February 22, 2016

The Buzz at Irmo Middle School

Irmo Middle School

6051 Wescott Road
Columbia, SC 29212
(803) 476-3600

Creating successful students for the challenges of tomorrow

www.lexrich5.org/ims
School Hours:
8:20 a.m.3:35 p.m.

rsjackso@lexrich5.org

Inside this issue:

Book Fair
Valentines Court
Chinese Field Trip
Student Led Conferences
FebJob Shadowing Month
Individual Graduation Plans

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Robert S. Jackson, Ed.S., Principal

https://twitter.com/IMS_Principal

Interim Progress Reports Feb 24th

The 3rd Quarter Interim Period ended Wed Feb 17 and Progress
Reports will be sent home with IMS students, Wed Feb. 24. If you
have an active Parent Portal account, you may check your child's
grades as often as you like using our parent portal. When you login
to your account, the grades will automatically appear on the screen. It is important to
monitor your child's progress through Parent Portal before interim reports are issued
in order to catch potential problems and work with the teachers in reaching a solution. You can access Parent Portal here: https://powerschool1.lexrich5.org/public/. If
you need access to Parent Portal please call Ms. Erica Crumlin at 476-3603.
How to Create a Parent Account:

Dates to Remember:
Tues 2/23
G40 Mtg. 7:45-8:10
Media Center
Wed 2/24
Interims go home
Thurs 2/25
Crew Community Mtg.
8:20-8:50
Fri 2/26
FCA Mtg. 7:40-8:10
AM Room 904

A parent account allows you to view the information for one or more students with a single
sign in. You can also manage your personal account preferences. To create a parent account,
enter the following information:
Name - Your first and last name.
Email - Correspondence related to your parent account will be sent to this email.
Desired Username - Your username is your unique PowerSchool identity.
Password - Your password must be at least 6 characters long.
Student Access Information - Information for a minimum of one student, including
the student name, Access ID, Access Password, and your relationship to the student.

If you have any questions regarding your child's grades, please contact Glenn Hutto,
Assistant Principal for Instruction (ghutto@lexrich5.org) or your child's counselor.
The counselor assignments are as follows: Sheila Inabinet - Last Names A-E
James Fanning - Last Names F-M
Tina Stevens - Last Names N-Z
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CREW Meetings
8:20 - 8:50 am Thursday, February 25th
6th Grade - Media Center
7th Grade - Gym
8th Grade - Cafeteria
Jen Cook, Lead Magnet Teacher, jcook@lexrich5.org, 476-3735
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Project Dream Box

If you have news for the
Buzz, email Allison Redick
at aredick@lexrich5.org.

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!

Our goal was to complete 50 DreamBoxes for the LEAD360 Organization & the Jefferson Awards Foundation. With your help we completed 65 DreamBoxes. THANK YOU AGAIN TO ALL!!!!

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Valentines Court 2016

Queen: Katy Hall

King: Logan Shealy
Prince: Altariq Foust
(not pictured)
Princess: Aamani Jones
Duke: Alex:Winfree
Duchess: I zzy Field

Chinese New Year

On Feb.12 Chinese students from the middle & high schools visited China Town in Atlanta to celebrate Chinese
New Year. Students ordered authentic Chinese food in Chinese, shopped Chinese grocery store for real Chinese snacks and visited a Chinese book store to get calligraphy practice kits. Some students even tried Chinese
traditional dress. Now their understanding of Chinese New Year is not just on paper!

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We are pleased to announce that this year we will be facilitating student-led conferences (SLC's). For those of you who may be new to this procedure, the student-led
conference process empowers the student to direct and report on his/her progress at
school that specifically addresses certain learning targets and our school-wide Habits
of Scholarship. SLC's are research-based and used in many exemplary middle
schools. Our Crew leaders have been trained to assist, direct, and support our students throughout the preparation process. They have coached, critiqued, and evaluated their students in order to have them ready to present to their parents and guardians. In short, the students will be leading the conference while reflecting on their progress and setting goals for advancement.
During the conference process students will report on academic progress, articulate goals, report on assessment
data when appropriate, and share examples of their course work. They will present samples of schoolwork from
all of their classes.
The student-led conference process is much different from the traditional parent teacher conference in which the
teacher does most of the talking and the parent does the listening. Often in such conferences, the student is not
even present. The role of the Crew leader in a student-led conference is one of coach, mentor, and advocate. It
is likely that there will be several conferences will be taking place at one time within the same room. The Crew
leader will circulate and be present for specific questions related to the process and support students as they reflect on their work. If a parent wants a parent teacher conference with any particular teacher, they may request
one at any time.
We believe that the student-led conference process allows students to take ownership of their learning and possess the responsibility for creating goals and identifying support structures needed to achieve their desired level
of success. We are pleased with the learning that is happening at Irmo Middle School's International Academic
Magnet and know that our students are eager to present their progress to their parents.
We thank you for working with them in this journey. Below we have included some frequently asked questions
and answers.
Why are we doing them at Irmo Middle School? How does it impact student achievement? When students
are a vital component of student-led conferences, they have more ownership in the learning process with opportunities for increased student success. Students have an opportunity to present their work, reflect on learning,
revise goals, and determine specific strategies for continued growth.
When: Student-led Conferences will take place in March 2016 for all IMS students.
6th Grade March 7-11, 7th Grade March 21-24, 8th Grade March 14-18
Where: Crew leaders classroom, or another location decided upon by the Crew leader.
*Parent/guardian(s) will be given different times (20 minute time slots) during that week that they can sign up to
attend.
What Should Parents Expect: Parents will be welcomed, and then invited to sit with their student as their child
communicates their progress towards academic learning targets and Habits of Scholarship.
How can parents assist: Please support your child by signing up for a 20 minute time slot the week of their student-led conference. Your attendance at their student-led conference will mean so much to them! Our goal is for
100% of parents to attend. Sign up information will be sent home the first week in February.
For a sample of how these work, take a moment to watch the video at the following URL: https://
vimeo.com/45140230

