The world is rapidly changing, and our children will be working in jobs that currently do not 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 must 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, collaboration, and communication skills (4C’s), which are vital to success in a competitive world.
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 educational environment that is innovative, challenging, and nurturing. Union Middle School believes that, through technologies, comprehensive curricula, and project-based learning, your child will have many different avenues to pursue 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 will be assigned a Chromebook that they will use in school, and the device will travel home with them. Teachers, students, and administrators are working together to share and receive 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 with tools, equipment, and technology where students can create and collaborate on various projects. Our 3D printers enable the production of tangible visual representations and allow our students to bring their creative ideas to life by developing a physical product. We provide education through experience and interaction.
Technology is also used to assist parents. The parents in grades six through twelve may access the “Parent Portal.” This allows parents to view a child’s status at any time. It will show current grades and homework completion. At all grade levels, our teachers utilize Google websites. The websites are updated daily or weekly, allowing parents to check to see what homework or project has 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 can also be viewed electronically.
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 results from early detection of academic needs determined by diagnostic tools, scientific-based interventions, differentiated instruction, and data analyses.
We utilize LinkIt!, a K-12 online data analytics and assessment management system that adapts to our needs. This system allows us to upload our own assessments, create/design our own tests, and combine 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 through LinkIt! 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 School) has been implemented to develop the capacity for Union Middle School to create an environment that encourages and supports pro-student behavior at the school-wide, classroom, and individual student levels using current research and validated practices in positive behavior support.
Union Middle School offers various elective courses such as Robotics, Astronomy, Architecture, and Drones. Union Middle School has implemented various STEAM programs and computer coding classes that expose students to new ideas and information that engage their minds, bodies, and spirits. School clubs and activities include STEAM, Art, Yearbook, etc. Additionally, Spanish and French are 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. Field trips to the theater, concerts, museums, and presentations by various artists and authors all help expand our students’ cultural horizons.
An energetic and dedicated faculty is an important 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 programs of professional improvement. Our teachers are constantly researching new strategies to enrich and transform your child’s learning experience to meet the demands of our global society. They are improving their levels of expertise through advanced studies. These include workshops on G Suite of Education, other technologies, diversified instruction, curriculum, and a variety of social issues.
In closing, I assure you that the students of Union Middle School will have an environment that is safe and secure and will receive the best education possible. 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