MERMS Weekly Newsletter
January 20, 2015
Manchester-Essex Regional Middle School
Email: gudituss@mersd.org
Website: http://www.merms.mersd.org
Location: 36 Lincoln Street, Manchester-by-the-Sea, MA, United States
Phone: 978 526 2022
Twitter: @MERMS_01944
Parenting and Technology Workshop: 1/21/15 @ 6:30-8:30pm
For more information about the presentation, please click on this link. This event is for parents and guardians only; students will participate in an event with Mr. Fodeman during the school day.
This event is free of charge, thanks to sponsorship by our PTO, Parents of Manchester-Essex Middle School (PMEMS). You can support PMEMS by going here.
Theatre Club Begins in February
Start Date: Thursday, February 26, 2015
Meeting Dates: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 2:30-4:30pm
Showcase Performances: Friday, May 1 and Saturday, May 2, 2015
Cost: $150/$175
To view the full flyer, please go to: MERMS/YMCA Theatre Co - Spring Theatre Club
For more information, please contact Nicole Leotsakos, Performing Arts Director: leotsakosn@northshoreymca.org, 781-990-7065
MERMS Council Meeting 1.15.15
You can read the full article, "Schools of Conscience," by clicking here, which ran in the May 2009 issue of Educational Leadership.
This week (1/20-1/23), the middle school will run Days 2, 3, 4 and 5 during HS Midterm Week.
Winter Sports This Week
Tuesday, January 20th
White basketball:
- Girls practice: 3:15-4:30
- Boys practice: 4:30-6
Green basketball:
- Girls game vs. Triton @ Essex Elementary School: 3:30
- Boys game vs. Triton @ Essex Elementary School: 4:30
Track practice: 3-5
Swim practice: 2:30-4:15
Wednesday, January 21st
White basketball:
- Girls practice: 3:15-4:30
- Boys practice: 4:30-6
Green Basketball:
- Girls practice: 3:00-4:30
- Boys practice: 4:30-6:00
Track practice: 3-5
Thursday, January 22nd
Green basketball:
- Girls game vs. Rockport @ Essex Elementary School: 3:30
- Boys game vs. Rockport @ Essex Elementary School: 4:30
White basketball:
- Girls game @ Georgetown; Bus leaves @ 2:30, game is at 3:30
- Boys game @ Georgetown; Bus leaves @ 2:30, game is at 4:30
Track practice: 3-5
Friday, January 23rd
White basketball:
- Girls practice: 3:15-4:30
- Boys practice: 4:30-6
Green basketball:
- Girls practice: 3:00-4:30
- Boys practice: 4:30-6
JV track: Meet @ Ipswich; bus leaves at 2:30
A reminder that a note, signed by the Athletics Department, is required for a student athlete to be driven home from a game and not ride the bus back to MERMS. This process must be completed prior to the team departing for the game, and preferably before the end of the school day.
If you have any questions, please contact Athletics directly.
8th Grade Washington Trip: Reminder to Make Payment
Payment deadlines for the Washington Trip are as follows:
- Monday, January 26, 2015: $200
- Monday, February 23, 2015: $400
- Monday, March 30, 2015: Payment in full
To make a payment, please contact WorldStrides directly at http://www.worldstridesdiscovernow.org (enter trip ID #108984), or call WorldStrides Customer Service at 1-800-468-5899.
For more information about our trip, please visit our Washington Trip page at: http://www.merms.mersd.org/Pages/MERMS_Washington/index.
If you are in need of financial assistance, please visit our Washington Trip page, download and complete the financial assistance application, and confidentially return to Mr. Steve Guditus, Principal at Manchester-Essex Regional Middle School.
If you are interested in helping to fundraise for our scholarship fund for this trip, please contact Mr. Jim Thomas, Washington Trip Coordinator, at thomasj@mersd.org.
Midway Through Trimester 2
If you have any questions about your child's grade, please ask your child and speak directly to the teacher, who can answer any questions your have.
You can log into Aspen by going to: https://ma-mersd.myfollett.com/aspen/logon.do.
From The Art Department
6th grade:
Illustrating emotions: The classes have been pretty excited about illustrating words using color, shapes and lines with no recognizable images. Students used the following words: happy, calm and unique. Lastly, they created a “unique” work of art.
