December 2012

Greetings Parents,

I hope this finds you well. As we move into the holiday season, we at Mott Hall IV Middle School would like to take the time to wish you and your family a Happy Holiday Season!! We know the past few weeks have been extremely difficult with trying to recover from Hurricane Sandy, but there is a fortitude within us that will not allow us to give up, no matter what we have to face. Over the past couple of weeks we have had some exciting things happening at the school that we would like to share.

 First, we would like to thank all of the Parents who came out to attend the Scholar Led conferences. We had a 94% participation rate and 98% of parents who completed the survey about the conferences felt they were very successful.  Parents loved how students were able to communicate their goals, explain their portfolio work, speak to their grades, and demonstrate accountability. We also recently held our first 25 Book campaign benchmark for those students who have already read at least five books. Those students were treated to a book club celebration and were allowed to share out with their peers and myself, what they read, what they learned, and what they are currently reading. It was extremely inspiring to see their love for reading and how it has become a daily routine for their life. They are reading books that are far beyond what I was reading at their age and that speaks directly to their intellectual capacity and drive.  And finally, Mott Hall IV held their first Student Government Association speeches this Friday in front of the entire student body and staff in the auditorium. The student candidates that are running for office were poised, confident, articulate, and spoke with conviction. We were extremely proud of their public speaking abilities, persuasive devices utilized, and connection to the audience. We look forward to announce to you all next week who the winners are.

We are offering quite a few incentive programs to students who exemplify the 7 core values of the school.  We have recently announced our new Honor Roll list. Those students are on their way to Washington D.C. in June with the 25 Book campaign students. The new criteria for Honor Roll is 85 overall GPA and above with at least and 80 in their Core Content Area classes. Students who maintain at least a 90 average specifically in their Core Content Area courses or above for EVERY marking period will potential be traveling to Disney World in Orlando, Florida at the end of the year. We are trying to show students that when you work hard, you are rewarded and teach them to fully live the core values. With that said also, many students have abused the Friday dress down, so we will be suspending that until further notice.  Students are to wear their full uniforms until they are otherwise instructed. Any violation of that will result in disciplinary actions as stipulated in the student handbook. When the collective student body demonstrates they can wear the uniform properly, they may earn the dress down Friday back and you will be notified by the school in writing.

In academic news, by now you should have received the student data sheets that illustrate where your child is in every academic area. One area of focus is the Star Reading Data. We will be utilizing that data to group students in their reading groups beginning this Monday. Students will remain with their groups for six (6) weeks and then be retested to see if their reading level has increased, and if so, they will be moved to the next group they score at. Before students go home for the break, they will take the same test they took at the beginning of the year to determine if they have improved from then. In alignment with the common core standards, students Performance Test are due in many of their classes before they go home for the break as well. Please work with them to ensure they are quality and completed as directed. If students need extra assistance in any content area, they may stay after school for tutorials and/ or attend Saturday Academy, which is EVERY Saturday from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm (except during breaks). Finally !! We have received our brand new computer lab; it was setup on Friday and we are excited to offer this as a resource to students, teachers, and parents.

We have completed the schools goals for the 2012- 2013 school year and would love to share them with you this Wednesday, December 19, 2012 at the monthly PTA meeting. We are asking that you please come out and support the PTA, hear about what’s happening at the school, and learn more about how you can help out your child and the school. Thank you to the parents who came out to BREAKFAST WITH THE PRINCIPAL on Saturday, December 15, 2012 and we look forward to seeing more of you.  Again, thank you for all that you do to assist the school in providing your child/children with an excellent education.

Best,

Dr. Thomas McBryde Jr.

Principal, Mott Hall IV

“The journey is just as important as the destination” – Evelyn K. Dudley

Honor Roll

First Marking Period

6^th Grade

Miriam Douglas

Timothy Batties

Alexy Maurice

Nile Woodruff

Noel Toppin

Shaniece Wilkins

Azyia Wilson

CharLee Johnson

Josuel Santos

Mark Barrett Jr.

Isaiah Hackett

Latonia Nicholls

Dennise McCalmon

Anthony Keitt

Dynasty Sumpter

7^th Grade

Aminata Minte

Xaimara Martinez Colon

Peter Ngaba

Thalia English

Trinity Knights

Kenisha Soleyn

Wayne Ewing

Miriam Salami

Jerrod Williams

Ediriverere Akpofure

Jahnyah Catlyn

Tanahj St Hilaire

Skyler Smith

Skye Cacho

Hannah Brito Gby

Jaki Bailey

Anayah Bland

Damani Luces

Jelani Eversley

Naclauja Nembhard

Brianna Gravenhise

Kimbi Hennis

Aleme Mondesir

Shamia Williams

Jeremiah O’Hara

Jacinth Bailey

8^th Grade

Althea Lawrence

Kiara Pointer

Aziza Daniel

Kaylan Boswell

Trenisa Gonzales

Tyrese Gaffney

Kayla Alexander

Alexis Williams

Ashley Venture

Dale Moffit

Justina Mulzac

Jehryl Richards

Takia Hall

Zakiya Stimpson

Belle Hall

Destin Bernavil

Stacey Washington

Kuzari Jocelyn

Quamel Lewis

Racheal Nyarko

Kevin Dutervil

Marques Palmer

Kaylyn King

Jasmin Gill

Olithia Roach

Kayla King

Sonia Krou

Briana Olivera

Weynde Tine

Tianah King

Paris Guadeloupe

Joselle Tash

Nidasia Leonard

Nicholas Lee

Destiny Sumpter

Niko Harris

Victoria Gonzales

Re: Study Island

Study Island, an online standards mastery and test preparation program was purchased by the school for all students.  We would like you to encourage your child to use the program at home in order to strengthen his or her learning. Please follow the given information, in order to access this program successfully at home.

User Name: student’s OSIS Number.MHIV  e.g. 708653621.MHIV

Password: motthall4

If your child does not know his or her OSIS Number, please contact the school and we will send home the OSIS number with your child.  Thank you for your cooperation.