2014 fall newsletter FINAL pdf version

Quarterly SCMS PTO Newsletter
STUDENT DIRECTORY COVER
The Shocker
OLIVIA JURNEY
6th Grade — Palinkas
Fall 2014
Message From the Principal
Dear Parents,
Food, music & fun at the Booster Club’s
tailgating party.
Congratulations to Madison Dahl. She
was named Middle School First Place
Winner at Festival in the Park. Her work
was named the best out of 42 middle
schools. She also took Best of Show at
the Pineville Art Festival.
Inside this issue:
Message from the PTO
President, Hispanic
Heritage Month & NJHS
2
Annual Fund
3
FAN & Media Center
4
8th Grade News
5
7th Grade News
6
6th Grade News
7-8
Career & Technical Dept.
8
Visual Arts & Yearbook
9
Booster Club
10
The quarter is over and it is hard to believe. Your
students have done amazing things this year thanks
to the teachers presenting them with engaging lessons and assignments. I am very excited to announce that South Charlotte has been awarded the
One to One Personalized Learning Pilot. That means
that each student beginning next semester will have
access to a computer. Our staff has proved that we
are ready to take this on, and we are excited that our
students will have this wonderful opportunity. Eight
middle schools were chosen for the pilot. You will
hear more about this as we work out the details. A
special thank you to Mrs. Nelda Smith for spearheading this effort. The application process and work
done before the selection was intense. Our staff, with
the leadership of Mrs. Smith, were successful for
your students. Mrs. Smith, Ms. Barrows and I traveled out of town Oct. 23 to observe a middle school
that has already taken the initiative with personalized
learning. It was interesting to see how they use technology and how their culture is affected positively
because of it.
When you read this newsletter, the Kindness Campaign will have launched with what I know will be
success. Kindness will not end this month, however. The sustainability plan that is in place is also a big
part of what we are doing. I was just speaking with
Carolyn Thomas and Grace Decker about the Kindness Campaign as I wanted to see what students
were thinking about it. They both agreed that going in
the direction of kindness instead of focusing on bullying is a positive. They indicated that bullying is very
overused, and it is an ambiguous term. Kindness is
a word that everyone understands, and the behavior
associated with it is always positive. I was encouraged by their mature, thoughtful response. This could
possibly change our culture. I am grateful that Mrs.
Jones and Mr. Siftar took on such a large task as
facilitating this campaign. I know it will be well worth
the effort in the end, and our students will be better
people because of it. The adults will be better as
well. Thank you for your support.
You may hear soon that there is a club forming at
SCMS entitled YCI (Youth Commission International). One of our students presented a proposal to me
regarding the club, and I in turn sent it to our legal
department as it has a religious affiliation and needed legal approval. I want you to know that these type
clubs are permitted; however, they have to meet after
school, before school, etc. All information related to
this club will be approved by my office based on the
Board Policy set forth for clubs. It is a great thing and
if other students want to have the same type clubs,
that is fine as long as there is an intentional effort
regarding planning and facilitation and our legal department approves it.
I can’t say enough about our coaches and extracurricular leaders this year. Our fall sports teams
have done so very well. Our softball team remains
undefeated, and the other teams are playing at a
very high level.
Our art students are placing in every competition we
enter. Madison Dahl won Best of Show in the Pineville Art Festival. She competed against not only
middle school students but also high school students. She also was the number one choice for the
Festival in the Park art competition.
As a result of the Kindness Campaign, students in
Mrs. Titus’ marketing class will visit Levine Children’s
Hospital and deliver personal notes of encouragement to the children. Thanks to the work of the Student Council, we received over 2,000 cans to be
donated to Second Harvest Food
Bank. Thanks
Continued
on pagealso
2
to the work of our NJHS, our campus is more
Continued on page 2
Shocker Fall Sports Rosters 11
Kindness Campaign kicks Off. 2,000 cans
were collected for Second Harvest Food
Bank.
Fall 2014
1
The Shocker
Continued from page 1
beautiful. They spent an entire day cleaning
our campus and making it look incredible.
Gold Patron Night was a wonderful evening.
Our Fine Arts teachers have done a great job
pushing our students to perform their best.
Please remember the Tax Referendum information and the date for the vote. If you have
questions regarding this, please reach out to
me or visit the CMS website for additional information.
Thank you for all you do to make our school
successful. We could not do this without your
support and the focus on excellence for your
students. We are grateful for the opportunity
to serve our students and their families.
Message from the PTO President
Dear SCMS Families,
Our school year is off to a great start. Thank you to the families that have already given to our Annual Fund. We appreciate your support of SCMS! The
Annual Fund is ongoing, and we welcome a donation at any point during the
school year. The funds raised are used to support the students, teachers, and
staff of SCMS. This year we are focusing on updating the Media Center’s collection of books and ebooks. Please consider supporting this important endeavor; it will benefit all students. The PTO committees are hard at work
throughout SCMS. Thank you to all the volunteers for your dedication. The
efforts of volunteers make a tremendous difference for our students and
staff. If you have yet to become involved, please consider joining these dedicated parents. The rewards are plentiful. Thank you again for your support!
