middle vikes news · 2017. 11. 2. · middle vikes news the half way mark of the 2017-2018 ﬁrst...

Middle Vikes NewsThe half way mark of the 2017-2018 first semester, Parent / Teacher

Conferences, L.E.F. Grants, 2nd Athletic Season Begins, Viking Actions for Success, Synergy, Classroom News and Views, Calendar Highlights, THE

FACEBOOK page for Lakewood Middle School/LPS, Beware of the “Gator”, Clubs and Activities Galore!

November may be short on attendance days but it packed with activities and events for parents and students at Lakewood Middle School. The main focus for the month are the annual Parent / Teacher Conferences. For one afternoon and one evening teachers will be available to meet with parents and discuss academic achievement to this point in the school year. Please see the separate article in this newsletter with all the details regarding conferences.

The half way mark of the first semester ended October 27th. Parents of each student will receive a progress report at Parent/Teacher Conferences. If you can not attend, please call the office on Thursday, November 2nd if you would like the report mailed home. If no call the progress report will be sent home with your child on Thursday, November 2nd.

The Thanksgiving holiday provides time near the end of the month for families to connect. The calendar highlights indicates specific dates for non-attendance days coming up in November.

Should you have questions please contact the school office for more information.

Kellie Rowland

CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS

November 1- Parent Teacher Conferences 12-3 and 4-7

November 1- 1/2 Day of School, Dismissal at 10:34 a.m.

November 4- Set clocks back 1 hour.

November 4- Saturday School for invited guests. 8 a.m. - 12:00 noon

Nov. 6- Lakewood Middle School Parent Group meeting 4:00 PM in the media center.

November 10-Fall Festival Dance 2:15-4:30.

Nov. 23 -27: Thanksgiving Break; no school Return to school on MONDAY, November 28th

LAKEWOOD MIDDLE SCHOOL NOVEMBER 2017 NEWSLETTER SCHOOL PHONE: (616) 374 - 2400

Our Lakewood Middle School Facebook page has a great deal of information. Any flyer sent home with students will also be posted on this page. Find us and like our page! The address for the facebook page is Lakewood Public Schools/Lakewood Middle School.


PARENT / TEACHER CONFERENCE SCHEDULE AND FORMAT

5th-8th GRADE Parent / Teacher Conferences

Wednesday, November 1st12:00 - 3:00 p.m.

4:00 p.m. - 7:00 pm.Students have a half day of school on November 1st

Dismiss at 10:34 a.m.FORMAT for Parents of STUDENTS 5-8

No reservations or prior sign-up is needed. Arrive at your convenience.Parents can pick-up a copy of their son / daughter’s 1st nine week progress report at a reception table when you arrive.Teachers will be meeting with parents at tables set up in the the gymnasium or classrooms. A map indicating the location of each teacher will be handed out at the reception table.If a teacher you need to see is meeting with another parent when you arrive, please wait on the bench or chairs directly in front of the teacher until the teacher is available.We understand some time at conferences will be spent waiting to see a teacher. There will be a 5 minute limit for with any teacher. Should more information need to be shared, arrangements will be made at a later time to continue the conference. The time you may need to spend waiting for a teacher is time well spent to allow you to share information about your son / daughter’s education program.Conferences are scheduled to end at 3:00 p.m. during the after session and 7:00 p.m for the evening session. Please arrive at least 30 minutes earlier than end time to meet with teachers and end your conferences at the scheduled end time of 3:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.

SHARED TEACHER SCHEDULESTeachers who share instructional duties with Lakewood Middle School

★ Mrs. Clapp will be available for both conferences★ Mrs. Vant’Hof will be available for conferences from 12-3★ Mrs. Stepek will be at the high school please email her for a

conference if needed.★ Mrs. Svanda will not be available she has taken a job at the Ionia

ISD★ Mrs. Warren, 6th grade Science teacher will not be available. Her

first day of retirement is today.

