Academic News- See Below for Important Information!
Coaches Corner: From the Desks of Fisher, Hunziker, & Mandell
The Learning Myth: Why I'll Never Tell My Son He's Smart: Growth vs. Fixed Mindset
by Salman Khan of Khan Academy
https://www.khanacademy.org/about/blog/post/95208400815/the-learning-myth-why-ill-never-tell-my-son-hes
My 5-year-old son has just started reading. Every night, we lie on his bed and he reads a short book to me. Inevitably, he’ll hit a word that he has trouble with: last night the word was “gratefully.” He eventually got it after a fairly painful minute. He then said, “Dad, aren’t you glad how I struggled with that word? I think I could feel my brain growing.” I smiled: my son was now verbalizing the tell-tale signs of a “growth mindset.” But this wasn’t by accident. Recently, I put into practice research I had been reading about for the past few years: I decided to praise my son not when he succeeded at things he was already good at, but when he persevered with things that he found difficult. I stressed to him that by struggling, your brain grows. Between the deep body of research on the field of learning mindsets and this personal experience with my son, I am more convinced than ever that mindsets toward learning could matter more than anything else we teach.
Researchers have known for some time that the brain is like a muscle; that the more you use it, the more it grows. They’ve found that neural connections form and deepen most when we make mistakes doing difficult tasks rather than repeatedly having success with easy ones.
What this means is that our intelligence is not fixed, and the best way that we can grow our intelligence is to embrace tasks where we might struggle and fail.
However, not everyone realizes this. Dr. Carol Dweck of Stanford University has been studying people’s mindsets towards learning for decades. She has found that most people adhere to one of two mindsets: fixed or growth. Fixed mindsets mistakenly believe that people are either smart or not, that intelligence is fixed by genes. People with growth mindsets correctly believe that capability and intelligence can be grown through effort, struggle and failure. Dweck found that those with a fixed mindset tended to focus their effort on tasks where they had a high likelihood of success and avoided tasks where they may have had to struggle, which limited their learning. People with a growth mindset, however, embraced challenges, and understood that tenacity and effort could change their learning outcomes. As you can imagine, this correlated with the latter group more actively pushing themselves and growing intellectually.
The good news is that mindsets can be taught; they’re malleable.
Read the rest of the article here: https://www.khanacademy.org/about/blog/post/95208400815/the-learning-myth-why-ill-never-tell-my-son-hes
There will be a dividend meet and greet on September 8th from 9:30-10:30 or 6-7pm in the media center. This is where people interested in becoming a dividend come in for an informational meeting to learn about being a dividend and also they can sign up at that time. All new and returning dividends must sign up each year so there will be computers available for them to sign up right then.
Dina M. Converso, M.Ed.
Math
Welcome to another productive year in math! Collectively, students at SSMS experienced a great deal of success during last school year with substantial learning gains on the math FCAT 2.0. As you may have heard, FCAT has been replaced with a new test called the Florida Standards Assessment (FSA). The FSA will include additional types of responses than what was required on FCAT and students will be exposed to these various types of responses throughout the school year.
The math department will be continuing with our assessment model designed to serve the various needs of our students. We recognize that every student can learn at high levels but also understand that not all students learn at the same pace or in the same way.
Our assessment model begins with an Expectation Check Sheet that is received by students prior to the beginning of the unit. The Expectation Check Sheet lists all of the concepts that are essential for student success throughout the unit. These concepts are written as “I Can” statements. After instruction and practice, students take mini-quizzes called an “I Can Quiz” to see if they have mastered the objective or if they need more time to demonstrate proficiency. Proficiency is determined by a student earning 3 out of 4 points on each quiz. If a student does not reach the goal the first time, more assistance will be provided either before school, after school, and during our IMPACT period. After additional assistance is provided, students will have multiple opportunities to take different versions of the quiz in order to show they have reached proficiency.
In addition to this, every student will be tracking their progress using their Expectation Check Sheet. Ask to see your child's Expectation Check Sheet and discuss with them different strategies to meet the various learning goals. For further information, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s math teacher.
