Happy Thanksgiving!

Dear McCall Parents and Guardians,

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving!  I hope all of you will unplug and unwind from your daily work and home routines and enjoy quality time with your loved ones.

I am very thankful for the opportunity to be at McCall, and I am grateful for all of your support to help me adjust to this wonderful community.  I looking forward to accomplish great things with all of you in the coming days

Sincerely,


James Lin
Principal
McCall Middle School

Nov. 18 Update

Dear McCall Parents and Guardians,

I hope this message finds you well.  I am writing to let everyone know that starting on Monday, Nov. 26, we will be opening up a Quiet Lunch Space in the Library to give students the chance to spend their lunch time in a quieter and calmer setting.  The Quiet Lunch Space will be available during all three lunches.  However, we may not be able to accommodate every student who wants to spend their lunch times in the library due to the physical space limitations and the purpose this space will be serving.  If your child is interested in the Quiet Lunch Space, please remind him or her to retrieve a pass from the library every morning before homeroom.  Students will not be able to get a pass any time after that.  There will be 15-20 passes available for each lunch, and they will be given out in a first-come-first-serve basis.

I would like to ask all students to remember to clean up after themselves if they decide to use the Quiet Lunch Space.  I also ask all students to be respectful of the purpose of this space and only engage in activities that keep you calm, relaxed, and centered.  We also ask students to refrain from using electronic devices in the Quiet Lunch Space.

I ask everyone to take a moment to read the attached FAQ document (please click here).  It provides you with important information related to the Quiet Lunch Space.

On a separate note, I would like everyone to know that our lost and found spaces are very full.  I encourage parents and guardians to stop by the cafeteria after school to retrieve lost clothing, water bottles, lunch boxes, etc...  Thank you for your help with this effort.

Enjoy the upcoming week!

James Lin

Principal

McCall Middle School

Nov. 11 Update

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend.  I would also like to take this moment to thank our own Mr. Phil Doucette (Sargent, US Marine Corps and custodian), Mr. Larry Farelli (Corporal, US Marine Corps and 8th grade math teacher), and Mr. John Gill (Captain, US Army and 7th grade math teacher) for for their services to our country.

Last night on Saturday Night Live, Mr. Dan Crenshaw, Congressman-elect from Texas and former Navy SEAL who wears an eye patch due to an injury he sustained during one the tours he served in Afghanistan, came on the show to be part of - in my opinion - a very funny skit about a controversy one of the cast member created during his performance on last week’s show.  Mr. Crenshaw also took on a more serious tone during this week’s show and said the following:

This is Veterans Day weekend.  Which means it’s a good time for every American to connect with a veteran.  Maybe say, “Thanks for your service.”  But I would actually encourage you to say something else.  Tell a veteran, “Never forget.”  When you say, “never forget” to a veteran, you are implying that, as an American, you are in it with them – not separated by some imaginary barrier between civilians and veterans, but connected together as grateful fellow Americans who will never forget the sacrifices made by veterans past and present.  And never forget those we lost on 9/11, heroes like Pete’s [a SNL cast member] father.  So I’ll just say, Pete, never forget.

I will join Mr. Crenshaw and say to Mr. Doucette, Mr. Farelli, and Mr. Gill, as well as all the veterans out there, “never forget.”

I would also like to take this opportunity to remind everyone about some safety practices regarding the arrival and dismissal processes.  As someone who enjoys biking, I am glad to see there are still quite a lot of students who continue to ride their bicycles to school despite the colder weather.  Although most of the students I see are in the habit of wearing bike helmets, I still notice too many students who do not do so on a consistent basis.  Therefore, I urge all parents and guardians to remind their students that they must wear helmets when they are biking.  It is the law!

As all of you know very well that picking up and dropping off students are not easy tasks due to the many traffic challenges that are present in front of McCall and Lincoln.  As we wait for the results of the Traffic Study conducted by the Office of the Town Engineers to come back, I ask everyone to please be courteous to each other while you are dropping off or picking up students.  Please obey all traffic signs and refrain from parking in handicap spaces, spaces reserved for McCall and Lincoln staff, as well as all areas that are designated as no parking zones.

I would like to commend all the crossing guards we have working in the Lincoln and McCall areas for being the dedicated professionals that they are and doing wonderful work for our students and community members each and every day.  I ask everyone to please cooperate with them so they can ensure everyone arrive at and leave the school safely.  When crossing the streets, I urge everyone to cross at the areas that are staffed by crossing guards.

Thank you and enjoy the upcoming week.

