Palos South Middle School

It is hard to believe that the summer is starting to wind down, and the start of school is just around the corner. I hope that all families have had a restful and fun summer vacation! We have been very busy in the South office preparing schedules for students and planning for the upcoming school year. It is with mixed emotions that I announce that assistant principal, Ms. Zeder, has left the district to become a principal in a K-2 building in a neighboring district. We appreciate all the hard work and energy Ms. Zeder gave to our students and staff, and we wish her nothing but the best of luck in her new endeavor. After an extensive search that included over 100 applicants, I am excited to introduce Ms. Amy Christie who will be the new assistant principal at Palos South. In district 118, we are committed to hiring the best available individuals to help us support our goals. We remain dedicated to providing as many opportunities as possible to meet the ever changing academic, social, and emotional needs of our students.

As many of you might know from previous newsletters, we have made significant upgrades in our elective course offerings for the coming year. With the support of Superintendent Dr. Dubec, the District 118 School Board, and the Palos District 118 Foundation, we are pleased to be able to offer a state of the art Applied Technology laboratory class to our students for the 2008-2009 school year. The class is investigative in nature as the students work through different modules that give them a feel for some jobs that they may elect as a career in the 21^st Century. Each module contains components of Illinois state mathematics, science, and Language Arts standards. Current 6^th graders will get to experience most of the 15 modules by the time they leave Palos South. Some of the topics include: forensics, video production, alternative energy, and rocketry. The plan is for 6^th graders to take the class for 9 weeks and 7^th graders for 6 weeks. 8^th graders may elect to take Applied Technology for 12 weeks as part of an elective wheel including music, and art, instead of taking Spanish. In addition, we have made changes to the schedule so that students taking band will receive more time with Mr. Hansen during the school day then we have been able to offer in the past.

In our continued efforts to ensure that all students are reaching their potential, we piloted a South Student Assistance Plan (SSAP) team last spring as a staff. This team is made up of grade level teacher representatives, the school psychologist, social worker, and other support staff to look closely at students that may be struggling academically. The group meets to analyze data on children and develop ways to help individual students show growth. We have created a pyramid of interventions to make sure every child at South is supported at the individual level. Parental communication is a must for the program to succeed. The pilot was very successful and we plan to continue to provide this program to support targeted students this year. As an outgrowth of the program, certain students were identified by test scores and/or parent and teacher recommendation for a new class that we are offering entitled Study Skills. This class will replace one of the students’ electives. It is being taught by a Reading Specialist who will work with students to improve organizational, note taking, and research skills so that they are more successful in all classes. Parents of students who were recommended for the program have been notified.

As we all know, middle school is about so much more than just the academic curriculum. We continue to offer new extra-curricular clubs and sports. This past year we added cribbage club, Model UN, and a community service club called Club Action to our already extensive list of extracurricular offerings. During the school day, we will continue to promote students who are “doing the right thing” by using the state supported Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) program to promote positive behavior and making smart decisions. A kick-off assembly will be held for each grade the first week of school to explain all the individual and school wide incentives that are going to be offered this year as part of the program. We are so lucky to have such great kids at South, and we would like to reward them when they are following the character traits of Respect, Responsibility, and Trustworthiness. Middle school students need boundaries and the chance to reflect and understand when they have made poor choices. The program allows us to help support parents goals of raising responsible young adults.

Please be advised of a few upcoming dates to put on your calendars:

· August 14 - Supply Pick-Up day at South, 11:00 am – 2:00 pm, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm

· August 20 – First day of student attendance, 8:30 am – 10:30 am

· August 20 – Back to school picnic , 5:00 pm – 7:30 pm at Village Green

· August 28 – Picture day for all students

· September 1 – Labor Day, No school

· September 4 – Curriculum Night at South, 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

I hope that your sons/daughters are as excited about the upcoming school year as we are at South! My wife and I are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our 3^rd child around the first day of school, so if I look a bit tired to start the year, I hope everyone understands. Enjoy the rest of your summer and certainly, call 708-448-5971 or email any questions or concerns cbingen@palos118.org.

Sincerely,

Chris Bingen
Principal