cms twister news
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cms twister news
CMS TWISTER NEWS April 2012 CENTRAL MIDDLE SCHOOL Letter From The Principal on page 2 April Important Dates to Remember Inside this issue: Note from The Principal 2 Studying Tips 3 Spanish Late Work Policy Change/Math Challenge 4 6th Grade News 5 7th Grade News 6 8th Grade News 7 Students of the Month 8 Encore News—P.E. , Art & Band News 9 Nurse’s Notes 10 Media Center News 11 Media Center News 12 This Month’s Clubs 13 Lunch Menu 14 3– Operation Lifesaver for 7th grade students @CMS Café @ 8am 4- SWIC Mathletes @ Prairie View, 4:00 pm 6- No School 9- No School 11- 5th to 6th Grade Orientation – Main Gym, 7:15 to 8:45 pm (Doors Open @ 6:45 pm) 13- Graduation Fees Due 13- End of 4th Quint 13- 7th & 8th Grade Shakespeare Play, 11:00 am 16- SWIC Choral Festival – Conrady, 4-8pm 17- SWIC Choral Festival Concert– Conrady, 6:30 pm 17- District Math Challenge Awards Night – Café, 6:30 pm 18- Band Parent Meeting, 7pm 18- SWIC Declamation @ Orland Junior High, 6:00 pm 18- P.A.C.T. Meeting, 1:15 to 2:45 pm in B50 18- 4th Grade Concert @ CMS, 9:30 -10:15 am 19- District Young Author Recognition Night, 6:30 pm 20– 4.0 Breakfast for Students who maintained 4.0 all 3 quarters 21- Symphonic Band ISU Competition, Noon to 10:00 pm 24- SWIC Band @ Conrady, 4:00 – 8:00 pm 25- SWIC Band @ Conrady, 5:00 – 8:00 pm 25- Track Meet @ Tinley Park High School, 4:00 pm 26- CMS Musical in Café School Performance, 8:10 to 9:30 am 26- CMS Musical in Café, 6:30 pm 27- CMS Musical in Café, 6:30 pm CMS TWISTER NEWS Page 2 Note from the Principal Transitions – It is Happening Again! As adults, we all know about the transitions that occur as we move through life. Growing and developing from childhood into adulthood we go through a wide range of transitions, in school and socially. We go through transitions in our jobs and in our family life. Transitions occur all the time, with or without our knowledge, or even our awareness, as they become just a part of life’s everyday occurrences. Through all of these transitions we grow and our individuality becomes more refined. Schools, as well, experience periods of transition. In fact, it sometimes seems like schools are all about transitions, constant change and movement. Normally we talk in terms of student transitions, eighth graders transitioning to high school, elementary students’ transitioning to middle school. Our students go through transitions during the day, moving from class period to class period during a 9 period school day. We all know that middle school students are developmentally and socially transitioning at this stage of their life. (Sometimes it feels like those transitions can occur in just minutes or even seconds!) Our entrance into the 4th quarter means that we are quickly approaching the end of the current school year. Work is underway to prepare for the transition from this to the next year. The Co-Principal job share that has been in place with Mr. Gardner and Mr. Work will end and Central Middle School will go through a leadership transition. Mr. Randy Fortin was appointed by the Board of Education, at the February meeting, to become the next Principal at Central Middle School. Mr. Fortin comes with administrative experience in Bradley, Illinois, as well as in Manteno. He will assume his duties beginning on July 1st, for the 2012-2013 school year and beyond. While Mr. Fortin is under contract, and will complete the current school year at Bradley Central Middle School, he has already been to Tinley Park to meet the faculty and staff at CMS. In the coming months he will have additional opportunities to come to Central to interact with staff and community, learning as much as he can about Tinley Park, before he officially takes the reins in July. He is enthusiastic about his new position as the next leader of Central and is eager to get to work. Your current Co-Principals, Mr. Gardner and Mr. Work, will complete the current school year, finishing their official duties in mid-June. Both of us have enjoyed our time at Central, having the opportunity to work with a dedicated and hard working staff, student body, and community. The next two months will find us continuing to provide leadership to assure that Central is a high quality learning environment for students, while working with Mr. Donovan and Mrs. Vandewiel to assist Mr. Fortin in his transition for the next school year. Speaking of transitions, Mr. Gardner and Mr. Work are looking forward to transitioning back to their prior retirement roles. Hopefully, we will be playing a little more golf, spending a little more time with our expanding families, traveling a bit more, and yes, probably staying professionally active, but in different roles than our current Co-Principal role. Sincerely, David Work Robert Gardner CMS TWISTER NEWS Page 3 Did You Study???? “Did you study?” We have