Marrs Falcon Flyer
April 11, 2022
Hello Falcon Families,
Happy April! I want to start this newsletter with a huge Shout Out and Thank You to the amazing staff we have at Marrs! I have worked in several schools/districts so I can say, with confidence, we have the best and most dedicated staff at our school. Throughout this most difficult school year they have proven, over and over, how much they love our students and are dedicated to their success. Thank-you for all you have done, and continue to do, to support and lift up our amazing students! You are the best!!
Please continue to check emails daily so that you are informed regarding school and district information as it relates to safely and successfully wrapping up this year as well as preparing for the upcoming 2022-2023 school year. In addition, please read this newsletter and check out our updated website regularly regarding the most current information relating to summer and fall.
After going for so long without being able to have normal activities we are so happy to have the opportunity once again to meet, compete and learn together. Whether you enjoy sports or are interested in one of our clubs or activity groups know that these events are great opportunities to build social skills, meet new friends and expand horizons and interests. Our students are amazing, and we are proud of them and their dedication and enthusiasm both in and out of the classroom.
At R.M. Marrs we will continue to follow the safety protocols we have established. This includes sanitizing measures, limiting transitions, and social distancing as is possible in the classrooms, hallways, and cafeteria. Being outside and getting fresh air is important, so we will continue to go outside every day for about 10 minutes. Remind your children to dress appropriately for the temperatures.
Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, comments or concerns as we work together for your child’s success in both their academic and social growth. Our counselors, deans, social worker and administrative team is here to support and serve you and your children.
We are committed to the following for every student:
*A welcoming, safe and supportive environment where each student is known and valued
*High academic growth for every student
*Social emotional learning and character building
Thank you for your ongoing support of our school and community. As I stated please review this newsletter to see some of the exciting things, we have planned for the rest of this school year and beyond.
~ Ms. Barone
4th Quarter Positive Referral Contest
This quarter, we will be having a positive referral contest for students who are Respectful, Ready, and Safe. When students go above and beyond the MTSS-B expectations, their teacher will write a positive referral. Deans and administrators will call home with the good news. Each student who earns a positive referral will be entered in a drawing. Two prize winner per grade will be selected. 1st prize will receive a $25 Visa Gift Card and 2nd place will receive a Falcon Surprise Goodie Bag. Be Respectful, Ready, and Safe!
Greetings Marrs Families,
We find ourselves at the beginning of the fourth quarter and it seems as though this year has flown by. When we started this year there were a lot of unknowns and we slowly were able to work our way back to normal.
The fourth quarter wraps up many of our programs and contests in the GATE program. Book Blasters ended their competition in early March, the Marrs team won the speed round of the competition and placed 5th overall. We took a young team of fifth and sixth graders and they hung tough against teams of seventh and eighth graders. The Think Tank competition took place on March 29. The Marrs team placed 3rd overall they did an outstanding job negotiating deals and problem solving.
We will have a final district Quiz Bowl Competition the end of April for our 6-8 grade students. The last district competition we attended we won first place so we will be defending our title. Our FERMI math students will attend an EXTREME math day on May 13 and celebrate their success in solving the various math problems they tackled this year.
This quarter our focus is on selecting the National Junior Honor Society inductees for the 2022-2023 school year. Any current seventh grade student who has maintained a Grade Point Average of 3.5 or above for the first three quarters of their seventh-grade year will receive an application. The students who receive an invitation are encouraged to complete the application process which includes an essay and three teacher recommendations. The essays will be read by a faculty committee and students selected will be inducted in a ceremony next fall.
5th Grade
Social Studies
In Social Studies students are continuing to learn about Slavery in the early United States. Next, we will discover what life was like for the settlers in Colonial Williamsburg. The students will learn about how the colonists lived back then and how hard they had to work to accomplish daily life tasks like washing clothes, getting food, working in the fields and so much more.
Math
Fifth graders stretched their STEM muscles with designing and testing marble runs made from recycled materials. This was the 3rd STEM challenge planned in collaboration with our Marrs librarian, Mr. Keel. Ask a fifth grader what they have enjoyed most in math this year and these challenges are likely to be at the top of the list.
