Davies Dragon Pride Newsletter
March
Teacher of the Year - Mrs. Conrad
Mrs.Conrad, a sixth grade Science teacher, was selected as the Teacher of the Year. I asked Mrs. Conrad some questions about her nomination.
Q: What was your reaction when you were told you were selected?
A: “I was very surprised. I thought I was being observed.”
Q: How did you celebrate once you won?
A: "My period 8/9 science class were clapping, whistling, and were very happy!”
Q: Did you get an award? If so what was it?
A: “I believe in March, I will be attending a luncheon with other Atlantic County teachers who were voted Teacher of the Year.”
Q: Did you expect to win or did you not know anything at all?
A: “I knew nothing at all.”
Q: Do you know why you might have won?
A: “Last spring our Environmental club worked very hard to create our new nature courtyard which I designed, investigated, and planned! During the summer I came frequently to weed, water, and admire. I also volunteer my time for many school activities.”
Be sure to look at next month's newsletter for an interview with Paraprofessional of the Year Faye Fuller!
~Morgan Lake
Davies Got Talent
Davies Got Talent is an annual event that showcases student's abilities that range from singing all the way to group dances. Many of the performers we showcased were dancers, such as Gabrielle Santosuosso, Marissa Baggstrom,The Lady Dragons field hockey team, La’ Nirah Elliott, Tonja Falls, Aniyah Gunter, Sarai Tunstall-Wynn, Thomas Van, Makayla Baggstrom, Gianna Digregorio and Autumn Bott. The talent show also incorporated many talented singers, such as Mikaela Delgado, Alivia Mullery, Isabella Previti, Emily Tunney, Katrina Arroyo, Shelby Spica, and Colin Luderitz with a quirky, yet entertaining, lip syncing performance. The talent show also starred many diverse acts, for instance Chris Caracci performed an original song on the piano. We also had great karate skills from Olivia Rosario- Torres. All in all, the night of Davies Got Talent was a fun-filled evening creating many memories that will be cherished. A great thank you to all of the faculty, student participants, and parents! See the slideshow below! This event was sponsored by the Hamilton Township Education Association (HTEA); thank you for your support!
~Savannah Masker
Spring Drama Performance
On March 4th and 5th, the Davies Lenape Players performed "Bye, Bye, Birdie." It is a comedy/musical about Conrad Birdie (based on Elvis) getting drafted into the army and his fan club “falling apart” and his manager picking a lucky girl (Kim) to kiss Conrad. While this is happening, the manager is falling in love with his secretary (Rosie). If you would like to order the DVD, go to this website ----> Bye Bye Birdie.
~Morgan Lake
Art Exhibit
See the slideshow below!
Sock Hop Dance
Congratulations to the following teachers who received BEST DRESSED TEACHER RECOGNITION by our Students for the Sock Hop last week!
Students voted during their lunch times, and the results are as follows:
Winners: Mrs. Hopkins, Ms. Petrucci, Mr. Seigel
Honorable mention: Mrs. Berchtold and Miss Jones
See the slideshow below!
Autism Awareness t-shirts
Autism Awareness T-shirts are on sale for $10 each. All proceeds will benefit FACES 4 Autism. Please help show your support for Autism Awareness. Wear your shirt on April 28th. Order forms are available in the main office.
Spread the Love
Davies students will be selling yellow ribbons during the month of March for $1.
The ribbons will be sold during each lunch period.
All proceeds will be donated to the Spread The Love, a non-profit organization that strives to add critical social skills into the curriculum for students in an attempt to ensure a positive, kind, and successful future for every student.
PARCC testing
8th grade: April 4-11
7th grade: April 18-25
6th grade: May 2-9
How will PARCC be administered?
•Davies students will take the PARCC assessments on a computer.
•PARCC states that in the 21st century students need to have access to technology in the classroom throughout the year, not just at testing time, ensuring they are comfortable using the technology. Davies has prepared our students well to be comfortable with this technology.
•The technology gives students independence and is more engaging, as it includes videos and interactive tools. Students are the drivers of their own testing experience which gives them confidence.
How can parents help their children?
•Read a combination of fiction and non-fiction with your child. Look for subjects of interest.
•Discuss and “do” real life math with your child. Help him/her know basic math facts.
•Discuss the new tests with your child. Make sure he/she is not scared or anxious going into the new tests.
