I am extremely proud to be associated with Timbercrest Junior High School. The 08-09 school year marks the beginning of our twelfth year of providing the best possible education available to seventh, eighth and ninth grade students in the eastern-most portions of our school district. Our 750 students are provided with challenging and relevant curriculum delivered by competent, caring and professional teachers with one common agenda, to prepare our students with the skills and knowledge necessary for success in school and in life. We want them to leave here as life-long learners as excited to move to their next level of education as they were when they came to us for the very first time. If we can maintain this zeal for learning in our students then we are successful.

One of the hallmarks of Timbercrest is our high expectations in both academics and behavior. Our students and community understand that in order for kids to perform to their full potential, they must be free from distractions. Providing an environment where students feel safe to pursue their studies and look forward to coming to school spending quality time with friends and caring adults is important to us and we work hard to make that a reality. There is a close partnership between our students and our teachers and a desire to do well, which translates to high percentages of our students meeting standard in all areas of the seventh and eighth grade WASLs. We have bragging rights to the highest WASL scores in the district in several areas for the past several years.

Not only are we blessed with superb teachers and excellent students, but we have a community of parents that is second to none in their support for our school and the education of their kids. We have a PTSA with well over 350 members. From this group we garner all of our volunteers for special events and projects. We never lack for help be it chaperoning dances, going on field trips with our classes, helping on field day, or scoring freshman projects as spectators for student presentations. Our parents are always willing to step up with time and with money. Last year (07-08) the PTSA granted over $13,500 in teacher grants for equipment and materials that we would not have been able to make available to kids without their help. You can talk about being supportive but this substantive support outweighs lip service any day.

You have an open invitation to come see for yourself. Call and make an appointment and any number of us would be happy to show you around and talk about our program. You are invited!

Larry Little
Principal

• Students deserve respect
• Students will be accountable and take responsibility for their own behavior and learning.
• Students need to know what is expected of them.
• Students will participate in a community where they feel safe, appreciated, and listened to.
•  Students, when challenged, will rise to high expectations.

• Learning is powerful.
• Learning must be relevant.
• Learning comes from a variety of sources and experiences to match different learning styles.
• Learning is participative, active and experiential.

• Teachers deserve respect.
• Teaching is challenging and requires high energy.
• Teaching is enhances be flexibility and a sense of humor.
• Teaching requires effective communication skills.
• The most effective teaching includes teamwork.

• Parents deserve respect.
• Parents are welcome and encouraged to be actively involved in education.
• Parents need to be informed and consulted.
• Parents are responsible for their child's learning readiness.
• Parents bring a wealth of experience, knowledge, skills and diversity to the school.

• The community is strengthened through quality education.
• The community should be actively involved in education.
• The community can provide unique opportunities for student and teacher growth beyond the classroom.
  
  

Strategy - Create one easy-to-use/understand discipline and incentive system using one form, which will be publicly posted.

Strategy - Discipline system will be enforced consistently and staff will be notified of consequences.

Strategy - Staff will monitor public areas before and after their planning periods or on a rotating schedule.

Strategy - Develop a calendar for school assemblies and events that focus on student achievement, diversity and other logical educational goals.

Strategy - Distribute and update calendar at monthly staff meetings.

Strategy - Continue to refine and teach anti-bulling curriculum including sexual harassment.

Strategy - Staff will be trained in the anti-bullying curriculum.

Strategy - Examine test data to determine students' needs and plan for instruction.

Strategy - Opportunities for remediation and intervention are explored, data is

Strategy - Monitor student grades (missing assignments; D/F grades, etc.) and provide opportunities for success such as homework help, and peer tutoring.

Strategy - Staff will communicate expectations, grades and assignments.

Strategy - Staff will continue to explore meaningful activities to gain skills or understanding of student learning, particularly differentiated instruction, through professional development.

Strategy - Staff will integrate technology top increase efficiency and enrich learning in the classroom.

Strategy - Positive communication and mutual respect is the baseline expectation for all staff members.

Strategy - Calendar published and reviewed at monthly staff meetings.

Strategy - Staff meetings are purposeful, and positive environment for decision-making and sharing of ideas.

Strategy - Staff appreciation opportunities are explored and implemented.

During the 2007-08 school year our Learning Improvement Allocation (LIA) dollars that are provided by the state through Initiative 728, were spent to help those students that did not meet standard on their past WASL, develop and hone skills needed to pass the next time. We did this in a number of ways. First, part of that money was used to hire 2.4 teachers in order to reduce overall class size. This provided more opportunity for teachers to give the needed additional attention to struggling students. Second, we purchased supplies and materials to equip two remedial math electives for ninth graders for second semester. These were classes for freshmen needing more help with math and were taken in addition to their regular math classes. We saw great improvement in their performance and understanding in math as a result of these classes.

Our third measure was to pay teachers to provide additional, after-school tutoring in math and reading just prior to the WASL in April. Four teachers worked with over 30 students who voluntarily stayed for this extra help during six separate sessions. We will know the effectiveness of this help after we get our WASL results back in August. Past experience however tells us that this strategy helps kids improve their performance on the exams. We are expecting no less again this year.

