April is School Library Month, the perfect time to show our Teacher Librarians some love! They support our students in so many ways, from hosting book fairs and sponsoring clubs to encouraging a love of reading. Today we celebrate TLs from our Mills Feeder. #pcssdproud #serveall
Paraprofessionals wear many hats in PCSSD, from supporting classes to assisting with special education. On Paraprofessional Appreciation Day, we say thanks for their daily dedication. If a parapro has impacted your student, take a moment to thank them below. #pcssdproud #serveall
World Autism Awareness Day is a chance to celebrate students with autism while fostering acceptance & inclusion.
“The role of a teacher is to ignite a spark in a student’s mind, but you have to know what kind of spark you’re dealing with.” – Temple Grandin. #pcssdproud #serveall
IT IS SHOWTIME @ MILLS MIDDLE! ATLAS is around the corner. Here is an informative piece on how parents and guardians can get involved in helping our scholars succeed on the test!
Please take some time out to review our ATLAS Newsletter.
Click (Copy/Paste) this link (https://bit.ly/3DPXBoJ) to read the ATLAS Parent Letter from ADE Division of Elementary and Secondary Education. The body of the letter is included below:
Dear Parents,
I hope you and your child have had a great school year so far! As we are coming up on the end of the school year, I want to remind you that a very important time in your child's academic journey is quickly approaching. While your child's teachers use different measures throughout the school year to gauge student learning, the end-of-year statewide testing is an important measure to determine how much your child learned throughout the school year.
All students in grades 3-10 will soon begin taking the Arkansas Teaching, Learning, and Assessment System (ATLAS). In addition to math, English Language Arts, and Science tests, students taking Algebra I, Geometry, and Biology also will take end-of-course exams to measure their knowledge. This spring will mark the second year for the new testing system. Because ATLAS is aligned to the Arkansas academic standards or learning standards your child is expected to know for each grade, the ARkansas developed tests better reflect the accuracy of student performance.
Test results will be available in early fall and will be used along with other measures to determine whether your child qualifies for advancement opportunities, interventions, or other supports.
Each test is adaptive to how well your student is performing while taking the test, and each test is untimed. This gives students the opportunity to focus on the questions and showcase their best efforts.
It is important that your child be present on testing day, be well rested, and have a good breakfast. Contact your child's teacher for more tips and suggestions for preparing for these tests. You can learn more about the assessment system at: https://dese.ade.arkansas.gov/Offices/public-school-accountability/assessment/family-toolkit
Let's focus on having a good end to a great school year and finish strong.
Sincerely,
Jacob Oliva, Secretary of Education
ATTENTION! ATTENTION!
ATLAS Summative Testing takes place Tuesday, April 15 - Friday, April 18, 2025.
Please mark your calendars! We are excited for our scholars to "SHOW UP," and "SHOW OUT!" Click or copy/paste this link (https://bit.ly/3DPXBoJ) for a parent letter from Arkansas Department of Education Division of Elementary and Secondary Education. #atlassummativetest #endofyeartest #wearegoinghigher #thebestisyettocome #millsmiddleschoolcomets
The following scholars at Comet Nation achieved the "Honor Roll" for the 3rd Quarter. We will recognize these scholars at our honor's assembly on Friday, April 4th. Congratulations Comets! Keep keeping the light on! Well done!! #honorroll #achievement #millsmiddleschool #learningisrequired
Good afternoon Parents and Guardians! This message is for you! Please mark your calendars for Friday, April 4th @2:00p to celebrate 3rd quarter honor roll recipients!
**If your scholar is on Honor Roll, there will be a personal invite sent home with them!**
Women's History Month, Female Author Spotlight: Last, but certainly not least, more than one teacher librarian selected YA fantasy writer, Tomi Adeyemi. Adeyemi's wildly popular Legacy of Orïsha trilogy was inspired by her study of West African mythology. #pcssdproud #serveall
March is Greek-American Heritage Month! 🇬🇷 Did you know? The word "alphabet" comes from the first two Greek letters—alpha & beta. #pcssdproud #serveall
Women's History Month, Female Author Spotlight: Barbara Kingsolver was another author who made several of our teacher librarians' must-read lists. Her most recent novel, Demon Copperhead, won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 2023. #pcssdproud #serveall
Women's History Month, Female Author Spotlight: Lois Lowry was also selected by several of our teacher librarians. Lowry's works grapples with tough topics including her dystopian middle-grade novel, The Giver. #pcssdproud #serveall
*Comet Nation VIP Friday Fun Day*
VIPs are Comets who reached level 3 and/or level 4 in two of the four testing areas of the ATLAS Interim, specifically from ATLAS 1 to ATLAS 2. To celebrate their achievement as well as inspire all Comets to reach for the stars, VIPs are granted a number of privileges such as (1) first to get in the lunch line, (2) first to leave their classrooms at the end of the day, (3) 30 min Friday Fun day where they are able to play cards, board and other brain games, and so much more.
These scholars were enjoying VIP Friday Fun Day on the last day of school before spring break. #VIP #nothingbutthebestwilldo #millsmiddleschoolcomets #learningisrequired
Can you follow a recipe? Well, in Ms. Lyon's Life Skills class, scholars were learning to read a recipe and/or follow the visual strip to make delicious "English Muffin Pizzas." In this lesson they practiced following directions and use of small appliances (toaster and microwave) safely. This is how we do it at Comet Nation! #millsmiddleschoolcomets #learningisrequired #englishmuffinpizza #thebestisyettocome
You've heard it said "The best is saved for last." Well on the day before spring break Ms. McCarty's science class couldn't wait for pig/frog dissection day! This hands-on learning of anatomy, comparative anatomy and physiology enhances their science curriculum and knowledge and affords our scholars a unique learning opportunity. Learning is certainly required at Mills Middle School. #gocomets #learningisrequired #thebestisyettocome #millsmiddleschoolcomets #scienc e
To commemorate Women's History Month our Comet Nation Administration team treated all Women Comets (Teachers and Staff) to lunch. Food was served by a few promising young men from our 8th Grade AVID classes. Music, dance, cheer, fellowship, and joy are words the women used to describe this Comet Nation celebration! #womenshistorymonth #millsmiddleschoolcomets #celebration #joy #educators #love
PCSSD Registration 101: Parents who would like to request an intradistrict transfer for their student, from one PCSSD school to another, must complete a Permit to Transfer Application. Get started here: https://trst.in/cZ0YLI #pcssdproud #serveall
Women's History Month, Female Author Spotlight: Author & illustrator Patricia Polacco was selected by three of our teacher librarians! Her book Thank You, Mr. Falker shares the story of the teacher who recognized her dyslexia and helped her read at age 14. #pcssdproud #serveall
Women's History Month, Female Author Spotlight: Ms. Matthews of MAUMELLE MIDDLE picked Judy Blume. This quintessential children's, YA and adult is the author behind staples like Are You There God, It's Me Margaret? and Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. #pcssdproud #serveall
PCSSD Registration 101: Do you need to double check your zoned school? Look no further, you can find your zoned school here: https://trst.in/tbgFsL. When you expand the zone map to full size, you can type in your address to get the exact zone. #pcssdproud #serveall
