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Kari Nygaard & Kim Lohse-  English Department

Greg Clifton & Steve Carothers -  Social Studies Department

Judy Argumedo -  ELLP

Kevin Lynch -  Science Department

Amy Stock - Mathematics Department  (Team Leader)
 

  WHAT IS A TEAM?

  A team is a group of teachers who have the same group of students (120-140) every day.  The team consists of anywhere from four to six teachers. Together, teams teach science, english, social studies, and mathematics. A special education teacher or ELD teacher also works with the teams. Due to scheduling conflicts, the special education teacher may have some students on their caseload that are also on other teams. 

  DOES THE NAME OF THE TEAM HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH ABILITY GROUPINGS?

  No, the designations of Orange da Vinci or Red Galilio are for belongingness only. The names have absolutely nothing to do with the ability grouping. Each team has students with a wide range of ability levels. 

  ADVANTAGES OF THE TEAM APPROACH?

  There are many advantages.  Since team teachers have the same planning period, they are able to plan for curriculum integration, interdisciplinary units, field trips and special activities for their students. Communication and support among teachers is much greater with this approach. Parent conferences and special meetings are made easier by the fact that all of a student's basic skills teachers are available at the same time of the day. Students also feel like they are part of a group when on a team. It creates a "school within a school." 

  HOW IS IT DETERMINED WHICH TEAM MY CHILD IS ON?

  This is random process done by the computer. However, if your child selects a particular music performance class, he/she may have his/her schedule "locked in" due to the fact that band, orchestra and chorus are offered only at certain times of the day.

  WHAT IS AN INTERDISCIPLINARY UNIT?

  An interdisciplinary unit is one where all the teachers on the team teach around one theme and apply it to their subject. For example, in a unit on travel, the social studies teacher would do maps, the English teacher would do a research report, the math teacher would do money exchange, the reading teacher would read about the countries, and the science teacher would cover the plant and animal life. Teams try to incorporate one or two of these units each year.

  HOW CAN PARENTS HELP THEIR CHILD IN MAKING HOMEWORK A POSITIVE AND WORTHWHILE EXPERIENCE?

  Establishment of a daily routine for homework has proven to be important. Set a time for it to start and stick with it. Turn off the TV, the internet and any video games. Also, it is important for parents to check over their child's work from time to time to provide support and encouragement. Missing or incomplete homework is a major cause of lack of academic success at the middle school level.