Megan Walsh, PTO President
Regards, Lisa Bailes, Principal
Hispanic Heritage Month at South Charlotte
By Srta. Cathy Eisner
For the first time ever, SCMS celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month. For
four weeks, Spanish-speaking students read some of the morning announcements in Spanish, we played Latino music,
we read trivia information about Latino countries and decorated the building with pictures of famous Latinos and cultural
symbols. It was a fun and educational experience all in one! Bravo to all who participated! Gracias!
National Junior Honor Society
By Alisa Wright-Yasurek, M. Ed.
The 2014-2015 Chapter of the
National Junior Honor Society is
off to an incredible start! In September, members volunteered as
guides during both curriculum
nights. Having them stationed in
certain areas of the building helped ensure
that all visitors made it to the correct location in time for the teacher presentations.
The chapter’s October project involved
school beautification. Members spent a
weekend sprucing up the exterior of the
building. In the months ahead, students
intend to continue the beautification project
by planting flowers and painting the arbor
by the track.
Other planned school-based projects include the creation of a peer-tutoring pro-
2 Fall 2014
gram for 8th grade students and
the presentation of a “Teachers’
Tea” in May. This annual event
recognizes the hard-working faculty of SCMS during Teacher Appreciation Week.
Members of the NJHS devoted some weekend hours to help improve
the SCMS campus.
In addition to their school-based
projects, members plan to volunteer at
the Crisis Assistance Ministry, Ronald
McDonald House, and Samaritan’s Purse
warehouse. Without a doubt, these students certainly recognize the
importance of giving back to the community!
this school year. The conference will help
them develop their public-speaking skills,
foster team-building, and promote 21st
century thinking. Of course, the group also
plans to invite guest speakers to their
weekly meetings.
In keeping with the society’s mission,
members are also planning ways to
develop their leadership skills. They look
forward to participating in a studentorganized “Leadership Conference” later
Related note: If you are interested in
sharing your leadership skills with this
year’s chapter, please contact Mrs.
Wright-Yasurek at
alisa.wright@cms.k12.nc.us.
The Shocker
Paving the Way for the Future
Thank you to the 178 South Charlotte families who have supported the PTO's Annual Fund campaign. To date, we have
raised $40,414 in gifts, pledges, and corporate matching
gifts. Thanks to your help and generous support, we have
blown past our goal of $32,000.
This is the PTO's largest fundraiser of the year, and funds
raised are used to provide support to our classrooms and
media center, among other items in the PTO's budget.
YOU
If you haven't given, but would still like to, please download a
green form here and submit your gift at any time. If you have
additional questions, please contact our VP of Fundraising,
Stacey Ellis, at staceyellis11@gmail.com.
Thank you for your support! Together
we can make a difference.
South Charlotte Middle School Annual Fund
*Donors as of October 23
Platinum Level $500 & above
Eddie & Mike Carter
Decker Family
Brian & Stacey Ellis
Ken & Andrea Hollander
Dan & Melissa Hooker
Rick & Shelley Jones
The Knepp Family
Scott Lanier
Darryl & Kristin Parker
Mike Sadri
Angela & Joseph Sequeira
Yiping Zhuang & Qing Yang
Gold Level $250-$499
Shelia & Kwasi Ankrah
David Archer
Andrea & Aaron Ayscue
John & Mary Beasley
John & Tracey Bengough
Fred & Elizabeth Caudill
Bridget & David Cohen
The Coverston Family
Family of Channing Dayton
Euphoria Salon & Spa
Scott & Sarah Fligel
Steve & Lisa Friedman
Laura & Jeff Fricano
Amadeo Gonzalez
Mary Margaret Johnstone
Daphne & Dave Katz
Sondra & Bart Key
Cathy & Jeff Kirkland
Ying Liu
Zhugang Liu & Li Zhang
Julie Maloney
Ruth & Wolfgang Nett
Bob & Terri Parr
Joe & Lisa Pomilla
3 Fall 2014
Mike & Ashley Raley
Anna & Josh Skudlarick
Kevin & Megan Walsh
Bob & Candi Whitsel
Jeff & Melinda Wilkinson
Woodward & Woodward PLLC
Silver Level $100-$249
Tracey & Josh Adams
Patrick & Heidi Anderson
Adam & Shannon Berliner
Andrew & Meaghan Blake
Frank & Demetra Boardman
Mr. & Mrs. Boyd
Brad & Myriam Breedlove
Michael & Cindy Brinkley
Marissa & Adam Brooks
Anthony & Joanne Caterino
Neena Chopra
Karen & Mark Crews
Meg & Luis Dancausse
Randy & Janet Darden
Mr. Jacque & Dr. Harriet Davis
John & Helen Dickerson
Jolynn & Ronnie Ensminger
Jamal Farhani
Joe & Sue Ferro
David & Vicki Foster
Lynn & Tom Freitas
Mark & Lori Gabriel
Alan & Julia Godel
Mike & Brantlee Green
Darin & Mitzi Helms
Anette & Frank Henry
Chris & Melinda Hess
John & Deborah Hofland
Jack & Pam James
Jose A. Perez Jimenez
Amy & Kevin Johnson
Stacy Keefer
Barb & Aaron Linz
Elvis Lopez
Andy & Nicole Love
Russell & Missie Mansfield
Steve & Ginger Marquis
Marie Martinez
The Matthews Family
Laura & Keith McGaha
Lara & Eric McMillan
Alan & Tyria Naspinski
Ron & Lisa Nelson
Bud & Deborah Nixon
Chris & Katie Nygren
