From: Mrs. Michelle Minotti, Principal

VOLUME 13, ISSUE 2
CONNECTOR
SPRINGHOUSE MIDDLE SCHOOL
MARCH, 2013
From: Mrs. Michelle Minotti, Principal
Dear Parent(s) and/or Guardian(s):
Thank you for all of your support
during my maternity leave and
educational sabbatical. It is so nice to
be ‘home’ again at SMS. Mr. Holmes,
Mrs. Bauer, and Mr. Bartman did an
excellent job communicating with me
during this time. I am so proud of all of
the student accomplishments from the
first semester, and look forward to
many more during the final marking
periods of the 2012-2013 school year.
As spring approaches, we encourage
students to enjoy the nice weather, but
to also find a balance between outside
activities and school work.
As always, we appreciate your help
encouraging your children to get a good
night’s sleep the night before PSSA
tests and eat a well-balanced breakfast.
It is also important for students to put
their best foot forward on our March
Study Island benchmark. This gives
the teachers a true gauge of areas that
need improvement both individually
and as a class. The following link has
information regarding PSSA:
http://www.parklandsd.org/sp/
files/2009/11/2013-PSSA-PARENTLETTER.pdf
It’s hard to be that in only three months
we will be wishing our eighth grade
students the best of luck as they embark
on their high school journey. They are
an incredible group of young adults
who are so innovative and enthusiastic
about learning. I am confident they
will make us proud at PHS. I look
forward to watching them thrive the
next four years as they prepare for
college and careers.
The Springhouse Middle School
teaching staff works hard to prepare our
students for the 21st century with
inquiry based learning and interdisciplinary units. Our teachers utilize
technology to enhance student
growth. In addition to our dynamic
teaching staff, we have a terrific
parent partnership through the SMSP.
Thank you to everyone who has
volunteered this year. We are always
looking for new additions to our
parent community. We welcome you
to get involved at any time.
One last area I would like to
acknowledge is the charitable
contributions by students and staff.
The SMS students contributed over
$2900 for charities and collected food
by participating in the Parkland
School District Food Drive. The
SMS faculty also donated over $1300
for Parkland families in need. Thank
you to both the students and staff for
your compassion and commitment to
our community.
Although I will continue to send out
messages via Connect Ed, this is the
last Connector for the school year.
As always, thank you for your
support of our school programs. I
wish all of you a warm spring and a
relaxing summer!
Sincerely,
Michelle Minotti
FROM: MR.HOLMES AND MRS. BAUER
With spring around the corner the students and
staff at SMS have accomplished plenty in the
2012-2013 school year so far. We are proud of
those accomplishments, but look forward to a busy,
successful spring season.
The winter sports, led by Mr. Bauer, and Mr.
Gorsky, Mr. Leach and Ms. Buck were a definite
success and now we have set our sights on the
spring sports season. Like the weather, the softball
and boys’ volleyball teams led by Mr. Kutteroff
and Mr. Hauser are warming up for another season
of excitement and fun.
Congratulations is also in order for Mr.
Hallman’s MathCounts team. Springhouse Middle
School took third place and the following students
placed in the top ten: Sai Mallipedhi - 5th place,
Aryaman Khandelual - 6th place, Mathew Liu - 7th
place, and Shaumik Phadlke - 9th place.
SMS crowned Angela Qiu as our top
speller in this year’s Spelling Bee. Special
thanks go to Mrs. Steigerwalt for coordinating
the Bee and advising all of our student
participants.
On March 1, 2013, SMS participated in Read
Across America. Approximately 120 seventh
grade students visited our elementary schools,
where they read stories to the elementary students.
The day was a huge success, and all who
participated really enjoyed themselves. Thank you
to Mrs. Bergstein for coordinating this effort.
This year, Springhouse sent 88 students to the
Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science. Two
students earned a perfect score and fifty-nine
students earned a first place award. They will be
representing SMS in May at the State competition.
Twenty-seven students earned a second place
award. Congratulations to all of our SMS students
on a job well done!
The SMS Theater Arts Program, led by Mrs.
Manmiller, Mr. Palazzo and Ms. Prall will be
showcasing their performance in “Once Upon a
Mattress.” Running concurrently with the show is
the SMS Art Show, coordinated by Mr. Eggleston
and Miss Griffin. Come out and support the arts on
March 6th and 7th at 7 pm and March 10th at 2:00
pm. We are extremely proud of the participating
students whose hard work and dedication will be
showcased at both of these events.
Page 2
In addition, Springhouse Middle School students
will be competing at the annual Middle School
Computer Fair Regional Competition on March 18,
2013. Our students proudly present projects
showcasing skillful use of technology in an
educational manner. Good Luck to all Computer Fair
Competitors!
The following students will be representing
Springhouse Middle School at the Regional History
Day Competition: Maxine Meurer, Jacqui Armbruster,
Steven Lipson, Sam Zahn, Sophia Colarusso, Jenna
Leonzi, Keely Coval, Guinevere Conner, Allison
Wilcox, Hannah Tamarkin, Alexa Pollice, Gabby
Davidson, Amanda Verna, Olivia Cigliano, Maya
Rodgers, Courtney Sicinki,Stephanie Klotz,
Mackenzie Lilly, Calista View, Lisa Stein, Shelby
Gluskin, Jordan Smith, Sunayana Jampanaboyanna,
Michael Jenkins, Sabrina Ghosh, Roy Ghosh, Ojas
Patel, Shaumik Phadke, Yuri Guanowky, Teja
Kadewari, and Kirandip Kaur. Congratulations to all
of these students for making it to Regionals!
The fifth annual SMS “Game Night,” sponsored by
the Springhouse Middle School Parent Partnership is
scheduled for Friday, March 15, 2013. Parents,
teachers, and students play board games, virtual reality
games, and a variety of sports throughout the school.
The turnout for the dances has been outstanding, and
students are looking forward to the next SMS Dance.
Just a reminder, students are required to show their
student ID at the door, in order to attend a school
dance or Game Night.
In conclusion, we would like to extend our
appreciation to our parents and the Springhouse
Community for being extremely supportive of all we
do at Springhouse.
SPRINGHOUSE MIDDLE SCHOOL
ABSENTEE HOTLINE
610-351-5900—EXT. 66711
CONNECTOR
From the MAIN OFFICE: NEW SECURITY PROCEDURES
Parkland School District has initiated a new security protocol in all of its buildings, requiring all
visitors, including parents, to make an appointment with the school staff before arrival, except for
those rare emergency situations. When the parent or visitor arrives at the school, they will be asked to
state their name and the nature of their business. Parents should be able to identify the name of their
child, the grade, and the name of the teacher or the person they are intending to see. This “knowledge
based security measure” is just one step that Parkland is instituting to increase security measures
throughout the district schools. It is possible that the administration may ask the parent to come at a
different time if they do not have an appointment and or do not have sufficient information identifying
the purpose and or knowledge of their visit. By working together, we are able to support each other
and provide a safe and successful learning environment for students and staff.
Things to remember:
1. Please limit visits to the school for scheduled appointments, scheduled appointment pick up and
emergencies only. If you are picking your child up for a scheduled appointment, please park your car
and come into the building to sign your child out. If you are dropping your child off late or after an
appointment – you may pull up, watch your child be buzzed in, and then leave. You do NOT need to
sign your child IN.
2. Please eliminate or limit dropping off items such as gyms bags, homework, and after school activity
items. Limiting visitors to the school makes everyone safer.
3. If you would like to speak to an administrator or your child’s teacher(s) please call 610-351-5700 to
schedule an appointment.
SPRINGHOUSE
MIDDLE SCHOOL
Thank you
for your
understanding
in helping
to keep our
students safe.
