The Weekly Update #7
Cougar Calendar
Custodian Appreciation Day is October 3
We like to recognize our custodians for the hard work that it takes to keep our school in tip-top shape! Please don't forget to thank our custodians when you see them in our school!
Attention 8th Grade Families
Ms. Weiss will be visiting all 8th grade Language Arts classes this week to talk about the different options for high school. Open Houses and Information Nights are happening soon. Please review this document for more information https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Dft8OwSq-sA5Os5TTfW0cJq01PU4GfvpN8B2FIA92y8/edit?usp=sharing .If you have any questions, please reach out to Ms. Weiss at dweiss@aacps.org.
Italian Contest
CONTEST FOR STUDENTS OF ITALIAN LANGUAGE ON THE OCCASION OF THE 22 nd WEEK OF THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE IN THE WORLD
On the occasion of the “22nd Week of the Italian Language in the World”, the Embassy of Italy, together with the Italian Cultural Institute of Washington, is pleased to announce a Contest for students of the Italian language in the United States. The Week of the Italian Language in the World is an event promoted yearly by the cultural and diplomatic network in the third week of October, under the High Patronage of the President of Republic. Each year, the Week has a different underlying theme for a vast cultural program to advance the promotion of the Italian language.
The initiative was launched in 2001 through the joint action of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Accademia della Crusca, a leading institution in the field of research on the Italian language, which was subsequently joined by the Swiss Confederation where Italian is one of the three official languages. This year, the theme is “L’italiano e i giovani. Come scusa? Non ti followo”.
Considering the focus not only on youth but also on how language interacts with digital tools, this year’s contest concentrates on erasure poetry, a literary form that has encountered success on social media and, at the same time, is tied to Italian contemporary art. Also known as black-out poetry, this form of found poetry allows a writer to change an existing text by erasing, blacking out, or otherwise obscuring a large portion of the original material, creating a wholly new work from what remains. This practice, similar to that of Italian contemporary artist and writer Emilio Isgrò, allows for striking patterns to appear, turning the text into a work of art. The visual nature of this literary form has allowed it to thrive on social media.
Students, either individually or in group, are asked to compose a poem in Italian on a topic of their choice, using the technique of erasure poetry. The final result can be a text of up to 100 words. The visual aspect of the work can contribute to its message and can be taken into account by the jury.
-Deadline: Wednesday, October 5, 2022
-Eligibility: Middle school and high school students of Italian language, enrolled in the 2022/2023 academic year in one of the public schools in the United States of America.
-Categories:
- 1. Middle school students of Italian
- 2. High school students of Italian
Three winners for each category, for a total of six winners, will be selected by a jury composed of the following members:
- Ms. Maria Fusco, Director of the Education Office, Embassy of Italy
- Ms. Rita Iannazzi, Assistant Director of the Education Office, Embassy of Italy
- Ms. Elettra La Duca, Director, Italian Cultural Institute of Washington
The decisions of the judges are final and binding. The winners will be announced on Monday, October 10th, 2022. The award Ceremony will take place in presence or online on October 19th, 2022. The winners’ productions will be posted on the website and social media profiles of the Embassy of Italy and of the Italian Institute of Culture of Washington. The schools attended by the winners will receive an official plaque and each participating student will receive a medal of merit, as well as a selection of Italian books worth $ 150.00.
For more information, please write to: rita.iannazzi@esteri.it
Is your student not feeling well?
Please remind your students there is a no cell phone policy at Bates Middle. If your child is not feeling well, please tell them they can ask for a pass from their teacher to the health room. They will then be evaluated by our school nurses and parents will be contacted, if necessary. Currently, students are texting parents to let them know they are not feeling well and then leaving school without being evaluated first. Please follow these steps:
- If a student is not feeling well, encourage them to ask for a pass from their teacher to see the nurse.
- The nurse will evaluate the student and decide if they can return back to class or if the guardian needs to be contacted.
- If the student would like to speak with family members, the nurse will allow them to use the phone in their office.
- Students should not be texting family members during the school day. Remember, cell phones must be off and away all day.
Need more uniforms? Need a sweatshirt to beat the cold?
