Mr Wilhelm's "End of Year" Letter

 

April 28, 2020

 

Dear Utica Middle School Families,

 

I wanted to provide everyone with a visual of what the final 4 weeks of school will look like for Utica Middle School. Within this letter, you will see information about the grading and the ongoing process of providing instruction for the students by the teachers, yearbook pick up, locker clean out, and material return. Please pay careful attention to each piece of this information. There will be a lot of information and may look overwhelming at first. As always if you have any questions about any part please call the middle school office and we will be glad to answer those questions and help guide you to a safe landing at the end of this crazy ride of a school year.

 

A quick note concerning 4^th quarter grades. You may have noticed on Progress Book that there was a new item labeled 3^rd quarter grade added recently. This grade was added as a buffer to help the students that maybe struggling with this current situation. In no way should this grade harm the student, if it does, then the teacher is permitted to exclude that grade from the overall grade. Also, as long as the student shows effort toward trying to be successful in the class, then the 3^rd quarter grade is the lowest grade that student can earn for the 4^th quarter. We as a middle school teaching staff are trying to find any way possible to help these students be successful during this unusual circumstance. We just need to see some effort from the student.

 

We will continue to provide new material for students to work on through May 15^th. After May 15^th, students will be able to use the remainder of the school year to finish up any assignments that have not been completed. After May 15^th, once all assignments have been turned in to all classes, then the school year has been completed for the student. Here is a breakdown of each week moving forward for those students working online:

1.       Week of May 4^th: New material from all classes

2.       Week of May 11^th: New material from ELA, Math, Science, and Social Studies only; Specials will be wrapping up assignments and projects assigned previously

3.       Week of May 18^th: No new material; work on catching up on missing assignments and projects

4.       Week of May 26^th: Last week of school; turn in last of the missing assignments

For those students working on paper packets, here is a breakdown of the remaining weeks:

1.       May 6^th from 8am – 8pm: Packets with new material from all classes picked up and completed work dropped off

2.       May 13^th from 8am – 8pm: Packets with new material from only ELA, Math, Science and Social Studies picked up and completed work for any class dropped off

3.       May 20^th from 8am – 8pm: No new packets to pick up; drop off completed work

4.       May 27^th from 8am – 8pm: Last day to turn in completed work

 

More information on the back à

IPad return will happen based on the following schedule. The return process will occur at the high school gym lobby just like the pickup process. Please remember to bring back all parts of the iPad including the device, charger, and block.

1.       8^th graders can return their borrowed iPads on May 22^nd from 9am – 4pm

2.       7^th graders can return their borrowed iPads on May 26^th from 9am – 4pm

3.       6^th graders can return their borrowed iPads on May 27^th from 9am – 4pm

4.       Alternative dates by appointment only if you cannot make the other dates: May 28^th and May 29^th.

 

Here is the plan for locker clean out. Students will enter the middle school at the doors by the middle school gym on Church Street. They may come in either by themselves or with one adult. We will only allow 5 students per grade level at a time. They will check in with a staff member to get their name marked off. Students will go straight to their locker and clean it out. Tables for any school materials will be available in the hallways as will trash cans if necessary. Once your locker is empty, please exit the middle school at the doors by the choir room. The Lost and Found rack will be at the exit for one last look to see if any of your items are there to take with you. A staff member will also be there to mark your name off so we can let the next student in. Locker clean out will occur on the following dates with the specified times provided for each date. You can choose whichever date and time works best for you.

1.       May 13^th, May 20^th, and May 27^th 8am – 8pm (packet pickup and drop off days)

2.       May 11^th, May 12^th, May 14^th, May 18^th, May 19^th, May 21^st, May 22^nd, and May 26^th  9am – 4pm

 

During locker clean outs, students can also pickup their yearbooks. The yearbooks will be with the staff member when the students check in at the Church Street doors. Also, if students have any school materials that need to be returned, they can return them during packet pickup and drop off days or during locker clean out days.

 

Here is an abbreviated calendar to possibly help organize all of the dates from above.

Abbreviations to help you:

            Packet Pickup & Drop off – PPD           Packet Drop off Only - PDO     Locker Cleanout – LC

 

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
5/4	5/5	5/6 PPD  8am – 8pm	5/7	5/8
5/11 LC 9am – 4pm	5/12 LC 9am – 4pm	5/13 PPD & LC 8am – 8pm	5/14 LC 9am – 4pm	5/15
5/18 LC 9am – 4pm	5/19 LC 9am – 4pm	5/20 PDO & LC 8am – 8pm	5/21 LC 9am – 4pm	5/22 LC & 8th Gr. iPad Return 9am – 4pm
5/25 Memorial Day	5/26 LC & 7th Gr. iPad Return 9am – 4pm	5/27 LC & 6th Gr. iPad Return 9am – 4pm	5/28 iPad Return Call for Appointment	5/29 iPad Return Call for Appointment

 

I know this was a lot of information, but I figured it would be easier to put it on paper instead of over the phone. Now you can refer to it whenever necessary. Also, if you need any help with the school assignments or have any questions, please reach out to your teachers or myself. As I mentioned earlier, we are here to help you finish this crazy year. Thank you for your flexibility and understanding during this time of constant change.

 

Sincerely,

 

 

Shawn Wilhelm