Worley AVID Goes to UT and Baylor!!

Last week, our 8th grade AVID students made two whirlwind college visits to the University of Texas in Austin on April 30th and Baylor University in Waco on May 2nd.

AVID sponsors - Leah Roberts and Jana Douglas- said the students were mesmerized by the vastness of UT and the personalized attention they received at Baylor. Students toured both campuses visiting the cafeteria, the dorms and even a 300 seat lecture hall. Students learned quite a bit about the culture of both campuses. On the ride home from Waco, the students reflected on their visits. Students compared the pros and cons of each university.

Exposing students to the college experience is the entire objective of the AVID program. All year, our students have been learning what it takes to make it to college AND how to be successful once they've made it there!

We are so proud that our Worley Tigers are already preparing for their college experience. It's never too early to make college plans.

Sic 'em Bears! 

Hook 'em Horns!

Dr. B's Breakfast Book Club is reading Divergent by Veronica Roth

We are reading Divergent at Worley!

Divergent is a novel about a 16 year old girl named Beatrice Prior living in futuristic Chicago. This new society  is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue - CANDOR (the honest), ABNEGATION (the selfless), DAUNTLESS (the brave), AMITY (the peaceful) and ERUDITE ( the intelligent). Beatrice must select the faction in which she will live for the rest of her life. The decision may take her away from her family forever. (from Veronica Roth's blog, veronicarothbooks.blogspot.com)

The book is such a page turner. Often, it has me at the end of my seat! The book makes you want to keep reading. I find myself saying, "I'm going to read just one more page...OK, just one more chapter!" Beatrice's character encounters tough decisions regarding friends, foes, family and what she will do with the rest of her life. It is such an interesting tale of a young person's journey to self discovery.

In our first book club meeting this morning, the students shared their ideas and thoughts about the book along with teachers. It was an amazing experience to share our love of books with each other.

Our next book club meeting will be Thursday, May 10th at 8am in the Worley Library. We will discuss pages 167-345. Students are welcomed to bring breakfast and eat while we discuss. Parents and teachers are welcome to join us too!

See you next Thursday!

STAAR Testing Round 2 Coming Soon!

10 days and counting!!

We are preparing students and staff for the second (and last) round of STAAR testing here at Worley. Teachers have organized an academic BOOT CAMP where they focus each day on a specific test objective/student expectation. Students are reviewing information, participating in hands on lessons and working through sample questions provided by the Texas Education Agency.

As with the first round of testing, parents can help by reminding students to READ THE ENTIRE QUESTION. STAAR type questions require students to perform more than one task to get the correct answer. On the past TAKS exams, students could anticipate what the question was asking them to do without reading the entire question AND the questions were usually one step, one task, one calculation.

Also, parents can encourage their student to DO THEIR BEST on the exams. As a teacher and a coach, I always told my students that what you do reflects who you are. We should always strive to score high because our names are forever linked to the results. Represent yourself, your school and your family well!

Lastly, when the tests are over we will continue to have school and learn. The "test" is not the goal of our school year. Acquiring as much knowledge as possible is what is important. What we learn can never be taken away from us.

Happy Testing!!

Campus Faculty Visits Ron Clark Academy

On Feb 23-26, Ms. Phillips (language arts teacher) and Mr. Addison (science teacher) joined me on a district wide professional development visit to the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta, Ga.

Educators from all over the world visit the Ron Clark Academy each year to learn more about his ground breaking and highly successful instructional methods. Ron Clark is a highly celebrated and extremely motivating teacher and campus leader. His 5th grade through 8th grade campus is made up of various types of students - low income, high income, African American, Hispanic, high achiever, low achievers and even special education students. Yet, his students are some of the most successful students in the nation.

The school is full of life! We were amazed by the level of academic rigor and the behavior of the students. We were greeted by students who shook our hands, looked us in the eye and spoke with such conviction about who they were, what they believe and what their future holds. The teachers were just as impressive. The demanding academic culture is well balanced with instructional innovation, creativity, passion and relationship building. There is no doubt in our minds (or the students' minds) that these teachers LOVE their students.