Fifth grade mathematicians are now learning about polygons and polyhedrons in our study of geometry. We will be taking our NSCAS state math test between April 5th and April 8th. After that we will continue with graphing and algebra.
Please be sure that your 5th grader is working on their math homework daily.
5th Grade Science
March science lessons centered around the topic of flooding. Students learned ways people try to prevent flooding by controlling the water. We focused on levees and dams being used for flood prevention. Students were able to build a model of a levee and test it to see if it would hold back the flood water while we were all gone on spring break.
When we returned from spring break our model houses were flooded and students were challenged to redesign and rebuild their levee system to make one that would work better. We discussed the levee breach in New Orleans in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina.
Our next experiment will be to build a model of a dam with a workable spillway to control the water in our experiment and prevent flooding! We will also move into our unit on gravity and looking at the brightness of stars in our solar system.
Ms. Nadolski's science classes are beginning a tree project through the program "Trees for Schools". Ms. Nadolski applied for this program, and she was chosen to be the teacher the program will work with for the Spring 2022 season. Her classes will get to learn about the value of trees in an urban ecosystem and how beneficial trees are. Students will be guided on native trees to our South Omaha area and will pick a tree to plant on the school property! In May, the students will take on the job of planting the tree and will celebrate with a tree planting party!
6th Grade
Math 6 students are working on finding area of certain polygons. We will be state testing during the week of April 4th. After state testing students will start their unit on Volume and Surface area.
Advanced math 6 students are completing their statistical measures unit. State testing will take place during the week of April 4th. After state testing, they will begin learning about angles and triangles.
Social studies just wrapped up studying feudalism in Medieval Europe by creating characters that represent real people in medieval Europe. Now, we are finishing our unit in the coming weeks by studying life in medieval towns and the fall of feudalism. Through the end of April, we be studying West Africa by looking at: early societies, trade, the Islamic influence, and the cultural legacy of West Africa.
There is a lot going on in 6th grade Science in the last quarter of the year. Adding on to the concepts of structure and function in the previous unit’s experiences with chicken development, students investigate two types of reproduction by living things. Using chickens as a starting point and introducing single-celled organisms, students analyze data about trait variations between parents and offspring from sexual and asexual reproduction. Building on the concept of sexual reproduction from IS1, students investigate adaptations by plants to attract pollinators to assist in the plant’s reproduction. Behaviors of animals are studied to determine how they affect reproduction. Students analyze data for patterns in interactions between species.
6th ELA is gearing up for our annual "Wax Museum" where students will be researching and writing biographies for some very famous people, then dressing up and presenting these people in a living museum that will wind through the halls of Marrs! We are also reading our 2nd chapter book, "Freaky Fast Frankie Joe" and continuing our all-school read, "Refugee".
7th Grade
In 7th grade social studies, students are currently working on their required semester projects. We will soon begin our 4th quarter unit over Russia once the projects are finished.
8th Grade
Social Studies
Students are ending the Civil War Unit with the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the beginning of the Reconstruction Era. This will then transition to the final unit of the year, Industrial Revolution, Gilded Age, and Impact on Native Americans. Asking your student what is happening in their social studies classes and the content that they have learned is a good way to review. You may also check Teams for extra materials and resources. If there are any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to your respective social studies teacher. Thank you so much for your support!
8th grade Pre-Algebra
Students in 8th grade pre-algebra have been working in their transformations unit. Students are identifying and performing movements or mappings of figures on and off the coordinate plane--what we call transformations in math! Students have worked on translations, reflections, and rotations and will be moving on to dilations next. This week, students explored rotations by using patty paper on the coordinate plane to help them trace different spins of points and figures. They started with a smiley face to rotate! Students stayed engaged in hands-on learning and made connections to patterns they saw with the coordinates. Before we finish our transformations unit, students will be completing NSCAS state testing next Tuesday, April 5th and Wednesday, April 6th. Students should get plenty of rest and be ready to give their best effort on their math state test!
