milford public schools west shore middle school newsletter · 2016-11-21 · west shore middle...
TRANSCRIPT
West Shore Middle School Newsletter
Important Dates:
11/23 Early dismissal 12:35
11/24-27 Thanksgiving Holiday break
11/28 Trimester 1 ends today.
11/29-12/15 NWEA test window for all
students
11/30 Barnes and Noble Bookfair to
support WSMS. Shop in the store or
online.
12/7 Early Dismissal 12:35 for students
12/7 WSMS PTA Launch Trampoline fundraiser event. 3:30-8:00pm
12/14 WSMS Winter concert: chorus,
strings, band. JLHS @6:30
12/19-12/23 Hour of Code comes to
WSMS through our math classes.
12/23 Early Dismissal 12:35
12/24-1/2 Holiday Break-No School
1/3 (Tuesday) School resumes
M il f o rd P u bl i c Scho o l s
Nov. 2016
Dear WS Families, It is almost the end of the first tri-
mester so please remind students to check
powerschool and with their teachers to be
sure they are completing successfully.
There have been many exciting learning
opportunities recently with 6th graders visit-
ing Yale planetarium, 8th graders designing
amusement parks to illustrate Newton’s Laws
and 7th graders creating personal collages in
Language Arts. And these are just a few of
the innovative way students are learning!
Students will soon have the opportunity
to show all of their academic growth when
they test using the NWEA testing system.
Students will be meeting in Advisory to create
personal goals so they can achieve in all of
their academic subjects. We appreciate your
support as students put forth their best ef-
fort.
We are grateful for all of our students,
staff, and families of WSMS and wish every-
one a Happy Thanksgiving.
~*~*~*~ WSMS PTA NEWS ~*~*~*~
January PTA meeting
Our next PTA meeting is Wednesday, January 18th at 7pm in the Media Center. Everyone is welcome. Please join us to
see what your PTA has planned.
Membership
Membership is ongoing, everyone is welcome – any help is greatly appreciated. You can download the membership form at
2016/2017 membership form. Sign up before Dec. 7th and you will be eligible for a Drawing of a $20 Gift Card to Stop &
Stop.
Barnes & Noble PTA Fundraiser
The Barnes & Noble PTA book fair will be Wednesday, November 30th at the Barnes & Noble in Milford from 6 – 9pm.
Bring in the B&N Flyer when you shop and a portion of the sales will come back to our PTA Barnes & Noble Fundraiser
11/30/16. See flier attached at the end of this newsletter!
Five Below Fundraiser
Shop at Five Below Dec. 4th – 10th and they will donate 10% of your purchase to the PTA. You must provide the PTA flyer
at time of purchase five Below Fundraiser .
8th Grade Committee News
The 8th grade committee is currently working on fundraisers – the Yankee Candle Fundraiser is ongoing online thru Jan 11th
using the West Shore group# 990071280 at www.yankeecandlefundraising.com. Additional 8th grade fundraisers are listed
below:
Sbarro Fundraiser
Place an order at Sbarro in the CT Post Mall on Friday, Dec. 2nd from 12 pm – 9 pm and bring this flyer Sbarro Fundraiser
12/2/16 or mention WSMS fundraiser and they will donate 15% of sales to the 8th Grade committee.
Launch Trampoline Park Fundraiser
Come join us at Launch Trampoline Park in Milford on Wednesday, December 7th between 3:30 and 8:00pm and they will
donate 25% of the proceeds to the 8th Grade Year End events. This event is sponsored by The Milford Bank. You must
provide the PTA flyer at time of registration Launch Trampoline Park Fundraiser 12/7/16. All registrants will be eligible
for a raffle prize.
Barnes & Noble Gift Wrapping Fundraiser
Support the 8th Grade Committee by coming to The Barnes & Noble Gift Wrapping fundraiser on Tuesday, December 13th
at the Barnes & Noble in Milford from 5:30 – 8:30pm. The flyer is posted on the PTA web site.
Wanted: Your Box Tops!!