7th Grade:
Started their Intro to Ceramics this week. Students have gone over basic properties of clay, reviewed and introduced the pinch pot technique, coil and slab. Our final assignment is entitled Water Mythology.
8th grade:
Architecture Unit: The combined the facades of famous buildings and landmarks into a carefully designed piece. Students have focused on repetition of patterns, negative space and balance. They also learned the word “façade’ as a way of behaving or appearing that gives other people a false idea of your true feelings or situation.
Keep Your Immune System Healthy with Nutrition
With cold and flu season well underway, we could all benefit from a strengthened immune system. The immune system can be divided into two parts: barriers that prevent bacteria and viruses from entering our bodies (skin, mucosal membranes, stomach acid, and intestinal flora) and white blood cells inside our body that identify and destroy bacteria and viruses that make it past the barriers. Many nutrients are needed to support both of these areas of the immune system including Vitamins A, C, and D and the minerals selenium, iron, and zinc.
As Benjamin Franklin’s saying goes “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” By making a few simple changes to our lifestyles, we can boost our immune systems and stay healthy and happy all winter long.
Tips for keeping your immune system strong using nutrition:
- Eat one probiotic containing food per day (yogurt, kefir, kimchi, etc.)
- Selenium is hard to get from foods, but eating one Brazil nut each day will fulfill 100% of your daily needs.
- Choose dark green leafy vegetables and orange vegetables to bulk up on Vitamin A. This will help build your immune system and strengthen your mucosal membranes.
- Incorporate foods rich in Vitamin C into your daily diet. Examples include oranges, pineapple, kiwi fruit, peppers, grapefruit, strawberries, asparagus, brussel sprouts, broccoli, tomatoes, mangoes, and onions.
- Consider taking a Vitamin D supplement after asking your healthcare provider since many people in New England become deficient in this “sunshine vitamin” in the winter.
Jane Reimer is a Simmons College Dietetic Intern with MERSD Food Services. If you have any questions on this or other nutrition topics, contact Jane at jane.reimer@simmons.edu.
6th Grade Literacy/Information Skills Rotation
This rotation allows sixth graders the opportunity to spend one semester (half year) learning about library and information skills with Mrs. Krause, and a semester (half year) learning about literacy skills and strategies with Mrs. Marra.
Nominate an MERMS Teacher to be MA Teacher of the Year!
To nominate an MERMS Teacher as Massachusetts Teacher of the Year, please click here: MA Teacher of the Year Nomination Form.
Donations Needed for Indoor Recess
Do you have a set of Uno cards, chess, board game, or something else you are not longer using? Why not donate it! We welcome any and all donations (used is fine). Please drop off any donations in the middle school main office with labeled with "Middle School Recess." Thank you for your consideration!
Manchester-Essex Apparel Sale
We have teamed up with a local company, Living the Team, to put together a MERSD apparel sale. Clothing and accessories are high quality, and the sale of the products benefits our PTO, Parents of Manchester-Essex Middle School (PMEMS). Items ship directly to your home. To order, you can go directly to: http://livingtheteam.com/ME_STORE
Websites of Interest
- Get Your Child to Engage with You, not the Smartphone: http://tentotwenty.com/teenager-engage-with-you-not-smartphone/
- How Handwriting Helps You Learn via Business Insider: http://www.businessinsider.com/handwriting-helps-you-learn-2014-12
- 5 Books about Volunteering that Parents Must Read with their Children via Scholastic: http://www.scholastic.com/parents/blogs/scholastic-parents-raise-reader/5-must-read-books-about-power-volunteering
- The Risk of 'Material Parenting' via New York Times: http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/01/08/the-risk-of-material-parenting/
- Scholastic/YouGov 2014 Kids and Family Reading Report: http://www.scholastic.com/readingreport/key-findings.htm
- 12 Scientific Benefits to Play: http://micheleborba.com/blog/michele-borba-blog-studies-find-play-helps-kids-focus-11-other-surprising-benefits-of-letting-kids-get-messy/
Video: My Favorite Teacher
Upcoming Events
Parenting and Technology Workshop
Parenting and Technology: Understanding the issues, establishing safe & appropriate practices, with Doug Fodeman. This is free and open to the public.
For more information about the presentation, please click on this link.