Warm winter greetings,
The second marking period is such a special time of year. It's a time when families and friends come together sometimes over great distances, to celebrate the holidays. It's a time that leaves us with warm, happy memories that last a lifetime and a time when people all around seem to notice their fellow man and adopt a spirit of generosity and kindness in their hearts.
The season brings many changes around us like the distinctive honking of flocks of Canada geese and the crisp smell of the cool winter air letting you know snowy weather follows. While we anticipate the occasional surprise of a SNOW DAY we also know that during the school day our work is ever before us.
Much has happened in these first few months at SOMS. Our students have continued to excel in their academics achieving Honor Roll status for this first quarter. We proudly celebrated 212 sixth graders, 230 seventh graders and 233 eighth graders for their success at our first honor roll celebration. Students have participated in rigorous Math and Science Literacy Tasks and 8th graders took participated in their first college readiness experience taking the PSAT.
Our RAMS have been busy participating in a wide variety of clubs and events including a school wide Bingo to kick off our many PBIS events for this year. In addition, our RAMS have been shining on the ball fields and basketball court and our Cheer and Step Teams are polished to perfection. In the spirit of generosity and kindness, students in the "Casey Cares" club kicked off the pajama drive collecting donations of new children's pajamas and our newly elected SGA students are partnering with the PBIS team to host an upcoming winter event.
Our SOMS community partners, staff, students and parents who support these events are the reason our students continue to excel. The Maryland State Department of Education recently issued the
Maryland State Report Card
for each Maryland school. The report is published each year to provide stakeholders with understanding about how each school is faring on ESSA accountability measures. Schools received ratings ranging from 1 to 5 stars. I am proud to announce that Samuel Ogle Middles received a "4 Star rating".
With such wonderful distractions of the season, this time of year can make students lose sight of their academic goals. However, even amid these exciting events our SOMS faculty and staff continue to engage students in rigorous instruction to raise student performance. Our instructional staff continue to hold students accountable for their academic efforts and we encourage you to continue to monitor your child’s progress through SchoolMax and ongoing communication with school staff. The strength of the parent, teacher student relationship directly impacts your child's success.
This is also a good time to review your expectations for school behavior. Middle school students are often referred to as "tweens" because they are awkwardly navigating the worlds of childhood and young adulthood. Just like teaching them to ride a bike they need to be taught how to express themselves as a young adult. Often "tweens" can appear to be "disrespectful" when they just haven't learned how to express their opinions appropriately. Take time for these valuable lessons and share the expectations you have for your young adult, including for safe and acceptable use of electronics. In order to decrease cyber distractions to instruction, we have instituted a revised
cell phone policy
. If you need assistance, our counselors are always available to offer their expertise.
On behalf of the entire Samuel Ogle Middle School family, we wish you a safe and happy holiday season.