James Lin

Principal

McCall Middle School

Nov. 4 Update

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I hope this message finds you well.  As all of you are aware, the midterm election is this Tuesday, and I am certain the partisan rhetoric all of us will be exposed to in the coming days will ratchet up.  I think it is important for middle schoolers to participate in the democratic process and develop their own thoughts and opinions about issues that are important to the school and their local and global communities.  I also think it is equally important for students to learn how to discuss their opinions and disagree with each other in a respectful manner.  I have included here an article from Psychology Today, which provides some helpful tips on how adults can teach students civility.  Although the article was written prior to the 2016 election, I find many of the author’s tips to be even more useful today than in 2012 when it was written.  I encourage everyone to join the McCall faculty and staff to teach and model for our students behaviors such as:

·      Disagree with humor, intelligence, and civil discourse.

·      Don’t let anger and emotion get in the way of listening to others.

·      Challenge people’s view but do not attack the person.

Thank you and here are two reminders for the upcoming week.

Please do not forget that although McCall faculty and staff will be engaging in professional development activities this coming Tuesday, there is no school for students that day.

Lastly, I will be holding this month’s Principal Coffee this Wednesday morning at 9:00 am.  The topic for this month will be School and Home Communication.  I invite everyone to come to chat about this topic or any other matters you may have on your mind.

Thank you and enjoy the upcoming week!

James Lin

Principal

McCall Middle School

October 28 Update

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I hope this message finds you well.  I would like to remind everyone that starting Monday, Oct. 29, the school will be opening its doors to students at 7:45 am instead of 8:00 am.  We are hoping we will alleviate some of the traffic issue by making this move.  Please refer to the message I sent to the parent community this past Wednesday (subject line: morning supervision) for more details.  Please click here for the email and its attachment if you are unable find it in your inboxes.

  

I would also like everyone to know that the McCall faculty and I have been working on how we can better promote student engagement in our lessons and curricula.  I feel student engagement is important because if we do a good job in this area of our practices, we can not only increase academic performance, but we can also reduce student stress.  I would like to share with you some of the good work McCall teachers are doing to promote student engagement.  During this past week, I saw three teachers incorporating physical movement into their lessons in order to increase student engagement.  Early in the week during a 7^th grade math class, I saw Ms. Eaton and Ms. Beecy implement a QR code activity that gave students the chance to get up and move around the classroom while practicing how to simplify mathematical expressions.  Ms. Campbell, during her 8^th grade Algebra class, used a Class Builder activity to help her entire class practice working as a team and get pumped up about preparing for an upcoming assessment.  In the middle of the week, I saw Ms. Pineau used station work to give her sixth grade wellness students a chance to be active while thinking about important wellness topics.

This past week I also saw three teachers make abstract concepts come alive for their students.  In Mr. Leonard’s 7^th grade science class, students participated in a lab activity where they got to witness how clouds are formed.  Ms. DiMare and Ms. Roscillo used a physical model to help their 6^th grade science students visualize how the positions of the sun, Earth, and the moon create different phases of the moon.  Ms. Herlihy’s 8^th grade Earth Science students were asked to use the physics concepts they had learned to design structures that can withstand earthquakes.

During different times during the past week, I saw Ms. Capobianco, 6^th grade science teacher, and Mr. Row, 6^th grade math teacher, used the app Quizlet Live to add the element of competition into their content review process.  I saw their students working hard to review important concepts they had learned while enjoying interacting with each other in a positive manner.

Lastly, I observed Ms. Fairly’s 6^th grade students thinking about different human characteristics and how to express them through the drawings they were about to create.  I am impressed with how this teacher is using art to have students reflect on what makes us who we are.

I am impressed with the fine work McCall staff is doing each and every day with our students, and I am looking forward to sharing them with you this school year.

Thank you and I hope all Red Sox fans out there an enjoyable Game 5 of the World Series.

James Lin

Principal

McCall Middle School

October 21 Update

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I hope this message finds you well.  I would like to thank Mrs. Mai Harrison, MPA President, all the parent volunteers, and Amanda Harrison, 8^th grader, for volunteering their time Friday evening to help organize and chaperone the 6^th Grade Halloween Dance.  I am very impressed with how well all the 6^th graders behaved during the event.  It was a pleasure to see all the creative costumes and watch all the students interact with each other in a positive manner and have a great time.

I would also like to remind everyone that the midpoint for Trimester 1 of the school year was last Wednesday.  All parents and guardians should expect grade updates from teachers who teach full courses by this coming Wednesday.  I would like to encourage all parents and guardians to put these progress reports in context.  The information you will be receiving describes the progress that your student is making.  It, by no means, indicates what grade your students will be getting by the end of the trimester.  Please also remember most teachers are spending class time during the first few weeks of the school year engaging students in activities that build foundations for the year.  Those activities may pertain to relationship building, setting class expectations, and reviewing materials covered in previous year.  Therefore, some of the work your student has done may not be reflected on his or her progress report.  Your student’s progress report grade may be based on the results of only a few assessments and thus may be an inflated or deflated description of his of her overall performance.