VOLUME 13, ISSUE 2
Home
of the
Timberwolves
Page 3
A WORD FROM MRS. COSTIGAN-WILCHEK, NURSE’S OFFICE
Dear Parents,
SIXTH GRADE PARENTS:
SEVENTH GRADE PARENTS:
Just a reminder that all 6th grade
students need a physical exam this year.
Also, new immunizations
are required—see below.
If you need a form, please
call, stop in my office, or
download one from the
Parkland website.
Just a reminder that all 7th grade
students need a dental exam this year. If
you need a dental card,
please call, stop in my
office, or download one
from the Parkland website.
http://www.parklandsd.org/sp/springhouse_middle_school/health-room/
DON’T WAIT…...VACCINATE NOW!
The PA Department of Health has changed the immunization requirements
for ALL children in ALL grades since the 2011-2012 school year.
CHILDREN ENTERING K-12 WILL NEED DOCUMENTATION
OF THE FOLLOWING:
4 DOSES OF TETANUS (1 dose on or after the 4th birthday)
4 DOSES OF DIPHTHERIA (1 dose on or after the 4th birthday)
3 DOSES OF POLIO
2 DOSES OF MEASLES
2 DOSES OF MUMPS (usually given as MMR)
1 DOSE OF RUBELLA (German measles)
3 DOSES OF HEPATITIS B
2 DOSES OF VARICELLA (chickenpox) vaccine or history of disease
CHILDREN PRESENTLY IN 7TH GRADE OR ENTERING 7TH
GRADE NEXT YEAR WILL ALSO NEED DOCUMENTATION OF:
1 DOSE OF Tdap (if 5 years has elapsed since last tetanus)
1 DOSE OF MCV (meningococcal conjugate vaccine)
NOTIFICATIONS HAVE BEEN MAILED HOME!
Page 4
CONNECTOR
FROM: THE BARRACUDA TEAM
The Barracuda Team would like to congratulate
those students who were awarded Student of the
Month for the last three months!
December: Brooke Schuttler and Nishant Chitluru
January: Roy Ghosh, Jacquelyn Gerbasio, Abbie
Butz
February: Fatheyeh Mahmud, Remzie Kurtis,
Ashley Hess
March: Keeley Koval, Robert Corba, and
Samantha Clauser
In math classes:
Algebra I- Completed solving systems of
equations and are moving on to exponents and
exponential functions and analyzing data
Pre-Algebra- Completed probability and are
moving on to graphing equations and analyzing
data
Pre- Algebra A- Completed finding percentages
and are moving into a mini geometry unit
All classes are preparing for the PSSA’s!
The language arts and social
studies departments will join
forces to immerse the
students in an interdisciplinary study of Ancient Greek
and Roman culture including
the exploration of the mythological stories that
shaped these two cultures. The students will be
studying Rick Riordan’s novel The Lightning Thief as
a modern connection.
In social studies, students are learning about Greece
and Rome. There will be cooperative learning
between social studies and language arts. History
Day results are in! Roy Ghosh will be attending
Regional History Day in the category of website
development; Keeley Koval and Sophia Colarusso
will be moving on to Regionals in the category of
Exhibits. Congratulations!
Science students will be busy studying Genetics. A
research project on genetic disorders will be the
culminating project. Students will also begin planting
their herbs under the grow lights for the agriculture
portion of our curriculum. This long term project will
be website based.
Visit Team Barracuda on the web at
https://sites.google.com/a/parklandsd.net/barracudas/
FROM: ART
Check out the new wolf art mural by
Emanuil Gavrilesku! Emanuil’s art mural
is hanging in the hall across from the auditorium main
entrance—what an awesome way to show SMS
spirit!!
COME ONE, COME ALL to the ANNUAL
SPRINGHOUSE MIDDLE SCHOOL ART SHOW!
The opening night is Tuesday, March 6th at 6:15
p.m. Come admire SMS talent in the front lobby
“gallery”! But don’t fret if you miss it! The Annual
SMS Art Show will remain in the lobby “gallery”
throughout the month of March!
VOLUME 13, ISSUE 2
DON’T MISS THE FESTIVAL OF THE ARTS
SPRINGHOUSE MIDDLE SCHOOL ART
DISPLAY! On Saturday, May 18th from 8
a.m. to 4 p.m. the art work of many talented
Springhouse Middle School students will be on
display for the whole community. There will be
food, drinks, performances, activities and fun for
the whole family!
Page 5
THE AVIATORS ARE FLYING HIGH
The Aviators held several team-building
activities during the months of December and
February: The Aviator Academic Challenge and
The Obstacle Course Relay Race. So far,
homeroom D210 has the lead and maintains the
coveted Aviator Trophy. We are impressed with
all of our Aviators and their team pride and
spirit! GO AVIATORS!
Students from each discipline were recognized
for outstanding effort and achievement in their
particular class during team meetings. Students
of the Month for December were Mary Hoang
and Eric Schenkenberger. In January, we named
Lauren Bako and Tyler Smith. In February, we
named Madison Staiman and Michael Jenkins.
Parents may continue to keep in touch with
Aviator news, especially quiz and test dates, at
http://psdweb.parklandsd.org/aviators. We
hope that you are “enjoying” the privilege of
viewing your child’s grades at your convenience.
As always, we are here for you. Please do not
hesitate to contact us with your questions,
concerns, and comments – especially in the
second half of the school year when we are
working towards the warmer months.
All math classes are beginning to diligently
prepare for the PSSA by reviewing concepts such
as geometry, probability, and data analysis. In
addition, for Ms. Yudt’s classes, Pre-Algebra
students studied
Pythagorean
Theorem and
fractions, decimals,
and percents.
Algebra 1 students
worked on exponents
and polynomials.
Algebra 2 students studied exponential and
logarithmic functions. For Ms. Yudt’s classes,
online lesson videos to review concepts and daily
math homework is posted at
http://psdweb.parklandsd.org/yudt/
In Science,
students have
been studying motion, forces in motion, energy,
simple machines and electricity. They are now
moving into chemistry, starting with the properties
and states of matter. Students involved in Science
Fair have once again done a
fabulous job. Good luck to
all PJAS competitors!
In Civics, the students are heading towards an
exciting part of their year. Mr. Leach’s Civics
classes are finishing up their studies on crime,
culminating with the completion of their Mock
trials. The students will begin civil law within the
next few weeks. The Aviators also sent eight
students to the History Day Regional competition
in Jim Thorpe. The Aviator teachers are all proud
of our History Day winners.
In Language Arts class, all students have been
busy writing five-paragraph persuasive essays,
studying daily grammar exercises, working on
vocabulary, and developing critical thinking skills.
Ms. Yazujian-Wehr’s GHP classes have been
reading George Orwell’s Animal Farm and
studying the allegorical aspects of the novel while
learning about the historical events that took place
during the Russian Revolution. Other classes have
been reading Todd Strasser’s novel The Wave,
which is a story about a group of high school
students who are learning about the Holocaust.
Within these units of study, we will also be taking
a look at the ways bias and propaganda can be used
to persuade an audience. As spring approaches, we
will be focusing more and more on ways to
succeed on the Writing and Reading PSSA’s.
Students are continually encouraged to use Ms.
Yaz’s class Moodle site to check homework and
submit assignments. Please visit
http://moodle.parklandsd.org
and click on the appropriate login link.
Keep up the good work, Aviators!
Page 6
CONNECTOR
SWIMMING WITH THE SHARKS
As the last third of the year gets under way, the
Sharks’ teachers are proud of the hard work and
dedication the students have demonstrated. With that
said, we look forward to their continued
efforts throughout the rest of the school year.
