Nelson Middle School News
March 2016
From the Principal's Desk
Hey there Mustang Nation!
Even with an added day, February was a very quick month for us. I had the chance to spend a lot of time in classrooms and saw the diligent efforts of our teachers and the hard work of our students. Sometimes it can be difficult to be motivated in the winter months but our teachers and students were doing great things all month.
In February, we wrapped up our School Wide Read. This year we read the novel The Absolute Value of Mike by Katherine Erskine. For our School Wide Read, we would stop every day for 30 minutes and the entire school would read and listen to sections from the book. Many students commented how much they liked the book. Special thanks to Mrs. Largen and Mrs. Beeler for pulling this off through a couple of snow breaks.
March brings spring sports to NMS. March 7 saw the first day of tryouts for the NMS soccer and outdoor track teams. Between the two teams, we had over eighty students come out on the first day. What a terrific showing that was. Furthermore, there are numerous 8th graders playing JV Boys and Girls Soccer, JV Softball, and JV Baseball for NCHS. Best of luck to these 8th graders as they start their Governor athletic careers. We look forward to great things from all of our student athletes.
In closing, you may recall that recently our neighbor to the east, Appomattox, suffered great loss when a tornado ripped through their community. Shortly after the tornado, the leaders of our SCA decided that we must do something to help out. SCA Co-Presidents Jadakiss Johnson and Manuel Meras, along with the other members of the SCA, settled on a “supply drive” to be delivered to Appomattox Middle School for their students that were affected by the tornado. Fifth period classes competed for the week of February 29- March 4 to see who could bring in the most supplies. In total, we collected almost five hundred individual items to take to Appomattox Middle School. Winners for each grade level included Mrs. Schilling’s class (6th grade), Mr. Parsley’s class (7th grade), and Mrs. Rauss’s and Mrs. Fulcher’s classes tied for 8th grade. We could not be prouder of Mrs. McCray and her SCA.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of assistance to you.
Sincerely,
Roger Dunnick
Principal; Nelson County Middle School
434-263-4801
Art Matters
Check out some of the student art hanging on the walls near the foyer and the art tree displayed in our window! It is National Youth Arts in March. Many of the Art students have worked really hard.
We have eight students who have submitted artwork for the Governor's School Art Reflections contest. If selected, they will be able to attend the Governor's Art School in Charlottesville this summer. Another student has submitted their art piece in the Virginia School Board Association Art contest. Good luck, students!
Please also check out the art exhibit from Nelson Middle School at Blue Ridge Medical Center. Eighth grade Art 1 students recently completed a long project of carving relief pieces in drywall that turned out great while finishing their clay bowls and Indian Weavings.
Come stop by the studio anytime and see what the students are creating!
Costa Rica or Bust!
Students will have the opportunity to visit a Costa Rican School and bring art supplies for these students.
We are hoping that when ziplining through the cloud forest, we will spot monkeys, exotic birds, and tree frogs. Mrs. Davis wants to see a baby sloth. We will have the opportunity to hike on their beautiful beaches, explore caves, sit in the hot springs, and paint and cook the Costa Rican way.
We are currently trying to have a mini fundraiser by selling concessions to help pay for art and school supplies we are taking to Costa Rica. If you are interested in donating funds to help with this, please contact Mrs. Davis at NMS in the Art Department.
7th and 8th Grade TAG and Advanced Learner Students Travel to UVA
Nineteen seventh and eighth graders had the pleasure of traveling to the University of Virginia on Thursday, February 4th. Students had to complete four activities in order to be eligible for the experience.
Students began their day with a Hot Chocolate Bar followed by a visit with several Business professors. The highlight of their day was hearing from former Indianapolis Colts player and UVA grad Tom Santi. After lunch, students completed some fun acting exercises in the theater.
At least one student said it was the best field trip they had been on.
Sixth Grade TAG Students and Advanced Learners Travel to Virginia Tech
On Thursday, February 25th, a group of approximately 29 Talented and Gifted and Advanced Learner students traveled to Virginia Tech where they were able to spend time with members of three departments at the school: the College of Natural Resources & Environment, Department of Mechanical Engineering, and College of Architecture & Urban Studies. In order to be eligible for the trip, students had to complete a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) project called "Building Bridges" (see pictures below).
First, Dr. Dan Hinderman, a Biomaterial professor in the College of Natural Resources & Environment, led students in a hands-on activity where students were to build the tallest structure possible using only marshmallows, dry spaghetti, tape and string. He also gave them a tour of Virginia Tech's Wood Engineering Lab.
Then, Dr. Tomonari Furukawa, a Mechanical Engineering professor, gave students a tour of his two robotics labs: the Computational Multiphysics Systems Laboratory and the Terrestrial Robotics Engineering and Controls Lab.
