June - Thompson Public Schools
Transcription
June - Thompson Public Schools
TMS NEWSLETTER July 1, 2016 PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE Dear Thompson Middle School Families, Congratulations to all of the students, parents and staff on a very successful school year!! I wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your hard work and dedication to Thompson Middle School. We also wish Mr. Jewell and Mr. Caffelle the best of luck in their retirement. We also wish our departing eighth grade students the best of luck as they continue on their educational journey into high school. You will always be part of our TMS tiger family! Parents, thank you for your continued support of our efforts as we work together to provide the best middle school experience for your child. We are extremely proud of the community that we work in and have enjoyed working together to help each and every one of our students become successful. Best wishes for a happy and safe summer! We look forward to seeing all of you on Wednesday, August 31, 2016 In Partnership, Mrs. Chahanovich, Principal P a ge 2 Senator Mae Flexer’s 2016 Essay Contest Winner Congratulations goes out to Zeynep Acun, a sixth grader in Mrs. Groh’s class at Thompson Middle School! Zeynep Acun, along with other students throughout the Senator’s district, took part in an essay contest titled, “What I Love About My Community.” One winning student from each school and their family will be honored at a small ceremony in June at the State Capitol in Hartford, CT. Zeynep’s essay talked about how culturally accepting the people in Thompson are. She wrote about how she feels safe in her neighborhood and she also wrote about how nice the teachers, staff and other students at Thompson Middle School have always been. Zeynep was originally born in Turkey. Her mother, who is from Turkey, was an exchange student at TMHS for one year in high school, but then decided to return to Thompson, CT to raise her daughter Zeynep. It is exciting to see Zeynep have the same love for Thompson CT, as did her mother. For her to win this essay is very exciting for all of us. Congratulations to all the students that part in the contest! P a ge 3 NJHS INDUCTION CEREMONY The following Thompson Middle School students were inducted into the National Junior Honor Society on Thursday, May 19th, 2016, in the District Auditorium during the NJHS Induction Ceremony: New Members Current Members Kaylee Boudreau Cole Coderre Alexis Elkinson Elizabeth Gates Lance Groh Leah Groh Lindsey Houghton Kaitlyn Lamontagne Alyssa Leveille Hannah Siegmund John Steglitz Kaylee Tackson Makayla Tackson Gracen van der Swaagh Lindsey Worster Avery Zanauskas Emily Angelo Channing Boss Caroline Gagnon Robert Gatzke Jack Merrill Mary Monaghan Ashley Morin Jonas Poirier Niamh Raftery Nima Sherpa Alex Stawiecki Isabella Vajcovec Molly Walsh Page 4 SCHOLAR LEADERS On Sunday, May 22nd, 2016, two 8th grade students, Jack Merrill and Molly Walsh received Scholar Leader Awards at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington, CT. The parents of each student as well as Mrs. Chahanovich, Mrs. Claprood, Mr. Bernier and Mr. Jewell were in attendance. Each student received a plaque signifying the honor and a photograph commemorating the event. The program was sponsored by the Connecticut Association of Schools. This program recognizes one boy and girl from each middle school in Connecticut who has distinguished herself/ himself in scholarship and leadership in school and in the community. Congratulations to both Jack and Molly for their outstanding dedication to both Thompson Middle School and to the Town of Thompson!! HIGH HONORS BREAKFAST On Thursday, June 2nd, 2016, a High Honors breakfast was served to those students that achieved High Honors all three quarters this school year. The students along with their family were served eggs, sausage, home fries, toast, juice, milk, and coffee. Each student was presented with an Academic Excellence pin and certificate. We are very proud of all of these students!! We hope to carry on this new tradition at TMS. A big THANK YOU to the TMS PTO for financing this event. Congratulations to the following students: Grade 5 Grade 6 Grade 7 Grade 8 Logan Gagnon Deidrea Hanshaw Benjamin McGarry Elizabeth Neff Alivia Dalpe Brooke Fettig Kylee Smith Anthony Vajcovec Makayla Tackson Nima Sherpa Alex Stawiecki Pa ge 5 INTERNATIONAL PAPER FOUNDATION GRANT Congratulations to Mrs. Groh, our TMS 6th grade teacher, and Mrs. Dean, a TMS special education teacher, who were awarded a $5000 grant from the International Paper Foundation. The grant will be used to purchase IPads and literacy software, which will directly benefit student learning. Kudos to Mrs. Groh and Mrs. Dean for taking time to research, write, and apply for the grant, and a big THANK YOU to the International Paper Foundation. Here's Mrs. Groh and Mrs. Dean with the check from International Paper. 