The date is finally arriving. The Lacon Bridge closes tomorrow. I know all of us have been preparing for this temporary new normal. I'm sure there will be bumps in the road, but I also know we are resilient and will get through this. 

 

The middle school has been preparing for a year now for this moment. We are going to try a new schedule with students. We're excited to see what it brings. We can't control the bridge closing, but we can control what we do here. All students will have the opportunity for a recess time. During this time we also hope to work on interventions and have opportunities for students to work with teachers on work. Both are plusses for students. This is a time for the school to work on ideas that could be used in the future. 

 

Teachers and myself will be talking regularly about the schedule and how it is going for students and staff alike. We'll make any necessary changes as we go. Students have been asking a lot of questions and I'm proud of how they are responding to the changes. They'll need time to adjust, just like we will. However, as I said in my opening, we are resilient and we will get through this inconvenience. 

 

I've included a few reminders from previous posts. If you have any questions, don't hesitate for a minute to reach out to us. 

 

 

Each year the Illinois State Board of Education releases the Illinois School Report Card. It is a comprehensive data portal about each school in the state. As part of the data portal, student growth and student achievement on the Illinois Assessment of Readiness are shared. Now that all scores are public, I wanted to share out a few things about Midland Middle School.

 

First, each school is labeled one of four categories based on your school's IAR score. Schools can be rated Comprehensive, Targeted, Commendable or Exemplary. On a number scale, Comprehensive is a 4 and Exemplary is a 1. We scored in the commendable range again this year! 

 

Also, you can see what our yearly percentage growth is on IAR. MIdland's growth beat both the state average in ELA and in Math!  

 

Finally, you can compare our scores to those of any school in the state. Annually, I do a comparison of nine other local districts that match our size and demographics. Midland's ELA scores were second in this category, missing the top spot by a single percentage point. Our Math scores finished in third of the nine schools we compare ourselves to. 

 

I share this because I'm really proud of the hard work our kids do each day. I'm thankful for a terrific staff that works hard with those hard working students. It's a team effort! There's still room for improvement and we will continue to make targeted improvements to instruction and learning. We are currently completing our second round of MAP testing. Based on the number of kids who keep coming down to the office to share how many points they went up, I'm positive the good vibes are continuing!

 

It's a great day to be a Timberwolf! 

This past week, Midland CUSD 7 had our second 1pm dismissal day of the year. I was talking with a parent after when they asked me what typically goes on during a 1pm dismissal day. As I went through an explanation of our afternoon, it dawned on me that there were others that likely had a similar question. I thought, it would be beneficial to share out what we did. I will try to continue to share out what we have done at each of our 1pm days.

 

So far we have utilized two 1pm dismissal days. In September, all staff were trained in our new Social Emotional Screening program. This training took the entire afternoon as we learned how to operate the system, how to access reports and then how to take that data and do something with it.

 

On Wednesday, we had our second 1pm day. This was a little more typical day. We first met in teams throughout the district to discuss a book study. Staff district wide is reading Why Are We Still Doing That. It's purpose is to look at a few common instructional practices in classrooms, why we used them and if there are any alternatives. I love a good book that makes me think and based on my first book study group meeting, I wasn't the only one who felt the same! We also took time to do our first staff SEL screenings. Miss Robison (MMS Guidance Counselor) and I have been pouring over the data since Wednesday. We are looking forward to putting data into actions. Finally, staff had time to meet with their department teams to discuss instructional practices.

 

In the future, we have a few more meetings on our book study to get through. We also have excellent information from the Illinois Assessment of Readiness (IAR) that we can analyze. It's a report on the most recent state assessment and how we did on each standard in Math and English/Language Arts. This is great data for teams to go over as they plan instruction. I'm looking forward to meeting with teachers to go over that data.

 

I want to thank you for understanding and letting us disrupt the day a bit each month. As you just read, we've got a lot going on during those days.

 

Mr. Janssen, Principal

Doesn't it feel like this is the 400th day of January? Talk about the longest month ever. It hasn't been an easy month. We've had staff out, students out, principal out, shortage of custodians, cold weather and the list goes on. It's been so easy to focus on negativity. It's been harder to focus on anything positive. 