all heard this question and most of us have probably asked it (especially teachers). We all know studying is important, but what exactly does it mean to study? What does it look like; what are you supposed to do? Studying is a skill that must be learned like any other. Strangely, this is one thing that you will not find taught in most schools or homes yet we assume our students know what to do. So where do you begin? Before anything else, I would recommend doing an online search for “multiple intelligences” and taking a test to find out how you learn best. Everyone has specific learning strengths that can be utilized to maximize your efforts while studying. In its most basic form, it divides learners into visual learners, auditory learners, and kinesthetic learners. The key to studying is to know your strongest learning style. If you are an auditory learner, having someone read through the notes with you or even having someone listen to you while you talk about the material will help you remember a lot more than just reading it quietly. If you are a visual learner, pictures, flash-cards and even simply highlighting your notes will improve your understanding and memory. Kinesthetic learners need to move. This can be accomplished by creating hand motions for vocabulary words, or cutting apart an outline of the notes and putting it back together like a puzzle. These are just a few examples of course; there are many more suggestions online and you can even make up your own. The key is to know your learning strengths and use them to your advantage! Like any skill, studying is something that you need to work at to get better. However, once you’re good at studying, the grades come easy. -Mr. Decker CMS TWISTER NEWS Page 4 SPANISH LATE WORK POLICY CHANGE A letter was sent home with your child to explain the new procedure for turning in and receiving credit for late work. The grading scale will stay the same. If an assignment is late it will be 50% off if it is just turned in. If a student stays and works with the teacher on the assignment, the student can earn up to 75%. In addition to keeping the late work policy, we are going to add an additional piece to help the students become more responsible and accountable as they make the transition to high school. A paper, like the one that was sent home, is what the students will have to fill out and staple to the late work in order for the work to be graded. Any work turned in without the sheet completely filled out (including parent signature) will not be graded and will be given back to the student. If you have any questions regarding the change in the policy, please feel free to contact your child’s Spanish teacher. Thank you, Señora Ludke-Burica Señora Smyth Señorita Vaccaro DISTRICT 146 MATH CHALLENGE The District 146 Math Challenge took place on March 22 nd. Central sent 48 students to compete. Sixteen students (plus two alternates) were selected from each grade level to compete in three areas: Mental Math, Computation, and Team Problem Solving. The winners will be announced on Tuesday, April 17 th at the district awards night at Central. The top two students overall in each grade will advance to the South Cook Math Bowl at Prairie State College in early May, where they will compete against mathletes from other schools in the area. Congratulations to all on a job well done! 6th grade: Nada Al-Khattab, Danielle Barry, Erica Blakely, Kasey Brennan, Chardelle Derogene, Michael Levato, Madison Lockwood, Alex Lunak, Brianna Mitchell, Stephanie Palmer, Lovel Patel, Nathan Soyk, Steven Stronach, Janie Ton, Dominic Ursetto, Joel Zackavec, Alternates: Cory Breault 7th grade: Eric Brenner, Austin Franczak, Cole Hickey, Madeleine Kienzle, Stephani Kirby, Joe Mehalek, Kenny Melody, Sarah Mullan, David Pleta, Abbey Ragan, Jack Ruane, Ryan Sadowski, Dominique Sedorook, Jimmy Simanis, Casey Weisfuss, Abby Zathalik, Alternates: Nathaniel Vladic, AJ Murphy 8th grade: Michael Brueggemann, Andrew Delorme, Sara Izguerra, Sam Klinckman, Trevor Koepke, Alex Kusper, Michael Leyden, Ella Lindokken, Karl Lippner, Dan McCullough, Michael Melody, Maddie Murphy, Alex Quatrini, Jimmy Richmond, Donald Riddle, Brandon Williams, Alternates: Amber Holup, Mary Kate Donegan CMS TWISTER NEWS Page 5 out the school year. During this month, 6th Grade News LANGUAGE ARTS In April, we will be continuing with literature circles. Students are required to complete their assigned reading and job on-time in order to participate with their small discussion group. These groups allow for collaborative work and conversations to facilitate better comprehension of a selected novel. At the conclusion of our literature circles, students will be completing a writing assignment that will assess their understanding of their book. Additionally, we are excited to announce we will be participating in the 6th grade interdisciplinary Olympics Unit. Our focus in