ISTEP+ 2014

February 25, 2014

Dear Parents/Guardians,

It is hard to believe that the first section of state testing begins in two weeks.  Starting on Wednesday, March 12, 2014, students will take the first phase (Applied Skills) of ISTEP+ testing.  We will test at Kesling on Wednesday (3/12) and Thursday (3/13) in grades 6-8.  Sixth grade students must take the Science ISTEP+ exam and seventh grade students must take the Social Studies ISTEP+ exam.  The second part of ISTEP+ 2014 ( Multiple Choice) will begin on April 28, 2014 and end on May 9, 2014.  The following are important items regarding testing that will help you child be more successful:

*  Please make sure your child gets plenty of rest starting on Sunday.

*  Please make sure your child eats breakfast.

*  Please make sure your child is in attendance each day during ISTEP+ testing.  We ask that  you reschedule any appointments that will interfere with testing.

*  Please discuss wiith your child the importance of doing his or her best on the ISTEP+exam.

*  Please visit our school web page or the Indiana Department of Education website for practice ISTEP+ questions and other helpful hints for your child to be successful on the ISTEP+ 2014 exam.

*  You can work with your child at home using both Acuity and Study Island via the internet.  Students just have to log-in using his or her username and passwords.  The Acuity website is as follows:  www.acuityathome.com. 

The results of the ISTEP+ exam will be  used to determine how we can help all students who attend Kesling Middle School achieve academic success.

Please do not hesitate to contact me by phone (219)362-7507, or by e-mail bwilmsen@lpcsc.k12.in.us, if you have any questions regarding your child's education at Kesling Middle School.  Thank you for all that you do to help your child be successful in school.

Respectfully,

Bill Wilmsen

Principal, Kesling Middle School

Kesling Academic ICU Program

During the 2013-2014 school year we have worked very hard as a staff to hold students accountable for their own learning. We are very excited about the implementation of the next step in the process of having students take ownership for what they need to complete to be successful in school. We have named this program the Kesling Academic ICU program. ICU stands for "Intensive Care Unit." In this case, the student’s academic grade is in need of intensive care to become academically healthy. In the next few weeks, we will start a data base tracking system where all staff will input student missing assignments into the ICU data base. Once the assignment is entered into the system, parents will get an automated e-mail or text message from the teacher letting them know what assignment is missing. Parents will get a second e-mail or text message once the assignment has been completed. In addition, we will be implementing various opportunities before school, during school, and after school, to place the supports needed to give students additional help to become academically healthy. Students who have multiple assignments missing may be excluded from attending after school functions, Fun Nights, or participating in extra-curricular activities until the student is taken off the ICU list by completing the missing work that is considered quality work by the teacher. We believe the implementation of the Kesling Academic ICU program will help all students become proficient in the Indiana Academic Standards in all subject areas. Please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher, a counselor, or administrator, regarding the ICU program.

WORK ETHIC

The Work Ethic program was developed to inform students of the characteristics that are valued by potential employers.
This program is voluntary, and encourages the traits and habits that are often looked at by employers when they are considering hiring a person. Participants are expected to do community service, have good attendance and good behavior, and show responsibility, cooperation, punctuality and respect for others. 

The hope is that the program will help students develop the habits needed to be a good employee, and, at the same time, help them set and reach goals for achievement in school.  Students who fulfill all of the requirements of the program will receive a certificate at the awards ceremony in May.

IMPORTANT DATES:

September 26:   Meeting to inform students about the program

October 3:   Deadline for turning in Intent-to-Participate forms (signed by parent and student)

January 17:   Deadline for submitting minimum of 3 hours of verified Community Service

March 21:   Deadline for submitting any additional hours of Community Service

After the January deadline, we will begin to review records to determine if students are still eligible in the areas of grades, attendance and discipline. In late March or early April we will begin the process of evaluation of students by teachers in the areas of punctuality, respectfulness, teamwork, and organization. The students will have a deadline to meet at this time. (This deadline will be announced later.)

