Mission to Goals

Mission Statement:
Miller Creek Middle School is a community that encourages all its members- students, staff, and parents- to be lifelong learners who embrace a healthy lifestyle, demonstrate compassion and empathy for others, and act with integrity and honesty. It is the goal of this community to provide the tools and resources necessary to foster creative, independent thinkers who will become proud stewards of our world.

Vision Statement:
Miller Creek Middle School strives to be an exemplary organization that operates within a model of continuous improvement and life-long learning. As a school community, we focus our attention and resources on improving the character and achievement of our students and staff. We value a strong core curriculum that is enriched with a variety of electives in an environment that is supportive, safe and clean. We envision:

Students who demonstrate respect for school staff, peers, parents, campus and community.
Students who value learning and actively pursue academic excellence.
Students who explore extra-curricular interests including the visual/performing arts, athletics, and Miller Creek clubs.
Staff that models life-long learning and makes professional development an annual priority.
Staff that collaborates on a regular basis to create lessons that stimulate active and creative learning.
Staff that identifies and addresses the learning of all students, and, consequently, has a clear practice of differentiated instruction.
Staff that communicates and models a consistent discipline system so that students have a clear understanding of behavior expectations.
Curriculum that meets the learning needs of all students and has interventions when needed.
Curriculum that is guided by specific, clearly articulated, challenging standards and goals.
Curriculum that integrates technology and promotes creative, interactive learning that includes exploration and student-led inquiry.
Curriculum that utilizes multiple assessments to guide instruction and confirm student learning.
A school climate where the efforts and achievements of all students and staff are recognized and celebrated.
A school climate where there are clear rules that are consistently enforced and modeled.
A school climate that has reasonable student/teacher ratios to enhance the learning process.
A school climate that encourages students to be healthy via physical activity and healthy lifestyle choices.
A school climate that celebrates and appreciates diversity.
A school climate that includes well maintained physical facilities that meet the needs of our school community and reflect pride in the school.

Collective Commitments:
In order to achieve the vision of a school that operates as a Professional Learning Community, Miller Creek staff makes the following collective commitments to:

Provide parents with resources, strategies, and timely information to help students succeed academically, emotionally, and socially.
Review, in an on-going manner, revise our student discipline policy. We will also work to better model, teach, and uphold clear behavior expectations.
Continue to research “best practices”, differentiate instruction, and implement innovative techniques to increase student learning, close the achievement gap, and promote success.
Create consistent, structured, collaborative time (SIP days, shortened Wednesdays, common team preparation periods, peer observation release time) for staff to develop, share and create dynamic curriculum. This commitment depends on a master schedule that supports both vertical and horizontal collaboration.
Use a variety (local, State, formative, summative) of assessments to confirm student learning and inform instruction. This commitment involves providing teachers with consistent time to develop common assessments and evaluate their results.
Work to define a “pyramid” of intervention that addresses both the academic and social needs of our diverse population.
Work to create a greater sense of community at Miller Creek by including the entire staff in meetings, trainings, and celebrations; increasing staff celebrations/gatherings, cross-age student activities, and student participation in such school-based organizations as the Y.E.S. program.
Become more active in advocating for reasonable student/teacher class size by participating in DTA, DDAT and other District decision-making groups.

Current Year Goals

Place and support academic intervention (Opportunity Time) for mathematics within the school day to support learning for students who are not meeting grade level proficiency standards or not experiencing school success.
Promote the appropriate use of technology to enhance student learning, achievement, and creativity. Use technology to better communicate student learning to both parents and the community.
Implement and monitor the Miller Creek Mission, Vision, Collective Commitments, Goals and Action Plan to guide a model of a Professional Learning Community with continuous improvement and high levels of learning/achievement for our students. A continued focus on the four essential leanring community questions.
Place and support academic intervention (Opportunity Time) in English/Language Arts within the school day to support learning for students who are not meeting grade level proficiency standards or not experiencing school success.
Revitalize student recognition programs to create better incentives that will model and motivate student behavior. Work to establish a school that promotes a bully-free, harassment-free, non-violent culture/climate through integration of social and emotional learning with academics.
Focus on ways Miller Creek can become a "Greener" campus. We will Go Solar in 2010! Working school wide to reduce, reuse, and recycle. MC will partner with community organizations (Safe Routes to School, Marin Sanitary, STRAW, etc.) to encourage and promote environmental education and awareness. Support the efforts of the Miller Creek Edible Garden Project including the growth of our "Farm to Table" culinary program.