language arts classrooms will be on the “Events of the Olympics.” Students will be researching an Olympic event, taking notes, and creating a culminating project. To end the month, we will be starting our drama unit by reading “The Phantom Tollbooth,” which is a wonderful fantasy play that will be read-a-loud in parts as a class. ACCELERATED LANGUAGE ARTS The students will also be participating in the Olympic Unit with all of the 6th graders. As April ends, we will focus on word play with the reading of “The Phantom Tollbooth,” Acts I and II, in the drama unit. Word Play can include homophones, puns, and idiomatic expressions. The author utilizes these types throughout the play incorporating them into settings, characters, and situations. Students will discuss these types of word play to discuss and emphasize the cleverness of the author’s writing. In addition, students will be writing diary entries each day as if they were the main character, Milo. READING Reading will continue to focus on the seven comprehension strategies that have been taught and practiced through- students will continue their independent reading at home and at school. Many students may choose to use reading class to read their literature circle books; however, some are continuing to explore various genres and titles that interest them. Being this is the final quarter of the school year, it is important to stress the importance of inde- SOCIAL STUDIES We are finishing our study of ancient Greece by learning about the origins of the Olympic Games. We will also discuss some of the historically significant events that have occurred over the years at the Olympics. There will be a culminating activity in which the students will be competing in our own sixth grade Olympics. pendent reading to practice fluency and With the start of fourth quarter, we will reading strategies. Reading logs are begin learning about ancient Rome. The required throughout the end of the students will study about the geography school year. One change to the usual of Rome and discover two different theo- reading requirements is that only one ries of how it began. There will be a unit project will be required this quarter. on the Roman Republic. We will be learn- Students will complete a power point ing about the characteristics of the Ro- presentation for the class that high- man Republic and how they changed over lights the important themes and events time. of the story. Closing the quarter, students will present their PowerPoint to the class, with the goal of motivating their peers to choose the best summer reading book. MATH & ACCELERATED MATH Upon returning from spring break, all sixth grade math students will begin an Olympics unit that will get them exploring probability. This unit will last approximately two weeks and will include the concepts of chance, equally likely, experimental probability, and theoretical probability. Be on the look- out for details about our Rome project that we will be starting at the end of April. SCIENCE The Sixth Grade Science Teachers would like to welcome everyone back from Spring Break! Hope you are all rested and geared up for our last quarter of the school year! During the first two weeks of April, all sixth grade students will be participating in an interdisciplinary Olympics Unit. Our focus in science classrooms will be on the “Science of the Olympics.” NBC Sports has teamed up with the Na- After completing the Olympic unit, students will get into geometry. They will begin working in the book, Covering and Surrounding, which will investigate area, perimeter, and circumference. tional Science Foundation (NSF) to pro- Accelerated math students will begin their first seventh grade book, Accentuate the Negative. They will work on adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing integers. The unit concludes with more practice using the order of operations. nect science concepts to the Olympic Please remember to take some time to replenish pencils, paper, and any other school supplies that may be scarce. vide a basis for our unit – a series of video clips, exploring the science behind individual Olympic events. Students will also be participating in lab simulations that conevents investigated. After completing the Olympics unit, we will continue our study of the characteristics of light. Students will investigate light spreading out as it travels, the formation of shadows, and models of light (particle and wave). CMS TWISTER NEWS Page 6 7th Grade News LANGUAGE ARTS Students recently finished a Twilight Zone teleplay entitled Monsters on Maple Street. The strategy focus was prediction and DRTA. Our next unit will be Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew. Elizabethan times, dramatic readings, and thematic vocabulary will all be included in students’ “Playbill”, their activity book for this unit. “Playbills” will be collected at the end of each class