TCA Times
Wayne Central Middle School Newsletter
October 2018
Dear Middle School Families,
So far, we have had a great start to the new school year!
Some dates to keep in mind for October:
October 8th--School Closed for Columbus Day Holiday
October 26th--School Closed for Staff Development Day
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please call the Main Office at 315-524-1080 or stop in to see one of us.
Holly Armitage 5th & 6th Grade Principal
Derek DeMass 7th & 8th Grade Principal
School Procedures
Holly Armitage is the 5th/6th grade Principal
Derek DeMass is the 7th/8th grade Principal
The phone number is: 315-524-1080.
The nurse's phone # is 315-524-1084
Morning drop-off: 7:15am (no earlier please)
5th Grade Pick Up at the end of the day:
If parents choose to pick up their 5th grader they can be signed out at the south door (side door) at 2:15pm. There will be a sign-out table at the door.
Band, chorus and all clubs are after school. There will be sports study hall and late buses to accommodate these students.
Visiting School: Please buzz at the main door to get in. If you need to go into the building you will need to have your license scanned in order to get a badge printed to wear in the building.
OFFICE HOURS & STUDENT DROP OFF
- Just a reminder: Students may not be dropped off at school prior to 7:15am.
- The office closes at 4:00pm, so there will be no access to the building after 4:00pm.
October's Calendar of Events
10/5: 5th/6th Grade Character Ed Assembly
10/8: NO SCHOOL: COLUMBUS DAY HOLIDAY10/11: Picture Make-Up Day
10/26: NO SCHOOL: STAFF DEVELOPMENT DAY
10/31: W.E. CARE 7th/8th Grade Assembly
EAGLE PRIDE ASSEMBLIES
We will be holding monthly "Eagle Pride/WE CARE Assemblies" to recognize our students. Students will be recognized for monthly character awards and academic awards.
Parents of students who are being recognized for these awards (grades 5 & 6) will be notified so that they can attend. We are excited about this new tradition. Further information for grades 7 & 8 is included below under "W.E. C.A.R.E. Character Education Information & Introduction"
Take a look at these pictures from our First Eagle Day of the year. Students enjoyed shaved ice from the Kona Ice Truck, provided by our AWESOME PTO...
2019 TCA MIDDLE SCHOOL MUSICAL UPDATE
We are waiting to hear what new shows are being released before deciding on which show we will be performing.
You can expect more information to be available about audition workshops and try out dates in January.
There will be a link set up on Mr. Allen's website (he is at WP) that will be updated when new information becomes available at: http://www.waynecsd.org/webpages/mallen/
PTO
Introducing the new Middle School PTO Board:
Robin Harisis, President (585.727.2005)
Laura Colvin, Secretary
Sandi Krajeski, Treasurer
Shelly Frank, Social Media Coordinator
If you need anything, have an idea, or want to ask a question, feel free to e-mail us at tcarmstrongpto@gmail.com. Or like our Facebook page at Wayne Middle School PTO! We love to hear from you!
We had our first meeting in September and showed the movie Screenagers. If you would like to attend our meetings throughout the year, they are held every other month on the 3rd Monday of the month. Meetings start at 6 PM and are held in the library. All are welcome. Here are the dates:
- November 19th
- January 14th (2nd Monday, no school on 3rd Monday)
- March 18th
- May 20th
New Event this year!!
Friday October 26th @ 6pm
We are excited to announce our first Halloween Family Fun night at the Middle School!!
This FREE family night will include tasty fall treats, games, a haunted house, costume contest and MORE!!!
We will have fun for the whole family so ALL ages are welcome.
Please save the date and be on the look out for more info :)
If you are interested in volunteering your time and talents to this fun night please message the PTO Facebook or email tcarmstrongpto@gmail.com.
If you would like to be part of our e-mail list, please send us a FB message or e-mail with your e-mail address. We send out volunteer opportunities, important school information, and other important information.
Thank you to everyone who participated in our Save-A-Round Coupon Book Fundraiser! We will announce our top sellers on our Facebook page so stay tuned! The top 2 sellers in 5th, 6th and 7th grade get a Visa gift card! The 8th graders applied their sales to their spring trip to Washington DC.