Finally, students were able to create stop motion videos with Tracey Downe, an Academic Advisor in the School of Visual Arts.
Students, teachers, and chaperones had a very enjoyable experience.
NMS Band Students Meet Composer
On February 26th, Nelson Middle School seventh and eighth grade band students met with a well-known composer and retired middle school band teacher, Mr. Gary Fagan. He told the story of why he wrote “Clarinets Packing Up Early”, a piece that the seventh and eighth graders are playing for their spring concert. The piece is a clarinet feature and is very interesting as clarinets gradually take their instruments apart during the song. Mr. Fagan answered the band students’ questions, such as what inspired him to write “Clarinets Packing Up Early”, what his favorite piece is that he’s composed, and what his favorite instrument is. The time went by too quickly for both students and composer, but it was a learning experience for all. The band’s spring concert will be on April 28th at 7:00 PM in the auditorium.
--8th Grade Band Members M.P. and L. S.
Fifth to Sixth Grade Transition Night
There will be a brief reception with pizza at 5:30, followed by a presentation and then tours of the school starting at 6:30. Parents, guardians, and students will have the chance to meet with sixth grade teachers and other school staff as well.
A letter will be sent home with all 5th grade students with information. Please have students return RSVP slips to their counselor by Friday, April 15, 2016.
Thursday, Apr 21, 2016, 05:30 PM
NMS Auditorium
Upcoming Events
This month
- 3/1--Talent Show tryouts begin
- 3/7-3/9--NMS Soccer Team tryouts
- 3/8--NCHS Outdoor Track begins
- 3/18--End of 3rd 9-weeks
- 3/23--7th Grade Career Fair field trip during school hours
- 3/24--NMS Talent Show @7pm; NMS Soccer vs. Monelison @Home
- 3/25--Report Cards go home; NMS Talent Show, school performance
- 3/28-4/1--Spring Break
Next month
- 4/5--NMS Soccer @Temple Christian
- 4/6--NMS Track vs. Appomattox and LCA @Home
- 4/7--NMS Soccer vs. Appomattox @Home
- 4/11--NMS Soccer @Amherst Middle
- 4/13--NMS Soccer @Holy Cross
- 4/14--NMS Soccer vs. Desmond T. Doss @Home
- 4/14-19--Scholastic BOGO Book Fair
- 416--NMS Track @Lynchburg Invitational
- 4/18--NMS Soccer vs. Temple Christian @Home
- 4/19--Spring Picture Day
- 4/20--Interim Reports go home
- 4/21--NMS Soccer @Desmond T. Doss
- 4/25--NMS Soccer vs. Amherst @Home
- 4/26--NMS Soccer @Appomattox
- 4/27--NMS Track vs. Appomattox/CVCS Away
- 4/28--Spring Band Concert @7pm; NMS Track @Linkhorne
Student Submissions
Spectacular Science
In Mrs. McCray’s Science class, we have recently learned about speed and motion. To practice this, we took four books, three boards, a stopwatch, and a toy car. Then we would stack the books, starting with two, then three, and then four. Taking the short board, we would place it on the two books, place the car on top, and time how long it would take to reach the bottom. Next, we measured the distance the car was away from the board’s end. We repeated this with each stack of books, and once we had done the board on each stack, we went on to repeat this with the medium and long boards. After we had collected ALL of our data, we made a spreadsheet with the data for: the length of the board, the rise, the run, the slope, the time it took the car to reach the board’s end, the distance away from the board, the speed of the car, and the mechanical advantage. Then we submitted our work to Mrs. McCray.
by 7th grader A. M.
Science
Here lately in Science we have been working on temperature and getting to understand our scales. The three scales that temperature can be measured in are Fahrenheit, Celsius, and Kelvin. The United States is the only country that uses Fahrenheit. The rest of the world uses Celsius. Kelvin is only used in extreme sciences. We have also talked more about freezing and boiling points. The freezing point in Fahrenheit is 32 degrees Fahrenheit, and the boiling point is 212 degrees Fahrenheit. The freezing point in Celsius is 0 degrees celsius, and the boiling point is 100 degrees celsius. Kelvin us only used in extreme sciences, so we don’t work with it as much. The freezing point in Kelvin is 273 Kelvin, and the boiling point in Kelvin is 373 Kelvin. In Kelvin you have absolute zero. We have never actually seen absolute zero but scientists say that it is theoretical, which means it could happen. Absolute zero is when all moving things just stop. Nothing can be colder than absolute zero in Kelvin. Science class has been pretty interesting lately!
by 7th grader T. W.
