Principals’ Corner Tim Long—Principal Terry Stoertz—Assistant Principal Monthly Parent Newsletter

Volume 6 Issue 6 March/April 2014

Newtown Middle School Connections Through Responsibility, Respect and Relationships

GREETINGS

The calendar says Spring—let’s just hope Mother nature cooperates! We have our first round of PSSA’s behind us, our Spring Lock-In is coming up and a whole season full of activities and opportunities is about to begin for your children! As our minds and efforts begin to look toward the future with our course selection process, let’s not lose sight of the power of the present as a magical time in the lives of our chil-

dren. Our Spring Play, “Thoroughly Modern Millie Junior,” will be performed on April 4 and 5. Please bring the whole family for a very special musical treat! As you know, Spring Break as we have known it, is now a casualty of the 2nd worst winter of all time in our area. We will be open for business every day but Good Friday. If you had a pre-set vacation, please make sure that your child stops by to pick up a

pink vacation form from the Attendance Office. One thing this winter has taught us is that we cannot control the forces of nature, only our reaction to them. Here’s to an enjoyable and prosperous Spring for you and your children! Sit back and enjoy

our offerings for this month!

Principals Greeting Spot on Staff Counselors Blog Cell Phone Use Social Networking Science Fair MathCounts Reading Olympics Library Fundraiser Fi5xpatric on debt World Language French Class Team Fusion Trip Lock—In Student of the Month Student Recognition March of Dimes

COUNSELORS BLOG

TO OVERRIDE OR NOT, THAT IS THE QUESTION Counselors are often flooded with questions from concerned parents wanting to make the right decision for their child’s course selection. No one wants to make a choice that will set their son or daughter down the wrong path in the future. While I can totally understand the dilemma, I want to offer some perspective on this process.

First, your child’s teachers make their recommendations based on many factors. These are performance, grades, work habits, potential, maturity and how they react to setbacks. They know what your child looks like as a student. Teachers want children to be successful and watching them struggle with their subject is not what proves to be the most motivating.

It is disheartening to watch a child receive a low grade because he is over-whelmed, particularly if your child wanted to be in an honors class be-cause she likes the subject. Rest assured, nothing can crush a love of math faster than a D. Liking a subject is simply not enough. It can set a child up for failure and that is the last thing we want as a student begins her secondary education.

That brings me to the second consideration. Middle school is the begin-ning of that process when your child becomes even more autonomous. He not only wants to do it himself, he won’t even tell you he is doing it! This is a normal and part of his growing independence. Studying on his own, keeping track of assignments, managing his time are all parts of the picture. He wants to become active in arts, athletics or some other area. He needs time to do this. If he is burdened and overwhelmed, he can’t progress at the normal rate and he will feel left behind.

The third consideration must be the simple logistics. Our schedule is tight. If she is in a course and not doing well (a D or F) your child may have to remain there because we cannot change the class. This may re-quire her to go to clinics and seek outside help but it will impact her time and yours.

For these and many more reasons, overrides are difficult. We can’t al-ways see into the future but I, for one, hate to see a child placed in a situ-ation that can set the tone for middle school and high school. Challenge is important but so is success. Choose the course wisely and aim for balance.

Signed by Chris Kokas

Important Dates

3/28—2nd Annual Autism Cares Lock-in 7 pm—6 am 4/11—New End of 3rd Marking Period 4/4 & 4/5—CRAFTPlayers : Thoroughly Modern Millie JR 4/12—4TH ANNUAL 5K/1M walk and Zumbathon for MOD 4/24— 4/26 District Art Show 4/25—Formal Dance 7:00—9:30 4/26— Jazz Festival 6:30 pm 4/30—New Report Card Distribution 5/5 & 5/6 Spring Concert 5/8—Team Fusion Field Trip 5/21—Team Synergy Field Trip

Spotlight on Bill Jainnini Our New TA

We would like to welcome Bill Jainnini to our staff. Bill has been working with Mr. Martoccio’s class for the last few months. He has been married for 42 years to his high school sweetheart. They have two children and four grandchildren, one of whom is presently a student at NMS.