During the week of March 11, all 7th grade
students will participate in taking the District Writing
Prompt. This prompt will assess the
students’ ability to write a cohesive and well
constructed five paragraph persuasive essay.
Also, beginning April 8, all 7th grade students will be
taking the PSSA tests. We, the Sharks team, feel that
our students will put forth a great
amount of effort in order to do
well on the Math and Reading
tests. As teachers, we also feel
that we prepare your children
everyday, through teaching our
various curriculums, to perform at
the highest possible level in order
to succeed. We are confident that once the state publishes the results of the PSSA test, your children will
feel a sense of pride knowing they did the very best
they possibly could.
During this marking period, the students have been
reading various short stories in Language Arts class.
Through our analysis and discussions, the students
are becoming aware of themes and literary devices
that explore plot and characterization. They are also
recognizing that these literary elements may be
applied not only to what we read in class, but also
to movies and television shows they watch on a
daily basis.
In Social Studies, students have been exploring
the wars and civilizations of Greece, Sparta and
Athens. Heredity and genetics have been the focal
point of Science class, as well as continued work
on GHP Science
Fair projects.
In Math class, Miss
Guellich is working with her student teacher, Mr.
Bohning from Kutztown University, to teach
exponents and work on statistical projects.
Students will also be involved with PSSA prep
activities to prepare for the upcoming testing.
The Sharks team is looking forward to the
continued success of all our students throughout
the remainder of the school year!
MRS. BEST—Sixth Grade Enrichment
Once enrichment students
completed the archaeology unit,
they began the bridge unit by
learning the forces that act on
bridges and the geometry
behind designing bridges. With
that knowledge gained, each
student will draw a blueprint of a
bridge to be constructed from toothpicks and glue.
These bridge designs must follow certain building
specifications and fit into a budget. Each class will
choose several bridges to construct in small
groups. As the culmination of the bridge project,
bridges will be tested for strength. Additionally,
VOLUME 13, ISSUE 2
students will engage in an online simulation in
which they must design a bridge that withstands
the force of an earthquake.
To finish out the sixth grade year in enrichment,
students will undertake a mystery unit. After
learning about the mystery genre with its unique
characteristics and vocabulary, students will use
logical thinking to both create and solve mysteries.
The final project of the year will be to “Make Mrs.
Best Think!” Students have the choice to write
either a logic puzzle or a mystery story for their
classmates and Mrs. Best to solve. Will you be
able to solve your child’s mystery?
Page 7
THE PIRANHAS TAKE A BITE OUT OF LEARNING
It is hard to believe that we are nearly twothirds of the way through the year already! The
Piranha Team has enjoyed the year so far, and we
are confident that as we begin to intensify our
preparations for PSSAs that the students will
show us their best! Each of the core subject
classes is now deep into the curriculum, and
working hard to learn all that we can before the
end of the year.
In Social Studies, Piranha students are
currently learning about ancient Greek civilization, democracy, mythology, and the arts. As the
marking periods move ahead we look forward to
exploring the history and culture of ancient Rome
and Medieval Europe. Congratulations to all
students who have participated in National
History Day and special congratulations to
Piranha students Jenna Leonzi,
Amanda Verna, and Steven
Lipson, who will represent
Springhouse at the NHD
regional competition.
In the world of Science, Piranha students
have been predicting the future by studying
Genetics. They have also been hard at work
understanding the taxonomic levels of Classification and where we all fit in the grand scheme of
life. Students will soon be exploring the environment and thinking about ways to save the
planet. Mr. Mahmood would also like to
congratulate all of the GHP Science students on
their Science Fair projects. A great deal of hard
work, time, and effort was obviously demonstrated in all the projects. Mr. Mahmood is so proud
of everyone who participated!
Language Arts classes have been living in the
world of The Giver, and learning that not all
utopias are created equal. Students are also
learning how to be more persuasive in their
writing – watch out! Our Piranhas now know
how to persuade you into doing exactly what
they want! We will be heading into our PSSA
review and then into Mythology. We will be
making great connections to the social studies
curriculum as we learn more about the classical
myths and the modern adaptations of them that
have become popular recently.
This is always a very enjoyable unit for the students,
and we are looking forward to it.
Pre-Algebra classes have finished their unit on graphing and
are beginning data analysis and
probability! This is always a
favorite topic for students because
of the statistics project that goes
along with it. When coming to
Springhouse you will see many of the finished
products hung in the hallway. Students in
Pre-Algebra A have just concluded their unit on
Geometry and will also be diving into the world of
data analysis and probability. Algebra 1 is continuing
with their unit on exponents and monomials in preparation for their fourth benchmark exam. All of Miss
Alford’s classes are diligently preparing for the
upcoming PSSA tests in April. She is very proud of
how hard they have been working so far this year!
It’s certainly been a jam-packed few months, and
we look forward to even more exciting events in the
future.
The Piranha Team would also like to extend our
congratulations to the following students for
achieving Student of the Month:
December - Jenna Leonzi and Tyler Prehl
January - Kara Hortner and Jack Jenkins
February - Kara Fagerstrom and
Habeeb Salau
CONNECTOR
Page 8
CATCH A WAVE WITH THE TIDAL WAVES
The Tidal Wave’s journey through sixth grade continues.
The second and third marking periods have been action
packed! We have learned to handle the added responsibilities of sixth grade and will continue to step up our level of
responsibility and independence.
There were lots of severe storms being predicted by
Tidal Wave students when they prepared and presented
their storm reports in December. It was obvious from the
reports that we have some future meteorologists on this
team! Having completed our unit on Water and the Atmosphere, we moved on to Earth’s Structure. Lots of new ideas
abound in this unit! We have identified minerals, learned the
rock cycle, and created our own CD of rock band songs!
Plate tectonics, earthquakes, and volcanoes will wrap up
this unit. As we approach the final months of the school
year, we will begin our last science topic which is an introduction to chemistry. Be sure to ask your child about the
exciting experiments in this unit.
In Language Arts we continue to surf the grammar wave
with our study of pronouns, adverbs, and prepositions. We
have added extra clauses and indefinite objects in DGP. We
certainly will not be wiping out on our grammar exit test at
the end of the year! Vocabulary, well we keep rolling
successfully along toward our big “final” at the end of the
year, where all 300 new words are up for grabs. In writing,
persuasive writing has been our focus, allowing us to
develop our research skills and
persuasive strategies. Narratives
and author’s craft is on the horizon.
In reading, strategies we have
been exploring include questioning,
determining importance, and
synthesizing. Literature circles proved to be fun and
challenging. The Tidal Waves completed eleven different
novels, suited to each student. Excellent presentations of
the stories to the class were performed. The novel
Homeless Bird, the story of a young girl from India, is being
shared, each student keeping a thinking journal, where we
relate each thought to a reading strategy to help us understand our strengths and weaknesses as readers. This coinVOLUME 13, ISSUE 2
cides with the study of ancient
India in Social Studies. ARP
helps round out this curriculum, with many Tidal Wave students already qualifying for the ARP auction!
Since we last wrote, we completed our study of Mesopotamia and learned all about the ancient Egyptians in social
studies. A highlight while studying the Mesopotamian empires was simulating Hammurabi’s court. Students brought
their pleas to the court and were sentenced according to
Hammurabi’s code of laws. Most agreed that the penalties
could be very harsh! The Egypt unit was filled with lots of
hands-on activities. We created double crowns like those
created when Upper and Lower Egypt
were united. We thought that ours were
more interesting, however. Other activities included researching an Egyptian
god of our choice, making decisions
about what each of us would take to our
tomb if we were buried in a pyramid in the style of an Egyptian, and finally creating a travel brochure that encouraged
others to visit the fascinating attractions of ancient Egypt.
