NEWPORT INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS

Dear Parents,

On May 13th-24th, New-

port Middle School students

will be taking the KPREP

state assessments. The as-

sessments are very impor-

tant indicators of how well

students are progressing in

various subject areas. As

such, we highly encourage

you to encourage your child

to “do their best on the

tests.”

We ask that you make

sure students get plenty of

rest each night and a good

breakfast each morning, as

this will help them stay alert

and focused during testing.

More tips for

standardized

tests…

—Please be

sure your child

a t t e n d s

school each

day, as teach-

ers will review information

needed for the assess-

ments.

—Students should get at

least nine hours of sleep

and eat a healthy breakfast

before each day of testing.

Protein (eggs, milk) and

healthy carbohydrates

(bananas, whole wheat

toast) will help students stay

alert and think clearly.

—Lastly, and perhaps, most

importantly, wish the stu-

dents good luck, and tell

them you know they’ll do

their best on the tests. Your

positive attitude can be con-

tagious!

—Mark Krebs

Principal

Quotable quotation…

On success… “The dictionary is the only place where success comes before work.”

—Anonymous

Volume 6 : Issue 7

Apr i l/May 2013

D A T E S O F N O T E :

May 2nd, 8th-grade trip to

Frankfort

May 3rd, Early Release at

1:25 p.m.

May 9th, 5-A Program

canoe trip on Little Miami

River

May 10th, “Do Your Best

Fest”

May 13th-24th, KPREP

assessments

May 27th, Memorial Day,

no school

May 28th, “Do Your Best”

rewards

May 29th, 8th-grade

awards ceremony.

May 30th, “8th-grade

Celebration” at Winton

Woods

May 30th, last day of

school

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

Classroom News P. 2

Newport’s Got Talent P. 3

Kindness Awards P. 4

Faces in the Crowd P. 4

N E W P O R T M I D D L E S C H O O L N E W S

Qtr. Begin Mid-Term End

1 8/22/12 9/19/12 10/19/12

2 10/22/12 11/20/12 12/21/12

3 1/7/13 2/8/13 3/14/13

4 3/18/13 4/25/13 5/30/13

G R A D E R E P O R T P E R I O D S :

Message from the Principal

Sixth-grade students

Madison Webb and Michaela

Wilson each received a Prin-

cipal’s Award for March. An-

drew and Lillian Crawford,

also sixth-graders each re-

ceived Principal’s Awards for

April.

The Principal’s Award is

for academic excellence and

awarded to students who

show exemplary effort and

continuing improvement in

academics. Madison was

chosen to receive this award

for March; Andrew received

the award for April.

The Assistant Principal’s

Award is awarded to stu-

dents who demonstrate good

citizenship and excellent be-

havior. Michaela was chosen

to receive this award for

March; Lillian received the

award for April.

Congratulations, to all four

winners. As part of their re-

ward, these students will be

treated to a catered break-

fast with Mr. Krebs and Mr.

Atkins.

NMS award winners...

L-R: M. Webb; M.Wilson

L-R: A. Crawford; L. Crawford

The NMS

“Reader of

the Month”

for April is

A l y s s a

Baker. She

was nomi-

nated by Ms.

Brown be-

cause of her

“literature circle” participa-

tion.

Alyssa completed reading

the book in one literature

circle and was so enthused

about reading she joined

another group. Ms. Brown

said she has seen an im-

provement in Alyssa’s read-

ing skills as a result of her

increased effort.

Congrats, Alyssa!

Page 2 Sixth-Grade Lan-

guage Arts, Mr.

Rischer

We are continu-

i n g w i t h o u r

“literature circles”

and now beginning a

new Expert 21 workshop. Students are

also finalizing their writing portfolios.

6th-Grade Language

Arts, Ms. Padgett

Sixth-grade Lan-

guage Arts students

have begun their

second “literature

circle” novel based upon their reading

lexile levels. Thus far, some of the fa-

vorites have been: Where the Red Fern

Grows, Chasing Vermeer and The Light-

ning Thief.

Parents: please encourage your

child to continue reading books at

home so they can increase their read-

ing ability. Becoming a proficient reader

takes practice, just as sports take con-

tinued practice to perform well!

7th-Grade Social

Studies, Ms. Jacob-

Sims

Students are

studying the ancient

Roman Republic

and Empire. They

are learning about the great achieve-

ments that occurred in that era.

Next, we will delve into the Islamic

world and hopefully, the Maya, Inca and

Aztec civilizations.

8th-Grade Social

Studies, Ms. Stege-

man

Eighth grade

students are ready

to hit the road… the

road to Frankfort,

that is! On May 2nd, we will be travel-

ing to Frankfort to visit the Capitol Buld-

ing and Kentucky State University. We

will tour the Capitol, then visit Kentucky

State University for lunch. Students are

excited about the trip.

Thanks, to the Youth Services Cen-

ter for organizing the trip.

□

Our eighth-grade students care and

many of them have formed a club

called “Wildcat Animal Helpers,” which

will help organizations that aid stray

animals.

On March 25th, a speaker brought

to school a rescued dog and spoke

about what organizations are doing to

help rescue strays, give them needed

medical attention and secure homes.

Students are now leading a fundraiser

they are calling the "Pet Beauty Con-

test."

For a $1 entry fee, pet owners may

enter a picture of their pets in the con-

test. We will display all photos and ac-

cept voting for the "prettiest pet" on

May 6th-9th. Votes will cost ten cents,

and people may vote as many times as

they wish. Money raised will be do-

nated to Good Buddies Dog Rescue

and Adopt-a-Stray. Entries are due May

6th.

