Montgomery Upper Middle School
Encyclopedia
Montgomery Upper Middle School is one of two middle schools in Montgomery Township
, in Somerset County
, New Jersey
, United States
, serving students in 7th and 8th grade, college, preschool, and kindergarten.. Montgomery Upper Middle School, often abbreviated as MUMSuckyducky, or just UMS, is part of the Montgomery Township School District
, which serves students from Belle Mead, Skillman, northeast Princeton, and Rocky Hill. The school has been recognized by the Blue Ribbon Schools Program
, the highest award an American school can receive.
As of the 2010-2011 school year, there were 812 students enrolled (data for current 7th and 8th graders), as provided by the National Center for Education Statistics
.
Montgomery Upper Middle School is located in the old high school building, along with the old administration offices. It is located at 375 Burnt Hill Road in Skillman, New Jersey
. The building is less than 1000 feet from the Lower Middle School. There are several housing developments near the building.
The mascot
of Montgomery Upper Middle School is the cougar. The school colors are forest green and gold. Students often refer to Montgomery as "Monty."
Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education
. Montgomery Upper Middle School was nominated for the program "Schools to Watch" in 2010.
, Spanish
, and German
. 6th grade students choose the language they will take in 7th grade. Generally, students will follow through on a language for the two years in middle school, but this is not always the case. There are two levels for each language, designated with numbers. French 1, for example, is generally taken in 7th grade, and is easier than the 8th grade course of French, French 2. Some students opt to switch out of their language class between 7th and 8th grade to choose another of the 3 languages. In the high school, 3 more languages are offered, Italian
, Chinese
and Latin
, along with French, Spanish, and German.
Science: 97% (State average was 79% for 2007)
Language Arts: 94% (State average was 74% in 2007)
Math: 91% (State average was 68% in 2007)
Montgomery Township, New Jersey
Montgomery Township is a Township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the township population was 22,254, which represents growth of 27% since 2000 and more than 130% since the 1990 Census population figure of 9,612.Montgomery Township was...
, in Somerset County
Somerset County, New Jersey
Somerset County is a county located in the U.S. state of New Jersey. In 2010, the population was 323,444. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area. Its county seat is Somerville....
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, serving students in 7th and 8th grade, college, preschool, and kindergarten.. Montgomery Upper Middle School, often abbreviated as MUMSuckyducky, or just UMS, is part of the Montgomery Township School District
Montgomery Township School District
The Montgomery Township School District is a comprehensive public school district that serves students in Kindergarten through 12th grade from Montgomery Township, in Somerset County, New Jersey...
, which serves students from Belle Mead, Skillman, northeast Princeton, and Rocky Hill. The school has been recognized by the Blue Ribbon Schools Program
Blue Ribbon Schools Program
The Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States government program created in 1981 to honor schools which have achieved high levels of performance or significant improvements with emphasis on schools serving disadvantaged students. The program centers around a self-assessment conducted by the...
, the highest award an American school can receive.
As of the 2010-2011 school year, there were 812 students enrolled (data for current 7th and 8th graders), as provided by the National Center for Education Statistics
National Center for Education Statistics
The National Center for Education Statistics is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States...
.
Montgomery Upper Middle School is located in the old high school building, along with the old administration offices. It is located at 375 Burnt Hill Road in Skillman, New Jersey
Skillman, New Jersey
Skillman is an unincorporated area within Montgomery Township in Somerset County, New Jersey, United States. The area is served as United States Postal Service ZIP Code 08558. It is also home to Johnson and Johnson's consumer division.- History :...
. The building is less than 1000 feet from the Lower Middle School. There are several housing developments near the building.
The mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
of Montgomery Upper Middle School is the cougar. The school colors are forest green and gold. Students often refer to Montgomery as "Monty."
Awards and recognition
During the 1999-2000 school year, Montgomery Upper Middle School was recognized with the Blue Ribbon SchoolBlue Ribbon Schools Program
The Blue Ribbon Schools Program is a United States government program created in 1981 to honor schools which have achieved high levels of performance or significant improvements with emphasis on schools serving disadvantaged students. The program centers around a self-assessment conducted by the...
Award of Excellence by the United States Department of Education
United States Department of Education
The United States Department of Education, also referred to as ED or the ED for Education Department, is a Cabinet-level department of the United States government...
. Montgomery Upper Middle School was nominated for the program "Schools to Watch" in 2010.