7TH GRADE SCIENCE 7th grade science had a fabulous end of the year! We completed studying the human body, completed a lab about heart rate, had a dissection of a sheep heart, and studied Ecology, even playing a predator vs prey game! I am so happy to have had a great year with the 7th grade students and wish them the best of luck in 8th grade and beyond! Mrs. Langlois Page 6 ASSEMBLIES Bring Your 'A Game' to School scores A's of Success On Tuesday, May 31st, 2016, Thompson Middle School was invited by Tourtellotte Memorial High School to watch an inspirational and educational assembly showcasing some of the best BMX Ramp/Stunt show riders around. The students and staff had a great time!! Alliance - Forging the right friendships; run with the right crowd Attitude - Bring a positive mental attitude every day to family, friends, work and school Authentic - Never sell out; be your own person Ability - Maximize your ability to the fullest. Be well rounded Active - Keep fit; exercise, stay off the couch! Anti-Bullying - Treat others as you would like to be treated. Establish an environment of acceptance Achieve - Reaching your goals every day in life, school and family. TMS Students Learn About Social Media Safety On Friday, May 13th, 2016, TMS students lear ned about social media dur ing an assembly entitled Keeping Kids Safe. The program was run by Officer Paul Gebbia, a New York police officer, who is also our Athletic Director, Deb Spinelli’s, son-in-law. We had Officer Gebbia here in 2014. The reviews we received regarding the assembly were excellent. Officer Gebbia touched upon Internet Safety, Texting/Cell Phone Safety, Drug Awareness and Cyber Bullying. The presentation was captivating and the stories he told were engaging and memorable. He presented two 45 minute assemblies for our students. Thank you, Mrs. Spinelli for contacting Officer Gebbia. He was remarkable with our students!! On Thursday, June 2nd, 2016, the 8th grade students met with the TMHS Student Leadership Team in the Ryscavage Auditorium to listen to a panel discussion regarding what to expect at TMHS. The Student Leadership Team wants to help make the 8th graders transition run smoothly. The panel of students covered topics such as the importance of not procrastinating/time management, the importance of academic performance (no pass=no credit), taking high school seriously, getting involved, self-respect, respecting teachers, earning respect, expected behaviors, and others. Both the TMHS Student Leadership Team and the TMHS Leadership Team helped field questions and ensured that all topics were covered. A special thank you to all the students and faculty involved in the panel discussion. The 8th grade students found it to be extremely insightful. Page 7 6TH GRADE Mrs. Groh’s ELA classes ended the year with two Reader Theater productions. Periods A & B performed an adaption of the classic tale, The W hipping Boy. Students enjoyed taking on the roles of Prince Brat, Hold-Your-Nose Billy and Cutwater. Periods D & F performed their original productions of another classic, The Phantom Tollbooth. Periods D & F not only performed, but also wrote their own scripts. The Phantom Tollbooth is a great novel about our English language, that lets students explore and have fun learning about our language. Both classes did an amazing job reading their parts, projecting their voices, taking on the characters and including their audiences in their classroom performances. Make sure to ask your children to see their final rubrics. Students in Mrs. Groh’s 6th grade Enriched ELA classes wrapped up The Phantom Tollbooth novel with a beautiful mural that is hanging in the 6th grade hallway. The mural project challenged students to blend their