East Middle School
At East Middle School, administrators, teachers, staff, and parents work together to create a student-friendly atmosphere that makes learning a great experience. We believe in academic excellence and have identified academics as a priority. Our teachers have a can-do spirit that keeps our students motivated and wanting to be successful in school.
To ensure that all students have a high quality education, we expose them to many programs in the school that focus on individual needs. These programs have guided our students to success in academics by giving extra support or enrichment. Among these are the before and after school tutoring, extended school day for math and language arts, remedial reading, extended library/computer lab hours, and academic competition teams. Whatever our students’ academic needs are, our staff steps up to offer a program that will meet them.
In addition to our academic remedial and enrichment programs, we offer a variety of high interest and leadership clubs for students to enjoy. Some of our after-school clubs include drama, Lego League, yearbook, guitar, dance, art, student council, National Jr. Honor Society, and a Saturday service club. There is something for everyone!
A strong work ethic is expected and valued at East Middle School. Our teachers and administrators model the importance of this to our students and share the philosophy that if students work hard, they will achieve great things. We reward hard work. The high expectations that we have set for our students can be seen in an after school program that we call ZAP (Zeroes Aren’t Permitted). Our ZAP program helps to keep students motivated to get their work completed in a timely manner and at a quality level that reflects their abilities. School administrators and teachers stay after school each week to work with the students who have not completed all of their weekly assignments.
Our teachers also realize the importance of communicating with parents. At the beginning of each school year, a day is set aside for teachers to do home visits, welcoming students to a new school year. This is a great experience, and our students have grown accustomed to the tradition and look forward to receiving the visits. Quarterly home visits are also made to discuss the progress our students are making in our Extended School Day Program. We always receive positive feedback from our parents concerning the ESD Program and the home visits that are a part of that program.
Our community and Parent/Teacher Organization are valued stakeholders in our school. We have many partnerships with local businesses and churches which are always willing to help provide resources for our students. Each year our community support is seen with the back-to-school donations we receive. Every student has access to all beginning-of-the-year supplies because of the community resources we receive. Our PTO is also important to our school. This organization meets monthly and provides a multitude of resources to include volunteers and funding for various school events.
EMS administration and teachers continuously look for new and innovative ways to teach and motivate our students. Our philosophy that every child counts and every child can and will benefit from a good education is reinforced by the leadership of our Board of Education and Director of Schools. They are committed to providing support and funding for professional development opportunities, as well as technological advances and other resources to keep our school moving forward. We are encouraged to think “outside the box” and to try new and innovative strategies to meet the needs of our students.
Certainly, the recipe for success at East Middle School is multi-faceted and exhibited in all that we do every day. We build strong relationships and create successful students by working hard, while fostering an attitude of belief in the children we serve, and offering many helpful, fun, and motivational programs that provide our students the opportunities to excel to higher levels and hopefully acquire a desire to become lifelong learners.