DAYLIGHTS
A Newsletter from Gina Healy
Principal, Day Middle School |
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September 13, 2009 Volume 4, no. 2 |
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Quick Links |
Day Website
Newton Public Schools Website |
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September 13, 2009
Dear Day Middle School Families,
Welcome to the Day Middle School Community! The opening of school went quite smoothly and students and teachers are settling into the routines of the school year.
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Program of Studies and Schedule
We have organized our instruction a bit differently this year, and we're all getting used to the changes. In placing students on team, we clustered students by world language groups in order to allow more curricular connections between world language and "team" classes. I believe that this will result in more and better collaboration among teachers and better achievement for students.
We also adopted a six-day cycle in the place of a five-day, Monday-Friday schedule. We began on September 8th with Day 1. September 9th was Day 2, etc. The next Day 1 will be on Wednesday, September 16th. The six-day cycle is fixed: that is, it is planned for the whole year -- an unexpected closing of school for snow or other emergency will not alter the calendar of day-cycle rotations. Your child will have a copy of the six-day cycle calendar in his/her agenda. It is also posted on our website for your convenience.
In order to guarantee a consistent and viable curriculum at each grade level across the City, the middle school principals have adopted a common Program of Studies at all four of the middle schools. That is to say that all middle school students will have the same amount of instruction time in the various subject areas. We do not have a common schedule (the actual timetable reflects the needs of each school) but we all offer a common Program of Studies:
All 6th graders in Newton take:
English, Math, Science, History/Social Studies - Each subject 6 times/cycle, all year
Physical Education - 4 times/cycle for one half the year, 2 times/cyle for the other half
Health - 2 times/cycle for one half of the year
Rotation - (Art, Drama, Music, Technology) Each subject 4 times/cycle for one quarter
World Language - 4 times/cycle, all year or Academic Support 6 times/cycle, all year
Community - 1 time/cycle, all year
6th graders at Day also take:
Multi-Team Extension (formerly known as "electives") - 2 times/cycle for half the year
Team Extensions - 1- 3 times/cycle for the full year (varies by student)
All 7th and 8th graders in Newton take:
English, Math, Science, History/Social Studies - Each subject 6 times/cycle, all year
Physical Education - 2 times/cyle, all year
Rotation - Each subject 4 times/cycle for one quarter
7th grade Rotation (Art, Health, Music, Tech)
8th grade Rotation (Art, Health, Music, Drama)
World Language or Academic Support - 6 times/cycle, all year
Community - 1 time/cycle, all year
7th and 8th graders at Day also take:
Multi-Team Extension (formerly known as "electives") - 2 - 4 times/cycle, all year (varies)Team Extensions - 1- 3 times/cycle for the full year (varies by student)
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Sports Team Tryouts
In order to try out for a sports team at Day, a student must have completed yellow athletic card and must have evidence of an up-to-date physical on file in the Nurses Office. See any coach for further details. Tryouts for Football and Girls' and Boys' soccer will take place during the week of September 14th.
Cross Country is the only fall sport open to students in all three grades and there is no tryout required. Students interested in long-distance running may join the Cross Country team by seeing Coach Price in Room 115.
Open to 7th and 8th graders only:
Boys' Soccer - Coach Dewees and Coach Lynch.
Girls' Soccer - Coach Wachtelhausen and Coach Lunin.
Football - Coach Killilea, Coach Monson, and Coach Joseph. |
| Back to School Night
Back-to-School Night is your opportunity to meet your child's teachers and to learn about our curriculum. This year's program will be on Thursday, September 24th prompat 7:00 pm. Parents/guardians will begin the evening in their child's homeroom where they will pick up their child's schedule and hear a brief message from the principal. They will then follow the child's schedule for ten-minute classroom visits. |
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It was good to see many of you at the picnic on Thursday and I look forward to meeting others at the Principal's Coffee on Monday and at Back-to-School Night. Wishing you all a great school year.
Sincerely,
Gina M. Healy
Principal, Day Middle School
(617) 559-9100 | |
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