Egypt was fun, but we are very excited to have moved on to
the diverse world of ancient India.
In math, we have done a lot of work with understanding
fractions and performing operations with fractions. After
all of those calculations, it was a nice change to move on to
geometry where most of the effort
involved remembering all of the vocabulary of geometry! See how many
terms your student can recall. In
addition to learning and practicing
new math concepts, we spent a lot of
time reviewing so that all of our math
knowledge was front and center in our brain in preparation
for the PSSA.
It has been an exciting mid part of the year! We look forward to all of the activities that lie ahead as we enter the
home stretch of sixth grade! Keep up the great work Team
Tidal Wave!
Page 9
TEAM LIGHTNING IS ELECTRIFYING!
“Sparks Fly When Team Lightning is electrified!”
We are always ready to cause a spark and make a
difference at Springhouse! In fact, we are
showing our 6th grade team spirit to the highest
degree. Learning really can be fun and rewarding!
Decimals and fractions have kept our cognitive
processes alive during the last few months. We
now know how to add, subtract, multiply and
divide whole numbers, decimals, and fractions
without a calculator. The concepts of geometry
and probability filled our minds over the last few
weeks. We even learned some fun riddles and
songs to help us remember the mathematical
processes. Now we are ready to jump into ratios,
proportions, percents, and probability. Look out
PSSA! We are ready for you!
Earth’s Structure has been our main area of
concentration in science for the third and fourth
marking periods. Team Lightning now understands the ideas of Earth’s
many systems constantly
working together. We also
created models and posters
of the Earth’s interior.
Geology is not just about
rocks! We learned the
process to identify rocks and minerals and
discovered that Science Rocks! Those
scientific minds have really been working to make
the connection between science and the world
around us. Did you know that you could think of
almost everything as a science experiment?
blossoming. The 5th grade pen pal letters have
been written and sent to the elementary schools; it
seems like just yesterday that we were 5th graders.
We're also working on writing our persuasive
essays, where we’re trying to convince Mrs.
Tallarida that we deserve a gift card to the
bookstore or the movies, or a lunch from our
favorite place. The best essay in each category will
actually win these prizes. We are continuing to
work with all of the parts of speech and are
mastering our DGP skills each and every day.
Stone Ages, Mesopotamia, Egypt, and India are the
ancient civilizations we have visited! This
marking period, interactive activities have taken us
to the land of the Ancient Egyptians. We have
learned about the many pharaohs of the Egyptian
world. King Tutankhamen, burial tombs, Egyptian
culture, pyramids, and mummification were just a
few of our topics of focus. India was integrated
into our reading. We read an historical fiction
novel to connect our lives to the lives of a young
girl in an Indian village. China is next, and we
cannot wait to explore the mysterious Asian
world.
For more information on Team Lightning, visit our
website at:
https://sites.google.com/a/parklandsd.net/team-lightning/
In language arts and reading, our minds are
keeping busy with grammar, novels, and writing!
We are currently reading Homeless Bird in
conjunction with our social studies unit on
India. Next, we will be working on more short
stories as well as some PSSA practice, and we’ll
even get to analyze some current and older song
lyrics. We will have an exciting unit on literary
elements where we get to use books from our
childhoods! Our writing skills are definitely
Page 10
CONNECTOR
HEAR THE BOOM FROM TEAM THUNDER
From Ancient Egypt we moved on to explore
the worlds of the Ancient Hebrews and Ancient
India. We’ve been practicing our writing skills in
creating fact-packed essays on our unit tests, so
we’ve become a mighty writing force.
In reading, we wrapped up our novel units on
Where the Red Fern Grows and Number the Stars.
Along the way we practiced our summarizing
skills, visualizing, making connections, and
answering open-ended questions. Next, we dove
into the figurative language
of poetry and kept reminding ourselves, “It’s not just
about what the words say,
but what they mean.” We
are following our motto,
“Prepared, not scared,” as
we practice effective
reading and test-taking
strategies to get ready for the PSSA tests.
We flexed our writing muscles all marking
period. Our pencils got a workout writing pen pal
letters to our assigned Parkland elementary school
and we are eagerly awaiting replies from the fifth
graders, who will be visiting in May. The fiveparagraph essay feels like a comfortable fit as we
use this format to write about the novels we have
read. We’re continuing our work in the Grammar
Zone, where no part of speech is left untouched,
thanks to daily DGP.
We’ve been challenged to the max in math.
Fractions have been tough, but with the
divisibility rules and our perseverance, we have
come out on top (so that means we are just like
numerators...). Next, we wrapped our brains
around geometric concepts like polygons and
angles with the help of protractors. Last, we will
be integrating some mathematical concepts into
our science class, namely reading, interpreting,
and analyzing graphs. With these skills, we will
be creating, plotting, and dissecting graphs and
sharing these with the team. Of course, we will
also be devoting time to getting ready for the math
PSSA test.
Science class has us ready to take over The
Weather Channel. Some of our local
VOLUME 13, ISSUE 2
meteorologists had better watch
out because after five chapters
about water in the atmosphere, we are more than
ready to predict hurricanes, temperature changes,
and blizzards. (It goes
without saying that we can
also handle thunder.)
Keep an eye out for those
colliding air masses. You
never know what weather
may be coming when air
masses meet.
Congratulations to our recent Team Thunder
Students of the Month: Debbie Salvodon for
December; Mark Leiby for January; and Thwisha
Anantasagar for February. Parents, please
encourage your students to continue reading to
qualify for the ARP auction coming up in May.
Keep up to date about fund raisers, team announcements, grades, and test and assignment dates by
using HAC and the team website. As always, we
appreciate all your help and support.
https://sites.google.com/a/parklandsd.net/teamthunder/
SMS YEARBOOKS
Miss Grida and her yearbook staff are
hard at work with their final deadline
quickly approaching. Yearbooks are on
sale WHILE SUPPLIES LAST at
www.jostensyearbooks.com
Don’t miss out on
all the memories!
Page 11
THE LATEST ON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
Information Technology (Info-Tech)
Ms. Churetta, Mr. Exaros, Mr. Hoffman,
and Mr. Snyder
ALL GRADES - STUDY ISLAND—In addition to the
regular math and language arts assignments each
marking period, students will be taking the
second benchmark test in Math and Reading
using Study Island. The benchmark test provides
students and teachers an opportunity to
measure progress, identify strengths and
weaknesses, and to properly prepare students
for the April PSSA test.
SIXTH GRADE students are working on word
processing exercises involving basic editing and
formatting text/documents. Throughout the
remainder of the year, students will revisit
EduTyping to work on skill building and numeric
keyboarding. It is important that students
continue to touch type with their fingers on
home keys, so that they are able to type quickly
and accurately. Please encourage correct
keyboarding technique if you see your child
“keying” projects at home. Students will also be
working on PowerPoint activities and projects
utilizing the drawing tools and Microsoft Paint in
the coming days. BrainPOP is an exciting online
teaching tool, which students will use for lessons
involving online safety.
SEVENTH GRADE students have been working on
various activities using Excel, with an emphasis
on charts and formulas. Students will also be
Page 12
completing PowerPoint tutorials which will give
them the foundation for a culminating multimedia
project. The basics of Microsoft Publisher will also
be introduced.
Near the end of the year, students will enjoy
taking on the role of a detective when playing the
computer game “Air Dogs”. This game is based on
a Massachusetts case in which teenage boys were
drawn into a software piracy and cyber theft ring.
The game encourages students to make
responsible choices in their online behavior even
when they might profit from acting unethically. In
addition, students will view a video depicting the
risks and results of inappropriate cell phone use
which will help them to learn important lessons
about cell phone safety and responsibility.