personal ideas with group goals. The benefits of a collaborative mural include cooperation in both planning and completion of the mural. It was a great “hands-on” activity that they are very proud of. Ms. Monahan’s ELA classes read two very interesting novels to end the year. Periods B and D read Out of the Dust and learned that life was rough during the Dust Bowl. The students really enjoyed this book, even though at times the book made them sad. F and G periods read Tuck Everlasting and grappled with ideas of our own mortality and the prospects of eternal life. The discussions were fabulous! Both ELA classes also completed their last book reports of the year! These reports were the best yet, as they should be. Students worked hard to create interesting projects and well-written summaries. I thoroughly enjoyed teaching each and every child this year! I encourage you to require that they read this summer. This is the only way they will maintain their skills. Ten minutes of reading before bed will do a world of good! Science classes have been busy finishing up the year with a study on Earth’s Waters. The students had a fantastic guest presenter, Christine Armstrong, on Friday, June 3rd from Connecticut’s Last Green Valley. She explained our watershed to the students and demonstrated how our use of water and pollution can affect the entire watershed area using an interactive model. The students were very attentive and enjoyed the presentation greatly. We will end the year with our Lake Compounce field trip and a Water/Boating Safety presentation to be given by the Army Corp of Engineers of the West Thompson Lake. It has been my pleasure to teach your children this year and I hope they and you enjoy the summer. Math classes continue to work hard and finished STRONG this year!! We completed the year with a final project in which students worked in their pods to complete a group project, “Lance and Leah….Who mowed the greater portion of the lawn?” Students used their knowledge of: calculation of the area of various shapes, multiplication of decimals and cost analysis. We ended the year with statistics (analysis of data and application of the data to various graphs such as: Box & Whisker Plots and Histograms), as well as equations, volume and percent’s. What a fantastic year!! The academic progress and growth as a group was amazing. Thank you to students and parents for embracing CPM as I believe in this program and it greatly enhanced student learning this year! Enjoy the summer and come back safely next fall!!!!! Page 8 ART HAPPENINGS 5th Grade students will be creating “hero” portraits. These 3 students decided to choose a teacher that they admired. What a great tribute! 6th Grade students created a Medieval (faux) stained glass artwork using symbolism from the medieval times. How creative! 7th Grade students created silhouettes with a painted value scale (gradient) background. They chose athletes as their inspiration while exploring proportion. Awesome job! 8th Grade students created houses using 2 point perspective. We might have some future architects! Thanks for reading, Mrs. Venditti Email: bvenditti@thompsonpublicschools.org Page 9 MUSIC The TMS bands and choruses performed their final concerts of the year last week. The 5th and 6th grades had a concert on June 1st followed by the 7th and 8th grade concert on June 2nd. The students did a tremendous job and many parents commented on how much improvement the ensembles have made since our Winter Concert! The 5th grade band was the first group to perform and several students were featured as a solo. The musical selections showcased their new skills and increased musical independence. The final selection, "Beethoven's Ninth," featured the 'Ode to Joy' melody and was a student favorite. This piece was 42 measures long and offered many new challenges for our young musicians. You could see the pride on their faces when the song ended, knowing they played such a difficult song. The 6th grade band was not to be outdone and performed with precision and attention to detail. The first selection, "Procession of Heroes," was a majestic fanfare to honor those that gave their life fighting for our country. The students enjoyed the "Midnight Suite," which was three short songs played in succession. Our final number was "Rio Bravo" and introduced students