Welcome to… Warsaw Middle School… The Spotlight is again on Warsaw!

Welcome to Warsaw Middle School. Located in Pittsfield, Maine, Warsaw is a grade 5 through 8 school with an enrollment of 331 students. We have a teaching staff of 36 professionals who are committed to the academic and developmental growth of middle school students.

What is special about our school?

We have active parents who support what we do. We have teachers who have helped shape our school’s beliefs about and focus on challenging curriculum that meets the intellectual, emotional, physical, and social needs of young adolescents. Warsaw utilizes two or three person academic teams that stay with their students for two years in grades 5/6 and 7/8. Our teachers are zeroed in on current curriculum and teaching strategies that challenge and engage all students; we have a strong Special Education and Title I Program that provide support for students; Allied Arts Programs in phys ed, art, music, drama, technology, careers and guidance, and Spanish are academic and experiential in our approach to curriculum. Teachers all have advisory that we call FISH Groups that meet daily to connect students and teachers personally over all four years at our school.

Targeting Math and Literacy

Warsaw is a school that has at times had to adjust what or how we teach in order to improve student learning. When our reading scores were low, the school focused on Literacy, providing staff development in Literacy and every teacher with the responsibility to support Literacy Across the Curriculum. For more than five years Literacy has been a focus for the school, and our scores overall have reflected that commitment. In the past two years we have utilized Title I funds to increase our commitment to a Literacy Program, adding a Literacy Specialist to our staff last year, and working with students to improve their reading by targeting their needs and providing help through the Title I Literacy Program using a reading program called Soar to Success.

We also rely on a Title I math program we call Transitions Math that meets the needs of those students who are struggling with some aspects of math by providing small group teaching, individual tutoring, and in-class help to improve student success in math. Our commitment to our students involves offering academic assistance to all students through special education, Title I, and the regular classroom.

Warsaw Middle School: Philosophy and Best Practices

Spring 2006 brought the New England League of Middle Schools (NELMS) to our school in order to name Warsaw Middle School as a recipient of a Spotlight School Award. This award recognizes that Warsaw Middle School educators focus on the teaming structures, learning styles, advisory programs, content delivery, and school climate that best meet the needs of young adolescents. The template used by NELMS to assess the school is based on This We Believe and Turning Points 2000. During the 2007 – 2008 school year we were recognized by NELMS and awarded a Renewal of our Spotlight School Award. Warsaw is recognized as an exemplary middle school by NELMS, NMSA, and middle level educators because our programs, practices, and philosophy reflect a focus on what is most beneficial to students academically and developmentally at this age.

Four years ago the National Middle School Association (NMSA) published a book and DVD that identified eight exemplary middle schools nation-wide for excellence in one or more of that school’s programs, and Warsaw Middle School was one of those eight schools! On the DVD and in the book, This We Believe… In Action Warsaw’s exemplary practices were featured, including FISH Time, our advisory program; differentiated instruction; our small looping teams; integrated and interdisciplinary curriculum; and “common language,” our shared beliefs about teaching middle school students. Our morning exercise program starring Assistant Principal “Dewey” Kane and staff and students was a highlight of the NMSA DVD as well.

We are proud to be a Kids First! School as well! What makes our school stand out? Our staff works hard to provide educational opportunities that help each child reach his or her potential. Smaller teams, looping, integrative units, student choice, positive school climate, differentiated instruction, an inclusive athletic program, allied arts programs that are hands-on and developmentally focused, and an exemplary advisory system called FISH Time provide a supportive environment for staff and students and allow middle school staff to focus on the academic and interpersonal needs of our students.

Our teachers have presented at national, regional, and state middle school conferences. Many have received individual recognition for their work. Most importantly, our school is united in our focus on best meeting the needs of all of our middle level students. One of our teachers serves on the NELMS and NMSA Boards. To find out more about Exemplary Middle School Best Practices and Beliefs, check out the following web sites:

www.nmsa.org or www.nelms.org

What works at Warsaw?

Small Teams, our FISH Time Groups, Looping, and Educators Committed to Young Adolescents are the backbone of Warsaw Middle School’s success. Our school also would not be successful without the following:

Positive School Climate: Our teachers reinforce the four important aspects outlined in the FISH Philosophy: Play, Make Their Day, Be There, and Choose Your Attitude. The FISH Philosophy creates a positive approach to our life at school for staff and students. Small teams and our FISH Time Advisory are designed to increase the adult support for students in our school and maintain a positive attitude for all students. We also have a civil rights team that meets weekly throughout the year. More than twenty students are on the Warsaw Civil Rights Team. Peer Mediators help fellow students work out issues between students as well.

Student Portfolios and Student-Led Conferences: Every Warsaw student is responsible for maintaining a portfolio of her/his work throughout the year. Academic Teams help students collect and maintain their class work for their portfolios. FISH Group Teachers help students maintain and organize their work in portfolios so that in April parents come to Warsaw for the Student-Led Conferences.

Exercise Program: In addition to our physical education classes, everyone in the school participates in some form of aerobic activity for 25 minutes twice a week. It would not be uncommon to see our students on an exercise day “walking the block” around the school property or dancing and exercising to music in the gym. This time helps develop teacher / student rapport and improves the conditioning and concentration level of our students. Also research in brain development tells us that exercise is good for the brain as well as the body! Warsaw’s Music, Chorus, and Band teacher, Marisa Weinstein, takes the lead in making this program work when we are inside and all teachers and students participate!

Allied Arts: Our Allied Arts program provides our students with enrichment courses that are supported by middle level research. These classes help educate the whole child: visual arts, performing arts, physical education, career preparation, music, computer, and foreign language.

Technology: MLTI Laptops Our students in grades 7 and 8 are utilizing laptops in nearly every class. Warsaw has been recognized for the level of expertise our students have shown in using the laptops, especially two programs, Study Whiz and Note Share.

Supportive Board and Community Involvement: With the help of many people and community organizations, we have been able to develop and implement many “extras” that add to the WMS educational experience. Thanks to Cianbro Corp, Healthy Maine Partnership and Sebasticook Valley Hospital, the Elk’s Club, the Masons, SAD #53 Sports Boosters, the PTO, and many other individuals and organizations we have been able to provide Warsaw Middle School students with a number of enrichment opportunities and special projects:

Ø Newly created fields and facilities to host baseball, softball, football, field hockey, and soccer

Ø A walking path for school and community use

Ø Career panels that educate our students

Ø Upgrading of our gymnasium hoops and other improvements

Ø A sports storage and refreshment building for our new athletic fields

Ø Programs to help students and their families in a variety of ways

Community support is huge at Warsaw Middle School!

From the Principal:

Warsaw Middle School: where we put Kids First and follow the FISH Philosophy in working with young adolescents: Everyone at Warsaw strives to Play, Be There, Make Their Day, and Choose Our Attitudes. If you would like further information about our school, please feel free to call us at (207) 487-5145.

We at Warsaw Middle School believe that it is our job to work with students in their time here so that they are confident in who they are and how they learn.

Sandy Nevens, Principal

Fall, 2008

Directions: From: I- 95. Exit 150. Off ramp go toward downtown Pittsfield on Somerset Ave. Take second left onto School Street. Vickery School and Warsaw Middle School are located across from one another at the end of School Street.