•Explain to your child that the tests will initially be more challenging. Tell your child to do his/her best on the test and that you are there to help every step of the way.
•After the test, review the results with your child. Bring the teacher into the discussion as needed.
•Provide a quiet, comfortable place for studying at home and make sure your child gets a good night’s sleep and a nutritious breakfast before the test.
•Above all, be positive and encouraging about the tests; we use them to plan for student growth, not to penalize students.
Choir/Band
Saturday, April 23, 2016 - Elementary Honors Band Festival - Concert Performance at Absegami High School at 2pm. There will be three separate Honors Bands. The following grade 6 students from our school were accepted to participate:
McKenna Blair - Clarinet
Varsha Mudaliar - Mallet percussion
Sara Duran - Clarinet
Samuel Dorce - Saxophone
Olivia Edmonds - Trombone
Jayda Shehadi - Trumpet
Tuesday, April 26 - NJMEA ( NJ Music Educators Association) MS/Jr.High Band Festival at Rowan University
Thursday, April 28 - Volleyball Extravaganza; the William Davies Middle School PEP BAND will perform
Friday, May 6 - Teen Arts Festival, Hammonton, NJ.
About 40 eighth grade representatives from the Performing Arts, Visual Arts, and Language Arts programs will attend.
Thursday, May 19 - Spring Concert, Hess Auditorium, 7pm. - featuring the Concert Band, Jazz Band, Percussion Ensemble, Treble Choir, Show Choir, and more!
The 2015-16 Yearbook is on sale NOW!
The Davies Yearbook is still on sale. Please see Mrs. Carter in A108 or Ms. Pickering in A200 during homeroom. $30 cash only. Last year, the support was tremendous and we sold every book! Don't miss out. Order your copy today!
Springboard!
Environmental Club
This year the Environmental club is creating recycled art for our other courtyard. You can look for unusual whirlygig bottlecap moving structures, glass totem poles, stained glass fence posts, and a milkweed garden. The native bed garden created last Spring is awakening. Our benches are already here and our tables are on their way. This will truly be an outdoor classroom! There are also many changes occurring to our raised bed vegetable garden. It is expanding with additional beds and a fountain. Look out the windows! Get outside!
Ellis Island Experience
One of our biggest ELA projects of the year arrived on Friday, March 18th: the Ellis Island Experience. Students in the 6th grade got to dress up as Ellis Island immigrants and a few 8th grade NJHS members were able to participate, as well. All ELA classes headed to the IMC at designated times and in character for the role-play presentation. Students in each class were divided into "families," or groups, to make things easier for the presentation. The presentation started in "The Great Hall," where they filled out background information about their family. After the long journey, they were able to go to the bank to buy their tickets to America if they had enough money. First, each family or group was examined at the door. If they had a sickness listed in the passport or were sick at that time, they would be sprayed and detained for a little bit of time. The families sat in groups waiting to be called. If there was any trouble, they would be detained. Once called, the families would then proceed to the "Great Hall" where they would be examined for diseases. If the disease was critical, they were detained. If it was minor, the inspectors could be bribed by money (we used fake money) and were able to move on. Next, there was the mental test where they were tested on their prior knowledge. Moving on to the language station, they would sign their name on a manifest. Then once they passed, they would go on to the bank to buy tickets for the ferry or train. If they were detained too many times, they were deported. The students liked the activity and some want more of that in the future. See slideshow below.
~Deondre Davis
Healthy Things To Do Over Spring Break
While most people spend their Spring Break on the couch, you could spend yours making yourself happier and healthier. The following are great ideas to help you stay healthy over Spring Break.
Make sure to drink plenty of water; it will help to fill you up and prevent you from making unhealthy eating choices.
Many people travel over the break, however it is important to bring some snacks with you that have nutritional value. Rather than going out for every meal, buy some healthy foods, that are easy to prepare in your room. Many places do not offer healthy choices, so make sure to pack your own healthy options. This can also help with portion control.
Visit local farmers' markets, pick up some fresh fruits and vegetables and check out some of the local cultures.
When out of town, it is easy to become bored. Staying in a hotel can cause you to feel cramped and when traveling with the whole family, it is hard to find things to do and you many even start to feel trapped. Going on a walk or run may help you to get out and clear your head; it is also great exercise.
Find some activities special to the area you are in. When in different places, try to experience as many things as possible. It will help you to get out of the hotel room and experience new things.