Gyroscope
Recently in science class, we studied force and motion. To get a better idea of these studies, Mrs. McCray’s 6th period practiced using gyroscopes. A gyroscope is a spinning wheel in which its axis will allow it to take any direction. We practiced making the gyroscopes balance on cones, your finger, and a string. Each gyroscope kit consisted of two gyroscopes, two strings, and a cone.
We studied the science behind the gyroscope before we started working on this project. We needed to know the basics of the gyroscope and how to work it, so we watched a few videos on the gyroscope. We came to the conclusion that the scientific concept of gyroscopes is that they give the illusion that they defy gravity.
by 7th graders J. H. and T. W.
Pulley Lab
In Mrs. McCray’s class we learned about simple machines. We did various labs on simple machines. To teach us about pulleys, we completed a lab. In this lab, we would have to make two pulleys, one fixed and one movable.
The two pulleys that we had to build were the fixed pulley in which the pulley was attached to the iron ring stand and the movable which is where the pulley moves on the string itself. After we assembled the pulleys we attached different types of weights. Then we calculated the mechanical advantage of the pulleys and how many newtons it took to lift the weights.
We learned a lot about movable and fixed pulley systems.
by 7th graders E. H. and J. Z.
Extraordinary English
In English, we are learning about the Holocaust. We are reading a book about the Holocaust. We are learning about concentration camps and what happened in the Holocaust. We are taking a test on the chapters. We have read 6 chapters already and still have more. Other than reading a book about the Holocaust, we are also doing IXL. We are doing prefixes on IXL.
by 7th grader M. D.
Language Arts
In my Language Arts class, we are reading I Am Star. The book is about a young girl named Inge Auerbacher who is a Holocaust survivor in 1942. Inge Auerbacher and her family are Jewish; and are sent to the concentration camp Terezin in Czechoslovakia. In the concentration camp, they defy death and become part of the one percent of children that survived.
by 7th grader Z. F.
Awesome Algebra
In Algebra with Mrs. Price, we just finished up Chapter 8. This chapter revolved around polynomials and exponents. We multiplied, added, and subtracted polynomials. We are now starting to work on factoring polynomials in Chapter 9. Here is an example: 2a^3 - a^2b + 10a - 5b. When this is factored, the answer is (2a - b) (a^2 + 5). Another example would be the “ax^2 +bx + c” version of factoring Polynomials, 6x^2 + 11x + 4 would be an example of this. The final answer to this is (2x + 1) (3x + 4). We are still working at our best in this class even though we are almost in the last 9 weeks.
by 7th grader I. M.
Pre-Algebra
This nine weeks in Math we have learned about how to find the volume and surface area of shapes, and we have also learned how to use proportions for percent problems and word problems. Right now we are learning how to find the volume of compound shapes and cones, pyramids, and triangular prisms. When you are finding the volume of compound shapes you have to find the volume of each shape inside of it and add all of the shapes’ volumes up.
When we were learning how to use proportions with percent problems, Mrs. Oliver taught us an easier way to do it. The way to find it in a proportion is if the problem has a percent on it you have to put the percent over one hundred and the make a fraction out of the number that it gives you and find the value of X. The easier way to do it is when you change the percent into a decimal by moving the decimal point to the left two spaces and multiply it by the other number it gives you. We have learned other small things this nine weeks, but these are the two things that we have spent the most time on.
by 7th grader T. W.
History
This month in Mr.Parsley's class we are learning about the holocaust.The Holocaust was a time during World War II, when Hitler punished Jews, the disabled, and Gypsies, because he needed someone to blame for Germany's debt. We are watching the movie “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.” This month we have also learned about the condition of the Jew during World War II . We have also learned about the ghettos and the concentration camps throughout World War II. We have learned about how the Jews had to wear the “Star of David” on their clothes and how they did not eat at the concentration camps and were malnourished.That is what we learned in our History class, what did you learn?
by 7th grader X. L.
Home Economics
This month in Ms. Kitts Home Ec class, the 7th grade is cooking. We have finished our cooking test and have baked cookies. We are learning how to measure ingredients and make oreo balls. We had a fun scavenger hunt to find out where everything was in the kitchen. We are also searching and recording recipes to make a cookbook.
We are placed into groups of three teams at three different stations to cook. Cooking in class is fun. That is what is happening this month in Home Ec class what is happening in your exploratory?
by 7th grader X. L.
Home Ec
In Home Ec we learned about My Plate. We also learned about table setting. Then we had to do kitchen safety notes. We had to take a test on kitchen safety. We had to get a 100% to be able to go in the kitchen and cook. Before we started cooking we had to learn how to measure liquid measurements and dry measurements. We had to go over what stuff can be Dry ingredients and Liquid ingredients. After we learned what we needed to do, we wrote down a chocolate chip cookie recipe. In our class there are 20 people, so we have to split up lab days. We got split into groups and we made chocolate chip cookies. After that lab, we wrote down the recipe to make oreo balls. We each get to make them from scratch and eat them!
by 7th grader M. D.
