The schools year is in full swing! It’s hard to believe that we are almost seven weeks into the first nine weeks. Poland Middle School teachers are preparing for Teacher Conferences this Thursday. Even though there are 2 conferences a year, PMS teachers are always available to students and parents. Communication is key and PMS teachers can be reached by phone, email or appointment. Our teachers go above and beyond to make sure that students and parents are informed and will continue to do so. Our Scholastic Book Fair begins this Monday-Thursday. It is run by the ELA teachers who understand and emphasize the importance of reading. It takes coming in during the weekend, staying late after school or coming in early to make to book fair a success, so thank you teachers!

The teachers and students in grades 6-8 have had a very busy and productive start to the school year! In 6th Grade, we started a new mentoring program called WEB. In August, 34 8th Graders were trained for ten hours on how to mentor 6th graders. These 8th graders then led the 6th graders through their orientation before the start of the school year. It was a huge success! 8th grade WEB Leaders have invited the 6th graders to sporting events and they are currently writing letters to their 6th graders for Start With Hello Week. Start With Hello Week is brought to our students by our invaluable guidance counselors. This is a week-long event that promotes inclusiveness in our school.

In 7th Grade students in Language Arts have been using technology to analyze how elements of a text interact in a UDL activity. UDL is a lesson format that gives students choice in how they represent what they have learned.

In Math, grades 6-8, a new program has been started called CPM, College Prepatory Math. Our math teachers have been working hard on creating new lessons using this new format.

Students in 8th Grade are starting a new Rube Goldberg project in STEM. It will be an exciting experience for students!

Genius hour is also starting in 8th Grade. Our ELA Teachers and Science teacher have been working hard to prepare this fantastic new adventure for our students. Genius hour is a movement that allows students to explore their own passions and encourages creativity in the classroom. It provides students a choice in what they learn during a set period of time during school.

This is just the beginning to a fantastic school year! Our teachers are excited to make this school year the best yet!