Fernwood Avenue Middle School
Weekly Newsletter
WEEK OF FEBRUARY 2, 2020
FROM THE DESK OF THE PRINCIPAL:
STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT
Fernwood Spelling Bee
The annual Fernwood Spelling Bee took place on Friday January 31st in the auditorium. A total of 75 spellers from 6th, 7th, and 8th grade competed this year. The Bee lasted for twenty-one intense rounds and a total of 334 words before 7th grader Alex Contantinescu was declared the champion when he correctly spelled folklorist! The next four places went to current 6th grade students. Belina Zhang was the runner-up. Third place was a tie between Rishan Rashed and Alex Derbyshire, while fifth place went to Olivia Liang. They all did a fantastic job and any one of them could have won the title.
Alex will next compete against other school champions from throughout South Jersey at the South Jersey Spelling Bee on March 21st. The winner there will receive an expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC to compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee! Good luck, Alex!
"Ta chambre est un désastre"
The 8th grade Honors class is working on the book, "Ta chambre est un désastre," in which a young boy excels in every aspect of his life, but refuses to clean his room so much so that it becomes a disaster! The class collaborated with their group to create a plan for the cockroaches to rebel against the main character, Christophe, and get him to clean his room! We used this activity to review our vocabulary from the story and practice giving commands in French.
Fernwood Hosts Penn Museum: Ancient Egypt and Mummification!
On Tuesday, January 28, 2020, Sixth Grade students were able to get another chance to interact with Penn Museum! Mrs. Allyson Mitchell, from Penn Museum, hosted a virtual lesson with the students. She talked to them about ancient Egypt. Mrs. Mitchell's lesson focused on Egyptian culture, and in particular, their religion and burial practices. Mrs. Mitchell discussed mummification with the classes. She also went on to demonstrate some of the more unusual and interesting practices included in mummification. For example, she showed the students how the ancient Egyptians would use a hook to scramble a dead person's brain and extract it using a Jell-O mold brain. It was awesome! She went into show how organs were taken from the body, and how the body was dried out using natron salt. It was a fantastic lesson, and all the students learned a lot from Mrs. Mitchell. I overheard a number of the students talking afterward about going home and telling their Mummies about the virtual lesson!
Remembering Kobe Bryant
Last week, Miss Spengler's class remembered Kobe Bryant by analyzing the poem he wrote to announce his retirement, "Dear Basketball." Students were able to look closely at the figurative language, rhyme scheme, and the vocabulary he used. After analyzing, students were able to watch the Oscar-winning short film and reflect on his legacy.
Coding Class - Martin Luther King Speech
Gavin Powell, 7th grade student, plays the famous speech of Martin Luther King in an app he developed with MIT App Inventor. This is one of the apps created in Coding Class, a two marking period course.
CLIMATE and CULTURE
Super Staff of the Week
National School Counseling Week
Heroes of the Month
#Mindset Monday
COMMUNITY PRIDE
Self eSTEAM Night
Fernwood's first ever Self eSTEAM Night took place January 30th and was a huge success! Over 80 girls from grades 6-8 attended the event and had a blast participating in a makerspace and then sessions on STEAM and Self Esteem like Micro:bit, Lip Gloss Chemistry, Origami Bots, Mandala Art, Aviation with the FAA and Coast Guard, Engineering with Rutgers students, App Design with EHTHS students, The Power of Your Voice with a local author, CrossFit, and SO much more! We ended the night with food, drinks, and raffles! Parents were also able to attend sessions to learn more about STEAM opportunities in high school and college as well as learn about how to communicate with their daughters, a session led by another parent. So many teachers, parents, and community members helped make the event a success, including the Egg Harbor Township Education Association and Fernwood's Parents Club. We are hoping to make this an annual event, and can't wait until next year!
Fernwood's Fiddle Club who performed at Self eSTEAM Night. A "BIG" thank you!
Animal Shelter Supply Drive
The Fernwood Avenue’s Girls’ Basketball team and Student Council ran an Animal Shelter supply drive from January 15 – 30, 2020. We were able to purchase a $175 Pet Smart gift card with the money collected in addition to collecting blankets, towels, and various supplies. Some of the supplies collected were donated to an 8th grade student at Fernwood whose family fosters cats, and the gift card and other supplies were donated to Beacon Animal Shelter. Both were very appreciative for the donations.
Valentine's for the Troops
The students in Gold Team made Valentine's Cards for the Troops to thank the troops for their service and sacrifice. Cards will be sent to local service men and women actively serving from South Jersey. This program was arranged by Lite Rock 96.9 Radio Station.
YEARBOOK SALES
ABOUT US
Website: http://fms.eht.k12.nj.us
Location: 4034 Fernwood Avenue, Egg Harbor Township, NJ, USA
Phone: (609)383-3355
Facebook: facebook.com/EHTNJFERNWOOD
Twitter: @EHTNJFERNWOOD