Home Sweet Home (Economics)
Right now we are baking delicious foods. We have split up into three groups and are in the kitchens. We have made some yummy chocolate chip cookies and some tasty oreo balls with icing. The baking is fun, but I think everyone can agree that eating our treats is the best part! Soon, we will get to bake cakes, and decorate them! Then, we will compete in a cake contest against the other kitchen groups. I can’t wait! In our free time, Ms. Kitts lets us watch World’s WORST Cooks, Cupcake Wars, or Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. We really enjoy watching these shows and get inspired to try new things, and have a few laughs here and there.
by 7th grader A. M.
Wood Shop
In my Wood Shop class, we are starting our projects. We are making paper holders first. The paper holders we are making are made out of three pieces of wood. One piece is for the bottom. Two of the pieces of wood are cut into the state of Virginia. The two models of Virginia are what hold the papers together. Next we are going to make a birdhouse.
by 7th grader Z. F.
Art
In Art we have been working on a very cool project! In this project you have to create two pictures. You could pick any holiday that you wanted to base your pictures off of. For example, you could have done Christmas, Valentine's Day, Halloween, or so on. You were to pick an iconic image and a personal image. An iconic image is what everyone thinks of when it comes to that holiday. Like Christmas, you would probably think of Christmas trees. Then for your second picture you were to draw what it means to you. You could have chosen traditions or something that you and your family do on the holiday. Once you were done drawing your pictures you had to cut the image into 1 ½ inch strips ending with five total. You had to do this on both pictures. After you cut your pictures you had to get the big paper that you would glue them onto. Before you could glue your pieces on you had to section your pieces 1 ½ inches until you had twelve. You then folded the paper as if you were making a handmade fan. Then you could glue your pieces on to the paper. After you glued the pieces on, you’re ready to mount your work onto the final piece of paper! Art has been really fun!
by 7th grader T. W.
Art
This nine weeks in art, we are doing self portraits. I did mine on the Boise State Broncos. Their main colors are orange and blue, so that’s the colors I used.
We are now working on another project. It is an agamograph. We draw two different pictures, cut them into pieces, and put them together on another piece of paper. It is really cool when you finish it.
by 7th grader J. W.
Terrific Technology
Currently in Technology, we are working on our last project of the nine weeks. Almost everyone is working on a different project like Kerbal, 3D printing, 3D modeling, etc. One of the 3D printing tools we use is Makerbot. Two good 3D modeling tools we use are Autodesk Maya and Sketchup. All of the projects are going well so far. We are about to work on presentations which shall be well completed and presented.
by 7th grader I. M.
Fun in Keyboarding
In keyboarding class, we have been learning about the different applications our computers have. Recently in keyboarding class, we learned about unbound reports. An unbound report is a short report made to not have a cover or bind. Mrs. Apperson taught us how to correctly set the margins to the correct measurement, and set the line spacing. After that, our class learned how to make the title page and bibliography for the unbound report. We learned how to correctly format those pages as well.
Now, we are making spreadsheets. We have learned about the different parts of the spreadsheets and their specific names. Our class also learned about how to move certain parts of the spreadsheet, so it looks more professional. For more practice, Mrs. Apperson gave us a practice spreadsheet to type. We had to know the names of the tools on the spreadsheet while we were using them. We have found a lot of these new tools very useful while working with other computers.
by 7th graders G. L. and J. H.
Health and P.E.
This nine weeks in Health, we are learning about peer pressure and saying no. Some of the techniques we have learned are changing the subject, checking with parents, being firm when you say no, and seeing if they want to do something else.
We are also learning about what people can communicate through. Did you know people can communicate through games? Watch what you say though, because if you threaten somebody over the phone, you can get into big trouble.
In P.E. we are currently in Family Life/P.E. mode. The boys have P.E. on Mondays, Tuesdays, and then Family Life on Wednesdays, and Thursdays. The girls have Family Life on Mondays, and Tuesdays, and P.E. on Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Everybody is in P.E. on Friday, both boys and girls. We play a lot of fun games during P.E. like mat ball, 2 base, dodgeball, baseball, just to name a few.
by 7th graders N. S. and J. W.
About us.
Email: sbeeler@nelson.k12.va.us
Website: http://tinyurl.com/n7kjrae
Location: 6925 Thomas Nelson Highway, Lovingston, VA, United States
Phone: 434-263-4801
Facebook: facebook.com/NMSMustangs
Twitter: @NMSMustangs