Poplar Grove Post
January 2018
NOTE FROM THE PRINCIPAL:
Hello,
I am very proud of our students’ hard work and accomplishments during the first semester, and I am certain the second semester will be full of similar successes. PGMS is extremely fortunate to have caring, compassionate, and highly effective teachers. Each year our faculty votes to select the PGMS teacher of the year. This year’s teacher of the year is Mrs. Tonya Iturri. Tonya Iturri serves as the interventionist and FSSD RTI2-B coach. Mrs. Iturri builds strong relationships with students throughout the building which results in increased student engagement and motivation. Congratulations, Mrs. Iturri! This year’s runner-up teacher of the year is Ms. Laura Lavery. Ms. Lavery teaches Spanish at PGMS. She is well respected by her colleagues and has presented numerous time during district level professional development as well as various conferences throughout the state of Tennessee. Additionally, Ms. Lavery operates the school’s social media accounts and organizes team building activities. Ms. Lavery is truly an invaluable asset to PGMS.
*TNReady Testing Update*
The FSSD will administer this year’s TNReady assessments via paper and pencil. Districts across the state were given the option to transition to online assessments this year. However, the decision was made to proceed with paper and pencil assessments after receiving feedback from teachers and students. All schools in the state will transition to online assessments during the 2018-19 school year with paper and pencil not being an option.
January Important Dates:
Jan. 5 - Students Return to School
Jan. 12 - Annual Father - Daughter Dance
Jan. 15 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
Jan. 22-26 - Annual Used Book Sale
Jan. 26 - Pride Time
Jan. 27 - Frist highlights FSSD artists
CLINIC NEWS FROM NURSE LIZ:
Happy 2018!
Winter is here! Along with the colder weather, comes the seasonal increase in colds, influenza and other illnesses. Prior to our time off for our holiday break, strep throat, a sore throat virus, influenza and the stomach virus were some of the illnesses in our middle school. Parents, here are a couple important reminders and things to discuss with your child.
· Be proactive! Have a plan in place with your child, in the event that your child becomes sick or injured while in school. Discuss with your child who they should contact first. Make sure that we have current phone numbers so that we can reach you. Remind your child that if they don’t feel well, they should let their teacher know and ask to come see the nurse in the clinic. Your child SHOULD NOT text you from the classroom or bathroom, asking you to pick them up from school. As a district, we off and on monitor illness in the district, so it’s helpful for us to know what viruses are circulating in our community.
· BE PROMPT! If you are called to pick up your child due to illness or injury, we ask that you do that within an hour.
· Familiarize yourself with the FSSD illness policy that is online.
DID YOU KNOW………?
· Do you monitor and limit screen time for your child? According to the American Medical Association, “research is showing a link between increased social media use and an increase in anxiety and depression in children.”
HEALTH TIP FOR PARENTS WITH CHILDREN WHO HAVE ASTHMA
When outdoors, wrapping a scarf around your child’s nose and mouth can warm up the air that they breathe in, reducing the risk of asthma attacks.
Nurse Liz
COUNSELOR'S CORNER:
Rising 9th Grade High School Registration Dates
High school registration for rising 9th grade students at Poplar Grove Middle will soon be here. Please review the information below and mark the dates on your calendar.
For students zoned to Centennial High School:
CHS Parent and Student Orientation - February 15th, at 7:00 p.m. at Centennial High School
Informational booths for every sport, curriculum area and school activities will be in the gym and open at 6:00. Parents and students are encouraged to visit these booths for information.
Students will remain in the gym at 7:00 for an orientation.
Parents will meet in the Centennial Performing Arts Center at 7:00 for the open house.
CHS Rising 9th Grade Student Registration - February 26th and 27th in the Poplar Grove Middle School Library. In the next few weeks, parents will receive a registration appointment time by mail.
For students zoned to Franklin High School:
FHS Parent and Student Orientation - February 12th, at 6:00 p.m. at Franklin High School
FHS Rising 9th Grade Student Registration - March 7th in the Poplar Grove Middle School Library. In the next few weeks, parents will receive a registration appointment time by mail.
Please be sure to bring all of the necessary enrollment forms to your scheduled appointment.
