Respect   Responsibility   Readiness

POWERFUL TEACHING

POWERFUL LEARNING

Niguel Hills

Middle School

An Overview Of Our Vision and Goals For

Our Students

MISSION STATEMENT

Niguel Hills Middle School is committed to a working partnership with parents, teachers, staff, and the community which fosters the growth of all students. Students will master academic skills appropriate to their potential in each academic discipline as well as experience a wide variety of elective choices.

Focus on Critical Thinking

Focus on Responsible Citizens

Focus on Life Long Learning


EFFORT HONOR ROLL

Student Effort: The Key to Success and Achievement

Our Belief: The faculty of Niguel Hills Middle School strongly believe that we must work diligently with out students to teach them to use their minds well. We strongly believe that a student's success depends upon learned work habits and attitudes. These work habits and attitudes are commonly called EFFORT. Students demonstrate outstanding effort by developing the following critical work habits.


CRITICAL WORK HABITS

Bring Materials to Class

Binder, pens, pencils, Binder Reminder, covered textbooks, P.E. clothes.

Using Time Effectively

Being on time to class, understanding individual and group assignments

Participate Actively

Preserve, listen, ask questions, problem solve, share ideas

Prepare for Class

Complete homework, study, be ready to learn

Our Comment: Teachers will encourage students to develop these critical work habits and monitor progress. Every quarter, teachers will make recommendations for students who consistently demonstrate outstanding work habits and effort. Students who are recommended in at least five out of six classes will be named to the Effort Honor Role. Students who are able to sustain this effort will receive recognition at the end of the school year.


How Parents Can Help: Organization is a key to success.

One of the most difficult tasks many middle school children face is the ability to be organized. All students must use a three ring binder and our student agenda, the Reminder-Binder. Teachers will encourage students to write down daily and long range assignments in their Reminder Binder in order to plan and balance work. Parents can keep track of the work their students are doing by regularly reading through the Reminder Binder and discussing assignments with their children. Active parental support in helping students to develop good work habits will result in academic success and progress.


FOCUS ON CRITICAL THINKING:

Effective learning requires that students develop good intellectual habits. Our faculty is committed to develop curricular, instructional, and assessment practices that infuse intellectual process throughout the curriculum.

Subject and Reasoning Process

Students Will...

Humanities / Constructing Support

Develop clearly stated positions supported by evidence they have gathered

Mathematics / Problem

Develop and test methods or products for overcoming obstacles and constraints

Science / Experimental Inquiry

Test hypotheses that have been generated to explain an observable event, fact, model or object

Exploratory, P.E., Electives / logical sequencing and creative implementation

Identify logical sequencing in information or process; accurately describe their effects in the creative process.

                                           


FOCUS ON RESPONSIBLE CITIZENS:

How people in the school community behave to each other---in classrooms, halls, the office, and faculty lounge---sets a tone that has significant effects on what and how students learn.

As educators, we believe it is appropriate and important to foster and promote responsible citizenship and ethical values according the following model:

A RESPONSIBLE CITIZEN CONSISTENTLY...

Honesty

Compassion

Courage

Responsibility

Cooperation

Perseverance

Respect

Civic Duty