A Message from the Principal

Dear Parents and Students,

Welcome to another school year at East Central Middle! Our staff is so excited to meet new= friends and provide the student with the best education possible. This year you may have noticed the renovations in progress to our campus.&nbs= p; We are growing and improving!

We are excited to have your student as a member of our school family. The staff and I are here because we= enjoy working with students during these interesting middle school years. Except for infancy, more changes oc= cur in our ten to fourteen year old children than at any other time of life. They are experiencing changes in th= e way they learn, feel, look, and deal with other people. We welcome the challenge of teachin= g and mentoring your students during this critical time of growth and development= .

East <= st1:PlaceName w:st=3D"on">Central Middle Scho= ol is committed to supporting parents raise the next generation of leaders. Emphasis is placed on growth and learning. Through technology,= math, reading, social studies, and science, students gain skills to navigate our world and to experience ample opportunities to explore their own talents, interests, and vocations.

While recognizing how critical these elements are to ensuring a well-rou= nded education for our children, we further maintain that what is even more essential is making sure that each student is consistently guided to become= a loving, honest, and ethical person.

In productive classrooms, teachers don't just teach ch= ildren skills: they build emotionally and relationally healthy learning communitie= s. Teachers create intellectual environments that produce not only technically competent students, but also caring, secure, actively literate human beings. Remember student success is greatly affected by attitude, attendance, and effort. We look forward to working closely= with parents and students to create a positive learning environment. We welcome any comment or suggesti= ons you might have to help

I am extremely proud of our dedicated staff. We are very confident that the curr= iculum we have chosen, while being both broad and challenging, is also based on pr= oven academic practices. Using the= ideas of Engage, Enrich, and Excel we guide students as they learn.

It is our goal to live this motto (Engage, Enrich, and Excel) each and every day. Ou= r target is to utilize every minute, every person, and every dollar to provide our students with a solid foundation during their middle years upon which they = can continue to learn and to build.

<= span style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>ó Engage: We engage students by utilizi= ng strategies that develop a sense of collaboration and teamwork. We have interactive technology in e= very classroom to create interactive lessons that pull even the hardest to reach students into the learning process

<= span style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>ó Enrich: We enrich by adjusting our lessons to accommodate the learners’ needs. We use multiple modalities of learn= ing such as visual clips from the Internet, music, and hands-on projects. We provide both intervention and enrichment classes that allow students to access the curriculum and target specific skills.

<= span style=3D'mso-list:Ignore'>ó Excel: We excel by offering various opportunities in the area of technology and leadership

Choose Civility is an initiative to promote to respect, consideration, empa= thy, and tolerance in Washingt= on County. Choose Civility begins with education and awareness and offers tools to organizati= ons and individuals eager to embrace principles of civil behavior that enhance = our quality of life.

Project Choose Civility has chosen 15 Principles of Civility to guide behavior. These principles serve as the underpinning of the Civility = initiative and are:

Pay attention
Listen
Speak kindly
Assume the best
Respect others' opinion
Respect other people's ti= me and space
Be inclusive
Acknowledge others
Accept and give praise
Apologize earnestly
Assert yourself
Take responsibility and d= on't blame others
Accept and give construct= ive criticism
Refrain from idle complai= nts
Be a considerate guest

Also, a special thank you to all o= f our parents, adults, friends, and community members who pull together in suppor= t of ECMS in word and deed. We could not make it without your kindness, volunteerism, support, and ideas. = What an incredible EC Community sur= rounds us; we are so lucky to have you. I look forward to a fantastic start of the new school year!!

ECMS offers skills that our “Hornets” can continue to build upon as they continue their education. Come and visit…we’d lo= ve to show you our school!