Newsletter 8/22/25

Good Afternoon South Lake Families,

We had an awesome week welcoming our Sharks to the new school year. Students have learned all about South Lake Cares and all things South Lake! Our 7th graders are getting into the groove, learning the campus and our 8th graders have been great helping them out!
 
Thank you to the parents and guardians who attended Parent Orientation this week. We covered lots of topics like the transition to Standards-based Grading (SBG), Work Habits and Citizenship expectations, Technology guidelines and using AI effectively, South Lake Cares and how to stay connected to South Lake and engaged with your middle schooler. I am including a summary of our shift to SBG in this newsletter. If you were not able to attend, there is one more scheduled for September 4th at 5:00pm (Back to School Night to follow). 
 
Please know that our student enrollment is up this year. This makes the parking lot a little more crowded as well as the lunch line. The lunch line takes longer at the start of the year due to students learning their login and shopping food items. I guarantee that your child has enough time to eat and there are lots of food options. We are very fortunate to live in California, one of only two states that funds free breakfast and lunch for every student! Also, we have made every effort to keep our class sizes balanced and know that we are only able to accommodate a student schedule as a result of incorrect placement. 
 
Your child received their Chromebook and charger, Planner and ID Card this week. They will need to bring them to school every day. Their charger can stay at home as it helps to build responsibility with charging it nightly. Students are also receiving their textbooks which should all stay at home as we have copies at school or digital access. 
 
Below is a summary of the guiding principles for our assessment and grading practices. This is a change from traditional grading using percentages to a more accurate representation of your child’s proficiency toward meeting standards. South Lake teams have been piloting this shift to standards-based grading for the past 18 months. 
 
Student Proficiency on Grade Level Standards is Communicated
Standards and Learning Targets: Whenever possible, your child’s teacher will clearly communicate the grade level standards using student friendly language (learning targets).  Your child’s teacher will help them answer these questions throughout the learning process, “Where am I going?”  “Where am I now?” and, “How can I improve?” It is helpful to think of the scale in narrative form, which is a change from thinking in percentages. 
 
Communicating Progress with Proficiency:  Whenever possible, your child’s teacher will communicate student progress using the below proficiency scale in combination with specific feedback.  The goal is for all students to reach proficiency (3) or higher on grade level standards by the end of the school year. The following scale is a general overview of the scale all teachers will be using. Each of your child’s teachers will go into more detail about the scale within their class, please refer to their course syllabus and rubrics for details about skills associated with each proficiency level.  
 

• Excelling (4): Demonstrates a deep understanding and application of the standard.
• Proficient (3): Demonstrates a comprehensive understanding and application of the standard.
• Developing (2): Demonstrates a basic understanding and application of the standard.
• Beginning (1): Demonstrates a limited understanding and application of the standard.

Grades Accurately and Consistently Communicate Student Progress
Gradebook Communication: All teachers use an electronic gradebook to communicate your child’s academic progress. Our teachers use Aeries to communicate overall progress. Many of our teachers use Canvas which will inform you of your child’s progress on assignments.  Information entered in the Aeries gradebook will provide an indication of your child’s proficiency throughout the learning process.   
 
Report Card Communication:  When it is time for your child’s teacher to communicate grades on a report card, they will look at the more recent or frequent evidence of performance to communicate where your child is at the time of reporting in relation to the end of year standards.  
 

• Your child’s teacher will assign a letter grade A-F that represents where your child is performing overall in a subject area based on the proficiency towards meeting standard. The general guidelines for each letter grade are as follows:

Assessment and Grading Practices Build Hope and Efficacy in Learning
Safe Practice: Your child will engage in many learning activities that are not formally graded, or that are recorded in the gradebook for communication but don’t factor into the final letter grade.  This provides students a safe place to practice new skills, and provides teachers with valuable information about where a student needs to improve. Students will be assessed and scored for Work Habits and Citizenship. Please see the table below for South Lake expectations in both these areas.


Opportunities for Growth: Your child’s teacher will have opportunities for students to reflect, relearn and reassess until they achieve proficiency on the essential standards.  This system of reassessment promotes a growth mindset and encourages continuous learning. Each of your child’s teachers will have a process for this and we encourage your student to use these opportunities to improve their learning. 
 
Teachers will be reviewing how your student can improve their learning and meet proficiency during their presentation at Back-to-School Night on September 4th. 
 
Coursework Completion and Practice
At South Lake Middle School, learning does not stop when the bell rings. We expect students to complete all coursework not finished in the allotted time provided in class, to continue practicing skills, and/or studying and preparing for assessment. South Lake students should typically dedicate at least 30 minutes to one hour nightly at home to completing coursework, practicing skills, and/or reading as needed. This work serves several important purposes:
 

• Deepening Understanding: It provides an opportunity to further explore concepts introduced in class and helps strengthen understanding of the material.
• Skill Reinforcement: Regular practice helps solidify new skills and ensures application of learned content.
• Preparation: Completing this work helps students prepare for upcoming lessons and assessments as building blocks for learning.
• Assessing Progress: Teachers may use coursework completed outside of class for assessment purposes. This allows teachers to gauge work ethic and, more importantly, the independent level of understanding of the content. While daily practice may not always be graded for completion, major projects and long-term assignments will be graded to evaluate student proficiency.

This was a lot of information…thank you for taking the time to digest!

Have a wonderful last few days of summer break…go Sharks!In kindness,
Belinda Averill
Principal