Dear Families in the Middle,

When you come to conferences this evening and next week, you'll want to take a walk down the hallway to the cafeteria. Several of our students in Art are re-painting magnificent wall murals - one for each continent. Here's a sample: 

It was wonderful to see so many parents this evening during conferences. Thank you for your insights, thoughtful questions, and positive feedback! The supper (14 soups, salad, bread, cheese, and tasty treats) was such a generous and appreciated kindness for our staff! Thank you to each family contributing to the marvelous meal!

Overhearing a parent conversation about why they come (or don't come) to conferences, I am compelled to share my perspective regarding the importance and value of parents taking time to visit with educators about their child's learning. Why go to conferences??
* Simply taking time to go to your child's school conveys you care...about him/ her and their learning.
* Including your child in this opportunity increases the value of this conversation. Several teachers provide time for students to reflect on their progress, their strengths and next steps to strengthen their learning experience.
* Few relationships are more critical to your child's joy and success in learning than the teacher-parent partnership; these limited opportunities are critical in fostering that communication.
* On a personal note and from a parent perspective, I remember my children (even through secondary years) hanging on the affirmations - even observations of quirky characteristics - teachers shared with us.

Thank you to the students and parents who took a few moments to introduce (and re-introduce) themselves to me during these important visits. It is a pleasure to match names, faces and interests to people in our learning community!

Enjoy this spring-like weather!
Mrs. Ann Mitchell

Dear Families in the Middle,

Hudson School District students have demonstrated high levels of achievement in our math programs through the years. Several factors contribute to our students' performance: student interest and motivation to use numbers and formulas to solve problems, parent encouragement and example, and teacher and advisor support for extensions and opportunities beyond the classroom. Twelve of our middle-level students participated in a Regional Math Counts competition at DeLong Middle School in Eau Claire in January. A team of four of our students placed 5th at that regional event and three of our students qualified for state level competition in March. Thank you to our Middle School Math Team - Ms. Leudtke, Mrs. Steely, Mr. Halvorson, Mr. Harker, Mr. Chuckle, Mrs. Sorenson, Mr. Majerus, Ms. Mattison, Mr. Dahl, Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Hoveland and Mrs. Engstrom-Yde (Gifted & Talented Resource Teacher) for their work in helping our students enjoy math! Here's a news clip (less than one minute) about the competition held in Eau Claire last month.
Middle Math competition in Eau Claire 

Speaking of Math, once again, we are proud to have hosted the Women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) event at Hudson Middle School. Kudos to Ms. Jodie Bray and her team of students and staff for the set-up, support, and sustained effort to provide many guests with so many interesting phenomenon to see, touch, and share! According to Angela Popenhagen, Stevens Engineers and Hudson community member...
“Continued effort is being made to encourage minorities and women to pursue a career in engineering through...organizations such as American Public Works Association, American Society of Civil Engineers, Institute of Transportation Engineers, and STEM Forward.  From 1979 to 2015, the percentage of women graduating in civil engineering has increased from 9% to over 20% which suggests that the outreach within universities, high schools and professional organization is working. However, about 40% of those engineering graduates never entered the profession after graduation.  So, only about 11% of all engineers are women...this event provides an opportunity for women in those roles to connect with girls...When you’re only part of the 11%, it gets overwhelming to make those positive connections.  We hope that our brief time with these girls will give them the confidence to continue their exposure to all of the possibilities.”

Mrs. Ann Mitchell

Dear Families in the Middle,

This past weekend we took our youngest back to college for her second semester (first year). Libbie is the quietest of our six children and yet, when she isn't at home, our home is eerily quiet! I miss her. I share this with you only because I remember all too well when my oldest was a 7th grader. In the words of two parents this past week (on two separate occasions - and I don't even think they know each other), "sometimes I like my seventh grader."

Depending on the demands on your time and energy and the frequency and intensity of the interactions, while LOVE remains, LOGIC sometimes goes right out the window! Mrs. Bellville, our Middle School Social Worker, shared a link recently for the Love and Logic website. You'll find positive and effective tips and strategies to respond to your ever-changing middle-school learner.

One of my hopes is to highlight a learning experience in each week's blog post. As I walked through the Raider White House, observed Mr. Wickstrom's sixth grade science class, and noted the innovative bird creations, I asked a student to share photos for our blog. Enjoy these sample birds students created and described to show students' understanding the following:

1) All living things compete for resources. How does each wing shape help that individual bird compete for the resources it needs to survive?

2) The shapes of birds' wings (physical characteristics) can tell an observer about HOW they live (hunting and their habitat).

3) In Nature and in Engineering form follows function.  In other words, the shape or physical features of an organism serve a purpose and help the organism survive.

Please consider asking your student about their greatest strength in collaboration and an area for growth. We're practicing those skills in every subject area and know employers rank collaboration high on the list of desired traits in workers. We want Hudson Middle School students to be confident and strong collaborators!
Happy February!
Mrs. Ann Mitchell

Dear Families in the Middle,

The Parent Group meeting was most certainly a highlight of my day Monday. Among the many positive and forward-thinking ideas shared was information about the following opportunity:
"UWRF Offers Engineering Camp for Teens" 

You'll note we've added a Parent Group Update tab to our blog. Please just click on the tab (use the drop down on the top of your mobile device) to learn more about volunteer opportunities, special events, and ways to support our middle-level learning community!

