Middle School at EVA
Letter from the Principal
Welcome to the 2021-2022 school year! I am thrilled to be joining you this year as your new principal. I have enjoyed meeting some of you as we prepare for the school year and I am eagerly anticipating connecting with all families.
My life in education began as a social studies and language arts teacher, and I then moved to instructional coaching and school administration. I have been an educator in Oregon for 15 years, both in brick and mortar and in a virtual setting. I am an instructionally focused, collaborative leader who truly loves middle school.
I look forward to getting to know each of your students and having a fantastic school year together.
Warmly,
Caitlin Klenz, EVA Middle School Principal
Supporting students as they grow
During Middle school years, EVA serves as a safe and inclusive environment where students feel free to be themselves. This is a critical stage where students are beginning to take on more responsibility, engage in complex academic content, and experience more meaningful social relationships.
In middle school, student learning changes to a semester-based approach where students are required to earn a passing grade of 60 percent or above on their assignments and online lessons.
Students will experience due dates assigned to lessons to encourage accountability and build time management skills towards high school. Our middle schoolers will continue to attend regular “Class Connect” sessions. Students at this age will be strongly encouraged to begin advocating for themselves when they need help.
In general, our middle school students are expected to spend approximately 4–7 hours on schoolwork per school day with increasing independence.
During the middle school years, a learning coach can expect to transition their child to a more independent learning model in preparation for high school. Although the level of involvement really depends on your individual child, a learning coach for 6-8 students is working alongside students to build on their time management skills.
We like to prepare our learning coaches by being transparent that the initial 4–8 weeks can be intensive, as families settle into a routine. In middle school, students begin to have increased independence, but parent/Learning Coach involvement is essential for about 60–70% of school time and approximately 25–35% of this time is online
As a public school our students are expected to participate in annual state testing beginning in 3rd grade.
In addition, EVA administers in-house NWEA testing online multiple times throughout the year to all of our students. These results help to ensure instruction is aligned to student academic needs.