8th grade Geometry news
Students in 8th grade geometry also happen to be working in a transformations unit this month. Students have been recognizing patterns and developing coordinate rules for translations, reflections, rotations, and dilations. They also have been working on performing compositions of transformations, and they stay engaged working together in teams on these challenges! This week, students finished up the unit and reviewed for their summative test by playing a competitive game of "Connect Four" in teams. Geometry students also should be ready to give 100% effort and show all they have learned on their NSCAS testing Tuesday, April 5th and Wednesday, April 6th!
Music News
Spring Concert Information
The Spring concert for instrumental music will be held on May 10th in the Marrs gym at 5pm. Students are to report at 4:30pm to get set up. All students are required to stay the full concert length and watch other ensemble performances. It is a requirement of the course. Black and white dress clothes are the proper attire for the concert. Friends and family are all encouraged to join as audience members.
Beginning Band Solo/Ensemble Information
This event will take place on April 9th at Buffett middle school for select 5th & 6th grade students. All students participating have been working on their solos outside of the school day. Mrs. Stier will send home a note with students indicating their performance time. As a reminder, students participating are required to get their own transportation to the event.
Blair Honor Band
Congratulations to the following students for their successful participation in Blair Honor Band. On Saturday, March 26 students rehearsed 4 pieces of music and gave a performance later in the day. They had the honor to perform with other top middle school musicians in the state of Nebraska. Great job!
Art News
Marrs Sports News
MISSION STATEMENT:
To provide innovative and attractive interdisciplinary curriculum and instruction.
VISION:
All students will achieve to their highest potential.”
The Sport:
Here in R.M. Marrs Magnet, spring is more than a season, it’s a time for boys and girls Track and Soccer. … Track has jumping, distance, sprinting, throwing, including both boys and girls on the same team, teaching kids how to work together and show what they are able to do or to find out that they have a special talent that they didn’t even know they had.
Soccer is played by separating the boys and girls into groups, and make sure the team works hard enough to hopefully get to city finals and show that hard work can get a whole team to victory.
The Team:
Both of the sports are made up of kids from 7th and 8th grade boys and girls almost every year, hoping to get better in the sport they are in.
Coaches:
Mr. Duff- track
Mr. Bell- track
Mr. Fisher- track
Mr. Lopez- boys soccer
Mr. Oelschlaeger- boys soccer
Mrs. Thoene- track
Mr. Haworth- girls soccer
Mr. DeSalvo- girls soccer
“The track coaches are extremely excited about the upcoming season. We have quite a few young men and women that will be rejoining us from last season and with the addition of a new new group of athletes, the Falcons are primed to a very successful and fun season. The 1st meet is on April 13th, when we square off with Nathan Hale @ Lewis and Clark Middle School. This meet is followed up by 3 more every Wednesday until we will finish up the season on May 13th [for] City Finals @ Bryan High School. We'd love the support from all to come cheer on the young athletes. GO Falcons!” -Mr. Bell
Marrs Staff Book Club
Our last book club selection was The Fire Keeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley about an 18 year-old Ojibwe woman who balances life between her father's indigenous side and the expections of her French mother's family. Throughout the course of the book, she must help solve a string of mysterious murders and tackle an illegal substance issue plaguing her community!
We are looking forward to our next book selection, Where the Forest Meets the Stars, so that we may continue to analyze interesting stories and eat great food!
Why not start a book club in your family? It's a great way to promote literacy and spend some quality time together!
To see some of our past "reads," click the link below:
Music Appreciation Club 2021-22
What? Overall Goals:
· Exploring Music, Instruments, Culture
Explore Mariachi Music genre
· Teamwork
· Performance (Closing Performance)
· Initiate Marrs Spirit Band theme
When
Monday and Tuesday
· 3:15 – 4:45 p.m.
Where
BAND ROOM 128
Who?
Students, volunteers, parents
Virtually: TEAMS or Zoom
· Contact: Mr. Hernandez, (531)299-2420 or text (402) 731-7410
About us
Email: marrs.principal@ops.org
Website: marrs.ops.org
Location: 5619 South 19th Street, Omaha, NE, USA
Phone: (531) 299-2420
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RM-Marrs-Magnet-Middle-School-244556262362440/
Twitter: @OPS_RMMarrs