Banks Trail Middle School
Teamwork, Responsibility, Ambition, Integrity, Leadership
April 2018
The Force Of Learning Is Strong At BTMS
~ ~ ~
Timberwolf Families,
It is hard to believe the school year is almost over. It is even harder to believe our class of 8th Graders (many who I watched walk through the doors as kindergartners) will be moving on to high school. I bet many of you wonder where the time has gone. It feels like it was just yesterday that the Class of 2022 came through the front doors of Banks Trail, wide eyed and eager to change the world! This year we celebrate the Class of 2022 on May 25th. The 8th Grade Recognition Ceremony will take place in the Gym. It will run from 9 AM until 10:30 AM. Please plan to join us so that we can celebrate one last time and recognize the Class of 2022. For 6th and 7th grade students there will be an Awards Day on May 24th. 6th grade will begin at 9:30 and 7th grade will start at 1:00. Both of these celebrations will take place in the gym as well.
Earlier this week I sent out an email to parents with directions on how you could see which electives your child selected before spring break. These selections will become final on Friday, April 20, so please take a minute to review them in Parent Portal. The 2017-18 registration will take place on-line as it did this school year. Please keep an eye out for more registration information coming home.
Lastly, I wanted to thank you for your continued support of Banks Trail. We feel privileged to be a part of your child’s education.
Sincerely,
Michael Pratt
CONGRATULATIONS BTMS GIRLS TRACK TEAM! 2018 CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS!!
IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES:
End of the Year Dates
7th grade "This I believe" program May 22, 2018 at 1:30 PM
6th grade awards day will be on May 24, 2018 at 9:30 AM
7th grade awards days will be on May 24, 2018, at 1:00 PM
8th Grade Recognition Ceremony: The date has been set for May 25, 2018, at 9:00 AM.
MAY 25TH
Per district policy AR EF-R (Student Meal Accounts), all unpaid student meal balances will need to be cleared by the end of the school year. If parents/guardians need to make payment arrangements they may contact the Student Nutrition Department.
TESTING SCHEDULE
Please do not schedule appointments during the testing times listed below:
5/02 English 1 EOC- Writing
5/07 AM- 6th Grade Writing
PM- 7th Grade Writing
5/08 AM- 8th Grade Writing
PM- 6th Grade Reading
5/09 AM- 7th Grade Reading
PM- 8th Grade Reading
5/10 AM-6th Grade Math
PM-7th Grade Math
5/11 AM- 8th Grade HS Visit / 5th Grade BTMS visit
PM Make-Up Testing
5/14 AM- 8th Grade Math
PM- 6th Grade Science
5/15 AM- 7th Grade Social Studies
PM- 8th Grade Science
5/16 Make-Up Testing
5/17 Algebra 1 EOC
5/18 English 1 EOC - Reading
5/21 - 5/24 Make-Up Testing
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR RISING 6TH GRADE PARENTS:
- Every student at BTMS takes part in the summer reading program. Students will need to select two books from the SC Junior Book Award Nominees (2017-18) and read them over the summer. Students will then complete an online test before Friday, August 31. The online test should be available by the end of May (this will be posted on the BTMS Web site)
Here is the list of the SC Junior Book Award nominees: Summer Reading 2018 for April 10 Parent Night.pdf
- We are continuing our “Path to the Trail” Summer Program for rising 6th graders. Attached you will find more information and how to register for the limited amount of spaces that are available. We will accept payments on Tuesday night and we will have a credit card machine available.
SPORTS PHYSICALS FOR RISING 7TH AND 8TH GRADE ATHLETES
MAY 19TH FROM 8 AM TO 12 PM @ BAXTER URGENT CARE
Join us for Heart of a Champion Day, an event offering free sports physicals
to student-athletes.
Your child will be provided with orthopedic, nutrition and general wellness assessments by our team of expert providers. Students will also receive heart screenings, not offered at routine athletic physicals, to detect health risks before they become issues.
RISING 7TH AND 8TH GRADE PHYSICAL SIGN-UP SHEET
Please click on the link below to view the online sign up sheet.
Sports Physicals for rising 9th grade athletes
ATTENTION UPCOMING 7TH GRADE PARENTS
Notes From The Nurse: Attention Rising 7th Graders
To all UPCOMING seventh grade parents:
As of August 2013, ALL seventh graders are REQUIRED to get the Tdap vaccine to protect them against whooping cough. Students who have not received the Tdap vaccination may not be allowed to attend school for the upcoming school year.
