Secondary Assembly – Middle School 

The first Middle School assembly of the year started off with a bang as Mr. Arias welcomed the students and got them in the right frame of mind by doing a THIS SPARTANS chant with them! 

With all that enthusiasm still flowing, the students followed Ms. Kapraun as she guided them through a Circles Energizer activity that’s use was two-fold. First to expel some energy and secondly to put into action the four Circles Agreements that the students follow: Mutual Respect, Attentive Listening, Right to Participate/Pass and Appreciations/No Put Downs. These four agreements are upheld and part of all levels of activities and classes conducted throughout the THIS Secondary School.

The Circles Agreements go hand in hand with the Core Values that THIS holds and operates under through day-to-day activities and lessons. Those values being: Well-Being, Integrity, Respect, Collaboration, Innovation and Leadership. Through these connected sets of guidelines, students, teachers, staff and parents all feel part of the community at THIS. That was the focus of the first MS Assembly, Community-Team Building.

After having finished a two-week Community Team Building Unit as well as a day of team building off campus the students today did activities related to what they have been learning. The 6th Grade students sang the song of John Denver “Take Me Home Country Roads” with their ELA teacher Mr. Moraga for the whole middle school as a collaboration activity.

To finish up the assembly we went back to the beginning of the school year, when Principal Li, Wenping gave the community a word for the year, which was CONNECTIONS. So as the final culminating activity for this round of community and team building each HR was given a sheet of butcher paper and some markers and asked to create a “graffiti” type poster that expressed the Connections that have been made within their HR during the activities and lessons they have participated in since the beginning of school. 

The activity was very well received and the students created great posters showing the Connections they have made thus far in the year and reflecting on how those connections will help them in the upcoming weeks of study.

May the students connect with teachers, hold hands with knowledge, and embrace a self that is enriched in thoughts with broader horizons and a more positive mindset!