Mr. Jainnini served in the armed forces, and is a proud veter-an. He studied accounting in college. He is retired from the US Postal Service after 36 years. He comes to us from Council Rock High School North, where he was a hall monitor. He is very happy to come to Newtown Middle as a Teacher's Assis-tant. All the Administrators and Staff are wonderful, caring and true professionals.

Social Networking Ask.fm

In an effort to assist you in monitoring your child’s use of social networking, we

are highlighting one of the most popular sites on the Internet this month. As we

assist students in their navigation of the network, it has come to our attention

that many of our students spend time on this site. The premise is that ques-

tions are posed by an individual. Anyone can answer those questions at any

time. Some of the exchanges we have seen through student referrals have

been troublesome. We thought it would be a good idea to bring you the facts

about Ask.fm and then you can decide whether this is a site that is safe for your

child to use.

There are 57 million users on Ask.fm

This site originates from Latvia, thus not subject to the same regulations as

other sites.

It is considered “parent free” because most parents do not know about it.

Ask.fm claims to monitor the site, but you must make a claim in order for

anything to happen.

It is known for sexual innuendo, ugly commentary and bullying-type ex-

change.

Although it is claimed that children must be 13 years of age to have an

account, anyone can log on.

Interfaces with Instagram, Snapchat, etc.

Kids share passwords with each other.

The Maryland Attorney General has said: “this site puts children at risk

with its hateful posts and lack of monitoring.”

It might be a good idea to log on to this site and see what kids are saying to

each other. Whenever we have an opportunity to talk with students about

social networking, we suggest to them that they stay away from this site.

Remember, there is a lot of good out there, but the more we know about the

bad, the less likely it can hurt our children!

The following students placed in the PJAS competition held on February 22 at Bensalem High School. First Place winners go on to Penn State from May 18-20 for a state competition:

Eric Holst -First Place

Aalisha Jhaveri -First Place

Josee Li -First Place

Jonathan liu -First place

Shivanand peri -First Place

Shakti Ramnath -First Place

Akash Shah -First Place

James Weir -First Place

Davis Wojnovich -First Place

Margaret Zheng -First Place

Ronak Pandya -Second Place

Reese Hollister -Second Place

Julia Gokalp -Second Place

Kiara Alvarez -Second Place

Cell Phones and Your Child During the School Day

We are so well connected! Thank goodness most of our children have

cell phones so that we can know they are safe. In order to maintain safe-

ty and order in a building of 870 students, it is essential that we have

protocols for the use of cell phones in school. Please read the following

reminder and share with your children about the responsible use of cell

phones:

A reminder to students and parents:

Unless cell phones are being used in the classroom as instructional tools

at the behest of the teacher, they should be placed in the locker in the

“off” position throughout the entire school day. Students are welcome to

use our office phones should they need to contact you during the school

day. All student illnesses and dismissals for such are handled through the

nurse’s office and not by text or cell phone.

Cell phone violations punishable with detentions are the following:

Use of cell phone in the cafeteria

Use of cell phone to notify parents of illness during the day

Use of cell phone to text anyone during the school day

Use of cell phone in any class

*The use of a cell phone during PSSA Exams is against the PSSA Guide-

lines and could result in suspension.

Acceptable Use of Cell Phones in School in the classroom when a teacher

has requested it for instructional purposes.

Before 8:00 AM

After 3:00 PM

Science Fair Congratulations!

The following students are to be congratulated for placing

in the Bucks County Fair held on March 11 at Delaware Val-

ley College. We are so proud of their efforts and grateful to

Mary Joy Troxel, Pat Erhard and Joe Holm for inspiring

them. The first and second place winners will continue on

to the next level, which is April 1:

Aalisha Jhaveri -First Place

Kiara Alvarez -Second Place

Josee Li -Second Place

Rishi Mago - Honorable Mention

Shivanand Peri -Honorable Mention

Davis Wojnovich -Honorable mention

Shakti Ramanath -Honorable mention

Julia Gokalp -Special Award Philadelphia Associa

tionfor Critical Thinking

Congratulations to Math Counts!