period, but will come home with the students in preparation for the test tentatively scheduled for April 17th. As always, continue to encourage your child to read every night. ADVANCED LANGUAGE ARTS Students finished an essay test on Monsters on Maple Street, a Twilight Zone teleplay. Our study of drama continues as we begin our Shakespeare unit. The Taming of the Shrew is the perfect opportunity to address Shakespearean language and explore how those themes apply to today’s society. Remind your child to read often over Spring Break. MATH If you get a coupon from the department store for 30% off your purchase, and you want a pair of $45 jeans, how much will you pay for the jeans if you use the coupon? Students in 7 th grade math are answering these types of questions and learning to apply their knowledge of percents to many types of situations. Math students will perfect their knowledge of percents as they investigate methods of gathering, representing and analyzing data to make decisions and predictions about real situations. PRE-ALGEBRA The pre-algebra classes will explore the use of data gathering and representation to answer questions about issues in all aspects of life. They will further their knowledge of equations of lines as they investigate how data can be interpreted through scatter plots and trend lines. Pre-algebra students will then investigate algebraic concepts in depth as they experiment, record results, chart and graph data and write equations that can be used to predict outcomes of further experiments. SCIENCE 7th grade science students are now into our Force and Motion Unit! We started off our Physics unit by performing multiple activities measuring speed. Students had to use their mathematical skills to calculate the distance, speed, and time of certain moving objects. Our unit will continue with interpreting motion graphs and then will branch off into Newton’s Laws. Towards the end of the unit, students will be using their knowledge to demonstrate energy transformations that occur within roller coasters! SOCIAL STUDIES We hope that everyone had a restful and rejuvenating Spring Break and that all of our 7th graders are ready to finish out the remainder of the year. Before break our students were hard at work learning the trials and tribulations of slavery and why our nation eventually engaged in the Civil War. Upon our return we will discuss the realities of that conflict as well as take part in our own reenactment of the Battle of Gettysburg. In the past, the students have really enjoyed putting their acting skills to the test in this simulation. SPANISH Students have been learning about the process of conjugation. Their studies include the types of verbs that exist in Spanish, why verbs must be conjugated, the way in which verbs are conjugated, and how to use and recognize conjugated verbs in sentences. Ask your student to teach you how to conjugate the verb estudiar = to study. CMS TWISTER NEWS Page 7 8th Grade News ACCELERATED LANGUAGE ARTS MATH SOCIAL STUDIES Over the last few weeks, students finished activities related to the novel they were reading in their book groups. Students created fantastic book trailers they shared in class. They also participated in a fish bowl discussion which required each group to discuss their novel with their classmates listening in. To finish up third quarter, students researched famous artists and a piece of art about which to write poetry. Students used art as their inspiration to write creatively. Writing poetry stresses the importance of figurative language and literary devices in expressing ideas. Moving into the fourth quarter, students will study Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew in preparation for the production here at Central on April 13th. Students will be working with the Pythagorean theorem. Students will build on their knowledge of operations with fractions and with integers in order to compute with rational numbers. They will also explore square roots and irrational numbers. To start the fourth quarter, eighth grade social studies will be looking at the fifties and sixties. They will explore key concepts such as why the 1950’s were remembered as an age of affluence. How did some Americans rebel against conformity? Lastly, they will explore what the proper role of government is in shaping American society. Students will be expected to turn in their Cold War Research Paper April 13th. ALGEBRA In Algebra, students will be exploring radical expressions and how to simplify radicals without converting them to decimals. They will also be solving equations involving radicals. Students need to continue to bring a calculator to class daily, and are expected to complete homework at least four days a week. SCIENCE LANGUAGE ARTS Students are preparing to read William Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew. Studying Shakespeare’s comedy will help