EIGHTH GRADE students will be working on The
Dream Team project, a Microsoft Office sports
marketing simulation. The student assumes the
role of a professional sports team owner.
Microsoft Office software will be used to create
eye-catching marketing documents such as a
team logo, a business card, a Meet the Team
PowerPoint, a cereal box design, a magazine
advertisement and a season schedule.
As a part of our Internet safety awareness
curriculum, eighth graders will be playing
“Missing”, a computer game that encourages
students to behave prudently online. Students
work in teams and take on the role of a police officer to solve the disappearance of a 14 year old
boy who was lured to California. While playing the
game, students discover the mistakes that led the
boy into trouble. Students learn valuable lessons
on how to protect their identity and not give out
personal information online.
CONNECTOR
A WHIRLWIND OF EXCITEMENT FROM
TEAM TORNADOS
How many words can YOU make from seven
random letters? Team Tornadoes learned the rules and
strategies of playing Scrabble, as well as word study
and dictionary skills, in the annual Scrabble tournament. Trophies were presented to the winners.
Congratulations to all students for games well-played!
Tornadoes spent marking periods three
and four in a whirlwind of other language
arts and reading activities. They played
Splat! and raced in relays to hone their
grammar skills. They researched a weather
phenomenon of their choice and wrote an
informational essay about what they
learned. They also wrote clever, helpful, and
insightful letters to send to their fifth grade pen pals to
welcome them to Springhouse. In addition to the
shared enjoyment of read alouds, Tornadoes read
selections which integrated with social studies units
and took on the science fiction genre with excitement,
all the while practicing active reading strategies.
Students produced “Mystery Person” projects based
on their biography selections.
You might say that students were all wet
(figuratively speaking) in science class! They
extended their studies of Water and the Atmosphere
learning all about how the atmosphere cycles energy
throughout the Earth resulting in weather and climate.
Students look forward to the next unit which is
chemistry.
Team Tornadoes has been hard at work multiplying
and dividing decimals and fractions. They then
applied those skills to solve algebraic expressions.
In Mr. Palazzo’s social studies class students
journeyed through the ancient civilizations of
Mesopotamia and Egypt. On their travels they made
maps to study the geography of each civilization, as
well as studied their economies, cultures and religions,
achievements, etc. Students completed the unit on
ancient Egypt by decorating sarcophaguses and
writing their names in hieroglyphs.
VOLUME 13, ISSUE 2
In Ms. Reinhard’s
social studies class
students finished a unit
on Egypt complete with ancient calendars,
hieroglyphic cartouches, and Hatshepsut acrostics.
Students mummified orange slices (which
provided many, ahem, interesting
sensory experiences!). We celebrated
King Tut Day and culminated the unit
with “classmade” bread. Following a
recipe which requires five days to
produce the bread, students delighted
in tasting the warm, sweet loaf. In
the process, students learned about
yeast and other fungi and the chemical changes
which take place in bread making.
A hearty congratulations goes out to the
Students of the Month…
Avery Geiger and Cheyenne Reardon
(December)
Andrew Lee (January)
Jason Dratch (February)
Mr. Palazzo and Ms. Reinhard would like to
compliment the whole team on a great year so far.
We know they will try their very best on the
PSSA’s. Finally, a big note of appreciation goes
to parents/guardians for all of their support in all
of our endeavors.
Page 13
TEAM TRAILBLAZERS ARE PAVING THE
WAY
The Trailblazers are working very hard to prepare
for the upcoming PSSA testing. Students feel confident
with reading, and in each of Mr. Hallman’s algebra
classes, everyone is learning how to “get a 4” on openended questions, especially when problems deal with
the Pythagorean Theorem, geometry, or probability!
The Springhouse Science Fair, held in February,
produced excellent display boards, lab reports, and oral
presentations. Some of our students chose to participate
in the Pennsylvania Junior Academy of Science, which
was held at Easton Area High School. Students
who earned a first place award at
Easton will move on to the state
competition, which will be held at
Penn State University in May 2013.
Congratulations to all who
participated and dedicated their time
and effort to compete in this optional
competition. Your hard work has not gone unnoticed!
Trailblazers have been working on several academic
long-term projects. In science classes, students will
continue to work on learning about Physics and Energy!
Students will “showcase” their understanding of motion
and simple machines by designing and constructing a
self-propelled car! At the end of the month, Ms. Stern
welcomes her student teacher Miss Kaitlyn Miller. The
Science PSSA’s are just around the corner as is our new
unit of study…Chemistry!
Academically, Mr. Eakins’ Civics classes have
learned about the U.S. Justice System. They are all
looking forward to mock trials! In Mrs. Gackenbach’s
Civics class, the students wrapped up their extensive
study on the Declaration of Independence and the
United States Constitution. After their PowerPoint
Presentations on the Constitution, we will be studying
Criminal and Civil Law.
Over the past couple of weeks, the math classes have
all been making their way through mid-year activities.
Stepping aside from the Pre-Algebra concepts, the
Pre-Alg B students have completed units on
Dimensional Analysis and Graphing to review the
eligible content on the tests. They will also tackle units
on Geometry and Probability before the tests in April.
After the PSSA testing period is complete, these
students will begin exploring Polynomials and solving
more Linear Equations. Both Algebra 1 and Algebra 2
recently finished their 3rd Common Assessments, or
Midterms. As we progress through the rest of the year,
Algebra 1 will work with Polynomials and Radicals
Page 14
before taking the
Keystone Exam in
May. The Algebra 2
class is currently working with Exponential and
Logarithmic functions and will move forward with
Rational Expressions and Polynomial functions shortly
thereafter. As the 4th marking
period comes to an end, Mr.
Hallman hopes all of the
students continue to work hard
as they head into spring!
Mrs. Jones’s Language Arts
classes are beginning their
exploration into the many
different realms of poetry. In conjunction with poetry,
the students are vigorously preparing for the PSSA’s;
the students continue to give their best effort!! During
the fifth and sixth marking periods, the students will
continue to explore novels by reading The Wave, Animal Farm and The Outsider’s. To conclude the year,
the students will delve into the depths of Romeo and
Juliet. So, encourage your child to “pop a squat” in the
warm sunshine with one of these classic stories. Our
Trailblazer students have been busy working hard in
Mrs. O’Neill’s and Miss
Godiska’s Language Arts
classes. All students have
been preparing and
practicing for P.S.S.A.
testing, focusing on writing
and grammar skills, figurative
language, reading
comprehension strategies, and
critical thinking skills. In addition, Mrs. O’Neill’s
classes just concluded a unit on the Holocaust by
reading Daniel’s Story, The Diary of Anne Frank and
The Wave. Mrs. O’Neill’s class will continue to delve
into a unit of poetry and figurative language. Miss
Godiska’s classes just began a poetry unit and a reading
of The Diary of Anne Frank. Following testing, Miss
Godiska’s classes will begin reading The Outsiders.
Trailblazer students of the month for December were
Alec Cwienkala and Shauna Frank; for January were
Armaan Bayraktar, Benjamin Jones, and Aubrey
Feinour; for February were Brandon Buchanan, Eleanor
Billman, and Cozette El-Kik; and for March are
Anna Bondonese and Patrick Ferry. Congratulations to
all!!
CONNECTOR
THE BODY SHOP—HPE & FCS...IT DOES A BODY GOOD
The Springhouse Body Shop Team is
composed of the Health and Physical Education
Department and the Family and Consumers
Science Department. Family & Consumer
Sciences, Health, and Physical Education
emphasize the relationship of good health,
exercise, and individual eating habits.
principles. Topics covered include: Recognizing
fiber names and characteristics, identifying fabric
weaves, understanding clothing labels and exploring
career opportunities. Students conclude the program
with a class project. In 6th grade the project is a bean
bag; in 7th grade the students create a pillow; and in
8th grade students sew a backpack.