 

Before Christmas I made a pledge to do what I call "Finding the light." It was my personal mission that no matter how tough the day was, I was going to find something to keep my head up. I have a wonderful family at home and without their support, no job is possible. My wife Michelle, my two daughters, Ava and Macie, they are my daily light. Many of you have the same daily light. I've met so many wonderful families and shared in your lives since coming to MIdland. We have awesome families with awesome kids. I know we all have the light. 

 

Despite all that, it is still hard somedays to find the light. This week has been one of those hard to find the light weeks. Last night, I was cranking out a federal report (hours upon hours of work had been done so far) when I noticed the system had gone down and hours of work may not have saved. Old Mr. Janssen may have had a temper tantrum. Find the light Mr. Janssen went to the kitchen to make tacos. Tacos brighten most days, don't they? It's about perspective and controlling my reaction to the darkness. I needed to have the ability, no matter how hard it was, to find something to be okay with. Find something to be grateful for. My youngest saw me a little frustrated at the table. She's five, but she knows when Dad's having a moment. She gave me a hug and said, "Daddy, don't worry. You're still my second favorite parent." Thanks. I think. I did laugh and that's when I saw my light. My daily reminder that 90% of your interactions are going to be great. Don't let 10% waste the other 90%. 

 

I share this with you all because it is my grand plan to continue to focus on Social Emotional Health. Not only for our most prized possession, our children, but for us adults, as well. It's so critical that we all continue to find gratitude. I shared an article today with staff that talked about making a purposeful effort to show gratitude daily. I'm sharing with you here.  

 

So, to get this ball rolling, I'm grateful today for my family, my friends and, well, frankly, the end of January! LOL. I'm also incredibly grateful for the 8 years I've gotten to know this community, become part of this community and become a Timberwolf. Have a great Friday, a better weekend and I hope you can "find your light" today. 

 

Mr. Janssen

Here is our 2022 Remote Learning Plan. This plan was created by the staff and administration at Midland. This plan would be utilized should school need to be closed for several days. This is different than an e-learning day. We utilize e-learning days instead of snow days. Activities will be shorter and allow for students to engage in a school activity while still having the opportunity to have a little fun. A remote plan is necessary should schools plan on closing for more than a day or two. We would utilize a remote plan should we not have the ability to staff the building or in the event of an emergency bridge closure due to a flood. Let's hope neither happens! However, being prepared is important.

 

I had the unique experience of being quarantined this week with my daughters. I've heard experience is a good teacher. This week was an eye opening one for me as both a parent and as a school administrator. Trying to teach kindergarten and fourth grade while remaining a principal (albeit remotely) have been quite the task. I shared my experiences with our team to hopefully improve any future long term remote schooling. I can assure you that after 16 years in a middle school, I wasn't  ready for Kindergarten! Parents, you've been extremely awesome and I can't thank you enough for how you've dealt with these ups and downs. 

 

Will remote perfect? No. Will be like a traditional classroom? Not even close. . At the middle school, on a remote day, teachers will have google meetings scheduled throughout the day. Students may not be required to attend, but please understand, students will have the opportunity to meet with their teachers in a live meeting to ask or go over that days work. Staff will work a normal day and be available from 8am until 4pm. Just any work day, anything after 4pm will be at the teachers discretion and their availability. Assignments will be posted to their Google Classroom by 8:30am and students will have the opportunity to complete work at their discretion during the the day. 

 

My hope is that we won't have to use it. My hope is that normal will return soon. My hope is that I will return soon! If you have any questions about our remote plan, please, let us know. At this time, we are not planning on going remote. We simply just need to be prepared in the event remote is needed. 

 

Mr. Janssen, Principal

Recently, I found myself focusing too much on negativity. Too much work, too much going on with my kids schedules, not enough family time, too much covid and the list went on and on.  I wasn’t being supportive enough in my opinion due to all the negativity. I can’t stand negativity and I knew I had to make a change in perspective. I made a personal commitment to find the light each day after Thanksgiving. No matter the day, find the light. It worked. For a day. Then last week’s unthinkable tragedy hit our district. Through tears and hugs, I was determined to not only find my light, but help others find theirs. We showed our students we cared about them. When dried tears, gave another hug and just stopped to listen. We had students wanting to talk about struggles, while others just wanted to sit for a minute. My light shone bright when I received a note from a student checking on me. The note went on to say that while I tell all of them (the students) we love them everyday, they hoped that I knew the feeling was mutual. I told the student that it took a minute for the note to be emailed, but sure meant a whole lot. 