Please check with your family’s physician and /or contact the local health department for more information regarding this vaccine. Remember, beat the rush and do not wait until the last minute to check on the status of your child immunizations.
If you have not submitted a current SC immunization certificate to the school, and believe your student has received the Tdap booster, please do so as soon as possible.
You will have thirty days from the first day of school to have your student in compliance or they will not be able to attend school.
If you have any questions, please call Robin Brown, BTMS school nurse at 803-578-2994.
PTO UPDATE AND REMINDERS
EXECUTIVE BOARD POSITIONS FOR 2018-2019
Do you want to get more involved and take a leadership role at BTMS? Are you new to BTMS and want to be part of the great things that go on here? The PTO Board is a great opportunity to contribute to helping our teachers, staff and students. The PTO Nominating Committee is accepting nominations for Executive Board Positions for the 2018-2019 school year. And we are also looking for committee chairpersons and volunteers for next year. Attached is a PTO Nomination Form and a Committee Volunteer Form for 2018-2019.
We have been blessed with some fantastic volunteers this year selling spirit wear, beautifying our campus, preparing teacher luncheons, counting boxtops, sitting for an hour at Chick-fil-A, selling candygrams, supporting our coupon book fundraiser and much, much more. If you’d like to participate in any of our activities, committees or events or contribute new ideas and join in on the fun, we’d love to have you. Please consider joining us as we prepare for the next school year. If you have any questions, email us at btmspto2017@gmail.com.
TEACHER APPRECIATION WEEK ACTIVITIES
Next week the PTO will host Teacher Appreciation Week for our amazing teachers and staff. We have lots of surprises in store for them each day of the week. We could use a few strong folks to setup our new umbrellas/stands in the Cafeteria Courtyard after school on Wednesday, April 24th. You can help by baking or delivering treats for our Thursday, 4/26 Sweet Treats Cart after lunch. And we need side dishes, desserts and buns for our luncheon on Friday 4/27. Sign up using the following links:
Picnic Table Setup: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080B4AAAAB23A3FB6-courtyard
Sweet Treat Cart Donations/Delivery: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080b4aaaab23a3fb6-baked
Luncheon donations and help: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080b4aaaab23a3fb6-teacher1
We’d also like to shower our teachers and staff with thank you notes on Friday, 4/27. Have your student write a note to a teacher/staff member that has made a difference for him/her this year. Template attached.
PTO General Meeting, Elections and Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast
On Thursday, May 3rd from 8:15-9:15am we will have our final PTO meeting of the year, hold elections and have a Volunteer Appreciation Continental Breakfast.
RSVP here: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080B4AAAAB23A3FB6-ptovolunteer
BEAUTIFICATION DAY
Spring Campus Spruce Up is scheduled for 10am – 1pm on Thursday 5/3 after the PTO Election Meeting.
ARCHERY CAMP
Banks Trail will be offering an Archery Camp this summer from June 11th to June 15th OR June 18th to June 22nd from 9:00 AM until 12:00 PM in the BTMS gym. Please click on the link below to see the flyer.
Padawans Of The Pack/Terrific Padawans
Each month students are chosen to be “Padawan's of the Pack” (formerly known as Leaders of the Pack) for reasons such as displaying outstanding leadership, citizenship, school service, good behavior, and performance in their classrooms and throughout the school. “Terrific Padawans” (formerly known as Terrific Timberwolves) are then selected among those chosen as Padawans of the Pack because they exemplify the characteristics found in the T.R.A.I.L. - Teamwork, Responsibility, Ambition, Integrity, Leadership
For the month of March we would like to congratulate the following Terrific Padawans:
- 6th Grade: Joesph R.
6th Grade: Zachary R.
7th Grade: Tillman C.
7th Grade: Lacey L.
8th Grade: Caleb A.
8th Grade: Brenna L.
Related Arts: Mia L.
Related Arts: Alex C.
The March Padawans of the Pack are:
6th Grade - Hunter W.
7th Grade - Madison K.
8th Grade - Nicole V.
Related Arts - Flopater L.
Teamwork, Responsibility, Ambition, Integrity, Leadership: "The Trail" As Leaders of the Pack and Terrific Timberwolves, these students live "The Trail" everyday!
