The world is rapidly changing, and our children will likely be working in jobs that do not currently exist. Our greatest responsibility is to equip our students with the ability to problem-solve, explore meaning, crave knowledge, pursue innovation, and embrace challenges. We need to empower our students and staff members to become “architects of their own future.”
Union Middle School is at the forefront of this paradigm shift by enhancing and increasing opportunities for self-directed learning and inquiry in the arts, sciences, academics, career, and life skills. Our courses focus on creativity, critical thinking, character, citizenship, collaboration, and communication skills (6Cs), which are vital to success in a globally competitive society.
Union Middle School is a diverse and very successful 7-8 middle school originally built in 1892. It is recognized as a vibrant learning center where young learners are taught and guided by a professional staff whose primary mission is to provide an innovative, challenging, and nurturing educational environment. Union Middle School believes that, through technologies, comprehensive curricula, and project-based learning, your child will be provided with many different avenues in the pursuit of educational excellence.
Technology plays a vital role in the education of all our students. At the start of the school year, students in grades 7-8 are assigned a Chromebook that they will use in school, and the device will travel home with them. Teachers, students, and administrators are collaborating to share and exchange ideas through technology-driven platforms, such as Google Apps. Students incorporate online tools to enhance mind mapping and brainstorming sessions to collaborate and inspire creative thinking.
We have created a Maker Space, Breakers Space, and Little Bits bar. Our Maker Space is a dedicated section of the UMS library, equipped with tools, equipment, and technology, where students can create and collaborate on various projects. Our 3D printers enable the production of tangible visual representations, allowing our students to bring their creative ideas to life by developing a physical product. The school’s computer lab and library are equipped with a classroom set of Macintosh computers.
Technology is also used to assist parents. Parents have access to the “Parent Portal.” This allows parents to view their child’s status at any time. The “Parent Portal” displays current grades and homework completion status. At all grade levels, our teachers utilize Google websites. The websites are updated on a daily or weekly basis, allowing parents to check and see what homework or projects have been assigned by the teacher. By doing this, a parent can prevent their child from falling behind the rest of the class. Progress reports and report cards are also available for electronic viewing.
Union Middle School participates in the National Junior Honor Society. The National Junior Honor Society is more than just an honor roll; this premier organization serves to honor students in the areas of scholarship, leadership, service, character, and citizenship.
Union School offers additional challenges through participation in local and national contests, such as the VEX World Championship, in which our STEAM Team is ranked in the top 1% in the world. Our 7th and 8th-grade students have performed well on state-mandated tests. Much of our success is the result of early detection of academic needs, determined through the use of diagnostic tools, science-based interventions, differentiated instruction, and data analysis.
We utilize LinkIt!, a K-12 online data analytics and assessment management system that adapts to our needs. This system enables us to upload our own assessments, design our own tests, and integrate state and school data sources into a consistent framework for longitudinal progress monitoring, growth analysis, and predictive analytics.
Union Middle School also implements the RTI (Response to Intervention) program. RTI is a method of identifying at-risk learners at an early stage, matching them to appropriate research-based interventions, and flexibly providing them with additional support as needed. All of our students are offered the opportunity to attend after-school assistance on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, from 2:40 p.m. to 3:02 p.m.
PBSIS (Positive Behavior Support in Schools) has been implemented to develop the capacity of Union Middle School to create an environment that encourages and supports pro-student behavior at the school-wide, classroom, and individual student levels, utilizing current research and validated practices in positive behavior support.
Our special education and limited English students are provided with appropriate and challenging courses of study, which enable all students to achieve success. Union Middle School offers various elective courses, including Robotics, Mythbusters, and Architecture. Union Middle School has implemented various STEM programs and computer coding classes that expose students to new ideas and information, engaging their minds, bodies, and spirits. We have different clubs that meet throughout the year, i.e., Robotics, Art, and Service Club. Additionally, Spanish is taught in grades seven and eight.
We at Union Middle School strongly believe in the importance of the arts and humanities in everyone’s life. Our music and art departments offer numerous opportunities for students to develop and refine their talents. Several times during the year, the UMS chorus and band perform concerts in our auditorium for family and friends. Our “artists” display their work in school-wide exhibits and at regional and national contests.
An energetic and dedicated faculty is an essential reason for the tradition of excellence at Union Middle School. Our faculty consists primarily of teachers holding master’s degrees, and all teachers participate in ongoing professional development programs. Our teachers are continually researching new strategies to enrich and transform your child’s learning experience, meeting the demands of our global society. Union Middle School will continue to find ways to lead and promote innovative and creative thinking, leverage technologies and human capital in imaginative ways, and incorporate new structures and platforms to create learning environments that best serve our children and support educators. We will never be satisfied with being good or very good. Our goal is to be great.
Mr. Kurt Schweitzer – Principal