Julie O'Brien
Suzanne & Michael
O’Keeffe
Joe & Susie Oringel
Ben & Tanya Ormand
Brad & Elissa Parsons
Holly & Clay Patton
John & Leslie Pedernales
John & Karen Perry
Ben Plummer’s Family
Lynn & Pepper Pounds
Ben & Jodie Prosser
Tom & Megan Quirk
Jeffrey & Corinne Race
Cheryl Ross & Michael
Lieberman
Therese & Troy Rothenberger
Dorothy Sangmuah & Eugene Sangmuah
Ken & Gail Sharp
Cynthia & Chris Siemasko
Mary Skibinski
Mike & Susan Slade
Wedna Sousa
LeAnn & Chris Squier
Sridharan Family
Peter & Courtney St. Onge
Gus & Stephanie Stallings
Beth & Steve Stillitano
Brian & Margot Strickler
Celeste Swann
Coralie & Eric Todd
The Triveno Family
Karunanithi Vellaisamy
Ben & Samantha Wallach
John & Becky Watts
Richard & Lisa Williamson
Wayne Wilson
Kim & Marc Wojnowich
Wayne & Karen Workman
Calvin & Shem Wright
Matthew & Michelle Yoder
Minfen Zhang
Tong Zhang
Kimberly & Jeff Zusi
Purple Level up to $99
Zerabruk Abay
Iris & Haim Aizenberg
Maile Allen
Tigest Ayalew
Greg & Loula Bauer
Philip & Amy Bissette
Sam & Sima Chhatrala
Courtney Family
Laurel Davis
Karen & Jeff Devine
Eric & Ava Eschert
Glynnis & Joe Fadok
Malia & Sean Fox
Marta Freitas
Steve & Lisa Garfinkle
Carla Gomes
Continued on page 4
The Shocker
Continued from page 3
Mary & Hermes Goudes
Karen Greco
Ron & Christine Greeson
Stephen & Luci Heeseman
Curtis Hill
Suzie Hinkle
Sara & Mark Hogan
David Holliday
Jeanne & Thomas Huber
Lyn & Charles Jacobus
Bruce & Cheryl Kagan
Karmond Family
Jong Min Lee
The Leonard Family
Martin Family
Stacey McCraney
Aimee Miller
Danielle Mitchell
Nick O'Neill
Ken & Wendy Oettinger
Nikki Olsway
Leighanne Palinkas
Chris & Carolyn Sanders
Kelly Shipman
Mary Ann Smith
Kim & Vali Sorell
Packy Spahi
Scott Steedly
Nguyen Ta
Walker Family
Carla Weston
Yolanda Wilmer
Ning Zhao
Fine Arts Network (FAN) is on the move!
We have begun to get our Arts departments up and running in full force! Here are just a few of the things going on:
Art – Our amazing Shocker artists are already out and
about in the city featured in festivals such as the Pineville
Art Festival and Festival in the Park! Dr. Cooke is busy getting his many artists to perfect their talents
with many different mediums including clay, watercolor and paints! They even go outside to get inspiration.
Band – Jazz Ensemble played the pep rally last week and all Band classes have begun getting ready
for January concerts. Mr. Ratliff has purchased four new baritones thanks to the donations of our Gold
and Platinum patrons!
Chorus – This is the first year Mrs. Thompson has been at our school but already amazing things are
happening. She has an Honors Chorus class that meets every day to get ready for competitions and
shows, and Shocker families were treated to a performance for the Gold Patron Appreciation Night.
Dance – Ms. Butler has been working hard to get her kids performing as groups in the classroom and
working with her Honors Dance class on several scheduled events in the future. They performed in
October and will again in December.
Drama – Mrs. McKenna has some very exciting Drama students this year that are working on all the
aspects of Drama from set design to scene development. She has even selected the musical for the
Spring … Aladdin! This one will be a lot of fun to produce and watch. The show will be April 23-24!
Get your tickets for that one!
Orchestra – Ms. Guthrie is preparing her students for several upcoming performances, one of which
will be at Providence High School! What a treat! She has even purchased some new cellos to make
her orchestra even better.
We would like to thank all those that donated to the Arts this year. We are doing great things with your
donations from costumes, plays, music, instruments, substitute teachers, paper, art supplies and
more! If you would like more information on how to give, participate or attend an event, please go to
our website at http://scmsfan.cmswiki.wikispaces.net/ or contact Mary Margaret Johnstone at
scmsfan@gmail.com.
Media Center News
By Nelda Smith, Librarian
South Charlotte students have been learning how to live and work in a 21 st Century environment. All students visited
the library in their Social Studies class and completed a Cyber-Safety course which discussed appropriate online
behaviors. The students have also been trained to use their Google Drive account which is tied to their Gaggle
email address. What is all this? Well both Gaggle and Google allow the students to store their documents “in the
cloud.” Students can access their files at school, at home, at the public library, and on mobile devices. Google Drive
works on all devices-desktop to Smartphone. No one should have to keep up with a flash drive anymore. A wonderful feature of Google Drive is the ability to share documents. For group projects, students can collaborate on a file
without having to meet face-to-face. Gaggle also provides the students with an email address. All emails and files in
Gaggle and Google Drive are filtered and monitored. Students also use their Gaggle email address to log into our Chromebooks
which are like mini laptops.
