Geneseo Middle School Parent Blog

It is hard to believe the end of the school year is here. To download our final newsletter, please clicke here.

Spring is here and we hope that everyone enjoys their spring break.  To download the April newsletter, please click here.

Geneseo Middle School is a beautiful facility with a significant amount of grounds and landscaping. Other than mowing, the grounds are kept beautiful by the hard work of teachers and students. Every spring, for 8 to noon on a Saturday, staff and students get together for a grounds day. This is the chance to beautify our school while also having fun. Details will be given through announcements, but plan on May 2nd as grounds day.

Our new march newsletter is posted for everyone to view. To download a copy of it, please click here.

Tonight is the Music in Our Schools concert. Everyone did a fantastic job and the concert was enjoyed by several people. Kudos to the performers and directors.

During the week of July 6-10, 2009, the Geneseo CUSD #228 Maintenance Department will be doing their regularly scheduled weed control treatment to all of the District’s grounds.  However, there will be an additional treatment administered the week of spring break – April 6-9, 2009. This weed treatment will be around all of the fences at our baseball fields and other school grounds, as needed. Pursuant to our Integrated Pest Management Policy and the Lawn Care Products Application and Notice Act you are hereby notified of application schedules for pesticides to the school buildings and grounds during the summer months.

If the weather does not permit the treatment outdoors, it will be done on the next day that weather does allow treatment.  Substantial rain or wind would cause treatment to be postponed to the next day.

If you have any questions, please call the Unit Office (945-0450).

To download the official letter, please click here.

Attention 8th grade parents, if you were selected for biology and would like your child in Quality Core biology, please sign up for the highest biology class you want (biology or Quality Core biology). Future Explore scores will help the high school with final placements.

Please click here to download the February newsletter

The start of the New Year brings excitement and interest to several of us. Thoughts of what the New Year holds and what to expect swims in our minds. In the middle school, those same feelings and thoughts hold true. With the New Year, we are developing plans for our testing and preparing eighth graders for their high school course requests. Several significant events will occur during the second semester.

To begin with, orientation for next year’s freshmen will be held on February 2nd in the high school auditorium at 7:00 p.m. This informational meeting will instruct parents and students on the requirements and opportunities at the high school. It is strongly encouraged for anyone with a current 8th grader to attend this meeting. The information gathered from this meeting will help parents with the course request process.

On February 3rd and 4th, Geneseo Middle School counselors will be in 8th grade classrooms explaining to students the actual course request process. The counselors will be there to help inform students and prepare them for registration. The actual course requests for next year’s freshmen will be done during the school day on February 11th and 12th. This process will be done with the help of several staff members. Should any 8th graders be absent that day, please see Mrs. Ward in our counseling department to receive absentee registration details.

On March 31st, 8th grade students will take the EXPLORE test. The EXPLORE test is developed by ACT and provides some critical information. For the high school and middle school, we are able to take the EXPLORE scores and analyze the effectiveness of our curriculum and instruction. We use this data as a whole to measure our work and make necessary adjustments to ensure maximum student success. The individual scores from the EXPLORE test are used to help make informed recommendations for student placements into high school courses. Although it is not the only indicator for student placement, it is one that we use to confirm and ensure proper class selection. For parents, this information gives a picture of several items. First, the EXPLORE test will give a glimpse of a possible future ACT score. Secondly, the EXPLORE test will show your child’s areas of success and areas for improvement. This component to the test is of great help to the parents wanting to talk and work with their child to improve their academic performance. Finally, the EXPLORE test will show the student’s area of interest while also showing the areas where they might be most successful in their future career choice. As one can see, the EXPLORE test provides a plethora of information for students, parents, and school faculty.

Please talk with your student about the classes they are going to choose. It is always best to place students in challenging classes while still being realistic with the student’s ability level. High school is an amazing experience filled with opportunity for growth as an adult and as an individual. The middle school experience is built to prepare students for success and nurture their growth. The high school experience will lend more to allowing the students to be more independent in their learning. It is important that students take ownership for their grades, learning, and monitoring their progress. When selecting electives, please carefully consider the classes chosen for your future freshman.

As always, our high school and middle school counseling staff is willing to help answer questions and be of any assistance necessary. Our goal is to make the transition as easy as possible while maintaining that the students are placed in the best position for high school success.

Today we are at GHS for the GMS Wrestling Invitational.  This is a very large wrestling meet that is very well attended and organized.  Thank you to all of our volunteers who helped to make this possible.  It is a great meet for several students.