6th GRADE NEWS - Mt. Carmel Middle School

Business Partners: Old National, SK Smith Electric, Three Rivers Credit Union, First Bank, First National Bank
Mt. Carmel Middle School
1520 Poplar Street
Mt. Carmel, IL 62863
618-262-5699
Steve Holt, Principal
sholt@wabash348.com
Jake Newkirk, Dean of Students
jnewkirk@wabash348.com
www.mcms.wabash348.com
Table of Contents
Principal’s Message
Dean of Students
Guidance & PBIS News
ACE of the Week
Student Leadership Council
6th Grade News
7th Grade News
8th Grade News
Encore News
Athletic Director News
Mark Your Calendar Dates
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Vol.15, No.9 May. 2015
News from the Desk of Mr. Holt
It is very difficult to believe this will be the final
issue of the MCMS newsletter for the school year.
This year has been a true blessing for me as I
continue to get to know all the students, staff,
parents/guardians, and community members. I
am very fortunate to work with a great
community. Even though I talk about the end of
the year, we all need to remember the year is not
over and to finish strong. There is still one month left and there is a lot
of learning to be accomplished. There are also fun events planned for
the end of the year.
PARCC Testing
The first round of PARCC testing, which is called the PBA
(Performance Based Assessment), went well for our middle school
students. The students seemed to work hard on problem solving through
the test and some students were so careful, they went up until the
maximum time. I would like to thank all of our students for their effort
on this test. The next round of testing, which is called the EOY (End of
Year) began this past week. This test is administered after
approximately 90 percent of instructional time is complete. For the
EOY, students will demonstrate their acquired skills and knowledge by
answering selected-response questions. The dates for the upcoming
EOY are listed below.
7th grade – April 27th, 28th
8th grade - May 4th, 5th
C Wing – May 6th, 7th
6th grade - May 11th, 12th
Staff Appreciation Week
During the week of May 4th – 8th, communities across the nation will be
honoring school staff. MCMS is very fortunate to have such a
wonderful staff who care deeply for the success of each child. They
work tireless hours to provide the best education possible. What many
people don’t realize is the amount of time teachers spend outside the
“teaching” time in preparing lessons, searching for best approaches,
assessing student work, contacting parents, and all the administrative
tasks placed upon them. I personally would like to say thank you to all
the exceptional staff at MCMS. During this week, please take the time
to thank at least one person who has touched the lives of your children.
Volume 15, Number 9 May 2015
page 2
MCMS Staff Not Returning
I am very sorry to report that MCMS has several staff who will not be returning to MCMS next year:
Brianne Foster, Jennifer Marvell, Aaron Crummley, Mandy Riggs, Donald Short, Amy Kingsbury, Lori
Kroll, and Michael Gordon. Each of these staff members pour their heart out for our MCMS students and
will be greatly missed. I wish each of them the best of luck in the future.
Final Dance of the Year
MCMS will hold the final dance of the year on Friday, May 8th from 6 – 8 p.m. This final dance will
be for current 6th and 7th grade students at MCMS and also 5th grade students at NICE. Please remember
school rules still apply and students are not to leave the dance early.
Breakfast / Lunch Program
As we start to wrap-up the school year, after May 15th our breakfast and lunch program will no longer
be allowing students to charge their meals on their accounts. Students just need to keep a positive balance
on their accounts to eat a regular breakfast/lunch. During this time, if students do not have money on their
account, they will be fed an alternate lunch.
Annual Awards Ceremony
MCMS will hold the annual awards ceremony on the student’s last day of school, Friday, May 29th at
8:30 a.m. Parents, family members, and community members are all invited to see the great
accomplishments our students have achieved throughout the year.
NO Report Card Pick-Up
In the past, we have had our annual report card pick-up the day after the student’s last day of school.
Due to a new state law, the student’s last day of school will also be the teacher’s last day of school and we
will not be distributing report cards in the same way. Instead, the report cards will be distributed to
students on the last day of school. Please contact the office to pay any unpaid fees prior to this date to
ensure you receive the report card on time. If not, parents will need to come into the school office to pay
their fee prior to picking-up the report card.
