MacArthur Musings 8/19/22

MacArthur Musings

August 19, 2022

Principal's Welcome

Welcome to MacArthur Middle School, home of the Marauders!

This week was awesome! At our institute day opening activity, the common theme among staff reflections was "excitement for the start of the year." Seeing students arrive these last three days, they are excited to be here! There is so much energy in the classrooms and the halls!

Please take a look at all the Advisory pictures from this first week! Unified has been in some activities and we will get that picture next week!

Cross country practice begins today!

Many of our clubs and activities will begin soon like Creativity Club, Yearbook Club, and Innovation Club!

We have some new spaces for students and staff to explore!

We all get to eat lunch together in the cafeteria!

I was even talking to an eighth grader today that was telling me all about math class and how fun it is!

I hope your experiences so far have been great but please let me know if you need anything else along the way!

Please keep August 30th (6th grade) and September 1st (7th & 8th grade) open in your calendars to meet with our teachers for our Back to School nights!

Whether at school or at home, we are always learning and growing! Thanks for your continued partnership as we join our students in having #MAChasPRIDE!

Prepared Respect Integrity Determination Engaged

MacArthur empowers all learners to thrive!

Picture Day

August 30, 2022

Parking Lot Safety

Today was amazing! Everyone got to school on time!

Quick reminder for our car drop-off/pick-up families.

Only get in and out of cars along the yellow curb!

Please do not motion for your kids to walk through the parking lot; they may not be seen by motorists.

Also, cell phone use in not allowed by drivers in school zones so please keep the phones down.

Welcome to Advisory!

Each day our students have 20 minutes of Advisory. During that time, we have the school announcements and grade-level activities. Additionally, we are in year 2 of implementing Second Step as our Social-Emotional Learning curriculum. There will be a new lesson for each week and will likely begin in September.

6th grade will be starting on the unit that focuses on Emotions and how they can affect your decisions. They will also look at ways to manage their emotions with strategies. As they progress through adolescence, let them know how you process your emotions and deal with stressors. Research shows that parents are still the top influence in how kids develop.

7th grade will be looking at making plans to achieve goals while identifying and working through roadblocks. Tell your child about a time you had to try something new to overcome a roadblock, such as asking someone for help or looking at a problem with a different viewpoint. Tell your child what eventually helped you overcome that roadblock.

8th grade will begin looking at themselves for who they are and identifying their strengths and weaknesses. They will be looking for ways to harness their strengths, pursue interests, and create a path to the future self that they want to be. Ask your child what they want their life to look like in the future. What skills or abilities do they want to have? What qualities or values do they want to develop?

6th Grade

7th Grade

8th Grade

New spaces and new classes

Ms. Kyeon's class used the renovated courtyard for some inspiration in Art class today. Mr. Dudic is meeting with our first Robotics class at MacArthur. This is a year-long, dual-credit class in partnership with D214, a first of its kind for our 8th graders!