Freedom Middle School Newsletter

January 2014

Volume 1

Issue 1

Freedom Middle School

Engaging With Our Parents Cooperation between schools and parents has shown to be of vital importance for student success. At Freedom Middle School, we have several programs to help establish a partnership between parents and educators. Some of these programs are listed below with many more to come:

WW Parent Center: The parent center and its services are tailored to meet

the individual needs of each family. The center is open during the school day and additional usage is available upon request.

WW Title One Educational Workshops:

These workshops present the current and successful strategies for improving student achievement to parents. Some of the topics will include: Building Healthy Self-Esteem; Homework Strategies; Successful Parenting for Student Success Workshop; Math/Science Workshop; Test-Taking Strategies and Homework Help Workshop; English/Social Studies Workshop; CRCT Workshop and Goal Setting Breakfast Workshop. Our next Goal Setting Breakfast Workshop, is scheduled for Tuesday, February 28, 2014 at 7:30 a.m.

WW Tea with Parents: Parents and experts meet for monthly tea gatherings

Inside this Issue ØØ Engaging with our Parents....... 1 ØØ Principal’s Message............... 2 ØØ Counselor’s Corner................ 2 ØØ “Four Freedoms” of Excellence Awards.............................. 3 ØØ Parent Visitation Policy.......... 4 ØØ School Clubs....................... 5

to discuss strategies for addressing the current issues the face. Please join us for our next gathering scheduled for Tuesday, February 25, 2014 at 5:00 p.m. Mina Veazie, Net-Q District Coordinator at Georgia State University will be our guest facilitator. For more information please contact Mrs. Guillory at (678) 874-8702.

WW Parent Resource Center Community:

This group is comprised of Community Service representatives, religious leaders, parents, and students. They meet four times a year and work together to plan and establish ways to increase support services for parents and their children.

WW Parent Center Advisory Board (PCAB): Your opinions matter to us!

Becoming a member of the PCAB provides parents with an inside view and a more direct method for engaging with the Parent Resource Center and its activities. Please contact us if you are interested in becoming a member!

WW Computer Use for Parents:

The Parent Resource Center provide internet-accessible computers that parents may use. Please contact Mrs. Guillory for our next computer class, “Computer Basic” that will be held on Thursday, January 30, 2015 at 5:00 p.m.

ØØ Socratic Seminar.................. 6 ØØ “A Message to the Village”...... 6

“Yes...We do it with PRIDE! 505 South Hairston Road • Stone Mountain, Georgia 30088 • P 678-874-8702 • F 678-874-8710

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Administration Mr. Corey D. Davidson Principal 678-874-8702

Mr. Quinton Ward

Assistant Principal of Instruction 678-874-8722

Mrs. Emily B. Thomas Assistant Principal 6th/7th Grades 678-874-8721

Mr. Steve Pope

Assistant Principal 7th/8th Grades 678-874-8720

s ’ l a p i c n i Pr Message

The administrators, faculty, and staff members at Freedom Middle School are excited about building positive relationships that will impact the educational success of your child. We welcome our new and returning scholars back to the place where, “Student Success is Our Priority.” Our defining mark for the 2013-2014 school year will be how we support one another inside our school and outside in our community. Our success depends on the ability as faculty, students, and community to support each other toward achieving our goals.

We would like to thank all of our students, parents, staff, and stakeholders for supporting our school as Freedom Middle School works to “Improve Student Performance through Parental Engagement.”

Each school year offers us many opportunities to provide quality experiences for every student. This year we will continue the implementation of the Common Core Georgia Performance Standards that will certainly challenge your child more than ever, and your support will be greatly needed to ensure his or her academic success. My goal is to provide leadership that will facilitate a school environment which will continue to provide data-driven, differentiated instruction to meet the needs of each student to the best of our ability. The educational program must continue to be academically challenging, be engaging to each student by linking the curriculum to previous knowledge and experience, and also be exciting to promote further exploration of new ideas and optimal success for our students.

We need your CONTINUED support to make sure that “Freedom P.R.I.D.E.” is maintained and elevated!

Through a close and collegial partnership with everyone associated with Freedom Middle School, I am confident that we can continue to make our school an even better place for our students to learn and grow. Again, I look forward to meeting and working with each of you.

