March 31 Update

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I hope this message finds you well.  First of all, I would like to welcome the 8^th graders who participated in the DC trip back to Winchester.  I hope everybody rested up during this weekend and is ready to return to our school routines tomorrow.  I would like to thank the McCall Parent Association and all parents and guardians who contributed snacks, water, and financial support to the DC trip.  Your generosities made the trip successful and were appreciated by all trip participants and chaperones.

We have a busy week coming up.  The school wide ALICE training exercise will be conducted on Wednesday between 9:00 and 10:00 am for all staff and students to practice proper responses to an intruder event.  Please know we will not be using actors to simulate intruders during the training.  The school will be asking staff and students to practice either locking down or evacuating based on the information shared over the PA system.  The training exercise was planned in collaboration with our School Resource Officer and members of the fire department.  They will be on hand to help support the training exercise.  Please also remember that we held school wide assemblies to review with all students the training exercise process as well as all safety procedures on March 18.  Attached here are the slides used for the student presentations for your reference.

We will also begin the MCAS testing process this week with the 6^th graders scheduled to take the first session of the ELA assessments on Thursday.  Although many see the MCAS as a major exam, I encourage all parents and guardians to normalize the testing days for the students as much as possible.  Please help your students see that the MCAS assessments are just like any other tests that McCall teachers give.  Therefore, I encourage all students to treat the MCAS tests seriously by getting good night sleeps the night before and having good breakfasts on the testing days.  Unlike a typical McCall test, students do not need to study for the MCAS.  I am confident with the quality of education that the students have been receiving at McCall, therefore, I am also confident all students will perform well on the MCAS if they give their best efforts during the tests.

Thank you and I wish you a great upcoming week!

James Lin

Principal

McCall Middle School

March 24 Update

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I hope this message finds you well.  Like many of you, the recent graffiti incidents have occupied my mind during these past few weeks.  Yes, it is discouraging to know that there is a student (or students) who continues to engage in hateful behaviors even after the school intervened during the past two weeks.  However, there some positive things that are happening as the result of the actions the school has taken.  Recently, I saw a student who on his own accord was putting up random notes of kindness on our walls.  He was not looking for extra credit or any recognition.  He simply wanted to spread kindness throughout McCall.  I also have Muslim students wanting to meet with me because they want to educate their peers about their religion for no other reason than to promote diversity and inclusion.  I have encountered students stopping me in the hallway to ask me whether I thought something they had just said to another student would be considered microaggression.  I am glad to see students are reflecting on their own actions and working hard to think beyond their own feelings.  Lastly, we have a group of staff members volunteering their own time to start up the Acceptance and Inclusion Committee.  I am hoping all these things indicate we are making progress toward creating a more inclusive school community. 

With that being said, this most recent graffiti incident also reminded me that our work does not stop after one assembly or one lesson.  The conversation about kindness and acceptance needs to be part of our everyday discourse.  I hope I can count on all parents and guardians to continue to help us integrate the idea of acceptance and respect for diversity into our daily interactions with our students and with each other.  The graffiti incidents we have experienced recently are not unique to McCall.  When they do happen, please know that we will always respond to ensure everyone in community know that these behaviors will not be tolerated.  The graffiti incidents also underscore the need for all of us to continue to address these matters with our students.

Thank you for your continued support,

James Lin

Principal

McCall Middle School

March 17 Update

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I hope you are well.  I, like many of you, am saddened by the news of the New Zealand mosque shooting that broke yesterday morning. I was reminded of the personal impact these events have on our children, in particular those of Muslim faith, when several Muslim students came to the main office to share their concerns. We talked for a short time and I hope I was able to reassure them, first of all, that we are safe at McCall. We have first responders nearby, and law enforcement officials were in the process of heightening security around mosques. More importantly, I hope that I communicated that we care about our students. They did the right thing by seeking out a trusted adult; and we have staff, like our counseling staff, ready and willing to listen to students who may have questions or strong feelings about this event.

I would also like to inform everyone that Monday, March 18 is an early release day.  Students will be dismissed at 12:00 pm.  We are adjusting our morning schedule in order to accomplish two important tasks.  The first is an assembly we have planned to review with all students the building’s safety procedures.  Even though we discussed this information with students at the start of the school year, the building’s Incident Management Team (IMT), town’s safety officials such as Officer Perenick from the police department and Captain Tustin from the Fire Department believe it is important for all students and staff to be reminded of what to do when the fire alarms go off or when instructions are given to “Stay Put” or to “Shelter in Place”.  During tomorrow’s assembly, we will also discuss the process we will be using to practice how to respond to an intruder event.   Our discussion will focus on two specific responses: how to evacuate if there is an intruder in the building, and what to do if you have to remain in the building with an intruder.  The information we will be sharing is the same information your students have received while they were in elementary schools and will likely receive when they move onto WHS.  I am including the slides we will be using during the assembly here for your reference.