to the sounds and rhythms of Latin music. The combined 5th and 6th grade chorus was the last group to perform and featured 48 students singing in two-part harmony. Their passion for music was evident right from the start of their opening selection "Casey Jones." Our final selection, "Let Music Live," showcased the talents of three 5th graders and three 6th graders, who sang a beautiful unison melody together. The 7th and 8th grade band started the concert on June 2nd with the toe-tapping "School Spirit March." The clarinet section, which is the largest section of the band with 10 members, was featured in an arrangement of "Jupiter" which was originally composed for the orchestra in 1914 by Gustav Holst. The ensemble concluded with "The Tempest," one of our most challenging pieces in years. The music was written to depict a storm at sea and was inspired by the Shakespearean play of the same name. The students had been working on this music since the middle of March and their hard work paid off at the concert! The 7th and 8th grade chorus sang with such a full and unified sound. The 39 member group has many talented students that were featured as a soloist or duet. Selections included "The Water is Wide," "Over the Rainbow," and "Battle of Jericho." The 7th grade chorus members were featured on the challenging rhythmic song "Lightning." The 8th grade chorus performed their first jazz style composition with "Route 66." For the closing number both grades combined to sing the Lady Antebellum song "I Was Here." The song's message of leaving your mark in this world by making positive changes and being yourself, was especially relevant for graduating 8th graders. The 139 young musicians that performed at these concerts did an incredible job and should be commended. Page 10 HEALTH Grade 6 Students completed their unit on Emotional, Social and Mental Health by creating amusement parks. The parks had rides, food booths and games that promoted self-esteem building, communication skills, decision making skills, cooperation and compromise. Grade 5 After months of learning about 6 of the body systems each student selected one organ. Students’ researched information about their organs, wrote a short report and created a model of their organ. Each student presented a report to the rest of their class about their organ. Grade 7 Students spent the last month lear ning about Safety and Accident Pr evention. Some of the safety issues addressed were social media, environmental hazards, weather emergencies, school safety and first aid. Grade 8 Students spent Apr il and May lear ning about Human Development and the Repr oductive System. We ended the year with a mini unit on Foods and Nutrition. Page 11 SPANISH Hard to believe the year is coming to a close already! I hope everyone is looking forward to las vacaciones del verano - I know I am! Remember to keep an ear out for Spanish all around you! I would love to hear all about it when you return in September! Fifth graders have been learning Spanish words for parts of the body. They are finishing up by learning how to say "I have a headache" or "my teeth hurt." Check out their self-portraits, labeled in Spanish! Grade 6 students are finishing their final projects of the year. They must demonstrate their writing and speaking ability in Spanish using the vocabulary we have learned in class. Students have their choice of writing a skit, picture book, or poem, and must also read their work aloud or perform their skit or puppet show to demonstrate their learning. Grade 7 and 8 students are wrapping up a unit on sports and hobbies. Their final assessment consists of a roleplay, in which they discuss their likes and dislikes, and make plans to do an activity together after school or on the weekend. So far they are doing a fantastic job! Hopefully they are just as impressed with their progress! Spanish 1-B students finished their unit on rooms, items, and chores in the home, and are enjoying the rest of the BBC series "Mi Vida Loca" - an interactive mystery that teaches useful Spanish vocabulary. We are all curious to see how the mystery ends! Congratulations to the eighth graders on their graduation. Hope everyone has a wonderful summer and I hope to see you all again in the fall. ~Sra. H Page 12 8th GRADE POETRY READING Students in Mrs. Domina’s English Language Arts