~Haley Duffy
Shows and Movies to Binge On Over Spring Break
Grease~ This movie was an old movie, but I watched it and it is very good. It’s also a musical. You may know that John Travolta and Olivia Newton John star in it. There was also a new version called Grease Live, which was very good, but also very different.
Galavant (TV show)~ Perfect for people 12+. Once again it is a musical, but also a comedy.
Dancing With The Stars~ This show is awesome, especially if you like dancing! The spring season started March 21st, but there's still time to catch up. Bindi Irwin and Derek Hough’s very emotional dance!. (BTW, the picture is of her dad who died.)
Dirty Dancing~ This is another dance movie, but is very good and romantic!!
The Middle~ See how a normal family lives on a daily basis! It’s very funny and relatable!!
~Morgan Lake
Batman Begins
Batman Begins is directed by Christopher Nolan and stars Christian Bale as Batman, Katie Holmes as Rachel, Cillian Murphy as Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow, and Liam Neeson as Ducard. Young Bruce Wayne witnesses the murder of his parents at the hands of Joe Chill. When he grows up, he travels to the Far East and gets into a prison for apparently “stealing” from his own company. There he meets Ducard who takes him to see Ra’s Al Ghul, a master at dark arts. Ducard trains Bruce to join the League of Shadows, a secret organization. Bruce’s final step was to kill a prisoner. Bruce couldn’t do it, and kills Ghul and bails. He returns to Gotham and creates his alter ego, Batman. He has to defeat Scarecrow, who is a villain who uses fear-inducing gas, and Ducard, who wants to destroy Gotham. He wants to “purify” the city like the older days, days without scum and without crime, while also seeking revenge. Definitely a must see! Excellent acting, well-rounded character design, and a plot twist you’ll never see coming. Christopher Nolan captivates watchers in his version of Gotham, and succeeded in aspects such as stating who Batman is in a cool and interesting way, as well as having three different Bruce Wayn's, Bruce Wayne in the public’s eye, Bruce Wayne with Alfred and in the Batcave, and Batman.
~Jake Burnett
Dark Knight
Dark Knight is directed by Christopher Nolan and is the second movie in his Dark Knight trilogy. It stars Gary Oldman as Lt. Gordon, Aaron Eckhart as District Attorney Harvey Dent, and Heath Ledger as the vile and young villain known simply as The Joker. The Joker is a makeup-wearing murderer who like to mark his next targets, whether by newspaper drawings, or making threats during a call to a local Gotham talk show. Gotham’s police force starts to fall apart, even some going rogue. Batman is forced to choose whether to save Rachel or Harvey, but not both. As he is being toyed with, Batman has to face one of the biggest threats to Gotham and a rogue group of officers, making him walk across the fine line between vigilantism and heroism. This is my personal favorite out of the three movies. Although Christian Bale makes another outstanding performance, Heath Ledger (R.I.P.) steals the show.
~Jake Burnett
The Dark Knight Rises
The Dark Knight Rises is directed once again by Christopher Nolan and is the third installment in his “Dark Knight” trilogy and stars Tom Hardy as Bane, Anne Hathaway as Catwoman and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake. Bruce Wayne is retired from his vigilante days and is old and decrepit. But a new darkness shrouds over the city of Gotham; Bane, a masked brute with an army of terrorists who would sacrifice themselves for his cause. Batman must come out of retirement and fight the force of Bane, while also dealing with Catwomen, an anti-hero out to find a “clean-slate” device. He is defeated by Bane, who also traps the entire Gotham police force underground, and has the city in poverty. Bane locks Bruce in a prison, but he escapes and goes back to Gotham to finish Bane once and for all. The acting was clear and the cast was appropriate. Once again, a stellar performance is given by Christian Bale as Batman, as well as the acting from Anne Hathaway and Tom Hardy, which is just as good. The only point of criticism that I, and most critics agree on, was that Miranda’s death in the movie was bad. It was sort of wooden and not very natural, like how acting should be. I honestly think that Christopher Nolan should have re-shot that scene, but I guess he liked it. Overall, it is a well-worth movie and a movie that was on my movie bucket list forever. This was a wonderful movie by itself, but an even better conclusion to the phenomenon that Christopher Nolan presented to us in the form of the Dark Knight trilogy.
~Jake Burnett