Recent School Changes
With the completion of the new high school in 2005, the Montgomery Township School District has reorganized its grades. Currently, the old middle school is now Montgomery Lower Middle School, serving grades 5 and 6. Montgomery Upper Middle School serves grades 7 and 8 in the old high school. The new high school serves grades 9-12 in the new high school building. Montgomery Upper Middle School is still often referred as "The Old High School". Up until the completion of the Lower Middle School in 1996 (originally called Montgomery Middle School), this building housed grades 7-12.Student body
As of the 2004-2005 school year, there are 400 8th graders and 412 seventh graders. 403 of these are male, and 409 are female. Ages range from 11-15, while the majority are 12-14. Students of each grade are split into 4 different teams, Team A, B, C, and D in which they usually have 5 different teachers, explained in the core classes section.Faculty
There are 73 faculty members as of 2004-2005. The student to teacher ratio is 14.1:1. There are at least 5 core teachers on each team, and other teachers teaching cycle and elective classes. We also have 2 counselors, one for each grade, and a Student Resource Officer (SRO) from the Montgomery Police Department on-campus.Core classes
There are 5 classes considered "core classes." These courses are year-round, daily classes that every student must take. These include: Language Arts, Math, Foreign Language, Social Studies, and Science. A teacher is assigned to each subject, and only teaches that subject throughout the 5 core periods of the day. With the exception of the Foreign Languages teacher, a "team" is considered to be composed of the 4 other core classes. Each team contains approximately 100 students, 4 (possibly 5, depending on which teams Foreign Language Teachers are placed) core subject teachers, and several support personnel (student teachers, assistants, etc). The team that a student receives generally determines which teachers they have for core classes. When a student is assigned a core teacher (including Foreign Languages) not on his primary team, he is said to "cross-team". For the 2005-2006 school year, the team a student is on is based on his/her Social Studies teacher.Foreign Languages
MUMS offers 7th and 8th graders 3 languages for their foreign language selection, FrenchFrench language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
. 6th grade students choose the language they will take in 7th grade. Generally, students will follow through on a language for the two years in middle school, but this is not always the case. There are two levels for each language, designated with numbers. French 1, for example, is generally taken in 7th grade, and is easier than the 8th grade course of French, French 2. Some students opt to switch out of their language class between 7th and 8th grade to choose another of the 3 languages. In the high school, 3 more languages are offered, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
, Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
and Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, along with French, Spanish, and German.
Elective/Cycle Classes
Besides the 5 core classes each student must take, they must also take elective and cycle classes. Elective classes are student-chosen, while cycle classes are mandatory, and based around the A-B day schedule. Electives include: Art, Digital Media Production, Television Design, Family Consumer Sciences, Industrial Technology, Drama, Band, Orchestra, and Chorus. Cycle classes are in the students A-B schedule. Depending on what day it is, the student will either go to Physical Education/Health, or their cycle class. Electives are not on the A-B cycle and with the exception of taking Band and Orchestra students may take 2 of these classes, one for each half of the school year. Also, during the whole school year, students must take 15 minutes of "advisory" during their lunch period. This is usually a smaller group of students (13-15 kids)that allows students to form a personal bond with teachers.Schedule
Each day has 8 periods, each of which is 47 minutes long. Students are allowed 3 minutes between periods. School begins at 8:25 until dismissal at 3:13. 5 Periods are taken up by the students 5 core classes. One period is lunch and advisory. One other period is the students elective. The final period is based around the A-B day schedule, called the cycle period.A-B Day
Every school day is assigned either A or B. This letter indicates which class to go to for the students cycle period. When it is an A day, for example, a student may go to his/her cycle class. When it is a B day, the student will go to his/her Physical Education/Health class. The days go on an alternating bases. If yesterday was an A day, then today is a B day, and tomorrow is another A day. If school is closed because of inclement weather, then the day count continues. For example, if yesterday was an A day, then today should be a B day. However, we did not have school today because of snow. The following day, the day is another A day. The snow day counted as the B day, even though no one was in school. Holidays and breaks do not count, so in the above scenario (replacing snow day with a holiday), the following day would be a B day.2007 GEPA (Grade Eight Proficiency Test) Results
% at or above proficientScience: 97% (State average was 79% for 2007)
Language Arts: 94% (State average was 74% in 2007)
Math: 91% (State average was 68% in 2007)
External links
- Upper Middle School webpage
- Montgomery Township School District
- Data for the Montgomery Township School District, National Center for Education StatisticsNational Center for Education StatisticsThe National Center for Education Statistics is the part of the United States Department of Education's Institute of Education Sciences that collects, analyzes, and publishes statistics on education and public school district finance information in the United States...