Good evening, Parents,

Middle School ASB Announcements

Gratitude Grams

Middle School ASB will be selling Gratitude Grams on Tuesday, November 10, Thursday, November 12, and Friday, November 13!

For $5, students, parents, and teachers can send a personalized note of gratitude or encouragement, along with candy and fun little trinkets, to any student on campus—from Elementary through High School.

Gratitude Grams will be delivered during afternoon classes on Thursday, November 19. Please see the attached flyer for additional details!

Thanksgiving Meal Donations

This Thanksgiving season, our Middle School ASB is providing complete Thanksgiving meals for two local families in need!

We are inviting Woodland Christian families to participate by donating items such as frozen turkeys, canned vegetables, stuffing, and other Thanksgiving meal essentials.

If you would like to help, please use our Thanksgiving Meal SignUpGenius to select an item to donate.

Thank you for helping our students put gratitude into action and give back to our community!

Thanksgiving Lunch Activities

Middle School ASB is planning a variety of fun lunch activities November 16–19!

Students should keep an eye out for posters around campus with details about the activities and how to participate. Every activity earns spirit points for their grade and provides a great opportunity to have fun, connect with classmates, and build school spirit!

And don't forget—Friday, November 20, is a half-day!

Winter Drama Production

Don't wait to get your tickets for our Drama Department's rendition of "Clue". Running the weekend of December 4-6

Prepared for Class

I shared this last Thursday but I didn't want anyone to be surprised when your student shares they received a lunch detention for not having a pencil.

During our most recent staff meeting, teachers shared a growing concern regarding students arriving to class unprepared. This includes not having pencils or pens, bringing laptops that are not charged, or leaving homework at home.

We would greatly appreciate your help in reinforcing the importance of being prepared each day. Reminders at home, along with ensuring that necessary supplies are available and packed in students' backpacks, would go a long way.

If this happened occasionally with an individual student, it would not be a significant concern. However, teachers are reporting that anywhere from 5–10 students in a class may be unprepared on a given day. This creates unnecessary distractions and makes it difficult for teachers to maintain the flow and structure of the lessons they have planned.

To help students develop accountability and take responsibility for coming to class prepared, teachers will begin issuing lunch detentions when students are unprepared. This expectation will take effect Monday.

Thank you for partnering with us in reinforcing these habits and helping us maintain a productive learning environment for all students.

Finals

I know it may sound crazy to already be talking about finals, but they are literally just five weeks away! The last week before Christmas Break will be our Finals Week.

The amount of cumulative material included on the finals increases with each grade level. Typically, our 6th graders are tested primarily on the most recent unit or topic they have studied, with each subsequent grade level building on that expectation and incorporating more cumulative material.

The goal is to gradually introduce students to the expectations and experience of taking finals so they aren't caught off guard or unsure of what to expect as they progress through middle school. Hopefully, this graduated approach will help prepare them for the expectations they will encounter in high school.

These can't be made up so please avoid starting your Christmas Break early. If that is not possible, please connect with your teachers to plan taking the final early.

Chapel Groups

This month, our Middle School students will watch Many Are the Wonders, an I Am Second documentary telling the story of Ethan Hallmark, a young boy who courageously faced stage 4 neuroblastoma. Through Ethan's journey, students will see how his faith in Jesus Christ, even in the midst of tremendous suffering and uncertainty, deeply impacted his family, friends, and community.

Our discussion will focus on God's goodness and faithfulness during difficult circumstances, the hope we have in Christ, and how our lives can point others to Him. Students will be encouraged to consider how they can trust God when life is hard and demonstrate Christ's love to those around them.

Link to Watch Video 

We will be starting at minute 33 but I encourage you to watch the whole thing. our Chapel Groups will be November 18

Spelling Bee — November 16 at 8:45 a.m.

Our English teachers have handed out practice lists for this year's Spelling Bee. You can check with your student to see if they have received one. If your student needs another copy, just let me know, and I would be happy to print one.

PE Locker Room and Clothes.

Please remind your students to bring their clothes home each day after PE. There tends to be an accumulating pile of clothes that does not lend to clean air in the locker rooms. Thank you for your help with this.

Grade Checks & Academic Eligibility

The next grade check will be our official grade check on November 13. Please continue to partner with us by checking FACTS regularly, reminding students to stay on top of and caught up on all homework, and making sure they're preparing for quizzes and tests. For those in sports activities, especially Volleyball, remember that failing to meet our academic standards may result in your athlete not participating in games or matches. Looking at the calendar, it appears that Volleyball playoffs will be after Oct 23. So, the grade check could have an impact of playing time.

Please continue to check FACTS regularly. If you see drop offs in grades, please reach out to your student's teacher to determine the next steps to help them. Most often, it turns out to be work not turned in or not preparing for tests and quizzes. However, there are still some who are having difficulty with the material.

Unlike our Elementary Campus, we do not hold Parent/Teacher Conferences in October. We've found it more effective for parents to begin communicating directly with teachers following this first grade check and before the official grade check on October 23. This gives everyone a chance to address questions, make adjustments, and provide support early..

As a reminder, students participating in extracurricular activities must maintain a 2.0 GPA with no F's, or a 3.0 GPA with one F, to remain eligible. Our official grade check takes place October 23.

Lockers

Even with our gates and fences, items can still disappear after school hours or during middle school and high school games. Please remind your student to secure belongings in a locked locker or take them home — this has been a common time of year for items to go missing.

Lunch Supervision

One of our most valuable volunteer opportunities is helping with Middle School Lunch Supervision.

After students finish eating, they have approximately 30 minutes to socialize, play, and burn off some energy before returning to class. During this time, having additional adults on campus helps us provide a safe, enjoyable, and well-supervised environment for everyone.

Lunch runs from 11:25 a.m. to 12:05 p.m. Volunteers simply help supervise student activities, encourage positive interactions, and ensure students remain in their designated areas. No special experience is needed—just a friendly presence and a willingness to invest in our students.

Your time and support make a tremendous difference in the daily life of our middle school. Thank you for partnering with us and for your willingness to serve our school community.

If you are interested in volunteering, please let us know your availability. We would love to have you join us!   Lunch Supervision

Have a wonderful evening!

Mr. Toland

Toland's  4 C's

1) Consistent attendance,

 2) Consistent homework turned in.

 3) Consistent time studying for tests. 

4)  Consistent check of  FACTS to monitor the progress of your student

Toland's 2 cents

When you have a chance, I welcome you to read my 2 Cents on Consider your Priorities

A Resource: Why We Pulled Our Kids from Club Sports

4 C's to focus on for the rest of the semester.

1) Consistent attendance,

 2) Consistent homework turned in.

 3) Consistent time studying for tests. 

4)  Consistent check of  FACTS to monitor the progress of your student

Please encourage your child to make use of their planner so that you can see what needs to be done and what needs to be studied. 

FACTS

Don't forget that FACTS is a helpful tool in keeping track of what is going on in the classroom. If you have yet to download the family app please see the tutorial at the bottom of this home page.

5 Things Keeping You From Connecting With Your Teen

Parenting Resources: Please see this page for articles, books, and videos on parenting

Great article on teaching perseverance 

Mr.Toland