AIG News*November & December, 2022
Margaret B. Pollard Middle School
Important Dates and Links for Families
Important Dates:
November 23 - 27, 2022 ~ THANKSGIVING BREAK
December 1, 2022 - January 6, 2023 ~ The AIG Referral Window is OPEN during these dates for classroom teachers, parents/guardians, and AIG teachers.
December 17, 2022 - January 2, 2022 ~ WINTER BREAK
January 10, 2023 ~ Parent University Session: 6:00-7:00 PM at the Chatham School of Science and Engineering (Siler City) - Read below for more information.
January 30, 2022 ~ District Scripps Spelling Bee @ Seaforth HS at 6:00 PM - Read below for more information.
Links:
Meet Your AIG Teachers
AIG News and Announcements
AIG TESTING REFERRAL WINDOW:
- The Chatham County AIG Referral window opens this Thursday, December 1, 2022 and will close on January 6, 2023.
- Parents/Guardians, classroom teachers, and AIG teachers may submit the names of any student candidates for AIG testing in the areas of Reading and Math.
- AIG testing session dates will be set up for January, and may spill into the beginning of February.
- All AIG testing data will then be compiled and submitted to the county.
- Parents and students will be informed about the results by the beginning of June, 2023. Letters will be sent home to families at that time with the testing results and all AIG identification decisions.
- Please email both of the AIG teachers with your student nominations. We will be reviewing the nominations submitted to us, and you will receive a confirmation email.
- The MBP AIG teacher emails are: bbell@chatham.k12.nc.us, eliner@chatham.k12.nc.us
- Feel free to email us for any clarification or with any questions about this process.
PARENT UNIVERSITY SESSIONS:
There are two upcoming Parent University sessions scheduled for 2023 and they are:
- January 10, 2023 ~ 6:00-7:00 PM at the Chatham School of Science and Engineering (Siler City) - The focus of the meeting will be academic planning for Grades 7-12 ----> INFORMATIONAL FLYER
- April 25, 2023 ~ 6:00-7:00 PM at Horton Middle School - The focus of the meeting will be the summer enrichment activities that will be offered for gifted learners in Chatham County
Please add these dates to your calendar and we look forward to seeing you there!
- We will be participating in the National Scripps Spelling Bee again this year. Students will be given the initial practice lists electronically during the second week of December, and then, take the qualifying spelling tests during their Discovery classes right before the winter break. All of the top 25 qualifiers will leave for the break with the full list to study for our school competition in mid-January.
- The top 25 qualifiers in the school will compete as a team when we return in January for the school competition. The top four spellers from this group will then head to the county competition on January 30th at 6:00 PM at Seaforth High School (Auditorium).
QUILL
Congratulations to the M.B. Pollard Quill Writing Team!
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The M.B. Pollard VARSITY team members are:
Argument: Lyra Benjamin
Informational: Jonah Birken
Narrative: Emily Exley
Problem Solution: Ella Davis
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The M.B. Pollard JV team members are:
Argument: Zeke Wicker
Informational: Samuel Zwahlen
Narrative: Madelyn Laupert
Problem/ Solution: Sierra Hansen
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The Varsity team placed second in our region and have been invited to the Quill State Championships on December 3, 2022 at Smith Middle School in Chapel Hill, N.C.
The JV team came in first place! They now are ready to step into their varsity roles next year either here at MB Pollard or in high school.
What's Happening in AIG?
7th Grade Reading: This quarter, the AIG students read the novel, A Separate Peace, by, John Knowles. This is a higher level reading piece that is also considered to be a classic. We also just enjoyed a King Arthur exploration while students read, Freak the Mighty, by, Rodman Philbrick. Next, we will dive in to short stories.
8th Grade Reading- The 8th grade students just completed two mini units; One about the dystopian story, "All Summer in a Day," by, Ray Bradbury, and the other, about the elements that authors use to write and develop suspense, fear, and horror in short stories and novels. Students read a variety of texts, watched different forms of video/media, and analyzed what they read. * From now until the winter break, the students will be working on a Problem-Based Learning activity that has them researching and planning a trip around the world to four (4) countries of their choice. They have been given basic parameters, informational templates, and are currently researching the foods, traditions, legends/ traditional stories, as well as the costs of tours, transportation, and accommodation costs for each of their 4 countries. They have to work within the budget they've been given and complete a slideshow outlining the ways that chose to plan and design their trip. *All of their completed projects will be on display at the 8th Grade Museum Showcase on December 16, 2022.
6th/7th/8th Math:
- In Math AIG classes, students have been playing fun Math games to stretch, extend, and perfect the standards being taught in the regular classroom. These include things like: Algebraic Functions Deal or No Deal, Rational Numbers BINGO, Surface Area Whack-A-Mole, and our favorite...Two-Step Equation Trashketball! We also enjoy working with Geogebra (https://www.geogebra.org/) to "see" functions. Real-world connections are prioritized frequently so that students can apply the math from the classroom to STEM related topics and jobs around the globe.
Margaret B. Pollard Middle School
Website: https://sites.google.com/a/chatham.k12.nc.us/ms-bell-s-class/home
Location: 185 Granite Mill Boulevard, Chapel Hill, NC, USA
Phone: (919) 969-0070