TCA Times
Wayne Central Middle School Newsletter
December 2017
Dear Middle School Families,
Happy Holidays! Every year around this time we are amazed at how fast the year flies by.
The Holiday Season is a wonderful time of the year. Students and staff are involved in holiday activities, celebrations and also, helping out those who are less fortunate. We are proud of their caring and compassion!
The 7th and 8th Grade band and chorus concert will perform their annual holiday concert on Wednesday, December 13th at 7pm at the PAC.
The concert date for 5th and 6th graders will be on Tuesday, December 19 at 7pm at the PAC.
We hope that you and your families all have a healthy, happy and safe holiday season.
Happy New Year!
Holly Armitage: 5th/6th Grade Principal
Derek DeMass: 7th/8th Grade Principal
December's Calendar of Events
Thu: 12/7 6-7:30pm Friends of Music Meeting in Media Center
Mon: 12/11 11am-12pm PTO Meeting in Conference Room
Wed: 12/13 7:00pm 7th & 8th Grade Band & Chorus Concert at the PAC
First Day of Hanakkuh
Thu: 12/14 7:00pm Board of Education Meeting: DO Conference Room
Tue: 12/19 7:00pm 5th & 6th Grade Band & Chorus Concert at the PAC
Wed: 12/20 Last Day of Hanakkuh
Thu: 12/21 **Concert Snow Date
Monday 12/25-Monday 1/1/2018 **SCHOOLS CLOSED: HOLIDAY BREAK
Student Technology Update!
Our district was the recipient of a grant called the Smart Schools Bond Act which is geared towards promoting 21st Century Learners. As part of this grant, our district is moving forward with our roll-out plan for enhancing student technology opportunities. Part of this plan calls for 1:1 student devices (Chromebooks), beginning with grades 7, 8 and 9. Many of these devices have been purchased and are currently being prepped for student use. Our infrastructure (Wi-Fi) within the building has been updated to ensure that we are prepared to support these devices after the roll-out. Further, many of our students and teacher have experienced and worked with Chromebooks over the past two years as part of a comprehensive pilot to ensure a successful implementation of the technology. This technology is in alignment with our District's Strategic Plan and will help to ensure equitable access for all students.
A document has been created which includes information about device care, appropriate use and FAQs. Please look this over. We will be in touch with a date in the very near future which will include plans for actual device pick-up and parent signatures. This document can be accessed here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1SWIMgodAHPxhfeyp3DuudyoaOCMvvN6R6CF3dQXdv2s/edit?usp=sharing
Junior High Area All State Students
Zach Bowman
Kyle Gerhardt
Hannah Starks
Megan Strauss
5th and 6th Grade Student Recognition: November
5TH GRADE ACADEMIC AWARD:
Camryn Stopka (Bristol); Ella Frick (Coon/Reynolds); Madison Calkins (Herendeen);
Kenzie Lamb (Liseno); Kaya Lamb (Martin & Shoemaker); Brooke Wilmott (Welch);
Braiden Salter (Wells); Zachary Dastyck (Bays)
5TH GRADE CHARACTER COUNTS: CARING AND COMPASSION
Colin David (Bristol); Shawn Becker-Wilson (Coon/Reynolds); Austin Marlin (Dysart)
Piper Stacy (Herendeen); Jacob Poarch (Liseno); Addison Rice (Shoemaker);
Katie Mueller (Welch); Grace Gallaher (Wells)
6TH GRADE ACADEMIC STUDENT OF THE MONTH:
Mimi Ugalde (Eaton); Ella Collier (Finley); Katie Woods (Shoemaker);
Gretchen Whitman (Martin); Bethany Rook (Bussard); Alex Garrow (Molisani);
Georgia Mosier (Herrick); Allie Chimenti (Gray); Aziliz Brumley (Clemons);
Bella Blood (Dysart).
6TH GRADE CHARACTER STUDENT OF THE MONTH: CARING & COMPASSION
Kayla Dunston (Eaton); Mercede Lewis (Finley); Timothy Kimball (Martin);
Trinity Surowiec (Bussard); Braylon Agnello (Molisani); Cooper Jackson (Herrick);
Kasey Eaton (Gray); Greg Ocque (Clemons)
7th & 8th Grade Student Recognition: November
8TH GRADE STUDENTS:
Josh Bolt
Katie Cieplinski
Emma Culver
Jillian Groff
Connor Jantzi
7TH GRADE STUDENTS:
- Colton Melos
- Gustavo Loredo
- Olivia Huber
- Isabella Annesi
- Anna Malbone
Academic Excellence Recipients for Q1:
- Anna Malbone
- Courtney Pettit
- Daniel Rook
- Elandria Brzezniak
- Ella Salce
- Ellie Wambold
- Grace Mosier
- Hailey Rosio
- Kameron Young
- Kayla Van Bortel
- Kyleigh Brooks
- Leila Bellinger
- Mason Blankenberg
- Mason Smith
- Megan Strauss
- Owen Doran
- Selena Rogers
- Tyler Senecal
Note from the Nurse
6th grade
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.
