Dear Families in the Middle,

This week, I shared a brief article with our Hudson Middle School staff called Milestones of Caring. There were several insights I gained from reading what the authors had to say about the importance of developing a strong "ethos" of caring in these middle years.

* A successful middle level education depends on building successful, empathetic relationships among ALL members of the learning community.
* A focus on CARING helps us transform indifference, ignorance, and disdain into curiosity, interconnectedness, and conceptual understanding.
* The impact of CARING is powerful enough to turn mere superficial platitudes into ambitious action and genuine concern for multiple perspectives.
* An "expansion of caring" is critical during unstable, emergent and ever-shifting developmental stages and begins with "bold and ambitious questions," and does not come in predictable, organized or even intentional bursts, but often arrives with serendipitous and chaotic surprise in our lives.
* A sense of caring disrupts our certainty and our complacency and grows from "intentional reflection" on an experience, an observation, an event, an interchange, or an idea.

The authors suggest we adults contemplate how we became caring people. What memories evoke recollections of caring for us? As parents and educators, we take on many roles - trailblazers, advocates, teammates, questioners, visionaries, guides, and inspirers. "Critical" and courageous conversations in these roles, where we listen to others, process and consider ideas different from our own, and acknowledge our biases and assumptions help us and the children with whom we work develop the strong sense of CARE critical to our HMS Mission:

HMS Learners understand, challenge and support each other to be caring, capable and creative contributors.

Special thanks to our parent chaperones for our sixth grade MN Zoo trips this past week. While visiting the bear exhibit with students, one of the chaperones shared a MN Zoo volunteer asked that she relay back to our Hudson Middle School learning community what a GREAT group of kids we have! She said staff and volunteers noticed how respectful and kind they were during their visit to the zoo. Thank you to our students, staff and families for leaving such a positive impression!

With a grateful heart,

Mrs. Ann Mitchell

Dear Families in the Middle,

Thankful for students and staff who take risks, lead by example, and look for opportunities! Read on for HMS examples...

We honored 18 students - six from each grade - for leading others in the Habit of Mind: Questioning and Posing Problems! This is one of my favorite Habits of Mind because I believe authentic curiosity opens minds AND hearts to new ways of thinking, alternate perspectives, and a revised view of the world. In my experience, people who are unafraid to ask questions and pose challenges are also ready to seek new learning and change in life. If we're going to solve problems in our world, these folks are the ones who will help us get started! Kudos to these students for showing the rest of us how to question thoughtfully and pose problems to help us clarify, explore, and make sense of life!

Thank you to our Parents - You're going to want to join our November 21 Parent Group Network Meeting Monday evening at 6:30 P.M. Seventh grade teachers, Mrs. Swanson and Ms. Rolstad and a few seventh grade students will share a couple of innovative and engaging teaching and learning ideas in action at HMS! A status report of our fall fundraiser will also be shared.

Thankful for our Veterans - for their generous gift of time, service and skill to safeguard our freedom. Special thanks to 38 veterans who took time last Friday to visit with our students and respond to interview questions about their experience in the military. We were honored by your presence among us!

Thank you to our Construction Crew: The space between our offices and the gymnasium looks much larger now that work has begun to remove the storm drain and prepare for footings and foundations. Students have also been busy imagining and researching ideas for furnishing the new and existing spaces in ways supportive of collaboration and personal learning needs. Here are a couple of examples from Ms. Mueller's Health Class, after hearing an article, "Sitting is the new Smoking!" Student Ideas: Evgenia Roth, Gabriel Stolz

Dear Families in the Middle,

Here in the middle, we recognize the communication dynamic between parent and child changes a bit. Between the extremes of NOT talking and talking all the time is that wonderful place of meaningful conversation between parent and child. I recently read an article with fabulous suggestions for questions and reminders for those conversations we long to have with our child. Here are a few questions the author suggests to replace "How was school today?"

1. Tell me about a moment today when you felt excited about what you were learning.
2. Think about what you learned and did in school today. What’s something you’d like to know more about? What’s a question you have that came from your learning today?
3. Tell me about a moment when you felt care and respect from a classmate or teacher. 
4. Tell me about an enjoyable conversation you had with someone. 
5. What was challenging about your day?
6. What do you appreciate about your day?
7. What did you learn about yourself today?
8. What are you looking forward to tomorrow?
9. What question do you wish I’d ask you about your day?

