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TiMeS  ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­ ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­  

TMS Newsletter | December 2015 | Written by Miss Kleather’s Advanced Language Arts Class  

Exams As part of the transition from the middle school to the high school, all of our 8th graders will be taking semester exams. This practice in studying for more than one big test at a time will become invaluable the farther they go along in their educational careers. Eighth graders will take exams in all of their core subject areas which include Math, Science, American History, and English. In Algebra and Geometry, these are required in order for students to earn that high school credit in those classes. Seventh Grade Algebra must also take an exam in order to earn high school credit in Algebra.

TESTING DATES: Thursday, December 17th Morning - Math Afternoon - English Friday, December 18th Morning - Science Afternoon - Am. History DUE TO THE NATURE OF THESE TESTS, IT IS EXTREMELY DIFFICULT FOR STUDENTS TO TAKE THESE TESTS EARLY OR TAKE THEM AFTER THEY RETURN FROM THE HOLIDAY BREAK. VACATION REQUESTS ARE NOT RECOMMENDED AND MAY NOT BE APPROVED DURING TESTING DAYS

Academics Approximately a third of our students were recognized for their academic achievements by making the Honor Roll and the Principal’s List. Congratulations to those students!!!

Smile For The Camera As part of the district’s on-going safety plan, there have been 18 new security cameras added to the middle school. They run 24 hours a day, seven days a week. These are great tools in helping us maintain a positive environment to learn.

Thanks Thank you to everyone who helped make our magazine sale and Box Top for education event a success. Our magazine sale brought in about $5500 and our Box Tops for Educations another $500. This money went toward purchasing 30 new chromebooks and a charging station. A huge thank you goes out to our local STEAM Boosters Club for a generous $2400 donation to the middle school. This money helped to fund our Chromebook purchase as well. We would also like to thank all of the volunteers who have donated time and resources to the middle school. It is through your generosity that we are able to do all of these extra things for students.

State Test Results We received our building results for the Science and Social Studies (AIR) test and our Math and Reading (PARCC) test. In order to meet the requirements on out state report card, our students had to score above the state average. Below you will be able to see how our students performed. These results include all the students, both those who were tested and those who were not. Those who were not tested are entered as a zero in our building scores. Even with those scores added in, our buildings averages were well beyond the state expectation. We will be sending home individual scores with students very soon. We are very proud of our students’ performances on these new tests.

Grade Class State % BLDG %

6th ELA 68 % 82%

MATH 67% 78%

SOC ST 56% 83%

7th ELA 68% 80%

MATH 67% 74%

8th ELA 68% 85%

MATH 51% 74%

SCIENCE 60% 76%

ALG 64% 94%

GEO 80% 94%

Athletics Our student athletes had an amazing fall by capturing CBC championships in 7th and 8th grade volleyball, girls’ cross country, and 7th grade football. We also had our boys’ cross country team come in second. As we enter into the winter seasons, I always like to remind parents about eligibility. Students in the 7th and 8th grade must be passing five classes with a 1.5 GPA at the end of each quarter in order to be eligible to participate in extracurriculars. Our district also has a weekly eligibility policy that begins at the third week of each quarter. Our Athletic Policy states, if students have two grades under a 65%, they are ineligible to participate for the next week, Monday-Sunday.

Comics and Art The winner from last month’s contest was… Heidi Allen! The theme for this month’s contest is winter!! Guidelines-

❖ Your picture must be hand drawn ❖ There must be no use of stencils or tracing ❖ Make sure you include your name on your drawing ❖ You must turn in your paper to Miss Kleather’s room (212) by Thursday,

December 17th ❖ You must color your picture ❖ Contest results will be in next month’s newsletter

Jokes for December

Answers from November Questions for December It gets toad. What do elves do after school? Put it on my bill. What did one snowman say to the other? Because Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. In a snow bank. What type of cars do elves drive? Pork chop. What do you get from a cow at the North Pole? Microchips. Why did the Christmas tree go to the barber? Guess your best. The answers will be in the next TiMeS!