Please turn in your unexpired Box Tops and bonus certificates to your child’s homeroom teacher. We will be collecting all
year long … the homeroom that collects the most Box Tops will win a PIZZA PARTY in the spring! Box Tops for Education
collection boxes for West Shore are now available at both the Silver Sands Stop & Shop and St. Ann's Church. If any
friends or family members have box tops, they are welcome to drop them there. If anyone knows of a company, church
etc. that is willing to "host" a collection box for us, please contact Michelle Acri at [email protected]
WSMS PTA Officer Contact Info:
Andrea Feher President [email protected]
Maureen Hanson Vice President [email protected]
Bridget Lawless Treasure [email protected]
Susan Reed Secretary [email protected]
Health Education News
On Tuesday, November 29, 2016, seventh and eighth grade Health Edu-
cation students will be reporting to their second trimester course. We
have encouraged students to turn in overdue work. Have a Happy
Thanksgiving.
Sincerely,
Mrs. Reilly and Mrs. Torres
Thank you for supporting our Pj Day! We collected
funds to support WS families so everyone would
have a blessed Thanksgiving.
We also collected food for the Thanksgiving Scout Food
Drive. Thank you all!
Builder's Club News
WSMS Winter Concert:
Come enjoy the music of our talented WSMS students. The BAND, STRINGS and
CHORUS will share the music of the season.
When: Wednesday, December 14th
Where: JL High School Auditorium
Time: 6:30pm
Team Yale One marking period down… two to go. How quickly time flies when having
fun! December is a busy month for us all. Take the time to relax, enjoy fami-
ly and friends and stay warm. Happy Holidays from Team Yale!
Did you know….?
Language Arts Mrs. Fisher [email protected] Students are analyzing the novel The Outsiders and journaling about the plot and the characters. In book clubs, students are exploring realistic fiction and writing summaries. We are continuing our vo-cabulary program, and the students are doing a great job. I am so proud of them! Keep up the good work, and keep reading! Mathematics Mrs. Rimkunas [email protected] In Math-8, students are reviewing and enhancing their understanding of and skill in data analysis by focusing on a key statistical concept—correlation. Students are exploring positive and negative correla-tion shown in scatter plots and using the correlation coefficient as a measure of the linear association between two variables. In Algebra 1, students are writing and solving systems of linear equations and inequalities.
Science Dr. Coloski [email protected] Students are working on a Performance Task entitled: Newton's Park and Recreation
Physics. Students will work cooperatively to design and build a Park and Recreation
Facility or an Amusement Park that has activities that both demonstrates and explains each of New-
ton's Three Laws!
Social Studies Mr. Acri [email protected] Students are currently completing their persuasive letters to Governor Malloy on the National Popular Vote Bill. Classes are also examining the causes and effects of the French and Indian War which will lead to our unit on the American Revolution. World Language
Spanish Mrs. Grillo [email protected] French/ Spanish Mrs. Lynch [email protected] All Spanish students received the information regarding the creation of a piñata. This Mexican craft is commonly associated with the Holiday season. Students have the opportunity to work independently or in a group no larger than 3. The final project is due on Friday, January 6. All
important details can be found on WSMS website under your child’s Spanish teacher.
Resource Mrs. Magura [email protected]
Team Princeton
Language Arts: We recently launched our Community Unit by
analyzing Essential Questions and creating Identity Collages.
Students are now engaged in our anchor text, Seedfolks, and
have begun work in their Book Club groups.
Spanish: Students are exploring new vocabulary to describe themselves and
others. They will be learning their first verb, To Be, while also learning how
to express themselves using adjectives.
Math: Grade 7 Math students are working in the Accentuate the Negative
workbook and are focusing on adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing ra-
tional numbers. 7th/8th Grade Advanced Math students are exploring differ-
ent types of ratios and are graphing linear equations.
Social Studies: Grade 7 Social Studies students are learning about major re-
ligions around the world and are continuing to add to their vocabulary. We
are also learning how to answer open-ended short essay questions.
Science: Students are learning about Osmosis. They should be
able to explain how this process creates dried food. We will
then be moving on to Photosynthesis and Respiration.
French: Students are currently learning about definite and indefinite articles
and adjective agreement. Students recently completed self-portrait posters
utilizing this newly acquired vocabulary and grammar.
Team Harvard Math: Ms Bua
8th Grade Core: Students are wrapping up The Thinking with Mathematical Models unit. They are making connections between
nonlinear and linear relationships and how they connect to the real world.
Algebra: Students are continuing their work in the first Module. They will be solving multi-step equations and multi-step inequal-
ities, ultimately, connecting their knowledge to real world scenarios.
