Mooresville MS Family Newsletter
December 15, 2017
A Message from Mrs. Robinson
Greetings Mooresville Middle School Families,
The month of December reminds us to be giving. At Mooresville Middle School we appreciate your willingness to allow us to give our all to support your child every day.
During Winter Break it would be very helpful if you encourage your child to read for at least 20 minutes a day. You can make this a family event by selecting a book to read together as a family then discussing the book while driving to one of your many destinations over break. You can also consider having your student read aloud to you while you are in the car. Even when I child is in middle school reading aloud to someone is very helpful. You may decide to just ask your child questions about a book they are reading. Simple questions like; “Why did you choose that book?” “What’s your favorite part so far?” “How do you relate to the main character of the book?” Any type of encouragement from you for your child to read over break will go a long way.
If you are interested in seeing a day in the life of a MMS student please sign up for our next parent tour on January 9, 2018 from 8am to 9am. You can reserve your spot by calling the front office. Our Instructional Coach and I will give you a tour of our school and you will have an opportunity to visit classrooms to see what goes on everyday at MMS from7:30am-2:21pm!
If you ever have any questions or concerns please feel free to give me a call.
Sincerely,
Ayana Robinson, Principal
Mooresville Middle School
IMPortant Dates
- December 20-January 2: Holiday Break
- Tuesday January 9: Parent Tours 8am-9am
- Monday January 15: School Holiday
- Tuesday January 16: Math EOQ
- Wednesday January 17: ELA EOQ
- Thursday January 18: Science EOQ
- Friday January 19: Social Studies EOQ
- Monday January 22: Student Holiday
- Tuesday January 23: Honors Math EOQ
- Tuesday January 23: 2nd Semester Starts (end of 2nd quarter/1st semester)
General News
All Pro Dads Meeting
- Thursday January 4
- 7:00-7:45am
- Staff Development Room
- Breakfast is available for purchase
- Students can bring any adult who is important in their life...doesn't have to be a dad!
From the Guidance Department - ATTENDANCE
Regular attendance is important throughout the year. Frequent absences interfere with your child’s progress toward meeting minimum standards for promotion. A student must be present until 11:00am in order to be recorded present for that day. Notification of absences by report card will be given at the end of each grading period.
Unexcused Absences
In accordance with the NC Compulsory Attendance Law, students who accumulate 10 unexcused absences are considered truant. These students and/or their parents or guardians may be referred to the district attorney.
For absences in violation of the Compulsory Attendance Law, notification will be sent by letter for the 3rd, 6th, and 10th unexcused violation.
Excused Absences
Students who are absent must submit a note signed by the parent within three days of the absence. If the note is received within three days and meets state-identified criteria, the student’s absence will be coded as excused.
The following reasons have been identified by the state of the North Carolina as excused absences:
a.) Illness or injury (physically unable to attend school)
b.) Quarantine ordered by board of health
c.) Death in immediate family (grandparent, parent, brother, sister)
d.) Medical or dental appointment (note from physician/dentist)
e.) Court or administrative proceedings
f.) Religious observance
g.) Educational opportunity (prior approval from principal required)
Absences and Course Credit
Students who miss more than 12 days in a course for the year will not receive a passing grade in that course. All absences (excused and unexcused) count towards this 12-day limit. Violation of the attendance policy may result in a student failing to meet local promotion standards. Opportunities to make-up excessive absences will only be offered during summer school. Making-up excessive absences does not guarantee a passing grade in a course.
Absences and Summer School
Students who miss more than 12 days during the school year and who do not qualify for or are denied a waiver of the attendance requirement must make-up each excessive absence in order to receive a passing grade. In order to make-up excessive absences students must attend summer school. Students choosing to complete make-up time in summer school must serve the entire term of summer school regardless of the amount of time to be made up.
Appeals Process for Excessive Absences
Students who do not receive a passing grade due to excessive absences have the right to appeal their case to the school-based Attendance Committee. In documented cases of extreme hardship (extended hospitalization or serious extended illness) the principal or Attendance Committee may decide to award a passing grade. Students seeking an appeal must submit a formal request for an appeal to the Attendance Committee by the publicized deadline date in May in order to have their request reviewed by the Attendance Committee. Supporting documentation must also be included with the request for a waiver.
Would you like to play Santa for the MMS Teachers?
GENERAL ITEMS
- Kleenex (all classrooms need this!)
- pencils
- colored pencils
- colored markers
- size .07 lead
- expo markers
- Sharpie markers
- highlighters
- scissors (for student use)
- glue sticks
- post it notes
- post it notes flags
- cap erasers
- clorox wipes
- bright colored copy paper
- dry erasers
- paper towels
- hand sanitizer
- hand soap
- clipboards
- composition notebooks
- clear tape (scotch)
- coffee
SUBJECT SPECIFIC ITEMS
- Science7 - prepared slides for microscopes ( check Amazon: Fisher Diagnostics), General Slides are great but we appreciate getting these specific slides: Paramecium, Euglena, Amoeba, Volvox
- Theater Arts Prop Closet - wearables such as hats, scarves, aprons, button-up tops or costume jewelry and hand-held items such as kitchen utensils, clean and empty grocery/food containers, plasticware, or old wall art pieces
- Mrs. Steffen - reading: books - new or used middle school level
Need stocking stuffers for your child? Consider These Ideas:
- All students need their own earbuds. There are many inexpensive brands which are great for school use! If you can get the kind with a microphone, it will help students with projects. Another Type...
