Vision and Values

Vision Statements I
The primary role of teachers will be to ensure that all students will be proficient in the grade level content standards and will be academically prepared to continue their education.

Colleagues will work as a professional learning community, united in purpose by our mission statement, willing to share ideas and resources, and work as one knowledgeable educational body.

The curricula will be content specific but flexible in application. Students will be appropriately challenged and engaged in all courses. The most important criterion for measuring our success will be continuous improvement on standardized test scores.

VALUES FOR VISION STATEMENTS I
We will:

• clearly identify and understand what is to be taught for each grade level’s content standards.
• develop a uniform curriculum and assessments at each grade level for each subject.
• teach and frequently assess students’ understanding of the grade level content standards.
• monitor the results of our assessments to develop intervention strategies.
• meet as teams, grade levels, and departments to share ideas, lesson plans, resources and assessments.

Vision Statement II
The administration will be actively involved, accessible, and make decisions with staff and students, which will result in achieving proficiency in the content standards.

VALUES FOR VISION STATEMENT II
We will:

• plan for disruptive students.
• assist teams to provide time for intervention.
• support the primary role of teachers in the following:
• clearly identify and understand what is to be taught for each grade level content standards.
• develop a uniform curriculum and assessments at each grade level for each subject.
• teach and frequently assess students understanding of the grade level content standards.
• monitor the results of our assessments to develop intervention strategies.

Vision Statement III
Discipline issues will involve the collaboration of services utilizing family, the school staff, and resource and juvenile probation officers to empower the student with socially acceptable behavior alternatives on a continuing basis.

VALUES FOR VISION STATEMENT III
We will:

• establish an effective means of communication among all staff members involved with development of socially acceptable student behavior.
• continually utilize all available resources to promote socially acceptable student behavior.

Vision Statement IV
The school will be recognized in the community as a safe, caring, and effective educational setting. It will be known in the community as a leader of student success that promotes positive relationships among community members, parents, staff, and students to create a nationally recognized school.

VALUES FOR VISION STATEMENT IV
We will:

• ensure student safety through the vigilance and cooperation of all school personnel.
• communicate with community members, parents, and students through various means.
• open our doors to the community to provide a setting for positive interaction.

Profile and Facilities
Stephen Vail Middle School was named after the owner of a woolen mill who established the first school in Middletown in 1805 for the children of his employees. The current building, completed in 1923, with additions in 1952 and 1959, consists of over 60 classrooms, a large auditorium which seats over 1200, a Vail gymnasium which seats 600, and the Wade E. Miller gym which seats 3600. A library, a planetarium, and vocal and instrumental music rooms are also included in the facility. This large middle school serves approximately 850 seventh and eighth grade students.

The entire organizational structure at Vail Middle School is developed through the teaming concept. Teaming allows us to build smaller learning communities for our students. Students will still be a part of a 7th grade of 400 or an 8th grade class of 450, but more importantly, they will be a student on a team of 135-145 students. Each team of students is assigned to a teaching team. Each teaching team includes a teacher for math, science and social studies, and two teachers for language arts. Special education teachers are also part of the teaching teams. Encore teachers rotate on the teams according to the semester classes.

Partnerships with Youth
The staff at Vail Middle School believes that parents are a critical part of the team. We encourage parents to become involved in supporting the educational experiences of our students. Our Vail PTO supports all aspects of our school: academic, teaming, and extracurricular activities.

Warren Correctional Institution is our partner in education. This partnership has assisted Vail in the production of silk-screened uniform tops, various instructional resources and provided assistance in various ways to Vail families.

Staff
Includes a principal, two assistant principals, two counselors, 65 classroom teachers and special service staff members, and 18 clerical, custodial, and food service staff members.