In FCS Foods and 8th grade Health, students are
taught how to choose nutritionally sound foods by
reading the Nutrition Facts
Label on food packages.
They are provided with information on the Recommended Daily Allowances
for vitamins and minerals, as well as good food
sources for particular nutrients,
calculation of calorie and fat requirements,
estimates of calories burned with exercise, and
healthy cooking techniques.
All grades have finished their health session
requirement for the school year. In Physical
Education, students participate in a variety of sport
activities. Some activities include: Volleyball,
Basketball, Net Games, Fitness Training, and
Softball. Student participation requires attire that
consists of athletic shorts or sweatpants, full length
crew neck T-shirt, socks and sneakers.
In FCS Consumer Resources
seventh and eighth grade
classes, students learn about
textiles and fabrics,
architectural & interior design
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL FOR
2013-14 IS
TUESDAY,
SEPTEMBER 3, 2013
VOLUME 13, ISSUE 2
Page 15
A WHIRLWIND OF INFO FROM THE CYCLONES
From Ancient Egypt we moved on to explore the
world of Ancient China. The students created paper
lanterns to help celebrate the year of the snake, “Kung
Hei Fat Choi” and bring in the Chinese New Year. We
were fortunate
enough to have Dr.
Yamaguchi from
Cedar Crest
College, who
traveled to China,
come into school
and share her
worldly travel experience with the Cyclones.
Our journey through Reading continued as well. We
read the popular novels Hatchet and Number the Stars
and will read Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie during
the fifth marking period. We are looking forward to an
exciting visit to SMS in May from the author, Jordan
Sonnenblick. Along the way we practiced our
summarizing skills, making connections, and answering open-ended questions. As we continued to gear up
for the PSSA’s, we spent a lot of time learning about
story elements, figurative language, vocabulary skills,
strategies, main idea, relevant details, and point of
view. During the fifth marking period, students will
spend time reading several short stories within our
Literature book titled, “Breaker’s Bridge,” “The
Friends of Kwan Ming,” and “Zlateh the Goat.” It has
certainly been busy as we read our way through sixth
grade.
We also wrote letters to our fifth
grade buddies that will be visiting
from Cetronia Elementary on May 8,
2013.
Math class focused on adding, subtracting,
multiplying and dividing fractions. For good
measure, we also learned about plane geometry.
We’ve begun preparing for the PSSA by brushing
up on our skills in measuring; figuring mean,
median, mode and range; and determining
perimeter, area, and volume.
In Science, we just finished our Water and
Atmosphere book by studying climate and weather.
Students learned how to read a weather map and
found out why it is so hard to predict the weather.
We also found out how strong Mother Nature can
be when we studied storms. It gave us a chance to
see the destruction that is caused by hurricanes,
tornadoes, and blizzards. We ended the book by
taking a look at global warming. The next unit that
we will be studying is chemistry.
Congratulations to our recent Students of the
Month: Rashmi Raghuraman, Kelleen Greenawalt,
Derek Rivera, Kelly Dulaney, and Tanner Lehr.
Parents, please encourage your students to continue
reading to qualify for the ARP auction coming up
in May. Keep up to date about fund raisers, team
announcements, grades, and test and assignment
dates by using HAC and the team website.
Writing & grammar continues to be an integral part of
our language arts curriculum. We have studied
writing, prepositions, conjunctions and interjections,
subjects, predicates, direct and indirect objects. We
will finish up with predicate nouns and adjectives and
progress into Daily Grammar Practice (DGP). The
students completed an Informational writing piece and
will be working on a Persuasive piece.
Page 16
https://sites.google.com/a/parklandsd.net/cyclones/
As always, we appreciate all your help
and support.
CONNECTOR
A TRIP WITH THE VOYAGERS
The Voyagers have been involved in several
team activities over the past few months. Our
Voyager Olympic events, the paper plane
challenge and a homeroom relay race were big
hits. Homeroom D237 is in the lead in this
yearlong competition. Voyager students of the
month for December through February were:
Sophie Kivlehan, Max Prehl, Alexa Pollice,
Ojas Patel, Riya Mital and Matthew
Young.
Congratulations again to all of those students for
their excellent effort and outstanding citizenship! Parents may continue to view Voyager’s
quiz and test dates at our team website:
http://www.smsvoyagers.com
In addition, feel free to monitor your
son/daughter’s progress through the Home
Access Center (HAC). Here’s what is happening
in the classrooms…
In Language Arts, Mrs. Serina’s students have
been weaving PSSA Reading and Writing strategies into all aspects of the curriculum. Our
Voyagers recently completed two interdisciplinary writing units -- one with Mr. Gigler's Civics
classes and one with Mrs. Adamson's Science
classes. Additionally, students have been focusing on metacognition and reading comprehension strategies, as they have just finished their
first class novel, S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders. As
the end of the school year approaches, all classes
are ready to take center stage during the in-depth
class study and performance of Shakespeare’s
Romeo and Juliet.
In Mrs. Adamson’s
science classes students
have continued their
journey through
physics by learning
about work and
machines. Students will
finish up our studies by
learning about energy
and energy conversions, including building self-propelled vehicles as a culminating
project in physics. Next we will move on to
VOLUME 13, ISSUE 2
topics in chemistry,
including properties of
matter, states of matter, and classification of
matter. In addition, the highly anticipated annual
science fair took place in February and several
Voyager students will participate in the PJAS
regional fair and the Lehigh Valley Science and
Engineering Research Fair competitions.
Mr. Gigler’s Civics students have been busy
since the last Connector update. Students examined the role of state and local government. In
December and January, Civics students studied
the legal system. They culminated their study of
trials and juries by reading and acting out the
classic play, 12
Angry Men. Currently,
all students are
engaged in an
extensive study of the
criminal justice
system. Also, the
students in the GHP Civics classes completed
their History Day projects. The finished projects
were nicely researched and looked great.
Congratulations to Stephanie Klotz, Teja
Kadewari, Alexa Pollice, Hannah Tamarkin, Ojas
Patel, Yuri Guanowsky, Shaumik Phadke, and
Kirandip Kaur who are advancing to the regional
History Day competition at Jim Thorpe High
School on March 16. Nice work!
Finally, Mr. Clee's classes have welcomed Miss
Fahringer, who will be student teaching with the
Voyagers until mid-March.
In Pre-Algebra
B, students are currently studying the graphs of
linear equations. In Algebra II, students have
been learning more than they ever realized they
wanted to know about solving and graphing
quadratic functions.
If you need to find out
how hard you'd have to throw a ball in order
to keep it in the air for 10 seconds, just find the
nearest Algebra II student. In Algebra I,
students are having a great time learning to solve
systems of equations and inequalities.
Keep up the good work Voyagers!
Page 17
THE HURRICANES ARE FAST AND FURIOUS
Watch Out! Here come the Hurricanes! The
rd
3 and 4th marking periods might be nearly over,
but you’d never know it by watching the
Hurricanes pave their way through sixth grade.
Spring has sprung and our team continues to
spring into action, developing, creating,
exploring, questioning, and of course,
experiencing all that Springhouse has to offer.
Our writers have been busy this marking
period. Students have learned how to create
friendly letters and we sent them to our new 5th
grade pen pals. Now that Hurricane students are
experts on how to survive middle school, they
shared a lot of advice to our future SMS students.