CHECK GRADES, ASSIGNMENTS,

ATTENDANCE, CALENDAR and MORE USING

SYNERGY!

Parent access to your son / daughter’s grades, daily

assignments, attendance, calendar events, and more

are available through Synergy. Access is available

24 / 7 from any Internet accessible computer.

Contact Karrie Carter at Lakewood Middle School

(616-374-2400) if you would like your activation

code. After you log-in to Synergy for the first time

you will be asked to set your own user name and

password which links you directly to your son /

daughter school records. Stay informed. Use

Synergy!

LOST, NOT FOUND

The middle school is accumulating a lot of “lost” and

not very much “found”. Encourage your son /

daughter to take a look for a missing piece of apparel

or school supply. They are collected and placed in a

bin that is placed in the back hallway before you enter

the cafeteria Take a look and claim what is rightfully

yours.


HOME ASSIGNMENTS

Homework is due on the assigned date at the assigned time. We as middle school educators realize how the middle school student may forget what they need to accomplish each evening. So there is a great deal of middle school assistance available to help the middle school student to remember.

• Each hour of every day the objective, class work expected to be accomplished and the homework assignment is listed on the classroom board for the student to record in their agenda.

• An assignment sheet is available to all students that is the same as the classroom board report (5th grade is green, 6th grade is blue , 7th grade is pink and 8th grade is purple).

• Then the same daily assignment sheet is placed on line by noon every day at: lakewoodps.org –Lakewood Middle School—Assignment Sheets

Many middle school students have the capability of accomplishing this on their own, however, some middle school students need parental guidance and monitoring for them to achieve good study and work habits after school hours.

Clubs and Activities

We have many extra curricular opportunities for students. Information about each activity and club is given to

students throughout the year and placed on the Lakewood Middle School/LPS

facebook page.Chess- YuGiOH Sign Language Book Club

Spanish Math Drama Art Jazz Band Robotic Legos Geography Bee Social Studies Olympiad My Hero Essay DESTINATION IMAGINATION Quiz Bowl

Viking Actions for SuccessLakewood Middle School will continue to focus on character traits that are used by successful individuals in working with other people and interacting in positive, productive ways. Each month a new trait is identified as a focus for that month. Members of each grade are selected as “honorees”, representative of all students in their grade who demonstrate actions that make the school a better place for all. The focus trait for September was “Respect” and the trait for October was “Perseverance”. November’s focus is...“Self-Discipline”, defined as...

“The ability to control feelings and overcome weaknesses; the ability to pursue what you think is right despite temptation to follow others.”

October Honorees for Perseverance

5th Grade: Eli Richards, Chloe Grove, Isaac Walker, Noah Rumfield6th Grade: Griffin Kolk, Blaze Metzger, Nevaeh Newton, Ella O’Boyle7th Grade: Bradley Clark. Preston Makley, Rachel Denda8th Grade: Marissa Wernette, Blake Davis, Aislinn Hyatt, Yovani Vazquez

A complete list and description of each month’s trait is located in the student handbook, page 14.

LAKEWOOD MIDDLE SCHOOL NOVEMBER 2017 NEWSLETTER SCHOOL PHONE: (616) 374 -

SPORTS NEWS The Lakewood Middle School Cross Country team ended a very successful season under head coach Mr. Alford. The season ended with the Greater Lansing Junior Cross Country Championship and Home Jamboree. There was a total of 10 meets with our first one being at home. The team improved with each competition and many personal goals were met as a result of this. Special thanks to the parents who offered your support for the athletes throughout the season.

The girls’ volleyball teams completed their competition last month. Our thanks to our coaches, Mrs. Carrie Duffy (7th grade volleyball), and Mrs. Christy Carter (8th grade volleyball) for their work throughout the season motivating and inspiring the teams. Both teams were crowned league champions. Congratulations to all!