We are happy to announce that MathCounts won the Bucks County Competition last month. This qualified them for the State Tournament in Harrisburg. The fol-lowing students made the trip to Harrisburg and are responsible for the team placing 10th in the state!

Rishi Mago Margaret Zheng David Yang Andrew Xie

This is a great accomplishment. We are very proud of these students and our math department!

Reading Olympics

Mrs. Sanders and Mrs. Bovino will be accompanying

students to the Reading Olympics at Cecilia Snyder

Middle School on April 10. Good luck to all of our vo-

racious readers!

Congratulations to the Following World Language Students at the World Language Tournament on February 26 at William Tennent High School!

These students were selected by their language teachers for demonstrating a strong interest in their language of study and for their outstanding academic performance. These students partici-pated with their teams at the Novice Level and placed as follows:

Andrew Cabo - 1st Place (with his team)

Veronica Bochenek – 1st Place (with her team)

Kendre Hone – 3rd Place (with her team)

We are very proud of our students and thankful to the World Lan-guage Teachers for giving them the opportunity to participate.

Fun in Spanish and French Classes

French students learned about Mardi Gras and compared the

carnival celebrations in Nice, France, New Orleans and Que bec.

As they held a doublon coin for good luck in their left hand, they

made and practiced the flipping of the cre pes, this delicious thin

pancake dessert that is so popular in France and eaten in Febru-

ary. Their favorite topping was Nutella and whipped cream!

Spanish students had a culinary experience tasting dishes from

Me xico, Puerto Rico and Tex-Mex cuisine, the countries and

states we have travelled to. They especially enjoyed the Tres

leches cake and making their own quesadillas. They also partici-

pated in a restaurant real life scene where they ordered from the

menus they created and Sen ora Crognale and Sen ora Ramon-

Bobst were the waitresses. They were challenged by keeping the

conversation going at their table!

Second Annual Lock-In for the Benefit of Autism CARES

will take place on Friday evening, March 28.

Bringing History, Science, and Reading to Life: Team Fusion’s Coal

Mine

Trip On Thursday, May 8, 2014, Team Fusion will visit the Lacka-

wanna Coal Mine and Anthracite Museum, located in Scranton,

Pennsylvania. There, students will travel 300 feet below ground in

a mine car to explore the winding tunnels of a former anthracite

coal mine that began operating in 1860. After hearing about the

methods used by and efforts of the workers of this mine, students

will visit the museum to learn more about the lives and works of

the immigrants who labored in mines, factories, and mills in this

important area of Pennsylvania. With close ties to both the fossil

and fuel science curriculum and Growing up in Coal Country, a nov-

el by Susan Campbell Bartoletti that is read in reading class, this

trip promises to be both an enjoyable and educational experience

for all involved.

Library’s Fundraiser at Barnes and Noble in Fairless Hills

Date and Time: Thursday, May 1st, 6:00-?

Our own science teacher, Mr. Holm will be in attendance conducting wacky science experiments, the NMS Jazz band will be performing and 4 middle grade authors will be pre-senting and signing their latest books. Information about the authors may be found at this link:

http://store-locator.barnesandnoble.com/event/83591

Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick highlights Newtown student letters in hearing on National Debt