Newsletter Social Studies 8/29/14
This year we have many great things happening in our Social Studies classes. All three grade levels will be preparing for our end of year assessments throughout the school year. We will focus our key content for our students with engaging activities analyzing primary and secondary sources and thinking like a historian! All students will receive a consumable workbook that is a summary of the textbook and will have online access to our textbook that we use in class. Teachers will be sending home information explaining how to access the online textbook and additional great materials. Students are required to keep an interactive notebook that is used for our classwork and homework, it’s a great organizational tool. Please check your teacher webpages for information on homework and what is happening each week in class.
At South Seminole we are committed to empowering students and achieving academic excellence while developing leadership skills. All students are required to complete three hours of community service, of their choice, for the semester. Please contact your teacher if you have any questions or concerns. Signature logs have been sent home with your child.
It’s the beginning of the year and already we are moving ahead and working on exciting material in our classrooms; here are a few highlights. The sixth grade team will be focusing on teaching Early Humans using timelines, reading primary sources, and creating an artifact museum. The seventh grade team is already discussing the rigor of the Civics EOC (end of course exam) and working to prepare their students. They are focusing on cooperative lessons detailing the three branches of government. The eighth grade team is teaching about life in the colonies and will be creating our annual colonial brochure project. 8th grade Pre IB students will be receiving information at the beginning of the second nine weeks on the upcoming History Day Project that will be due in January. The theme is Leadership and Legacy this year. To look ahead please check out www.nhd.org
We look forward to a great year!
Amy Bingham
Hey Hurricanes
The Positive Behavior Support Team here at South Seminole Middle School would like for you to get caught in the STORM. STORM is our new school moto and school wide expectations. STORM stands for Strive for Success, Take Responsibility, Opt to Lead, Respect Others, & Make Good Choices. When students demonstrate these positive behaviors, they will receive a STORM buck. STORM bucks are our new school-wide currency. STORM Bucks will be issued by ALL Administrators, Faculty, Staff, and Bus drivers. In addition, students who go above and beyond will be nominated for positive referrals and will be able to attend special events for them exclusively at SSMS. On Win Win Wednesdays students will receive a special prize item and then have their STORM buck/s placed in a raffle for different prizes. In the near future, we will have different opportunities for students to use their STORM bucks to purchase items of their choice. Stay tuned and watch out for the weather forecast, because there’s a STORM brewing!
From
Your Positive Behavior Support Team
Thank you students, for a great start to the school year. Attn: 8th gr. students: The Choices department will be here on Wed. Sept. 24th to present information about the High School Magnet programs. Students will attend through their Social studies classes. Plus, this year the high school expo will take place on October 9th, with magnet nights at Seminole H.S. on 10/14 for IB and 10/16 Health Academy. More details to follow. Also, check out the Guidance bulletin board for information about planning for your future. ***********
PTSA Article-
Welcome Back, SSMS families! We are excited to begin another school year and are looking forward to working together to make it successful.
With a new school year, and, for some, a new school, adults and students often worry about social interaction. Remembering middle school, for many adults, brings back memories of teasing, ridicule, awkwardness, and losing and making friends. Even as adults we continue to experience middle school-esque situations; how we deal with these situations and how we teach our students to deal with these situations can be the key to a successful school year.
Perhaps the most important part of dealing with the harshness of middle school social interactions is keeping the lines of communication open. When a student tells a trusted adult he does not have friends, she is being picked on, or he does not feel like he fits in, listening with empathy and validating his or her feelings may keep communication going. Asking open ended questions, such as, “Why do you feel this way? What happened to make you think this?” may lead to surprisingly revealing information. Youth often feel adults do not understand them or can not relate to them and showing a desire to understand may validate the importance of their feelings and, therefore, the importance of their independence as a maturing individual. Understanding what the student feels may help the adult find the root of a problem, or the beginning of a problem. Validating a student’s feelings may also make him or her more likely to continue to share.
As previously stated, even adults continue to experience puzzling social interactions. We understand there may be a preconceived view the PTSA is a tight-knit group of women; however, this notion is not entirely true. South Seminole Middle’s PTSA includes incoming members from several elementary schools which ensures a variety of viewpoints, experiences, and needs. We hope to make the SSMS PTSA a diverse group of student advocates working collaboratively towards maintaining high academic and social standards. We, as PTSA, would like to extend an invitation to all parents, teachers, students, guardians, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and everyone in between, to join us. We would like to meet you, form friendships, and share ideas to help each other navigate the oft-confusing middle school years. We want to communicate with you. There are many ways to communicate with us. You may like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/pages/South-Seminole-Middle-School- PTSA/470131360466), follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/SouthSeminoleMS), and Instagram (http://instagram.com/southseminolemsptsa), email us ([email protected]) or view our website (http://ssmsptsa.weebly.com/). Membership applications may be printed from our website and, in the upcoming weeks, we will be sending application forms home with students. Completed applications may be returned to the front office; upon receipt, membership cards will be sent home with students.