Tips for Asking Questions

According to the author of the article, "how and when we ask these questions makes a big difference in the information we receive from our kids. First, you don’t want to ask all of these questions on the same day. You might ask one or two. After a while, you’ll figure out which ones elicit the most meaningful responses. You’ll want to ask during a time when you have the ability to focus so that your child feels they have your full attention." Dinner and driving in the car are optimal times for these conversations.

More Suggestions

To help keep conversations positive and powerful:

• Don’t interrupt. This is a good rule for any conversation, but especially if you want to get a lot of information from someone.
• Ask for more. Simply say, “I’d love to hear more about that...” Or, “Can you expand on that a little?”
• Ask about feelings. After a child describes an experience, ask, “How did you feel in that moment? What did you notice about your feelings?”
• Validate feelings. Whatever your kid feels is normal and okay. Let them know that. Feelings are okay. Talk about how to express those feelings in ways that help others know how to help. 
• Thank them for sharing with you. Always appreciate their honesty and willingness to share the highlights and bright spots, as well as the difficult moments. This will fuel their confidence in telling you more.

Source: Elena Aguilar, 15 Questions to replace "How was school today?," Edutopia, October 27, 2016. 

On a related note...thank you for the many ways you model, teach and re-teach kindness and respectfulness in moments of disappointment, stress and frustration. Staying calm, asking questions and listening attentively helps us understand another perspective and respond thoughtfully. 

Gratefully,
Ann 

Dear Families in the Middle,

The beautiful weather makes the realization that it's November even more perplexing! How quickly the autumn days pass on the calendar, and yet how slowly the warm and sunny autumn days are leaving us (thankfully!).

During the month of November we are grateful for many opportunities:
* Construction begins on our two story addition of twelve classrooms and an additional gymnasium. Please be watchful of the signs and safety regulations on our school grounds.

* A Team of 20 of us traveled to Chaska Middle School East (Eastern Carver County School District) to observe a personalized learning environment, learn from educators, and interview students about the approach.

* Next Friday, November 11th, is Veterans' Day. We will be honoring our veterans with a special ceremony (7th and 8th grade) in our gymnasium at 9 AM. Following the ceremony, veterans will be sharing their stories and journeys with students in smaller advisory groups in each house (6th, 7th and 8th grade) during 4th hour (10 - 10:40). Students have prepared questions for these special interviews. We look forward to honoring and learning from our veterans.

Sincerely,

Ann

Dear Families in the Middle,

We are anticipating celebrating Veterans Day with our students on Friday, November 11.
Please use this link to share with us a veteran you and your family may know who would be willing to spend a little time at Hudson Middle School talking to a group of students about their service and responding to a few questions students may have about a career in the military. More details are provided in the linked letter.

We are anticipating our second Boys in the Boat small group discussion tomorrow, Friday, October 28 in a special 10th hour (2:04 - 2:37). Many thanks to our planning committee of several educators who share creative ways to learn from this important story each month! If you are willing and able to serve as a Guest Reader (reading a chapter or two during a class) over the next month, please use this link to let us know!

Many of our Middle School families - students and staff - are experiencing struggle and sadness in their lives. I often think about the importance of being present "in the middle" of storms and struggles to support and walk with people through the challenges. Thank you for the many ways each of you reach out to help another. Your kindness does not go unnoticed and helps lift the spirits of our entire community by the example you set. Our counselors have a sign near their doors:

Be kind. Always. Everyone we meet is fighting a battle we know nothing about. 

When autumn arrives, I think about the difficulty of letting go...of old habits, old ways of thinking, old emotions. May you trust in what's to come as you let go and "winterize" yourself.

Hope to see many of our students (in costume) at the dance Friday night, sponsored by our HMS Student Council, 6-8 PM. Bring a food shelf item to share!