All 6th and 7th grade students visit the library once every two weeks to check out books. During this time, they browse for books to
read independently. Studies show that reading for pleasure is “linked to greater intellectual progress, both in vocabulary, spelling and
math. In fact, the impact was around four times greater than that of having a parent with a post-secondary degree.” (Alice, Sullivan.
"Reading for Fun Improves Children's Brains, Study Confirms." The Guardian. Guardian News and Media, 13 Sept. 2013. Web. 13
Oct. 2014.) Please encourage your child to turn off all electronics and read for fun.
Students can access their library account on Horizon Information Portal, the online “card” catalog, at http://
sclibrary.cmswiki.wikispaces.net/ to renew books. Please have your student check their account for overdue books. Notices will be
sent out soon. Please contact Mrs. Smith if you have any questions.
Fall 2014
4
The Shocker
8th Grade News
Language Arts
Estro, Gross and Wright-Yasurek
Our 8th grade Language Arts students have “hit the ground”
running and are adjusting nicely to the expectations of this last
year of middle school. Students are working with the list of literary terms they need to know before entering 9th grade. When
they finish reviewing the literary terms, all 8th graders will move
on to the study of Greek and Latin stems. With the knowledge of
word parts, students are better able to decipher the meanings of
unfamiliar words.
are inside of us. Our students microbiologists are very excited
about our upcoming labs, especially getting to spread our
“microbes” and track the spread of diseases just like the scientists at the Centers for Disease Control do!
Parents: We need latex-free gloves (sizes small, medium, and
large) for these labs!
Social Studies
Chevalier and Getsinger
Since the 8th graders finished their studies of
the geographical terms and
During this first two months of school, students have also
landforms of the U.S. and
learned how to perform a close read of text, respond to literaN.C., the American history
ture using R.A.C.E., construct a literary analysis essay, and identeam is starting to look at the
tify the reoccurring theme in various selections across genres.
first English settlers of North
Next, students will be exposed to the "Strange and Mysterious" America. We are differentiata unit of texts that expose students to craft elements such as
ing the characteristics of the 13 colonies to begin to allow stuforeshadowing, mood, and tone. This is just in time for Hallowdents to note the different landforms, cultural groups and types
een! Then, it's on to Steve Jobs - The Man Who Thought
of livelihoods of each group of new Americans. At the conclusion
Different by Karen Blumenthal.
of this recent mini-unit, we will begin to build the platform for
the protest movement that resulted in the American Revolution.
Of course, students continue to be exposed to a daily dose of
Eighth grade students will also be constructing the culminating
grammar that challenges them to identify the parts of speech,
activity for the American Revolution unit.
sentence kind and type, and word functions — all before having
them create a diagram of the week’s sentence. Students also
read and respond to the “Article of the Week” to keep up with
current events and improve their comprehension of informational Butler, Conlan and Rochester
texts.
Math
Science
Simcox and Williams
This quarter in 8th Grade
Science, students have
been learning how to be
actual scientists! We
started the year by learning how to take a simple
question and turn it into a
research-based experiment to test a hypothesis
and discover something new. We had a “blast from the past”
learning all about Earth's history, evolution, and fossils. We are
currently learning about microbes, all those icky little things on
us, in us, and all around us! Our students scientists had a
"refresher" on cells by creating 3D Cell Posters. These have been
a great tool to use in class to see where all these microbes often
Eighth Grade Math has been busy reviewing 6th and 7th grade
curriculums. We started the year writing and evaluating expressions solving simple equations and inequalities. We are finishing
with usage of integers in all above mentioned topics. All students
have completed MAP and Explore testing. We will be moving into
the number system and functions.
Math 1 students reviewed basic skills briefly and have moved
through multi-step equations and inequalities into functions.
They are working diligently learning the characteristics of linear
and non-linear functions. All classes spent two days in the computer lab for MAP testing. We will move on to slope and linear
functions in chapter five. Please make sure your child has plenty
of graph paper, markers or colored pencils, a TI-83/84 graphing
calculator and a straight edge for in-class work and projects.
They will spend some time creating city maps and constructing
roads!
WSCMS News Team
Congratulations to the following students who have been
selected for the WSCMS News Team this year. Students
had to fill out an application and audition for their roles. Students work with
Mrs. McKenna each morning to read the announcements and to operate the
equipment behind the scenes.
5 Fall 2014
Anchors
Amanda Ferlisi
Aaliyah Fortner
Christos Kokalis
Leigh Millinder
Bryanna Payne
Liora Tal
Tech Crew
Meghann Villaroel
Bechan Williams
Patrick Yu
Erin Barnette
John Darden
Allen Patrick
Adam Stillerman
Thomas Wilkinson
The Shocker
7th Grade News
Social Studies
Math
Lagrange and Whitney
Brown, Holloway and Raffensperger
We have eased through the
Renaissance and Reformation, and into the Age of
Exploration. Students have
made their own presentations and given them to class on
topics from The Great Dying to the Columbian Exchange,
and Hispanic Caste System. We have analyzed primary
sources that shaped how the modern world was made,
and wrote our first DBQ. Students have decided if they
should celebrate Columbus for uniting the world or denigrate him for the problems that arose.
Science
In Honors Math 7 we started out the
year reviewing decimal and fraction
operations. Next, we introduced
students to variables, expressions, and explored real number operations in Chapter 1. The specific topics we covered were: order of operations, exponents, real numbers,
properties of real numbers, adding and subtracting real
numbers, multiplying and dividing real numbers, the distributive property, and an introduction to equations. Currently we are in Chapter 2 and are working on solving
equations. We started with one-step equations, moved to
two-step equations, and are getting ready to start multistep equations.
