Floyd Dryden Middle School Home Page

Blast from the Past - posted May 18, 2010 - archived Aug 06, 2010

The following is a "blast from the past" that I thought would be timely to repeat as Spring weather is upon us. I am also including a copy of our dress code in this newsletter for your use as a reminder to our kids. Thank you for the great support!

Too Many Belly Buttons or...Student Decorum: One Piece of the Puzzle!

 Recently it seems that I have seen more boys' underwear in school than would be viewed on a leisure stroll through the clothing section of Fred Meyers during the holiday season. The propensity for some guys to hike their underwear up to their shoulders and wear their size 60 waistband pants low enough to trip has the potential to result in colorful, but "PG" rated, hallways. Please join your staff and me in promoting our boys' awareness of the difference between a waistline and a hip socket. I am going to work on

getting it in the science core curriculum. In an effort to derail cries of gender bias, I will now turn my sights on the "fairer" of the two. Jeepers! I haven't seen this many navels since I walked through the maternity nursery of a large, metropolitan hospital. The midriff is "driffing" in the wrong direction. We are reminding our young ladies that

Floyd Dryden is not the old Baywatch set. String straps, tank tops, short skirts, or any tops displaying midriff should be immediately shipped back to sunny California. Please join your staff and me in promoting our girls' awareness of the difference between Alaska and California. I am going to work on getting it in the geography core curriculum.

Student decorum is not the star of school academic atmosphere, but it does play a strong supporting role. Hoods and hats are for keeping a head warm outside, not for peering out from during class! Does that mean hoods significantly impact the academic achievement of a middle school student? I don't think so, but it is a dissertation just waiting to be done! It's not like we are telling our kids that they can't wear bellbottoms to school. How come I wasn't allowed to wear bellbottoms to school in 1970, anyway? Was there a danger of floating away if they collected too much air when walking? I mean it's not l

I was showing the fuzz in my bellybutton or wearing pants so low I walked like a three-legged race contestant! Please join your staff and me as we continue to support bellbottoms and work to maintain our "G" rating at Floyd Dryden Middle School. I am going to work on getting it in our vision statement.

The Floyd Dryden/Deering Student Exchange Program - posted Apr 27, 2010 - archived May 18, 2010

A RURE/Alaska Humanities Forum Opportunity

For the sixth consecutive year, Floyd Dryden's 7^th grade students, parents and staff will have an outstanding learning opportunity thanks to the Rose Urban Rural Exchange (RURE) grant. I am very pleased to share that again this year we have a sister school, which allows one of our Floyd Dryden seventh-grade teams to participating in the RURE program and this wonderful experience.  Around 60 7^th grade students are participating in the classroom component of the program, and five students actually traveled to Deering School last week.  Teacher Liz Gifford accompanied our students on their weeklong trip to Deering, an Alaska Native village of about 300 people located in the interior of Alaska.  Our students travel on Alaska Airlines to Bethel, then on a small plane to Deering.  As happened the last five years, students are sure to learn a lot about the differences and similarities between living in rural and urban Alaska!  They'll be sharing their experience via a multi-media presentation later in the year.

In addition, Dryden will be hosting five students from Deering for a week.  The students will attend classes at Floyd Dryden and will explore Juneau.  They have plans to visit the hospital, the police station, the legislature, the museum, Eaglecrest, and the Mendenhall Glacier.  Once again our students have been invited to bring their guests to the Capitol during a Senate session.  We look forward to welcoming our partner school's students to our school and to our community. 

Many thanks to the Rose Urban Rural Exchange (RURE) and the Alaska Humanities Forum for making this exciting and experiential learning opportunity available to our students.  RURE is funded by a grant through the U.S. Department of Education.  Their support makes this whole experience possible for our 7^th grade students, and it's free to our Floyd Dryden and Deering students and families!  We are especially grateful to Donna Elliott, a RURE/Alaska Humanities Forum Coordinator, who has helped organize and coordinate the experience.