ONLINE: http://1.usa.gov/1rvhJwT

Watch: http://bit.ly/1msXZsM

Student of the Month

We would like to congratulate the following students of the month

Name Month Year Team

Allison Reinhardt February 2014 Fusion

Shivanand Peri February 2014 Fusion

Esther Kardos February 2014 Phoenix

Joseph Willenbucher February 2014 Phoenix

Marie Larounis February 2014 Synergy

Max Cohen February 2014 Synergy

Nick Ripans February 2014 Quest

Bridget Thompson February 2014 Quest

Taylor Briggs February 2014 Super Nova

Henry Liu February 2014 Super Nova

Nicole Khusid February 2014 Infinity

Eddie Mancinelli February 2014 Infinity

Tia Farese February 2014 Arts

Chris Fricker February 2014 Arts

Name Month Year Team

Abigail Seiple January 2014 Fusion

DJ Mischak January 2014 Fusion

Parker Luff January 2014 Phoenix

Kiara Alvarez January 2014 Phoenix

Justin Shapiro January 2014 Synergy

Jillian Schweizer January 2014 Synergy

Kaelin Mealey January 2014 Quest

Phil Stollsteimer January 2014 Quest

Justin Ross January 2013 Super Nova

Jessica Kusters January 2013 Super Nova

Jordan Koseski January 2014 Infinity

Riley Rogerson January 2014 Infinity

Grace Porter January 2014 Arts

Ronak Pandya January 2014 Arts

STUDENT RECOGNITION—2ND MP

Student Name Award Team

Jarett Zelinksy Courtesy & Respect Fusion

Julia Bailey Courtesy & Respect Fusion

Anirudh Shastry Academic Improvement Fusion

Jenna McCaffrey Academic Improvement Fusion

James Drew Effort Fusion

Hannah Barsky Effort Fusion

JT Zlock Cooperation Fusion

Bailee Mathews Cooperation Fusion

Noah Phayre Courtesy & Respect Phoenix

Anna Gambescia Courtesy & Respect Phoenix

Thomas Weed Academic Improvement Phoenix

Becky Osterman Academic Improvement Phoenix

Aiden Lauck Effort Phoenix

Olivia Sulewski Effort Phoenix

Matt Byrne Cooperation Phoenix

Kory Zlock Cooperation Phoenix

Drew Smiley Courtesy & Respect Synergy

Colleen Moore Courtesy & Respect Synergy

Alex Peltekis Academic Improvement Synergy

Chris Doroshow Academic Improvement Synergy

Laney Maisel Effort Synergy

Jonathan Xiong Effort Synergy

Dylan Ceslak Cooperation Synergy

Isabelle Taber Cooperation Synergy

Matt Shenot Courtesy & Respect Quest

Morgan Karp Courtesy & Respect Quest

Ivan Lee Academic Improvement Quest

Katie Lux Academic Improvement Quest

Aubrey Saunders Effort Quest

Maddie Adams Effort Quest

Andrew Qiao Cooperation Quest

Sarah Lundgren Cooperation Quest

Michael Bedard Courtesy & Respect Supernova

Lauren Sullivan Courtesy & Respect Supernova

Kyle Jaggard Academic Improvement Supernova

Kate Stiffler Academic Improvement Supernova

Shane Thompson Effort Supernova

Morgan Bamrick Effort Supernova

Jason Gamils Cooperation Supernova

Anna Belle Warren Cooperation Supernova

Ethan Koza Courtesy & Respect Infinity

Sorelle Sax Courtesy & Respect Infinity

Ethan Vegotsky Academic Improvement Infinity

Emma Bovee Academic Improvement Infinity

Ryan Campbell Effort Infinity

Raagini Pareek Effort Infinity

Cavan Tully Cooperation Infinity

Morgan Pfleger Cooperation Infinity

Ben Green Courtesy & Respect Arts

Tara McGuigan Courtesy & Respect Arts

Cameron Champ Academic Improvement Arts

Marissa Haynes Academic Improvement Arts

Ian Waitkus Effort Arts

Samantha Zubler Effort Arts

Max Benz Cooperation Arts

Isabelle Miehle Cooperation Arts

Middle School Challenge

How many runners can you get?

Is 7th

grade faster than 8th

???

Let’s find out, while supporting a great cause.

Council Rock Runs for Babies

CoLoR rUn!

5k Run/ 1Mi Walk / Zumbathon

Saturday, April 12th, 2014

Council Rock High School South

Registration at 9:00 am

Run/Walk begins at 10:00am

Take part in a Run/ Walk/Zumbathon benefiting the

March of Dimes, an organization raising money to

save premature babies.

RUN Registration fee -$25.00

Walk & ZUMBATHON Registration fee-$10.00

To pre-register for this event, go to:

www.active.com/holland-pa/running/distance-

running-races/4th-annual-council-rock-runs-for-

babies-2014

Any questions or concerns, please contact:

Allison Crognale at acrognale@crsd.org or Ben Lebofsky at blebofsky@crsd.org