Mills Middle School

As a superficial experience, witnessing the staff, the teachers and the approaches and common practices at this middle school made me completely and utterly disgusted. This school provides no leadership, takes no initiatives, is dismissive and inept. I find it frustrating and difficult to communicate, achieve anything or move in a normal paced fashion because there is always some type of excuse or miscommunicated effort. The staff is key in always dismissing you, pushing you out or asking you to do something that would typically be their job. The children run around and you can see the problem areas, you can hear the loud and aggressive comments just by stepping in the office while the children are walking past and to be quite honest, it feels much more like a prison than it does a school. (I myself have only visited one prison in my lifetime for a deposition, not for myself). The entire vibe and environment feels awful and stale. I am relocating my child to a different school and making certain she never has to deal or be forced to go through the suffering of trying to find her way through a careless middle school so she can focus on her academic achievements and be a successful student and not just another number and failure on the account of this school's track record.

I am currently in mills middle school and it is as wonderful as a school can be. I am in seventh grade and am feeling great about what we are learning in all the classes. The teachers have a great attitude about working with the students to find solutions to any problems even if they are not related to the class. The school holds many fun events to keep students happy and motivated to work hard and to be successful. I strongly suggest enrolling your child in this school.it will be worth your and your childs time.

After completing my credential and Masters at UC Davis, I turned down two job offers because I knew I wanted to teach at Mills Middle School. Mills is a unique educational setting with incredible students, supportive staff, patient administration, and phenomenal teachers. Mills students wear uniforms to encourage community and level the playing field, reducing the common "haves" and "have nots" in other school settings. Mills recognizes the importance of promoting positivity in the lives of our students by holding student-of-the-month awards ceremonies, as well as a trimester awards for Academics, Attitude, and Attendance. These alongside many other positive behavior strategies align with our staff's and teacher's vision of focusing on and encouraging the positive. On the same note, our site offers an incredible amount of before and after school clubs, activities, events, and socials for students to build and develop trusting relationships with positive mentors. In my classroom, students engage in hands-on learning and problem solving with the intention and purpose of gaining real-world critical thinking skills that help them make sense of phenomena around them. I chose to be an educator, am passionate about what I do, and am beyond proud to be a Mills Mustang. I am happy to invite you into my classroom to observe science anytime and share with you my enthusiasm for learning, science, and discovering your own passions. Keep learning and think like a proton and stay positive. Mr Smith

I care about my students academically and personally. Each week I help them set goals for the week, show them their progress toward meeting the previous weeks’ goals, and make time to meet with those who need additional help. (I also give them an individual grade printout, so that they can take action ASAP if there is a problem.) Students are given eight opportunities – in class - to “touch” a learning target. During each opportunity, feedback is given either whole class or individually. In addition to grade-level instruction, students use a computer program (multiple times a week) to help them “where they are.” If they are below grade level mathematically, it helps them fill in the holes. If they are above, the software provides higher level learning opportunities. In my room, I have a re-teaching table setup full-time to have conversations individuals and groups. Students often come in before school to discuss problems or concepts. I am working hard to make sure learning happens in a way that doesn’t leave anyone behind. Are some still struggling? Yes, but I am constantly letting students know that I am there to support them, and ready to help. The opportunities are there. Remember that learning takes work, sometimes a lot of work. Not all students are ready to do that work. Regardless, I value them where they are and encourage them to be the best they can be.I recognize that there are concerns that have been voiced on this forum about Mills. I am grateful that this site exists for you to share them. Please go one step further and contact the school – contact me if needed. Why? Because I care and want Mills to be the best it can be (for students and parents). We are here as teachers to serve you, to serve our community. It takes a village, and when we work together, we can ensure that our students have the best opportunities to learn. -- Mr. Olsen