When the pandemic first hit, not having the students in the building with us was extremely difficult. I missed having the building full of kids. Maybe not all the noise, but I sure did miss the kids! My worry wasn’t the learning loss during the pandemic, but the loss of togetherness we lost. Studies are now being done on the emotional stress we are all dealing with. The results, thus far, are frightening. We must do better to care for one another. We have to. Mr. Gauwitz sent out various resources last week to our community. If you didn’t see them, we have them posted on our website and I’d be happy to send them home to you.

One of the most important aspects of all of this that I want to emphasize with you is communication. I am a parent of two elementary girls. Each night we make a point to talk about our days. My house, like yours, typically plays out the same way. “How was school?” “Fine.” End of conversation. I am just as guilty of moving on. So, we make a collective effort to try other things. Tell me how lunch was? Explain this Math to me (we all need that, right?). What did Mr. Sams have to say today? The dialogue isn’t always great, but it’s a start. I take the same approach with the students. I love talking with them. About anything. I may not know everything, but I can tell you over the years I’ve learned about a lot of things from our students! I don’t hunt, but I sure do love listening to our students tell of their recent experience. I don’t know much about cars, or engines, but I sure do love having students tell me about their dirt bikes. We’ve talked about fun stuff, family stuff, sad stuff and silly stuff. 

I lead with that to bring up this. A friend shared a fantastic post on social media the other day. The post was about an interaction between Winnie the Pooh and Piglet. The story is below. 

"Today was a Difficult Day," said Pooh.  There was a pause. "Do you want to talk about it?" asked Piglet. "No," said Pooh after a bit. "No, I don't think I do." "That's okay," said Piglet, and he came and sat beside his friend. "What are you doing?" asked Pooh. "Nothing, really," said Piglet. "Only, I know what Difficult Days are like. I quite often don't feel like talking about it on my Difficult Days either. "But goodness," continued Piglet, "Difficult Days are so much easier when you know you've got someone there for you. And I'll always be here for you, Pooh."  And as Pooh sat there, working through in his head his Difficult Day, while the solid, reliable Piglet sat next to him quietly, swinging his little legs…he thought that his best friend had never been more right."

I share this post with you for one reason. Everyone, and I mean everyone, needs a piglet in their life. Someone they can talk to about anything or just have them sit with them for a minute. The power of presence is in full swing in this story. So, for you, our students and our staff, if you ever need a piglet, give me a call. I’d be happy to be your piglet, anytime. 

Mr. Janssen, Principal

We all knew the day was coming. No matter how much we prepared or said we were ready, Wednesday was Denise Balensiefen's last day at Midland Middle School. Denise was secretary for the Sparland Schools and then stayed on through the merger becoming the eyes and ears of this institution for 30 years. 

 

I remember my first meeting with Denise nearly seven years ago. I was living in SW Illinois and was going to be in the area visiting family as we prepared to move to this community. I had asked then Superintendent Mr. Sivertsen if I could stop by my office to tour the middle school and drop off a few things. He apparently forgot to warn Denise that I was coming. I'll never forget the moment I walked in with my wife and at that time, my 2 year old daughter. Denise was, as she usually was, a flutter of activity. She had her back to the door and when I walked in yelling "Good morning," she swung around, did a once over and forced a smile saying "How can I help you." She was thinking to herself, "whatever this guy is selling in a tote, I'm not interested and don't have the time. Nice touch with the wife and kid, though." I could feel her annoyance so I quickly introduced myself. That's when the Denise that we all know came out. She introduced herself, welcomed us to your community, whisked my daughter away looking for a snack and I knew in that moment, the transition was going to be okay. 

 

As we shared a moment on the morning of her last day as my secretary, I told Denise that everything I was able to accomplish here and integrate myself into the community was made easier because of her support. Denise knows everything, just ask her, and she knows everyone, just ask her. She is absolutely beloved by our staff. Our students, respected her more than anyone else in the building. She had that aura around her. Trust me, I've seen many a kid crumble when she told them she expected more of them and that she knows Grandma and will be calling her, lol. That is Denise. 