We look forward to meeting you, exchanging ideas, helping each other, and making this a successful school year.
Nurses Notes
From; Barbara Davenport, RN
Flu Season is Coming
Flu (influenza) Season is quickly approaching!
Seasonal influenza is caused by a virus which causes respiratory illness affecting the nose, throat and lungs. It can cause severe complications in some people.
SYMPTOMS:
Symptoms come on suddenly and include fever, body aches, cough, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
HOW DO I CATCH THE FLU?
Flu viruses are spread from person to person by close contact ,droplets from coughing or sneezing and/or touching contaminated objects.
PREVENTION:
Prevention:
#1 GET THE FLU VACCINE YEARLY
The flu vaccine is recommended for everyone over the age of 6 months.
For best protection the vaccine should be given yearly before the flu season starts (October). Different strains of influenza appear from year to year so the vaccine is formulated to meet the newest strains. Also immunity will decline and therefore annual vaccination is recommended.
#2 WASH YOUR HANDS, WASH YOUR HANDS, WASH YOUR HANDS!!
#3 Stay away from persons who are sick and stay home if sick.
School policy states if your child has influenza symptoms they must stay home until they have been symptom and fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications, i.e., Tylenol or Motrin
.
GREAT NEWS!!
Healthy Schools LLC. is a Florida based Vaccine for Children Provider that, along with Seminole County Public Schools & The Seminole County Public Health Department, will be offering the pain-free FluMist® Quadrivalent vaccine for our students with no deductibles or out of pocket expenses. Medicaid, Florida Kidcare, Aetna, BCBS and other private insurance companies will be billed. Students with no insurance will be provided their flu vaccine at no cost, while supplies last.
Vaccination date for your school is 11/3/14
Coaches Corner: From the Desks of Fisher, Hunziker, & Mandell
The Learning Myth: Why I'll Never Tell My Son He's Smart: Growth vs. Fixed Mindset
by Salman Khan of Khan Academy
https://www.khanacademy.org/about/blog/post/95208400815/the-learning-myth-why-ill-never-tell-my-son-hes
My 5-year-old son has just started reading. Every night, we lie on his bed and he reads a short book to me. Inevitably, he’ll hit a word that he has trouble with: last night the word was “gratefully.” He eventually got it after a fairly painful minute. He then said, “Dad, aren’t you glad how I struggled with that word? I think I could feel my brain growing.” I smiled: my son was now verbalizing the tell-tale signs of a “growth mindset.” But this wasn’t by accident. Recently, I put into practice research I had been reading about for the past few years: I decided to praise my son not when he succeeded at things he was already good at, but when he persevered with things that he found difficult. I stressed to him that by struggling, your brain grows. Between the deep body of research on the field of learning mindsets and this personal experience with my son, I am more convinced than ever that mindsets toward learning could matter more than anything else we teach.
Researchers have known for some time that the brain is like a muscle; that the more you use it, the more it grows. They’ve found that neural connections form and deepen most when we make mistakes doing difficult tasks rather than repeatedly having success with easy ones.
What this means is that our intelligence is not fixed, and the best way that we can grow our intelligence is to embrace tasks where we might struggle and fail.
However, not everyone realizes this. Dr. Carol Dweck of Stanford University has been studying people’s mindsets towards learning for decades. She has found that most people adhere to one of two mindsets: fixed or growth. Fixed mindsets mistakenly believe that people are either smart or not, that intelligence is fixed by genes. People with growth mindsets correctly believe that capability and intelligence can be grown through effort, struggle and failure. Dweck found that those with a fixed mindset tended to focus their effort on tasks where they had a high likelihood of success and avoided tasks where they may have had to struggle, which limited their learning. People with a growth mindset, however, embraced challenges, and understood that tenacity and effort could change their learning outcomes. As you can imagine, this correlated with the latter group more actively pushing themselves and growing intellectually.
