OLIVET MIDDLE SCHOOL

ANNUAL REPORT

2005 - 2006

 

Principal:  Mark Bensinger                                                                                                 Date: July 21, 2006

 

I.       School Improvement

Our school improvement team will be much more active this year as our school improvement plan expires in 2006. Over the summer K-5 teachers from FPE and OMS gathered to begin the school improvement process. Much of the 6-8 framework will reflect that designed by K-5 to bring more continuity in form and function to the developing plans. Over the last year we have been analyzing assessment data to improve academic achievement. Analyzing data is the easy part. Putting that into action is what will be difficult.

 

Although the school improvement plan is still in the early stages, evidences of need based on data and observations will lead us to closely examine the following:

 

1.      Improving school culture and professional learning.

2.      Establish committees focused on learning the new school improvement rubrics, and writing the new school improvement plans.

3.      Improve writing across the grade spans, which will begin with implementing the Write Traits writing resource, and increasing the amount and level of writing taking place in the content areas.

4.      Complete and coordinate common assessments within content areas.

5.      Continue to work towards full implementation of best practice literacy instruction 4-8.

 

II.     Student Count

                                                  Fall Count           Winter Count         End of Year

Grade 4                                            110                         107                      108

Grade 5                                            116                         113                      113

Grade 6                                            113                         110                      111

Grade 7                                            106                           99                      101

Grade 8                                            108                         106                      107

Total                                                553                         535                      540

 

We started out the 2005-2006 school year with an enrollment of 551 students (enrollment was 554 at the beginning of the 2004-2005 school year).  At the end of this school year, the total number of students was 540, which is 11 less than the end of the previous school year.

 

III.    Unsuccessful Students  -

 

Students with 2 or more semester Es for 2005-2006

                                                                              1st Semester                   2nd Semester        

Class of 2014 (4th Grade)                                       3                                4

Class of 2013 (5th Grade)                                       2                                4

Class of 2012 (6th Grade)                                       3                                8

Class of 2011 (7th Grade)                                       4                                6

Class of 2010 (8th Grade)                                    13                             21

Focus area for improvement!
 
         Retained: 0

 

 

 

IV.    Behavior Analysis

            

 

V.      Parent/Teacher Conference Attendance

                                                                              October 2005                   March 2006

4th – 5th Grades                                                          96.5%                              96.5%

6th – 8th Grades                                                          48.5%                              39%   

Average Attendance                                                72.5%                              67.75%

 

Average Parent/Teacher conference attendance for the 4th – 8th grades for the 2005 – 2006 school year was 70%.

 

VI.    Average Daily Attendance

 

2005-2006   2004-2005   2004-2003     2003-2002       2002-2001       2001-2000       2000-1999

    94.3%           94.7%         97.6%               96.8%               96%               96%              96.2%

 

VII.   Highlights of 2005-2006

It is with pleasure that I present some of the data informing us of the accomplishments and highlighting some of the challenges we face at Olivet Middle School as we work to make our good school excellent.

 

         MEAP Scores:

      

Focus area for school improvement.
 
           

 

         

 

          

 

         

 

        

         NWEA:

This was our first year implementing NWEA testing in the middle school.  We tested our students in February to get baseline scores established.    We also recently tested all of our 8th grade students in Math to assist us in making placement recommendations to the high school for next year.  This summer, we have scheduled a few students to take the NWEA math and science assessments for advanced placement purposes.  We will test twice in 2006-2007, once at the start of the school year and again towards the end of the school year.

 

An example of the data that this program provides:

   

We are only beginning to take advantage of the many benefits provided by having such a powerful assessment and data analysis tool at our fingertips.

 

School Culture:

As a team we have worked hard to improve the student culture and we are making significant progress.  The amount of vandalism was almost zero last year in the middle school, we have implemented an intensive study room, in addition to our homework room, to help chronically failing students, and realigned many processes and staffing assignments to best utilize the strengths of our staff members. Although this will forever be a work in progress, I continue to her encouraging stories from students who have had difficult experiences in other schools across the state find success and acceptance in our school. Our staff, character program, and Love and Logic really make a difference.