In Math 7 we started out the year reviewing decimal and
fraction operations. Next we moved into the Variables and
Patterns section. This unit’s focus was on ways to deThe year has been off to a
scribe situations that change. In the first part of the unit,
very good start. The year
started out with some review from last year with the Sci- students explored three ways of representing a changing
entific Method. At the conclusion of the Scientific Method situation: with a description in words, with a data table,
and with a graph. These representations are compared to
unit the students conducted a lab using the Scientific
Method, which was the Penny Lab. We then went into the one another to elicit the strengths of each presentation.
Students learned to write equations as a shorter, quicker
Atmosphere with the different layers and composition.
way to give a summary of the relationship between two
Those two topics made up the information that was on
the first test of the year. At this point we are in the middle variables. We are currently working in the Accentuate the
of our Weather Unit. The students were taught the water Negative Section. In this unit, the focus is on understandcycle once again and the types of clouds. Next we will be ing and developing systematic ways to add, subtract, multiply, and divide positive and negative numbers. Students
investigating the different types of air masses and
will develop algorithms for computations and will use the
climates. The Science teachers are looking forward to a
order of operations, the Commutative Property, and the
great second quarter!
Distributive Property to solve problems.
Hicks and Lagrange
Language Arts
Eilers, Titus and Virtanen
In Language Arts, the teachers are guiding
the 7th grade students through complex
texts, such as this quarter’s novel The Jungle Book. Students are not only reading a
classic story, but also developing their vocabulary, applying reading strategies, and participating in classroom seminars to enhance their comprehension. In addition, students are developing their writing skills in writing workshops. Students have written argumentative essays that
help them make connections from literature to today’s
society.
Mr. Theiler, Ms. Markwis, Mr. Hicks & Susan Yeargan enjoy
some food at the tailgating party.
Fall 2014
6
The Shocker
6th Grade News
relevance of the method,
students conducted a miniGallagher, Glenn and Palinkas
helicopter investigation. We
know that the kids were
What a stellar start to 6th grade! One of our major goals during
first quarter was getting to know one another. We had opportu- disappointed that they were
only creating paper helicopters and not real ones. Even though
nities to express ourselves through writing in several forms
(letters, illustrations, and responding to literature). With the “All the Scientific Method Unit is officially over, students will be able
to apply their learning as they conduct a soda and Mentos experAbout Me” friendly letter, we explored the writing process from
start to finish, and the students did an awesome job! Throughout iment. We need to begin collecting materials for this lab, so start
this year, writing will be a focal point and students will be able to saving your money for buying soda and Mentos.
recognize the differences between formal and informal writing.
During the first quarter, students had the opportunity to be creaAfter teaching our students to use Active Reading Strategies, we tive, while completing "The Book Support Challenge." Students
spent some time practicing with short stories from our textbook. were given a variety of materials and a few guidelines in order to
As the quarter draws to a close, we are bebuild a sturdy platform to support a book. The kids really enjoy
ginning to read our first class novel, Jerry
conducting these experiments, and there are many others still to
Spinelli’s Stargirl. Using this book we will ex- come.
plore the elements of plot, including characWe want to send a sincere thank you to the many parents who
ters, settings, and theme. We will also use
have donated supplies to our Science classrooms. Science is so
this novel throughout the year to compare
much more fun for the kids when we have materials to help
Spinelli’s style of writing to other authors and
them investigate. We are wrapping up the “Matter: Changes and
examine how authors deliberately make
Properties” unit. Students will have a chance to manipulate dry
choices to use figurative language, imagery,
and vocabulary to reach the reader/audience. ice. One of our overall goals this year is that your child comes
home excited about Science.
As for the vocabulary study we plan to use
this year, the students have grown accustomed to the expectation of rote memorization and application.
Students will be using stems, as well as other methods of study, Matusiak, Rich and Theiler
to improve their own vocabulary. This will ultimately show its
benefits in testing, as well as enhancing their writing and reading Sixth grade Math students have gotten off to a great start this
school year. We started with our Algebra Unit. We learned about
comprehension. In addition to vocabulary, students will engage
Expressions and Equations and a lot of new vocabulary. We
in a year-long grammar study. We will work to put in place the
learned that simplify is used for more than just fractions. And
important building blocks that will become the foundation for the
speaking of fractions, did you know
rest of their school career. Expect the same for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th
that they have been division problems
quarters.
all along? We can now solve and
The 6th grade Language Arts teachers are looking forward to this check equations algebraically and not
year! We have worked hard to plan valuable lessons for our stu- just use mental math. We all know
how to log on to Castle Learning and
dents so they may experience literature by reading a variety of
complete assignments tailored to indiworks, as well as writing some of their own.
vidual needs. We have moved on to our first textbook unit Prime
Time: All About the Relationships Between Numbers. Do you
know your divisibility rules? We do! They are tricks to save time
Markwis and Tubb
when finding factors.
Language Arts
Math
Science
Transitioning from elementary school to SCMS is no easy task.
Students are faced with the crazy block-scheduling, which is
commonly referred to as the A day-B day monster. Please do not
ask about getting the kids accustomed to using lockers; it has
been a headache. Surprisingly, the current 6th grade students
have done well with the transition and are beginning to understand what it means to be a middle school student.