LIBRARY NEWS
7th & 8th Grade Band
We have had an excellent start to the year and rehearsals and lessons are underway. Your student should have had two lessons by this point. Everyone has materials to practice, and should be spending 20-30 minutes several times a week on their instrument at home. Next week a complete band calendar for the year will be coming home, and I will need the parent signature page returned as soon as possible, so I know that all required performances are on your family calendar. Thank you parents for sharing your musicians with me!
Ms. Melnick
5TH GRADE NEWS
ELA: In Mrs. Herendeen’s classes, we are already starting Lesson 2 in our Journey’s program! We have been learning about what makes a complete sentence, along with how authors get their ideas. We are currently starting our first narrative writing piece in which we take an idea from a well known fairy tale and twist it into our own new story! We are also continuing to adjust to the middle school and switching classes. We are learning how important it is to come to each class prepared to learn with all of the materials we need to be successful.
In Mrs. Welch’s classes, we are already starting Lesson 2 in our Journey’s program! We have been learning about what makes a complete sentence, and reviewing story elements. We are currently starting our first personal narrative writing piece. Students are also continuing to adjust to the middle school and switching classes. They are learning how important it is to come to each class prepared to learn with all of the materials they need to be successful. Students should be bringing a DEAR book with them to class every day. They are also using IXL, Kahoot, and Quizizz to practice their weekly skills.
In Mrs. Dysart’s class, we are already starting Lesson 2 in our Journey’s program. In grammar, we have been learning about writing complete sentences. Complete sentences include a subject and predicate as well as a complete thought. In writing, we are using what we’ve learned in grammar and connecting it with the story elements for writing narratives.
Students are well on their way toward completing their first AR (Accelerated Reader) assignment. Please make sure that your child is reading for a minimum of 20 minutes per night. You may share in the reading with them and discussing the book along the way. This can help with their comprehension, vocabulary, and hopefully foster a love of books too!
Science(Liseno): For our first unit in science, our class will be investigating how scientists set up controlled experiments in order to conduct “fair” tests. We will be asking students to study both known and unknown materials using controls and studying one variable at a time. They will then work on writing lab reports to record their results.
Science (Martin): Robotics and Automation. In this module students explore robotic history and learn more about a particular type of robot. Students will be using VEX® IQ equipment to building a test bed of sensors to see how robots “input” information into their “brain” and process requests. The activities and projects in this module will develop skills and knowledge associated with robotics so they can design their own robotic toy.
They are currently using the engineering design process to design a toy that has one moving part. They first need to draw a detailed model of what they are going to build, and then they will build and evaluate how it works.
In Math, we are exploring fractions! We are examining equivalent fractions, comparing and beginning to look into finding common denominators. Students are adjusting to our new schedule and learning to come to class on time and prepared with their math materials. IXL.com is a great resource for students to use to polish up their math skills.
Social Studies: Fifth graders are keeping tabs on current events, such as recent hurricanes, flooding, and recovery efforts. Google Earth is a cool resource we are learning to use. With our “Today in History” segment, we connect the past with present times and tap into our previous learning about historic events. We are becoming more familiar with the U.S. Constitution and our Government, and we are reviewing and applying Map Skills.
Computer Lab: Mrs. Howard
Student's have just begun keyboarding in our Edutyping program. I will continue to encourage them to practice their typing skills outside of school however they may not practice their lessons. They may play the Edutyping games at home but lessons must be done in school where I can monitor their posture and technique. Students are learning how to make folders in their Google drives and will be practicing turning in assignments through Google Classroom and learning how to insert images into a document. In a few weeks we will be starting our first Digital Citizenship unit of the year. They will learn why it is important to keep their personal information private and stay safe on the internet.
6TH GRADE NEWS
In ELA, students have had a busy start to their year! They have visited the Media Center for the Book Fair to select a book (all students must have a DEAR book selected to bring to class everyday as well as read at home). They have also enjoyed exploring their creativity with an Echoes Writing Workshop. Ask your child about his/her creative writing--you may be surprised by the humor, insight and flair. The writing piece they complete may be entered into the
Echoes competition for performance by the Merry-Go-Round players when they visit school next Spring. It is quite an honor to have a piece chosen for this as the Echoes competition typically receives thousands of entries. Students will find out if they have won when the Merry-Go-Round players come in the spring.