prepare them for high school and college, as well as the upcoming performance of Taming of the Shrew here at Central Middle School. On April 13th, the Chicago Shakespeare Repertory Company will be here to perform for all 7th and 8th graders. We hope students enjoy this production and acquire a deeper appreciation for this classic text. During April students will be learning about Genetics and Heredity. Students will learn that traits can be inherited, environmentally acquired, or created by a combination of hereditary and environmental factors. We will be working on labs that will help students predict and quantify results. There will be an upcoming project on genetic disorders. SPANISH 8th grade Spanish students have been learning how to talk about their rooms. They are now able to describe how neat and organized they are!! (ja ja ja) They can also compare their rooms to their friends’ rooms. We will be learning about the rest of the house as we begin 4th quarter…“Mi casa es su casa”. CMS TWISTER NEWS Page 8 Students of the Month 6 BLUE 6 SILVER Matthew Hendricks Emma Coughlin Ryan Lavin Jacob Jachim Allison Morsovillo Brandon Matthias Nicholas Redman Grace Smith Valeriana Zois Eric Trapp 7 BLUE 7 SILVER Zachary Durrani Amer Hasan Kyla Kelly Christopher Hedstrom Keith Pedersen Madison Linares Gianna Politano Hanna Saba Valerie Triolo Dominique Sedorook 8 BLUE 8 SILVER Alexander Kaffka Haley Becker Daniel Murphy Sarah Marszewski Madelyn Rose Jeffrey Rybak Stephanie Schneider Yanitza Velasquez CMS TWISTER NEWS Page 9 P.E. March is National Nutrition Month! As part of their Fitness program, the students are looking at their eating habits and exploring how they can make small, healthier changes. They are also beginning fitness testing again which should be completed by the end of April. A parent report will be sent home shortly thereafter. The students are also participating in a soccer unit and beginning their floor hockey tournament. The P.E. department wishes everyone a healthy and active Spring break! Art Student artwork from District 146 will be displayed at the Tinley Park Public Library throughout the month of April. All grade levels from 1st to 8th are represented from each school. Artworks include a range of media including collage, drawing, and painting. Students and their parents are invited to attend a special reception night at the library where awards are given out. Congratulations to all of our talented artists. BAND NEWS I.G.S.M.A. ORGANIZATION BAND CONTEST Congratulations to the Concert and Symphonic Bands on their performance and 1st Place Division at the Illinois Grade School Music Association District VI Organization Band Contest held on Saturday, March 10th. The students traveled to Colin Powell Middle School in Matteson where three judges awarded this rating based on their performance in the following categories; Intonation, Tone Quality, Balance/Blend, Interpretation of Music, Technique, Rhythm Accuracy and Stage Presentation. Nice performance musicians! SYMPHONIC BAND HEADS TO CLEVELAND! The District 146 Bands are very excited to announce that the Symphonic Band will be touring Cleveland, Ohio this spring. The students will be participating in a clinic with a music professor at Oberlin College, which is recognized as one of the top music schools in the country! In addition, the students will be performing a full length concert for community members in the area. Some of the attractions will be touring the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Nautica Queen Boat and other locations in Cleveland. Good luck to the band students as they represent Central Middle School and our town of Tinley Park, Orland Park & Oak Forest! CMS TWISTER NEWS Page 10 Nurses Notes—April To Parents/Guardians of Incoming 7th and 8th Graders: Recently you received notice that 6th through 9th grade students will be required to receive one dose of Tdap prior to school entry in the Fall. The Illinois Department of Public Health recently relaxed this rule to apply to 6 th and 9th graders only in school year 2012-13 to lessen the potential burden on parents. Tdap will be required, however, when your student enters high school. Evidence has shown that immunity to Pertussis (whooping cough) begins to fade by 11 years of age. Since the “ap” in “Tdap” refers to Pertussis, it is highly recommended that you go ahead and schedule an appointment for Tdap immunization as soon as possible—before entry to ninth grade. Students entering 6th grade in the Fall of 2012 will be required to show proof of Tdap immunization. Please call the health office at extension 3816 if you have questions about this requirement. Spring is in the air and with it, seasonal allergies. Allergies come in many forms but hay fever is the most common allergy. Symptoms can include sneezing, runny, stuffy, or itchy nose, temporary loss of smell, headache, fatigue, and itchy, watery eyes. Dark