Mustang Public Schools Transition Model -
5th/6th Grade Intermediate Schools
It is an exciting time of transition and opportunity for Mustang Public Schools. With two new
5th/6th Intermediate Grade Schools which opened fall of 2013, students, teachers, parents, and the community have collaborated to ensure success for our children as they make this transition and strive for academic excellence. Join us in sharing ideas and strategies as we continue to shape Canyon Ridge Intermediate in becoming the best school imaginable for your child!
As we begin to build a foundation for excellence, Mustang Public School's transition model consists of
Five Key Components:
Student , Parent & Community, Teachers, Facility, and Curriculum
Each Component needs to be focused on meaningful and open Collaboration and Communication. We have a unique opportunity to build outstanding and innovative schools best meeting the needs of our students and community from the ground up. The best way to do this is working together and sharing ideas. We can accomplish this through input from students, parents, teachers, and the community. Together, the best ideas will surface and become a reality...making Mustang Intermediate Schools the best in the state.
Mustang Public Schools is bound by a sense of community and family which fills us with pride as our students strive for excellence in academics, sports, and character.
This webpage is an effort to improve lines of communication. Through collaboration and shared ideas, Mustang’s new 5th 6th Intermediate Schools will become an integral part of the important transition our students make from elementary to middle school. We want every student to enjoy school, be confident, capable and successful.
1. STUDENT FOCUSED!
Mustang Intermediate Schools will be schools of transition. 5th graders may
feel anxiety during the first few weeks of school as they move from elementary.
We must work to create a seamless transition for both 5th and 6th
graders to ensure they feel comfortable, confident, and safe. We want students to
enjoy learning, strive to do their best, make new friends, and make good choices.
It is extremely important that we have high expectations for every student, strive
to build students’ confidence, and create or reignite a love for learning. It is our goal to provide
our 6th graders with the tools and academic and social foundation needed to transition to the
7th/8th buildings. Responsibility, strong character, academic excellence, health/safety, and strong study habits
will be an important focus as we strive to develop the whole child.
2. PARENT & COMMUNITY FOCUSED!
Parents -
Who is better able to let us know how we can best meet the needs of their children than the parent?
Often times the best ideas come from parents. Thank you for entrusting your children to us, and we would love your help in making this a positive, outstanding learning experience for your children. Communication with you is key to success. We want to alleviate your concerns and make Mustang Intermediate Schools exceptional. Engaging in open, sincere, and honest dialogue and genuinely getting to know our parents is a must. Great schools inspire great conversations with the entire school community. We will all work together for your child's success.
Community -
We are fortunate to live in Mustang where then entire city celebrates our kids. We have a phenomenal and hard working Board of Education, caring business leaders, and involved community. We want and need everyone's input to make this transition a success and continue the vision Mustang has set forth for our students. Thank you for caring and believing in our youth and supporting them in so many ways.
3. TEACHER FOCUSED!
Mustang has some of the best teachers in the state who care and work diligently for our students' success. Our teachers believe in our students and in developing the whole child, creating lifelong learners with high academic performance and strong character, who can stand up to peer pressure and the demands of our fast-paced society and become true leaders. Before the buildings open, it will be important to define what a developmentally
responsive school looks like. As teachers from many buildings come together, we must begin building a collaborative culture with students’ best interests driving all that we do. We have wonderful teachers, and as we move forward and get to know our students, teachers will utilize best practice strategies, examine data and target areas for growth as
we ensure every student academic excellence and develop strong character. Teachers will bring ideas from their various backgrounds and collaborate to develop Mustang Intermediate's own unique and highly effective academic culture. It is an exciting time where teachers must always keep open minds and kids' best interest at heart. It will be at the forefront of everything they do for students.
4. FACILITY AND BUILDING FOCUS:
As a new facility is built on Sara Road just south of SW 29th St. and the existing building on S. Heights Drive is renovated, contractors work diligently to focus on safety and creating a positive environment for student learning. Mustang design teams worked hard to create a vision of academic opportunity for students to develop the whole child. As construction progresses, we will strive to communicate progress to patrons. Teams will develop plans and schedule to ready curriculum, equipment, and furnishings to create an optimal and exciting learning environment that fosters exploration, creativity, and hands on, collaborative, higher level learning opportunities.
5. RIGOROUS & AUTHENTIC CURRICULUM:
Teachers and administrators are focused on meeting or exceeding state standards and assisting students to achieve academic success and develop confidence and a love of learning. As Mustang opens new buildings, it will be essential to prioritize curricular needs and develop an exceptionally strong and responsive curriculum. We must review testing data to identify strengths and weaknesses and develop a research-based action plan, monitoring progress throughout the process. We will ensure development of a rigorous curriculum aligned with Common Core State Standards, and focus on higher level learning real-world activities that engage and challenge students and bring excitement to learning.
Note: Special thanks to Shawn Blankenship, Principal Piedmont Intermediate School, for his interview and mentorship.
What do you believe is essential in making the transition a success for our students?
See other pages, educational links, educational articles of interest, and blog.