As always, I wish our 8th grade students the best of luck at the high school next year and looking
forward to seeing the 6th and 7th graders in the fall. Have a wonderful and restful summer.
Mr. Holt, MCMS Principal
MR. NEWKIRK, DEAN OF STUDENTS
We are now down to the final 20 (or so) days of school for 2014-2015. Over
these final days of school, there will be many events taking place at MCMS for
students, faculty/staff, and the community. I encourage all of you to take
advantage of as many of these events as possible, as we have a tremendous group
of young people and faculty/staff members showcasing their many talents.
To wrap up this final article of the 2014-2015 school year, I would like to wish all
of our 8th grade students much luck and success in their high school endeavors at
MCHS. For the rest of our students here at MCMS, enjoy your summer break and
get ready to come back to work at MCMS. If anyone from the school community
has any questions, comments, or concerns, please feel free to stop in the office and talk with me
throughout the month of June. Have a great summer.
Mr. Jake Newkirk
Dean of Students
Volume 15, Number 9 May 2015
page 3
GUIDANCE & PBIS:
MCMS continues to have success in decreasing office discipline reports
(ODR’s) for bullying, disrespect, and physical aggression. Below is a graph
comparing ODR’s from last year to this year. Students were challenged as a
grade to receive the least ODR’s for bullying, disrespect, and physical
aggression. The grade that received the least number of ODR’s won food at the
3rd Quarter PBIS Celebration. The winning grade was 8th grade.
3rd Quarter – ODR Challenge 2014-2015
6
Office Discipline Reports 5
5
4
4
3
2014
2015
2
2
1
1
1
0
0
6th
Laura Taylor, LCSW
School Social Worker
7th
8th
Volume 15, Number 9 May 2015
page 4
ACE of the WEEK
Mt. Carmel Middle School is excited to announce that the following students have been nominated to
be the "ACE of the WEEK". A student can earn this honor by either exhibiting academic achievement or
one of the PBIS “ACES” deal matrix principles (Be Accountable, Be Considerate, Be Exceptional, and Be
Successful).
From left are: Teagan Guard, Elliott Laws,
Zach Hocking, and Joseph Robertson.
From left are: Lucas Cross, Adam
Stoneberger, Danelle Eckiss, and Dakota
DeLong.
From left are: Blake Kight, Katie
Halbig, Abbey Dardeen, and Jessi Kegg.
From left are: Shivani Hijari, Brooklyn
Peek, Jack Marvell, Allison Richardson.
Volume 15, Number 9 May 2015
page 5
STUDENT LEADERSHIP COUNCIL (SLC)
As the school year winds down, SLC is busy with many
different activities. During the week of May 4th, SLC
will help acknowledge the great teachers and staff here at
MCMS by providing them with a carry-in lunch on May
8th. We will also be having a raffle with many awesome
prizes to be won. The End of the Year Dance will be on
May 8th from 6-8 p.m. This dance is for MCMS 6th and
7th graders and 5th graders from NICE are invited over for
their first middle school dance. SLC will be sponsoring a
CANNED FOOD ONLY drive from May 11-May 22nd.
All cans collected will be donated to Wabash County
Relay for Life to be used to hold up their luminaries. All students in 5th through 7th grade interested in
Student Leadership Council for next year will have the opportunity to apply around the middle of May.
Students should listen to announcements for more information. SLC will be heading to Holiday World to
celebrate another successful year on May 21st.
6th GRADE
As we wind down to the final weeks of school,
please encourage your child to continue to work hard,
complete their homework, and read, read, read.
Remember, the AR points will be due on May 26th. If
your child has not completed these points, please make
sure that they are reading at least 30 minutes EVERY
night. The month of May will see the literature students
continuing with the stories in the textbook and
independent reading tests. We will discuss
autobiographical literature, nonfiction articles, and dramas.
It has been a pleasure working with your student this year. You can help your student avoid the
“summer slide” by signing them up for the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge at www.scholastic.com.
This site provides summer reading tips, book ideas, and activities to keep your student reading all summer.
Have a great summer!
Sixth grade English classes are finishing lessons in writing including many new skills. The last weeks
will be spent with some cooperative group class work. We’ve had a great year! Thanks again for all your
hard work and support. Finish strong sixth graders!
