- Mark Twain Middle School (Virginia)
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For other schools named "Mark Twain Middle School", see Mark Twain Middle School (disambiguation).
Mark Twain Middle School Location south of Alexandria, Virginia Information Type Public school Principal Aimee Holleb Enrollment 837 Feeds Into Edison High School Website http://www.fcps.edu/TwainMS/ Coordinates: 38°47′25″N 77°06′50″W / 38.7903°N 77.1139°W
Mark Twain Middle School is a middle school that is attended by children in grades seven and eight, and is located in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, United States, south of the city of Alexandria. It is part of the Fairfax County Public Schools system. It is located in cluster 5 and feeds into Edison High School. The student body consists of 7th and 8th graders, with a total count of 837[1]. The school is named after the famous writer Mark Twain. Chris Hawkins, now residing in Parker, CO attended Mark Twain from 1981-82.
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School summary
Mark Twain Middle School has adopted a Professional Learning Community [1] (PLC) model. Teachers have created "PLC's" or teams of teachers that meet weekly to discuss content instruction. Their purpose is to develop common formative and summative assessments that will help guide instruction, academic intervention and enrichment. Twain students are assigned to teams of approximately 125 students. Each team is coordinated by the four core teachers (from English, mathematics, science and social studies), a guidance counselor and an administrator. Teaming at Twain gives all involved the sense of belonging, the opportunity to share common goals, to support one another, and to create more cohesive, smaller learning communities in the midst of a larger school setting. Twain operates seven teams, each with its own name, and logo. They are the Quasars, Thunderbirds, Superstars, Pathfinders, Mustangs, Patriots and Aces.
The design of the block schedule allows students to rotate to all seven classes each Monday, then spend longer blocks of time in classes on Tuesdays through Fridays attending odd and even numbered classes. Fifth Period, containing lunch, is held every day and is studied in greater depth than other classes as it is given more time per week. Longer class periods afford flexibility in instruction and opportunities to delve deeply into hands-on projects, labs, presentations, research and other formats for life-long learning. Twain's schedule also allows both teams and departments to meet regularly for planning and conferencing purposes.
Families of Mark Twain Students are invited to connect with the school to support student achievement and enhance the learning environment. Staff members stay in touch with parents through the monthly Twaingram PTA Newsletter, the school website, FCPS 24-7 or Blackboard accounts, progress reports, group and individual emails, Touching Bases, and a variety of informational and fun evening events throughout the year. Students benefit when parents are active as volunteers and advocates!
The Department of Student Services enhances the efforts of teachers and staff by providing students with counseling, tutoring, and assistance with social and emotional development. These educators are an important link between the classroom and the home, and between Mark Twain Middle School and all of the other schools within the Edison Pyramid.
Mark Twain Middle offers the Gifted and Talented program, Special Education program, and ESOL.
Demographics as of June 2007
As of June 2007, 48.78% of students were female, and 51.22% were male. The ethnicities in the school are as follows: [2]
- Asian or Pacific Islander: 12.22%
- Black: 18.86%
- Hispanic: 22.12%
- White: 39.81%
- Other: 6.98%
Administration
- Aimee Holleb: Principal
- Jorge Gonzalez: Assistant Principal
- Cheryl Katzenell: Assistant Principal
- Jeremiah Caven: Assistant Principal
- Stephanie Gray: Director of Student Services
- Debra Boullianne: Principal's Administrative Assistant
- Vanessa Thompson: Finance
- Kerry Merek: Attendance
Teams
The school is divided into groups of students called teams. Teams are decided mostly by academic level. (GT would be toghether as a team...) Teams usually share the same core class teachers. The teams usually split into unofficial groups of 30 that the students will share their classes with. The teams are named as follows:
- 7th grade: Quasars, Thunderbirds, and Superstars
- 8th grade: Pathfinders, Patriots, and Aces
External links
References
Fairfax County Public Schools High Schools Annandale • Centreville • Chantilly • Edison • Fairfax • Falls Church • Herndon • Jefferson • Langley • Lee • Madison • Marshall • McLean • Mount Vernon • Oakton • South Lakes • Stuart • West Potomac • West Springfield • Westfield • WoodsonSecondary Schools Alternative High Schools Bryant • Mountain View • Pimmit HillsCategories:- Schools in Fairfax County, Virginia
- Middle schools in Virginia
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