Coming in April to a School Near You: Standardized Testing! - posted Mar 12, 2010 - archived Apr 27, 2010

We are fast approaching the release dates for this year’s much anticipated Standards Based Assessment (SBA).  Our Dryden students won’t want to miss what is sure to be a smash hit. The SBA stars Reading, Writing and Math for all students. In addition, the SBA age restricted version includes Science for our 8th grade students only.  Identification will be checked!

Students’ grade-level knowledge and our school’s Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) are determined by our students’ performance on the Standards Based Assessment.  Please mark the following dates on your calendars to help ensure attendance during all testing periods.

Grades 6th, 7th & 8th Standards Based Assessment
April 7th   – Science  (8th grade only)
April 13th – Reading
April 14th – Writing
April 15th – Math

Our students’ test results will be known before the end of the school year.  You will receive the results, and a copy of the results will be placed in each student’s academic folder that follows them to the high school.  These test results are considered in future placement decisions and opportunities, so it is critical that our students are at their best on the testing dates above.  I know you have heard some of it before, but let me share a few test taking preparation tips.

->  There is a fine line between pumping your child up about standardized testing and creating test anxiety.  We face the same challenge in the classroom.  Encourage her to do her best, but be careful not to build up too much pressure.

->  Start talking to your child a few days before the testing starts about how to prepare to do his best.  Together, mark the testing dates on the calendar at home or post them on the refrigerator.

->  Plan to have your student get a good night’s sleep every night of the testing period.

->  Ask your son or daughter what special breakfasts they would like on the testing mornings.  Plan the menus and put them on the calendar, too.  A happy, full child has a test advantage.

->  Send your children off to school on testing days with a big smile on their face!  A positive attitude and mental state will serve him well during testing.

->  Ask how the testing went each day.  Give her time to share some questions or test details.  Discuss some test taking strategies, such as the process of elimination if she is not sure of an answer.

Believe it or not, testing time can be fun!  Working as a team, we can set the stage for our students to demonstrate their knowledge during testing week.  If you have any test tips that have worked for your family, please let me know (millirot@jsd.k12.ak.us).  I will share them with our Floyd Dryden community in a newsletter article next year before the testing starts.

- posted Feb 01, 2010 - archived Mar 12, 2010

PROGRAMS, GOALS AND EXPECTATIONS FOR HIGH SCHOOL TRANSITION

It is already time to start our 8^th grade transition to 9^th grade and plan to attend our high school transition programs. With the opening of Thunder Mountain High School and all the exciting options now available to our students, it is especially important to attend the transition meetings. Our 8^th grade parents will request the high school they wish their daughter or son to attend on or before Wednesday, March 10th. Watch your mail for the district high school informational brochure that will provide the details.

Again this year our PTO has invited JDHS and TMHS administrators and counselors to conduct a high school transition program and answer your questions at our PTO meeting in Floyd Dryden's library on Tuesday evening, March 2nd, at 5:00. All our 8^th grade parents should mark their calendars and plan to attend this important event.  Please bring your son or daughter with you. Regardless of your child's grade level, any interested parent is encouraged to attend. 

Another effort this year to promote a successful and easy transition from middle school to high school is orientation field trips to both JDHS and TMHS. Both trips will take place on the morning of March 2nd. During these trips, students learn about course offerings and general high school information, along with having opportunities to ask questions. As with any field trip, you are always welcome to meet your son or daughter at the high school and participate in the experience, but all our students must ride the field trip bus both to and from field trips.  Thank you to the administrators, counselors and teachers at both high schools for making this important transition opportunity available to our students.

Another important high school transition event to watch for this summer will be the JDHS and TMHS orientation program that usually takes place in mid-August. You will receive more information on LINK via mail later this year.

With the high school transition in mind, it is a good time to review goals and expectations for your son or daughter.  Peter Benson, in his article What Teens Need to Succeed, recommends following two steps to discuss high school goals and the upcoming transition.  First, get feedback from your child:

•How does your child think he is doing in his classes?  Does he think his class work will help him meet his goals?

•What would she like to learn in high school?  What activities would she like to pursue?  What can she do now to get on the right path?

•How is her life outside school?  Is she happy with the way she spends her free time?

•What does he dream about doing someday?

 After your son or daughter has the opportunity to discuss the above with you, it's your turn.

