Dear SCMS Parents and Stakeholders:

 

     Our staff is appreciative of the support that you have given during the 2011-2012 school year.  We are excited about making AYP (Adequate Yearly Progress) for the sixth consecutive year. Our staff has committed to spending extra time with our students in tutoring sessions before and after school.  This would not be possible without parents giving assurances that students will be present for tutorials.  The partnership between parents and teachers is vital to the success of our students at Social Circle Middle School.  Making AYP is a result of teachers, students, parents, administrators, and stakeholders working as a cohesive unit.  On the CRCT 94% of our students met/exceeded standards in Language Arts/Reading and 84% of our students met/exceeded the standard in math.  In the 8^th grade writing test 91% of 8^th graders met the writing standard.

 

     We have also enhanced instruction at Social Circle Middle School by incorporating technology in the lessons presented to our students. Social Circle Middle School was awarded two grants {Literacy and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math)} that have been instrumental in helping our teachers create lessons that are robust in the use of technology. Students use technology to enhance learning opportunities. Our teachers serve as facilitators as they guide students through projects such as digital storytelling, science experiments, Power Point presentations, and the use of the automated response system commonly known as the “clickers”. The Literacy and STEM grants have given our staff opportunities to take part in professional training that is designed to give teachers the confidence to present new and exciting learning opportunities for the students at Social Circle Middle School.

 

     After reviewing our data from the CRCT we realized that our focus for improvement  will continue to be mathematics. We have implemented a morning math session that we call Holey Math. The session takes place between 7:55- 8:05 A.M. each morning. Students are given problems in the areas of subtraction, multiplication, division, and addition. They must complete 100% of the problems in one minute in order to reach profiency. When students have mastered a session, they have their pictures taken and posted on the bulletin board as part of the Holey Math recognition. The morning math session is designed to improve the foundational math skills of our students.  Students achieving  100% proficiency celebrated by taking part in a “Holey Guacamole Math “ party prior to Thanksgiving Break. Our staff and students have bought into the morning math sessions.   We are confident the additional focus on math will lead to greater academic achievement.

 

     We are striving to become a premier school in a premier school system. To that end our vision is as follows, “Social Circle City Schools will be a premier school system; providing a world- class education so that all students acquire the knowledge, skills, and values necessary to lead productive lives in a changing world.”  We are confident that with the support of parents and stake holders we can continue to create a learning environment that is conducive to providing a world- class education for all students.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

Theodoris Gibbs