Professionally,

s ’ r o l e s n u o C Corner The

Corey Davidson, Ed. S. Principal

The school year seems to be going by at lightning speed; however it’s never to share tips for helping children have a successful year. With that being said, here are two tips which cannot only help in the school house, but also later in the world of work (one goal of education is to help students become life-long learners).

Arriving to school and class on time. You may be surprised to know that students who arrive to school five minutes late… think, “It’s only five minutes! What is the big deal?” Sometimes it takes the small teachable moments to expound upon the importance in arriving on time or even before time. It can be disruptive when students arrive after the school day or class has begun. I often use these occasions to help students see the connection between habits they are setting now with life as a working adult.

Goal setting after each progress report. Goal setting help students realize they are in control of their learning. Setting and reaching the smallest of goals is empowering. Goal setting should also include a plan of action.

So as you work with your child to set goals, also help them to develop the actions steps needed to accomplish the goal.

Again this is a skill which can help your child throughout their life time.

Page Leadership, Business 3 & Community Advisory “Four Freedoms” Of Excellence Awards The Four Freedoms were goals articulated by US President Franklin d.

Roosevelt on January 6, 1941. In an address known as the Four Freedoms speech (technically the 1941 State of the Union address), we honored our great leaders at Freedom Middle School, on November 19, 2013 at 12:30 p.m. for our Leadership, Business & Community Advisory Luncheon. The Four Freedoms of Excellence Award was presented to the following outstanding partners:

ØØ Agnes Scott College – Dr. Elizabeth Kiss, President; Dr. Kijua SandersMcMurtry, Associated Dean of Students.

ØØ Clark Atlanta University – Dr. Carlton E. Brown, President; Dr. James C. Young, Dept. Chair of Curriculum & Instruction; Dr. Felicia Mayfield, Director of Field Services for Educational Leadership

ØØ Domino’s Pizza – Mr. Matt ØØ El Torreo Mexican Restaurant – Mr. Juan ØØ Evergreen Marriott at Stone Mountain Park – Mr. Andrew Traub, Executive Chef

ØØ Georgia State University – Dr. Mark Becker, President, Dr. Gwendolyn Benson, Associate Dean College of Education, Dr. Susan L. Ogletree, Director Educational Research College of Education; Ms. Mina Veazie, NET-Q- District Coordinator

ØØ ØØ ØØ ØØ ØØ ØØ ØØ ØØ

Hardees – Ms. Bernice Home Depot – Ms. Lakeisha Ingles – Mr. Andrew Twoyo Kroger – Mr. Chris Green, Manager ~ Little Ceasars – Ms. Gianna Longhorn Steakhouse – Ms. Theresa Miller, Manager Marshall’s – Mr. Mathew Olive Garden – Mr. Mark Hardman, General Manager Mr. Greg Balogh, General Manager

ØØ Outback Steakhouse - Nici Dunaway, Manager ØØ Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen – Mr. Todd Stanley, General Manager Ms. Christy Lee, Manager

ØØ ØØ ØØ ØØ

Pizza Hut – Mr. Ron Popeye’s – Ms. Suzette Johnson Kentucky Fried Chicken, Mr. Anthony Green Refugee Family Services – Ms. Micheline, Salama, School Liaison;

Ms. Netra Dhakal, Family School Liaison Mr. Joshua William, Family School Liaison

ØØ Sam’s Club – Mrs. C. King ØØ Stone Mountain Park – Mr. Bill Stephens, CEO; Mr. Gerald Rakestraw, General Manager & Vice President

ØØ Target – Ms. Chelsey Scott ØØ Zaxby’s – Ms Kim Comb

Freedom Middle School

Family Night at POPEYES CHICKEN 4815 Redan Road Stone Mountain Please join us at Popeyes from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. on Redan Road.

10% of the proceeds will go to Freedom MiddleSchool.

January 21 February 18 March 18

4 Student Success is our Priority

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“Professionalism, Respect, Instructional Focus, Diversity, and Educational Excellence”

Parent Classroom Observation/ Visitation Policy

Upcoming Events January 11

Fernbank Science Center – 21st Century Fieldtrip 8:30-3:00pm

January 14

Parents are encouraged to visit their child’s class(es) with the following guidelines being observed.

