Core Curriculum

Western Middle School is committed to consistently meeting the ever-changing, ever-increasing benchmarks (now called Grade Level Content Expectations) required by the State of Michigan.  During the 2002-2003 school year, all four core curriculum areas (math, science, social studies, and language) were aligned with the State of Michigan Core Curriculum Frameworks. New textbooks for math, social studies, and language arts were purchased in the summer of 2001 and new science textbooks in the summer of 2002.  Teachers and administrators volunteered literally hundreds of hours to complete this very critical process.  New math textbooks have been ordered and will be used for the 2006-07 school year.

     One of the outcomes of this curriculum work is upgraded standards in each area of the core curriculum in a systematic, ongoing fashion.  Since parents are included on all Western School District curriculum committees, please notify us if you are interested in serving on any committee at Western Middle School.
 

Staff

The Western Middle School staff is a dedicated and experienced group of forty-five teachers and sixteen support staff members who sincerely care about the young people who enter Western Middle School each day.

The highly qualified teaching staff is composed of eighteen men and twenty-eight women averaging over twelve years of service. This longevity demonstrates that the staff is an experienced faculty, well equipped to deal with a very challenging age group.

The support staff (principal, assistant principal, office clerk, secretary, records clerk, library paraprofessional, custodians, cooks, health care paraprofessionals, and lunch hour supervisor) includes twelve women and four men and average over nine years of service at Western.  They work well together to provide auxiliary services necessary for a smooth, effective building operation.

Virtually all staff members attend seminars and programs on their own time each year; keeping the Western Middle School staff up-to-date on teaching methodology and subject matter.

  In place is a fully integrated computer assisted attendance system as well as a computer aided grading and reporting system.  All teachers and many support staff have taken classes and instruction on their own time to make technology an intricate part of their day at Western Middle School.

Expanded Curriculum

*  Assemblies                                                                                                      

                Marching Band Performance

                Animals of the Rainforest                                                                  

                Select Choir Performances                                                                                 

                Civil War                                                                                              

                Talent Show                                                                                         

                Breakout Drug Education                                                                  

                Holiday Concerts                                                                                

* Field Trips

                COSI -  “Hands-on” Museum in Toledo     Phantom of the Opera - play                              Special Olympics                                        Eighth grade to Career Center

                Celebration Cinema for Science                  Michigan State University

                Lansing Lugnuts Game                                Holocoust Museum

                Binder Park Zoo                                        Exemplary Physical Education Student

* Academic Competitions

                Midwest Talent Search (ACT)                                                          

                Jackson Citizen Patriot Spelling Bee                                

                Math Counts (Engineering Math Competition)

                Quiz Bowl

* Speakers and Demonstrations

                Boat Safety                                                                                          

                Career Education                                                                                 

                Daily Announcements by 8th Grade Video/Studio Class

                Life Experiences

                Job Shadowing in Grades 6 and 7

                Technology Education