems, precision, perseverance, and strategic use of tools. Students will demonstrate their acquired skills and knowledge in both content areas by answering selected response items and fill-in-the-blank questions.
Illinois Science Assessment (5th and 8th graders only) - Thursday, April 18: 5th and 8th grade students will complete the ISA in one day broken up in to small sections.
In the fall, you will receive information about your student’s performance on these state tests. These results assist us in action planning for our academic goals at each grade level.
Please help your student be successful by:
Making sure student chromebooks are fully charged
Students should arrive at school on time
Making sure your student goes to bed early
Providing breakfast at home or making sure they eat breakfast at school
Motivating your student to do their absolute best.
Headphones Needed!!!
Students will need a set of working wired headphones in order to take the test. Please check with your student to see whether their headphones are still in working order. This is crucial to your student's success. We do have some available for student use if needed.
yearboooks!
If you have not ordered your 2023-2024 PPMS yearbook, the details are below.
Softcovers = $25.00
Hardcovers = $30.00
The LAST day to order is Wednesday, March 6.
Personalization orders have been closed at this time, but you can still order a yearbook! Extra yearbooks WILL NOT BE ORDERED.
Order Link: https://inter-state.com/order
Code: 82330G
Upcoming Important Dates
End of 3rd Quarter - March 8 Start of 4th Quarter - March 11
Spring Break - Monday, March 25 - Monday, April 1
IAR Testing - April 8 - 12
ISA Testing - April 18
Memorial Day (No School) - Monday, May 27
Last Student Day - Wednesday, May 29