J.M.S. News...
By Donald F. Gately, Ed. D - October 2016
Quote of the Week of October 3-7
Quotes for the Month of October:
October 17-21: "Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you'll land among the stars." - Les Brown
October 24-28: "Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” - Mark Twain
Monthly SEL Theme for the Month of October: COURAGE
Winston Churchill viewed courage as a starting place. He said "Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all the others."
Martin Luther King said, "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands in time of challenge and controversy."
TIPS FROM THE NURSE FOR THE OLWEUS ANTI-BULLYING WALK:
1) Drink plenty of fluids before, during, and after the walk.
2) Eat a nutritious breakfast the day of the walk.
3) Be sure to dress for the weather, including proper footwear. (Sneakers)
4) Apply sunscreen to limit sun exposure.
5) Remember to have fun!
Resources:
http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/040715p28.shtml
http://cdc.gov/healthyschools/physicalctivity/facts.htm
Kathleen Tolan Greene, R.N.
Jericho Middle School Nurse
A message from the Transportation Department...
Jericho’s Transportation Department asks that all members of our community remember that for the safety of our children, NYS Vehicle & Traffic Law requires all vehicles to come to a full stop when approaching a school bus that has its red lights flashing. Those lights indicate that a child is either boarding or departing the school bus. The law requires motorists to stop from all directions including on divided highways and multi-lane roads, those who pass a stopped school bus are subject to fines and points on their driver’s license. It is estimated that some 50,000 motorists pass stopped school buses every day in New York.
Parents are very important in helping to keep our children safe in and around the school bus. Please remind our children to follow the safe crossing rules, cross ten feet in front of the bus, watch for the bus drivers signal to cross, and look left right and left again before crossing the street. Children should be instructed that they should never try to retrieve a dropped object or return to the bus once students have crossed the street.
School buses have a tremendous record of safety. Nationally recognized data demonstrate that school buses are some 50 times safer than any other form of transportation.
Thank you,
Lori-Ann Savino
Director of Transportation
99 Cedar Swamp Rd
Jericho, NY 11753
(516) 203-3600 ext 3244
Classroom News!
Team 6A:
Students in Mrs. Murphy and Mrs. Bocklet’s classes are kicking off the year with pop! In science, students are mastering their ability to observe and communicate how to pop popcorn. In math, they are learning how to use the birthday cake method to find both Greatest Common Factor and Least Common Multiple. In ELA, students are creating a ‘Reading Timeline’ of their personal history as readers! In Social Studies, students are tapping into their cultural backgrounds by creating ‘Cultural Pizzas’.
Team 6B:
Team 6B has been spending time together, learning about each other. Recently, we brought in brown bags filled with items that describe who we are, and what is important in our lives. The team thoroughly enjoyed all presentations. We even got to hear from Mrs. Douglas and Mrs. Riccuiti! Team 6B looks forward to many more learning experiences this year.
Team 6C:
Team 6D:
Team 6D kicked off the school year with a "getting to know you" bagel breakfast! Students got to socialize with peers on both sides of the team in addition to their teachers, guidance counselor Mrs. Schmitt, and principal Dr. Gately. We are all looking forward to a great first year in the middle school!
Team 6E:
This September Team 6E is exploring how observations and inferences relate! We make observations using our five senses and then we create inferences based on these observations. Here, students are making observations about the penny using magnifying lenses. Did you know that on the back of a penny, inside the Lincoln Memorial, you can see the statue of honest Abe?
Team 7A:
The students of Team 7A participated in a Team Day involving a Battle of the Homerooms. Events included a Bear/Crab Walk Race, Balloon Pop, Water Balloon Catch, and Egg on a Spoon Race. The activities helped build team chemistry and allowed the students on the team to get to know each other better. The day reinforced the school’s monthly SEL theme of Community and a great time was had by all!
Team 7B:
Nearpod is used in math class as a formative assessment tool. Instant feedback means instant clarification and guidance. Students used Nearpod during several lessons including learning about the subset of the real numbers and changing repeating decimals to fractions.
Team 8A:
Team 8B:
On Friday, September 9, the students of team 8B participated in a “Team Day”. The students were engaged in many team building activities in support of our monthly theme, “Building Community”.
Team 7/8C:
Welcome Back to School from the Jericho Middle School World Language Department!
We are three weeks into the school year and we are having a fantastic time working with the students at Jericho Middle School, helping them to learn not just Spanish, Italian, French, and Chinese, but also to grow their appreciation and understanding of culture.
Here are a few tips for success:
· Attend extra help! It is a great way for your child to connect with their language teacher to reinforce the skills being taught in class.
· Encourage your child to join a language club to explore the language they are studying, or learn more about one of the other languages being taught at school.
o Chinese: Mondays in room 207
o French: Thursdays in room 110
o Italian: Wednesday in room 225
o Spanish: Fridays in room 220
· Play music or watch TV in the language your child is studying. They may not understand everything at first, but listening is the first skill we acquire in language learning.
· Ask your child to teach you or a younger sibling, friend, or cousin what they are learning. We learn a lot from teaching, and so will your child! Teaching is a great way to reinforce skills and language.
· Explore authentic foods. Food is a wonderful way to connect to language and culture. Encourage your child to try new foods in a restaurant or explore authentic recipes at home.
· Talk, talk, talk! The truth is in the beginning it will sound like they are saying the same five things, but the more they speak, the more natural it will become.
· Label items about the houses- door, milk, laptop, cat! By seeing the language it sends a message to your child’s brain to read and say the language. Who knows, pretty soon your entire household will be speaking another language.
· Being bilingual is a gift! Here are two great articles from the BBC and The New York Times with some key points to the advantages of being bilingual.
· Stay in touch with your child’s language teacher. We are here to help and guide you and your child through this process.
We wish you and your child a fun and exciting school year!
The Jericho Middle School Language Department
Dates to Remember...
October 10: SCHOOLS CLOSED
October 12: SCHOOLS CLOSED
October 13: MS PTSA Exec. Meeting - MS Library Computer Lab - 8:30AM
October 13: MS PTSA Meeting & Principal's Coffee Hour - MS Library - 9:15AM
October 18-19: Middle School Book Fair
October 19: MS Welcome & Information Night - MS Library - 7:30PM
October 20: Board of Education Meeting - MS Library - 7:15PM
October 21: Middle School OLWEUS Anti-Bullying Kick-Off
October 25: 6th, 7th and 8th Grade Guidance Evening Hours - 7:00PM–9:00PM
Recognizing that other commitments often make it impossible for parents to find time to meet with counselors during the regular school day, we will continue a program of evening meetings this year. If you would like to meet with your child's counselor but are unable to do so during the school day, please call the counselor in order to schedule an evening appointment.
October 25-26: Middle School Yearbook Pictures - MS/HS Auditorium
October 27: MS PTSA Parent Brunch & Learn - MS Library - 9:00-10:30AM
October 31: HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
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