VMMS will provide clear and earnest direction for all of our students. We will minimize their weaknesses and maximize their strengths. Our Technology, Science and Math focus will allow our students to pursue their interests. Our "Project Lead The Way" program, embedded within our science curriculum, will expose students to pre-engineering.
International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IBMYP)
International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IBMYP)
As an IBMYP Candidate School, we will provide students and parents with information on this school-wide philosophy. Below you will find information on how IBMYP can and will impact our school in such a positive and successful way. Our IBMYP will be a school-wide program, EVERYONE will participate.
Technology is integral to our curriculum and is infused into all academic areas, preparing students to be effective in the 21st Century. Each classroom will be equipped with emerging technologies that promote “anytime and everywhere learning” and motivate students to explore and learn. Considered technologies include:
Smartboards
Classroom laptops
Classroom Audio (6th Grade Wing)
Student response pads
Digital cameras (Digital Arts)
Video/DVD
Interactive Internet application (e.g., Blackboard)
Lindamood-Bell (LmB) Clinic
Lindamood-Bell (LmB) Clinic
We are very excited to offer our students the opportunity to this very effective program. We believe that with this support it will help close the achievement gap. We will begin with 4-5 students per group. The cycles run between 8 to 12 weeks. We will have four groups (with a potential to add one more) beginning Monday, September 24, 2007.
Students will be provided with LmB instruction during the school day and offered a morning lab option. We will offer students between 90 to 180 minutes. Each student will determine their amount of time in this program and the length of participation during a school day.
If you feel that your child is not achieving mastery in reading and is far below basic in their state scores, please contact our teacher Meghan Fitch. She will guide you through our program.
"Project Lead The Way" pre-engineering program will be included within the science curriculum, and teaches students basic engineering concepts in a hands-on environment. PLTW is a nationally recognized organization dedicated to "forging new generations of engineers."
GREAT NEWS! We have established a partnership with Northrop Grumman Corporation (NGC) to enhance our Pre-Engineering program on our campus. They have provided us with a starter grant of $970 dollars and more importantly they will provide us their engineers for mentorships and presentations. We have been working for several weeks to establish this relation. A press release was sent out to various newspapers.
The Gateway To Technology (GTT) is Project Lead The Way's customized curriculum for middle school students. The cutting-edge program addresses the interest and energy of middle school students, while incorporating national standards in math, science and technology. GTT is "activity oriented" to show students how technology is used in engineering to solve everyday problems.
The five instructional units excite and motivate students to use their imaginations and teach them to be creative and innovative, while gaining the skills they need to develop, produce and use products and services.
The GTT curriculum provides project-based learning—a hands-on approach--that is exciting and fun for the full-range of students in today's grade 6 – 8 classrooms and that relates technology to students' daily lives. It also promotes communication and collaboration by emphasizing a teaming approach in the instructional units.
This approach utilizes the strengths of each team member to accomplish the goals of the project, while offering students learning challenges at all ability levels.
The math, science, and technology integrated GTT program helps students develop and hone skills in middle school that enable them to enter the high school program with foundation knowledge and skills for success in pre-engineering. Although not intended as an introduction to the PLTW pre-engineering high school program, many schools report improved interest in the high school program because of Gateway To Technology.
GTT consists of five independent units that should be taught in conjunction with a rigorous academic curriculum. The units are designed to challenge and engage the exploratory minds of middle school students. Each 9-week unit contains performance objectives and suggested assessment methods.
