Administration

Hello Titan Families, I hope this glorious time of year of later sunsets and longer days has given you and your family ample opportunity to fully appreciate the joys of the summer with plenty of laughter, play and relaxation! Now that we are a full week into August, I can barely contain my excitement to welcome our incoming 6th, 7th and 8th graders to the 2019-20 school year. As our staff busily prepare to open our doors and greet our students, our goal is to align everything we do to our purpose as a middle school: Educating the whole child in a developmentally responsive, challenging, empowering and equitable learning community. We are committed to the following for every student:

● Welcoming, safe, and supportive environment where each student is known and valued.

● High academic growth for every student.

● Fostering critical thinking, creativity, healthy lifestyle and appreciation of diversity.

● Social-emotional learning and character building.

Middle school is an unmatched time in human development, as our kids transition from childhood to adolescence. At this vital stage, we bridge the building blocks of elementary to the graduation goals of high school. Our students are beginning to define (and re-define) their identity, seek more independence, and discover their passions. It is the ideal time to set the stage for success in the future by building school success habits, exploring interests, and establishing a love for learning. A huge part of our kids academic and social-emotional growth comes from our partnerships with you at home. We are a team, and we share the goal of seeing your child flourish during their middle school years. We look forward to opportunities to collaborate with you for your student’s success. I am excited to share that in addition to the professional learning that our staff participates in every year, this year as a school, our staff will be engaged in a District-wide book study of Onward, Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators. The book encourages educators to learn about and tend to our own social-emotional well-being so that we are better able to meet the needs of each student who enters our classroom. Teaching is a highly complex, deeply emotional act that not only requires knowledge of strategies and content, but also depends upon copious amounts of compassion, love, and energy. This book study will help us cultivate and grow a community where both staff and students thrive. Enjoy the last few weeks of summer! We look forward to an excellent year of growth and learning for each student at Northshore Middle School. Please feel free to contact me at any time.

Sincerely,

Tiffany Rodríguez

Hello Northshore Middle School families! It is such a joy to be returning to the Northshore Middle School community. Last year was one of learning and listening for me. I have greatly appreciated your feedback, your ideas, and your support. This year, I remain curious and courageous while planning to celebrate and inspire the same in our students. I have spent my summer connecting with my family. We’ve traveled across the country to visit family in Louisiana as we do each summer. I was able to reflect again on the beauty and strength found in our diversity as a country. One of my goals over this next school year is to experience more of the diversity within our own families and community. I hope that in doing so, and in sharing that experience with you and your child, we can cultivate an environment that draws us together towards the common goals of achieving greater equity for our students and a more positive culture overall. As I traveled this summer with my 16-year-old son, we reflected on both our middle school experiences. Our memories made clear how our experiences in middle school impact so much more than our overall academic success in high school. With that said, I have two questions for you as starters for a conversation with your own child as we enter into the new school year. (And if either of you wish to share your answers with me, please do!)

● Looking back to when you were your child’s age, what would you have wished for during your own middle school experience?

● Looking ahead to this year, what do you both wish for as you think about your child’s own middle school experience?

Please do not hesitate to reach out to me by calling my office at 425-408-6725 or by emailing me at aschexnayder@nsd.org. As always, I welcome your input as well as your expertise as your child’s parent and look forward to partnering with you towards your child’s success.

Sincerely,

AmyLynn Schexnayder (Mrs. Schex)

Lead Positively

Engage Fully

Accept Readily

Decide Responsibly

At Northshore, our motto is Titans LEAD, which encompasses the four pillars we use to teach positive behaviors for the classroom and good citizenship at school and beyond. These school wide common expectations apply to every area of the school, and we regularly teach and refer to them to ensure our students know and understand the expectations of our Titan community. In order to reinforce these positive behaviors, students are recognized and rewarded for exemplifying our LEAD pillars. In addition to the academic and critical thinking skills students learn to prepare them for high school and beyond, we strive to also teach students the soft skills and character traits that will empower students to be successful, productive citizens in the future. This year we have updated our pillars to be active verbs, allowing us to best describe what it looks like and sounds like to be a Titan LEADer. Here is how we define each of our pillars:

• Lead Positively: Empower others to do their best, set an example, speak up
• Engage Fully: Do your best, pay attention, work hard, work with others
• Accept Readily: Create an inclusive environment for everyone, be kind, reach out
• Decide Responsibly: Follow directions, make safe choices