 

I tried for months, unsuccessfully, to have a public celebration for her to honor her. Denise had none of it. Several years ago, I honored Denise through the Regional Office of Education's "Salute to Excellence in Education." When I told her she was going to be honored, she laughed and said, "seriously, you did not." Denise told me she didn't need honored for just doing her job every day. We need more people like Denise in our world. This past spring, I gave Denise a special "Lifetime Achievement Award" at our 8th grade virtual promotion ceremony. If you didn't have a chance to see it, here it is. Denise had asked me not to do anything special for her as she retired. I begged her for a party to celebrate her, but in Denise fashion, she didn't want the spotlight. On Wednesday, she did her last upload of data to the state board of education, sent one last email and walked out. 

 

She doesn't have social media and she probably won't see this post, but if you happen to run into Denise around Lacon, skip the congratulations. Rather, tell her thank you for thirty years of amazing work and dedication to our community. She has rightly earned her retirement. We will miss her, but we hope trips and grand kids fill her time better now!

 

- Mr. Janssen

As you might have noticed on Friday, a newsletter went out from the Middle School. We did our first batch upload on Friday with information into the school website. I did the upload wrong, my bad, so not all of you may have gotten the message. If you're not sure if you're email is in the system, please call the school (463-8009) and have us fill it in for you! We'd be happy to get that added.

 

Communication is changing throughout the Midland District. We previously utilized a service called School Messenger to send all calls and emails out to parents. We recently found out our school website can do all of this for a fraction of the cost. It makes too much sense for Mr. Gauwitz for us not to begin the switch. So, eventually, we will make a full switch to our website's parent company, Edlio, for our communication.

 

Throughout the district, we have our goals of communicating more frequently to you through the site. By posting this today, I very well may have passed my total posts from last year. That simply wasn't good enough in my eyes for our community. I promise to be better. I will be posting several times a week regarding various issues and updates from the middle school. I will feature student work from time to time as well as part of our news stories. 

 

Also, we are will continue to utilize the weekly newsletter. My goal is at least, every other week. The newsletter will include several important dates and news articles or posts from me. 

 

You'll also notice less information flowing to social media. Posts that go to social media will often flow straight from our website. As a reminder, social media communication is preferred one way. The social media sites aren't always monitored throughout the day. We have missed questions, concerns and even student pick up changes due to messages or comments not being seen. Furthermore, we also know many in our community don't utilize social media. Posting only to social media leaves out a population who may not see what is going on in our community. Again, we can do better. 

 

Also, don't forget about our remind pages. I've included a link here for you to log into remind to receive homework updates by grade level and any breaking news from Mr. Janssen. Here is the link. 

 

One last communication piece I can't forget to mention. Recently, we discovered our website has an app! You can get it through both the Google Play Store or Apple Store. Search for School News by Edlio. After downloading the app, search for our school. Our calendar, news and posts and any alerts will come straight to your phone about your child's school. Pretty awesome, right?

 

As a reminder, our new phone number is 309-463-8009. You can also email me at [email protected] or contact our secretary at [email protected]. We are both more than happy to discuss any issue or help with any problem. 

 

We are always striving to do better. We believe that there is never a point we can't improve. We hope some of the communication changes that we are making, you will also feel more connected to your child's school. 

 

As always, there's a lot of great things going on at Midland Middle School, so stop in and see us sometime after the pandemic. Until then, it's a great day to be a Timberwolf!

 

- Mr. Janssen

We had a very successful in person week last week. I was proud of our students for how they handled the unique situation that we are currently dealing with. The staff has adjusted very well and I'm proud of their efforts. Remote learning is not something we take lightly. We need to remember, however, that this cannot and should not be similar to last spring.

 

Teachers have stepped up with more resources and direct instruction to help our remote students. We understand that as parents, you are not the teacher. Our staff has spent countless hours working with new technologies to deliver instruction regardless of where the student is. There will be bumps in the road. We know that. All we can do is smooth them out when we hit them so that it doesn't happen again.