•Keep expectations high.  Let her know you expect her to do her best.

•Stay realistic.  Most children are strong in some subjects and not so strong in others.  It may not be appropriate, for example, to expect him to come up two letter grades in a subject that has been a struggle.

•Let her know that you plan to support her on the goals you come up with together.

Finally, set your child up for success by taking your son or daughter to Dryden's PTO meeting on March 2^nd at 5:00 in our library.  The more familiar they are with the programs and the high school "culture", the smoother the transition from middle school to high school.  Dryden will do all we can to provide the opportunities to promote our students' comfort zone and knowledge surrounding their move to TMHS or JDHS.  Exciting experiences and growth are in their near future!

Tom Milliron
Principal
Floyd Dryden Middle School

Winter Darkness - Commute Cautiously - posted Dec 04, 2009 - archived Feb 01, 2010

It is obviously once again that especially dangerous time of year when darkness compounds the risk our children experience each day as they make their way to and from Floyd Dryden.  While our new HAWK system enhances the safety of our Mendenhall Loop Road crosswalk, there is still significant risk due to some drivers ignoring the red lights.

Between 7:15 and 8:30 on school day mornings Mendenhall Loop Road is the mixing bowl for an extremely high risk recipe:  the heaviest volume of traffic of the day, the largest concentration of elementary and middle school age children of the day crossing the road, and twilight/darkness enveloping the scene. 

The potential for tragedy is truly increased exponentially when one considers that the most dangerous and life threatening activity of our children's day has become routine for both them and the drivers in this mixing bowl.  After successfully crossing a road 200 times, it is normal for our students to not be overly concerned about the 201^st crossing.  After driving a car for many years, it is normal for our drivers to have the day's work and activities on their minds as they make their way along Mendenhall Loop Road. 

In addition to the above and most unfortunate, all of us who have served crosswalk duty at Floyd Dryden can readily confirm that not every driver is responsible and considerate.  I frequently have to request JPD to monitor the traffic as it passes through the Floyd Dryden school zone as a deterrent for those who willfully jeopardize the safety of our children and crossing guards.

There are some basic and simple safeguards that parents and educators can do to reduce the walk to school risk.  Please do not let our Dryden students leave home in the morning without first being reminded that crossing Mendenhall Loop Road is a serious, life threatening activity.  If you drive your child to school, always drop them off in front of the school and never drop them off on the other side of Mendenhall Loop.  Enhance our children's safety by having them wear a light colored or bright colored coat with reflective material during the dark winter trek to school.  Insist and confirm that they wear a helmet if they bike to school.  While educators and parents are driving to work in the morning on Mendenhall Loop, stay focused on our children and the daily, second-by-second potential for tragedy.  At school we will frequently remind our students of the routine danger they face, revisit safety precautions for crossing Mendenhall Loop Road, and review safe bike riding habits.

Taking the above precautions will enhance safe, winter trips to and from Dryden.  The Winter Solstice will soon herald the slow return of daylight hours.  Speaking of the Winter Solstice, and at the risk of writing a very disjointed paragraph, I wish you all a wonderful and safe holiday season!

Tom Milliron
Principal

Dealing With Bullies - posted Nov 03, 2009 - archived Dec 04, 2009

Have you ever heard your son or daughter complain of someone picking on him or her? Many students experience bullying behaviors. Bullying is just another name for harassment. Bullying can be physical, but more often it is verbal and includes persistent teasing, threatening, ridicule or talking about another person. The School Board’s policy addressing bullying is consistent with Floyd Dryden’s zero tolerance policy for any of the above behaviors. The Juneau School District is also considering Character Education curricula designed for implementing proactive steps to reduce bullying.

Before Floyd Dryden administrators and teachers can correct an act of harassment, the “victim” must tell us about the incident. Too often our students are hesitant to share a bullying experience with school adults. Please encourage your son or daughter to tell us about any bullying behavior they experience.

Sometimes parents tell me their child has their permission to strike back at bullies. Striking back usually creates more problems than it solves. Students who strike back at school are subject to discipline. But a student being bullied is not helpless. Here are some tips to students offered by The Parent Institute that may stop the bullying.