In May, the social studies classes will be taking a look at three revolutions: the American, the French,
and the Industrial Revolution. Then, as the school year comes to a close, we will discuss the two world
wars that shaped the modern world in which we live.
Math: The checkered flag will be waving over this school year soon, but we will stay full throttle until
the finish line. Despite fears involving the word “algebra”, most students have enjoyed learning how to
solve equations and figure out what the “x” equals. We will finish the year out by collecting and graphing
data, as well as an activity involving GPS units. I want to thank the students this year for great
mathematical improvements. From the beginning of the year to the end, the class increased their math
abilities by over an entire grade level in only 9 months. That’s enough for a celebration in victory lane!
Science As we wrap up the school year, we will continue with Earth science topics. We will begin
May by taking a trip through geological time. Students will learn about fossils and the geologic time scale.
We have some fun projects planned for the end of the year.
Volume 15, Number 9 May 2015
page 6
7th GRADE
Literature – May will find us starting our
autobiography unit. You will see their completed
project come home the week of the 18th. I hope you
enjoy them as much as I do. What cuties they were!
We will finish up the year with a mystery unit in class
and AR. Please encourage your child to get their points
done before the deadline – it is so nice to have them out
of the way early! Thanks for a great year! I have
really enjoyed all of the children!
In our final month of 7th grade math, we will do a combination of working in the textbook and doing
some work with life skills such as writing checks. It has been a pleasure working with all of the 7th grade
students this year. I wish them all success in their future math classes and in all they do. Have a great
summer!
English: It is hard to believe that we are down to our last month of school. I hope that we can stay
focused and finish strong for the year. Now that we have finished our PARCC tests, we will begin
working our way through our last writing section in the book which will cover creative writing The
students will put together a short story to share with the class. Look for more details in the next week.
Wow, the school year is winding down. In May, science students will end the year doing a variety of
physical science activities and labs. They will also research a scientist and what that scientist does. Thank
you for sharing your student with me. We have had lots of laughs and hopefully some science and
thinking skills updated this school year. Happy summer!
8th GRADE
The tickets and t-shirts are ordered and the eighth
grade students are eagerly awaiting the end-of-the-year
Holiday World reward trip. The trip is Tuesday, May
26th. We will be leaving the school approximately 8:15
a.m. and will return to the school at approximately 5:30
p.m.
In literature, the students are well into the final novel
of the year, Night. It’s the true story of Elie Weisel’s
experiences during the Nazi invasion of his country and
his subsequent imprisonment in various concentration
camps during WWII. He was about the age of our eighth grade students when this happened. Mr. Weisel
is still alive and making the rounds of the lecture circuits.
Eighth grade English students recently finished a creative writing unit and will start the biography
projects. They will research the many interesting people in their lives and how these people have been
successful. The project will involve interviewing, online research, and an oral presentation. We will wrap
up the school year with a few more writing projects and grammar assignments that should be fun and
challenging.
In science, to finish out the year, we will do some genetics activities that are always a big hit –
identifying personal inherited traits and creating a picture of a child based on the traits inherited
determined by the flip of a coin.
8th grade math students are still working hard to finish the year strong. Students will have an
assignment every day. Please, make sure that your child is completing it to ensure good grades. All
students need to learn how to be successful in high school math classes, including coming to class
prepared and completing their homework on time.
Volume 15, Number 9 May 2015
page 7
In social studies, the eighth graders will be finishing up the World War II unit and then The Cold War
Era. Students will finish the school year learning about the Civil Rights Movement.
ENCORE
MUSIC & CHOIR – Mr. Rockford
Music class is nearing the end of the semester and
well into their drumming unit. The classes are learning
20th century classical music and going to get into jazz
before the end of the year.
The Band and Choir will be presenting their annual
Spring Concert on May 7th at 7 p.m. Please come out
and support these kids as they have been working very
hard to prepare. It will be a fun night of music!
BAND & MUSIC – Mr. Short
The 7th and 8th grade music classes are still studying music in the Romantic Era. The 6th grade music
class is studying music in the 1980s and 1990s. If you have any questions or comments for me, please feel
free to contact me at the middle school.
