November Principal's Update

a few words from Mrs. Mannion

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At Miscoe, we believe an education wherein academics and social-emotional learning are intertwined allows students to develop the knowledge and skills needed to thrive. The Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning, or CASEL, defines social and emotional learning (SEL) as an integral part of education and human development. SEL is the process through which all young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop healthy identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions. https://casel.org/what-is-sel/
The pandemic has stressed the importance of this for all. Balancing work and play is always an important part of the middle school model. It is also an important component of self care. Joining in the fun of dressing up and experiencing the delight in walking the building and observing the many staff and students in costume last month felt medicinal. As the popular children's song states, "The more we play together, together, together, The more we play together, the happier we'll be." We will continue to identify ways to engage students in fun, celebration and play as we navigate our way through educating students during a pandemic.

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A few of the happenings at Miscoe:

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Parent-Teacher conferences: The conferences schedule for this month have been postponed. The dates are to be determined and will be shared as soon as they are available. 

Subsequently, the November days originally scheduled for conferences, November 9 and 10, will now be FULL SCHOOL DAYS rather than half days.

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Schedule changes:

• Due to election day on 11/3, students will not have school and teachers will have a professional development day. We will follow Tuesday's schedule on Wednesday, 11/4, which will be a FULL day in school for students in Cohort 1 and an asynchronous day for students in cohort 2.
• In honor of our veterans, there will be no school Wednesday, November 11. All school days will be full that week.
• Thanksgiving week, cohort 1 students will attend Monday and follow the Monday schedule. Cohort 2 students will attend Tuesday and will follow the Thursday schedule.

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Term one reporting:

• Term 1 ends 11/17/20.
  
• Please make sure your child has completed and submitted all assignments.
• Parents will be notified when term 1 grades are posted in Powerschool on Wednesday, 11/25/20.

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Thank you to our Wellness teacher, Mrs. Higgins, for engaging our students in this important topic and creative messaging!

​Congratulations to the following students, whose designs will be printed up and mailed to their class:

• Lylah B. from South Elementary School in Plymouth, MA
• Elizabeth S. from Peabody School in Cambridge, MA
• Madalin B. from Miscoe Hill Middle School in Mendon, MA
• Colin M. from South Elementary School in Plymouth, MA
• Colin T. from Fisher Elementary School in Walpole, MA
• Julia M. from Mt. Alvernia Academy in Chestnut Hill, MA
• Anya M. from Miscoe Hill Middle School in Mendon, MA
• Michaela H. from St. Joseph School in Needham, MA
• Elena G. from East Boston Central Catholic School
• Kayla H. from Angelo School in Brockton, MA
• Carmel P. from Brookview Above & Beyond After School Program

Click here to - Check out their designs on the Facebook page! 

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A way for students to have fun learning outside of school:

​From Boston College:
BC Splash is a 1-day event held at Boston College each semester where students in grades 7-12 can take fun, interesting, and engaging classes that are taught and designed by our undergraduates! 
In response to COVID-19, our event will be virtual this semester, but we have put together a great day and fantastic lineup of classes over zoom for the students. They can take classes such as The Economics of Friendship, The Physics of Airplanes, The Power of Positive Affirmations, and many others! 
BC Splash will be held virtually on Sunday, November 8th from 10am - 3:15pm. 
Students can register at our website, bcsplash.learningu.org
Registration closes on Friday, November 6th at 11:59pm.

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​a few ways to stay involved at miscoe:

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• Check Powerschool every couple of weeks to assess your child's progress.
• Share concerns, questions and compliments directly with teachers, as each is important to our learning in regard to educating students during a pandemic.
• Be sure to communicate with our office staff if your child is going to be absent, tardy or dismissed on in person or asynchronous days or if in stand alone remote.
• Consider joining our PTO. We will share meeting dates as they become available.
• Attend our next Coffee With the Admin:
  • ​For parents of students in the Stand Alone Remote model: 11/6 between 7:30 and 8:10. We will email the Zoom link to families prior to the meeting.
  • For parents of students in the hybrid model: 11/10 between 7:30 and 8:10. We will email the Zoom link to families prior to the meeting.