J.M.S. News...
MARCH 2018
Quotes for the Month of March:
March 4- “Where there is love there is life.” – Mahatma Gandhi
March 11- “For it is in giving that we receive.” – Francis of Assisi
March 18- “Those who are the happiest are those who do the most for others.” – Booker T Washington
March 25- “Kindness is a language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” – Mark Twain
Monthly SEL Theme for the Month of March: Friendship (Reaching Out to Others, and Sharing)
Friendship is what binds people together when they take pleasure in each other’s company. Friends listen, laugh, and share the good times, as well as, the bad. “Friends are angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly.”
We must help you to realize that true friendship can form bridges that last a lifetime. Strong friendships will embrace you with the necessary strength and love to meet the challenges that confront you throughout your lifetime. Remember, Good friends are hard to find, harder to leave and impossible to forget.
Remember, “An open mind is the beginning of self-discovery and growth.” – (Erwin G. Hall) and that throughout life’s journey your attitude will allow you to form friendships that are a necessary ingredient to successful and meaningful human relationships.
Classroom News!
Team 6A:
Team 6A has been growing and expanding themselves as learners, collaborators and teachers! We completed our second JMS Kid EdCamp on the Friday before the break. The students became collaborative teachers and learners in a variety of topics of their choice like Coding, Dancing, Escape the Room, Meditation, Manga and Graphic Novels, and Chess to name only a few. In ELA the students on team 6A have been busy studying about Ancient Greece. They learned about Sparta and Athens’s governments, education, and daily life. At the conclusion of their study they had an opportunity to debate which city-state was more successful. The children really enjoyed presenting and defending their arguments. As mathematicians they just completed a unit about integer and rational numbers. As Scientists they are understanding the relationships motion, direction and acceleration.
Team 6B:
Team 6B got very creative with their words and visual skills this month. We each selected just one word that represents our goals, dreams, hopes, or focus for the coming year, 2019. Students decorated index cards to show the importance of their one word, and they can take note of it each time they enter the classroom. Students enjoy looking at our display and noticing the choices that peers made. Mr. Pearsall and Mrs. Riccuiti have JUST ONE WORD for Team 6B… AWESOME!
Team 6C:
Team 6C kicked off their Physics unit with some fun motion activities!!! After learning how to determine if an object is moving and how to describe motion, students calculated and graphed the speed of a battery powered car. They also used color coded index card to build equations for calculating speed, distance and time.
Inspired by an article from Education Week that Dr. Gately shared with the staff, students created “Kindness Boxes” for both homerooms. During the Olweus Kick Off week, students selected a classmate at random. Students had the week to perform an act of kindness for this classmate. After each student performed the kind act, he/she completed a reflection questionnaire to describe the kind act performed and how made him/her feel to do something extra nice for someone else. Some of the kind acts included creating Fortnite Valentine’s cards, writing encouraging post-it notes for lockers and helping with classwork or lockers. This proved to be a positive activity that the team will certainly repeat again!
Team 6D:
Team 6E:
"This month students on team 6E are working with forces! Students explore and experiment with speed, velocity and acceleration. What happens when we make the ramp steeper? What causes friction? How can we make the cars go faster????"
Team 7A:
Team 7A stepped back in time to experience life in the thirteen English colonies this week. We learned that school wasn't nearly as exciting as it is here at Jericho MS, especially this week! But children were very lucky to be educated at all, even if they weren't wealthy. Free and public education is an early cornerstone of democracy!
Referring to ourselves by our colonial names, such as Clement, Patience, Jedidiah, and Dorcas, we churned our own butter, wrote with quill pens, told colonial riddles, and played the very popular colonial game "Jacob and Rachel." How much fun is that? The winner of the "Can you guess the Colonial Artifact?" contest, Rayna, won her very own replica of the Declaration of Independence, complete with a quill pen. Hopefully, everyone remembered to write their lessons on their hornbooks. Now that's a study guide!
Team 7B:
Team 7B celebrated students' skills, talents, experiences and/or expertise by running student-led Ed Camp sessions on Personal Best Day. Our sessions included but were not limited to learning about robotics, Star Wars, alfajores, drawing, the ukele, and BTS. This was a wonderful learning experience that allowed students to learn from each other and work on building community within our team.
Team 7C:
Team 8A:
Students on team 8A participated in some exciting events for this year's Personal Best Day! In the morning, students made mindfulness glitter jars. The jars are reminders that our daily lives, thoughts and concerns can be calmed by doing mindful things such as practicing the mindful act of breathing and relaxation. In the afternoon, students showcased their talents, interests, and showed their classmates what doing your personal best means to them! It was a great way to get to know one another and for students to get to show what they know!