Our September student projects have included Word Splashes, "Everyday Hero" paragraphs, and creative writing. Classes are exploring the topic, "Facing Our Fears", through short stories,
non-fiction articles and poetry. The accompanying novels are Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli and Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis. Students are working on skills, which include close reading, citing evidence, writing well organized and supported paragraphs, and making connections between texts. Be sure to ask your child about heroes and facing fears!
Science:
Students are investigating ecosystems. Your child has started his/her first interactive note packet, or IN, for this unit. The IN should be used to take notes, practice using information by completing “student pages” for homework, and studying from. When students are assigned an IN page to complete for homework, the page usually begins as a blank sheet. The idea is for students to show how well they understand the information from the notes on the opposite page. We ask the students to do more than copy the information, but instead show their understanding through a picture with captions and color, a paragraph, a Venn diagram, a T-chart, a cartoon, creating test questions and answers, or anything else that may show comprehension of the notes in a personal way. With a lot of new vocabulary, it will be important for parents to help/encourage their child review his/her IN and vocabulary daily. There will be several quizzes coming up, so reviewing daily will benefit your child greatly!
Math:
Remember to check your students agenda and the HW Hotline on the WCSD website.
Please click on the 6th Grade Math News link below to read more on what we have done in Math so far.
7TH GRADE NEWS
Math: In Mrs. Ferry’s class we just finished reviewing some Number Systems basics from elementary school, such as:
Adding, subtracting, multiplying, and dividing decimals and fractions
Round numbers
Converting numbers in the form of decimals, fractions, and percents
We are not getting into the 7th grade curriculum, so we are currently learning about Integers and other Rational numbers.
Math 7 accelerated: In Mr. LaBarge’s classes we are learning about Integers and Rational numbers.We are also classifying numbers by sets such as Natural, Whole, Integers, Rational and Irrational .
Science: In Bastian’s Accelerated Science We are in our lab skills unit and studying scientific method and graph plotting and data interpretation. Our next unit will revolve around properties and classes of matter.
In Mrs. VanOrman’s Life Science class, students are practicing their experimental design and graphing skills. Students will be designing an experiment based on their observations of a phenomenon with termites. Students will be expected to create their own testable question, design an experiment, collect data and create an evidence-based claim.
Health:
In Mrs. Mateo’s Health classes we are reviewing the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens and discussing in detail the habit of BE PROACTIVE. Being Proactive means being in charge of yourself and your actions. The students will start on their own review habit presentation soon with their cooperative group. We will then move onto mindset which directly relates to the habits.
Music:
Students in 7th Grade General Music just began a unit on the Star Spangled Banner and the 7th Grade Chorus is hard at work rehearsing music for our upcoming concerts.
ELA:
In ELA 7, we have been working on basic sentence structure in writing as well as explaining with clear and specific detail. All students are required to complete an independent reading book and complete a 15 section independent reading record sheet approximately every 3-4 weeks. You should see your child reading regularly and writing about what they read.
We are beginning our novel unit on Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Michaelsen. It is the story of a bully who has been through the traditional criminal justice system, but nothing seems to be helping make a turn around.
8TH GRADE NEWS
Social Studies: We are off to a great year! I am sure you heard about our lunchroom fight; kids really enjoyed working as detectives and using historical skills.
8th Grade Physical Science: Students in Mrs. Becker’s classes have learned what it means to be studying Physics and Chemistry as we have reviewed and enhanced our understanding of great Scientific Methodology, laboratory safety, and Experimental Design. Most of October will be spent practicing accurate and precise measurements of mass, volume, length, temperature, force, and density using only metric units.
Math 8 - If you are not recieving my weekly emails please email me at mpeck@waynecsd.org with your updated email address. All class information can be found on our class website: https://sites.google.com/waynecsd.org/wcsdmath8. 20/20 homework assignment is on CastleLearning.com. Username: Wayne-LastnameFirstname, Password: WcsdStudentIDNumber. This is due on October 20th at midnight.
Regents Living Environment: We are finishing up lab and science skills in class which includes experiment design and laboratory report procedures. We are also practicing graph plotting and data interpretation. We are working with live animals in our experiments and generating inferences from our observations. Practicing the tenants of good experimenting is crucial to becoming good scientists.