Thank you and please feel free to call with any questions.
Annie Harris, R.N.
Middle School Nurse
Wayne Central Middle School
315-524-1084
5th Grade News
ELA : In ELA class, we have started Unit 2 with the theme of Wild Encounters. We are reading stories about animals and nature, including an excerpt from the classic Old Yeller. Some of the skills we are focusing on include cause and effect, and character analysis, along with our weekly grammar. For writing, we will be focusing on informational and expository writing. After the Thanksgiving break, we will be starting to do a research report!
In Math class, we have jumped back into fractions. In Unit 3, we focus on multiplying and dividing fractions. The kids seem to have a better grasp of this unit since they already learned a lot of these basic skills back in Unit 1. They seem to enjoy this unit, but once division is introduced it gets more difficult. They need to be underlining in word problems to determine which operation will lead them to success. Keep up the great work!
Science--Martin
Our first science 21 unit is all about investigating how scientists set up controlled experiments in order to conduct “fair” tests/controlled studies. I will be asking students to study both known and unknown materials using controls and studying one variable at a time. Your child will be working cooperatively, recording results, sharing them with the rest of the class and following good laboratory practices.
Science- Liseno
We are finishing up our second unit in science exploring plant and animal cells. The students just completed a research project that looked at scientists who helped develop the cell theory. They then presented this to the entire class as a group using the Popplet app on the ipads.
Social Studies: Mr. Shoemaker’s and Mrs. Bristol’s students continue to strengthen their geography knowledge and map skills through a variety of activities. Our classes keep an eye on what’s happening in the news and discuss how National and World stories connect to our experiences. Election Day this year may not have seemed as exciting as 2016’s, but we learned about New York’s vote on having a State Constitutional Convention, as well as two other propositions important to New Yorkers. The local race for Ontario Supervisor taught us that every vote is important! We’ve been working on our Government and Map skills in ixl, and we are beginning to learn more about our continent’s early history.
Read to Ride at Darien Lake
by: Mrs. Waring, 5th Grade Consultant Teacher
Students will have the opportunity to earn a free pass to Darien Lake this summer by completing seven hours of recreational reading from January 1st - February 28th, 2018. The seven hours of reading can be in the form of reading to oneself, reading to another person, or being read to. Students may read books, magazines, or newspapers. Tickets will be valid for the amusement park and water park throughout July and August 2018. ELA teachers will be sending home a recording form with each 5th grade student.
6th Grade News
Now that the 1st marking quarter is complete, students are close to experts at this middle school thing! These next few months will fly by for sure. Be sure to encourage your 6th grader to use his/her agenda to help stay organized with his/her individual assignments but also the activities that he/she is involved with.
Social Studies:
The Stone Age world has been through a revolution with the discovery of agriculture! Towns and villages begin to emerge; communities, cities and even empires won’t be long! Actually, in SS class we will start with our ancient river valley civilizations: Mesopotamia and Egypt. Remind your child to review his/her classroom notes in his/her SS binder as well as any resource shared with them on Google Classroom.
**If you happen to be a Pringles potato crisp fan, Ms. Eaton and Mr. Shoemaker are interested in your EMPTY Pringles containers (tall size only). Please sent them in with your child and deliver to his/her SS teacher. **
Science is all about energy! Your child will be learning about atoms, different types of energy, and electricity! Students will be participating in different labs creating circuits and discovering what are good conductors and insulators. We will explore electro magnets and generators as well. This year we will be participating in Project Lead the Way’s Magic of Electrons.
ELA: Students are finishing the novel, Bud, Not Buddy and reflecting on their own Rules To Live By. Students have explored figurative language and can identify similes, metaphors, idioms, personification, etc. They are practicing how to make their writing more vivid by using these figures of speech, especially when writing poetry.
