From the Middle

The first quarter is coming to a close and, as always, Bonny Eagle Middle School is bustling with activity. Fall sports seasons are winding down as field hockey, cross country, football and soccer teams wrap up their seasons and cheering and basketball try-outs are taking place. The BEMS DramaClub performed an entertaining rendition of the melodrama Seasick. On October 2nd,the BEMS Pathfinders sponsored a dance for seventh and eighth grade students,while the Community Service Club has an after school function planned for sixth grade students on November 5th.

Approximately 500 seventh and eighth grade students are bringing their Maine Learning Technology Initiative laptops home.Ê The newest iteration of the MLTI program has provided Apple Macbook computers with numerous applications that have potential educational benefit. Keynote, Noteshare, Profcast, Garageband, Comic Life, IMovie, Bento, and Photobooth are just a few of the tools available to teachers and students. We appreciate the cooperation of parents who diligently attended one of several required, informational meetings.Ê Please continue to help your child be vigilant in proper care and use of these powerful learning tools. Sixth grade students will have the opportunity to bring home computers later in the year,providing parents have attended an informational meeting, paid a nominal userfee and have granted their permission.

Students are wrapping up the fall administration of the Northwest Educational Assessment. NWEA, as it is often referred to, is a standardized test many school districts across the United States administer to monitor studentsÕ progress and inform instruction.Ê The test is given two times per year to students in grades 2 through high school. The test is administered on the computer and adjusts to studentsÕ academic levels as they take the test. It can be challenging, because, as a student progresses through the test and answers questions correctly, the questions get increasingly more difficult. When the test is completed teachers can access reports that detail areas of strength and weakness for all students.

Students in grades six through eight participated in the first administration of the New England Common Assessment Program (NECAP). Previously, students took the Maine Educational Assessment, a test more specific to the state of Maine. The NECAP is a regional test administered to students in four New England states (Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Maine), but is designed to serve the same purpose as the MEA in measuring studentsÕ progress. For more information about the NECAP visit http://www.measuredprogress.org/assessments/clients/necap.html

Many parents have now discovered the Infinite Campus parent portal to monitor their studentsÕ progress from the comfort and convenience of the home or office. If you have not yet logged in, please contact me at Bonny Eagle Middle School and we can help you set up an account. The portal allows you to see what teachers have assigned and what grades your student has earned. Access to the portal allows for timely information and gives you a place to start discussions with your childÕs teachers about how they are doing in school.

Students needing academic support or just needing a supervised place to complete homework after school can sign up for BEMS Study Club. Study Club meets four days a week, Monday through Friday. Please contact the BEMS guidance office at 929-3833, ext. 151, for more information.Ê

Thank you for supporting our students and helping them make positive choices. A strong partnership between school and home is the foundation of success for our students. We at BEMS appreciate your continued involvement in your studentsÕ education and your support of our students and teachers.Ê

Clay Gleason
Assistant Principal
BEMS