 

Today's post is a reminder of remote learning guidelines and then to also share a few ideas of how to help your remote learner. First of all, keep in mind that remote learners will be graded as if they are attending school in person. If an assignment was due on Tuesday and was not handed in, it will be considered late and graded as such. If a student is having technology issues, please contact the school so that we can either help trouble shoot those issues or let the teachers know what is going on. Also, from time to time teachers will require students to log in for a Google meets. If the teacher requires the attendance, it can be graded and scored. If a student misses and didn't provide a reason for the miss that would follow our attendance guidelines, the student would then be scored as such. Finally, teachers are available from 2:30pm - 4:00pm Monday through Thursday and until 3:30pm on Fridays. They have created times during that period not only for answering student emails, but to also video chat with students. If your student is struggling, this would be the perfect time to have them check in to get the help they need. Furthermore, we've assigned classroom aides to check in with our remote learners. You might get tired of the constant checking in, but we want to ensure that we are meeting your child's needs.

 

Recently, Hank Thiele, Superintendent of District 99 in Downers grove, shared several tips for remote learners. This is good information and sage advice for anyone currently remote learning and for all of us should the need arise this school year. 

1. Find a spot for your child to learn and focus on the material. If multiple children are learning at home, find a different spot for each or earbuds for all. If doing a video meeting, consider separated spaces. 

2. Create and follow a daily schedule. Routines are highly encouraged including when the day starts, bathroom breaks, lunch breaks and other breaks throughout the day.

3. For younger students, help navigate them to their email or google classroom and show them what their tasks are for today. If they are older and can navigate themselves, have them go over with you what they need to complete for the day.

4. Don’t go to class with your kid or have siblings drop in (unless asked or invited). You wouldn’t if school was in-person. Give them their space to be a student and make mistakes. That is where the learning happens.

5. Be patient. This is completely new for everyone. 

6. Check out with your child each day. Ask specific questions about their learning experience and don't settle for "nothing."

 

I hope that clears up any questions with expectations and maybe gives you an idea to help your remote learner with the six tips. Remember, if you have any questions, please let us know.

 

Mr. Janssen

Hello Midland family,

 

As I type this update, the current wind chill is -2. I'm cold just sitting in the office. It's fitting then, that I  update you on the status of the Winter Survey that was given to the community during the district's parent - teacher conferences.

 

If you'll recall, we asked parents and guardians to take a brief survey. The survey was needed after we had such a rough winter last school year. January of 2019 will be remembered as the "we barely saw you" month for the school district. As a district team, we heard suggestions from the community about how we can avoid (if possible, who knows what Mother Nature has in store) the amount of days we've used in the past. We received over three hundred responses to the survey. This gave us great insight to what we can do as an administrative team to plan for in the future. 

 

One of the first questions discussed the idea of a two hour late start. 88% of the responses favored a late start. It was clear listening to some of the community that this was something we could embrace and implement immediately. We've used one late start already in October. Fun fact, did you realize it was colder on Halloween than on Christmas Day? Mother nature, man. The district has every intention of continuing to utilize a late start when necessary. 

 

The other part of the survey was information regarding an idea started by many schools around the state last year. The idea was called e - learning or alternative learning. When school was postponed due to weather, teachers would post homework and students would complete work. Attendance was taken by the teachers in a variety of ways. The student and the teacher would then be given credit for a day of attendance avoiding the need for additional days at the end of the school year. As many schools in our area utilized these days, I had several families discuss with me the potential of bringing alternative learning or e - learning to the Midland School District. 

 

Our survey revealed nearly 78% of our community favored utilizing e - learning or alternative learning days. That number made me confident enough to  move forward with a discussion with staff, administrators and the Midland Board of Education. I also spoke with districts in our area that utilized e - learning last year. 

 

In November, I attended conference sessions dedicated to e - learning. The more I learned, the more questions I had on our ability to launch e - learning this year. It was, in a word, overwhelming. I brought my information back to our administrative team and our board of education. I shared with them my concerns to make it work this school year. I also asked our district leadership team of teachers and administrators to look at e - learning.

 

Our goal is continue work out this problem. No, we will not utilize an e - learning day this year. However, we are hopeful that before the 2020 - 2021 school year, we will have a program in place that we feel comfortable with. Good programs take time. I'd much rather work on as many issues as we can before to ensure a smooth day, rather than rush into something that isn't beneficial to our students or staff. 

