Dear Parents and Students,
As the vacation days wane and the school days loom, it is time to start getting ready for a new year of genuine commitment to quality education for our students. We are well prepared and will be counting on our parents to be our active partners working jointly in the best interests of your children, our students. As expectations continue to rise, our belief that every child can reach the goals that we set for her and him remains constant. In the middle school years, this includes a strong emphasis on social, as well as academic skills. As always, we will be stressing the Pikesville Way as a standard of behavior for everyone in being respectful, responsible, cooperative, and accountable. With our exceptional staff, we will again provide an educational experience of the highest quality, focusing on every child as an individual.
We have seen time and time again that the children who gain the most from their education are those whose parents get involved and work cooperatively with our school. By doing so, you send a very clear message to your child about the importance of education and the value you place on their education, in particular. You also gain important insights about what is happening in our school and all of the many opportunities that are daily available for you and your child that can contribute to his or her ongoing success. Easy ways to accomplish this include going over homework together, going through your child’s notebook together and talking about what she or he is learning, being in touch with your child’s teachers, attending Back to School Night, PTA functions and parent conferences, insist that your child reads at least twenty minutes a day and make sure that it is being done, and definitely join our PTA and become an active member. We have a wonderful parent community and you owe it to yourself to get involved and get to know more of them. Pikesville Middle School wants you and needs you!! We are deeply grateful to have Mrs. Beth Gray return as our PTA President.
With sincere appreciation for her tireless dedication and service to our school community, we said good-bye to Ms. Stephanie Lawrence, our sixth grade Assistant Principal, this summer, as she chose to return to high school. In her place, and working with our seventh grade class next year, we graciously welcome Ms. Chanta’ Booker as our new Assistant Principal. Ms. Booker has had experience in both middle school and high school and is very enthusiastic about her new assignment, as are we.
You will see that this newsletter is full of valuable information for the entire school year. Please read through it carefully, let us know if you have any questions, and save the relevant pages and sections for reference throughout the year. As a reminder, all students should be completing the summer reading assignments that were given out . If your child lost his or her copy, it is available in our office or on our website at www.pikesvillems.org . Language Arts teachers will be collecting the assignments in the first week that students return to school. Also, future parent newsletters will all be published on our website for easy access and reference. If you want a hard copy, you will be able to contact the school and we will gladly provide one.
We are certainly looking forward to working with you as a team, together focused on the success of your children, our students. Enjoy the rest of your summer!
Newsletters:
August, 2008
November, 2008