*** A message from Oyster River Middle School (ORMS) Principal Bill Sullivan ***
Dear Parents and Guardians,
I am writing to inform you of important structural changes that we will be implementing starting next year to enhance our middle school students’ learning experience and better support their transition from elementary to high school. While kindergarten is experiencing an increase in the number of students, fluctuations in enrollment over the years mean we, in the middle school, must adjust our “team” learning structure.
The changes I am sharing below to our current grade-level team model align with our learning objectives and will ensure stability for the next 3-4 years as we see smaller numbers traveling through grades 5-8. These changes will also meet our goal of maintaining a consistent team structure at all grade levels.
The teams will be organized as follows:
5th grade
We are building on the success of our 3-team model and integrating this model for both teams. For each team, one teacher will teach Math, one teacher will teach Science, and one teacher will deliver both Humanities and English, offering an integrated approach to these subject areas.
6th grade
Sixth grade will continue to have two teams next year. However, due to the number of incoming students, we must structure these teams differently. Looking at all available options, we determined that offering a combination of one 4-teacher team and one 2-teacher team will allow us to offer flexible and developmentally appropriate learning environments that best meet the diverse needs of our students. This makeup emulates the successful model most incoming 6th grade students experienced in 5th grade.
Both the 2-teacher and the 4-teacher models provide engaging, rigorous instruction while promoting social growth and academic readiness. Placement in either model will take into account a range of factors, including student learning styles, teacher input, and overall balance across teams.
In the 2-teacher team model, one teacher will teach Math and Science, and one teacher will teach English Language Arts (ELA) and Social Studies.
In the 4-teacher Team model, each teacher specializes in and teaches one core subject: Math, ELA, Science, or Social Studies.
7th and 8th grade
No changes required.
If you have questions, do not hesitate to reach out.
Bill Sullivan
Principal, Oyster River Middle School