A LETTER FROM THE PRINCIPAL!
April, 2008
Dear Toki Families and Friends,
On Wednesday, March 5, 2008 there was a PTO meeting held at Toki Middle School to discuss safety concerns. MMSD has always put school safety as a number one priority and I, along with the entire Toki staff, want to address those concerns. I wanted to let all of you know that there will be some new procedures at Toki as a result of the suggestions made that evening.
Our first and most powerful response to improving safety is the implementation of the Positive Behavior Support program (PBIS) that is being implemented in every middle school in the district. In buildings where there has been total staff and parent buy-in the results are amazing. Since Toki is in the early stages of implementation, I have arranged for visits to middle schools where implementation is going well. I can assure you that prevention and education, the hallmarks of PBIS, have always had the strongest long term impact on student behavior.
In addition to PBIS, Toki will have an additional security assistant and a new Dean of Students. Both individuals will provide additional support to staff and will help to focus resources on students who have not adjusted well to the Toki environment. We will be working with district staff to do a safety audit of the building to identify any “hot spots” or student traffic patterns that can be redesigned to make hallway behavior safer.
I have also formed a new climate committee where staff leadership and I can specifically address ways in which professional development and stronger ongoing communication can support staff concerns.
My vision for Toki is, and always has been, a positive, safe learning environment for everyone. I welcome your feedback as we move forward toward that mutual goal.
Nicole Schaefer
Toki Principal
Have You Heard about the PARENT PORTAL?
One of the first things parents say when they log on: “Wow, this
is great!” Toki families now have access through the Parent
Portal to Infinite Campus, the MMSD online student information
system.
The Parent Portal is a confidential and secure website where you can
find the following information about your child
- school attendance
- grades
- assignment completion
- tardies
- receipts for school bills
For those who do not have an Internet computer at home, you can go to
any Madison Public Library to use computers there. All you need is a library
card, which is free. A brief video is available and on the Internet at:
www.madison.k12.wi.us/topics/ic/entry_public.shtml
It demonstrates log in protocol and the features. In order to sign up
for and view the Parent Portal you will need to show legal picture identification,
sign a web access agreement form and get an activation code. These are
available to parents and legal guardians. To activate your account, please
call Sherry at 204-4740 or stop by the office between the hours of 8 and
4.
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