Students who expressed an interest were given a parent information flyer in which the program was explained more specifically.

New School Colors!

The school board has approved for both middle schools to change their school colors to match the high school. The reasons for the change are for parents and students to save money purchasing items that will be black and orange, community cohesiveness from both middle schools using the same color, and for our school corporation to align with other DAC schools that have colors the same from middle to high school. The process for change will take approximately five years to complete. So, there will be a transition time that will include some things being blue and gold for a few years and new items, clothing, or uniforms purchased from now on being changed to the black and orange. We appreciate your patience in this transition time period and if you have any other questions contact an administrator at Kesling Middle School.

GenerationOn

Congratulations to Cindy Ault, Margie Hawkins and the KMS Student Council with the assistance of Carolyn Redlarczyk and all Kesling Staff for being recognized as a GenerationOn School for the 2012-2013 school year. Thank you for all of your hard work and dedication in helping students understand compassion towards others through the various service learning projects during the school year.

Homework Help

Where:  Room 31 (Read 180)

When:  Tuesday & Thursday

Time:  2:45 to 3:30

Who:  All Kesling Students!

Needed: Homework or Class Project, Textbook, Paper & Pen/Pencil

Rides should be prearranged and at Kesling promply at 3:30!

As families go shopping for school clothes, we want to make sure that all parents and students are aware of some changes to the Kesling student dress code.  The two biggest problems we have had regarding student dress is shorts and skirts that are too short and the wearing of pants and shorts that sag and not secure around the waist.  Therefore, the following changes have been made to the Kesling handbook.

Students wearing skirts or dresses (if shorter than the knees) to school must have on leggings (not shorts) under the garment.  The length of any shorts worn to school must be at the mid thigh of the student.  Any shirts worn to school must have sleeves.  Pants must be of appropriate size that match the stature of the individual and must be worn at the waist. NO holes in pants between the waist and knees.

We appreciate everyone following the student dress code, as it will be strictly enforced.  Students will be asked to change clothes to meet the dress code guidelines.  Working together as a team, we are confident that the dress code will be followed and that this will be another great year at Kesling.

From the IDOE for the 2013-14 School Year: 2 Varicella Vaccines for students in grades K-12

This is a change for students in grades 3, 4, and 5. Physician documented history of disease will be required for students in grades K-5. Parent documentation of chickenpox history is acceptable for students in grades 6-12.
 

Attached is a newsletter that "provides busy parents with practical ideas that promote school success, parent involvement, and more effective parenting".

 

Middle Years - March Issue

Rose-Hulman's Homework Hotline provides FREE math and science homework help to Indiana students in grades 6-12. Students may contact the Homework Hotline from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. (Eastern Daylight Time), September through May toll-free at 1-877-ASK-ROSE or online at www.AskRose.org.

ask rose hotline

Please click on the icon below to access information about reporting problems at Kesling Middle School.

Hotline Information

Dear Kesling Parents,

The Kesling online event calendar provided by DynaCal is used to communicate school, athletic events, announcements, updates and more. There is a feature in the DynaCal system called My DynaCal. This feature offers instant communication by sending you emails and/or mobile phone text messages* in case of cancellation, postponement, or rescheduling of an event.
 

My DynaCal is easy and simple to set up. As an attachment at the bottom of this letter you can find more details about DynaCal and how to setup the My DynaCal feature.
 

By setting up a My DynaCal profile you will be able to:
• Enter your contact information
• Select which types/categories of events you would like to receive notifications about
• Create customized views of school events, based on what your children are involved
• Create multiple calendar views based on each child’s involvement
• Share those calendar views via email with anyone that would like your child’s schedule
 

You can access My DynaCal at www.dynacal.com/lpcsc .  We hope you find this information helpful and the service beneficial to keep you informed. 
 

Sincerely,
Bill Wilmsen
Principal, Kesling Middle School

*Mobile carrier charges may apply for text message alerts. Be sure to verify your text message options and rates on your mobile plan.
 

Instructions for My DynaCal