Team 8B:
Team 8B students were very busy this month! On February 13, Diversity Day, JMS students had an opportunity to experience the many cultures that make up the rich tapestry of Jericho Middle School. The Masters of Ceremony, Ethan Qasemi and Lauren Marchand (both from Team 8B!), as well as the performers (many from Team 8B!), did an amazing job! On February 14, staff and students had a blast reaffirming their commitment to standing up against bullying at the OLWEUS Bully Prevention Kickoff. On Friday, February 15, Personal Best Day, Team 8B hosted its Team 8B's Got Talent show giving students an opportunity to share their interests, passions, and abilities. Many students participated and showcased their talents to the delight of their classmates and teachers.
Team 8C:
In Algebra, students have been working on performance tasks that connect math to the real-world. Geometry students designed their own map of an island using a variety of geometric concepts. Students also enjoyed all of the full-filled learning experiences at JMS this month! Lunar New Year, Cupcake Wars, Diversity Day, OLWEUS Kick-off, Mindful Meditation and Personal Best Day--what an awesome way to showcase our talents and bond with all of our friends at JMS! In honor of Black History Month, we ended the month with a special visit from author Cheryl Wills! Students also worked on a hyper doc created by Jericho Middle School's own Black History Student Forum to learn more about American history.
CUPCAKE WARS 2019
Diversity Day 2019: "Different Leaves Make a Beautiful Tree"
NEW STAFF MEMBERS AT JMS
MICHAELA LEE- 6TH GRADE LEAVE REPLACEMENT
Michaela Lee is very excited to be joining the wonderful team of educators at Jericho Middle School. Michaela graduated magna cum laude from SUNY Oneonta with a Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood/Childhood Education, concentrated in Liberal Arts. She is working towards acquiring her Master’s Degree in special education later this year. Prior to this position, Michaela has had the pleasure of working in the Syosset and Jericho School Districts. She worked at Cantiague Elementary School here in Jericho where she was a teacher’s aide and substitute. Having the opportunity to continue her teaching career within the Jericho School District is a tremendous honor. Michaela cannot wait to begin working alongside the students, parents, and teachers of Jericho Middle School!
Dates to Remember...
March 1- SEPTA Exec Mtg- District Conference Room- 9:30AM
March 5- MS/HS Evening Guidance Hours 7:00PM-9:00PM
March 7 - MS PTSA Exec Mtg- Faculty Cafeteria- 8:30AM
March 7- MS PTSA Mtg &Principals Coffee Hour- MS Library- 9:15AM
March 11-17- World Language Week
March 12- MS/HS Evening Guidance Hours 7:00PM-9:00PM
March 13- MS/HS PTSA Faculty & Staff Recognition Luncheon
March 19- MS/HS Evening Guidance Hours 7:00PM-9:00PM
March 21- MS Parent Brunch & Learn- MS Library- 9:00AM-10:30AM
March 21- MS Play- HS Little Theater- 2:10PM
March 22- MS Spirit Day & School Store Open
March 22- MS Play- HS Little Theater- 7:00PM
March 26- MS/HS Jazz Concert- MS/HS Auditorium-7:00PM
March 26- MS/HS Evening Guidance Hours 7:00PM-9:00PM
March 28- Board of Ed. Meeting- MS Library- 7:15PM
Tips from the School Nurse
Happiness may lengthen our lives
For years I would watch newscaster Willard Scott on the Today show highlight the lives of people who are 100 years of age or older. (He would put their picture on a Smucker’s Jelly bottle). He would always ask them, “What is your secret to living such a long life”? Every one of the centenarians would always characterize themselves as happy people, who didn’t let stress overtake their lives. They understood how to handle and bounce back from stressful situations in a timely fashion. They all believed in the importance of always having a positive outlook on life. Many had hobbies that brought them great joy, like dancing, gardening, cooking etc. They always had deep connections to their family and friends, as well as a spiritual connection. It didn’t surprise me when doctor’s and psychologists started doing research into the powers of happiness.
Elizabeth Blackburn won a Nobel Prize for her discoveries concerning telomeres. According to Ms. Blackburn, “If you think of your chromosomes –which carry your genetic material- as shoelaces, telomeres are the little protective tips at the end. They are made of repeating short sequences of DNA sheathed in special proteins. During our lives, they tend to wear down and when telomeres can’t protect chromosomes properly, cells can’t replenish and they malfunction. This sets up physiological changes in the body, which increase risks of the major conditions and diseases of ageing”. According to T. A. Science publication, “We inherit telomeres from our parents, but no matter the length of our telomeres at birth, everyone’s get shorter as they age. Shorter telomeres have a negative effect on our health. Telomere shortening is the main cause of age-related break down of our cells. When telomeres get too short, our cells can no longer reproduce, which causes our tissues to degenerate and eventually die”.
Although this is still a very new and controversial area of study, there is growing evidence linking happiness and reduction of stress to longer telomeres. Which is part of the reason scientists believe happiness and reduced stress are believe to lengthen our lives.
Next month: How a parent’s affection shapes a child’s happiness for life.
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Jericho Middle School
Email: dgately@jerichoschools.org
Website: jerichoschools.org
Location: 99 Old Cedar Swamp Road, Jericho, NY, United States
Phone: (516) 203-3600
Twitter: @JerichoMS