TJ Today
Thomas Jefferson Middle School
DECEMBER 2015
Upcoming Dates:
Dec. 2 - 8th grade Shakespeare Play - 12:30 in auditorium
Dec. 8 - Parent Advisory Group Meeting 6:00-7:00 pm in Media Center
Dec. 14 - This is Our Story - VHS - 7:30
Dec. 19 - Jan. 3 - Winter Break
Jan. 15 - No School - End of Semester (1/2 day work for teachers)
Jan. 18 - No School - Martin Luther King Day
As a participant in Speak Up, we receive free, online access to the aggregated results with state and national comparisons, providing us with valuable data that can be used for our strategic planning, professional development and budgeting plans during the school year.
Thanks for your continued support to make TJM the best school it can be!
This Is Our Story (TIOS)
Valparaiso music and art departments will, once again, host this festive night, Monday Dec.14 (for TJ) and Tuesday Dec. 15 (for BF) at the high school. The program starts at 7:30pm, but come early to view the art displays beforehand. The free performance features band, choir, and orchestra students from 5th-12th grade.
8th Grade Remembers their Past
Remembering Our Past
Every year, our 8th grade students are able to recognize and honor Veteran’s Day in a very personal way. This year was no exception.
In social studies classes, students wrote essays about a veteran that has been a part of their lives. This could be a relative or friend of the family. Students who did not have a veteran from their own lives to document were able to research a veteran.
This writing project allowed students to realize the sacrifices of our military and gain personal insight into real people who served our country. History truly came alive to the eighth graders as more than information in a textbook.
These essays are graded and evaluated, and a few were chosen to be shared at the TJMS annual Veteran’s Day program. Students whose writings were chosen then read their essays for our honored guests at this special event.
8th Graders Heard Renowned Speaker
Eva Mozes Kor, a survivor of the Holocaust, spoke to TJMS eighth grade students about her experiences during this tragic time in world history. This lecture was held at VHS on Nov .5. This presentation was given as part of both the social studies curriculum and language arts study of The Diary of Anne Frank.
Ms. Kor was born in Romania, and her entire family was captured by members of the Nazi armed guard and taken to Auschwitz. At Auschwitz, she was separated from her parents and two older sisters. She never saw them again. Ms. Kor, however, and her twin sister, Miriam, became part of the twin experiments conducted by Dr. Josef Mengele. At the time of liberation, the Soviet Army found many of the Mengele twins still alive. Eva and Miriam were among them.
Ms. Kor continues to share her story across the country. She has appeared in many news documentaries, founded the CANDLES Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Terre Haute, Indiana, and presents her lecture to many audiences.
Her message to students was simple yet poignant. She encouraged all who heard her story to practice respect, equality, forgiveness, and peace. It is also her ongoing hope that students have heard this message loud and clear.
More information about Eva Mozes Kor and her organization can be found on her website- www.candlesholocaustmuseum.org
7th Grade Poets
As we continue, the students are going to begin a unit on Charles Dickens' beginning with A Christmas Carol. The students will be listening to an abridged version of the original A Christmas Carol during class. Be on the lookout for some fun activities regarding this reading.
6th Grade Happenings
SOCIAL STUDIES
Classes have just finished Ancient Greece and are looking forward to the Greek Olympic Games on Dec. 2. Competitions will be by Advisory classes, and all are hoping to dethrone last year’s Greek Games champion Mr. Brown! We are then marching on to Ancient Rome.
LANGUAGE ARTS
Some classes are wrapping up the reading of Ulysses. Mrs. Strayer’s classes concluded the unit by creating 3D projects. Other classes are finishing Touching Spirit Bear and A Corner of the Universe. All students will be viewing the final battle scene of Ulysses as a part of our Greek Day activities. Detectives in Togas, a Roman mystery, will the next novel for several classes.
Parts of speech and sentence construction continue as major units, also.
Soon students will be selecting their poems for the upcoming Poetry Contest. Classroom contests will be held after Winter Break.
MATH
Integers! Algebra! Equations! Oh, my! Math classes have been studying all of these topics lately. Wow!
SCIENCE
• Chapter 5, Energy, is our current topic. We are learning about kinetic and potential energy, discussing energy transformations, and the law of conservation of energy.
• What is the difference between kinetic and potential energy? Our goal is to know this answer before we finish Chapter 5.
SUPPLY NOTE: Winter Break is a GREAT time to restock those school supplies! Stubby colored pencils can be replaced, as well as highlighters and red pens! There’s always room for more #2 pencils and/or #2 lead! Think stocking stuffers!
