80% of our 6th graders said they had a good or great start to the year, and when asked why, they said they love their teachers and that their WEB leaders helped them feel comfortable here. Of those who responded with a 1, 2, or 3 most were concerned with getting their lockers open. This is the first year they change rooms for classes and they also reported they love a middle school structure that promotes more movement in their schedule and day.
As for the top Spark areas, 19% of 6th graders love being outside in nature or taking care of animals, 18% love playing sports, dancing or karate, and 17% love art, music or writing. For this reason, I believe our elective classes should be called essentials, and we need to be certain to focus on the whole child for our students. These areas of study during the school day are critical to the overall success of students and contribute to higher achievement levels in both reading and math.
Our students set high standards for themselves, as 50% hope to get all A's and 35% said all A's and B's. When asked about one way to improve in school, 41% of 6th graders cited a need to learn to study for tests. The next two categories in this area were "keep my locker and paper more organized" with 22% and "turn in homework more regularly" at 16%.
Our students are already thinking about a successful future, with 65% interested in attending a college or university. About 15% hope to get a job right out of high school and 11% want to attend a community college. I am here to help students make short term goals to meet these long term visions.
This quick meeting with all students gives me an opportunity to get to know all of our students in a one-on-one setting and gives me information about what kids need right from the beginning of the school year. I am excited to work with this group for the next three years. I see so much leadership and scholarship. I can't wait to see them grow up!
Next week, I hope to meet with all of my 7th graders! Stay tuned for the data from these meetings!