Creekside Chronicle
December 9th, 2022
Important Dates
Friday, December 16th: End of Quarter #2
Monday, December 19th - Tuesday January 3rd: Winter Break NO SCHOOL
Wednesday, January 4th: SCHOOL RESUMES!
Friday, January 6th: Picture Retakes!
Mr. Doyle's Message
This is a reminder that last school year the Board of Education made some changes to how the District will use emergency days in the event of inclement weather.
The first two emergency days of the school year would be used as traditional emergency or snow days. On those days, classes will not be held, and the days would be made up at the end of year.
If weather forces the District to use more emergency days beyond the initial two, the District would conduct remote learning days on those additional emergency days.
The District could also use a late start option on days when we expect the roads to be cleared later in the morning or temperatures to climb within a reasonable range. On late start days, classes will begin 90 minutes later than a typical school day. Morning buses will run 90 minutes later, but dismissal times will be the same as a typical school day.
To reiterate:
- The first two (if needed) emergency days with canceled classes would be added to the school calendar lengthening the school year
- Emergency remote learning days (if needed) would not be made up.
- Late start days for inclement weather would not be made up.
Families will be notified as soon as possible in the event of an emergency day or late start and indicate specifically what type of emergency day is being used.
Enthusiastically,
Mr. Doyle
Creekside Winter Hats!
Exploratories!
Our 6th grade artists are experimenting with foil relief sculpture. Foil relief is a technique in which a thin sheet of metallic foil is burnished over a raised surface then given a false patina to create an antiquated aesthetic. This lesson is designed to introduce students to a very old medium and allow them to bring it into the modern era.
Our 7th graders are delving into Street Art, the most dominant movement of the current era. They are learning how art can be used to promote positive messages to the public on a grand scale.
Our 8th Graders are creating large-scale sculptures based on the work of an artist named Kimmy Cantrell. Cantrell is a working artist who didn’t find his niche until he was in his 40’s. See his work here. https://kimart.com/works/faces/ Cantrell works in clay. Our students will be working with sheets of cardboard to create their own version of the Cantrell faces. This lesson is designed to teach the students how abstract thoughts can be made tangible and to promote the fact that fine art can become a successful career.Music:
In 6th and 7th grade we are off and strumming for 3rd rotation. We have our first couple of chords under our fingers and are learning how to put everything together for our first song. In 8th grade we have learned to find C position on the piano, are working on our first songs, and have begun our Independent Study projects!
21st Century Skills:
With one week under our belts in the new rotation, 21st Century Skills is diving into our first round of projects to tap into the 4 C’s - communication, collaboration, creativity, and critical thinking.
Our 8th grade students have begun designing and building carnival games. We will use these to collect data about winning percentages and use it to create predictive models on how much we would make from using the game at the local fair.
Students in 7th grade have begun designing tiny homes using the architectural app, Floor Planner. It is quite interesting to see how each group utilizes the 400-600 square feet available to them.
Finally, 6th grade students have begun creating online surveys in order to collect data that will be used to assist in planning a fundraiser and the associated advertising to that fundraiser. Once we have those details worked out, we will create a cost analysis to determine how much money we anticipate the fundraiser to make.
These projects should lead all three grade levels right up to the winter break, with grading days scheduled for when we return in the new year.
Health:
We are just 1 week and change into our rotation. 8th grade students are beginning (hopefully) their independent study project on the impacts of parenthood, through either interviewing parents and reflecting or gathering financial details of parenthood and reflecting. We have also started our first unit which details alcohol, drugs and addiction dangers. In 7th grade, we are defining bullying and outlining the several negative impacts it has on many people’s lives. In addition we will cover violence prevention and conflict resolution as part of the first unit of study. In 6th grade, we are building concept maps and digging into the 4 areas of health (physical, mental, social, emotional). Assignments and activities during class will allow students to explore some of the many components that make up these areas.
PE:
First semester is winding down and that means our ever competitive volleyball unit has begun. This unit will take each grade level well into January capped off with a “season ending” tournament.
Just before Thanksgiving, all classes were starting to wrap up three different activities/units. Hockey, bowling and fitness were all rotated so each grade level and class had 4 sessions of each area/unit.
While in the fitness room, the majority of the classes were assigned a heart rate strap and sensor. The CMS PE department uses an app and website from a fitness company called Polar (the app is called PolarGoFit). If you have any questions or concerns about this technology, please don’t hesitate to contact your student’s PE teacher. It is a great introduction to understanding more about the 5 heart rate zones and how they are impacted by exercise (light and strenuous).
Orchestra:
We are looking forward to our concert this 12/9! Our students have been working hard and are ready to show you all that they’ve been doing. Solo and Ensemble is coming up on 2/11 and forms should have been turned in for that this past Monday. Have a great Winter Break!
Band:
I am so proud of the Band students for showcasing all of their hard work at the jazz and band concerts these last couple of weeks! We’ll be caroling at Prairiewood during our lessons next week and getting started on our solo and ensemble pieces. When we come back from Winter Break, our student teacher from Illinois State University, Miss Morin will be joining us! So much to look forward to!
World Language:
In Chinese class, the first 2 weeks we are learning about students' Chinese names, basic greeting words/sentences. Students should be able to know how to introduce themselves, and know how to greet each other in Chinese.
Kindness Closet
CMS Associate Position Openings!
WONDERFUL Creekside staff members! I will then share your words with the whole Creekside Staff as a Token of Appreciation! :)
The health, safety, and wellness of our students is a priority for our CMS Student Services department.
Creekside Middle School
Assistant Principal: Tyler Carlson
Dean of Students: Jason Laidig
Secretary to the Principal: Kerrie Butenschoen
Secretary to the Assistant Principal: Adriana Silva-Rodriguez
Nurse: Carla Schrock
Office Hours: 7:30 am - 4:30 pm
Email: rdoyle@wcusd200.org
Website: https://www.woodstockschools.org/creekside
Location: 3201 Hercules Road, Woodstock, IL, USA
Phone: 815-337-5200