We have drafted a Mission Statement and would appreciate your input.

Hudson Middle School learners challenge, support, and empower each other through purposeful collaboration and critical thinking while becoming informed, active, and caring contributors in the local and global community.

Please use this Google Form link to provide input and help us refine our efforts! 

Sincerely,
Mrs. Ann Mitchell

Dear Families in the Middle,

THANK YOU! Taking time to post a comment, send an e-mail, or make a phone call really helps us know what is helpful and additional steps we might take to continue to improve our "learning in the middle". It's also a wonderful way to affirm students for their learning and work!

Monday was a day of professional learning for our teachers.  Part of the learning included messages from students in response to the question, "What do teachers do that ENGAGES you and makes learning MEANINGFUL?" While we learn something EVERY day from our students, time to learn from each other, reflect on our learning, and apply it to our practice is limited and highly valued. For a sense of that value, here are a few messages from teachers' feedback after a day of learning:
* Making changes in our classroom arrangement, routines, and approach keeps students motivated
* I want to allow students to have more ownership in their learning by allowing them to create a plan.
* I'm excited to move forward with ideas!
* I want to give students something to DO to learn rather than something to learn. 
* I liked hearing about what motivates students: success, curiosity, originality and relationships
* I am pushed to ponder how to foster, develop and model curiosity.
* I have room to grow when applying a variety of learning strategies. There are so many good ones being used by others. 
* Appreciated student perspective of helpful strategies.
* I'm just like my students: engagement and attitude matter.

This morning (Thursday) we welcomed a team from GOOGLE to our learning community. They shared a powerful message "You are What You Share" with students and FIVE Tips to be responsible with our online communication:
1) Think Before you Share
2) Know and Use Your Settings
3) Protect Your Stuff
4) Avoid Scams
5) Be POSITIVE! (My personal favorite!)
For more information, your family might check out: google.com/safetycenter

During our 7th grade Google message, US Representative Sean Duffy introduced himself and reinforced the message of responsible online safety. Google is a powerful educational tool. With great power comes great responsibility. Thank you for partnering with us to help our students be empowered AND responsible learners!

Mrs. Ann Mitchell

Dear Families in the Middle,

We hope you're taking a few minutes to check out our NEW Communication Tool, composed each week by STUDENTS! Please click on the House Communication Tab at the top of the Middle Musings Blog. You'll also find a link to the blog on our Middle School website - top left corner.

Our House Communication Student Leaders (there are 28 of them!) would really appreciate your feedback. Please take time to comment or send us an e-mail to ask questions, offer suggestions, or tell us what you like about the communication. Thank you for taking the time to support student learning in this way!

One of my sisters recently sent me a description she said prompted her to think of me...and most likely many other parents! Someone she knows described parenting children as "Long hours, short years." She commented, "So true and bittersweet!" As I reflected on the description, I thought about how fitting it is for particularly these middle years. Staying up late to listen to them talk about homework or a conflict with a friend, racing from work to the rink, dance studio, gym, or piano teacher for activities, keeping them in shoes and clothes that fit, glasses and braces, taking them to the doctor for a broken bone or stitches, finding time for a meal with the family, helping a neighbor, visiting grandparents...and then suddenly, you realize the house is quiet.

As challenging and difficult as these long hours may be, we know the years pass quickly. We are enjoying being a part of your son's and daughter's lives during these "long hours" and "short years." While they try on variations of identity and explore their limits, their humor, insight and energy inspire us.

Warmly,
Mrs. Ann Mitchell

Dear Families in the Middle,

Happy New Year! It's a lovely winter scene outside my office window as I watch a large group of seventh graders on cross country skis on a snow-covered football field. We hope 2016 is filled with memorable joys and challenges you and your family find inspiring and uplifting. Speaking of joys, challenges, inspiration, and uplifting...

We are excited to share with you a NEW Communication Tool inspired by feedback on the Parent Communication Survey (October) and developed and improved by our STUDENTS! Simply click on the House Communication Tab above and you'll find a list of links - one for each House. When you click on a House Link, you'll see (from a student perspective) important reminders and highlights. Especially significant is the ASK ME...section in each teacher/course area. Here you'll find a question we suggest you ask your student. You'll even find links to an occasional sample of student learning, work, and creations! We hope this tool will inspire you and your middle-level learner to have conversations - in the car, over the supper table, or while waiting for the bus in the morning.

KUDOS to our Student Leaders behind this House Communication (and to their teachers who recommended them for this role) and to Mrs. Dressel, our Technology Integration Coach, for working with this team of students (9 at each grade level) to develop and refine a template. While I have an immense amount of faith in what our learners are able to create, their work has surpassed even my expectations! Their questions, thinking, and suggestions left Mrs. Dressel and me thrilled about the possibilities in the future! Please bear with us as our student-authors introduce and refine this communication tool. We know about and are working on a few corrections, edits, additions, etc. We look forward to your feedback and suggestions for making this tool even more meaningful and inspiring.

Warmly,

Mrs. Ann Mitchell

Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass;

It's about learning to dance in the rain.