class got together one afternoon to share their poetry with parents and faculty. After reading poems by famous poets and learning the many techniques that poets use to write poetry, the students wrote their own using Invented Forms of Poetry. Once I read the student’s poetry it was obvious that many eighth grade students have a knack for writing poetry. Below is one example of Colors poetry written by Alyssa Carosi. ~ Mrs. Domina Green It is the scent of soil just pressed with gentle afternoon rain. Mist sewing lace across tree lands, embroidered with dew drops that drip. Ever so slowly, to the ground below. It is the breath of wind across a summer field, carrying promises of tomorrow. Singing into your ear every memory of beauty and life and elegance. It is the subtle shift in a woman’s dress, the elusive curve of a knowing smile. Just before love comes unannounced, the delicate scent of pine on her skin. It is beautiful. It is potent. It is breakable. Page 13 FIELD TRIPS 8th Grade-Monday, June 6th– The 8th grade class attended a day of fun and sun at YMCA Camp Woodstock. In the morning and early afternoon sessions, the students were able to enjoy activities like archery, shooting BB guns, team building activities, basketball, volleyball, wiffle ball, and wall climbing. Before dinner, the lake was opened for swimming, kayaking, and canoeing, with activities wrapping up around 7:00. At the end of the day, there were a few cuts and scrapes, a handful of sunburns, but lots of fun, laughs, and memories. Those that were in attendance made it clear that they had a great time and wished that their classmates that stayed behind had chosen to attend. The trip was sponsored by the 8th Grade Project Graduation group. 5th Grade-Tuesday, June 7th-the 5th graders, teachers and parent chaperones went to Boston for their annual Boston Duck Tours field trip. A great time was had by all! 6th Grade-Wednesday, June 8th-the 6th graders, teachers and parent chaperones went to Bristol, CT for their annual Lake Compounce field trip. Everyone had an awesome time. 7th Grade-Thursday, June 9th-the 7th graders and teachers, along with parent chaperones, went to Roger Williams Zoo in Providence, RI. This was the first time for this field trip. On Wednesday, June 15th, the 8th graders and teacher s went to the Aubur n Bowling Lanes in Aubur n, MA for their end of the year field trip. It was a great day of bowling, arcade games, food, and friendship. Page 14 8TH GR. MOVING-UP CEREMONY CONGRATULATIONS TO THE EIGHTH GRADE CLASS OF 2016 The 8th Grade Moving-Up Ceremony was held on Tuesday, June 14th at 6 p.m. in the District Auditorium. The ceremony was filled with speeches, awards, and presentation of certificates. Following the ceremony, a reception, provided by the 8th Gr. Project Graduation committee, was held in the TMS gym. We would like to send our best wishes to all the students in their high school years and future endeavors. Pictures taken by Clarus Studios Page 15 SCHOOL NURSE Important information from the School Nurse: I recently mailed out reminder letters to parents of 6th grade students that still need a physical and/ or immunizations. A copy needs to be sent to the nurse’s office by email, mail or fax. These are mandated Ct State requirements that your child needs to have before he/she can enter 7th grade. No class schedules will be mailed until I receive a copy of the immunizations and physical form for this school year. Thank You for your co-operation. Middle School Nurse Ann Hougasian ahougasian@thompsonpublicschools.org 860-923-3574 Fax- 860-963-4874 FALL SPORTS REGISTRATION REGISTRATION STARTS JULY 1ST EVERY ATHLETE MUST REGISTER ONLINE FOR THE FALL SEASON Registration must be done prior to the MANDATORY Parent/Player Meeting. The High School meeting is on August 3rd at 7 p.m. in the High School Gym. The Middle School meeting is on August at 6 p.m. in the Middle School Gym. Page 16 OTHER EVENTS Field Days - Throughout the month of June, each grade participated in field day. A very special thank you to Mr. Caffelle and his entir e Unified Arts team for making this such an enjoyable exper ience for all of our students! DARE Graduation - 5th graders had their DARE graduation on Thursday, June 9th. Special thanks to Trooper Morales, the state DARE Officer for all the time he spent with our students! 