 Tell a friend. Ask your friend to help you - it’s tougher to pick on a person who has someone there for support.

 Walk away. It’s harder to bully someone who won’t stand still to listen.

 Chill out. Bullies seem to target kids who respond to their taunts - girls who cry easily or boys, who have a tendency to fly off the handle, so try hard not to show any emotion. It’s no fun to bully someone who doesn’t seem to care.

 Try not to be alone in places where the bully picks on you. This may mean you need to sit in a different place on the bus or take a different way to school

 Don’t fight back. Usually, bullies are bigger and stronger than you are. If you try to fight, you’ll make the situation worse. Or you could even get blamed for starting the fight.

 Write it down. Keep track of what happens - dates, times, and places. Write down what the bully said and who heard it. When you are ready to tell an adult, you’ll have a record of what has happened.

As mentioned above, our Assistant Principal, Jackie Kookesh, and I cannot address bullying behavior if we do not know about it. At middle school age, students do not want to “rat” on someone. We need to let our kids know that it is okay to “rat on a rat.” As administrators, we can also reduce concern about retaliation through different strategies. Working together - students, parents and school staff - we can significantly reduce bullying behaviors.

Tom Milliron
Principal

Dryden’s 9th Annual 6th Grade Outdoor Skills Program Is This Month! - posted Sep 23, 2009 - archived Nov 03, 2009

Several community organizations, including the UAS 4-H program, ADF&G, United States Coast Guard, Territorial Sportsman, U.S. Forest Service, Capitol City Fire & Rescue and many individual parent volunteers, will again this year sponsor the Floyd Dryden Outdoor Skills program for all sixth grade students. In addition to firearm safety, this acclaimed program teaches real world, Southeast Alaska skills that include orienteering, GPS use, outdoor safety, appropriate outdoor clothing, marksmanship, meat care, wildlife conservation and management, and ethical harvest. The course has been divided into several learning modules taught by well qualified volunteers. Our teachers will use a study guide and workbook before the program date to give students necessary background information for the hunter education component of the program. Students will be given a test to measure what they have learned at the end of the program. With a passing grade on the test, a completed workbook, and a target that shows shooting and field proficiency, students will receive a hunter's education card from ADF&G. The hunter's education card demonstrates that a student is knowledgeable about firearm safety in the field and how to appropriately behave when there is a firearm in their home or the home of a friend.

The Floyd Dryden community is appreciative of the many parents, teachers, organizations, and volunteers who have again come together to provide this important program that could keep tragic accidents from occurring in the future. With the conclusion of Dryden's ninth annual Outdoor Skills program, we are proud that over 1,750 students had the opportunity to experience this potentially life saving program. I wish to specifically acknowledge Ken Coate and Linda Coate for their leadership, organization, and the time they have committed over the last eight years to enhance the future well-being of all Floyd Dryden students and the Juneau community. Thank you Ken and Linda!

- posted Sep 11, 2009 - archived Sep 23, 2009

It has been confirmed that we have a Floyd Dryden student who attended classes last week and was diagnosed yesterday with the H1N1 flu  The student is home and feeling as well as one can with the flu.  We will closely monitor parent and student reports of flu-like symptoms.  If there is an unusual increase in flu-like symptoms, you will be alerted and we will take additional measures.  Please review the below precautions with your children, which are normal precautions to take during any flu season.   Do not hesitate to call me if you have any questions or suggestions.

Thanks!
Tom MIlliron
Principal

Symptoms of swine flu are similar to those of regular influenza and can include fever, cough, sore throat, chills, headache, fatigue and body aches. Gastrointestinal symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea may be present as well. The illness may last up to seven days, but people are considered to be contagious as long as symptoms persist. If you or your child is showing mild flu like symptoms, stay home, monitor symptoms closely and be sure to speak with your physician or school nurse.

The district wants to remind parents and staff members of the importance of
prevention and how to stay healthy.