In our Science classes, students began the school year studying
the Scientific Method and how it can be utilized to help them
conduct investigations. In order to help students understand the
7 Fall 2014
Social Studies
Markwis and Rogers
Sixth grade students are adjusting to middle school and the academic requirements for Social Studies as outlined by the Common Core Curriculum. The Social Studies curriculum for 6th
grade will continue to expand the knowledge and skills learned
previously. The curriculum will focus heavily on geography, espeContinued on page 8
The Shocker
Continued from page 7
cially the Themes of Geography and how
they are used to influence the study of
the world. They have also learned about
the geography of population, how population is measured, and the challenges that an increasing population can create. The students will spend the last part of first quarter learning about the history of the five major world religions,
the basic belief systems of each religion, and the influence that
the belief systems impact on culture. As the world turns, 6th
graders will continue to enhance their knowledge and skills as
they learn about the history of the world.
A REMINDER ABOUT EARLY DISMISSALS
BELL SCHEDULE
8:30 AM-3:30 PM
ALL EARLY DISMISSALS MUST LEAVE AND RETURN FOLLOWING THE
BELL SCHEDULE
1ST BLOCK: 8:30-9:46 AM
2ND BLOCK: 9:49-11:05 AM
3RD BLOCK (6TH GRADE): 11:08 AM-12:21 PM
LUNCH/HEALTHY LIVING (6TH GRADE): 12:24-1:24 PM
LUNCH/HEALTHY LIVING (7TH & 8TH GRADE): 11:08 AM -12:08 PM
3RD BLOCK (7TH & 8TH GRADE): 12:08-1:24 PM
9TH BLOCK: 1:27-2:10 PM
4TH BLOCK: 2:13-3:30 PM
Our first Box Tops submission is nearing completion and
has been very successful. Don’t forget to keep clipping
and sending in your Box Tops throughout the school
year. There will be another submission in the spring.
Thanks for helping SCMS with this easy fundraiser!
CTE Department News
Seaman and Strickland
Computer Skills and Applications 2 curriculum had a big
The Career and Technical Education dechange this year. This course
partment is off to a great start in the
now leads students through
courses of Computer Applications I and II
two modules of business appliand Exploring Entrepreneurship. Look becation software: Spreadsheets and Datalow to see what the students have been
bases. Classes began the semester with a
learning.
unit of study on the basics of spreadsheet
Computer Skills and Applicause. The students complete projects that
tions 1 classes started the year simulate real-world business needs. They
with learning proper technique will soon be transitioning into more adto be used while keying all alvanced spreadsheet functions and the
phabetic, numeric, symbol, and operation- creation of charts. Before the end of the
al keys. The students are now moving into semester, students will also explore dataa unit of study on Word Processing Basics bases.
and Business Correspondence which will
re-focus them on the need to learn good
Exploring Entrepreneurkeyboarding skills. They will continue the ship classes have covered
semester with Desktop Publishing and
the four types of business
Multimedia.
ownership and the purpose of business. They have differentiated
between profit, non-profit, service, product, and combination service and product
businesses. In addition they have learned
the six functions of a business which include accounting, human resources, operations, information technology, marketing,
and management. Students are now
differentiating between the command,
mixed, market, and traditional economic
systems. Students have compared the
economic system of the United States to
the economic systems of Chad and North
Korea. They are learning about the law of
supply and demand and how it contributes to price changes, too.
Please refer to Ms. Strickland’s and Mrs.
Seaman’s websites for more information
about each course including daily activities, notes, and study guides.
Fall 2014
8
The Shocker
Visual Arts
By Dr. Ted Cooke
The semester got off to a terrific start in the
Visual Arts classes. All students, regardless of their previous training or ability,
received a three-week introduction to the
essentials of drawing. Students in all three
grades learned how to begin every drawing
with a warm-up and a quick gesture and
then move on to incorporate line, value,
Bonnie McGaha, 8th grade, captures the clear dry atmoscomposition, emphasis, space and texture.
phere of an autumn “Carolina Blue” day.
They also learned to use charcoal, graphite, and watercolor in producing tonal and
Seventh and eighth graders began their
linear drawings. After this introduction to
drawing, each grade level went on to tackle clay projects with a day and a half of reflection, group feedback and personal exploratheir clay projects.
tion. Both grades conducted an exercise
known as the “Johari Window.” Students
Sixth
were brought into groups and given a list of
graders
spent a
56 positive adjectives that might describe
class perithem. After discovering which adjectives
od reflecttheir peers thought accurately describe
ing on
their personalities, they were challenged to
their fadecide for themselves, in isolation, if these
vorite
adjectives were correct or not. More implace to
portant, they were pressed to find adjec6th grader Ella Rasmussen explores
be, espe- broken contours & lost-and-found edges
tives describing aspects of their personality
cially dur- in her beautifully arranged still life.
unrecognized by their peers. This final list
ing difficult times. They each made a small of intimate descriptors became the basis
clay sculpture in relief that they can hang in for creating the imagery which would be
their bedrooms to remind them that life is
the blueprints for their ceramic projects.
not so difficult when you have comforting
Seventh graders created a ceramic
experiences to remember and guide you.
mask, but unlike most masks, the point of
Yearbook
this was not to disguise their identity but to
reveal to the world, by the design of the
mask, who they really are. Eighth graders
also took the “Johari Window” as their point
of departure and created ceramic vessels
and sculptures representing their deep
values and personal identity. The “Johari
Window” is a fruitful group exercise often
used in team building and self-discovery
within the corporate environment. It helps
people understand themselves more deeply and to be compassionate and empathetic with their colleagues.
