The HEARTBEAT
WINTER EDITION
Second Semester Greetings
"Inside every TITAN beats the heart of a WARRIOR!"
While we hope winter break brought each of you a time of rest and rejuvenation, the faculty and staff of Martha Layne Collins High School are so glad to be back in session with students. The eighth grade teachers are continually impressed with the dedication and commitment to excellence demonstrated by this class of 2022 and know that these focused, hard-working individuals will continue to shine throughout this second semester.
Please remember that after-school tutoring is available and encouraged for students in need of remediation and additional academic support. If your child demonstrates a need for extra support in any content area, please arrange for him/her to attend tutoring.
(See details below.)
SnoGo
Our eighth grade students show their insistence on excelling each and every day in our building, but their drive to be successful has been particularly evident on SnoGo days. These learners aren't about to allow snow and ice to halt their learning! Teachers, merely a phone call or Schoology message away, used a variety of instructional practices to keep students engaged and progressing.
Logan Broughton
Lillie Ruddy
ROBOTICS
Congratulations to our eighth grade robotics team for their eligibility to compete at the state robotics competition in March. Robotics at MLCHS? It's a BIG deal!
Inspired by Associate Principal, Mrs. Donna Jones-Hocker, our all-girls team has even given themselves the title, The Joneses.
Best of luck in March, robotics team!
Academic Team
Congratulations to our immensely gifted writer, Jaesylin Stephens, for her advancement to the regional academic team competition in the categories of Individual Writing and Future Problem Solving. We're so proud of your impressive representation of the eighth grade and know that you will blow your competition out of the water!
Personalized Math Goals
Upon their return from winter break, all students set personal math goals for the second semester. These goals are displayed in Ms. Sparks' and Ms. Tickle's classrooms as daily reminders of what it's going to take to achieve mastery this year. Our math teachers have even designed a tracking system for students to visualize their progress.
Spelling Bee Contestants & District Winner
Congratulations, Corey Gill and Nathan Borders, for demonstrating excellence in spelling at our school spelling bee in January.
We're thrilled to announce that Corey Gill has also won the district spelling bee. He will now prepare to compete in the state-wide spelling bee. Way to go, Corey!
Basketball Championship
Congratulations to Coach Gabbard and the eighth grade boys basketball team for winning the state championship title in Lexington! These boys showcased what hard work, dedication, and commitment yield on the court, and we are proud of their success. Most importantly, we are proud of the excellence they demonstrate in the classroom as STUDENT athletes.
February Star Students
Julian Leppert
"Julian is always very conscientious of his work and always strives to do his best. -Ms. Wilson
Sherlyn Paz-Balderas
"Sherlyn is extremely helpful to me and my ESL students during class. She not only has the responsibility of her work, but she translates instructions, asks questions, and explains misconceptions to support her peers." -Ms. Peterman
Ellie Shelton
"Ellie is a positive student with an admirable work ethic. She is a role model to her fellow classmates and treats everyone with kindness and respect." -Ms. Robinson
Allante Larrison
"Allante is a quiet, focused student whose hard work and conscientiousness don't go unnoticed. He is patient and kind to all classmates and consistently demonstrates excellence in and out of the classroom." -Mrs. Smith
Hayden Jeffries
Hayden works hard and is a great help and friend to other students. -Mr. Watts
Fernando Villatoro
Fernando has made major improvements in the last term and has worked very hard. He is kind, helpful, and tries to keep class fun. - Ms. Pennington
Brittany Richard
-Mrs. Reed
Angie Villatoro Valiente
Angie is an extremely positive, respectful, hardworking, kind student. She asks wonderful questions in class and cares about her work along with the work of her peers. -Ms. Tickle
Juan Pablo Cabon
Juan helps to translate for me and other ESL students during class. I would not be able to help those students without him. -Mr. Traylor
Jonathan Bell
Jonathan Bell works hard to improve his writing skills. He is always friendly and helpful. -Mrs. Germano
Marina Wentz
Marina is a hard-working student who takes it upon herself to move forward. She insists on understanding all concepts and continues to demonstrate responsibility and a strong work ethic. -Ms. Sparks
Nathan Borders
Graycee Pratt
Teacher Spotlight: Math Team
Leanne Sparks
Alexis Tickle
Angela Carter
REMINDER: Academic Support
Tutoring is offered after school every Monday and Wednesday from 3:30-4:30. On Thursdays, tutoring is from 3:30-5:00 with transportation to designated drop off zones. Transportation is provided on Thursdays ONLY.
BUS DROP OFF ZONES:
Cracker Barrel Area
Catalpa & Greenland Park
Martinsville Area
Washington & 10th Street
Lynne Acres Area
Mack Walters & Valley View
Hardees Restaurant Area
Midland Blvd & Baker Street
Simpsonville Area
Meadow Ridge
Parent Academy
Promoting Daily Literacy: Raising Ready Readers
By NCLD Editorial Staff Books: Key Members of Your Family Storytelling: Talking about Family History and Creating New Adventures Writing Notes: Connecting Family and Friends Using the Library with the Whole Family
The research is clear: Children raised in homes that promote family literacy grow up to be better readers and do better in school than children raised in homes where literacy is not promoted. We know that promoting family literacy is important to future reading and school success, but does that mean parents should be prepared to read 100 books a week to their preschoolers? Of course not. While family literacy activities are often based in reading, there are lots of other ways families can conduct literacy activities at home through picture books, songs, poetry and storytelling.
Family literacy is defined as home literacy activities that provide literacy skill-building opportunities for young children while enhancing literacy skill development in all members of the family. While researching family literacy you will often come across terms like, "literacy-rich homes," "family-focused reading" and the importance of building strong "home-school communication." All of these components are essential for promoting family literacy activities and raising ready readers. This month's feature will provide you with ideas for promoting family literacy in your home that go beyond reading storybooks, as well as provide you with free resources to use at home or to distribute to parents in your setting or school.
Have you ever flipped through a friend's photos and imagined a story to go along with them? Young children love to use their imaginations to create stories to go along with pictures. One of the earliest literacy skills children develop is the concept of sequencing, or telling a story from start to finish in order. One way to practice this skill at home is to create your own picture books, or books without words. Using photos, pictures from magazines or your child's drawings, books can be created and placed in the home library for easy access. Family members can "read" the story with the child by asking him or her to take them through the story. As the child gets older, family members should have the child dictate the story to them so they can write it down and then move on to encouraging the child to write the words themselves.
Another way to encourage written communication between family members is to send each other frequent e-mail messages. This is a great way to help young children keep in touch with distant relatives or friends. Working with an adult, have the child dictate or attempt to type a short message. If the child has typed the message without help, the adult can type a translation of the message underneath it. All attempts at typing and dictating should be encouraged. Engaging in a frequent email exchange with relatives and friends builds a child's letter recognition skills and provides practice organizing thoughts and ideas.
Learning to love to read starts at an early age and often starts at home. If families make the effort to encourage, support and engage all aspects of literacy in their homes, children and family members will enjoy reading and writing together for the rest of their lives.
Source: GetReadytoRead.org