We are eagerly awaiting responses. Hurricanes
have been creating some exceptional vocabulary
projects to help them learn each unit. Postcards
from vacation spots, blizzard stories, and picture
cards have all helped them to become great
vocabulary
experts! We
continue to work
each day on DGP,
as well as our
mini units on
parts of speech.
We will have our
grammar exit test
in May! Keep up the good work Hurricane team!
In reading, the students continue to earn ARP
points by completing their monthly logs. By
developing story maps and book projects, the
students have demonstrated mastery of literary
elements. Additionally, we are reading the
novel, Homeless Bird. This wonderful novel is
exposing the students to the culture of India and
is a great integration into their upcoming social
studies unit. Additionally, we are beginning our
month long fine tuning of our literary elements in
preparation for the upcoming PSSA tests. We are
confident that we will refine our reading strategy
skills and look forward to our results.
In math, we have been studying graphs,
charts, and polygons. We created our very own
class graphs…What’s your favorite ice cream
Page 18
flavor? We are problem
solvin’, crazy computin’
mathematicians! PSSA’s
here we come!!!!
Our Hurricanes took a path headed directly for
Ancient Egypt. In Social Studies class, we traveled
to Egypt and studied the Nile
River Valley. We explored
ancient mummies and studied
King Tut and many other
interesting Pharaohs. The
students created papier-mâché
mummies and wrote creative
stories about their mummy’s exciting lives…and
afterlives! After our stay in Egypt, we ventured on
over to China. We are enjoying learning about all
of the Emperors and Dynasties! As you can see, we
have been very busy with our travels!
In Science class, we experimented with rocks
and minerals for our Earth’s Structure unit. We
learned about the earth’s layers and hidden
treasures known as geodes. If you find one, crack it
open to find beautiful crystals inside! Our Team
Scientists used scratch tests and streaks in order to
classify minerals. Next, we will get our lab coats
ready in order to experiment with Chemistry!
Visit Team Hurricanes on the web at
https://sites.google.com/a/parklandsd.
net/hurricanes/
CONNECTOR
ATTENTION!!
All Families Who Support Reading
The Springhouse Middle School's annual Accelerated Reading Program (ARP)
Auction is fast approaching. The volunteers are working hard to acquire donations
from local businesses, but today's financial climate is making that difficult. Teachers, and the Springhouse Partnership (SMSP) have already donated items, but we
need your help this year.
Please help support our students by making a prize or cash donation. No prize is
too small! If you can make a donation, please complete the form below and follow
the instructions noted. If you have any questions, contact Ms. Mary Nomie in the
Library or the following parent: Kris Buss (610-391-3177). Thank you so much for
your help!
MAY 9...MAIN AUCTION & SILENT AUCTION AND BREAKFAST
___ Yes, I can donate a prize for the ARP Auction.
(Please send to the Library via your child)
OR
____ Yes, I would like to make a check contribution to the ARP Auction.
Enclosed please find my check payable to SMSP. (Please send into
school in an envelope marked SMSP).
VOLUME 13, ISSUE 2
Page 19
WEATHERING THE STORM WITH TEAM
BLIZZARDS
Over the past few months, our classrooms have been
busy with all sorts of interesting activities. It seems that
we were just welcoming everyone to sixth grade and
now we can’t believe that spring is really just around the
corner. As we advanced through the year, hopefully
students on Team Blizzard have become more
responsible and
independent as they are
now the expert sixth
graders!
Team Blizzard
explored their world as
they studied the past and
the present in Social
Studies. After learning
what historians, geographers, and archaeologists do, we
got set for a wild ride. We just completed our travels
back to Ancient Egypt where we were intrigued with
pyramids and the curse of King Tut. Next, we will be
travelling to India where we will become part of the
caste system.
After working with fractions in math, students will
be taking on the subject of Geometry. Whether it is a
quadrilateral or a parallelogram, our mathematicians
will learn many new terms! Remember that Math is
much like the Pyramids we studied in Egypt. In order to
reach the top of the math pyramid you need to have a
firm and steady foundation
in the basics of what we
have learned to this point.
We will continue to climb
our math pyramid as we
continue to explore the
crevasses and crannies of
algebra….remember in
order to get better at math,
you cannot study for math
you need to DO math.
Team Blizzard reached new heights as we soared
through the layers of the Earth’s atmosphere and
energized ourselves with the knowledge of the sun’s
energy. The pressure was on as students examined the
causes of winds, both globally and locally. Our team
became weather experts as each student was given the
opportunity to become a weather reporter. Students
shared their complete understanding of different storms
with each other. Yes, we witnessed televised reports,
posters of projected storm paths, and even a “talking”
TV! The weather project utilized all aspects of the
Page 20
chapter and the projects were done exceptionally well.
Team Blizzard will be safe in any storm as we followed
the shared safety guidelines.
Students were also introduced to our changing
climate. Scientific vocabulary from today’s news was
introduced and discussed in class. Our unique carbon
footprint, greenhouse gases, and global warming were
investigated. We discussed simple ways to reduce our
carbon footprints to help improve our environment.
Students took this section very seriously as they became
aware of the earth’s changing climate and the patterns
associated with it.
From the atmosphere we have journeyed to the
center of the Earth. Team Blizzard is now exploring
Earth’s Structure. From Earth’s interior to the composition of its minerals and rocks, students have been
learning about the composition of our planet. Team
Blizzard has learned that Earth is one exciting place to
live!
The students have been working on writing to their
fifth grade pen pals, sharing Springhouse information
with them. It is hard to believe that just a short year ago,
they were the ones eagerly awaiting a letter from a sixth
grader! Don’t worry; we are still working on daily
grammar and vocabulary too! Everyone got in the right
frame of mind as Vocabulary
Valentines were handmade in each
class. Who would have thought
that our vocabulary words would be
so easily turned into Valentines?
Each class has been reading the novel Drums Girls
& Dangerous Pie. The students are working on different
reading strategies throughout the book. It is wonderful
to see the students reading ahead and actively
participating in class discussions with such enthusiasm.
This contemporary novel is written by a local author and
though it is written on a difficult subject, the humor has
made us all laugh out loud! After all, isn’t laughter still
the best medicine? It is equally encouraging to watch as
the students have talked to the text to dissect poetry.
Team Blizzard has worked hard at taking their time to
understand the deeper meaning of both literature and
poetry as they continue to strive towards excellence.
CONNECTOR
TEAM TRANSGLOBAL EXPLORES THE WORLD
7th GRADE INTRODUCTION
TO WORLD LANGUAGES
Hola, Bonjour, Guten Tag. Only in Seventh grade can
you learn how to greet one another in three languages!
That’s right, with Señora Carney, Madame Fortner,
Mademoiselle Cappellari, Frau Wanyo, Frau Szabo, and
Herr Muth you can learn a little bit of Spanish, French and
German in the Introduction to World Language Classes.
During the trimester, students study various countries that
speak the target language. Students study the language and
the culture through use of music, video, projects, the sharing
of personal experiences, and, of course, a lot of talking.
Communication in the target language is key in all of the
classes. Students learn greetings, responses and farewells, as
well as learning to introduce themselves. They also often
study the alphabet and numbers. The seventh grade
language classes are a time of exploration and appreciation
for languages and cultures.
Current 7th grade students have just selected a World
Language for 8th grade. The IWL teachers remind
parents that students may make changes to their
language selection for next year at any time by
contacting the Guidance Office.
8th GRADE FRENCH I CLASSES
Bonjour! Madame Hess' and Monsieur Reaman's
French I students have learned to talk about themselves,
personality and appearances. They can now describe their
friends and discuss their ages. They can also describe our
room, everyday objects and their size and color. Students can
talk about French city life, its public buildings, and places as
well as their own house or apartment.