Media Center FYI
Many TJMS teachers collaborate with Mrs. Hurley and use media center resources to embed information literacy skills in projects and assessments. For example:
1. Mrs. Olsen and Ms. Blakley took the initiative to make sure their students had the tools needed to critically evaluate internet sources.
2. Mrs. Highlan spearheaded the important task of ensuring her students know how to responsibly use and credit image sources.
3. Mrs. Ellenson presented her students with an opportunity to sign-up for Goodreads, giving students an opportunity to participate in the social exchange of ideas about books.
And, kudos goes to many more! Contact Mrs. Hurley with any questions that you have about information literacy and what constitutes ethical, responsible use of information.
Congratulation to our Spell Bowl Team!
Number 9 is mighty fine! The TJMS Spell Bowl team captured its ninth straight state championship during the Indiana Academic Spell Bowl Finals on Saturday, November 14, at Purdue University. The team penned 69 of 72 words correctly for the win, stumbling only on raillery, dendrochronological, and laburnum. Lily O’Quinn led off for Team TJ, followed by Emmett Richter, Devishi Jha, Ricky Hall, Shannon McCall, Teresa Nelson, and Keaton Olson. Captain Isabel Pati rounded out the state team, which collected 3 near-perfect and 5 perfect speller ribbons in addition to the state championship plaque and banner.
It was a tense competition, as TJ began in second place according to Area meet results, fell to third, tied for second, and finally emerged at the top of the leader board when it counted, running away with the Class 2 title.
Reacting to TJ’s fluctuating position in the standings and cheering for each upward move were team members Carson Brooks, Meg Calumpang, David Coombs, Ashley Karns, Haley Klein, Aubrey Krieger, Aidan MacKenzie, Charlie Moye, Micah Nathan, Vanessa Phipps, Dillon Rodriguez, and Talyn Watkins.
Mrs. Kemper and Mrs. Strayer are extremely proud of the team and all the hard work and dedication it took to earn this state championship and keep the string alive. Mrs. Strayer also thanks the team for the birthday serenade on the stage after the awards. It was the best birthday present ever! You certainly did MMP!
December Pride Card Drawing
Ask your student how they get a Pride Card!
Builders Club will be busy!
Builders' Club has an exciting December coming up. Members will be shopping for our Angel Tree, caroling at a local nursing home, ringing the Salvation Army bell, and having a holiday celebration!
Book Fair Success
A special thanks goes out to our book fair parent volunteers: Brenda Civanich, Mouna Elaiyan, Amy LaValley, Christine Moye, Jeanne Nelson-Brown, Vicki Puskar, Cindy Schmidt, Danielle Topping, Bonnie Wallace, and Jacquelyn Walworth. TJMS couldn’t have done it without you!
Also, a special shout out goes to Shoe’s Pizzeria for donating three large pizzas for our after-school event.
Polar Bear Running Club
The Polar Bear Club is the winter running club at Thomas Jefferson Middle School. This club meets every Tuesday and Thursday from 2:50pm to 4:00pm and is open to all students. The PB Club will start meeting on Thursday, December 3, 2015 and will continue until the middle of March. Participants can receive an Incentive Point if they attend 75% of the meetings. Students interested in participating should contact Mr. Wassilak or Miss Laurencell, or visit the TJMS website for further information and the permission form.
21st Century Scholars
Have you completed a Twenty-First Century Scholar application for your child? The applications must be completed during your child's seventh or eighth grade year. If your child qualifies for the program and follows the Twenty-first Century Scholars Pledge, he or she can get up to four years of undergraduate college tuition to attend an eligible Indiana college or university. The online application can be found at www.scholars.in.gov If your family income does not exceed the income maximums, complete each section of the enrollment form. The Twenty-first Century Scholars website can also be accessed on the Thomas Jefferson Middle School website. Please contact Mrs. Carlson in the Guidance office with any questions.
Thank you to our Veteran's Day Speakers for making the day special!
Late Bus
- South Bus #15, 3:50 - begins at TJMS and then goes to VHS, and then to BFMS.
- North Bus #30, 4:05 - begins at BFMS, then goes to VHS, and then comes to TJMS.
Before and After School Tutoring and Computer Usage
Thomas Jefferson Middle School
Email: ekrutz@valpo.k12.in.us
Website: http://www.valpo.k12.in.us/Domain/248
Location: 1600 Roosevelt Rd, Valparaiso, IN, United States
Phone: 219-531-3140
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TJMS.Valpo
Twitter: @Valpo_TJMS