English and Spanish versions of all enrollment forms needed for high school registration can be found at http://www.wcs.edu/parents-students/enrollment/
If you have any questions regarding the registration process or if you need to reschedule your appointment time, please contact Keith Welch at 615-472-3993 or welchkei@fssd.org
GRADE LEVEL NEWS:
5TH GRADE NEWS:
In Math, we have been tackling fractions for a couple weeks now, and we are still going strong. We have moved into multiplying fractions, and this seems to be a bit easier on the kids as they have already learned and mastered some of the steps from adding and subtracting. We will continue to sit in fractions for a few more weeks after the holiday break.
In ELA, the kids have been working hard in their writing lessons. They were able to do some "surgery" with their writing. They left the library last week in scrubs and surgical attire as they worked on their writing "rotations!" They seemed to really enjoy the work and the dress-up!!!
In Social Studies, we've been continuing the Road Map through the Civil War and will be moving into the Reconstructive Period in American History! What a fantastic time in our history to explore! We have planned our next field trip that will go along with the Civil War standards and are waiting approval. Stay tuned for that date.
In Science, we've been working hard on animal adaptations. Ms. Cochran and Ms Phy had their kids working on a lab this past week that demonstrated how different birds' beaks adapted to help them feed. It was a "hoot" to watch them use different materials to gather bird-like food with their given "beaks."
6TH GRADE NEWS:
6th graders started off the month by teaching each other! Their science presentations were FANTASTIC! Students showed creativity and pride. As we begin the new year, students will be working on weather patterns. Students will become meteorologists as they learn to predict the weather.
7th Grade News
We all know that music can stir up emotions, whether positive or negative, when heard. This is why so many directors use music to heighten suspense, drama, or intrigue when creating their films. For this project 7th graders imagined they were the director and paired different songs with different scenes from our class novel, A Long Walk to Water. They also created a song parody for the theme.
8TH GRADE NEWS:
RELATED ARTS NEWS:
FRENCH NEWS:
7th grade French students did projects on francophone (French-speaking) countries other than France. They use an awesome program called TourBuilder where they were able to create virtual tours of their country. For each location in their presentation, they included a photo, a description of an aspect of that country's culture or geography, and they tagged the place on the Google Earth map. Linking the information with the actual locations on the map helped students to more easily connect with the world in a global sense.
ANNUAL USED BOOK SALE:
Please plan to shop. All paperbacks are 50¢ and all hardbacks are $1.00. All proceeds go directly the the library media centers. If you have questions or you would like to volunteer at the sale, please contact Linday Keur (615) 579-3701.
STEM
EXTRACURRICULAR NEWS:
WRESTLING:
The following wrestlers medaled in the Williamson County Championships in either 1st place, 2nd place or 3rd place.
Left to right-
Uri Yoder-1st in 88 lbs.
Henry Rodgers-2nd in 142 lbs.
Rocco Panaia-3rd in 104 lbs.
Fisher Anderson-3rd in 250 lbs.
Colin Stokes-3rd in 96 lbs.
Braden Smoot-3rd in 152 lbs.
Ethan Stokes-4th in 74 lbs.
Owen Gobel-3rd in 88 lbs.
Ryan Yates-4th in 116 lbs.
Arion Carter-1st in 116 lbs.
Also pictured-Coach Stevens
BETA CLUB:
The Beta Club will induct new members at a celebration in the gym on January 30 at 6:30 p.m. All family members of the new members are invited to attend! The Beta Club is a service organization that recognizes academic achievement, citizenship, and service. Any student who achieves all A's for at least one quarter in 6th, 7th, or 8th grades is invited to join the Beta Club.
The Beta Club will also be collecting items for the Williamson County Animal Shelter during the month of January. Items can be placed in boxes in the MS lobby or taken to Mrs. Ayers's room (405). Please consider donating items for pets in need!
SPANISH NEWS:
POPLAR GROVE MIDDLE SCHOOL
Email: treadwaychr@fssd.org
Website: poplargrovemiddle.fssd.org
Location: 2959 Del Rio Pike, Franklin, TN, United States
Phone: 615-790-4721
Twitter: @FSSDpgms