BOYS’ BASKETBALL BEGINSThe 7th and 8th grade boys basketball teams begin competition November 2nd. Practices began mid-October and the schedule wraps up before Christmas Vacation. The players would love to have you drop by to cheer and encourage their best efforts throughout the season:

Boys‘ Basketball Schedule Nov. 2 Lansing Christian Away *5:00 Bus 3:30 Nov. 6 Perry Away Bus: 2:45Nov. 8 Stockbridge Away Bus: 2:45Nov. 13 Leslie HOMENov. 20 Olivet Away Bus: 3:15Nov. 21 Maple Valley Away Bus: 3:30 Nov. 27 Lansing Christian HOME *5:00Nov. 29 Perry HOME Dec. 4 Stockbridge HOMEDec. 6 Leslie Away Bus: 2:45Dec. 13 Olivet HOMEDec. 18 Maple Valley HOMEAll 7th grade basketball games begin at 4:30 p.m. with the 8th grade to follow at the same site. Please note- *5:00 games with Lansing Christian.

Boys’ basketball teams are preparing for their season which runs through December 18th . Girls’ basketball, wrestling and cheer for 7th / 8th grade begin after the Christmas holiday. All students participating with the basketball, wrestling or cheer teams must have a current physical, dated after April 15, 2017, on file with the middle school athletic director, Mr. Scott Millbrook.

8th Grade Volleyball TEAM

7th Grade Volleyball TEAM

LMS Cross Country TEAM


Why Go to College?“Our best chance for happiness is education.”

Mark Van Doren

More career opportunities:

A college education can open doors and prepare you for careers that are personally and 9inancially rewarding. When you think about all the careers that are available to college graduates, the sky is the limit.

Personal accomplishment:

Going to college may be hard work, but graduating from college is de9initely a goal worth striving for. Having a college diploma is an accomplishment that you can be proud of the rest of your life.

Greater income:

Statistics show that college graduates earn almost twice as much money as high school graduates. This means that college graduates earn about a million dollars more over a lifetime. The more you learn the more you earn!

No High School Diploma: $23,500/year

High School Graduate: $33,200/year

2-year College Graduate: $40,000/year

4-Year College Graduate: $54,800/year

Opportunities to develop and grow:

Going to college gives you an opportunity to study a variety of subjects, make new friends and become more independent. Most importantly, college gives you the opportunity to become the person you want to be.


Accelerated Reader Program

Congratulations to many of our middle school students who are progressing very nicely toward their AR goal. Many are on target or exceeding their AR goal for the first semester! The 1st Semester AR Goal Deadline (Friday, January 19th). Thanksgiving and Christmas break are great times for students to read daily to meet their goals.

I encourage parents to ask their child if they have met their individual goal yet.

Please e-mail your student’s Literature teacher with any questions about this.

~Mrs.Hilley 5th Grade Literature ~Mr. Kutch 6th Grade Literature ~Mrs. Barbour 7th Grade Literature ~Ms. Stirling 8th Grade Literature

6th Grade English Language Arts News - Mr. Kutch

Many of the 6th grade language arts students are off to a great start toward their 1st semester AR reading goal. Students are expected to read 30 minutes each day at home in an AR book. At this point in the school year, they should be at about 50% of their First Semester Goal. The deadline for the First Semester Goal is Thursday, January 25th. Parent involvement with reading at home can be very beneficial to a child's reading success and continued development. I would offer the suggestion to ask them some questions about what they read after a 'half hour" session. What is happening to the characters in your book? Is the plot beginning to build suspense? What do you think will happen next? I am also encouraging students to read across a variety of different genres, including mystery, realistic fiction, informational, fantasy, science fiction, classics, historical fiction and more. We will begin AR Bingo during the month of November. Students can get a square stamped on their bingo sheet for reading and passing an AR quiz with 80% correct or better. Each square encourages students to select a different genre.

