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In the fall the Cougars have traditionally ventured into the great outdoors for a day of hiking, canoeing, geocaching, and other fun activities.

COUGARS2011-2012

COUGARS AT A GLANCE The Cougar team consists of three sections of 8th grade and two sections of 7th grade. Being on the Cougar team gives students a chance to experience a smaller team feel, while still having many opportunities to interact with all their peers—even those on other teams—throughout the school year.

Hello and welcome to

the Cougar team! We hope

you enjoyed a wonderful, relaxing summer. The

Cougars had a terrific year

last year with trips to

Greenwood Furnace,

Altoona, Pittsburgh, and Washington D.C. We also

held several team days

including a Math Carnival,

Teacher Jeopardy, and an

“Amazing Race”

competition. It’s obvious

that we have fun while learning on this team! We

are in the process of

planning an exciting year—

including field trips,

learning enrichment opportunities, and team

days just for you. We look

forward to meeting you in a

few weeks. See you soon!

Welcome to the Cougar Team!

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Meet your teachers...So, who are the Cougar teachers? Mrs. Sjoberg is the math teacher

on our team. After teaching in IN, MA, and at MNMS, Mrs. Sjoberg

returns for her third year on the Cougar team. Mrs. Sjoberg is the coach

of the Pennsylvania 2011 State Champion PFMS Math Counts

team, and she is an Edith May Sliffe national award recipient

for Distinguished Junior High Mathematics Teaching. This will

be Ms. Homa’s tenth year as the Cougar team’s Social

Studies teacher. Originally from Pittsburgh, she taught high

school there for four years prior to coming to State College.

In a previous career, Ms. Homa worked for several years in

health care. She loves the Pittsburgh Steelers, Pirates, and

Pens. Mr. Brightbill is our Science teacher. This is his third year in

the district; he previously taught in Philadelphia. He is an AMS Ocean and

Atmosphere Resource Teacher and has a passion for the Earth sciences.

He is also a big Philly sports fan. Ms. Yaros is the Cougar team art

teacher. She graduated from Washington and Jefferson College with a

degree in Art Education and a minor in Spanish. She loves

volleyball and has been playing and coaching for 12 years.

She believes that EVERYONE is an artist. Mr. Harper is our

new English teacher. He taught middle school English for 14

years in another district and is excited about getting started

at PFMS. He’s the proud dad of three children and loves

Penn State football and coaching softball. Ms. Kleinert has

previously taught music at PFMS and is new to the team. She

sings in and directs several local choirs and enjoys performing in

theater as well. Find out more by checking out our individual websites!

High Tech CougarsEvery teacher on the Cougar team maintains a web page accessible from the Cougar team home page. This year, each student on the Cougar team will be issued a school laptop and be able to work on technology projects both at school and home!

RECOMMENDED COURSE SUPPLIES MATH ENGLISH MUSIC/ART S.S./SCIENCE

Scientific calculator, colored pens, 50 4x6 colored index cards, roll of clear tape, metric ruler, eraser, pencil, binder

Algebra only: spiral graph notebook (no index cards)

Durable two-pocket folder, pencils or pens, small notebook for vocabulary words, notebook paper, colored pencils, and binder with at least 3 tabbed dividers

Music(Fall)binder, pencils, and pencil top erasers. Art (Spring) two-pocket folder,9x12 sketchbook with spiral binding, No. 2 pencils, and erasers.

Social StudiesBinder, pens, pencils, notebook paper, and pencil-top erasers.

ScienceCalculator, pencils, paper, and binder

Please bring 2 boxes of tissues for homeroom!

COUGAR MASKS FOR PITTSBURGH ZOO TRIP!