Timbercrest is entering its thirteenth year in 2009-10 and it still looks great. Our students take pride in their school so our vandalism is very minimal despite the fact that we are quite isolated, nestled between two rural neighborhoods, Aspenwood and Lexington.

With our student population below capacity for the building we have the luxury of providing each teacher his/her own classroom without the necessity of them moving to another space during their preparation period. This has benefits not only for the teachers but the students as well. It also means that each room is used for its intended purpose. We do not have English being taught in an art room for instance as happens in schools that are over crowded.

Another cool thing about Timbercrest and our program is that we are still well equipped to teach classes that have been eliminated in some schools either for lack of a facility or a qualified teacher, or both. We still offer tech ed, or what used to be called "shop", and home arts, or home economics to some of us. These, in addition to drama, art and band, orchestra and choir, round out a full compliment of electives available to our students.

Unlike some schools, we do not have an evening education program housed at our facility although we do have occasional use of parts of the school by boy and girl scouting groups and the occasional youth group meeting. Our gym and athletic fields are another story. They are used extensively throughout the year by the community sports associations for basketball, volleyball, baseball, softball, etc. We do close our football/soccer field down for the summer to give it a c hance to recover and grow new grass. We want it to be nice and ready for each new school year and provide a beautiful playing field for our school football, soccer and PE classes.

Each year about two thirds of our students are involved in one of our many sports teams. Our year is divided into four different seasons, each corresponding to our four grading periods. Our sports include:

Softball (girls)	Football
Tennis ( boys & girls)	Basketball (boys & girls)
Wrestling	Volleyball (girls)
Soccer (boys & girls)	Cross Couintry
Track	Baseball
Dance Team

Students also participate in some of our other ASB activities. These include:

Book Discussion Club	Math club
TCIA Service Club	School Newspaper

One of our very important after-school activities happens three days a week from 2:45-4:30 and that is our after school study help program. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday every single week of the school year, three different teachers supervise and help kids in the library with their homework and projects that they may need extra time or assistance to complete. Kids must sign up ahead of time to attend and they can come once or every day depending on their need. We attribute this time and assistance with helping increase kids grades by allowing them to get their homework done, and to increasing their meeting deadlines because they have that extra time to focus on their projects, and the additional availability of needed resources like reference materials and computer access.

In addition, we sometimes have high school students seeking to meet community service hour requirements, coming over to tutor students in math during the after school study help. This has been a real boon to many of our students who struggle with math.

There are many opportunities to participate in your child's education and/or help other students and staff as well.

The first step is to stay informed. On the first Tuesday of each month, at 9:00 A.M. there is a Coffee Hour with the Principal. We meet as a large group in my conference room and chat about what is going on in and around school. We touch on local and national issues that hold importance for parents and students. These are informal discussions about education at Timbercrest. If you have a question or concern about a specific class then you need to contact the teacher of that class first and then the principal if you have not been able to resolve your issue at the teacher level.

Other forms of communication from us to you include:

• PTSA monthly newsletter The Rendevious, on line or available in the office on a limited basis.
• Weekly Briefings which comes out each Friday to those that have supplied their email address.
• Parent Assist, a wealth of information for parents. Come in to get your password and access code.
• Principal's Blog link on the TJH website.
• Teachers' individual websites where you can see grades, assignments, rubrics, etc.
• Student Daily Bulletin which you can access on the TJH website daily.
• Automated attendance calls if your student is absent from school.
• Student Agenda which has our rules and regulations in it and acts as your students planner for the year.
• TJH website which contains just about everything you want to know about Timbercrest. It has all of our forms posted for your convenience, information about our school, and other communications as sited above.
  

Get involved. Our PTSA is extremely active in many arenas, only one of which is parent volunteers. We rely heavily on this volunteer group for chaperones, readers, tutors, expertise, evaluators during freshman project time, etc., etc. You can also get involved in the PTSA itself as an officer or a committee chairperson. The PTSA executive board are always on the lookout for people that want to get involved in their leadership group and will welcome you with open arms. You can get more details on any of these opportunities by visiting the TJH website or the PTSA link from our website. You are invited!!!

We have a PTSA that is one of the most supportive I have ever worked with. Every month they feed the staff a wonderful lunch. During staff appreciation week they put a little treat in each staff mailbox each day. They supply virtually all of our volunteers throughout the year. They plan, organize and run our ninth grade party at the end of each year. They provided relevant programs to their membership at their evening meetings. They recognize both staff and students for excellence on a regular basis. They publish a newsletter each month with important communication to all parents. And this year, they granted over $13,500 in teacher and staff grants for instructional materials and supplies that directly benefited our students with opportunities they would not otherwise have had. They boast over 350 members which represents well over half of our student body and I am proud and pleased to call myself a member of our PTSA.
 

The Cost to Educate a Child for One Day

These costs are calculated on the basis of averaging across all students in the school district whether they actually utilize a service or participate in a program such as Transportation or Food Services. They are valid for the 2009-10 school year.

Cost to Educate One Student for One Day