Please remember that instruction is our priority.

Upon arrival at the school, parents will check in at the security desk and receive a visitor’s badge. They may be asked to show identification. Parents will share their reason for the visit. If going to the counselor’s office parents will be directed to that location. If parents are visiting for a conference or an observation they will be escorted to the location.

In some cases an administrator may choose to observe along with the parent.

The parent may only enter the class at the beginning of a class (first 10 minutes) or the end (last 10 minutes).

The parent is to sit where the teacher directs him/her and remain silent

throughout the observation and may not communicate with any student (even theirs) while in the classroom.

Since the teacher has the responsibility of all students, the parent cannot discuss his/her child or the observation immediately before or after the observation. A phone or personal conference date can be requested on the post-observation conference form (available at the security desk or the counseling center).

Parents cannot observe in classrooms during any test. At the conclusion of the observation you will be asked to fill out a Post-Conference/Observation Form. The form should be filled out and left at the security desk. For further information, you may obtain a copy of the “Visitation Policy” at the security desk or contact an administrator.

Socratic Seminar Begins

January 15

Picture Retakes

January 16

Book Club Meeting 4:20-5:30 p.m.

January 22

8th Grade Writing Test

January 23

“Freedom’s Got Talent!”

6:00-8:00pm

January 24

ACCESS Testing Begins

January 25

Reading Bowl Tucker Middle School

January 27 & 28

“Biz Town” 6th Grade Field Trip

February 17

President’s Day School Closed

Student Success is Our Priority!

The 2013-2014 school year is off to a great start. We are offering several safety net classes/programs to ensure that all of our students experience academic success while enrolled at Freedom Middle School. We offer a nine week writing class, several reading classes, a math tools class, a Socratic seminar after school tutorial program, and one five man team on each grade level. All of our safety net classes are designed to target specific academic deficiencies that students may have in order to prepare them for the upcoming Criterion Referenced Test scheduled for April 15-23, 2014.

It is our goal to work collaboratively with you to guarantee that your child(ren) reaches his/her/their full potential. You can assist us by attending parent/teacher conferences, monitoring each 4 ½ week progress report card, and monitoring your child’s progress weekly by registering for an account in parent portal. Parent Portal is a website that allows parents to see each of the assignments given to students and the grade that they earned on each of those assignments. We thank you in advance for your continual support and please know that, “Student success is our priority and we do it with P.R.I.D.E.”

...and We Do it with P.R.I.D.E.

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Reading Bowl Ten students from grades six through eight are preparing for the Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl. This is an annual reading competition held in Dekalb County.

On Saturday, January 25, 2014, students will compete with other middle school students throughout the county.

This competition will be held at Tucker Middle School from 8:30-12:30 p.m.

Students are busy reading the twenty books on the Georgia Book Awards list.

They are preparing questions and reviewing questions from the question pool.

Winners will prepare for the regional and state competitions.

The reading bowl helps to develop an appreciation for literature, enhances verbal communication skills, and promotes team cooperation.

Freedom Middle School is the only school in Dekalb County that offers a Sign Language Club

Gifted Hands, Sign Language Club Gifted Hands, Sign Language Club has been going strong since the first day we started meeting this year. The club has been a HUGE success! Currently, there are 100 students who participate in the program this year. All the students are eager to learn, and enjoy being able to learn a new language.

So far this year the students have learned the alphabet. They have also learned to introduce themselves to a deaf person. Currently, they are learning their numbers and selected vocabulary words.

Freedom Middle School is the only school in Dekalb County that offers a Sign Language Club! The club was started last year by Mrs. Reha-Wilson, a Sign Language Interpreter at Freedom Middle.

Reading Rams Book Club

Student Government Association

Reading Rams Book Club is comprised of 63 students who come together and discuss the book club selection.

Our first meeting for “Tears of a Tiger,” by Sharon Draper was a huge success! Students wrote poems based on poems created by characters from the novel, and they voted on the best two.

Congratulations goes out to Nazarette’ Delacruz and Kameron Banks who were saluted by their peers for their submission.

