Middle School
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Middle School Matters - November
As Cold Weather is Ahead - Mustang Attire Only, PLEASE
We want to remain Mustang Proud during cold weather, so please be sure to send your students to school in Mustang attire, including school approved hoodies. While we support other Kansas teams like the Chiefs, K-State, and KU, such items are non-dress code. We must maintain our dress code while pumping up school spirit! We’d like to extend free monogramming to families who order a Mustang hoodie next week Nov. 6-10. You may use the order form sent home with students, or online, just be sure to order BEFORE Nov. 11. Thanks for doing your part to support our school financially and “spirit”-ually!
Shawnee County Health Department - Vaping
Shawnee County Health Department visited to discuss the dangers of teen vaping with our middle school students - while here they HIGHLY complimented our Executive StuCo officers who were praised by the Douglas County Child Advocates as “Best in the State” when engaging in last month’s student leadership conference.
National History Day Underway
Projects and preparation will primarily be completed at school during English Language Arts, Social Studies, or during study hall, but it may require some homework as well. Besides completing the project, students will also complete note taking and writing assignments that include an annotated bibliography as part of their English Language Arts grade. Please be sure to ask about your child(ren)’s history day topic, progress, and project they are working on!
Model UN 7th and 8th grade
Given the importance of learning about the world around us and as one of the essential competencies of English Language Arts is to communicate clearly both research and ideas, our 7th and 8th graders will participate in a Model UN simulation this year. Model UN engages hundreds of thousands of students each year, including over 500 students in Kansas! Both grades will select ambassadors for the following countries: South Africa, South Korea, El Salvador, Peru, Taiwan, Sweden, Italy, Argentina, and Iceland to engage in a simulation run by Hayden High School students at Holy Family. After this session in the spring, our 8th graders will travel with Hayden to KU to participate in the two day simulation.
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Middle School Matters
Educonnect - Student Access is HERE!
How awesome are our students? Pretty awesome - usually! To this end, students sought access to their grades via Educonnect. This is indeed not only possible, but EVERY student received an account and were instructed how to access their grades via their Chromebook. First time in HF history I’m aware that our Mustangs have been given 100% access to their grades via Educonnect!
StuCo initiative - Cyberbullying Prevention - using Peace Be With You!
About a month ago our StuCo Executive Officers attended the Douglas County Child Care Association’s Youth Leadership Conference. While there, our Mustangs were introduced to principles of leadership from the Kansas Leadership Center, interacted with other area student leaders, and identified one issue to improve at Holy Family - Cyberbullying. While our students reported there is not much face-to-face bullying, sometimes their peers are more likely to get carried away when on their phones away from campus. To this end, students recommended adopting a curriculum to intervene and discourage such behavior. We’ll be using "Peace Be With You" for this purpose!Peace Be With You: Christ-Centered Bullying Redirect is a Catholic/Christian Scripture-based approach to bullying prevention. This prayerfully designed evidenced-based program is a dynamic classroom and whole school community process focused on student acquisition and mastery of critical life skills in three general areas: Leadership Skills, Interpersonal Skills (developing supportive peer relationships), and Intrapersonal Skills (stress management and self-reflection).
Faith Families
About once a month or so we meet in Faith Family Groups. The purpose of Faith Families includes:
1) to give our students an opportunity to put their faith into action through service projects 2) to develop leadership skills in our 8th and 7th grade students
3) to develop community within our school and the various grade levels
4) to have some fun with our school family!8th graders are expected to take the primary leadership roles within their faith families, but 7th graders are expected to be available and/or assist when and where necessary. Attendance for everyone is emphasized. Also, middle schoolers discuss and prepare their “Faith Family Activity” on Mondays before the Faith Family Friday. Faith Family dates are located on our G Calendar on our website.
Lamb “Laws”
As many of you know, I graduated from Washburn Law School MANY years ago. While teaching at Hayden High School, I noticed my students excelled in the classroom, on the court, on stage, - in short, EVERYWHERE! So...I asked them to compile a list of guidelines for excellence. The following is what they narrowed down, naming them Lamb “Laws.” I’ve shared them with our middle school students this year. Thought you’d appreciate the guidance, and might even practice and reinforce many of these at home with your children as well!
1. Exercise faith.
2. Practice the two R’s--respect and responsibility.
3. Know when to play or perform.
4. Think proactively.
5. Work smart.
6. Do your best, consistently.
7. Solve problems, don’t create them.
8. There are no shortcuts.
9. Fair is not always equal.
10. Do your best to find a way.