- Books, books and books! The best way to develop vocabulary and prepare for high school, college entrance exams? Reading 20 minutes or more each day! Barnes and Noble (Birkdale Village in Huntersville), Amazon.com, also check out Goodwill and Value Village for great used books!
tickets to a musical or play: Davidson Community Players, Mooresville Community Children's Theater, CPCC Theater, Blumenthal Performing Arts Center
tickets to an orchestra or choral concert: Charlotte Symphony, Salisbury Symphony, Iredell Chorale Society, Lake Norman Big Band (just some ideas!)
Fill their stockings with pencils!
7th Grade News
Science7
Students have been studying body systems and how they work together and just finished systems for support and movement. When the students get back from holiday break they should be ready to be energized with Systems for Energy!
Frogs are coming! (ask your child what this means)
Social Studies7
After Christmas, we will examine The Age of Reason and Scientific Revolution, with focus on Francis Bacon and 5 Steps of the Scientific Method. Students will compare scientific theories, new inventions, and the following scientists: Ptolemy, Galileo, Nicolaus Copernicus, Johannes Kepler, and Isaac Newton, and define how their new reasoning influenced people.
Students will receive a comprehensive study guide before our 2nd quarter benchmark to help them review and study for the upcoming exam.
ELA7
Math7
We have been exploring ratios and proportional relationships in math class. Students are learning how to make good decisions when shopping by calculating the better buy. They participated in a project and presented their shopping findings to the class. This was an eye opener for many and some students said they are making their parents buy the family size packages now :) We are excited to make Holiday Chex mix just before break where students will be altering a recipe proportionally to fit the size of their group. Thank you for all who donated items to this project.
When we return from break, we will be learning about percentages, taxes, discounts, mark ups etc. Please make sure your students have pencils, expo markers and ear buds every day in math class. These make great stocking stuffers!
8th Grade News
Social Studies8
ELA8
Math8
Math 1: Students are finishing their study of systems of equations and inequalities. They've been working hard on their Big Business project in which they are using a system of equations/inequalities to determine financial losses/gains and break even points of their fictitious business.
Mi-Waye Team
7th & 8th grade ELA classes have been playing Musical Novel Trivia to help review for the novels they are reading, The Outsiders and Touching Spirit Bear!
7th & 8th grade Math have been playing battleship to review coordinate planes!
Elective News
Computer Science Discoveries
Chorus
Chorus students prepared and presented a Winter Concert last week. Since then, they have been collaborating on in-class musical presentations using the Acapella App. We are watching these over the next few days. In January, we will review singing skills and terms in preparation for our final exam before ending the quarter with a field trip to hear the Charlotte Symphony perform.
Theater Arts
Theater Arts students read one-act plays and completed story maps on them. Afterward, groups of students selected, practiced and performed a one-act play in class. Students will soon decide what they would like to do for our in-class performances the week of January 8th. Parents and family members are invited to theater arts classes that week to watch their students show what they can do 'on stage.'
Reading Enhancement
1. Education around the world and self selected nonfiction topics.
2. Breakout Can you escape Mrs Steffen? inferring
3. Weekly small group discussions
4. Weekly Independent self selected reading and journals
5. Viewing, listening and discussion
6. Monthly Digital breakout and team problem solving
World Language
Spanish students will be wrapping up Topic 5 after break and will then begin to review and prepare for their final exam. This exams counts as 20% of their final grade so it is important students start to study sooner rather than later. There are many resources in Blackboard to help students review over break.
Band
7th Grade Band is beginning to learn how to read sheet music! They've only been reading out of their method books this far, so reading sheet music on its own is a huge step for them, and they're very excited to get better before our SPRING concert on Tuesday, May 15th in the new Mooresville High School Performing Arts Center!
8th Grade Band is wrapping up their calendar year by sight-reading pieces for their yearly MPA. MPA stands for Music Performance Adjudication, and it acts as the Band Program's End of Grade assessment. Students travel to Wingate University to play in front of four judges, and they get graded based on their overall performance, sound quality, and note accuracy. Their next concert will be their Pre-MPA preview on Thursday, February 22nd at 7pm in the Mooresville MIddle School Gym!
General Music
General Music is learning about the origins and beginnings of Holiday music. They are learning the multi-cultural meanings of holidays like Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Three Kings Day, Boxing Day, Yule, and several other holidays around the world along with several musical examples of not only the cultures that celebrate those holidays, but also listening to different holiday songs in various languages. We just completed our unit on Broadway Musicals, where we learned about the Broadway industry, music behind the singing, prop management, and how actors/actresses perform those shows weekly.
Physical Education
Health - CPR unit
After break continuing with CPR and starting Capture the pin
Visual Art
Biotechnology
What's Happening in IMPtime?
Mrs. McComas' and Mrs. Duckworth's IMPtime Classes
Mrs. Smith's IMPtime Class
Mooresville Middle School
Vision:
Mooresville Middle School is committed to creating the conditions that bring each student to full academic potential as engaged, life-long learners and citizens by developing critical thinkers and problem solvers.
Mission:
Mooresville Middle School will instill an appreciation and love for learning in our students as we help them develop the skills needed to become goal oriented, independent thinkers and leaders in an ever-changing global society. We challenge every student, every day to discover and develop a positive sense of self, as well as to respect themselves and others through meaningful collaboration with peers, teachers, and parents.
Website: http://www.mgsd.k12.nc.us/page.cfm?p=2494
Location: 233 Kistler Farm Road, Mooresville, NC, United States
Phone: 704-658-2720
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Mooresville-Middle-School-Red-Imps-106456262721779/
Twitter: @mooresvillems