The Middle School faculty and administration welcome students and their families to our division. Following are some topics we consider this year’s highlights:

• Advisory Program: We are committed to improve the Advisory Program. Based on input provided by students and teachers, we will continuously work on ideas to better meet the needs of our students through this program.
  
  
• Technology Integration: CDS Technology Action Plan will provide various opportunities for staff development and technology integration. At the middle school level, students are encouraged to bring personal laptops to school. Teachers determine when and how the laptops will be part of the curriculum. Teachers emphasize technology integration as part of their teaching strategies and guide students to use technology as an additional tool in the learning process.
  
  
• Curriculum: MS faculty and administration engage in the follow up of the curriculum maps that guide the MS curriculum. Teachers align these maps to the CDS Standards and Benchmarks on a quarterly basis and monitor the integration of technology in the curriculum.
  
  
• Discipline: Discipline, defined as the set of norms to be followed in order to function well in the Middle School Community, is a topic of interest in the Middle School. We all agree that discipline is the responsibility of all those involved in the educational process of a child. Moreover, we believe there must be a strong connection with the family, in order to find ways to help a student express himself/herself in appropriate ways and adopt attitudes that benefit the interaction in a community of individuals that spend most part of the day together. We support the values that make it possible for members of this community to get along well.
  
  
• Uniform code: The uniform policy will be enforced by the staff and administration. Students are expected to dress according to this policy. Parents of students who do not respect this policy will be asked to support the school in this area.
  
  
• School-Home Connection: The Middle School Faculty welcomes parents to stay connected. The use of Edline, e-mail, blogs and parent-teacher conferences are some of the ways we offer to communicate with parents. Edline is an effective means of communication. Students should check Edline every day for homework, test, assignment and project dates and other information teachers upload. Parents are also invited to check Edline on a regular basis.
  
  The school-home connection will also be strengthened through the MS Principal’s Blog, e-mail and individual meetings. Click Here to Visit the Middle School Principal blog Please invite others to subscribe to this blog.

We strongly recommend you read the 2009-2010 Student Handbook with your child. Click here to download the Middle School Handbook . In the handbook you will find new and updated information on the norms and regulations of our community: attendance, bullying, discipline, uniform, late work and evaluation, among others.

Students experience many changes during the middle school years. One is the transition from a self-contained elementary class to a schedule with various teachers in different locations, including a special class rotation for grade 6 and elective classes for grades 7 and 8. Another change is that lockers are issued to students in middle school. They learn to organize their materials and responsibilities through the use of the locker as well as a daily agenda. Students are held accountable for their work as well as their behavior.

Students also go through many physical changes during these years. It is a time of establishing their own identity among their peers as well as in their families. In addition to providing challenging academic instruction, middle school teachers also support and guide students through the many changes and new experiences of the middle school years.

During these years, students are engaged in developing friendships, learning new social roles, gaining a sense of independence and developing a sense of morality and values. They need opportunities to express their creativity and experience success and recognition. They also need consistency, direction and frequent affirmation of love from adults.

Middle school students plan a variety of activities through groups like the Student Council, Roots and Shoots, the Green Committee, and the National Junior Honor Society that help them fulfill the needs that developmentally characterize this age group. Within these groups, they plan projects and activities that directly impact the students, such as dances, competitions, bake sales, social projects and an end-of-the year recreational trip.

At CDS Middle School, we understand the unique needs of our students and strive to fill these needs effectively through a program that emphasizes both the academics and the developmental stages.

*Young Adolescent Development and School Practices: Promoting Harmony. National Middle School Association, Columbus, Ohio, 1988, p. 23.

Dr. Sofía Amador
Middle School Principal