Welcome to 7th grade at Urbana Middle School!  I am so excited to be your Language Arts teacher this year! My name is Jessica Macdonald.  I attended Albion College in Michigan for my bachelor's in Education and English.  I just moved to Maryland at the end of July.  My husband (who teaches English at Walkersville High) and I got married in May and moved here to teach and live in Frederick.  We absolutely love it here.  We miss our families back in Michigan, but we are both happy to be teaching in Frederick County.

This year will be challenging, but fun.  My goal is to help every student succeed through parent/guardian communication as well as constant communication with each student.  When everyone knows what is expected, our lives become that much easier!

So- what's expected???  You should expect me to be honest, thorough, and an everyday advocate of your child.  I will provide answers to the "why" questions that come along with any subject such as, "Why do we have to learn this?" or "What will we need this for in the future?"  I will provide rubrics for most assignments ahead of time so students can edit as needed.  I will be available at any time- except when I am teaching during the day- to meet with you, have a conference including co-teachers, etc., discuss over the phone, or to email back and forth!  And finally- expect me to use some Michigan lingo on accident such as "pop" instead of "soda"!!!  My apologies ahead of time...

We will be reviewing the PBIS rules and procedures during the first week.  Nothing has changed since last year.  If you are new to the school, well, so am I so I would love to help if you have any questions! We will mostly be focusing on getting to know one another to form an open and comfortable classroom community this next week.  Students will be provided daily with objectives/goals and information on homework--which will not be daily!

Lastly, you will be receiving a letter, syllabus, and short assignment from your child on the first day.  This is due October 1st.  Only the signed and returned syllabus is required. 

I cannot wait to meet you!!!

Mrs. Macdonald