With the new verb, to go, students are now
able to discuss their daily and weekend
plans. Soon they will be talking about
musical instruments and games.
Au revoir!
various fun activities in the Klassenzimmer. Coming up
next, we will learn about Schule (school) and Einkaufen
(shopping).
8th GRADE SPANISH I CLASSES
Señora Madeira’s and Señorita Grida’s Level I Spanish
students have been very busy describing their friends and
family, discussing their likes and dislikes, and learning the
meanings and conjugations of many
important and frequently used Spanish verbs.
Also, the students have been constructing
sentences and identifying some of their daily
and weekly activities. During the fourth
marking period, they wrote their first
paragraph completely in Spanish, describing
one of their school days! Moving forward, the students will
continue learning new verbs and will be discussing food and
how to stay healthy. Moving into the final marking period,
students will learn and discuss some of their preferences and
activities they enjoy doing in their spare time.
CELEBRATING WORLD LANGUAGE WEEK!
During the week of February 25th – March 1st , SMS
students, along with students at PHS and OMS, celebrated
World Language Week to promote the study of World
Languages and Cultures. During this time, we had special
guests “popping in” on SUNN TV to share some fun
expressions and cultural trivia. We also held an 8th grade
poster contest to encourage people to study languages and get
to know new cultures. Congratulations to our winners!
1st Place — Elizabeth Castro
2nd Place — Maya Rodgers
3rd Place — Riya Mital
Honorable Mention — Jaclyn Santo
8th GRADE GERMAN I CLASSES
Das Schuljahr is going so schnell! Frau
Sikora’s Deutsch I Klasse learned to talk
about where we live, describe our Zimmer
(rooms), and talk about our Familie.
Students also learned to describe people and
how to offer something to essen (eat) und trinken – all the
while discussing deutsche Kultur. Traditionen pertaining to
Fastnacht in Deutschland and our own area were discussed,
and soon we will celebrate World Language Month with
VOLUME 13, ISSUE 2
Page 21
BAND EXCITEMENT FROM MR. TULLY
On February 1, Sunayana Jampanaboyana, Connor Tempro,
Stephen Park, Christopher Sperry, Sai Mallipedhi, Shira
Levin, and Conor Geiger participated in the PMEA
Intermediate All-Star Festival at Saucon Valley Middle
School. Congratulations and good luck!
The 8th Grade Band will be
performing the National Anthem
at the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs
game on Monday, May 20!
Come out to support your band and enjoy the game!
OUR BUSY CONCERT SEASON WILL BE HERE
BEFORE YOU KNOW IT!
Our spring concert will be held at Parkland High School on
Monday, May 6 and will feature the 6th Grade band, 7th
Grade band, 8th Grade band, and percussion ensembles.
Our spring Jazz Band Concert will be held at Springhouse
on Friday, May 10 and will feature Jazz Band Major and
Jazz Band Minor. Both Jazz Band’s will be performing at
the Festival of the Arts on Saturday, May 18 at Parkland
High School. Additionally, Jazz Band Major will perform
with the OMS Jazz Band, and both High School Jazz
Band’s for the District Jazz Concert on Wednesday, May
23.
ORCHESTRA UPDATE FROM
MRS. REILLY
The middle school orchestras are busy
practicing for the annual Spring Concert,
which will be at Parkland High School on
May 1st at 7:00 PM. Our Spring Concert
theme this year is Classical Elements –
Earth, Wind, Fire and Water. All of the
music performed will be related to the
Classical Elements of nature.
The 6th Grade Orchestra will perform the following
elections: Appalachian Sunrise, Hotaka Sunset, Windy,
Misty and the popular Katy Perry song, Firework.
7th and 8th Grade Orchestra will perform a patriotic medley
consisting of America, the Beautiful, My Country Tis of
Thee, and This Land is Your Land, Fire and Rain, a pop
song which was written and recorded by James Taylor,
Music from Pirates of the Caribbean, Grammy Award song
by Adele, Set Fire to the Rain and the popular Michael
Jackson/Lionel Ritchie song We are the World.
MRS. PRALL KEEPS US
INFORMED ABOUT CHORUS
The SMS Chorus is busy preparing
for their Spring Concert on Friday,
May 3 at 7:00 PM in the Parkland
High School Auditorium. Come out
to support the chorus and enjoy a
wonderful evening of music!
Congratulations to the 18 students from Springhouse
who represented our school at the PMEA District 10
Intermediate Songfest, held at Parkland High School on
Saturday, February 2. They did a terrific job!
Tyler Anderson, Aubrey Feinour, Chelsi Fread, Hannah
Fritz, Ryan Fry, Zachary Fox, Emily Giordano,
Elizabeth Gonzalez, Maia Gould, Skylar Gutman,
Conley Hochstetler, Spenser Kane, Aryaman Khandelwal, Brenton Kupis, Madelyn Morgan, Sydney Philips,
Francesca Rhoads, Ryan Zickafoose.
The SMS Chorale will also be busy this spring,
preparing a program of music from around the world.
Come see them at the Parkland Festival of the Arts at
PHS on Saturday, May 18. They will also be traveling
around the community this spring to perform, including
performances at the Parkland Volunteer Luncheon and
local retirement communities.
Honors Orchestra will perform Vivaldi’s Four Seasons,
Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Soloists for the Four
Seasons are Christina Park, Joshua Yang, Natalie
Golovanov, and Jacqui Armbruster, violins, Anna Li, viola,
Lisa Stein, cello, and Guinevere Conner, bass. In addition
Honors Orchestra will perform Whistle Down the Wind by
Andrew Lloyd Weber, Fire Dance, by Soon Hee Newbold,
and Allegro by Vivaldi for solo bass and strings featuring
Guinevere Conner on bass.
Page 22
CONNECTOR
PMEA ORCHESTRA ACCOLATES
Congratulations to the string students pictured below who
were selected to perform in the PMEA Intermediate
Orchestra Festival on Friday, February 1st at Saucon Valley
High School. Mrs. Reilly was the guest conductor at the
festival.
Congratulations to Christina Park and Natalie Golovanov,
violinists and Guinevere Conner, bass, for being selected to
participate in the PMEA District 10 Orchestra Festival following
auditions held at Parkland High School on December 1 st. The
3-day Festival was held at Daniel Boone High School from
January 10th-12th. This festival is primarily for high school
musicians, but advanced middle school students are permitted to
audition.
Bottom L to R: Joshua Yang, Jacqui Armbruster, Stephanie
Klotz, Christina Park
Top L to R: Shaumik Phadke, Hyunbin Kim, Riya Mital,
Lisa Stein, Guinevere Conner
From the MAIN OFFICE RECPTIONIST’S DESK
Bus Passes and Emergency Permits.
Both of these forms can be found at the link below, then printed and completed at home.
http://www.parklandsd.org/sp/springhouse_middle_school/forms-publications/
Periodically requests are made for students to have the privilege of riding home on
another student’s bus. In order to issue a PSD BUS PASS, a Bus Pass Request Form or
note must be signed by each student’s parent (the parent requesting permission for
their student to ride a different bus AND the parent
giving permission for that student to travel to or
from school with their student). This form/note
must be submitted to the Main Office before or
during homeroom.
For security reasons this form and/or note with
parent signatures are required in order to receive
a bus pass.
VOLUME 13, ISSUE 2
Page 23
This year, Springhouse sent 88 students to the Pennsylvania
Junior Academy of Science. Two students earned a perfect score
and fifty-nine students earned a first place award. They will be
representing SMS in May at the State competition. Twenty-seven
students earned a second place award. Congratulations to all of
our SMS students on a job well done!
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CONNECTOR
UPCOMING EVENTS
VOLUME 13, ISSUE 2
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