Midland Messenger

Email: midland@fpschools.org
Website: http://midland.fpschools.org/
Location: Midland Elementary School, 105th Street East, Tacoma, WA, USA
Phone: 253-298-4500
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Midland-Elementary-Mustangs-112865059416899/?ref=settings

Dear Parents and Families,

Our Midland students and staff impress me every day! Our mid-year benchmark testing shows that our kids have been working hard to make growth in their reading and math skills. It also shows that our teachers have been working hard, meeting our kids where they are and taking them further. Now that we have this data, our teachers will continue to teach our Wonders Reading program, which incorporates grammar and writing skills, and our Math Expressions program. Students who need additional time to learn skills will receive that during our intervention block. Additionally, our teachers are also preparing daily science lessons, and students also have one specialist, either library, music, PE, or Social Emotional Learning.

Every minute of school is filled with learning. We recognize the difficulty when your student has to be out due to illness, but aside from that, it is of utmost importance that students are at school on time, all day, every day to meet their learning goals. Thank you for helping your student to be at school each day! If your child is not at school for any reason, please be sure to call our office (253) 298-4500 to excuse their absence.

It's great to be a MUSTANG!

~Dr. Paula Dawson

January 11 ~ Martin Luther King Jr. Assembly @ 1pm

January 11 ~ 1:55 Dismissal

January 16 ~ Martin Luther King Jr. Day - NO SCHOOL

January 18 ~ 3:25 Dismissal (Full day of school)

January 24 ~ Dental Day

January 25 ~ Hearing and Vision rescreening

January 25 ~ 3:25 Dismissal (Full day of school)

January 19 ~ 3:25 Dismissal (Full day of school)

January 27 ~ NO SCHOOL for teacher training

**For additional future scheduled activities, please check out our Midland calendar at https://midland.fpschools.org/**

Midland’s assembly honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

will be on Wednesday, January 11th at 1 pm.

We want to thank Alex Davis, Ron Nerio, Tono Sablan, and Mary Sherman for the many hours they volunteer on behalf of every child in our school district. Their duties include setting the vision and mission of education in the district; establishing policy; adopting an annual budget; approving all expenditures; employment of personnel; curriculum, textbooks and courses; and deciding on school sites, building plans, and construction. We would also like to thank our Student Representatives to the School Board. We appreciate Paige Sasamoto (FPHS), Xavier McMains (WHS), and Ruby Castaneira (GHS) for their service to our school district.

The FPS Board of Directors is seeking applicants to represent our area. Applicants must be a resident of Franklin Pierce Schools District 3. Applications will be accepted through 1/31/23 at 4 pm. To learn more about this position, the District 3 boundaries and how to apply, visit www.fpschools.org/boardvacancy.

Social Emotional Learning Corner

Content by Mrs. Blaisdell

January 9th

Brain science and Neuro-education

Your amazing scholars have been learning Brain Science! 😊 You should be oh so impressed.

Why learn about our brains?

When we know more about how our brains function to help us learn and regulate our emotions; then we can be more successful in the ways we learn and manage our emotions in our school day and in life.

Kindergarten and first are learning the basics of our brain’s job and how we can take care of our brains.

Take care of your brains with adequate amounts of sleep—exercise—giving and receiving love/connection—reading or looking at books. 😊

In grades 2nd – 5th we are focusing on three parts of our brain that lead to learning and emotional regulation (The Prefrontal Cortex, the Hippocampus, and the Amygdala) and we will also learn about neurons and neurological pathways. Brain science and neuro-education are fascinating, enlightening, and fun.

Do you have new phone numbers? Have you moved? Has your housing situation changed? We cannot emphasize enough how important it is for us to be able to contact you in case of an emergency. Please call our office at 253 298-4500 or send us a note with your most up-to-date address and phone information. You can also Click here to log into Skyward Family Access and update your student's contact information.

Bathroom accidents do happen sometimes at school, so it is nice to be prepared. The health room has a limited supply of clothing to loan to students, and it is much nicer for the student to have their own clothes to wear in these situations. Please make sure to always have a change of underwear and pants in your child's backpack. If your child has to borrow clothes from the health room, thank you for sending them back as soon as possible.

We anticipate the need for volunteers this year as well. If you are interested in volunteering as a chaperone for field trips or in any other capacity that may come up, please complete the volunteer application as soon as possible. It may take up to two weeks to process an application and we don't want you to be left out of a volunteer opportunity because you are not approved yet! Click here to begin your volunteer application. If you were cleared as a volunteer last year. Please complete an application as well. Volunteer applications must be completed every year.

In the event of emergencies, a team of Franklin Pierce Schools staff work to balance safety and our commitment to support student learning. The choice to delay or cancel the start of a school day includes assessing road conditions and consulting with other local services. Franklin Pierce Schools will attempt to offer updates about delays and closures by 5am.

Staff and families can expect to receive information about school closures and delays in the following ways:

• Recorded Telephone Message contact the main office at your child's school to ensure your contact information is up to date

• SMS Message for families/staff who have opted-in, click here for Text Message if you would like to opt-in

• Email from info@fpschools.org

• Website www.fpschools.org

• Flash Alert Notification sign up to receive email notifications and download the Flash Alert App, click here.

• Local Media including KIRO 97.3 FM, KOMO 1000 AM, KIRO TV Channel 7, KOMO TV Channel 4, and KING TV Channel 5

• Social Media Facebook and Twitter

Serving students at ALL 8 Elementary Schools

Right at School will operate before and afterschool programs at all eight Franklin Pierce elementary schools! Right at School offers a safe environment for students to learn, to play, and to grow!

Franklin Pierce Schools does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sexual orientation including gender expression or identity, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups.

Questions and complaints of alleged discrimination should be directed to James Hester, Compliance Coordinator for State and Civil Rights Laws; Wendy Malich, Title IX Officer; or John Sander, 504/ADA Coordinator at 315 129th ST S, Tacoma, WA 98444-5099 or at (253)298-3000.