Middle School

A new study finds 20% of 3rd graders have a cell phone.  The number goes up to more than 80% by Middle School. 90% of 3rd graders also go online. The study was done in an effort to find out if the availability of technology plays a role in cyberbullying.  Check out the research here , and let me know what you think.

It's a trend some parents don't like, but this trend has more to do with what schools are doing than the students. A number of districts in Kansas now require random drug testing for high school and middle school students. Derby is now one of them. While the halls at Derby High School are empty for summer, there's already a lot of talk about next year's new drug screening policy. "In order to participate in anything at all, extra-curricular, co-curricular, or even privileges such as parking on campus they have to commit to consent to get tested," said Derby High School Principal Tim Hamblin.

The numbers are in. Wichita Public Schools have 536 more students enrolled this school year than last year. The district's enrollment as of September 20 was 50,639 students. Enrollment is the highest enrollment since 1975. “As we added new schools to the district and studied student population projections as we changed the school boundaries last spring, we were prepared for an increase of students. We saw population shifts at every grade level,” Superintendent John Allison said in a statement.

by Denise Hnytka (EL DORADO, Kan) Three informational meetings are being held Monday in El Dorado. People will hear about plans the district is considering for middle and elementary schools. A task force has recommended that the district build four new schools, one middle and three elementary. Later, the district's current five elementary schools will be condensed down to the three new buildings. The old schools would be re-purposed. The middle school would be built in an undecided location.

Mulvane Schools may look fine on the outside but district leaders know these building need major repairs.  “In regards to the heating and air, removing some asbestos that has to be gone, a lot of those issues that have needed to be done for some time,” said Shon Gerber of Mulvane. “But due to the situation with the economy have been kinda put off.” That and more would be fixed under the district's proposed $13.4 million bond, which is up for a vote May 8 th . The new plan includes new classrooms, new storm shelters and a new track for the middle school.

It's not very often that you hear of people who want construction on Kellogg.  But families in the Goddard School District do.   A traffic light will go in at the intersection of 167th Street West and Kellogg.  Three schools sit off 167th Street, and a fourth will open this fall. During construction, 167th Street will be blocked. But parents say it's all part of progress. When the kids start streaming out of Explorer Elementary School, the school bus isn't far behind; neither is the carpool.

by Denise Hnytka (EL DORADO, Kan) New bond issues in El Dorado mean students like those at Jefferson Elementary could soon learn math in a new building. "I want to know a little more about the plan for the grade schools," said Shettera Ball, a mother of three children. It's a plan parents first heard about at meetings last month. The district wants to build three elementary schools and a new middle school. They would be paid for with two bonds, each costing more than 34 million dollars.

The holiday season is here and that means---shopping! To help you with your list, we’re highlighting the best “Does It Work” items we tested this past year. This week we focus on kids (and everyone who is a kid at heart!) Soda Stream One product that not only worked, but had our group of middle school kids doubled over laughing was the Soda Stream. It converts a bottle of plain old tap water into your favorite flavor of pop. What's so funny about that?

By Kara Sewell & Chris Durden (WICHITA, Kan.) Wichita Public Schools Superintendent John Allison unveils how the district will deal with more funding cuts from the state. USD 259 expects to lose at least $25 million over the next year. That's in addition to the $25 million the district lost in 2009. Allison says parents, faculty and community members will have an opportunity to give their input. School site councils will meet and decide from a pre-determined list which programs are most valuable.

"Failure is the path of least persistence. " In the past couple of years, Jaime Scott found herself writing that a lot as she got back into the swing of schoolwork and tests toward earning her diploma. "I had this real fear of failure, and I had to keep telling myself I could do it," said Scott, who earned that diploma and will be the keynote speaker at Thursday night's graduation for the Salina Adult Education Center. The ceremony will be at 7 p.m. in the auditorium at Salina Central High School.