Random Facts

● All the gifts in the Twelve Days of Christmas would equal 364 gifts. ● Christmas wasn’t declared an official holiday in the United States until June 26, 1870.

● Christmas purchases account for 1/6 of all retail sales in the U.S. ● Santa Claus is based on a fourth-century bishop from modern-day Turkey. ● We frequently abbreviate Christmas as X-mas because of ancient tradition. X is the Greek letter “chi”

which is an abbreviation for the word “Christ” in Greek.

● During the Christmas of 1914 (World War 1), a truce was held between Germany and the UK. They decorated their shelters, exchanged gifts across no man’s land and played a game of football between themselves.

Chicken Mummification This year, the 6th grade reading classes of Mrs. Ares, Mrs. Bensman, and Mrs. Longo are taking their reading to the next level. As a part of their unit involving a book about Ancient Egyptian mummies, the classes are mummifying chickens! This process will take 70 days, and the instructions must be followed exactly. In order for the chicken to be fully mummified, the classes must use lots of salt and a big plastic bag. So far, Mrs. Ares’ class has mummified a total of 9 chickens, and everyone has enjoyed the experience!

Interesting and Important December Days

9th- Christmas Card Day 10th- Human Rights Day 15th-Choir Concert 6:30 (THS Auditorium) and Band Concert 8:00 (THS Auditorium) 16th- National Chocolate Covered Anything Day 18th- Last Day Before Christmas Break 19th- Look for an Evergreen Day 20th- Go Caroling Day 23rd- Festivus 24th- Christmas Eve 25th- Christmas Day 31st- New Year’s Eve January 4th-Return from Winter Break January 8th-First Semester Ends

Band/Choir The band Christmas concert is Tuesday, December 15th at the high school C.P.A. The concert will begin at

6:30p.m. All band members should be at the high school by 6:00. Dress nicely. Girls should wear dresses, skirts, or dress pants and boys can wear dress pants with a nice shirt.

Don’t forget! The choir concert is on Tuesday, December 15th at 8p.m. in the high school C.P.A. Arrival time for students is 7:30. Boys singing in the choir need to wear dress shoes, dress pants, a dress shirt, and a straight tie. Girls that are singing need to wear a skirt or dress, knee length at least. Tights need to match your skin tone. They can wear dress shoes or boots. Shoulders have to be covered. For any questions, please contact Mrs. Hughes.

Interviews (Holiday Special) Mrs. Torrence: Q:Do you think the holidays are actually the most wonderful time of year? A:I enjoy spending time with my family and celebrating the birthday of Jesus, but any day has the potential to be awesome. I don’t believe one certain season or holiday is the most wonderful time of the year. Sometimes holidays make people sad because they’ve lost loved ones. Q:What is your favorite part of the holidays? A:My favorite part of the holidays is spending time with family. Q:Do you like holiday music?If so, what is your favorite song? A:I love “Silent Night” and “Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town,” especially when it is performed by Bruce Springsteen. Q:What is your favorite holiday memory? A:My favorite holiday memory is cutting down a Christmas tree with my dad and having a lot of trouble fitting it through the front door. (The tree looked so small out in the woods). Q:Have you ever built a snowman? A:Yes, I did as a child and continue to build snowmen with my daughter. Mrs. Stenger: Q:What’s your favorite part of the holiday season? A:Christmas decorations, Christmas carols, Christmas presents, special food...I guess I like everything about Christmas. Q:What’s your favorite food during the holiday season? A:Fruitcake made by the Trappist monks at Gethsemani Farms. Q:What’s your favorite holiday tradition? A: Going to Christmas Eve and then spending the evening with family and friends. Q:Do you have a certain person in your family that’s house is always the host for holiday celebration? A: Yes. We always celebrate at my house.

Q:Do you like winter? If so, why? If not, why not? A: Yes. I think there is something almost magical about new snow and I love to ski. Q:What’s your favorite memory of the holidays? A: The excitement and joy on my children’s faces on Christmas Eve and Christmas morning.

Christmas Advice Q: Dear S. Chonibon,

Christmas is just around the corner with the holiday decorations, jolly attitudes and magic. The thing is, a lot of my friends don't believe in Santa anymore, should I?