Jedi Of The Month (Formerly known as Teacher of the Month)
Mrs. Driver
Jedi Driver serves as instructor of Math to the 6th grade Padawans at Banks Trail Middle School.
Jedi Driver works tirelessly (wearing more hats than I can count), and continuously gives her all for Banks Trail. It is very evident that she loves this school and these kids with every ounce of her being. Jedi Driver manages to help with soccer, keep her colleagues up to date and informed about everything, plan our field trip, make sure that we are ready for intramurals, honor roll celebration, STEAM Career Day, and R-Card Celebrations all while teaching a full load.
Jedi Driver goes above and beyond, she is one of the first to offer to help cover a duty or assist in the classroom in any way. She is most definitely a team player, a fabulous leader, and an incredible teacher.
Banks Trail is blessed to have Jedi Driver as part of our staff!
Ms. Bauer
Jedi Bauer has spent countless hours at home to hand stitch costumes for the BTMS performance of the Little Mermaid. She has fixed shirts, pants, jackets and other items for many of the staff and students here at school. Jedi Bauer loves to plan monthly luncheons for the Related Arts Department. Jedi Bauer has a heart as big as the state of Texas and means well in all she does.
For her dedication to the students of BTMS, it is an honor to name Jedi Bauer as Jedi of the Month.
BTMS Broadcast Team, The Howl, traveled to Nashville for competition
The Banks Trail broadcast team, The Howl, competed in the national broadcast competition in Nashville, Tennessee on March 14th - March 18th. The kids spent 4 days competing, attending professional sessions, and networking with colleges in the broadcasting field. Every day they were up at 6 am and were working until 10 at night. They showed passion, drive, integrity, and ambition. This group represented Banks Trail, and the Fort Mill School District with class. I am super proud of their efforts. Plus they walked away with 3 national broadcasting awards. They placed 2nd in the country in best anchor team (one of the toughest categories to compete in), 3rd in the country in best silent film, and 3rd in the country in best short film (also one of the toughest categories). All our videos can be found on the Howl Youtube channel. Check them out and see the kids hard work.
8th Graders Field Trip to Washington, DC
The 8th grade trip to Washington, DC was a fun and educational experience for everyone. Thank you to all of the parent chaperones that joined us. We could not do this trip without you! There were so many ways for our kids to explore and understand our nation’s history. We were able to visit Arlington National Cemetery and see the Changing of the Guard ceremony. It was great to see our military in this dignified ceremony. Our students were also able to take a tour of the Capitol and learn about our country's struggle to establish the world's first truly representative democracy and tour the magnificent building that houses our Congress. Our tour took us through the Crypt, the Rotunda, and National Statuary Hall. We were also able to explore many of the Smithsonian Museums. Among the favorites were the African American History, Natural History, and Air and Space Museums. Finally we were able to pay tribute to those that fought in war and some important figures in our history by visiting several monuments and memorials around DC, such as World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, Lincoln, Jefferson, FDR, and much more. Some of the other highlights for our students were the boat cruise along the Potomac River and Kings Dominion Theme Park. A great time was had by all. The memories our students, staff and parent chaperones made together will last a lifetime.
The picture above is of Bus 2 outside of the Library of Congress.
EXCITING THINGS ARE HAPPENING IN RELATED ARTS!
ART
Last month, Fort Mill Schools hosted their first District Juried Art Exhibit. Each middle school in Fort Mill entered 7 pieces to represent their school in competition. BTMS was represented by:
Zyreail H.- 8th- Expressionist Watercolor Painting
Nathan S., Alex M., & Ty M.- 8th- Forced Perspective Photography
Mia T.- 6th- Abstract Expressionist Landscape Painting
Zyreail H.- 8th- Expressionist Watercolor Portrait
Mya T. (8th), Dylan B. (7th), Ashley B. (7th), Victoria G. (7th), Zaraeah H. (7th), Kaelah H. (7th), Lauren L. (7th), Lily M. (7th), Emma P. (7th), Tatum S. (7th), Ly’Ani D. (6th), Olivia D. (6th), Jordan J. (6th), Ben L. (6th), Marlee M. (6th), Aidan M. (6th), Jade P. (6th), and Ethan S. (6th)- Expressionist Sea Sunset Musical Production Backdrop
Middle and High school levels had 5 honorable mentions and 1st-3rd each, so the competition was very tight. BTMS had an Honorable Mention- Giada E. (8th) with her Realistic Still-life Drawing as well as FIRST PLACE- Sadie M. (the only 7th to be awarded) with her Ceramic Shaker!