Uniform polos and sweatshirts are sold year round for our students. Polo shirts are $9, sweatshirts are $12. We will sell them each day between 9:00am-9:15am. Please provide your student with either cash or check and have them report to the gym lobby to see Mr. Lambert to take care of any uniform needs.
All sizes are now available.
Frequently Asked Questions?
Do you have questions about transportation?
Please call AACPS Transportation Dept at 410-923-7890 or forward any questions to our administrator, Joe Lustgarten at jlustgarten@aacps.org.
Do you have questions about your student's attendance?
Please contact Christine Clark at cclark3@aacps.org.
Do you have specific student concerns, ie. behavior, scheduling, academic performance, etc. please contact your grade level administrator or counselor:
6th Grade
Administrator: Mr. Lustgarten jlustgarten@aacps.org
Counselor: Ms. Barnett cmbarnett@aacps.org
7th Grade
Administrator: Ms. Adkins ktadkins@aacps.org
Counselor: Ms. Darling mdarling@aacps.org or Mr. Thompson scint-jthompson@aacps.org
8th Grade
Administrator: Ms. Patterson kypatterson@aacps.org
Counselor: Ms. Weiss dweiss@aacps.org
Do you have an emergency concern (after hours)?
Please contact our Principal, Ms. Hicks, at 302-314-6146.
Thank you to everyone who joined us for our first PTA meeting of the year! We have a lot planned for this year, so we appreciate your time and support.
Our next meeting will be Thursday, October 13, 2022 at 7:00 p.m. This will be a virtual meeting. To join, please go to: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83556274105?pwd=UHM5V1NvU01JREFsM25aNFBjOGJJdz09
If you haven't joined the PTA yet for this school year, it's quick and easy! Join today at: https://batesmiddlepta.memberhub.com/w/join
Your support makes a BIG difference in our school!
SAVE THE FOLLOWING DATES:
(Oct. 6 - Oct. 9) Do you love popcorn?
Scan the QR code or click the picture to see all the yummy options!
Bates Drama Club
School Play:
The audition deadline is here. Students must apply to audition at the Bates Drama Club’s website by 7pm, October 3, 2022.
Parents/Guardians of all auditioning students should have already attended one of the required virtual information meetings. If you did not attend a meeting and your student wants to audition, please email our director, Mr. Egna, megna@aacps.org, to arrange an alternative. No student may audition without a parent/guardian attending the info meeting or arranging an alternative prior to audition.
Tech Crew
The earlier you apply for tech crew, the more positions you will have from which to choose.
Students interested in tech crew leadership positions must apply by October 26, 2022.
Students interested in tech crew member jobs (non-leadership) must apply by February 7, 2023.
Assistance
The website and online forms are accessible from most devices including student Chromebooks. If you cannot print at home, hardcopies of documents are available in the club’s wall pocket outside the cafeteria and from Mrs. Peregrina, Mr. Kurtzberg, and Ms. Miller. If you have no internet access at home, we will gladly assist families with applications. For help submitting tech crew applications, please email our technical director, Ms. Peregrina, mperegrina@aacps.org. For help with audition applications or virtual info meeting registration, please email our director, Mr. Egna, megna@aacps.org.
FOR OUR 8TH GRADE STUDENTS - OCT 12
Career Exploration Program is available to students entering 9th or 10th grade.
Please join the PTA at our first restaurant night of the year!
Ledo Pizza Annapolis
505 S Cherry Grove Ave
Annapolis, MD 21401
Wednesday, October 12th, 11 a.m. - 9 p.m.
Let Ledo Pizza do the cooking, give the kids the dinner they want, and raise funds for our PTA... all at the same time!
Stop in and show them this flyer or just tell them that you’re from Bates. The PTA will get 20% of the sales from this event.
While you're there, please consider making a donation for the Cash for Schools program. Ledo Pizza and other Annapolis businesses will DOUBLE MATCH all donations this month. Last year they raised over $30k for Annapolis schools! Please thank these businesses for their generous support of our schools!
Picture day is scheduled for October 18 (make up day Nov. 29)
October 19 Unity Day - Wear Orange
Virtual Tutoring is Available
AACPS will provide middle school evening Virtual Homework Help and Tutoring for targeted subjects in Math, English, World Languages, Social Studies, Science, AVID and ESOL.