-Santa Believer A: Dear Santa Believer,

Believing in him should be your decision only. Christmas is such an amazing holiday, so take time to celebrate other things, not just Santa. Family, religion, friends, and gifts are some good examples. Whatever you decide to do will be a great decision. Happy holidays! Q: Dear S. Chonibon,

I really want to get everyone a gift they will love this Christmas, but I don’t really know what everyone wants. How can I give great gifts without asking them?

-Gift Giver A:Dear Gift Giver,

Here is a small gift guide we put together to help you on your way to being the most admired gifter. Gift Guide Tech Savvy: A phone case, a small bluetooth speaker, portable charger. Fashion Enthusiast: Gift cards to Rue 21, Aeropostale, or Hollister, jewelry Artistic Type: Paint set, scrapbook paper, gift cards to craft stores Sports Player: Nike elite socks, sweatshirts, soccer ball, Reds tickets Q:Dear S. Chonibon, I love Christmas, but the rest of my family isn’t as enthusiastic as I am. How can I make the Christmas season more jolly for everyone? -Christmas enthusiast A: Dear Christmas Enthusiast,

It’s okay if everyone isn’t as excited as you about the holidays, but you can still try to include them in some fun activities. Ask them to help you decorate for Christmas. Have everyone help bake cookies or make a gingerbread house together. It is also fun to drive around and look at the other Christmas lights in your neighborhood. There are many fun holiday traditions that I’m sure your family would love to participate in. Song-Wrapped In Red By: Kelly Clarkson Movie-Elf Book-The Night Before Christmas

Snack-Nutter Butter Reindeer Cookies

3D Printing Eighth Grade Info Tech students are learning about 3D printing. Mrs. Jennifer Nickol’s students used Computer Aided Design, commonly referred to as CAD, to design their own technology-inspired board game pieces which they then printed using the school’s 3D printer. Their hard work paid off as they enjoyed playing Monopoly with their 3D printed game pieces. In January, the class will host a speaker from Proto BuildBar in Dayton who will teach the students more about current and future uses for CAD and 3D printers. Ten eighth grade girls are more interested in STEM careers because of their experience at the We Are IT! conference at Edison Community College. The objective of the conference is to promote girls in the fields of science and technology. The Tippecanoe Middle School students enjoyed breakout sessions and a keynote speaker who talked about the history of women in science and technology (who have often been overlooked) and how these women are role models for girls today. The breakout sessions included topics such as dancing penguins with ALICE software, programming, robotics, chemistry, CSI, and more. During lunch, a female engineer from Emerson in Sidney, OH sat with the group and talked about being an engineer in a predominately male profession.

FOR Club Students from our Friends of Rachel Club, under the guidance of Amy Armentrout and Angela Keating, held a “Clap-in” for the students at LT Ball. They held up signs and clapped as the younger students entered the building encouraging them to make good choices and take advantage of all of the opportunities presented to

them. 

December Birthdays Gabrielle Buchanan Joshua Kocevar Cassidy McGraw Lauryn Williams Allison Uzzel Joshua Hatfield Zachary Wood Jack Thompson Brayden Underwood Savannah Sage-Bryant Owen Pence Kennedy Haas Lauren Chaney Mason Bonifas Azaria Ramos Kevin Thompson Phillip George Kirra Moore Meredith Martin Samantha Thieman Megan Ashburn Hunter Moon

Nic Loges Micaiah Herring Emma Lara Gabrielle Eidemiller Chad Dettwiller Stephen Lawrence Lawrence Hurtt Arthur Jones Thomas Burkett Dustin Flatter Matthew Hinkle Aidan Alter-Heffner Connor Gibson Nicholas Robbins William Mote Reganne Fugate Taylor Smith Kaleab Tadesse Taylor Cundiff Ethan Kolb Yisihak Tadesse Zachary Bynum Grace Crow Chloey Bynum Sydney Lange Natalie Courter Savannah Wead Savanna Dodd Elizabeth Kaibas Kathryn Oen Emma Fowler Simone King Madison Grimmett