Family Newsletter 9/16 /22 

Hello Maverick Families: 

We did it! Things are hummin’ at McClure Middle School. What a great opening to our school year!! I am so impressed with our student body. They have already proven to be a kind, joyful and inclusive group of kids.  I am confident this is going to be an amazing year! 

A few things for you to know about this week:  

Planners:  

McClure teachers are re-upping our commitment to fully utilizing student planners.  As you know, middle school brains need executive functioning/organization support.  We are doubling down this year on training kids to use their planners to record what they have done during their class periods and/or to plan ahead for larger projects or assessments.   

We also invite you to make the planner a part of your family routine; it is one more opportunity for you to connect with your McClure student and understand what they are working on in their classes…and what they might want to focus on in the coming week(s)! 😊 All boxes/classes for the day should be filled out each day with at least one item – please help them remember this is the expectation.  Enjoy the conversations around planners!!  

Laptop Agreement Form:  

Please complete the laptop agreement If you have multiple students at McClure, reload the site to submit the form separately for each student.  

Please read through the full laptop packet and discuss technology expectations with your student. The packet is available in six languages

We Need You!! 

In middle school, instead of volunteering in individual teachers’ classrooms, we really need folks to volunteer to help us supervise larger groups of kids. For example, when we have multiple parents/guardians/family members volunteers to help McClure staff supervise during our lunch hour, the level of non-preferred behaviors is lessened significantly allowing for a calmer, and positive lunchtime experience for all. (Other ways to volunteer later in the school year are to help chaperone a field trip or provide support for a family evening event).   

If you are worried about your child sayings she/he/they is “embarrassed” to have you in the school, that’s okay…they 1) probably won’t even see you,  2) we are a community and parents – you should be able to support your child’s school and 3) we have many parent volunteers whose relationship with their tweens not only “survived” the volunteering but actually flourished because they had more to talk about with their McClure student!!!  

Please contact our staff Volunteer Coordinator, Julie Dolan, jadolan@seatleschools.org 206-252-1904 to get set up with volunteering during our ONE hour of lunches! Take any shift, come every day, come one or two days…we just need you!!!  

Good news from McClure Middle School!  

Some years ago, our fantastic 7th grade Social Studies team started a project with their students called the Ethnobotanical Garden which exposes our students to Indigenous cultures, oral traditions, critical thinking, and the process of planting and nurturing plant life!  Well, guess what?  Our wonderful Ms. Johnson (Social Studies teacher) published an article highlighting this project-based learning at McClure Middle School…we’re famous!! 😊  Please read below for Ms. Johnson’s explanation of the article. 

Regional magazine called Clearing, where I published an article about our garden!  Our article starts on page 13. This whole edition of the magazine is written by local educators and tribal members along the theme of Indigenous and outdoor education in our region. The idea to publish came from a panel presentation we all did last fall, where I also spoke about how powerful our garden has been as a teaching tool. 

 Hopefully spreading the word about our work encourages more schools to follow in our footsteps. Word of our garden has already spread through SPS and at least one other school is in the planning phases of making one. Mary Whisenhunt is also planning to bring our curriculum and maybe even a garden into a new elective class she’s starting at her new school.  

 

 Thank you again PTSA for your continued support with this project! 

Open House:  McClure’s Open House will be Thursday, October 6th. 6:30 p.m.  Format and details to come.  Mark your calendars!!!  

Family Connectors University is now enrolling for the fall term! All SPS families are invited to join North Seattle College’s Family Connectors University (FCU), a family-focused online course designed to help parents and caregivers support their child’s learning and growth.  

FCU topics include:  

• Helping your child with learning  
• Social Emotional Learning ideas for home  
• Becoming a supportive partner at your school  
• Helping your child with ‘big emotions’  

• Supporting your child with reading and math  
• Talking to kids about race, racism, and antiracist actions  

Take this course in real-time or attend offline at a time that works for you. The class takes place online via Zoom for 10 weeks beginning Tuesday, Sept. 27 at 6-7 pm. Parents can participate synchronously or asynchronously, as sessions will be recorded. The course is facilitated by NSC Parent Education Instructor Lea Evans, Principal Janine Roy, SPS Family Partnerships Coordinator Asosa Sailiai, and special guest speakers. Check out Family Connectors video and course details  

The cost for the 2-unit class is $39.42, and some scholarships are available.   

Contact Asosa Sailiai, Family Partnerships Coordinator, to enroll or find out more information: amsailiai@seattleschools.org.