Warmly,

Ann

Dear Families in the Middle,

This morning several girls in 6th, 7th and 8th grade were able to participate in a Girls in STEM & Manufacturing Breakfast, thanks to a collaborative effort of several folks! Sponsored and funded by the The Wisconsin Womens Council, the event was planned and coordinated by Ms. Melisa Hanson, Hudson School District Career & Technical Education Coordinator, Jodie Bray, Engineering and Technology Teacher here at HMS, and many women in the manufacturing industry. Students had the opportunity to work in teams to create a useable tool from recyclable materials, weld virtually and manually, use a laser and metal bit engraver, and a robotic arm. Breakfast was prepared and served by our Family & Consumer Science students. Lieutenant Governor Kleefisch, a mother of two middle school girls, shared the message, "We're investing in you. Invest in yourself and apply your learning. You are Wisconsin's future and we're counting on you!"

For photos of the STEM event and to see more great things happening at HMS every day (Thanks to Mr. Brian Nadeau, our Dean of Students), please follow HMS on Twitter by using @hudsonmiddlewi! 

We hope to see many of you at our FALL PARENT SEMINAR Tuesday evening, October 25, 6:30 - 8 PM. Back by popular demand, Alison Feigh will provide all of us (including students) with tips and strategies to safeguard our online footprint. We'll be meeting in the Multi-Purpose Room, so parking in the north lot (near Prairie Elementary) is probably best for this evening seminar. 

In case you missed the website photo of our Groundbreaking last week, Tuesday, October 18, these are a few of our Student Leaders on the Learning Space Team. Several were able to meet with Bray Architects Tuesday morning to learn more about their careers.  

Bryce Meyer, John Boily, Marissa Brown, Annika Lautenbach, Will Aschenbrenner,
Ryleigh White, Jenny Lund, Kristin Denny, Mira Lenzen

We are very grateful for the strong and positive community support for quality education and for expanding and strengthening our middle school House concept with the addition of learning space. The construction process will be a learning experience for so many of our students and staff! Opportunities to re-establish green space and a garden area east of the track near the pavilion, for re-thinking our use of space, color, and lighting and their impact on learning, and for innovating in our instructional practices will enhance this learning community!
Warmly,
Mrs. Ann Mitchell

Dear Families in the Middle,

Fall Student-Parent-Teacher conferences are such a wonderful opportunity to visit with you about your child's learning progress, strategies we can collaboratively use to support each child through moments of frustration, and to share stories that make us laugh and cry. Please call our office and talk to Cheryl or Terri or Kelly for assistance in scheduling your child's conferences. 

Many thanks to our parent group for a delicious meal before conferences! Sandwich fixings, salads, soup, fruits and vegetables, chips, salsa and sweet treats provided a joyful atmosphere around which to visit with each other for a few minutes before the evening began. A video may have more vividly conveyed the immense appreciation for your kindness! THANK YOU!!

We hope you enjoyed the "mini mall" during conferences. Between our Book Fair, our Yankee Candle Fundraiser and several entrepreneurial student products - yes, I hear these items will be available during next week's conferences as well - there is something for everyone!

An opportunity to meet the architects and learn more about our HMS building addition happens next Tuesday evening, October 18 at 6 PM with a community update to follow. HMS Student Ambassadors and Staff and Student Learning Space Team members as well as our district leaders will be present for a "Groundbreaking" ceremony. Please join us! 

Please mark your calendars for our FALL PARENT SEMINAR! Tuesday, October 25, 6:30 - 8 PM, Middle School Multi-Purpose Room. Alison Feigh is returning to Hudson for a highly touted message regarding online security. Alison will share practical ways parents can support responsible and thoughtful use of tech tools and social media. 

We know many of you (and we) have been challenged with the introduction of new technology, platforms, and communication tools. We are striving to align our communication to make it easier for families to see, hear, and learn about their child's Middle School learning experiences.

While we work with students to update the House Communication tab on this blog with the most effective way to find information, support student learning, and communicate with your child's teachers, we think this guide might help you navigate and find teachers and their web pages in our Hudson Middle School Learning Community.  At the present, every House is not using the same system. However, we are moving in that direction and hope to be there before the end of next year. Thank you for your patience and perseverance and positive suggestions as we navigate these new systems and identify a platform most of our families will find easier to navigate. Here's another basic introduction to finding staff and their classroom information from our website.

Happy autumn!

Ann