May 2001 
Middle school teams plan for exciting school year By Sheldon J. Reber, Director of School and Community Relations
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W hen Winship and Zane 6-8 Middle Schools open this fall on September 4, sixth-grade students will find a welcoming staff and an exciting range of new educational opportunities. On January 10, the governing board of Eureka City Schools approved a facilities and grade-realignment plan that included moving the district's sixth-grade students to the Winship and Zane campuses starting the 2001-2002 school year. Staff at both schools, along with district support, have been hard at work planning for the new middle schools. Since January, both schools have held teacher collaboration and facilities planning meetings, fifth-grade classroom visits, and parent information nights at all eight Eureka City elementary schools. Sixth-grade teachers for Zane Middle School include Kathleen Dimick from Washington, Martin Goddi from Washington, Sarah Maninger from Washington, Garett Montana from Jefferson, Joan Novak from Washington, Linda Parker from Marshall, Ken Pinkerton from Worthington, Cathy Westphal from Washington, Janet Lopez from Alice Birney, and Kathy DeSpencer from Marshall. Winship Middle School sixth-grade teachers are Karen Isaacson from Lincoln, Diane Parrott from Marshall, Tony Pitre from Lafayette, and Kristin Sobilo from Worthington. Winship teachers have been busy planning a full standards-based science curriculum for sixth-graders every day. Winship principal Kim Cobine is excited about the new opportunity. "Our sixth-graders will be actively involved in hands-on science projects, they'll use technology, and learn science vocabulary¯ so that when they go into the seventh-grade science program, they're more prepared." Cobine sees Winship's sixth-grade science class as a critical piece of the school's yearlong transition program. "The sixth-grade students will have visited all four science labs and get to know four different seventh and eighth-grade science teachers. They will have expanded a little beyond their sixth-grade common area." 
Sixth-grade students at Zane will also benefit from learning science in a lab setting. "Our sixth-grade teachers have been meeting with our seventh and eighth-grade science teachers as well as teachers throughout the district to make sure that the science instruction is challenging, intellectually stimulating, and exciting with fun learning activities," said Zane principal Catalina Nocon.Winship's standards-based sixth-grade math program will be leveled to offer opportunities to all students regardless of where they may be in math. Cobine explained, "We may have a group of sixth-graders moving quickly through the math curriculum, so instead of holding them back, we'll offer additional enrichment activities. Then we'll have a group of students moving right along, and for those students who need an extra boost, we'll offer math intervention throughout the school year." Winship's sixth-graders will have a math block "that will be up to one-hour-and-twenty-minutes long, which is really remarkable in public schools," explained Cobine. "We are really taking the state standards seriously by doing everything we can to prepare our students for algebra in the eighth-grade." Zane sixth-grade teachers have been collaborating with seventh and eighth-grade teachers to develop standards-based math instruction. "Reinforcing basic math skills, offering interventions throughout the day, working with students in small groups, working with parents to help them work with their children in math, and extending the time for math instruction are being incorporated in the 6-8 math program at Zane," according to Nocon. Understanding algebra is important because starting in 2004 all high school students will need to pass the algebra portion of California's new High School Exit Exam in order to receive a diploma. Along with curriculum planning, designing the facilities of the new middle schools has been discussed with staffs and the district. Eureka City Schools will be placing two double-wide portables behind Winship's science building and near the school's gym to accommodate the four sixth-grade classes. "It's a great location¯the windows will look out onto our redwood forest," said Cobine. Nocon talked about Zane's facilities plan for sixth-grade students. "One of our buildings, currently two very large classrooms, will be split in half, and one of those rooms will be a science classroom where sixth-graders can get hands-on experience in a lab setting." Zane will also be receiving two portable classrooms located nearby, "so that the sixth-graders will have their own area within the Zane campus," said Nocon. There will be a total of eight sixth-grade classes at Zane. Nocon and Cobine have also been busy observing other North Coast middle schools and out of the area schools. In March, both principals attended the California League of Middle Schools annual conference in San Diego. "We toured several 6-8 middle schools in San Diego. One of the smallest had 1,300 students. We had opportunities to talk with many of the students and get their feedback on being in a middle school. I was pleased with how very natural the interactions between the sixth, seventh, and eighth-graders were," noted Nocon At the middle schools conference, Delaine Eastin, state superintendent of public instruction, released the new middle schools handbook Taking Center Stage. The publication, a result of three years of research by a task force composed of leading California educators, provides "recommendations for charting a course for middle grade education in the 21st century." A strategy and resource-rich document, Taking Center Stage examines school culture, classroom organization, accelerated learning opportunities, safe school environment, and "specific knowledge and skills teachers and principals need in order to work effectively in a standards-based middle school." Closer to home, the Winship and Zane teachers have toured Crescent Elk Middle School, Sunny Brae Middle School and McKinleyville Middle School. For Nocon and her sixth-grade staff, these visits were very valuable. "We talked with McKinleyville and Sunny Brae teachers and listened to their ideas about the instructional needs of middle school students. They shared with us their challenges and successes. I hope we can visit those schools again." Sixth-grade students can also look forward to extensive after-school programs at both middle schools. Winship and Zane have Community Learning Centers (CLCs); after-school enrichment programs, math and reading intervention help, and recreation opportunities for students. Parents and community are encouraged to get more information and updates about Eureka's 6-8 Middle Schools by contacting Winship's principal Kim Cobine at 441-2487 and Zane's principal Catalina Nocon at 441-2470. Eureka City Schools also has parent information posted on the Web site at www.eurekacityschools.org/68middle/68middle.htm.
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