 

Thank you for reading and I hope you find warmth today. I have every intention of bumping up the office heat when Denise isn't looking. There are a lot of great things going on at Midland Middle School, so stop in and see us some time. Until that day, it's a great day to be a Timberwolf.

 

Mr. Janssen

Welcome to fall! It is very blustery today, so please drive careful. 

 

Parent - Teacher conferences are tonight and Thursday night. Midland Middle School will be asking parents in attendance to fill out two surveys. I will include the links to the surveys within this post so that you can fill them out before you arrive, should you choose to do so. These surveys are also available on our school website at mms.midland-7.net.

 

The first survey we'd like you to fill out is a needs assessment survey. Next year, Midland Middle School will be receiving new federal and state dollars. As part of receiving those funds, we need to take a look at what we need to improve in our building. This is where you come in. If you could take a few minutes to fill in this needs assessment, we would be grateful. The results of this survey will be shared at our next PTO/Parent Advisory meeting in January. 

 

The second survey is a winter weather survey. Last year, schools throughout the Midwest burned through their emergency snow days and had to extend the calendar. Some schools sought alternatives to the normal day and prevent having to add so many days to the calendar. These alternative days included late starts. This is something that the Midland District did try last year and we'd like your feedback on it. Also, schools tried alternative learning days or e-learning days. 

 

An alternative learning day is an opportunity for students to be able to learn without being in session. The district will still be able to claim the day and no additional days would need to be added to the calendar. Students would be assigned work through their Google Classroom. Students, particularly in the upper middle school and high school, would need access to internet to be able to receive the work. However, students who don't, will not be punished. Any students who does not have internet would be given the work prior if possible, or more than likely, after they return to school. They would have a certain amount of time to complete the task for it to count towards their attendance. While there are details that would need to continue to be worked out, the Midland administrative team would like your feedback. We'd like to know if alternative days or e-learning days are something you'd support the Midland district utilizing. This survey will gather some of your thoughts. 

 

Both surveys are very short and should only take a few minutes to complete. If you have any questions, please contact me and I'd be happy to talk to you more about either survey. Again, thank you for your time to read this post and to fill in the surveys. 

 

Have a great day and I hope to see all of you this week at conferences!

 

Mr. Janssen, Principal

 

 

In today's 21st century school, technology and communication are critically important. Here at the Middle School we have our own Facebook page that we post to regularly. However, for more detailed classroom information, our building has started to embrace Twitter. 

 

Many of our teachers are tweeting daily. They are telling the story of their classroom. In most cases they are tweeting images of students working, awesome work completed by students or happy times with students. It's quick and simple to use. Staff can share a quick image or a few words from their room and move on without much effort. 

 

In the past two years our district has embraced Twitter. We even have our own hashtag. If you are not familiar with Twitter, a hashtag is a way to link messages of similar content. For example, if you wanted to follow information regarding Education you could do a Twitter search for #education. Midland CUSD #7 created their own hashtag. If you are on Twitter you can search for #twolves7pride. When staff post to their classroom Twitter, they regularly use this hashtag. 

 

I've attached several links for your viewing. One link is all of our Middle School Twitter handles to follow. The next link is a how to for Twitter if you are interested in starting your own Twitter account. If you're not interested, please check out our Middle School Website. On the main page of our website is a copy of the tweets sent from desk @principaltwolf. Give me a follow and I hope to tweet with you soon! 

 

 

With winter really digging in it is important for us to have the right phone numbers in Skyward. When we do an all call the phone numbers are pulled directly from Skyward. Many times when a call is not received it is because a phone number was changed, but not updated in Skyward. Parents, if you have changed numbers since registration please log into Skyward and update your number. If you can't access Skyward, please call Denise in the office. You can leave her a message if she's not at her desk. 

 

Also, in the event we need to reach parents for a delay, early release or cancellation we will not only do an all call, we will also post to our social media sites, post on our website and we will utilize the Middle School Remind accounts to keep parents updated. If you've never logged into our Remind accounts please see the attached below. If you've never logged into Skyward, please call Denise or myself in the office and we will help you get set up.