About Our School
Our mission at Garrison Middle School is centered on the importance of providing a positive and safe environment that allows all students to achieve academic excellence. We strive to carry out this mission through focusing on the following key areas: student-centered environment, focused instruction, on-going assessment, data-driven decision making, collaboration among peers and involvement of parents and community. We are excited to work with middle school-aged children and we are fortunate to have a staff that is committed to this particular group of students and their academic, emotional and social development.
Garrison Middle School staff continue to work diligently on high yield strategies and have implemented new and creative ways to ensure ALL students are successful. Garrison will continue to focus on the PLC model. This model has four (4) essential questions: 1. What do we want students to learn, 2. How do we assess their learning, 3. How do we respond when they don’t understand the content, and 4, How do we ensure students are provided enrichment if they have met mastery on the identified essential standards we call “Promise Standards”?
Social development is incredibly important in the maturation of students from grade six through grade eight. We are not born knowing how to navigate life and its many different complexities. It is our distinct goal to assist students through these transitional years between elementary and high school by capitalizing on the opportunities to teach and re-teach expected behavior, social skills and problem-solving strategies.
Strategic Plan Goals
Goal 1: High Quality Instruction
Goal 2: Aligned and Coherent Systems
Goal 3: Social and Emotional Needs
Goal 4: Safe and Engaging Environment
Building Plans for 2020-21
- Teachers will build on their skills and create a process, whereby we will work collaboratively in a recurring cycle of collective inquiry to examine the “Why and the How,” then take action so that all students can learn
- High yield strategies: Clear and visible student friendly daily targets/objectives; focus on engagement and learning using formative assessments
- Focused reading intervention for students not meeting standards first semester in small groups in the afternoons
- Focused math intervention for students not meeting standards second semester in small groups in the afternoons
Highlights from 2019-20
- Response to Intervention (RtI) system is in place, allowing us to monitor student data and student progress on a quarterly and semester basis. Students receive support and intervention in behavior, study skills, organization, math and reading throughout the year. RtI has a school-wide emphasis to look at all student
placements to ensure students are in classes that are rigorous, challenge their abilities, and give exposure to real-world experiences. - Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) assists in further recognizing the many students who are doing great in school, getting along with their peers and meeting expectations on a consistent basis.
- Garrison Middle School also hosted a monthly parent meeting we call “Coffee with the Principal.” These meetings were well attended and great conversations surfaced. Mrs. Doepker had an agenda but encouraged parents to bring questions, concerns or accolades to meetings. A meeting in English and one in Spanish were held independent of each other for comfort and effectiveness. This proved to be very successful. Coffee with the Principal will continue into the following year.