08/12/2020
Hello FMS Families,
Please see below an important message from Dr. Adams, and Chris Hughes. It's full of information which makes it of considerable length, but well worth the read.
August 12, 2020
Dear FMS Families,
First of all, we would like to thank you for your patience and support as we plan and prepare for reopening. We would also like to take a moment to provide you with some additional information regarding the proposed middle school schedule.
Late late spring teachers and administrators reflected deeply upon many of the challenges that parents and students shared about the remote learning experience last year. This guided our planning of this schedule.
We are proposing a schedule that has 6-week long terms, with 4 classes per term. Students will have 2-3 core instructional classes (Math, English, Social Studies, Science, World Language) each 6 week term. Each class period will be longer than it has been in the past. (See Sample Schedule here)
Health and Safety
Our first concern is health and safety. This schedule allows for fewer students per class, and requires fewer transitions from room to room during the school day. Even in a Green scenario with 100% in the building, most classes will be smaller. And in a Yellow scenario, class sizes will be approximately 7-10 students.
Benefit of fewer courses per term
Beyond the health and safety benefits, we believe this is the most responsive option for our middle-level learners’ brain development and social growth. Research on best practice for remote learning, especially for adolescents, tells us that when students have fewer classes to juggle at any one time they benefit cognitively in several ways:
reduces the need for the brain to cognitively shift sets frequently,
allows teachers to dive deeper into content and provide more meaningful opportunities for students to demonstrate and extend their understanding.
decreases the stress on the cognitive threshold (brain workspace) of the middle-level student’s brain
improves the young mind’s ability to accommodate and consolidate information and increases the speed and permanency of the learning
decreases school-based anxiety
provides more time to practice executive functioning skills, something adolescents are just beginning to independently integrate into their daily routines
allows more teacher attention to be given to individuals and small groups
Unified Arts Classes
In this schedule it may appear that there are more Unified Arts (UA) offerings than students had in the past. There are actually no additional UA offerings; they are simply arranged differently throughout the year. With our previous schedule students saw three UA teachers over a four day cycle with a change in offerings three times per year. It was difficult for many students to keep track of where to be, what to do, and how to prioritize these in addition to their five core content classes.
Some parents have asked why we don’t offer UAs as a remote learning option for students during our Yellow reopening model.
As teachers of young adolescents we have an obligation to their overall development, including direct instruction in UAs (visual art, music, STEM, health, and physical education).
These classes provide an opportunity for students to better understand how the skills and content they learn in their core classes are integrated into their lives beyond school.
For many middle school students, UAs are their reason for coming to school in the first place and can be where they shine and engage the most.
To eliminate these from our direct teaching program is to do a disservice to our learners.
Instructional advantages:
Some questions have come up about the efficacy of staggering English Language Arts (ELA) and Math instruction into different 6 week terms. Reading/Writing and Math instruction at the middle school level is designed to meet the cognitive needs of the adolescent learner.
English:
While in elementary school students are learning foundational skills in reading and writing, by middle school they are ready to APPLY those foundational skills across many content areas.
At the Middle School level, the standards for reading and writing are explicitly taught and practiced not only in English Classes, but also in Science, Social Studies, and Health Classes.
Math:
Our robust math curriculum encourages students to use their foundational skills and number sense to more deeply understand the “whys” of math and apply multiple approaches to problem solving. This builds toward more advanced algebraic thinking skills and mathematical reasoning.
The math taught at FMS is not focused on foundational skill acquisition but the manipulation and application of mathematical concepts to reason and problem solve. These problem solving approaches are integral to instruction in both Science and STEM classes.
This schedule will allow teachers to have fewer students and provide a deep dive into a unit of study and increase learning opportunities to “make it stick”. This immersive learning approach allows not only for deeper and more focused learning, but also allows for material to be acquired at a more efficient pace. Our teachers, who have significant training and experience teaching our literacy and math curricula, feel strongly that this opportunity for a more intensive instructional delivery will allow students to gain skills and knowledge needed to move forward and be successful in the next phase of their learning.
Virtual Components of Hybrid Learning
On the days students work virtually, they will have clear asynchronous daily learning lessons with guided learning, formative assessment, feedback opportunities, and clear deadlines for submitting work. Wednesdays will provide an opportunity for all students to take part in synchronous meetings with their advisor teacher at designated time and, as needed, with classroom teachers.
Mixing between classes
Some parents have asked about the mixing of students between classes rather than having them travel as a set group throughout the day.
Socially, middle school students need the opportunity for common learning experiences with more than one static group of peers. (This is why middle school doesn’t feel like elementary school!)
Adolescents are beginning to interact and use their social skills to become independent thinkers; they need to be with different people to develop socially.
By socializing and learning with different groups of students in different settings, they are afforded the opportunity to foster a stronger sense of self and community.
Additionally, there are logistical reasons for mixing students
Because we offer more than one world language, it is logistically necessary to mix students from different groups in order to provide students with their choice of world language instruction.
Many students receive special services—GT, accelerated math, RtI services, and/or IEP services. Providing these services results in the need for students to be mixed for other classes.
With fewer students in classes overall, with a 50% hybrid scenario, and with students and teachers following safety protocols, we feel confident that students will be able to move about the building safely.
In conclusion
This schedule is our response to needs and flaws that became apparent when we started emergency remote learning last spring. We will be collecting ongoing feedback from parents and teachers as the year progresses and make adjustments as needed.
The bottom line is this: Pandemic or not, our students deserve the best possible middle school experience we can give them—academically, socially, and emotionally. All of our students need and deserve a challenging and well rounded middle school environment. We don’t want to let this pandemic take away from our students’ middle school experience any more than it already has! We want to keep the “middle school” in FMS.
Thank you for your support. Bringing up middle school age kids requires teamwork between home and school. We appreciate your involvement!
All the best,
Janet Adams, Principal
Chris Hughes, Assistant Principal