Please note that we will be conducting a training exercise to practice the school’s responses to an intruder event on the morning of April 3.  I will be providing you with more information about that exercise in the coming weeks.  Please remember that Monday’s assembly is NOT the training exercise itself.  Students will only be reminded of what to do if emergency events occur.

Please also note that the building IMT and the town safety officials have been planning this assembly and April’s training exercise since late fall.  Therefore, the timing of Monday’s assembly is not directly related to the New Zealand shooting.  We are not planning to mention the tragedy during the assembly, but I also understand some students may be particularly sensitive to the information we will be sharing due to the mosque shootings.  Please know that our mental health staff will be available to support your students if they need help.

The second task we plan to accomplish on Monday is to have your students take a school climate survey.  The school, with the help of the School Council, has been implementing a school climate survey for the last few years.  The survey is designed to gather information about instances of bullying, harassment, and social meanness, and the prevalence of stress they encounter in their daily lives.  This year, with the help of the School Council, I have adjusted the survey to include questions that assess students’ perception of their relationships with adults in the building and their sense of belonging at McCall.  I am also fortunate to have the help of Ms. Carly Robinson, a doctoral student at Harvard Graduate School of Education and WHS graduate, to help us craft the survey questions and analyze the results.  Ms. Robinson’s research focus is on student-teacher relationship so having her expertise for this endeavor is particularly helpful.  I strongly believe one of the most essential contributors to a successful school is having strong relationships between school staff and the students.  Therefore, I am genuinely interested in how our students view their relationships with teachers and staff.  I hope you will take the time to let your students how helpful it would be for them to take the survey seriously.  

Please know that this is an anonymous survey and thus your students’ names and identities will not be collected.

Thank you and enjoy the upcoming week!

James Lin

Principal

McCall Middle School

March 10 Update

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I hope everyone is enjoying your weekend.  I would like to use this opportunity to remind everybody of a few upcoming events.

8^th Grade DC Trip Parent Meeting – All 8th grade parents and guardians please remember to attend the Parent Meeting scheduled for this coming Monday from 7:00 – 8:00 pm in the McCall auditorium.

WHS Course Selection Process for Incoming Freshman – All 8^th grade parents and guardians please remember that the window to enter course selections and to review course recommendations will open this Tuesday.  Please review the instructions included here if you have not done so already.

Family Fitness Day – The PE department is organizing a Family Fitness day scheduled for this Thursday from 6:00-7:30 pm in the McCall gymnasium.  Students, family members, and friends are welcome to join the PE faculty for a night of exercise and excitement.  Parents and guardians will also get to know what our students are learning in PE, meet the teachers, and have some fun with your kids.  Activities such as volleyball, basketball, pickleball, and other fitness activities will be offered. 

McCall Science Program Information Session – Ms. MaryBeth DiMare, the Middle School Science Curriculum Leader, and I will be hosting an information session on the McCall science program scheduled for March 21 from 6:00-7:00 pm in the McCall Library.  We will be talking about the steps that the school has been taking during the last two years to align our curricula to the current State Frameworks.  In addition, we will talk about the pedagogy we are using to teach those standards as well as how we are structuring the middle school courses and curricula to align with the Frameworks.  Parents of all grade levels are welcome to join us.

Thank you and enjoy the upcoming week!

James Lin

Principal

McCall Middle School

March 3 Update

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I hope this finds you well.  I would like to use this opportunity to follow up on Mr. Jason Levene’s message on the Momo Challenge that was sent out at the end of last week.  Mr. Levene is the district’s Administrator for Wellness and Counseling, and here is his message if you did not receive it.  Some of you responded by sharing information from internet articles or other news sources that concluded the Momo Challenge is a hoax.  I would like to remind everyone that even if the Momo Challenge is a hoax, I know there are some middle school students who are talking about it.  Although I have no concerns about this being a widespread issue at this moment, gossips as well as other lunchroom or hallway chatters among students can quickly turn a hoax into a reality.  Therefore, I strongly encourage everyone follow the advice of Mr. Levene and check in with your students about the Momo Challenge.  This is especially important if your students are sensitive to information about depression, self-harm, or suicide.  

  

Attached here is an article from Common Sense Media.  It describes many of the popular online challenges, including the Momo Challenge, that many of your students are likely already aware of.  As the author stated, not all online challenges are harmful.  Some may even be great activities for families to do together.  Therefore, I encourage everyone to take a read and educate yourselves about the online information that many of your students may already be getting.

On a separate note, please know that I am postponing this month’s Principal’s Coffee originally scheduled for this Wednesday morning.  I am planning to hold an information session to be held in the evening of this month to discuss the course selection process for next year.  Given that the impending override vote will impact what courses McCall will be able to offer next year, it will be more helpful to hold this meeting later in March when we have a better idea what the outcome of the override will be.

Thank you and enjoy the upcoming week.

James Lin

Principal

McCall Middle School