Middle School Newsletter 11.14.2022

Nov 14

Written By PCS

As a mother of two daughters, Taylor (25) and Finnley (17), I can certainly relate to what it was like living with a middle schooler and now a high schooler. I have often thought to myself, “Where did my sweet little girl go and who is this imposter living in her body!” I frequently remind myself that the one word responses, the disrespectful tone or just that “look” I get is actually developmentally appropriate.

These middle age years are when our children are trying to “find themselves.” They are faced with these questions...What am I really interested in? Where do I fit in socially? How do I balance my ever expanding social life and school work? Why don’t my parents get “it” (whatever it is)? Essentially they are in this middle ground...no longer a little kid but certainly not a young adult. They're testing their limits, they're doing things for the first time. That's hard work, and they need a safe space to try new things.

Research has shown that middle school students need our love, understanding and boundaries as they navigate through these middle years. The real question is, “How do we do this while balancing their need for autonomy and independence?” I have found it all starts with really listening to your child. Listen to what they are saying but also to what they aren’t telling you. Often they are trying so desperately to communicate with us but it comes out all wrong (and potentially with some attitude). I often find myself lecturing my own daughter versus having a true conversation with her. We need to make sure we are asking open ended questions that have the potential to lead to deeper conversations. When they do talk with us we need to validate their worries and frustrations, even when they don’t make sense to us.

Even though they are no longer young children, they still love when you make a big deal about their successes. No one is ever too old to hear the words, “ I am so proud of you” or “You should be so proud of your hard work.” We need to be their biggest fans even when they say we are embarrassing, because in reality this is just another confirmation that we care so deeply for them.

All kids are passionate about something. It could be soccer, running, math, writing poetry, playing guitar, or even playing video games! As parents we need to embrace our child’s passion as well. This will provide us with opportunities to connect authentically and ultimately send them the message, “I care about you so much I want to learn about what matters most to you.”

One middle school student summed it up perfectly by saying, “When my mom asks me if I am getting all of my school work finished all the time it drives me crazy. But if she didn’t ask me then I would think she didn’t care.” I think we all can agree that we would much rather drive our kids a little “crazy” rather than send the message that we don’t care. They still need us even when they are sending us the message that they don’t. These middle years may be a bit challenging but at the same time they are so special. Let’s embrace them together as we watch our children blossom into the incredible young adults we know they have the potential to be.

As always, don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or concerns.

Kindly,

Kim

314.645.9600 (607)~kwright@premiercharterschool.org

Safety Update…

We are continuously working to ensure the safety of our campus for our students, staff and our families. Although our courtyard is enclosed by a locked fence, we have decided to take the additional precaution of keeping all building doors that exit into the courtyard locked at all times during the day. As a result, we need to adjust some arrival and dismissal procedures.

Since the courtyard doors are now locked all day, if you are dropping children off after 8:15 am, please drop them off at the front door of their own school building if you have children in multiple buildings. We will have staff on duty in the courtyard between 8:00-8:15 am, but once the courtyard gate is closed, children will not be able to enter their building via the courtyard doors.

Additionally please remember that we do not start letting students into the buildings until 8:00 am. We ask that you do not drop off until that time, as arrival supervision begins at 8:00 am.

During the school day, most transitions between buildings will be done as a whole class and supervised by a teacher. There are some cases where individual students may need to transition between buildings during the day. All classes will be having class meetings regarding the appropriate procedures to follow when transitioning between buildings.

Lastly, please make sure you are allowing for extra time for early pick-ups if you have children in multiple buildings. All children will need to be picked up from their respective buildings, since children will no longer be able to gain access to a sibling’s building through the courtyard for pick up. You will still be able to sign out all children from one building office, but you will need to pick up each child from his or her building. We understand that any procedure change requires adjustments on the part of our students and families.

We appreciate your cooperation with these revised procedures, and your ongoing partnership as we continually work to ensure that the safety of all members of the PCS community are our highest priority.

Intruder Drill…

As you are likely aware, PCS has regularly-scheduled intruder drills throughout the school year to assist in preparation in case of an emergency at our school. During these drills, students and staff practice our intruder procedures which include notification of a threat, locking down all buildings and classrooms, communicating status and whereabouts of all students and staff through our Emergency Management System, and building evacuation and reunification when necessary. These procedures were developed in partnership with the St. Louis Metro Police Department and Tier One Tactical Solutions. Although drills can potentially be frightening, it is critical that students and staff practice these skills under the guidance of administration and our Crisis Team. Drills also allow us the opportunity to troubleshoot procedures and make revisions as needed. Our intention is never to frighten, but instead to stress the importance of preparation IF a situation occurs.

On Thursday, November 17, we will be holding one of these drills. We will clearly communicate that we are doing a drill, which will include practicing how to lock down the building and report status and whereabouts quickly and safely.

While this drill was scheduled prior to the tragic incident at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School, we acknowledge an added layer of importance due to those recent events. We also want to assure our families that we understand that this drill may be triggering for students and staff in light of having been on external lockdown on October 24th. This drill will be handled calmly and reassuringly and counselors are prepared to assist should students or staff need additional support before, during or after the drill.

Please feel free to talk to your student about this upcoming drill. As always, we appreciate your help in reinforcing the role students have in maintaining safe schools by following our safety guidelines and reporting anything that may appear out of the ordinary. As always, please reach out to your child's teacher, principal or counselor if the need arises as we all try to support one another in this extremely difficult time.

Thank you for your continued partnership as we work to keep safety at Premier at top of mind.

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