Spanish 8- Welcome back! In Spanish class, we are in our pastimes unit, which is a mix of review from 7th grade and new material as well. We are learning how to use question words to obtain information, state likes/dislikes about specific activities, extend, accept and decline invitations, and use frequency words to tell how much/how often we do a particular activity.
8th Grade Washington DC Trip
We are so excited to host another 8th-grade field trip to Washington DC this school year! Below are some details about the trip. For general questions, please contact mpeck@waynecsd.org or jwing@waynecsd.org. You can also learn more by checking out the Wayne MS Washington DC trip webpage and by joining @peckdc2019 on Remind.com.
2018 - 2019
8th Grade Washington DC Trip
Website: http://wayne.k12.ny.us/Middle.cfm?subpage=1995865
Remind: @peckdc2019
Cost per student $425 (fundraising will reduce this cost)
- Registration and Deposit by October 5 - $100
Second payment by February 1- $200
- Final payment by April 1 - $125
Payments should be dropped off to the Middle School Main Office. Please no cash payments.
After School Clubs
5th and 6th Grade Clubs and the Advisors:
Art Club: Mrs. Feola
Games Club: Mrs. Bristol
Lego League: Mrs. Uerz
History Club: Mrs Waring
Intramurals: Mrs. Quick/Mr. Luke
**HISTORY CLUB (5TH & 6TH GRADES)
Members will meet for the first time on Tuesday, October 9th from 3:00-4:00pm in 13A (Mr. Coon's Room). Students MUST make arrangements to stay with a teacher from 2:15-3:00pm, if they aren't in Band or Chorus. I am looking forward to meeting everyone and finding out your interests!
~Mrs. Waring
7th and 8th Grade:
Newspaper: Mr. Smith
Yearbook: Mrs. Feola
Games Club: Mrs. Dempsey & Ms. McCollister
Art Club: Mrs. Feola
TSA (technology student association): Mr. Gauthier & Mr. Powers
Skateboard: Mr. Gauthier
Science Olympiad: Mrs. Sozio
Intramurals: Mrs. Doyle
Student Council: Mrs. Mateo & Mrs. Mangos
Grades 5-8:
Musical
Ski Club: Mr. LaBarge
Note from the Nurse
MEDICATIONS
If your child will require medication or you would like your child to receive or have available a pain reliever as needed, an order for that medication must be provided by your child's healthcare provider.
New medicine orders are needed at the beginning of each school year as they are only valid for 1 school year.
ALL medications have to be brought in by an adult UNLESS the Dr. has written the medication order as a "self carry" then the form is filed in my office and the child may keep the medication safely in their possession during the school day.
Medications orders can be faxed to me directly to 315-524-1099
5th grade Health Requirements
New York State Education Law mandates that 5th graders provide a current physical. We can accept a physical dated anytime from September 6th, 2017 until present.
Please check to see if your child's physical is within these dates and send a copy into school at your earliest convenience.
You may fax it to 315-524-1099, email it to me at aharris@waynecsd.org, drop a copy off to the main office, or send to school with your child.
If there physical is outdated please call the Pediatrician to schedule an appointment and call my office to provide me that date so your child will show "in process."
6th grade Health Requirements
New York State Education Law mandates that 6th graders must have the TdaP booster immunization by age 11. If your child is in 6th grade, 11 years of age, and has not received this immunization, I strongly encourage you to schedule an appointment as soon as possible with your child's Physician.
Proof of Immunizations not yet sent in may also be faxed directly to the Nurse's office as well. 315-524-1099 or a copy sent into school with your child to be handed in to me. If there is an appt. set up please call my office to supply the date so that it shows your child is "in process" of becoming compliant.
Also feel free to supply a copy of your child's physical when they receive a new one as I am always updating their information in case if eligible they choose to play a sport or do anything else that requires a current physical.
Thank you and please feel free to call with any questions.
Annie Harris, R.N.
Middle School Nurse
Wayne Central Middle School
p 315-524-1084
f 315-524-1099
TC Armstrong Middle School
Email: ddemass@waynecsd.org
Website: http://wayne.k12.ny.us/Middle.cfm?subpage=83211
Location: 6076 Ontario Center Road, Ontario, NY, United States
Phone: (315) 524-1080
Twitter: @WayneCentralMS