The good news is that mindsets can be taught; they’re malleable.
Read the rest of the article here: https://www.khanacademy.org/about/blog/post/95208400815/the-learning-myth-why-ill-never-tell-my-son-hes
There will be a dividend meet and greet on September 8th from 9:30-10:30 or 6-7pm in the media center. This is where people interested in becoming a dividend come in for an informational meeting to learn about being a dividend and also they can sign up at that time. All new and returning dividends must sign up each year so there will be computers available for them to sign up right then.
Dina M. Converso, M.Ed.
Math
Welcome to another productive year in math! Collectively, students at SSMS experienced a great deal of success during last school year with substantial learning gains on the math FCAT 2.0. As you may have heard, FCAT has been replaced with a new test called the Florida Standards Assessment (FSA). The FSA will include additional types of responses than what was required on FCAT and students will be exposed to these various types of responses throughout the school year.
The math department will be continuing with our assessment model designed to serve the various needs of our students. We recognize that every student can learn at high levels but also understand that not all students learn at the same pace or in the same way.
Our assessment model begins with an Expectation Check Sheet that is received by students prior to the beginning of the unit. The Expectation Check Sheet lists all of the concepts that are essential for student success throughout the unit. These concepts are written as “I Can” statements. After instruction and practice, students take mini-quizzes called an “I Can Quiz” to see if they have mastered the objective or if they need more time to demonstrate proficiency. Proficiency is determined by a student earning 3 out of 4 points on each quiz. If a student does not reach the goal the first time, more assistance will be provided either before school, after school, and during our IMPACT period. After additional assistance is provided, students will have multiple opportunities to take different versions of the quiz in order to show they have reached proficiency.
In addition to this, every student will be tracking their progress using their Expectation Check Sheet. Ask to see your child's Expectation Check Sheet and discuss with them different strategies to meet the various learning goals. For further information, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s math teacher.
Newsletter Social Studies 8/29/14
This year we have many great things happening in our Social Studies classes. All three grade levels will be preparing for our end of year assessments throughout the school year. We will focus our key content for our students with engaging activities analyzing primary and secondary sources and thinking like a historian! All students will receive a consumable workbook that is a summary of the textbook and will have online access to our textbook that we use in class. Teachers will be sending home information explaining how to access the online textbook and additional great materials. Students are required to keep an interactive notebook that is used for our classwork and homework, it’s a great organizational tool. Please check your teacher webpages for information on homework and what is happening each week in class.
At South Seminole we are committed to empowering students and achieving academic excellence while developing leadership skills. All students are required to complete three hours of community service, of their choice, for the semester. Please contact your teacher if you have any questions or concerns. Signature logs have been sent home with your child.
It’s the beginning of the year and already we are moving ahead and working on exciting material in our classrooms; here are a few highlights. The sixth grade team will be focusing on teaching Early Humans using timelines, reading primary sources, and creating an artifact museum. The seventh grade team is already discussing the rigor of the Civics EOC (end of course exam) and working to prepare their students. They are focusing on cooperative lessons detailing the three branches of government. The eighth grade team is teaching about life in the colonies and will be creating our annual colonial brochure project. 8th grade Pre IB students will be receiving information at the beginning of the second nine weeks on the upcoming History Day Project that will be due in January. The theme is Leadership and Legacy this year. To look ahead please check out www.nhd.org
We look forward to a great year!
Amy Bingham
Hey Hurricanes
The Positive Behavior Support Team here at South Seminole Middle School would like for you to get caught in the STORM. STORM is our new school moto and school wide expectations. STORM stands for Strive for Success, Take Responsibility, Opt to Lead, Respect Others, & Make Good Choices. When students demonstrate these positive behaviors, they will receive a STORM buck. STORM bucks are our new school-wide currency. STORM Bucks will be issued by ALL Administrators, Faculty, Staff, and Bus drivers. In addition, students who go above and beyond will be nominated for positive referrals and will be able to attend special events for them exclusively at SSMS. On Win Win Wednesdays students will receive a special prize item and then have their STORM buck/s placed in a raffle for different prizes. In the near future, we will have different opportunities for students to use their STORM bucks to purchase items of their choice. Stay tuned and watch out for the weather forecast, because there’s a STORM brewing!