To access Virtual Tutoring, your student will go through Class Links and select the lightbulb icon. From there, they can join a Virtual Help Session or sign up for a Tutoring Appt. For more information on our virtual homework help and tutoring, visit our website at www.aacps.org/tutoring.
Please review the middle school homework help and tutoring schedule.
Need to report an absence? No Problem!
Student Absences
If you need to report your student absent for a partial day or for the entire day, please click on the image and complete the google form.
Ausencias de estudiantes
Si necesita informar que su estudiante estuvo ausente por un día parcial o por todo el día, haga clic en la imagen y complete el formulario de Google.
These attendance forms can also be found on the Bates Website. You may also email the Attendance Secretary, Christine Clark, at cclark3@aacps.org with your attendance note.
Lunch Delivery Policy
Bates Middle School will not accept deliveries from any restaurant or third-party vendor like DoorDash, GrubHub, Uber Eats, etc. Students and parents may not arrange for those services to provide food to students during the school day. In addition, please do not send kids to school with McDonalds, Wendy's, Chick-Fil-A, or other outside fast food. This can become a distraction for others. If a parent is unable to drop off a lunch from home for their student, we will provide them with a meal from the cafeteria. Additionally, parents bringing bulk food drop-offs (lunch for your student and some of their friends) will not be accepted. Please limit any lunch drop-offs to your student only in the rare instance of forgetfulness.
Bates Buck Cart available EVERY Friday
Kids can use their well-earned Bates Bucks for all sorts of goodies!
Bates Buck Cart and Calming Corner Donations Needed
Calming Corner Amazon Wishlist
Each class has a calming corner to allow kids to help improve self regulation, manage behavior, and help build social emotional skills. If you are able, please donate any items for our teacher's calming corners. Thank you! https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3NJYP1G7OCNBJ?ref_=wl_share
Do you want to know what is happening at Bates? FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM!
If your student would like to meet with their grade level counselor, please have them use the below links to request an appointment. These links are also available on each teacher's Brightspace page.
Request to See Mrs. Barnett (6th Grade)
https://forms.gle/F6ZFZmZhayVGCcJc6
Request to See Ms. Darling (7th Grade)
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1nQAAGOTHWZIi2AJ-2HgNQnOcd6TW8OCMqdRuPWwuCDA/edit
Request to See Mr. Thompson (7th Grade)
Request to See Ms. Weiss (8th Grade)
AmazonSmile is an easy way to help our school. When you shop at Amazon, Amazon will donate a percentage of your purchase price to the PTA. That's it! No cost to you, just shop as you normally do and help our school at the same time. To date, our PTA has received over $1,500 from AmazonSmile!
Just go to https://smile.amazon.com/ and choose “Wiley H. Bates Middle School PTA” as your charity of choice. Make sure you start at https://smile.amazon.com/ when you shop at Amazon.
If you use the Amazon app to shop, go into Settings and make sure AmazonSmile is turned on and is supporting our school.
K&B True Value Cash for Schools Program! Help support our Annapolis Schools!
After School Program Available for Youth Ages 11-18
Henson's Community Health Fair
In partnership with EDNA'S love Inc, the American Red Cross and more Join Delegate Henson's Community Health Fair this September 30that Mount Olive Community Life Center, 2 Hicks Ave Annapolis MD 21401, from 12:00pm to 6pm.
Register HERE to donate blood, HERE to receive services, and contact HERE to get involved.
PTA BOARD 2022-2023
Laura Graham-Booth, President
Roberto Garza, Vice President
Norma McGowin-Reynolds, Treasurer
Colleen Zelenakas, Secretary
Thank you for volunteering and all you do for Bates Middle School! Questions, contact the PTA at BatesMiddleSchoolPTA@gmail.com
Wiley H. Bates MIddle School
Katherine Hicks, Principal
Christine Clark, Editor
We are better together!
Email: cclark3@aacps.org
Website: www.aacps.org/bates
Location: 701 Chase Street, Annapolis, MD, USA
Phone: 410 263-0270
Twitter: @whbatesaacps
Instagram:@WileyHBatesMiddleSchoolAACPS