4th Gr. Transition Assembly - This assembly was held on Monday, J une 13th. The 5th Gr ade teacher s had the opportunity to share with students and parents important information about our schedule, field trips, materials, etc. Mrs. Chahanovich-Principal, Mr. Prentiss-Assistant Principal, Mrs. Popovich-Guidance Counselor, Mrs. Hougasian-School Nurse, and PTO representatives were also in attendance. Tiger Pride Rally - The Rally was on held on Thursday, June 16th in the TMS gym for grades 5, 6 & 7. Awards were presented for Honor Roll, Outstanding Academic Achievement, Citizenship, Perfect Attendance, Scholar Athletes. Teachers also presented their own special awards. Mr. Caffelle, Mrs. Hemeon, Mr. Leclerc, Mrs. Palazzo-Gagnon, and Mrs. Venditti, our Unified Arts team, put together “Minute to Win It” games for the students to participate in. The games included Bean Bag Toss, Pedometer Crazy, Pencil Catch, Ping Pong Ball Bounce, Spoon Flip and Tower Build. Points were earned by each grade for each game. 5th and 6th grade for tied First Place. IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER 1ST DAY OF SCHOOL WEDNESDAY, AUG. 31ST. PARENT/PARENT MANDATORY FALL SPORTS MEETING WEDNESDAY, AUG. 31ST GYM 6 P.M. SPORTS PHYSICALS TMS NURSE’S OFFICE OPEN HOUSE THURSDAY, SEPT. 1ST THURSDAY, SEPT. 8TH GYM 6 P.M. Page 17 4TH QTR HONOR ROLL HIGH HONORS GRADE 8 Channing Boss Jack Merrill Nima Sherpa Alex Stawiecki GRADE 7 Carter Cooper Alexis Elkinson Lindsey Houghton Alyssa Leveille Makayla Tackson Gracen van der Swaagh Avery Zanauskas GRADE 6 Zeynep Acun Mason Barber Alysha Bugbee Jaycee Castano Alivia Dalpe Leah Demers Brooke Fettig Page 18 4TH QTR HONOR ROLL HIGH HONORS GRADE 6 CONT’D Katelyn Forcier Payton Keefe Deanna Laparle Katherine Poirier Zaria Pokropowicz Alyssa Rice Ysabella Rocca Brandon Seney Kylee Smith Jonathan Surowaniec Anthony Vajcovec Michaela Vandi Lauren Wajer GRADE 5 Emma Benoit Saydie Cooper Logan Gagnon Deidrea Hanshaw Benjamin McGarry Alexander Nachtigall Angela Newell Elena Polsky Matthew Siegmund Kendralynn Trottier Page 19 4TH QTR HONOR ROLL HONORS GRADE 8 Emily Angelo Jonathon Bickelhaupt Desiree Grochowski Mary Monaghan Ashley Morin Niamh Raftery Jesse Trottier Isabella Vajcovec GRADE 7 Kaylee Arpin Harley LaParle Dedrick Baublitz Hannah Siegmund Coady Bell John Steglitz Emily Carita Kaylee Tackson Cole Coderre Alfredo Tebo Brayden Cutler Connor Tellier Harley Dimock Matthew Weiss Lance Groh Lindsey Worster Leah Groh Madison Yost Kaitlyn Lamontagne Page 20 4TH QTR HONOR ROLL HONORS GRADE 6 Katalyna Adams Jonathan Ferraro Keiran Olwenik Brayden Akana Lillian Gould Lucas Perreault Aleisha Algarin Alexander Grauer Joseph Pezzano Josephine Annese Kaylin Griggs Michael Phav Ryan Barbour Kaylin Kochinskas Joseph Poplawski Owen Bell Ariel Kopas Jesse Ratliff Kyle Busha Cooper Levesque Aidan Russell Evan Collette Olivia Lubomirski Isabelle Shead Kyle Cournoyer Brianna Mead Hailey Stewart James DiNoia Michael Merrill Collin Weiss Kyle Dubois Mackenzie Minarik Shane Yurkevicius Sarah Duquette Kiera O’Brien GRADE 5 Mateo Alvarez Jordan Gonyer Taylor Annis Hailey Johnson Brooke Arpin Anahia Michaud Madison Beausoleil Taylor Morales Nicholas Blanchette Elizabeth Neff Daniel Boutin Logan Poirier Madelynn Copley Sophia Sezenias Giovanni Couture Tahlia Smith Javier DeJesus Alicia Tiffany Grant Deparasis Paige Veilleux-Catlin Lavendar Gaudette Page 21 4TH QTR HONOR ROLL ACADEMIC RECOGNITION GRADE 8 Savannah Burnham Nolan Lancaster Nico Collins Maya Lidonde Brieanna Fontaine Hannah Mason Caroline Gagnon Nick Skaradowski Louis Julian GRADE 7 Kaylee Beaudreau Garret Koziak Emma Carpenter Kerrigan LaCasse Michelle Dumphy Stephen Reding Benjamin Elliott Jack Smalarz Chase Fontaine Patrick Sturtevant Rae’anne Hazard Samantha Worster Paige Keefe Page 22 4TH QTR HONOR ROLL ACADEMIC RECOGNITION GRADE 6 David Britland Tyler Loftus Nolan Brown Paige Silva Angelina Carosi Nathan Surrette Alexia Charlwood Dyson Terrell Evan Contois Nicholas Walker Jillian Dutcher Zackary Ware Nizayah Hedge Damian Weber Justin Larochelle Emily White CameronL’Heureux GRADE 5 Kayla Botelho Hannah Leclaire Christopher Daly Heaven Lowell Gabriel Delage Nathan Marquette Jaden Dipasquale Skyler Martin Owen Gauthier Braden Meunier Shawn Gauthier Jonathan Poplawski Garrett Larsson Timothy Poulin Katlin Larsson Landen Reschke