Page 10 - PPPS Pride & Progress-Spring 2017

MIDDLE SCHOOL

REPORT

Jerry McDaniel
657-8870 MIDDLE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL

Google Classroom isn’t just for students

The students and staff at the middle school began using ify you are a parent or guardian).
iPads in all classrooms this year. A few ways students have The last feature of Google Classroom that has made it
used iPads include to take notes, create posters, make videos one of the widely used apps in the middle school is the ver-
and songs, create original artwork, practice skills using edu- satility of the app. For example, the weekly announcements
cational games, and complete research. Everyone has are posted on a Google Classroom page for all students. To
learned tips and tricks for using the iPad and staff and stu- reduce the number of copies, students and staff use Google
dents have had the opportunity to explore many education- Classroom to view schedules, lunch menus, upcoming
al apps. events, and student handbooks. While students have used
One app that is quickly becoming a middle school the app to submit work in a variety of ways, teachers have
favorite amongst students and staff is Google Classroom. So been using the app for learning too! Important messages,
just what is it about Google Classroom that makes it stand meeting notes, and upcoming events are shared through the
out as one of the best apps for middle school? First, organi- Staff Classroom page. Teachers have also been using the app
zation is an important feature of Google Classroom. to complete a book study by submitting comments and
Teachers can post assignments, quizzes and tests, or ask questions on a document posted in the classroom feed.
questions in the classroom feed. Students submit their work To learn more about Google Classroom and how it is
digitally. The work can be graded and returned through the being used at the middle school, ask any 6th, 7th or
app, giving students feedback more quickly. All of the work 8th grader...they are quickly becoming the experts!
assigned, collected, and graded remains in the student feed
and in the teacher feed. Organizing work in this way helps
eliminate lost homework too!
Privacy protection is another important feature of the
Google Classroom app. Teachers create classes and students
must join using a code provided by the teacher. All of the
classes are private to the teacher and class members. Parents
can receive a weekly summary of their student’s work (you
need an invitation from your child’s teacher via email to ver-

This year, our choir program has a new leadership team
that was elected by the students in the fall. This group of
dedicated students is called Choir Council. Choir Council
is comprised of students acting as President, Vice
President, Secretary, Choir Room Managers, 6th Grade
Choir Representative, 7th Grade Choir Representative,
and 8th Grade Representative. These students created
posters and prepared campaign speeches in order to
get votes. Now that they are assembled, they meet regu-
larly after school to solve problems, plan choir activities,
decorate the choir room, and discuss any concerns the
choir students might have. You'll see in the photo that the
choir students recently decorated the classroom for
Valentine's Day. PP

10 MIDDLE SCHOOL REPORT www.ppps.org P S