Page 8
Spilyay Tym oo
September 28
Middle school aims to improve
By Leslie M itts
Spilyay Tymoo
Faces aren’t the only things
new at Jefferson County Middle
School this year.
Along w ith 12 new staff
members and two new adminis
trators, JCMS is implementing
policy changes and striving to
improve curriculum.
Ken Clark is the new princi
pal at JCMS, after spending the
past three years at Madras High
School as an assistant principal.
. He said families are encour
aged to stop in and speak with
the adm inistration at JCMS.
“We want them to know us as
m uch as we w ant to know
them,” he said.
Clark has many plans for
JCMS, he said.
_ “I want to hold the idea that
JCMS is a unique school,
Clark said. “I also want to cre
ate a schooljhat basically pro
vides the. students a seamless
transition from the middle
school to high school.”
Because o f that, the behav
ioral expectations are now in line
with the high school’s expecta
tions. Clark said he also wants
to make sure that the curricu
lum demonstrates a clear learn
ing path to the students.
“The kids will actually be able
to see the progress,” he said.
“They’ll be able to share with
each pthéf.”
; This way, in Clark’s opinion,
“The kids have a real chance at
a good, quick start in high
school.”
David Davis, a new assistant
principal, comes to JCMS from
Olympia, Wash., where he was
a high school counselor.
H e’s optimistic about the
upcoming school year. “We had
a great start to the year so far,”
he said.
Part of that, he added, is due
to the excellent staff.
This year, Davis said, several
policy changes have gone into
effect. Electronics (like cell
phones and mp3 players) are
now prohibited at the school.
In addition, he said, “We’re
a little bit more strict in our
visitation regulations and our
dress code.”
While the dress code was
there before, it wasn’t necessar
ily enforced. According to
Davis, the code is now clearly
delineated for students.
As for visitation policies,
Davis said they are just aiming
to have the policy more clear to
the public. |
Davis said they are also go
ing to be trying to improve per
formance on state testing and
working bn testing standards.
All of these policy changes
are aimed at creating a better
educational setting, Davis said.
“These policies were all given
to the kids in their student hand
books,” he added.
Matt Newell is returning to
JCMS as an assistant principal,
and said there are several pro
grams that are continuing to help
students excel.
The EBS program was orga
nized to give student positive re
inforcement.
“Basically it helps students
who make good choices,” Newell
said. “It helps them be recog
nized.”
This year, Newell said, they
have been working on imple
menting that in the school sys
tem and in the classroom.
“It’s a really great reminder
for the teacher to identify the
kids who are doing a good job,”
he said.
Newell said that in addition
to a positive staff, the students
have shown some excellent be
havior changes—leading to an
initial decrease in detentions.
One aspect that all the admin
istrators stress is a steady atten-,
dance rate.
According to Butch David,
liason for JCMS, the school is
sympathetic to the needs of
Native American students.
“A lot of kids miss a lot of
school because of funerals,” he
said, or because of traditional
family gatherings like the
Pendleton Round Up or fishing
trips on the Columbia River.
Students are also absent dur
ing Root Feast or because of
rodeos or pow wows.
If a student has to miss
school, David said, it is impor
Families unite with FAST program
By Leslie M itts
dents.
The groups are meant to re
flect actual society as well,
The FAST program at Littledeer said. “It’s ethnically
Jefferson Cour\ty Midihe Schpol balanced,” she added. “The
may have been around last year, „. team has je. represent the same
but tm-s5 year the program is p percentage in ethnicity ¿hat the
school population is.”
quickly gaining popularity.
In the school, Littledeer said,
FAST, which stands for Fami
lies and Students Together, is a “We have more Hispanics and
multifamily group intervention Native Americans and it’s the
designed to improve communi same on our team.” |
cation and promote togetherness jjL “It also has to be representa
in families.
tive gender-wise,” she added.
Liz Littledeer is the coordi
Currently there are 18 fami-
nator of the program that has ; lies participating in the program.
been growing steadily since its Before they are able to partici
beginning at JCMS in 2005.
pate, the FAST program con
. f it’s a family functioning pro ducts a home visit with each
gram that helps youth and fam family.
During that visit, Littledeer
ily communities spend time to
gether, enjoy a meal together,” said, they discuss the family’s
likes and dislikes— something
littledeer explained.
The youth involved with the that is used later during a fixed
FAST program participate in a raffle.
group session once per week. It’s
For tbé raffle, a basket is pre
an activity, littledeer said, that pared involving items that relate
aims to teach the students about to each family, Littledeer ex
cultural awarenes§, team build plained. At some point during
the sériés of family nights, each
ing and communication.
During the group sessions family will win the raffle.
students practice talking with ; Part of their winnings in
their parents. After the fifth cludes $50 in cash, in order to
week of gtoup sessions, fami help the family when it is their
lies come together for “family responsibility to prepare a meal
for the group.
nights” for several weeks.
After their participation in the
Families don’t have to be tra
ditional either, littledeer said. F4ST program, Littledeer said,
“They just have ;t o bring an the families go through a “gradu
adult,” she explained. Some ation” and receive certificates of
times that adult ends up being a completion and appreciation.
grandparent, guardian, or sim
But they aren’t finished then.
ply the adult the student spends Littledeer said the families then
enter the program they call
the most time with.
During the family nights, the FAST Works—which some par
families first start out by mak ticipate in for up to two years.
ing a family flag. At the end of
During this phase, families
the program they are able to take are able to remain in contact with
their flag home with them.
the other families from their
D uring the family nights team and continue working on
there are several group ses communication.
sions— first there is a session
“Usually by the end they’re
with all of the families together, pretty good friends with the
complete with talking, singing other parents,” Littledeer said.
and more. .
Because of that, parents are able
Then they split into three to work together better in terms
groups: one for middle-school of formirig Parent-Teacher As
students, one for parents, and sociations or other support
one for the siblings. After that groups.
Littledeer said she was sur
the groups reunite.
This way, Littledeer said, the prised at the reaction from the
parents are able to work on their participating families.
While at first she was unsure
communication skills both along
side and separate from their stu- that families would want to do
Spilyay Tymoo
a home visit and go through the
experience, she said, now there
aré so many enrolling that a
waiting list has been started.
“It’s pretty exciting,” she said.
“It’s been very ; bpsy-”, .
FAST was’ developed in 1988
for at-risk youth.
tant for the parents to call the
school in attem pt to prear
range hom ew ork w ith the
student’s teachers.
f In his opinion, “I feel it would
benefit them and their parents
in the future.”
Attendance is something that
David said the school district has
been working on for years—
even trying to petition the state
for a traditional leave day.
“We’re still working on that
area,” he said.
One thing that David believes
can help parents apd their stu
dents is the use o f “Power
School,” an online program that
tracks attendance and grades/for |
each student.
If parents have questions
about the program, David said
help can be provided at any of
the school is thè 509j school dis
trict.
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