Mission Statement:

It is our goal to provide a quality education, an appreciation of cultural diversity, and a sense of social responsibility for all students. Our educational programs are designed to teach not only content, but to teach students to value themselves and others in a safe, supportive environment. Middletown Middle School strives to provide our students with the opportunity to become excellent, contributing members of society.

MMS is a smaller school with two teachers per subject, one for 7th and one for 8th grade. Our teaching staff work very closely together to develop comprehensive and thought provoking curriculum to challenge our students to the best of their ability.

Now that the school year has begun, you may be having some questions or concerns about homework. Homework provides many benefits for students. It helps to reinforce lessons taught during the day. Homework can help to develop study skills that can be used throughout the student’s life. It can help to teach students time management, independence and responsibility. Your student should be spending about 30 minutes to one hour each day with homework. Reading is always encouraged and should be a part of a daily routine for every student. Listed below are 12 homework tips that will help you and your student(s) to be successful at doing homework and ultimately lead to greater success academically.

• Make sure your student has a quiet, well-lit place to do homework. Avoid having your student do homework with the television on or in places with other distractions, such as people coming and going.

• Make sure the materials your student needs, such as paper, pencils, and a dictionary are available. Ask your student if special materials will be needed for some projects and get them in advance.

• Help your student with time management. Establish a set time each day for doing homework. Don't let your student leave homework until just before bedtime. Think about using a weekend morning or afternoon for working on big projects, especially if the project involves getting together with classmates.

• Be positive about homework. Tell your student how important school is. The attitude you express about homework will be the attitude your student acquires.

• When your student does homework, you do homework. Show your student that the skills they are learning are related to things you do as an adult. If your student is reading, you read too. If your student is doing math, balance your checkbook.

• When your student asks for help, provide guidance, not answers. Giving answers means your student will not learn the material. Too much help teaches your student that when the going gets rough, someone will do the work for him or her.

• When the teacher asks that you play a role in homework, do it. Cooperate with the teacher. It shows your student that the school and home are a team. Follow the directions given by the teacher.

• If homework is meant to be done by your student alone, stay away. Too much parent involvement can prevent homework from having some positive effects. Homework is a great way for kids to develop independent, lifelong learning skills.

• Stay informed. Talk with your student's teacher. Make sure you know the purpose of homework and what are your student's class rules.

• Help your student figure out what is hard homework and what is easy homework. Have your student do the hard work first. This will mean he will be most alert when facing the biggest challenges. Easy material will seem to go fast when fatigue begins to set in.

• Watch your student for signs of failure and frustration. Let your student take a short break if they are having trouble keeping their mind on an assignment.

• Make sure your student has been properly “fueled” before starting homework. Offer a light, nutritious snack if your student has just returned home from school or extra activities before beginning homework.