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Job Shadowing Month

Job Shadowinga great time to explore the world of work.
October 23, 2015 April 22, 2016 - Each year, Irmo Middle School students have the opportunity to participate
in Job Shadowing.
Job Shadowing gives students an opportunity to see that the skills they learn in school are related to the skills
they will need in the workplace. Job Shadowing is considered a short-term experience to introduce a student to
a particular job by a one-on-one pairing of a student with an employee in a work environment. The student
shadows the worker up to one day to better understand the requirements of a particular career. All students
are encouraged to participate in this activity.
Important Information about Job Shadowing:
Students and their parents/guardians will make arrangements for the student to shadow a parent/guardian,
friend, relative or another person in a career of interest at the work site to include transportation.
Students are only eligible to have ONE day per school year for this activity.
Job Shadowing can be completed in a couple of hours, an entire day, weekends and/or holidays.
Students provide their own lunch during shadowing, if applicable.
Students should demonstrate punctuality, honesty, good grooming habits, appropriate dress and willingness
to learn.
Students serve as an observer, not a worker.
Students are not permitted to shadow teachers at Irmo Middle school
Any school work missed as a result of being absent for shadowing is the responsibility of the student.
If interested, please have your student contact Allison Redick, Career Specialist to pick up a packet or go to our
IMS Website under the Guidance Department/Career Specialist to print a packet. Also, if you need assistance for
a particular career to job shadow please contact Allison @ 476-3668 or email:
aredick@lexrich5.org
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Mathematics and Sciences Day for Middle School Girls

March 5, 2016, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Cottingham Theatre and Bush Science Center
A day of Collaboration, Competition, Creativity, Camaraderie
and Celebration of Women in Mathematics and Science
For more information and to register for this event, click on the link below:
http://columbiascmathandscienceday.weebly.com/
Columbia College
1301 Columbia College Dr.
Columbia, SC 29203
Telephone: 803.786.3844 or 803.786.3596, Fax: 803.786.3809
Email: nmcnulty@columbiasc.edu
If you choose to attend, you may receive an excused absence in place of a job shadowing day.

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What are Individual

Graduation Plans (IGP)?
The Economic Development Act (EEDA) was passed in 2005. The implementation of this law was designed to
better prepare yourself for what you want to do after high school and to help you and your parents/guardians
make informed decisions about your education and future. The core of this law is the idea of planning. You,
along with your parent, will begin to create an IGP in the 8th grade as you prepare to enter the high school. During this time, you will select a cluster of study as you map out courses to take in high school. A career cluster is a
way of organizing classes around an occupational group. Each year in high school, you will review your IGP with a
guidance counselor and changes can be made based on your interest.
The Guidance Department will be scheduling the IGP meetings for 8th graders. You will receive a letter in the
mail over the next few of months which will have a scheduled appointment time. This meeting will allow your
student to choose a cluster of study. This plan can be changed and will be re-visited each year during registration. If you have a conflict or unable to attend the assigned appointment time, please contact Allison Redick at
803-476-3668 or email at aredick@lexrich5.org.

Tips for Parents

In helping your child
chose a Career path:
Start young. Develop career awareness by discussing career opportunities when reading books and
newspapers, watching television and observing
worksites.
Support you childs efforts to assess his or her own
interests, aptitudes, values and work styles.
Share your job experiences. A child delights in hearing about his or her parents jobs.
Encourage participation in job shadowing and internship opportunities.
Help your child understand the value and importance of his or her academic courses for success in a future
career.
6. Advise your child that there is more than one education pathway to a good job. More than 50% of the fastest growing jobs require an associates degree. There are a variety of routes to success: on the job training,
technical college, four year college, apprenticeships or the military.