Health & Family Science: Of the five components of health, students have been studying different aspects of intellectual health - specifically growth mindset and their specific individual learning styles. Utilizing Naviance (a comprehensive K-12 college and career readiness platform), students completed an interactive, learning style inventory and discovered specifics techniques to improve his/her learning. Parents please ask your child to open up their findings by going to the Naviance website (found in the quick link on the middle school website). Next our focus moved to character and social interaction. Character is the real foundation of all worthwhile success. Students participated in a myriad engaging activities involving social and family dilemmas and discussing best course of action based on the four character traits of a ‘Heart of a Champion’ - respect, integrity, perseverance, and humility. Presently we are examining the problem of bullying and how we can all be ‘upstanders’ to help rid our school of this form of wrong behavior. Up next: depression and dealing with anxiety.
One way students showed character was by participating in our annual Samaritan’s Purse Christmas Boxes campaign. Below is a picture of students who helped to pack up the many presents donated by their classmates. This year we packed a total of 11 boxes (most ever).
Math
7th Grade News
Social Studies- Unit 3: American Independence is under way! The colonies are becoming teenagers and want their parent country to back off a little; conflict ensues.
Math 7 accelerated-Mr. LaBarge
This month students completed a unit on Proportional Reasoning. We are continuing this idea into a new unit on Percent. Please have your student calculate the tip or discount on an item to practice these skills in real-life situations. As always, students are getting a participation grade for coming prepared with a calculator, their textbook, and other necessary materials for class.
Math 7 - We are now learning about percents, which is a part of the Ratios & Proportions unit. This is a great topic because it is so real world. When you are out with your children shopping for the holidays, please talk with them about any of the percents you are seeing (such as discounts and tax).
Additionally, if your child has lost his or her calculator, a new calculator makes a great holiday gift. Even if he or she already has a TI-30X IIS , you may want to consider getting the newer model, TI-30XS MultiView. Both calculators are less than $15 each. It is much more user-friendly so I find students make fewer mistakes with this model. Happy Holidays!
Health- The students in health class are well on their way to building skills in how to eat healthy. We have finished the Powermid portion and are moving onto the six essential nutrients, MyPlate, ingredients on food labels and the dangers of energy drinks. This unit will be ongoing throughout the month of December so be prepared to hear some healthy food facts throughout the holidays!
Accelerated Science- We are beginning our unit on phases of matter and phase changes and then study how matter is classified as an element, compound or a mixture.
Life Science- Students in Life Science have begun to explore how our body communicates using electrical and chemical signals. By experiencing a phenomena, students were able to create a question that was used to design an experiment which will help students to begin to understand how our body reacts to stimuli. Through exploration, students will be able to create a model of how the body communicates to respond to outside stimulus.
ELA- Students in ELA continue their study of the conflict and water crisis in South Sudan with our reading of Linda Sue Park’s book A Long Walk to Water. As we read, we are working at identifying conflict, character traits, theme, symbolism and significant passages from the book that reveal key concepts. The story is a riveting account of two children who endured great hardship, always maintaining hope that ultimately saw them through. Please ask your child about what we’re reading.
Students are also required to be reading 20 minutes each night from their independent reading book. We have approximately monthly deadlines for each book. At that time, they complete an AR test and also written comprehension assessment in Google Classroom.
Spanish 7 - 7th grade Spanish students finished the family unit and quiz this month. Those students who were well prepared and used the suggested test taking strategies performed quite well. Please check Schooltool for information about grades.
Since that quiz, we have been focusing on the house unit. Students have been learning the parts of the house and using the vocabulary in context. We will also be learning primary colors, room names, verbs, and the names of many household objects. It would be very beneficial if students, using their green packets, labeled the rooms and objects at home in Spanish with post its. Seeing the words every day at home will help them learn the vocabulary much more easily. Our goal is to finish the house unit prior to the holiday break.
8th Grade News
ELA: Smith:
Students just finished their science fiction research papers and they are beginning to read To Kill a Mockingbird. This text takes place in the sleepy, southern town of Maycomb, Alabama. It’s the Great Depression and people in Maycomb are struggling to survive.
In class, we will be focusing on allusions or indirect references as well the skill of finding the central idea. Students will be also be enjoying this novel which NY Times ranked as the “best book of all time.”
Algebra:
Students are working on lines and their equations in our current unit. They are practicing graphing lines and inequalities not only by hand but also on their graphing calculators. The unit 2 assessment will be the first week in December. As continued practice at school and from home your student can always be practicing their math skills on IXL.com, also their regents review 20/20 on castle learning is due on December 20th.
