Jan. 26 Update

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I hope this message finds you well. I would like to begin by wishing everyone who celebrates the Lunar New Year a happy Year of the Rat. The rat, according to the Chinese zodiac, is the first in the rotation of the twelve zodiac animals, so rat years are often seen as a time of new beginnings. Chinese astrology is very much in tune with the elements of the natural world such as Wood, Earth, Water, Fire, and Metal. 2020 is associated with the element Metal so this particular year is the year of the metal rat. Metal symbolizes success since it represents production, and rats are often seen as curious and resourceful animals. Therefore, I am looking forward to a new year of trying new things, and one filled with growth and accomplishments.

I also want to thank everyone for making the time to come and attend the parent-teacher conferences this past week. I would like to remind everyone once again that the meeting times are designed to be short and intended to be a time for check-ins with your students’ teachers. It is not designed to be a time to hold in-depth conversations with the teachers about your student’s progress. You may walk away from the conferences with more questions than answers, and if that is the case, I recommend you to reach out to the appropriate staff to set up additional time to conference with them and further discuss your questions or concerns. Please do not forget that Page 15-16 of our Student Handbook provides you with guidance regarding which staff member to contact for the types of questions you have. I recommend you review that information if you are unsure who to contact if you to get the answers you are looking for.

Lastly, I would like to share with you a resource page our guidance counselors have created to support middle school parents. It contains helpful information regarding how to support middle school students with executive functioning and anxiety management. The link to the webpage is included here. I hope you will take a look at it when you have a moment.


Thank you and enjoy the upcoming week!


James Lin
Principal
McCall Middle School