On January 15th, 2009 the SOMS school psychologists and guidance counselors were on hand for the PTA meeting to give a presentation on 'The Middle School Years'.  It was a continuation of a coffee-chat that was given to parents in the fall.  Julianna Michael and Steve Sawitsky (School Psychologists) and Trish Iannucci, Siobhan Maiorano and Karen Martin (Guidance Counselors) were on hand to discuss the new behaviors, thoughts and actions that parents could expect from their children as they enter middle school.  The presentation began with a quick movie to introduce the information, and then a PowerPoint presentation was given by all the members.  The information was also recorded onto a podcast, which followed the presentation.

Assessment Schedule for 2009/2010                      

SOMS Guidance Staff 2009/2010

Programs and Services

Individual Counseling

Meeting individually with a guidance counselor is an option for every SOMS student. Counselors can offer insight and assistance to students in areas related to academic concerns, friends, school, family, and more. Counselors send out passes to meet with all students periodically throughout the year. However, if a problem arises, don’t wait for a pass! Come to the guidance office and make an appointment to speak with your counselor. Parents are encouraged to contact their child’s guidance counselor at any time to discuss their concerns and to request their child have an appointment with their counselor.

Group Counseling

A variety of counseling groups are offered through the guidance department. Group counseling provides a unique learning opportunity for students that can help them develop strategies and coping skills to better handle problems they may encounter at school or at home. The groups are facilitated by counselors and allow students the opportunity to discuss issues affecting them with their peers in a safe environment. Groups are based on students’ interests and concerns and include:

• Family Changes (separation, divorce, remarriage)

• Bereavement

• Social Skills and Friendship

• Academic Success Skills
   

Classroom Guidance Lessons

Guidance Counselors visit classrooms throughout the school year to deliver various character education lessons. During your child’s 8th grade year, counselors also visit classrooms to discuss scheduling for TZHS. Group discussions and activities in the classroom are also facilitated when teachers and administration feel that it would be beneficial to the students.

Response to Intervention Program

Students sometimes have difficulty achieving success in courses, finals, etc. at the middle school level. We have a program called Response to Intervention (RTI). The team of teachers, the student, the parent, and the guidance counselor will create a plan to address the needs of the student. Each plan will be customized based on the individual student’s needs and will be coordinated by an RTI teacher. Parents will meet with counselors to review the plan. Our goal is to increase student success. There is a direct correlation between student success in middle school and their future success in high school; therefore, the time for change is now. Additional information will be distributed to the family if any student who needs this type of help. Please contact your child’s guidance counselor for additional information.

Peer Tutoring

8th graders who earned exceptional honors each quarter during 7th grade are invited to become Peer Tutors. Guidance counselors conduct a workshop at the beginning of the year to help prepare 8th grade students to tutor. Tutors are available in all subjects for all grade levels. Tutors also work with students on organizational skills, time management, and goal setting. Students receive Peer Tutoring services through referrals by teachers, counselors, or an administrator. This is also an academic intervention service through the Response to Intervention program.

Transition from Grade 8 (SOMS) to Grade 9 (TZHS)

The SOMS and TZHS Guidance Departments work together to make sure your child's transition from Middle to High School is smooth. See Transition from Grade 8 to Grade 9 for details.

Absentee Assignment Policy

In the event of an extended absence due to illness, please call the Guidance Office at 680-1106 to request assignments. The Guidance secretaries will be happy to put out a homework request for your child. Teachers have 24 hours from the time of request to submit assignments for pick up. Parents/Guardians can pick up these assignments in the Guidance Office. The student needs to be absent at least two school days in order for a formal request to be honored.

Assignments will not be provided in advance if a student is taking extended vacation time. In the case of a brief period of absenteeism, students should call a classmate for assignments. There is a page available in the student handbook to place classmates’ phone numbers for each subject area. Students are encouraged to have at least two contacts per subject area written in their student handbook from the start of the school year. Parents/Guardians should check their child’s student handbook to ensure their child obtained this information.

Weekly Progress Report Policy
Weekly Progress Report Contract

Weekly Progress Reports are available for those students who are failing, or are in danger of failing more than one subject area.  Progress reports can be requested by the parent/guardian, teacher, and/or counselor.  

In an effort to promote student responsibility for their own school work, we have enforced a specific policy on weekly reports, if requested.  Please be advised that weekly reports should be no means take the place of the student’s responsibility to write assignments in their student handbook nightly.  They are also not meant for students to make up a week’s worth of work over a weekend.

If a report is requested, the guidance department now enforces time frames for weekly reports to be obtained, by grade level:

If the parent/guardian is still not seeing progress, they should contact their child’s guidance counselor.  Together, they will set up different strategies that could be helpful in their child’s success in school. 

Should a weekly progress report be requested, the parent/guardian should pick up a “Weekly Progress Report Contract,” available in the Guidance Office.  This contract explains the responsibilities of the Guidance Counselor, Teacher, Parent and Student in this process, as well as information on how the reports will be picked up weekly.  In order for weekly progress reports to begin (for the time frame allotted per grade level) this contract must be signed.  Your child’s counselor will be happy to further explain this contract. 
 

Assessment Schedule for the 2009/2010 School Year

NYS English Language Arts (ELA) Assessment
Grade 6 will test on three consecutive days.  Grades 7 and 8 will test on two consecutive days.

Grade 6
The Grade 6 English Language Arts Assessment is divided in three days and consists of three parts.  On day 1, students will complete a reading comprehension section.  On Day 2, students will complete 3 short response and 1 extended response questions after listening to a passage read by the proctor.  Finally, on Day 3, students will complete reading passages and complete 3 short response and 1 extended response questions.

Grade 7
The Grade 7 English Language Arts Assessment is divided into two days and consists of three parts. On day 1, students will complete reading selections and answer 26 multiple-choice questions and 2 short response questions.  On Day 2, students will complete 4 multiple-choice questions and 2 short-response questions after listening to a passage read by the proctor.  Students will also complete an editing section, where they will be required to edit a paragraph.

Grade 8
The grade 8 English Language Arts Assessment is divided into two days and consists of three parts.  Students take parts 1 and 2 on the first day, and part 3 the second.  The test consists of 25 multiple-choice questions, 6 short-response items, 2 extended response items and 1 composition.  Students are tested in the areas of reading, writing and listening.

NYS Mathematics Assessment
The Math Assessment (on all three grade levels) is administered on two consecutive days called sessions.

Grade 6
During Session 1, students will answer 25 multiple-choice questions.  In Session 2 of the test, students will answer 6 Short response and 4 extended response questions.

Grade 7
During Session 1, students will answer 30 multiple-choice questions.  In Session 2, students will answer 4 short response, and 4 extended response questions.

Grade 8
During Session 1, students will answer 27 multiple-choice questions, and extended response questions that require higher level thinking.  In Session 2 of the test, students will answer 12 written questions that involve multi-level thinking.

NYS Science Assessment  (Performance and Written) - Grade 8

The Grade 8 Science Written Assessment contains multiple choice, short response, and extended response questions.  The Performance test (given prior to the Written Assessment) will assess student skills in using hands-on equipment and materials.

NYS Social Studies Assessment - Grade 8

The Grade 8 Social Studies Assessment is given on two consecutive days.  Students will be required to answer multiple choice, short answer and essay questions. They will also be required to analyze a Document Based Question (DBQ).  Students will not only need to know information, but also how to interpret and analyze that information.