Thank you for your help in Box Top Wars. Results are lower than normal. This is a reminder, that students may bring them ALL year long.

CLASSROOM NEWS AND ACTIVITIES


8th Grade U.S. History News

The eighth grade U.S. History classes just wrapped up their unit covering George Washington as our first

president, and the birth of political parties in the U.S. We are now beginning our next unit which includes the

following historical events; The Louisiana Purchase, The Lewis and Clark Expedition, the supreme court case

Marbury vs. Madison, and Thomas Jefferson as our third president.

The following students were selected as 'Miss Pro's Students of the Week' for the month of October:

Morgan Mussehl and Blake Davis

Sophie Braker and Asher Teigler

Ellie Haddix and Logan Tefft

Emmie Chase and Eastin Stank


STEM still Growing and Expanding at Lakewood Middle School The 7th and 8th grade STEM classes ventured to the Henry Ford Museum where they were able to participate in a unique STEM challenge involving PIXAR. The students participated in a hands-on exhibit involving the computer science industry.

The STEM classes continue to explore various fields in science, technology, math, and engineering. We are very excited about where this program started and where the program is heading!


LAKEWOOD MIDDLE SCHOOL, HOME TO THE “PAPER GATOR”

Lakewood Middle School has received a “Paper Gator” which can be used to recycle a large variety of paper products. Not

only will the use of the Paper Gator cut down on materials going into landfills, we are also reimbursed by the Paper Gator

people for the materials they collect from our location. The Paper Gator is located in the west edge of the Middle School

parking lot up by the school. Materials that are accepted in the Gator are listed below, or visit their website for more

information (http://papergatorrecycling.com/). Community members are welcome to contribute to the Paper Gator, but

please follow the guidelines for accepted materials; What can go in the bins?

• Newsprint• Catalogs/Magazines• Junk Mail• Phone Books• Office/School paper• Hard and soft cover books

What can’t go in the bins?

• Plastic• Metal• Trash• Glass• Cardboard• Paperboard (Grocery Item boxes)

DECEMBER/JANUARY PREVIEW•The second half of the 1st semester is in action. The first semester ends January 19th. Schedules for the second

semester will be handed out 1/18/17. Most students will begin new elective classes beginning January 22nd.

•The Middle School Bands and Choirs are performing holiday concerts in December. The band performs Tuesday, December 5 with the 6th grade at 6 PM and 7th and 8th grade at 7 PM. The choirs will perform Wednesday December 13th with the curtain raising at 7 PM.

•Holiday Shopping??? Scholastic Book Fair at Lakewood Middle School December 11th- 15th.

•Christmas break begins w/the dismissal of school on Tuesday, December 19th. The afternoon of December 19th will offer a variety of afternoon activities for the students. School resumes Wednesday, January 3rd.

http://papergatorrecycling.com/

http://papergatorrecycling.com/

LAKEWOOD MIDDLE SCHOOL

WORKING TOGETHER FOR CHRISTMAS BASKETS

Beginning Monday, November 20th thru Friday, December 1st , Lakewood Middle School will begin collecting non-perishable food and personal items for the Lakewood Community Council Christmas Basket Program. You can bring your items to your FRED classroom. The FRED classroom from LMS that collects the most items per student will be rewarded with a Pizza Party.

Thank you in advance for your help in reaching families in need at Christmas time.

EXAMPLES OF NON-PERISHABLE FOOD ITEMS:

Canned vegetables, fruit, & meats, muf9in, cookies & cake mixes, boxed potatoes, stuf9ing, pasta, rice, hot and cold cereal, granola bars, juice boxes, powered milk,

peanut butter & jelly etc…

*Please check expiration date

PERSONAL CARE ITEMS:

Shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrush, Kleenex, toilet paper, body wash, shaving cream, hand and body lotion etc…

middle vikes news · 2017. 11. 2. · middle vikes news the half way mark of the 2017-2018 ﬁrst...

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