What You Can Do To Prevent the Spread of Swine Flu

• Sneeze or cough into a tissue, elbow or sleeve.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
• Avoid close contact with anyone who displays flu-like symptoms.
• Practice good health habits. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, drink plenty of fluids and eat nutritious food.
• Please remember that students should always stay home if diagnosed with a contagious illness or when they have any of the following symptoms: fever above 100 degrees, heavy nasal congestion, frequent cough, vomiting, or diarrhea.

If you have any questions about swine flu, please visit the following websites:
http://www.pandemicflu.alaska.gov/
http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/

- posted Aug 17, 2009 - archived Sep 11, 2009

Welcome to the 2009-2010 school year at Floyd Dryden Middle School!  Fresh starts, new faces, exciting learning, and unknown experiences are waiting for us all as we venture down the new school year path. 

Our new faces will include all our 6th grade students.  Our 6th grade students start their first day of school by finding their name on the 6th grade Advisory Teacher lists that will be posted on the front door, then going in the gym at 8:15 to locate and check in with their Advisory Teacher.  Our 7th and 8th grade students find their name on the posted Advisory Teacher lists, and then simply go to their Advisory classroom at 8:15.

Additional “new” this year at Dryden includes Special Education teachers Erica Scales and Brenda Warneca, 7th grade teachers George Gress and Ben Milano, 8th grade teacher Mitch Bachma and Strings/Choir teacher Missouri Smyth.  Along with the new this school year, students and parents will also find the “old” commitment of the Floyd Dryden staff to provide the finest education possible for our students and community.  We will continue to do our best to provide a safe and caring environment to successfully enjoy the middle school experience.

Your Floyd Dryden staff will create the opportunities for student success, but it is ultimately educators and parents working together to encourage and motivate students’ work ethic and academic dedication that will determine progress this year and in the future as they move on to high school.  We believe all students can achieve their potential academic success by maintaining good attendance, organizing for class, and completing all schoolwork on time.  Working together we can truly achieve standards of excellence and success, while gaining knowledge, self-assurance and pride.

I strongly encourage you to be active members in the education of your children this year.  There is a significant correlation between student achievement and parent involvement in their child’s school. It is especially important to have parents participate in the governance of the school through PTO meetings and Site Council meetings to ensure that Dryden continues to reflect the values, goals, standards and academic desires of the community we serve.   Our first PTO and Site Council Meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 8th, in the Dryden library at 6:00 PM.

One value of our Dryden community is reflected in our school dress code.  As a result, Floyd Dryden is an educational institution that maintains both high academic standards and modest decorum standards.  Please review the Floyd Dryden Middle School dress code with your son or daughter, and assist them in selecting clothes that support the dress code and an academically focused middle school community.

I am excited about the new beginnings and old commitments this year.  I will enjoy hearing about our students’ experiences as we travel and learn together along the 2009-2010 school year path.

Tom Milliron
Principal
Floyd Dryden Middle School

"School Is Out For the Summer" - posted Jun 12, 2009 - archived Aug 17, 2009

It is time to welcome Summer, 2009!  It was so fun to watch our students welcome it by singing and dancing together in the halls to the song "School Is Out For the Summer" played over our intercom at 3:00 on our last day of school.  We must have a bunch of old rockin’ roller wannabes at Dryden!  Those types of moments make educators’ jobs so rewarding.  Speaking of rewarding, I wish everyone a rewarding, relaxing, fun and safe summer.

Before we know it, we will next be welcoming the start of the 2009/10 school year at Floyd Dryden Middle School.  Fresh starts, new faces, exciting learning, and unknown experiences are waiting for us all when we start our venture down the 2009/10 school year path on August 31.

One tool that will be waiting for our students in August is the Floyd Dryden day planner (no cost!).  We hope that with parent and teacher guidance, our students will learn to use the daily planner effectively.  Time management is a critical skill for success as a student and later as an employee or business owner.  Organizing days and weeks to stay on course will help our students enjoy a successful school year.

While I welcome the summer, I am excited and looking forward to the 2009/10 school year.  Students, parents and educators can anticipate learning from each other and growing together when we start our journey along the new school year path.  Until then, take care and enjoy a continued sunny (hopefully) summer!

Tom Milliron
Principal
Floyd Dryden Middle School

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