The second book club selection will be “Forged

by Fire,” the second install-ment in the Hazlewood High Series, also by Sharon Draper. Books are available for checkout from Ms. Taylor in the media center. The second Book Club meeting is scheduled for Thursday, January 16, 2014 in the media center from 4:20-5:30 p.m. Students must have a Reading Ram Pass in order to attend.

The Freedom Middle School Student Government Association is very excited about the second half of the 2013-2014 school year!! SGA has several events tentatively scheduled for second semester such as: • Freedom’s Got Talent!!!

Thursday, January 23, 2014 6:00-8:00 p.m.

• Celebrations Poetry Café TBA • Fundraising & Community Service Projects TBA

Freedom Family Network

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6th Graders Will Visit “Biz Town” Six graders will soon spend two days at “Biz Town” in the World Trade Center on January 27-28th, 2014. Our six graders first had to be trained by their teachers on what it takes to run a business and manage their money.

They learned how people (like them) and businesses (like the ones they will learn to manage) form a community. “Biz Town” is a community where people live, work, trade, and share.

Students are assigned a job in one of the businesses while learning how to become a valuable member of a business team and community. They also learn how to write a check, make deposits, and maintain a check register just like adults do in the real world.

A Message to the Village Thank you so much for all that you have done and continue to do for the children of Freedom Middle School. So many great things are going on at Freedom Middle School.

The success of our wonderful school is the result of the hard work and dedication of all members of our family. The old African proverb says it takes an entire village to raise One child. The local business and community continue to support Freedom Middle school with significant contributions. Agnes Scott College, Clark Atlanta University and Georgia State University continue to provide assistance as major partners for our wonderful school. Outstanding world leaders in the field of research and education like Dr. Joy DeGruy and Dr. Romeo Stockett continue to provide parenting workshops and training.

Our amazing parents continue to come anytime they are called to volunteer for always go above and beyond in every way.

We have unity, support, excellence, dedication and outstanding leadership. In our village we have everything we need to insure the continued growth and success of our students.

We know that the best is yet to come. Thank you for your dedication and excellence.

Philandrea Guillory, M.Ed. Parent Support Liaison

Socratic Seminar

The Socratic Seminar is an after-school tutorial program designed to assist students needing additional support in the content areas of Mathematics, Reading, ELA, Social Studies, and Science.

The program is scheduled Monday through Thursday from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. The program begins Tuesday, January 14, and ends on March 28, 2014. Transportation is provided for students participating in this program.

Forms are due to Mrs. Patricia Smith by Friday, December 13, 2013. Please contact Mrs. Smith in the 8th grade Assistant Principal’s Office at 678-874-8720 for more information.

Georgia State Homework Help Mina Veazie, Net-Q District Coordinator

New Faculty Members Mrs. Tammy Grimes – Social Studies Coach

Mrs. Grimes is entering into her 18th year as an educator. She has only worked at Salem Middle School.

While at Salem, she has taught Social Studies and ELA. Mrs. Grimes has been married for 24 years to Reggie Grimes. They have three wonderful children together who are ages twenty, sixteen, and thirteen. Mrs. Grimes has a superb philosophy of education: “Failure is not an option. A teacher can find success somewhere in the classroom while working with students.”

Dr. Sabrina McCombs – Science Coach

Sabrina McCombs has instructed students in elementary and middle school for 17 years. She has had the privilege of working in Dekalb County School System at Snapfinger Elementary School for four years and Columbia Middle School for twelve years. As a teacher, she was given the opportunity to work with students in the areas of Science and Social Studies.

She has one son named Marcus who is eleven years old.

Dr. McCombs is a firm believer that “Experience is the best teacher.”

Mr. Jonathan Harper – Math Tools Teacher

Jonathan Harper is a first year teacher. He recently graduated from Georgia State University.

Mr. Harper is very elated about teaching students in the area of math. He believes that “We should be the change we want to see” which he tries to instill in his students daily.

Mr. Jarel Smith – 8th Grade Math Teacher

Jarel Smith is an educator with a diverse background. He has taught in both K-12 and at the collegiate level. Mr. Smith educated students in Dekalb County School System for four years at Cross Keys High School. He also instructed students in Fulton County Schools for three years at Riverview Middle School.

Mr. Smith’s view point is the students, “Learn math by doing math.”