7th Grade Advance Math: Students are wrapping up the Proportional Relationships unit. They just completed the I Need a Larger
Recipe project where they proportioned a recipe of their choice to serve the amount of students in class. As a wrap up, students
will connect their knowledge of solving equations from unit 1 to proportions.
World Languages: Mrs. Lynch
French 1~Grade 7(Mme.Lynch) We have learned the verb être = to be and many descriptive French adjectives in Chapitre #1(Une Amie et Un Ami (A female
friend and a male friend.) Presently, we are learning about indefinite and definite articles and adjective agreement. We recently
completed a QUI SUIS JE? self-portrait poster about ourselves utilizing all this newly acquired French vocabulary and grammar.
Our posters were très formidable (very terrific/outstanding.) and our perfect "selfies."
French 2~Grade 8(Mme. Lynch)
Our class has just begun Chapitre #6 entitled La Nourriture et Les Courses (Food and Going food shopping.) It is very interesting
that the French people buy fresh food daily in specialty stores. For example, they buy a baguette (loaf of delicious French bread)
in a boulangerie-patisserie (bakery), they buy des crevettes(some shrimp) in a poissonerie(a fish market),du fromage(some
cheese) in a crémerie etc. You may remember this scenery from Belle et La Bête (Beauty and the Beast.) We are learning the
irregular verb faire= (to do;to make )(les courses=shopping) and we're leaving on a jet plane to France to purchase groceries.
Spanish 2~Grade 8(Sra. Lynch)
We are presently working in Unit #3 entitled La Salud y El Médico (Health and the Doctor.) We are learning medical vocabulary
and now have the ability to tell some of our symptoms to the doctor en español. Tengo dolor de cabeza(I have a headache), Tengo
dolor de garganta y una fiebre (I have a sore throat and a fever) are just a few of our new expressions. Soon, we will be emergen-
cy room "pros" using only the Spanish language in our visits.
Language Arts: Ms. Delash
"Raymond's Run" by Toni Cade Bambara "Thank You, M'am" by Langston Hughes
*ALL STUDENTS SHOULD HAVE INDEPENDENT READING BOOKS AT All Times!!!
-Students should be taking notes and using stickies to mark important events and passages in their reading
-Notes will count as a test grade
{8th Grade}
Unit: Perceptions: Realistic Fiction
{7th Grade}
Unit: Community
*Working towards achieving Reading and Writing SMART Goals based on NWEA and Argument Based Essay
Social Studies: Mr. Montanaro
First, I wanted to express how proud I am of our students for the amount of energy, research and thoughtfulness that they dis-
played during our election unit. If you have not had a chance to view their research papers on one election issue, please do so.
They were absolutely wonderful! Grade 7: We have started our unit on major religions of the world. We are and will continue to investigate how the religions of
Islam, Judaism, and Christianity developed and spread throughout the world. We will also examine their impact on society. Grade 8: We have started our unit on England’s colonization of North America. During this unit, we will compare and contrast
the economic, political, social, and physical characteristics of the Northern, Middle and Southern colonies.
Science: Mrs. Morrissey/ Ms. O’Neill
Grade Seven: The students are developing their understanding of the relationship between photosynthesis, cellular respiration,
and fermentation. They are exploring the different products and reactants of each and how they play a role in each other’s pro-
cess.
Grade Eight: Students have been developing their understanding of helpful and harmful friction forces. They are working in three
different learning centers, discovering hands on how different types of friction can impact our daily lives.
Team Dartmouth
Social Studies: On to the civilizations of Mesopotamia. Sumer, Chaldea
and Babylonia... Oh my!
Language Arts: We are wrapping up our unit of study on "Character: Who do you think you are?" Students completed and handed in a major project on No-vember 11th. Any assignments needing revision should be completed no later than Monday, November 28th when the Trimester closes.
Math: Continue doing Khan Academy each week. We are still working with ratios and fractions.
Science: We were amazed at Yale for our field trip on Friday 11/18 as we were able to star gaze at their planetarium.
Team Columbia Language Arts: Who doesn’t enjoy a good “Whodunit”? Team Columbia students have begun
a unit on the mystery genre by choosing independent reading books and dabbling in the art of deduction. A key understanding throughout this unit is that mysteries require especially close reading and attention to detail. Ask your child to tell you about their book and what they are noticing.