ART
The annual student art exhibit will be on display during the Spring Concert on May 7th in the MCMS
Cafetorium. The star projects from 6th and 8th grade will be on display before, during, and after the
concert. If you are not planning to attend the concert, but would like to see the students' art projects, the
display will be open to the public on May 7th during the time of the concert and you are encouraged to
drop by and see the student projects on display.
TECHNOLOGY SKILLS
Tech Skills for second semester is coming to an end. The 8th graders are finishing strong with their
company presentations and commercials. They will also learn how to create blogs and will be introduced
to photo editing. The 7th graders just completed career research and presentations and will also learn how
to create a blog. The 6th graders are finishing up the semester with presentations as well.
This semester we have also been discussing internet safety and cyberbullying. A 7th grade student,
Brett Carwile, had this to say about the issue.
“Cyberbullying can ruin your life! It not only can ruin the victim’s lives, but also ruin the bully’s
lives. In modern times, most kids spend a majority of their time doing online activities, which means
bullying is very likely to occur. In addition to this, by bullying online the bully doesn’t have to face the
person being victimized. Another possible reason that bullying is done online is that the bully won’t have
to deal with the person until the next day at school. Many people think that if they bully online, no one
would know that it even happened. (They may think if they did it in person there may be witnesses.)
However, nothing is ever truly private online. Screenshots could be taken of the conversation or your
records could be searched for evidence. (Remember, just because you delete a conversation, doesn’t mean
it is gone.)
There is no true way to cover up the damage you’ve done, so it is best to not cyberbully at all.
The victim to the bullying could be greatly affected by a few simple words being typed. The effects
may vary based on how harsh the bullying was. The victim’s feelings could be hurt and could be made
fun of by peers for how they react to the bullying. Or, if an adult is not told about the situation, and it gets
Volume 15, Number 9 May 2015
page 8
too bad with no help to the victim, the effects could be as bad as suicide. So even if you are dealing with
the slightest bit of cyberbullying, tell an adult immediately! By telling an adult, you will be helping
yourself, and the bully. The bully may realize their mistake and you will have prevented things from
getting too bad!
Save everyone some time, and stay away from cyberbullying and never cyberbully. Cyberbullying is
like abusing the internet, as this was never what the internet was intended for. The internet provides
thousands of resources at our finger tips, which we may not be able to keep if this continues to go on. So
don’t ruin something good, stop cyberbullying now!
ATHLETIC DIRECTOR, JAKE NEWKIRK
Our sports seasons have come to a close, so I am going to highlight some important information going
forward. Girls & boys planning on trying out/playing basketball next year have begun spring workouts
and are being informed about the summer schedule. If your child is interested, but is not a part of this
group, it is not too late to get involved. Attending the spring workouts is not necessary to be selected for
the team, but it helps to develop one’s skills in advance of tryouts. Be sure to get a hold of me if you have
any questions regarding that. Next, students going in to 7th or 8th grade will need to have a physical on file
in the office to participate in Cheerleading, Basketball, Volleyball, or Track during the 2015-2016 school
year. These physicals expire after 390 days, so a participant will need to get a new physical for the 20152016 sport season(s) in which they participate. I highly recommend for parents to begin scheduling this
appointment for some time in June or July. If your student will be participating in JFL this fall, I would
also request the physical be brought in to the school office so we can make a copy. It would make it
significantly easier on you, the JFL program, and me, if a copy were already on file in the MCMS office.
You may stop in the school office during the month of June or August to drop this off. Physicals may also
be turned in at Central Registration.
Mr. Jake Newkirk
Director of Athletics
Volume 15, Number 9 May 2015
page 9
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
Date
Event
5/4-8
5/4-5
5/6-7
5/7
5/8
5/9
5/11-12
5/21
5/25
5/26
5/28
5/29
5/29
5/29
Staff Appreciation Week
EOY PARCC Testing – 8th Grade
EOY PARCC Testing – C-Wing
MCMS Spring Music Concert
End of Year Dance (NICE 5th, MCMS 6th & MCMS 7th Grades)
State Track Meet @ Carterville
EOY PARCC Testing – 6th Grade
SLC Holiday World Trip
No School – Memorial Day
8th Grade Holiday World Trip
MCMS Talent Show
MCMS Annual Awards Ceremony
End of the Year Celebration
Last Day of School (Dismiss at 1:15 p.m.)