Family and Consumer Science
THEATRE ARTS
On March 26th members of the BTMS Theatre production "Under The Sea" attended the Broadway Junior Theater Celebration at the Blumenthal Arts Center. We had so much fun performing Under The Sea in a theatre, attending two workshops with Broadway professionals, and performing with other students from 13 different elementary and middle schools! We also had three of our students recognized at the end of the celebration as Broadway Jr. All Stars. This wasn’t a competition, but it is more of a celebration of theatre kids everywhere who do what we do. Our 3 all stars were: Hannah W. (8th), Colin M. (7th), and Haley T. (8th). I loved how the directors chose students who were leads as well as in the ensemble. It was a great day!
CHORUS
SPRING CHORUS CONCERT
Tuesday, May 1st
7:00 PM in the BTMS Gym
Featuring 6th, 7th, and 8th Grade Choruses!
Literacy Corner
Spotlight on Literacy
Reawakening the Love of Reading in Adolescents
Two renowned consultants on adolescent literacy, Kelly Gallagher and Penny Kittle, have recently published a new book about a phenomenon our ELA teachers here at BTMS are determined to fight. Many adolescents today are abandoning the regular reading of books. Middle school students can easily find distractions, including their phones and social media, to disconnect from reading books. The result is students who may enter high school and college without the reading volume necessary for success. Gallagher and Kittle advocate that students will become in engaged in reading again when we provide book club titles, or literature circle books, for our students to choose from and meet with other readers to discuss. Many of our BTMS ELA classes have been choosing and reading literature circle books or will be doing so in the coming weeks as school winds down to a close. Ask your children about the books they are reading, and consider buying a copy to read along with them. Seeing their parents as readers encourages students to value reading. Discussing great books and sharing personal connections to them helps students grow not only as readers but as confident speakers and conversationalists. An added benefit of reading and discussing books with your child is you’ll make memories of time spent together that you and your child will treasure for a lifetime.
BTMS STUDENTS LEARN ABOUT CAREERS
Throughout the school year all Banks Trail Middle School students had the chance to watch a series of videos about careers. The videos covered why it is important to study careers and included videos for fourteen of the career clusters. The career cluster videos gave students a chance to see a variety of careers that perhaps they had never heard of or considered. The series concluded with a preview of other career exploration opportunities students will have in middle school and a video on choices after high school.
The video about choices after high school can be found at the link below and explains the paradigm shift in how we should be talking to young people about their futures. Instead of asking “what college are you going to?” or “what is your major going to be?” the questions should be “what do you want to do?” and “what skills will it take to accomplish that?” By asking these questions, we are encouraging students to make an intentional plan to reach their end goals and not just set off on a path because it seems like the logical next step. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4nwQYuR-JM
The video series was shown throughout the district, but Banks Trail Middle School played a special role. Eighth grade student, Hannah T., did a fantastic job cohosting the video series alongside Career Development Facilitator, Kati McFadden. And, Officer Hill, Ms. Tyler, and Ms. Grieve all made appearances to talk about their career clusters. Thanks to all of these super stars for representing BTMS to the Fort Mill School District!
Upcoming Events
4/16 - 4/20 Spirit Week
4/19 Girls Soccer Playoff Game (Higher Seed hosts)
4/20 National Junior Art Honors Field Trip
4/20 & 4/21 Band Solo and Ensemble
4/21 Baseball Tournament at Indian Land
4/23 & 4/24 7th Grade Trip to Charleston
4/30 6th Grade Band Concert (2:00 PM)
7th & 8th Grade Band Concert (7:00 PM)
5/01 Chorus Concert (7:00 PM)
5/11 5th Graders visit BTMS
8th Graders visit FMHS or NFHS
5/22 "This I Believe" Program
5/23 BTMS Chorus performs at Knights Stadium
5/24 6th Grade Awards (9:30 AM)
7th Grade Awards (1:00 PM)
5/25 8th Grade Recognition Ceremony (9:00 AM)
Together, Building A Tradition of Excellence
Banks Trail Middle School
Email: costs@fortmillschools.org
Website: http://btms.fortmillschools.org/
Location: 1640 Banks Road, Fort Mill, SC, United States
Phone: 803-578-2990
Twitter: @BTMStimberwolf