Family Newsletter  5/20/24

Hello Maverick Nation. We are really swinging into high gear here at McClure – making big plans for the end of the school year and keeping kids occupied and learning even as temperatures rise and the sun is coming out!  Please join us in reminding kids that we do actually have five weeks (out of 36) of school left…we’re still in school.  There are still projects, assessments, and expectations to be present, respectful…and have a little fun along the way. Thank you for partnering with us to set end of year behavior expectations and help our kids meet them! 😊

New/Updated Retake Policy:

As we move into the final five weeks of school, our Instructional Council and I have been talking about our retake policy. McClure blazed the trail far earlier than the rest of the district of setting up equitable and aligned, research-based grading practices. We are proud of this. We are also progressing monitoring as we go. We have been examining students’ missing formative assessments (meant to prepare kids for the summative). As predicted, if kids are blowing off the formative work, then the summative (which counts toward students’ grades), usually shows the student is unable to meet grade level standard (Cs or below)…please take a look at your McClure student’s grades to see if this is the case!

We want kids to take the formatives seriously – we want them to follow through.

Here are the detes:

• For all assignments earning a C (not meeting grade level standard) or below, students may only retake/resubmit that test or assignment ont time.
• For test retakes, students will only be able to earn a “B” as a maximum grade
• For bigger projects or essay “retakes”, students are able to earn an “A”.

This will be explained to kids in Advisory, as well.

The goal here is to support kids in taking their formative work more seriously so they are fully prepared for their summative work. We want them to take more ownership over their learning. We will assess how this goes and make adjustments in the fall, if needed.

End of Year Activities – Privilege not a Right.

Assemblies, Field Day (last day of school), 8th grade Beach Day (Tuesday, June 18th)

We love celebrating our kids and having fun with them! 😊 We have so many fun activities coming up.  That being said, we would like to remind you and our Maverick students that these are privileges not rights. If students cannot comply with basic and reasonable expectations (including kindness and respectfulness towards peers and adults), they will not be allowed to participate.  We hope to not have to apply this consequence to any of our students but we do want to remind them that we expect them to show PRIDE for the remainder of the school year and to earn the fun that comes at the end. Any student who earns a conduct violation or is a repetitive user of oppressive language or actions within the school will lose one or more of these activities.  We will gear kids up for meeting basic and reasonable expectations for the remainder of the school year but please check in with your McClure student about this so they are clear.

No Energy Drinks:

At McClure we have been seeing an increase in energy drink consumption at school. Energy drinks can have harmful effects and are not recommended for children and adolescents (see below). We also have noticed a not so positive change in students’ behavior (not surprising) when they have consumed energy drinks.

Students may no longer bring energy drinks into the school building.  Please speak with them about this tonight and we will also let them know on the school front.

Here are the reasons we will not allow energy drinks in the building moving forward:

Possible side effects of over consumption of energy drinks include difficulty sleeping, increased anxiety, release of stress hormones, nausea, vomiting, high blood pressure, and elevated heart rate as well as headaches and migraines. These effects are compounded in young people using these products. Most energy drinks are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not recommended for anyone under the age of 18 or for people with certain health conditions. The American Academy of Pediatrics now recommends that kids and teens avoid energy drinks due to negative effects on sleep cycle, brain development and changes in heart rate.”

• The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends adolescents do not consume energy drinks.
• For children under 12 years of old, AAP advises against caffeine; for those 12-18 years old, the recommendation is less than 100mg of caffeine daily.
  • Some energy drinks contain up to 300 mg of caffeine (a 12 oz can of soda contains about 35mg)
    •     Side effects of increased caffeine consumption include irregular or increased heart rate, anxiety, insomnia, headaches, and dehydration.
• Ingredients such as L-carnitine, L tartrate, Taurine, and Guarana can produce serious health issues and can act as an added stimulant.
• If interested in learning more check out these reference articles:
• How much caffeine is safe for adolescents
• Why kids should not drink energy drinks

Upcoming Events

1. May 27: Memorial Day – No School
2. May 31: 8th Grade Science WCAS Testing
3. June 12: 8th Grade Celebration/Parade (5:30-6:30 – McClure Middle School – outside!)
4. June 17: Laptop/Charger Return
5. June 18: 8th Grade Beach Day (Golden Gardens)
6. June 19: Juneteenth – No School
7. June 21: Field Day (afternoon)
8. June 21: Last Day of School! 1 hour early dismissal

Community Meeting Dates re well-resourced schools and possible school closures:

As I am sure most of you have heard, Seattle Public Schools is in a challenging position of needing to reduce its budget which could mean school closures. The focus is on what would schools look like if they were “well-resourced”?  If you have read any of my newsletters during school budget planning season this spring, you would see that the drastic budget cuts to our building were frustrating; McClure could certainly be better resourced!  If you are interested in better understanding this budgetary crisis and perhaps share your perspective, I have included the Spring Community Meeting locations and dates below. It would be nice for McClure to have a showing at some of these meetings to speak your perspective of what a well-resource McClure Middle School would look like. 😊

From the District: You are invited to join Seattle Public Schools (SPS) for an upcoming community meeting. During these meetings, senior leaders will share information about the proposed plan for creating a system of well-resourced schools that serve students in kindergarten through 5th grade.

A system of well-resourced elementary schools will create a new foundation of stability and consistency that our students and staff need to thrive. 

May and June Community Meetings Dates

To ensure SPS families have the greatest opportunity to take part, each meeting will present the same information in locations around our district.The schedule for well-resourced schools staff meetings will soon be shared with SPS staff.

• Saturday, May 25, 10:30 a.m. – noon, Garfield High School, 400 23rd Ave.
• Tuesday, May 28, 6 – 7:30 p.m., Roosevelt High School, 1410 NE 66th St.
• Saturday, June 1, 10:30 a.m. – noon, Chief Sealth International High School, 2600 SW Thistle St.
• Tuesday, June 4, 6 – 7:30 p.m., Zoom meeting

Translation and interpretation services (American Sign Language (ASL), Amharic, Cantonese, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese) will be provided at each meeting based on request. After the online meeting, a recording will be posted to the district website.

We hope you can join us! Take a moment to RSVP or send us your questions. Please complete the form to request accommodation for the meetings.

Our goal is that all schools would include the elements that many of our families, staff, and students said were important during the Well-Resourced Schools Engagement Sessions last fall and earlier this spring.

You can read more about this work, including the well-resourced schools elements on our well-resourced schools webpage. Thank you for joining us for these important conversations!

Sincerely,

Bev Redmond
Chief of Staff
Seattle Public Schools

Join the PTSA! (You’ll be so glad you did!!)

Please join the PTSA!  It’s a fun and easy way to connect with your McClure community and contribute to the school. Please click on the link and join as an individual or family.   Join McClure PTSA

That’s it for now!

Go Mavs!

Principal Shannon Conner/McClure Middle School