From
Your Positive Behavior Support Team
Thank you students, for a great start to the school year. Attn: 8th gr. students: The Choices department will be here on Wed. Sept. 24th to present information about the High School Magnet programs. Students will attend through their Social studies classes. Plus, this year the high school expo will take place on October 9th, with magnet nights at Seminole H.S. on 10/14 for IB and 10/16 Health Academy. More details to follow. Also, check out the Guidance bulletin board for information about planning for your future. ***********
PTSA Article-
Welcome Back, SSMS families! We are excited to begin another school year and are looking forward to working together to make it successful.
With a new school year, and, for some, a new school, adults and students often worry about social interaction. Remembering middle school, for many adults, brings back memories of teasing, ridicule, awkwardness, and losing and making friends. Even as adults we continue to experience middle school-esque situations; how we deal with these situations and how we teach our students to deal with these situations can be the key to a successful school year.
Perhaps the most important part of dealing with the harshness of middle school social interactions is keeping the lines of communication open. When a student tells a trusted adult he does not have friends, she is being picked on, or he does not feel like he fits in, listening with empathy and validating his or her feelings may keep communication going. Asking open ended questions, such as, “Why do you feel this way? What happened to make you think this?” may lead to surprisingly revealing information. Youth often feel adults do not understand them or can not relate to them and showing a desire to understand may validate the importance of their feelings and, therefore, the importance of their independence as a maturing individual. Understanding what the student feels may help the adult find the root of a problem, or the beginning of a problem. Validating a student’s feelings may also make him or her more likely to continue to share.
As previously stated, even adults continue to experience puzzling social interactions. We understand there may be a preconceived view the PTSA is a tight-knit group of women; however, this notion is not entirely true. South Seminole Middle’s PTSA includes incoming members from several elementary schools which ensures a variety of viewpoints, experiences, and needs. We hope to make the SSMS PTSA a diverse group of student advocates working collaboratively towards maintaining high academic and social standards. We, as PTSA, would like to extend an invitation to all parents, teachers, students, guardians, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and everyone in between, to join us. We would like to meet you, form friendships, and share ideas to help each other navigate the oft-confusing middle school years. We want to communicate with you. There are many ways to communicate with us. You may like us on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/pages/South-Seminole-Middle-School- PTSA/470131360466), follow us on Twitter (https://twitter.com/SouthSeminoleMS), and Instagram (http://instagram.com/southseminolemsptsa), email us ([email protected]) or view our website (http://ssmsptsa.weebly.com/). Membership applications may be printed from our website and, in the upcoming weeks, we will be sending application forms home with students. Completed applications may be returned to the front office; upon receipt, membership cards will be sent home with students.
We look forward to meeting you, exchanging ideas, helping each other, and making this a successful school year.
Nurses Notes
From; Barbara Davenport, RN
Flu Season is Coming
Flu (influenza) Season is quickly approaching!
Seasonal influenza is caused by a virus which causes respiratory illness affecting the nose, throat and lungs. It can cause severe complications in some people.
SYMPTOMS:
Symptoms come on suddenly and include fever, body aches, cough, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
HOW DO I CATCH THE FLU?
Flu viruses are spread from person to person by close contact ,droplets from coughing or sneezing and/or touching contaminated objects.
PREVENTION:
Prevention:
#1 GET THE FLU VACCINE YEARLY
The flu vaccine is recommended for everyone over the age of 6 months.
For best protection the vaccine should be given yearly before the flu season starts (October). Different strains of influenza appear from year to year so the vaccine is formulated to meet the newest strains. Also immunity will decline and therefore annual vaccination is recommended.
#2 WASH YOUR HANDS, WASH YOUR HANDS, WASH YOUR HANDS!!
#3 Stay away from persons who are sick and stay home if sick.
School policy states if your child has influenza symptoms they must stay home until they have been symptom and fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications, i.e., Tylenol or Motrin
.
GREAT NEWS!!
Healthy Schools LLC. is a Florida based Vaccine for Children Provider that, along with Seminole County Public Schools & The Seminole County Public Health Department, will be offering the pain-free FluMist® Quadrivalent vaccine for our students with no deductibles or out of pocket expenses. Medicaid, Florida Kidcare, Aetna, BCBS and other private insurance companies will be billed. Students with no insurance will be provided their flu vaccine at no cost, while supplies last.
Vaccination date for your school is 11/3/14