Social Studies: We have started our first chapter in the book--Early Humans and the Agricul-tural Revolution. Students are learning about the Paleolithic and Neolithic Age, and how people moved from hunter-gatherers to farmers--a MAJOR change for humankind.
Science: It smells like cinnamon in science class, but we haven’t been baking. Students have been experimenting with how differences in meteorites can affect the ejecto (the material eject-ed when meteorites hit the Earth), depth, and diameter of craters. They used sand with a layer of cinnamon on top as a representation of the Earth and a variety of objects to represent mete-orites. They chose between changing the size/volume, mass, shape, height, or angle/speed of the meteorites. One thing students noticed was that the ejecto (represented by the cinnamon) didn’t land evenly around the crater that was produced. Students will be writing all about their results in a scientific evidence-based explanation.
MATH: We will soon be implementing our online homework, assessment, and tutorial program called MathXL for School. This program was created to practice and reinforce the skills and concepts we cover in units our of study for the Connected Math Program (CMP3). Therefore Khan Academy will no longer be a homework requirement because XL will take the place of Khan. Your child will have a username and password that they will be able to access right through powerschool. More information to follow.
Did you know the Milford Public Library has a Makerspace called The Brain Station and is run by our very own media aide, Amy Edwards?!
- What is a Makerspace? They are DIY spaces where people can gather to create, invent, and learn using high tech and low tech materials. They have a 3-D printer, a green screen, an iMac, an Intuos Touch Tablet, iPads, laptops, small electronics, Arduino, Raspberry Pi kits, craft materials, and Lego robotics.
- Brain Station Hours: Mon - 4-8:30pm
Tues - 4:30 - 7:30pm Wed - 4-8:30pm
Most Saturdays - 10am - 4pm
our much anticipated 3D Printed Jewelry Class is scheduled for Sat., Dec. 3rd from 2 - 3:30pm. Create winter themed
necklaces and bracelets!
- Volunteer Opportunities - Do you know a high school student who needs volunteer hours? We are actively seeking Milford high school students to become Open Session Coaches.
Email - [email protected] with any comments or questions
Media News Come visit the Media Center. We are here to
support you with tools for research and projects. We
are here every day and after school on Thursdays until 4:15
We are beginning a Lego collection to create a lego wall
for new inventions and creations. If you just bring in a Ziploc
bag of some pieces you no longer want, we’ll collect oodles!
Thank you for participating in our school-wide election!!
WSMS PTA Bookfair Shop in the store 11/30 or
online with our School code from 11/30-12/5.
Support our school!
Art News from Mrs. Coleman
What are some of the benefits of Art to students? Did you know that making and analyzing
Art nurtures both critical and creative thinking—skills relevant to any potential field of interest?
Students explore, research, experiment, and generate multiple ideas.
Art students compare and analyze art in order to identify strengths and weaknesses in what they
see.
They learn how to overcome fear of failure and making a mistake.
Learning how to create a unique artistic composition nurtures self-sufficiency and builds confi-
dence in one’s ability to successfully take on a new challenge.
In this time of instant gratification, students practice patience over the course of their exploration
Grade 6: Note the evolution of an idea from 3 different practice designs to the Final Line Project (far right).
Additional examples of final Grade 6 Line Designs Projects. After their completing Line de-
sign projects, Grade 6 students
explore different categories of
Shape. Besides exploring Geometric
Shapes, we also discuss and
utilize Organic, Amorphous
(Freeform), Abstract, Com-
pound, and Invented Shapes
and different ways they can be
used in artwork and the world
around us.
Gr. 7 Implied
Texture: The art
needed to help
the viewer feel
the texture at the
edge & on the
surface of letters
or fingers.
How Parents Can Help Their Students to be Successful in Art:
Remind your child that each person can grow and improve his or her skills no matter
his or her starting level.
As in writing and reading, revising, editing, and practice improves the end product.
Ideas often emerge from adapting research and combining visual references with
one’s imagination.
Examples of Grade 7 Shape Design Symmetry Projects Completed After Last Newsletter
Grade 8 Line Projects: Project Criteria included showing a variety of types of lines, using overlap, shading, contrast, and different
levels of value (lightness & darkness). Latitude was given to students on how to approach the project. Students are encourage to use
reference materials to apply new knowledge to their artistic compositions.