The Seahawks Call
Week of February 8, 2021 Volume 20
Message from Principal Taylor......................................
Since every student's device should have a working camera, we will be much stricter with enforcing the attendance policy.
This is a reminder that it is CCPS policy (in order to verify attendance) for students who have a working camera for it to be turned on for the entire duration of the class period.
In conjunction with not having their camera on, Somers' teachers have been told to mark a student absent if the student fails to participate in the lesson by other means, such as:
1. Participating in the lesson via the chat room or "unmuting yourself" to answer questions or share responses.
2. Actively participating in other platforms (ie. NearPod, Class Kick, Discovery Education, etc.)
If a student is marked absent, the teacher should communicate this to you by sending an email or contacting you by phone.
If your child's camera is not working, he/she should notify the teacher at the beginning of class. Remember, not having a working camera does not excuse the child from participating in the lesson in another way. The teacher is expecting your child to share responses via chat or using their microphone to answer questions. If the teacher includes an interactive app like Near Pod or Class Kick, the teacher is able to see the student working on the assignment in REAL time so active participation is key.
I thank you in advance for speaking with your child about the stricter enforcement policy as it relates to attendance.
See how we celebrated National School Counseling week!
Mr. Tojek showing off his Somers' swag during his Zoom Counseling meeting!
Ms. Franklin deserves all this love from her students....read the comments!
8th Grade Team Zoomed In to tell Ms. Williams how much they appreciate her!
News Alert: All 7th Grade Parents & Students….......SSL Project
During Quarter 3, all seventh grade science students will be working on and completing their Student Service Learning (SSL) Project.
Charles County Public Schools infuses all elements of service learning throughout several disciplines and over several grades at the middle and high school levels. In an effort to enhance the quality of student’s service learning experience in Charles County Public Schools, the program offers students the opportunity to complete their service-learning credit necessary for graduation through a Service-Learning Project. During the 2020-21 SY, students are being offered this virtual SSL project as an option to the face-to-face experiences typically integrated into classroom instruction in grades 6, 7, 8, and 9.
"Service-learning is a form of experiential education where learning occurs through a cycle of action and reflection as students work with others through a process of applying what they are learning to community problems, and at the same time, reflecting upon their experience as they seek to achieve real objectives for the community and deeper understanding for themselves".
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this SSL project, please contact your child’s science teacher.
GIRLS WHO CODE CLUB! Still accepting applications!
Milton Somers is proud to announce the start of the Girls Who Code club for second semester. Girls Who Code is on a mission to close the gender gap in technology and to change the image of what a programmer looks like and does.
The club will meet virtually on scheduled Wednesdays for an hour to learn about coding skills, careers, and the women that have made it possible. For more information and a club application go to join.nearpod.com and enter the code: 5DKBZ
Application deadline is February 12th by 3 pm.
Library News from Ms. H-J!
Curbside Book Pickup
Students next opportunity for curbside pickup will be Tuesday, February 9. Students who have books out, are encouraged to return them to the book return box in the Somers lobby during school hours.
PTSO Executive Board Members
President: Dawn Shafer
Vice-President: Melissa Morris
Secretary: Sherri Williams
Treasurer: Brenda Washington
Contact us at miltonsomersmsptso@gmail.com
Facebook: Milton Somers Middle School PTSO
Twitter: @SomersPTSO
Instagram: SomersPTSO
SCHOOL SUPPORTS
Marlon Walker - 6th Grade VP - mwalker@ccboe.com
Cynthia Panizzi - 7th Grade VP - cpanizzi@ccboe.com
Wualanda Thenstead - 8th Grade VP - wthenstead@ccboe.com
Sonia Matthew - Administrative Asst. - smatthew@ccboe.com
COUNSELING SUPPORTS
Kenneth Tojek - 6th Grade Counselor - ktojek@ccboe.com
Nancy Franklin - 7th Grade Counselor - nfranklin@ccboe.com
Brittany Williams - 8th Grade Counselor - bwilliams@ccboe.com
INSTRUCTIONAL LEADERSHIP TEAM
Andrea Johnson - Reading Resource Teacher (Reading) - afjohnson@ccboe.com
Jennifer Branham - Instructional Resource Teacher (Math) - jbranham@ccboe.com
Suzanne Johnson - Learning Resource Teacher (Gifted Education and Testing Coordinator) - srjohnson@ccboe.com
Email: somersms@ccboe.com
Website: https://www.ccboe.com/schools/somers/
Location: 300 Willow Lane, La Plata, MD 20646
Phone: 301-934-4663
Twitter: @miltonsomersms