 

Our staff culture is also improving.  We are made up of a very diverse group of teachers and, as expected, this continues to be an area we will work on. 

 

Class Sizes:

Looking at student projections for next year, we are dropping back to 4 sections of 4th grade, maintaining 5 sections of 5th grade, increasing to 5 sections in the 6th and 7th grades and maintaining 4 sections in the 8th grade.  This will keep our class sizes in the low – mid 20s.

 

Departmentalization:

The 4th and 5th grade teachers worked very had and successfully implemented departmentalization this year. This truly takes a team effort and requires collaboration, flexibility, and communication to make it work.  The 4-5 team worked out a plan, implemented it, and I am happy to report that it was a very successful experience for all involved.  As a result, we will be departmentalizing for the 2006-2007 school year as well.  This is a fantastic way for teachers to teach within their areas of strength and interest.

 

Elimination of Block and Teaming:

Elimination of Block and Teaming has been difficult for everyone, and many miss it dearly. As a group, the faculty has adapted and is making progress in getting used to teaching in a seven period day. Should the economy improve, the middle school would welcome an opportunity to fully, completely, and effectively implement a Middle School Teaming model back into the schedule.

 

Staff Changes for 2006-2007:

Marie Brownell is moving to Georgia

Brad Olmstead – moving from 5th grade to 6th Social Studies and 7th Health

Kim Faulkner – reduced to 5/7th

New - Suzie Murphy – MS assistant secretary

New – Amber Roper – Long-term substitute for Kim, and 3/7-choir teacher

New – Holly Harrison – 7th Math and 8th ELA

New – Jodi Ackerman – 7th Science and 6th ELA

 

All of our recent hires come to us highly recommended, and possessing, we believe, the poise, character, attitude, work ethic, love of children, and skills to do great things within our team. I am extremely pleased to have the opportunity to hire such fine individuals.

 

Suzie Murphy has worked in our district as a substitute secretary and covered for Michelle while she was out. Suzie has two 8th graders and a 6th grader in our school. During the time she has worked with the school she has proven herself a capable professional that will enhance our capacity in the middle school.

 

Amber Roper lives in Lansing and is currently pursuing her Masters Degree in Music Education from the University of Michigan.  Amber has a wide variety of experience in directing music and teaching voice. She formerly taught for three years at Vicksburg middle and high school She has a great amount of energy, is a good communicator and has a great love of music. 

 

Holly Harrison grew up in Westphalia and recently graduated from Central Michigan University.  She is poised, capable and willing to put in the necessary work to become an exemplary teacher.  She comes highly recommended by all of her previous employers, professors and colleagues. 

 

Jodi Ackerman graduated from Olivet College in 1999.  She has taught in Battle Creek, Marshall, Maple Valley and most recently, has been substitute teaching in our middle school.  Jodi has a plethora of excellent positive experiences working with children and our school staff. She is fun, hardworking, enthusiastic, and loves middle school students. 

 

VIII. 2006-2007 Leadership Goals:

I look forward to concentrating my efforts on a limited number of goals so I can stay focused. 

 

1.       To connect, understand, listen, weigh and respond, at a personal level, to the problems and concerns of others, and to apply the right approach. Learning to be more patient is a core element of this.

2.       Continue to learn organizational dynamics and focus on Marzano’s second order change behaviors (shake up the status quo, expect some things to seem worse before they get better, propose new ideas, operate from strong beliefs, tolerate ambiguity and dissent, talk research and theory, create explicit goals for change and define success in terms of goals) to continue to raise the bar at OMS.

3.       To become more comfortable and consistent with applying and engaging in the correct processes, discussions, decisions, and difficult tasks needed to improve this school over the long term. The position of Principal is, first and foremost, to improve the learning environment for children; even when that is personally difficult, potentially unpopular, and certainly uncomfortable at times. 

4.       To set in place the processes and provide the support necessary to improve literacy instruction in the Middle School.