8/4
Central Registration @ MCMS
8/11
8/13
MCMS Meet & Greet
First day of school for students
Time
7:00 p.m.
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
8:30 a.m.
9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. &
3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
5:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
MCMS SPRING CONCERT
Thursday, May 7th, 2015
7:00 p.m.
MCMS Gymnasium
All are welcome to attend!
END of the YEAR STUDENT ART EXHIBIT:
Thursday, May 7th 6:15 p.m. – 8:15 p.m. before and
after the Spring Music Concert @ 7:00 p.m.
MAY 2015 MCMS BREAKFAST MENU
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
4
5
6
7
8
Cereal
Toast
Juice
Apple
Pancakes
w/ syrup
Sausage
Juice
Mandarin oranges
Cereal
Toast
Juice
Pears
Breakfast Pizza
Juice
Banana
Cereal
Toast
Juice
Mixed fruit
11
12
13
14
15
Cereal
Toast
Juice
Banana
Biscuit w/gravy
Sausage
Juice
Apple
Cereal
Toast
Juice
Pineapple chunks
French toast
Juice
Apple
Cereal
Toast
Juice
18
19
20
21
22
Cereal
Toast
Juice
Pigglestix w/ syrup
Juice
Pineapple chunks
Cereal
Toast
Juice
Grapes
Breakfast pizza
Juice
Apple
Cereal
Toast
Juice
Pears
25
26
27
28
29
No school
Pancakes w/ syrup
Sausage
Juice
Apple
Cereal
Toast
Juice
Mixed fruit
Manager’s Choice
Manager’s Choice
Memorial Day
Choice of No-Fat or Low-Fat Milk Served Daily
ALL PUBLISHED MENUS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
HAVE A GREAT
SUMMER!!!
In compliance with federal law and the US Dept. of
Agriculture (USDA) policy, this institution is prohibited
from discrimination on the basis of race, color, national
origin, sex, age, or disability.
MAY 2015 MCMS LUNCH MENU
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
4
5
6
7
8
Hot dog or Coney on bun
Onion rings
Cooked carrots
Peaches / Pineapple
Spaghetti
Green beans
Celery sticks
Breadstick
Mandarin oranges
Brd. Chicken nuggets
Whipped potatoes
Pinto beans
Biscuit
Applesauce
Pizza choice
Spinach salad
Cucumber slices
Apple/ Orange
Hamburger or Fish on
wg bun
Oven fries
Baby carrots
Grapes / Juice
11
12
13
14
15
BBQ Ribbette or
Shredded BBQ pork on
bun
Onion Rings
Baked beans
Banana
WG Corn Dog
Romaine / Tomato
Carrot sticks
Fruit cocktail or Juice
Soft shell Taco or
Chicken fajita
Lettuce / Cheese
Tri-tater
Salsa cup
Pears
Pizza choice
Corn
Green pepper strips
Cookie choice
Orange / Juice
Ham & cheese on bun
Tater tots
Celery sticks
Apple / Juice
18
19
20
21
22
Sloppy Joe on wg bun
Cooked carrots
Cucumber slices
Peaches/ Pears
Brd. Chicken patty
on wg bun
Onion rings
Carrot sticks
Apple / Juice
Soft shell Taco or
Chicken fajita
Lettuce / cheese
Refried beans
Tri-tater
Grapes / Juice
BBQ Ribbette on wg bun
Tater tots
Baked beans
Pineapple chunks
Hamburger or fish
on wg bun
Oven fries
Celery sticks
Orange
25
26
27
28
29
No school
Brd. Chicken nuggets
Tater tots
Carrot sticks
Juice Cup
Pizza choice
Romaine / Tomato
Celery sticks
Apple / Orange
Manager’s Choice
Manager’s Choice
Memorial Day
Choice of No-Fat or Low-Fat Milk Served Daily
ALL PUBLISHED MENUS ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
HAVE A GREAT
SUMMER!!!
In compliance with federal law and the US Dept. of
Agriculture (USDA) policy, this institution is prohibited
from discrimination on the basis of race, color, national
origin, sex, age, or disability.