Social Studies: .
Students did a wonderful job on the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Trial. They are now finishing up the last part of Industrialization, the Progressive Movement. During this time, they will learn about essential reforms in labor, food safety, government, conservation and equality.
Math 8: Students are working in chapter 3 on Functions. Our unit test is scheduled for 1ABC on 12/8 and all other classes will be completing the test on 12/11. All grades can be improved upon and all tests can be retaken. Please check out our class website to view all class information including the class calendar, assignments and lessons.
Living Environment Honors: In Living Environment Honors we are beginning our study of living things classification. We will also be creating an animal classification research project where we will research an animal and create a slide-show presentation and present to the class.
Physical Science:
Students are finishing up their investigations into density, buoyancy, and Archimedes Principle. Ask them to explain to you how a lava lamp operates, where convection currents are found in your home, how to make raisins dance (and why), what happened when we cut the cheddar cheese, and how to determine the water line when designing a boat. Right before Thanksgiving, students learned more about matter’s property of inertia and were taught several cool science tricks that they can demonstrate for you at home over the holiday season to share their knowledge. I hope you enjoy seeing your tablecloth get pulled away while your dishes stay safely on the table! As we are still in the unit of “Key Properties of Matter,” we next turn our inquiries into the nature of solids, liquids, gases, and plasma. In December, students will be using hot plates, making ice cream, observing dry ice poof away into the air, and popping popcorn so that they can better understand phenomena such as melting, freezing, sublimating, and vaporizing. Please be sure to check SchoolTool weekly to stay informed as to your child’s progress.
Spanish: In Spanish class we are in our food unit! Students are learning vocabulary and phrases related to food and beverages, meals of the day, traditional Hispanic/Latinx dishes, buying food, and ordering in a restaurant. Coming up in our unit, the students will create their own menus and perform skits to simulate an authentic dining experience. Quiz your child at the dinner table to see if they can tell you what they are eating!
SCIENCE OLYMPIAD & TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION
SCIENCE OLYMPIAD: PARENT HELP NEEDED!!
Calling all Tech-Savvy Parents:
The Science Olympiad team would love your expertise, as we prepare for our upcoming competition. If you are interested in assisting us with your knowledge and skills, please contact Lori Sozio at lsozio@waynecsd.org or at 315-524-1080 X 2735.
Learning with technology, whether with a math app, a video how-to, or a wiki, opens up a new world of discovery for kids. And as they access information in novel ways, kids are preparing for life in a new interconnected, global world. Learn how to spot the good stuff, find the right products for your kids' needs, and foster a love of learning.
Read the full article and resources from Common Sense: https://goo.gl/x4IJOA
HOLIDAY CONCERT INFORMATION
Please join us for our TCA Holiday Concerts! On Wed. Dec. 13th, the 7th and 8th grade Choruses and the 7th and 8th grade Bands will be the first to present the sounds of the season. The concert is at 7 pm in the high school Performing Arts Center, and there is no admission fee charged. The following week, on Tuesday Dec. 19th, the 5th and 6th grade Choruses, 5th and 6th grade Bands, as well as the TCA Jazz Band will share their holiday music. That concert is also at 7 pm in the high school PAC. All are welcome and we encourage you to come and support our TCA musicians!
The students have been working really hard in chorus and are excited to share their performance with you!
As a reminder, students should wear white on top and black on the bottom. Girls may wear black pants or a black skirt (knee length or longer). Parents, please have your children try on their outfits ahead of time in case they had a growth spurt and it doesn't fit you still have some time to find something that works!
8th Grade Health Class: Health Module
Student Council News
The Wayne Middle School Student Council is sponsoring a “Give the Gift of a Gift Card” program during the month of December. The student led group is asking TCA and their families to help support some of their own community members. Please bring in gift cards in any denomination to the main office…gift cards can be to any clothes, food, department stores that young teens would enjoy. They will be distributed to Wayne Middle School families in need of assistance -making the Holidays special for their families. In return, those who donate will be eligible through a raffle for a gift of their own! Please encourage this initiative as these great kids try and make a difference in our school community. Families backing families and kids caring for kids teaches valuable lessons.
Gift card donations will be accepted until December 22nd.
PARENT VOLUNTEERING:
A form is attached below, or you can always go to the Wayne Central Webpages.
Look under Quick Links; District Forms; District (folder); Documents; Volunteer Application.
You can send the application to Barry VanNorstrand directly at the HS or send into the main office with your student.
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