September 20, 2024

Dear Bullpup Families,

Well, we’ve blasted through the first few weeks and are now smack-dab in the middle of what we might call the “Learning Season.”  In these next couple of months, before the holidays and then “Testing Season” hit us, we often experience our best, sustained opportunity to realize great gains in students’ learning and understanding.  The cooler weather helps students focus – the hubbub and distraction of Xmas is still a long way off – energy levels are high!  Of course, we teach all day every day, but the next couple of months are often the sweet spot for learning.  I mention this only to impress upon you the importance of helping your child get to school every day and ready to learn, ready to be a part of the outstanding teaching and learning here at SMS.  If your child is not at school, for whatever reason, it’s really very hard for them to take advantage of the awesomeness our staff is offering.  Excellence starts with attendance.

Grading Changes

Now that assignments are rolling into grades regularly, I want to let you know of some small tweaks we’ve made in our grading practices for this year.  We are still operating on a “micro-minimum” scheme in which all assignments are graded on a 50-100 scale, and still encourage un-penalized re-do’s and re-takes of assignments.  However, we found that these changes last year led to some minor grade inflation.  This year, 65% will be the minimum percentage a student must earn to pass an assignment or course.    Also, this year students will be allowed only one re-take of summative assignments or projects, at the teacher’s direction.  Finally, we have loosened up our restrictions on assigning homework.  You should expect your child to have homework more often this year.  Please reach out if you have any questions.  We believe these tweaks will help our grades more accurately your child’s progress toward proficiency in their subjects.

Employee Shout-Outs

A parent recently asked me if we have a way for grateful parents to recognize SMS employees' good works.  We didn’t, I told him, but what a great idea!  Has one of our employees impressed you?  Want them to know?  I’ve set up a button on this page that will take you to a quick form for you to do just that. It's directly below this message.  Working in a middle school can sometimes be a little taxing.  A few kind words from you will surely go a long way toward making the day of someone who's working hard to make your child's day.

Coffee Klatches

I love to hear directly from parents!  One way I do this is to hold quarterly “Coffee Klatches” here at the school.  These 1-hour events are just an informal way for me to let interested parents know how things are going and to hear concerns or ideas from them.  I supply the coffee and a pastry; you provide the input.  This year, we’ll hold them from 9:30 to 10:30 in the morning, here in the SMS Library, on October 1st, January 14th, March 25th, and May 13th.  Mark your calendar now! 

As always, thank you for your support.  I am so lucky to work with this staff and your kids!

Sincerely,

Mr. Penrose

Has one of our employees impressed you?  Want them to know?  Use the link below and we'll pass it along.  A little appreciation goes a long way!