Honors Art students began outdoor painting after a two-day PowerPoint presentation lesson on Monet and color theory.
They paint outdoors when the weather is
fine, incorporating colorist principles and
techniques and just enjoying our beautiful
campus.
Ava Pomilla, 8th grade, simplifies the forest scene & uses
it as a context to explore bold color.
by Mary Anne Seaman
Capturing 2014-15 Moments
The yearbook staff is busy capturing all the SCMS moments
from the first days of school through Spirit Week. Would you
like to have some of the pictures you have taken included in
the 2015 yearbook? If so, using access code LTUPHW,
please upload your photos to
www.community.lifetouch.com. We will do our best to include as many of your photos as possible. Please identify
the people included in your photos, along with a description.
Thank you to those 500 plus families who have already purchased a yearbook through the PTO at the beginning of the
school year. If you would like to add a name or icon to the
front of your yearbook or extra autograph pages, a flyer will
be coming home soon with your son or daughter so enhancements can be included with your order. In addition, if
you have not yet purchased a yearbook, it is not too late!
The flyers will give you the opportunity to order online, too.
Questions concerning the yearbook? Please contact Mary Anne Seaman at mary.seaman@cms.k12.nc.us.
9 Fall 2014
The Shocker
SCMS Booster Club Update
By Lynn Pounds
THANK YOU!!!!
The South Charlotte Booster Club wants to thank all of the
parents and teachers who generously supported our athletic program by joining the booster club. Your support allows
us to purchase the necessary equipment used by our
coaches and athletes. Additionally, membership money is
used to promote school spirit through events like our pep
rallies, the faculty-parent tailgate, and banquets. It is not
too late to join the Booster Club. Please contact Coach
Sprenger, SCMS athletic director, for more information.
Thanks again!
Bronze Level Sponsors ($25)
Silver Level Sponsors ($50)
Platinum Sponsors ($100+)
Bob & Liz Adams
Matt & Terri Baker
Elizabeth Bashore
Shannon Berliner
Frank & Demetra Boardman
Eddie Carter
Vic & Lori Cope
Meg & Luis Dancausse
Laurel Davis
Michael Diamantis
Ava Eschert
Jamal Farhini
Lynn FreIitas
Anne HaltIwanger
Faith Harman
Karen Harvey
Stephen & Luci Heesman
Dawnette Hodge
Paige Ingle
Bruce & Cheryl Kagan
Kellie Karavokiros
Sondra Key
Shirley Lamm
Joseph Liebau
Ginger Marquis
Niki O'Neill
Dorothy Sangmauh
Josh Skudlarick
Carla Weston
Steve Brooks
Paul Clark
Bridget Cohen
Susan Combs
Chris & Beth Cotton
Julia Curley
Rob & Kimberley Dayton
Glenn & Stephanie Eickenhorst
Ellen Fischer
Mark & Lori Gabriel
Scott Johnstone
Renee & Ty Leonard
Randy Patterson
Leslie Pedernales
Corinne Race
Troy & Thereas Rothenberger
Stephanie Sawyer
Gus & Stephanie Stallings
John Watts
Davis Archer
Jason Barnett
Matthew Brockman
Joanne Caterino
Guy & Mindy Decker
Mike Green
Jack & Pam James
Rick & Shelly Jones
Jon & Sarah Kocmond
Julie Maloney
Missie Mansfield
Christy Masch
Dennis O'Dea
Kristen Parker
Joe & Lisa Pomilla
Lynn & Pepper Pounds
Mike Sadri
Angela Sequeira
Brian & Margot Strickler
Calvin Wright
Gold Sponsors ($75)
John & Beth Bowen
Ethel Boyd
Tashia Parker
Euphoria Salon & Spa
Celeste Swann
Luke & Jennifer Watson
Lisa Williamson
Katherine & Scott Willis
Matthew & Michelle Yoder
Winter Sports Tryouts
Begin November 17 & 20
Winter sports tryouts will be held November 17-19 for boys basketball and Nov. 17
for cheerleading. Girls basketball tryouts
will be November 20-21. Tryouts will run
from 4:00 to 6:00 PM each day. Students
will report to the gym immediately after
school and will need to be picked up on
time.
Sign-ups for tryouts will take place during
lunch periods the week before (November
12-13).
For a student to participate in tryouts, they
must have a completed physical on file at
school and completed all necessary paperwork. Physical forms can be picked up
in the front office or on the school's athletic website. Paperwork will be available
during the week of sign-ups.
Please plan ahead when scheduling physicals as many physicians do not
have appointments available less than
two weeks out. CVS Minute Clinic accepts
walk-ins for physicals at a rate of $40 if
you cannot get an appointment before the
tryout date.
