Mr. Michael J. Muldoon, Principal
Principal's
Message
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As part of our middle school philosophy, we continue to provide meaningful programs to all of our students. At each grade level, we have three teams. They are designated by colors; red, white, and blue. Many parents often ask for an explanation regarding the purpose of teaming. We believe that by dividing our student population into nine groups, we are in effect creating nine small houses or schools. This allows our students to feel more comfortable, and this, in turn, produces a better sense of student belonging within the building. The result is academic and social success.
Academic Programming for the 2008-2009 school year:
Once again, we have created a student and staff schedule that will emphasize Mathematics and Language Arts Literacy. For the past five years, our staff has been trained in presenting a middle school curriculum that is all-inclusive. Our goal, as always, is to better prepare our students for high school academic life. Below are listed three major concepts that one will immediately notice when at the Davies School:
· Block scheduling in all of our mathematics classes at all grade levels (length of time – eighty-four minutes).
· Block scheduling in all of our Language Arts classes at all grade levels (length of time – eighty-four minutes).
· Home room time (30 minutes). This will provide opportunities for students to take advantage of our breakfast program and also allow time for students to meet with their teachers to discuss make-up work, to take missed tests, or to receive individual instruction.
Identified students will be scheduled into Basic Skills Instruction (BSI) classes in both Mathematics and Language Arts Literacy. Our intent is to provide services and support for those students requiring it, while maintaining the quality of a rigorous curriculum. Each day, we will provide additional instructional assistance during the homeroom period for identified BSI students.
Curricular Revision for the 2008-2009 school year:
During this school year, we will be revising specific subjects at all grades as part of our five year revision cycle. The courses addressed will be the following:
Science
Social Studies
Art
Music
Student Grouping:
We will continue to provide a program for accelerated students in Mathematics and Language Arts Literacy. This is known as homogeneous grouping.
For all of the other subjects, and most of the Mathematics and Language Arts students, we will provide heterogeneous grouping. This type of instruction enables us to group all ability levels in the same classroom environment.
Utilizing both types of grouping, we truly believe that we can meet the needs of school-wide curricula that are rigorous and demanding for all of our students. In both styles, our staff employs the use of differentiated instructional strategies for optimal learning.
Related Arts Programming:
· Students will receive four marking periods (of nine weeks each) of the related arts, over the course of the school year. This provides more exposure to the arts, as well as reducing the class size to fifteen students or less. We will designate each school day as either an "A" Day or a "B" Day. This means that on alternating days, students will have Health/Physical Education, and then on the other days, over the course of the year, they will be exposed to: Art, World Language (Spanish), Band, and Technology Education.
· As in the past, students in grades seven and eight will have the opportunity to take enrichment related arts classes by opting out of the other ones being offered. For example, an eighth grade student may choose to take four marking periods of Spanish instead of the traditional subjects of Band, Art, Technology Education, and Spanish.
Assistant Principals for 2008-2009:
Mrs. Melanie Cox – Grade Six
Mr. Stephen Santilli - Grade Seven
Mr. Patrick McCarthy – Grade Eight
Guidance Counselors for 2008-2009:
Mr. Michael Diorio – Grade 6 and part of Grade 7
Ms. Donna Hess – Part of Grade 7 and Grade 8
Mrs. Lynn Evangelist – All Grade Levels
Social Programs:
It is our intention to continue to emphasize our Character Education and Anti-bullying programs, by presenting a variety of programs and assemblies. Some of these include: Project S.U.C.C.E.S.S., the Second Step Program, The Seven Habits of Successful Teens, Peer Mediation, and student and staff mentoring.
We are also excited to continue to utilize the services of a School Resource Officer (SRO). The Hamilton Township Police Department has become an integral and welcome part of the Davies staff. Students, parents, and staff, have had many positive encounters with our SRO. Some of these include:
Presentations of lessons similar to the CSI series on television,
Discussion groups with parents in the evening,
Supervision and coordination of the school’s Grade Six D.A.R.E. program,
Formal and informal meetings with our students and staff.
We know that this year will bring additional opportunities for our students to view the police as their friends, and know that they can turn to them for support.
Athletic Programs:
· Because of student interest and participation in our various extra-curricular sports activities, we provide interscholastic sports as well as intramural sports activities after school. Although one does not measure success by wins and losses, our students always perform well. We encourage participation, for it is our belief that sport involvement helps to develop the "whole child."
Additional Activities:
· In addition to the various athletic opportunities, the Davies School offers several other after school extended day clubs. Some of these are as follows: Art, Band, Chorus, Computer, Stained Glass, Writing, Yearbook, Mediation, Homework Club, and the Math Club. As one might expect, participation in after school activities enables our students to showcase their special talents, and to learn new skills.
As always, we welcome all of our students and their parents to the Davies School. We are certainly excited about our upcoming school year and expect great things from our student body. It is everyone's feeling that the William Davies Middle School is a wonderful place to "hang one's hat!"
We are continuing to move in innovative ways to provide our students with a challenging and academically excellent education. Our philosophy of "focusing on learning, and not teaching," is creating an exemplary educational experience for all. Through staff meetings, workshops, consensus building, and increased internal and external articulation, our vision is to continue to revitalize parental communication, allow for more varied instruction and assessment, and to further ensure student achievement. As we continue to "raise the bar" on our standardized test scores, we believe that together we can be proud that our district will continue to be among the best in the State.
In closing, we as the primary stakeholders, also believe that this foundation will produce successful citizens by providing the essential skills necessary for our children’s future growth. "Every Student, Every Day, Every Way," is our district objective, and we, together as a team, are optimistic and certain that we will achieve our goal!
E-Mail Address: muldoonm@hamiltonschools.org
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Davies Middle School, 1876 Dr. Dennis Foreman Dr., Mays Landing, NJ 08330
Revised: August, 2007
