Whew! We made it through STAAR Week Part II!

This week at Worley has been filled with moments of angst and joy and even laughter.

Our students have taken the last round of school wide STAAR testing for the 2012-13 school year. During the week, we've operated on a different schedule which included a daily 45 minute assembly.

On Tuesday, our 7th graders experienced the Commandos USA presentation in which they learned about having good character and displaying it daily. The presenter left our students with a sense of pride in themselves and their future. He encouraged them to stand tall, be proud and take responsibility for their own success.

On Wednesday, the 7th graders participated in a House Pep Rally with our Ron Clark Committee members - Coach Addison, Ms Phillips and Mrs. Blackwell. They played a few "Minute to Win It" type games and heard a speech on exactly why we have houses here at Worley. Students were encouraged to be leaders next school year and to be positive role models for the incoming 2013-14 7th graders.

Also on Wednesday, the 8th graders had an extra special treat from Mayor David Cook. Students heard about the journey he took from being a 7th grader at Worley through law school. He stressed the importance of working hard and never giving up on your dreams. He conducted a brief Q & A session where he answered many questions about how he made it through law school, what it took to even get into law school and even which college he attended.

Today, Mr. Paul Mints, pastor at The Community at Lake Ridge Church, spoke to the 8th graders about making their mark on the world. He encouraged them to believe in the importance of who they are and what they were designed to do in our world. He also told them that they are an original and should not strive to be a copy of someone else.

All of our speakers were phenomenal! We enjoyed them all. We are thankful that we live in a community where our leaders are willing to step into our schools and help make a difference in our kids lives. Thanks to Mayor Cook and Pastor Mints for stopping by and providing some inspiration and hope for our future leaders.

RWMS 2011-12 AEIS Report

Each year, the Texas Education Agency (TEA) releases a report for each campus and district in Texas called the Academic Excellence Indicator System (AEIS).

This report provides the state and the local community with information on each school including, but not limited to: student performance on standardized tests from the previous school year, student attendance rates, class sizes, teacher and student demographics and school financial records.

Here's a link to a brief power point presentation on our school's AEIS Report:  http://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/18184300

If you have any questions about the RWMS AEIS Report, please contact me at 817-299-5900. I'd be glad to discuss our results with you.

STAAR Test Taking Strategies

Rogene Worley Middle School

2012-13

1.  Take care of yourself

-eat breakfast

-get plenty of rest starting a few days before the test

2.  Read & Re Read the Question

-read the question two times for understanding

-understand what the question is asking before selecting an answer & mark through the information that you don’t need to answer the question

-draw a picture for math or science questions

-pay attention to the “NOT” or “EXCEPT”

3.  Prove/Justify Your answers

-mark out the wrong answers

-justify the right answer

4.  There is only one right answer!

-use your reasoning skills to eliminate the wrong answers

-check your answers when you are done

5.  Your teachers have prepared you for this test. Take a deep breath and do what you do best…succeed! Go get ‘em!

Open House 2013

Join us for Open House on Thursday, Feb 7th from 6-8 pm here at Worley Middle School!

Come out to meet and greet with our entire staff, see and hear performances from our Band, Choir, Theater and Cheerleaders. You will also be able to visit our American History Living Wax Museum, as well as visit with teachers from all subject areas.

We will also offer a $5 bar-b-que dinner for everyone. Just $5 per person! So, there is no need to cook dinner at home. Join us for dinner and Open House!

Your student will be bringing home a flyer on Monday, Jan 28th with all the information listed above

We look forward to see you all!

Are You Ready? Video from MISD

Curriculum Night 2012

On Tuesday 11/27 and Wednesday 11/28, we hosted Curriculum Night 2012.

Our core course teachers shared the instructional expectations of their subject area, STAAR dates and information AND the various modes of instruction used in their classrooms daily. Parents and students heard about the use of PERCEPTUAL MODES in learning and even saw some examples of STAAR test questions from last year's 8th grade ELA test.

Here are a few of the presentations teachers made:

7th Grade
http://prezi.com/8zikcdemqgye/edit/?auth_key=k23jmjr&follow=cc6lc_iqofit
http://prezi.com/q43wg4tsxczt/7th-grade-curriculum-night-science/

8th Grade
http://prezi.com/ftuwgc1l9xoo/8th-grade-math/

http://prezi.com/osl5mdlbyzss/8th-grade-science-curriculum-night-2012/?auth_key=a14e3b0d09b115b2920f6675feabb6b90bd38bde

 

 http://prezi.com/hgvy2c4h2ckw/us-history-more-than-just-old-dead-white-men-/

 

Here are some examples of learning taking place this week in the classrooms at Worley:

 

        Mr. Parker's 8th grade social studies classes participated in a similation of the Constitutional Convention. Students played the part of the delegates and the classroom was even arranged like the Pennsylvania State House was in 1787!

 

In Miss Allen's 7th grade science classroom, students studied matter cycles this week. Here's a sample of one of their hands on activities:

Lastly, here's an example of a math student using her desk as a marker board to subtract integers.

 

Top 10 Things to Ask Your Middle School Student During Thanksgiving Break 2012

Is it a struggle to get your middle school student to share information with you? Well, I've got just the thing for you! Here's my Top 10 List of Things To Ask Your Middle School Student during the Thanksgiving break.

Warning: You may want to ask these questions individually - one at a time, not in rapid fire succession. It has been proven that if we ask a middle school student too many questions back to back...they get confused and start saying "Uhh..I don't know."

Top 10 Things to Ask Your Middle School Student During Thanksgiving Break 2012

10. Can you recite the Worley Tiger Pledge for me?

9. Do you remember your locker number and combination?

8. What’s your favorite class? Why do you like that one?

7. Do you need lunch money added to your account in the cafeteria?

6. Did you want to purchase a yearbook? Do you know which teacher to talk to about ordering the yearbook? (Divona Phillips, Yearbook Sponsor)

5. What’s the name of the last book you checked out of the Worley Library? Did you know that you could go into the library each morning at 8:15 am to use the computers or work on homework? (Must see Mrs. Foulk the day before for a hall pass)

4. How were those Common Assessments last week? How do you feel you did? Were there any tough questions that stumped you?

3. Have you tried to log in to Skyward Student Access yet? Show me that you can.

2. Are there any assignments in your binder, in your backpack, under your bed, on the kitchen table, under your XBOX or in your locker that need to be turned in for a grade?

1. Where is your binder? Is it organized and ready to go for Monday?

Good luck with these questions! If your student starts to get confused by all your questions, step away from the student and offer them some food. After an hour, you should be able to ask them another question.

Enjoy the holiday break!