For further information, refer to the South
Charlotte athletics website.
http://www.cmsathleticzone.com/page/
show/815013-south-charlotte-middleschool
Jeff Sprenger
Athletic Director
Fall 2014
10
The Shocker
2014 LADY SHOCKERS
SOFTBALL TEAM
#1- Harper Tassy
#5- Emily Debe
#6- Grace Decker
#9- Lily Siemasko
#10- Halle McKellar
#12- Amanda Watson
#13- Alleta Patterson
#14- Madison Lark
#15- Annie Leonard
#16- Haley Sutherland
Mgr – Katherine Balas
Mgr – Amelia Leahy
Mgr – Isabella Linz
Mgr – Maggie Slade
Coach – Jennifer Martin
Erica Boyd
Pace Clark
Jeffrey Daniels
James Fairley
Thomas Quirk
Matthew Rank
Whit Williams
Coach - Norman Getsinger
#1 – Margaret Combs
#2 - Maia Bullard
#3 – Elizabeth Race
#4 - Erin Gabriel
#5 - Sadie Evans
#6 – Lili Bowen
#7 – Sarah Mansfield
#8 – Ellie Cotton
#9 – Anna Barnett
#10 – Sally O’Dea
#13 – Stuart Fischer
#14 - Sydney Yoder
Coach – Shelly Fabian
2014 SHOCKERS FOOTBALL TEAM
01 – Peyton Pounds
03 – Amir Samuel
05 – Justin Shorter
07 - Josh Devine
09 – Parker Green
10 – Jason Rickel
11 – Charlie Stamps
18 – Alex Holcomb
19 – Zach Weston
20 – Nathan Kocmond
21 – Christopher James
23 – Trey Harris
25 – Usim Mang
27 – Jackson Francisco
31 – Jared Metz
32 – Isaiah Jenkins
34 – RT Williamson
37 – Luke Cheramie
40 – Ethan Baker
44 - Caleb Ogunmola
47 – Matthew Gormley
48 – Ben Pendernales
49 – Parker Johnstone
51 – Mac Neely
54 – Brandon Baldwin
55 – Benjamin Foesch
59 - Ryan Spivak
65 – Julian Swann
66 – Divyansh Nagpal
67 – Dylan Williams
2014 SHOCKERS
VOLLEYBALL TEAM
2014 SHOCKERS
GOLF TEAM
71 – Josh Adams
75 – Connor St. Clair
77 – David Belous
Mgr – Wyatt Roach
Coaches - Trevor Young, Keith Bright, Carl
Daniels, Erik Saxon and Matt Baker
2014 SHOCKER CHEERLEADERS
Madison Campbell
Lyrric Duncan
Kayliah Gamble
Kate Hammermeister
Julianna Jones
Julia Macchiaverna
Macey Morton
Antonia Taboada
Caroline Tabor
Isabella Tousa
Makenzie Wakem
Jennifer Walsh
Ariel Willis
Rachael Wondracek
Coach – Jenice Boone
Cheerleaders and staff show their school
spirit at the fall pep rally.
Fall 2014
11
The Shocker
South Charlotte Middle School
8040 Strawberry Lane
Charlotte, NC 28277
Phone: 980.343.3670
Fax: 980.343.3725
A 2007 NCLB Blue Ribbon School
http://schools.cms.k12.nc.us/
southcharlotteMS/Pages/Default.aspx
Calendar of Upcoming Events
OCTOBER
27 Mon.
31 Fri.
End of 1st Quarter
NO SCHOOL - TEACHER WORKDAY
NOVEMBER
6 Thurs.
Fall Sports Banquet
7 Fri.
Report Cards
11 Tues.
NO SCHOOL - VETERANS’ DAY HOLIDAY
12-13 W-Th. Winter Sport Sign-up (during lunch)
13 Thurs.
PTO Officers’ Meeting 8:45 AM
13 Thurs.
PTO General Meeting/7th & 8th Band Concert 7 PM
17 Mon.
PTO General Board Meeting 8:45 AM
17-19 M-Wed. Boys’ Basketball Tryouts 4-6 PM
17 Mon.
Cheerleading Tryouts Begin 4-6 PM
20-21 Th-Fri. Girls’ Basketball Tryouts 4-6 PM
26-28 W-Fri. NO SCHOOL - THANKSGIVING BREAK
SCMS Main Phone: 980.343.3670
Fax: 980.343.3725
CMS Transportation: 980.343.5715
DECEMBER
9 Tues.
10 Wed.
11 Thurs.
17 Wed.
22-31
Chorus Concert 6:30 PM
Orchestra Concert at PHS
PTO Officers’ Meeting 8:45 AM
7th & 8th Dance Concert
NO SCHOOL - WINTER BREAK
JANUARY
1-2 Th-Fri.
6 Tues.
8 Thurs.
14 Wed.
19 Mon.
20 Tues.
23 Fri.
NO SCHOOL - WINTER BREAK
Deadline for PTO Quarterly Newsletter Submissions
PTO Officers’ Meeting 8:45 AM
Honors Dance Showcase
NO SCHOOL - MLK JR. HOLIDAY
End of 2nd Quarter
NO SCHOOL - TEACHER WORKDAY
Remaining Sports Contests:
Monday 10/27 HOME, Softball/Volleyball vs Southwest 5 pm
Tuesday 10/28 Golf vs Community House at Raintree 5pm
Wednesday 10/29 HOME, Softball/Volleyball vs Community House 5pm
Thursday 10/30 Football at Community House 5pm
In compliance with federal law, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools administers all education programs, employment activities and admissions without
discrimination against any person on the basis of gender, race, color, religion, national origin, age or disability.