Thank you, to all who support us in

this fundraiser.

□

Eighth-grade students are working

hard to get to the finish line! That is,

they are working hard to complete the

required curriculum for eighth-grade

Social Studies. Recently, we studied the

westward expansion, industrial revolu-

tion, transportation, reform move-

ments, women's suffrage and causes of

the American Civil War. We are doing

our best to reach the finish line and be

ready for the KPrep tests coming the

week of May 13th!

HELLO! from the Art

Room, Ms. Sapp...

We have been draw-

ing and painting self-

portraits, perspective

boxes and clay projects

at every grade level!

A few things we can always in the

Art Room: tissues, soap, cleaning

wipes, empty coffee cans, magazines,

containers, bowls, fabric or yarn. These

things are always greatly appreciated!

Stain tip: BEFORE washing out a

stain, pre treat it with liquid detergent

or liquid dish soap. Saturate the area

with the soap, rub in lightly and let it sit

for a few minutes. Wash in COLD water.

Check to see if stain is out. If not, reap-

ply, let sit and wash again in cold water.

Library news, Ms. Hart…

Thanks, to everyone

who helped make the

Scholastic Book Fair a

success. It is wonderful

to know our school and

community supports

putting books in the

hands of students.

□

Votes were sent in and the Blue-

grass Award Winner was announced on

April 12th. The winner for grades 6th-

8th is Legend, by Marie Lu. Many of our

students read it and agree that it is a

winner!

The Kentucky Bluegrass list for next

year has already been announced and

would make great summer reading. I

know because I am on the selection

committee and have read all of the

books. The nominees are:

Chomp, by Carl Hiaasen

Cinder, by Marissa Meyer

The False Prince, by Jennifer A. Nielsen

The Ghost of Graylock, by Dan Poblocki

Guitar Notes, by Mary Amato

Lincoln’s Last Days, by Bill O’Reilly

The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin

Levine

One for the Murphys, by Lynda Mullaly-

Hunt

Shelter, by Harlan Coben

Unstoppable, by Tim Green

□

The end of the school year just is

around the corner and the library is

preparing for the closing. All library

materials are due back by May 10th.

Fitness Club & Fishing

Club news., Mr. Wise

Fitness Club con-

tinues to meet on

Wednesdays. Students

will be determining

attainable f itness

goals and focusing on

proper technique.

Fishing Club had

its second spring out-

ing on April 19th. Students fought the

weather on our first two trips this year,

but the future looks brighter. Inter-

ested students should contact Mr. Wise

after school and listen to the daily an-

nouncements for upcoming club out-

ings.

Page 2

Newport Middle School News Page 3

Extracurriculars

Newport’s Got Talent… (and so does Newport Middle School!)

On April 28th, Newport Primary School hosted the annual “Newport’s Got Talent Show,”

which featured a variety of acts by students attending Newport Middle and Newport High

Schools. Acts included dance, instrumental and vocal performances. With that, artwork cre-

ated by students was on display and available for purchase.

All of the acts were very entertaining and some received special recognition, including:

Overall Most Entertaining

Dearious Williams, 11th grade: $75 and a trophy

Evelyn Yeager, 10th grade: $50 and a trophy

Cody Vires, 12th grade: $45 and a trophy

Vocal - NMS

Haley Kerlin, 6th grade: $40

Crystal Furguson, 6th grade: $30

Shay Smith, 8th grade: $20

Vocal - NHS

Kenny Webster & Zach Sizemore, 10th grade: $40

Miriah Combs, 9th grade: $30

Kayley Miller, 11th grade: $20

Dance

Jashawn Stanley, 11th grade: $35

Instrumental

Thomas Browne, 11th grade: $40

Shaylee, Samara & Phillip Hall, 7th, 8th & 9th grade: $30

Alex Kohl, 10th grade: $20

Most Original

Jordan Derksen & Darien Foster, 9th grade: $20

We’re on the Web! Visit www.newportwildcats.org

Kindness awards winners...

Newport Middle School

30 West 8th Street

Newport, KY 41071

“Dedicated to

student success.”

□

Principal: Mark Krebs

mark.krebs@

newport.kyschools.us

Assist. Principal: Matt Atkins

matt.atkins@

newport.kyschools.us

Guidance Counselor:

Stephanie Strausbaugh

stephanie.strausbaugh@

newport.kyschools.us

□

Main office: 292-3017

Youth Services Center:

292-0552

Health Center: 291-1910

Welcome Center: 292-3080

Safe School Helpline:

1-800-4-1-4VOICE ext. 359

Page 4

On a daily basis, many

NMS students demonstrate

“random acts of kindness” in

their interactions with peers

and staff. However, three

students were recently chosen

by their peers as the kindest

students in the school for

“showing kindness on a daily

basis at Newport Middle

School.”

Shayla McKenzie was se-

lected as the kindest 6th

grader, and Alicia Burnett was

chosen as the kindest 7th

grader.

Sponsored by the NMS

21st Century Program—and in

partnership with Rachel’s

Challenge—-“contest” winners

received a bouquet of flowers

and their names placed on

kindness banners now hang-

ing in the school cafeteria.

S. McKenzie A. Burnett

NMS 21st Century Community Learning Center

Faces in the Crowd…

Choir and Step Team

members practicing their moves!

Choir and Step Team

members rehearsing a song.

Kindess Award

winners receiving

bouquets of flowers...

Choir and Step Team

members practicing their moves!

Rachel’s Challenge Club

members volunteering at the

Bright Days Child Care Center.