The most amazing part of the visit was the opportunity to sit in a 5th grade math classroom while Ron Clark taught math. He teaches 5th grade students 7th grade math curriculum! That's raising the bar! We also attended workshops presented by other faculty members that included Writing the using the Blues, How to have a creative classroom, Connecting with parents and Ten Free Websites No Teacher Should Be Without.

The number one message we learned from our time there was that all students can achieve at high levels. We should continuously set the bar high and challenge everyone to be better - teachers, students, parents and administrators.

We are extremely thankful for the opportunity to learn more about the Ron Clark Academy. Keep your eyes open for some state-of-the-art changes that will be implemented here at Worley! Ready or not...Here it comes!

STAAR Testing 2012...The time is now!

On Tuesday (3/27) and Wednesday (3/28), Worley Middle School students will take the newest State of Texas standardized test - the STAAR.

7th grade students will take Day 1 of the Writing Exam and 8th graders will take the math exam on Tuesday.

7th grade students will take Day 2 of the Writing Exam and 8th graders will take the reading exam on Wednesday.

On testing day:
1. All students will report to their advisory class at 8:45 am.
2. Students will either bring a sack lunch or purchase lunch from the school. No lunch deliveries will be made from outside lunch sources.
3. The building is closed to visitors on both testing days.
4. We will operate on a modified daily schedule after testing on Tuesday and Wednesday. Students will attend periods 1-4 on Tuesday and 5-8 on Wednesday.

In order for students to give 100% effort on this week's tests, they must:
-Eat a healthy, balanced breakfast each morning and dinner each night
-Get at least 8 hours of sleep
-Stay focused and confident
-Be reminded to read each question carefully. Don't anticipate what you think the questions are asking. Read the questions completely. STAAR questions - unlike TAKS questions- usually involve more than one step.

Happy Testing! Remember, Worley students are the BEST and the BRIGHTEST!

Celebrating History: RWMS Black History Program 2012

To Parents, Students and the Mansfield Community:

You are invited to attend our Black History Program on Tuesday, Feb 21st at 6:00 pm. The program will take place in the Worley cafeteria.

Our students and staff members have worked for almost two months preparing for this showcase of talent. From song to dance to fashion and politics, African Americans have had a profound impact on the world. Our students have come together to honor those achievements and celebrate the history of our nation.

Kudos to Coach Phillips, Coach Stewart, Mr. Cumby, Ms. Washington, Mr. Addison, and Mr. Sells for working with our students to prepare for this night. It has taken a huge amount of their own personal time to ensure that our students are given the opportunity to participate in such an event.

We hope to see you here Tuesday evening!

2012-13 Registration...Is it time already??

Hello Worley Tigers!

It is time to start thinking about next year's course selections. What can my student take? What should my student take?

Please take a few minutes to review the MISD Middle School Course Guide to familiarize yourself with our course offerings. One major change for the 2012-13 7th grade class is that we will no longer be offering the Language Explorations course as an elective.

When selecting classes for your student, please keep in mind the following thoughts:

-Pre-AP courses are rigorous and intense.

These courses generally require more time for homework and operate at a much faster pace than the regular 7th or 8th grade on level course. We suggest that students only enroll in 2 Pre-AP courses during their 7th grade year.

Why? 7th grade is a huge transition for students from the elementary instructional model to the secondary instructional model. Additionally, students are introduced to new activities that demand a lot of their time such as Athletics, Band and Choir. Students learn right away how to juggle their academic learning time during the school day with after school extracurricular activities. Getting homework done and attempting to have a family or social life can be a little overwhelming.

-Our kids are students first. Extracurricular activities are secondary to every student's academic progress.

-Our school's master schedule is built on student course requests. Teachers are assigned a daily schedule based upon the requests of all 930 of our students. There will be a deadline for any schedule changes to be made. Please make sure you select courses for your student that they are truly interested in taking. Also, don't forget to provide the counselors with alternative choices for electives. It helps make their year - and your year - go smoother.

-As an 8th grader, your student has the opportunity to earn high school credit. 8th graders can take Health, Speech, Algebra I, Spanish I or Gateway to Technology. What an incredible opportunity our students have to get a jump start on their high school career.

Overall, we hope that this proves to be an exciting time for your student. Learning how to be a lifelong learner is an important skill to master in today's global society. Selecting the appropriate classes for your learner is an integral step in becoming a successful secondary student.