Evergreen Middle School
December 8, 2023
Message from Principal Collins
Hello Evergreen Families,
Our second sport season has begun. Good luck to our Grizzly wrestlers and girls’ basketball teams.
What a great time of the year! It is exciting to see the joy in the faces of middle school students during the holiday season. As I stated last week due to the busy nature of the season, sometimes schedules and added responsibilities can cause stress. Concerts, parties, family visits and so many other events seem to be packed into a limited amount of time. Scheduling becomes an issue and we always seem to be looking for ways to complete our to-do list. Please make sure to add this to your to do list- Our upcoming orchestra/choir and band concerts offer the opportunity to slow down and enjoy a little holiday cheer. The orchestra/choir concert is on December 12th and the band concert is on December 13th. The orchestra/choir concert will be held in the cafeteria. The band concert will be held in the Evergreen Middle School gymnasium. Both concerts will begin at 7:00 pm. Students and our music teachers have been working really hard to showcase these special talents. Please come; everyone is welcome!
As the holiday season approaches, please give your child the gift of extra time. Put an I.O.U. for a special event or activity in his/her stocking. When students are asked to write about a memorable event in their lives, it isn't a special gift they usually choose to write about, but a particular experience they have had with someone special.
During this season of the year we would like to say thanks to:
· Parents and guardians who diligently check their child’s homework; who are seated beside them as they complete their homework; and spend quality time with their child.
· All the volunteers who give countless hours to make EVG a better place for students and staff.
· Community members and parents who assist in so many ways.
· All the people in our district who are committed to giving their best to your children every day. For example: custodians, food service staff, bus drivers, school nurses, student aides, secretaries, teachers, and members of the school board.
· All of you who are doing your very best to send your child ready to learn every day. I am proud of how much our community gives during this time of the year.
We have many programs that reflect the caring community culture that is growing through our population. Hopefully years from now, during the holiday season, you and your child will remember many wonderful times spent together.
Thank you for being a part of the Grizzly family.
In Partnership,
Mrs. Collins
Principal Evergreen Middle School
253 945 5100
Teaching and Coaching
My job as instructional coach is primarily to mentor the teachers at Evergreen Middle School. I go into classes and I observe their teaching. I give them feedback and ask them to reflect. I plan and deliver their training. It is quite fulfilling to see a teacher go from a novice to a master teacher through this process. I think teachers find the support beneficial.
A problem with instructional coaching all the time is you can start to forget how to teach. You begin to neglect the practical realities of teaching real humans in favor of the more abstract and theoretical. I feel like this is what happens to the university professors who train our student teachers. They become too far removed from the classroom.
This is part of the reason why I decided to start teaching a small group once a day for 20 minutes. I started by testing students for a set of skills, and I am using a scripted program to address their gaps. The teaching is fast paced and based on research-based principles – the same ones I teach the teachers. In addition to growing our scholars’ math skills, it is strengthening my connection to the classroom, which has made me a better instructional coach.