As usual, if you have concerns about your student’s performance after reviewing the progress reports, please reach out to the teachers.  They would be happy to have those discussions with you.

In my opinion, one of the most exciting aspects of working with adolescents is seeing their creativity, willingness to explore, and desire for novelty.  These traits come hand in hand with making mistakes and experiencing failures.  Jessica Lahey wrote an excellent book a few years ago called “The Gift of Failure”.  In it, she discussed why it is so important for parents and educators to teach students how to cope with life’s inevitable disappointments, stresses, and frustrations instead of striving to remove them or prevent those elements from occurring in the students’ daily lives.  Attached here is a video of Ms. Lahey discussing how teaching young people to cope with failure is an essential part of developing confident, resilient, and competent young adults.

I am bringing up Ms. Lahey’s work to encourage everyone to remember that learning is a long-term process that will inevitably involve struggles, frustrations, and disappointments.  The bumps on the road that your students will experience are essential to attaining the long term success that we want all of them to achieve.  It is not easy for any of us to watch well meaning students struggle.  However. it is important for us to take a step back and examine those situations in perspective instead of rushing in to fix the problems for them.

Thank you and enjoy the upcoming week!

James Lin

Principal

McCall Middle School

October 14 Update

Dear Parents and Guardians,

I hope this message finds you well.  I would like to let you know that the McCall School Council will be holding its first meeting this Monday afternoon.  Aside from me, this year’s council members include parent representatives Ms. Karen Bolognese, Ms. Karen Caputo, Ms. Amy Kraft, and Ms Dana Diamond.  I would also like to welcome Ms. Shirin Haddadin, 6th grade Science Teacher, and Ms. Karen Fagan, French Teacher, who will serve as the council’s faculty representatives.  Last but not least, Sarah Adelson, 8th grade student, will be our student representative.  I appreciate everyone for giving up their time to serve and provide me with valuable feedback on important school and community matters.  During our first meeting, we will be discussion the impact of the new school start time as well as morning and lunch supervision.

As the school year progresses, you may find the need to contact the school to ask questions or to express your concerns.  McCall is a big middle school with a variety of staff members who perform different tasks and possess a variety of titles.  Therefore, it is not unusual for you as a parent or guardian to be confused about whom to contact when you have questions or concerns. 

If or when you are in that situation, the general rule of thumb is to contact the staff member who is closest to the situation – typically that person is your student’s teacher.  For example, it would be helpful if you would contact the teacher first if you have questions regarding the curriculum, student progress, homework, or concerns pertaining to classroom behavior since he or she will likely has the most direct and in-depth understanding of the matter.

If you have questions or concerns pertaining to your student’s schedule, social emotional well-being, or his or her 504 accommodation plan (if your student has one), it would be best to contact your child’s counselor first.  If your questions or concerns pertain to your child’s special education plan, it would be helpful if you would contact your child’s special education liaison first.

If the issues remain unresolved after communicating with the teachers and counselors, please do not hesitate to direct your questions or concerns to the assistant principals or me.  Ms. Lavoie works with the 7th grade teams as well as the 8th grade Silver and Gold teams.  Mr. Sheehan works with the 6th grade teams as well as the 8th grade Platinum and Diamond teams.  Lastly, if you need additional support with special education matters after you have communicated with your student’s special education liaisons, please direct your concerns to Ms. Mary Ellen Madden, the Middle School Special Education Supervisor.

As always, you are welcome to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.  I would be happy to direct you to the right person if I am not the one who is in the best position to help you.

As a parent myself, I understand how difficult it can be to watch your child struggle to learn or to cope with an aspect of school. We might be reluctant to bring up the issue with teachers and staff because it can feel emotional, or we fear it might lead to a disagreement. Attached here is some information provided by Understood.org to help parents navigate through these potentially difficult conversations.  Understood.org is a website created by fifteen nonprofit organizations formed to support parents and families with children who struggle with learning and attention issues.  I have found that strategies that work for students with special needs and their families are often strategies that work for all students and their families.

In my opinion, one of the most helpful tip offered by the website is the idea of focusing on “I” and using “I” statements during meetings with teachers and school staff.  Even if you know that other families and students are having difficulty with the same issue, it is best to focus your communications with teachers and staff on your family and your student’s own experiences. If you know that other parents share similar concerns, it would be helpful for you to encourage those parents to contact the school.

Lastly, please do not forget that the 6th grade Halloween Dance sponsored by the MPA is scheduled for this Friday from 7:30-9:30 pm.  If your child is planning to invite guests who do not currently attend McCall to the event, we ask those guests to also be 6th graders and are Winchester residents.  We also ask those guests to please provide us with emergency contacts information so we know with whom to communicate if emergencies arise.  Please understand that we cannot accommodate guests who are not McCall 6th grade students and are not Winchester residents.

Thank you and I wish you a wonderful week.

James Lin

Principal

McCall Middle School