circles under the eyes or postnasal drip may also accompany hay fever. A child with allergies may snore, wake with a sore throat, breathe through the mouth, and frequently rub his/her nose. Allergy symptoms are often like cold symptoms, but usually last longer. Allergies are most commonly caused by particles in the air, such as mold, mildew, pollen, animal dander or house dust mites. The tendencies towards allergies may be inherited. Parents with hay fever often have children with allergies. Hay fever usually develops in the early teens, but can occur at any age. To find the cause of your allergies, note when symptoms occur. Symptoms that occur at the same time each year (especially during spring, early summer or early fall) are often due to grass, weed, or tree pollen. Allergies that last all year long may be due to dust mites, mold spores, or animal dander. Animal allergies are usually easy to detect; symptoms clear up when you stay away from the animal. There is no practical prevention for hay fever but avoiding the “trigger” that causes allergy attacks will help. Keep a record of your symptoms and the plants, foods, animals or chemicals that seem to cause them. If your symptoms ARE seasonal and seem to relate to pollen or mold: Keep your house and car windows closed. Keep bedroom windows closed at night. Limit the time you spend outside when pollen counts are high and remember that dogs and other pets may bring large amounts of pollen into your house. Consider using an air conditioner or air purifier with a special HEPA filter. Keep the house well-ventilated and dry. Use a dehumidifier during humid weather. Avoid yard work (raking, mowing), which stirs up both pollen and mold. If you must do it, wear a mask and take an antihistamine beforehand. Antihistamines and decongestants may relieve some allergy symptoms. Allergies are seldom “cured” but they can be controlled. ATTENTION 6th GRADE PARENTS Completed dental exam forms are due by May 15, 2012. Notices have been mailed out to those students who do not currently have a completed dental exam form on file. If you received something in the mail regarding your child’s dental exam, please make an appointment for them at your earliest convenience. Have a happy, healthy Spring! Mary Muenchow, RN National Certified School Nurse CMS TWISTER NEWS Page 11 A note from the media center……. Central Young Author District Winners, 2012 The following students were selected Young Author District Winners. These students will be invited to a District Recognition Night on Thursday, April 19th at 6:30 pm at Central. Congratulations! Young Author’s District Finalists March 2012 6th Grade Sara Arquette Amanda Ashmus Claire Barrett Jack Barrett Kyle Berry Erica Blakely Kasey Brennan Samantha Bockstahler Meaghan Daugherty Jaime Dominguez Madeline Draper Marissa Faletti Hutton Flores Courtney Framke Rachel Hale Madison Harty Matthew Hendricks Piper Jones Jennifer Kallenback Rania Kawash Alec Kuecher Michael Levato Greg Lockwood Brianna Mitchell Caroline Oczachowski Madison Lockwood Mitchel Redman Nick Redman Melissa Richmond Paige Sciera Daniel Scurek Mary Kate Sherman Emily Smith Lynn Stevenson Jocelyn Taylor Nicole Thomas Ryan Zientara Young Author’s District Finalists March 2012 7th Grade Madison Adams Maegan Chichi Annmarie Dewey Alyssa Grant Cassandra Greenhill Mackenzi Harden Tommy Hayes Cole Hickey Kyla Kelly Beth Klimek Allie Linder Justin Morgan Frederick McClure, Jr. Alexis Petrauskas Gianna Politano Jack Ruane Nicki Susralski Mikayla Tillman Nikka Unde Casey Weifuss CMS TWISTER NEWS Page 12 Young Author’s District Finalists March 2012 8th Grade *Amarah Alghadban Alyssa Blomberg Amanda Farrell Gianni Hamilton Jamie Havis *Ella Lindokken Matthew Palubin Maggie Turkovich Sierra Witt *Ella Linkokken and Amarah Alghadban are the District 146 Young Author District Representatives from Central. Amarah Alghadban will attend the Illinois State Young Author’s Conference in Bloomington on May 19th . Rebecca Caudill Young Readers Book Award At the end of February, students in sixth grade cast their votes for their favorite Rebecca Caudill book in the media center. Peak by Roland Smith was selected as the winner. This is an annual event that is sponsored by the Illinois State Library Association. Students from all over Illinois vote and the winning book is announced in April. The students enjoy voting for their favorite book and then comparing Central’s choice with the state winner. For more information, log on to www.rebeccacaudill.org Breakfast with Books The last Breakfast with Books will be on Thursday, April 12, at 7:05 am in the media center. What a fantastic year for reading this has been. We have explored so many different themes and genres and shared favorite stories and novels. Make plans to join us for the culminating activity! Enjoy this incredible spring weather. Nancy Gorman Media Director MARCH - CLUBS