TCA Times
Wayne Central Middle School Newsletter
DECEMBER 2018
Dear Middle School Families,
Happy Holidays! Another Holiday season is upon us and our students and staff have been busy celebrating the season, but also helping out those in need. We are very proud of their caring and compassion.
We hope you have a wonderful Holiday Season with your family and friends. Happy New Year!
Sincerely,
Holly Armitage 5th & 6th Grade Principal
Derek DeMass 7th & 8th Grade Principal
School Procedures
Holly Armitage is the 5th/6th grade Principal
Derek DeMass is the 7th/8th grade Principal
The phone number is: 315-524-1080.
The nurse's phone # is 315-524-1084
Morning drop-off: 7:15am (no earlier please)
5th Grade Pick Up at the end of the day:
If parents choose to pick up their 5th grader they can be signed out at the south door (side door) at 2:15pm. There will be a sign-out table at the door.
Band, chorus and all clubs are after school. There will be sports study hall and late buses to accommodate these students.
Visiting School: Please buzz at the main door to get in. If you need to go into the building you will need to have your license scanned in order to get a badge printed to wear in the building.
OFFICE HOURS & STUDENT DROP OFF
- Just a reminder: Students may not be dropped off at school prior to 7:15am.
- The office closes at 4:00pm, so there will be no access to the building after 4:00pm.
News From the Music Room
We are pleased to invite you to the Wayne Central School District Winter Concerts! The 5th and 6th grade chorus and band concert is on Monday, December 10th and the 7th and 8th grade chorus and band concert is on Wednesday, December 12th. The students are proud of the work they have done and the progress they have made throughout the semester. We hope you can join us for what is always a great evening of music!
Fifth grade music students started a "Musical Passport" unit where we will "travel" to a variety of countries throughout the school year and learn about the music there. We began by looking at the music from Jamaica where we sang some Jamaican songs, discussed the steel drums, styles such as reggae and calypso and the famous singer, Bob Marley!
Congratulations to the following 7th and 8th grade students who represented TCA Middle School in the Junior High Area All State Mixed Chorus held on November 2nd and 3rd at Wayne Central:
Sopranos: Jaci Jackson, Hailey Rosio, and Hannah Sitzer
Altos: Lauren Akerely, Sydney Kachmaryk, Anna Malbone, and Abigail Sullivan
Below is a picture of the Area All State Students!
MIDDLE SCHOOL CONCERTS
5th & 6th Grade Band/Chorus & MS Jazz Band: December 10 at the HS PAC @ 7pm
7th & 8th Grade Band/Chorus: December 12 at the HS PAC @ 7pm
Please join us for the first performance of the year. A reminder to parents & students that in 7th & 8th grades, concerts are required performances & a major portion of the class grade. The only excused absence is a major illness.
Students must be at the HS PAC in proper attire for warm up at the time designated by Mrs. Melnick & Mrs. Bays. The concerts begin at 7:00pm. We invite everyone to attend for a festive evening of seasonal music!
December's Calendar of Events
12/10: 7:00pm 5/6 Grade Band & Chorus plus the MS Jazz Band @ the PAC
12/12: 7:00pm 7/8 Band & Chorus Concert @ the PAC
12/24-1/1: SCHOOL CLOSED FOR THE HOLIDAYS
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
School resumes on Tuesday, January 2, 2019
7th & 8th Grade WE CARE Awards
Great Job!
PJ Ostrowski
Trevor Bush
Alex Garrow
Alyssa Prinzing
Vitaly Kuchma
Colton Melos
Brady Ruffell
Brooklyn Odom
Tony Anselmo
Michael Clark
STUDENT COUNCIL NEWS
For the months of November and December we are focusing on the two character traits of caring and compassion. Part of our mission is to let people around us in school and out in the community know that we care about them and that they matter. We kicked off a “You Matter Marathon” here at Wayne Middle School. We have caring and compassion cards available in classrooms and the office to pick up and hand out to anyone they think would like a message of positivity. We also put up a “You Matter” banner in the I wing and kids have been writing inspirational messages on it. The Student Council kids along with some of our Character Counts members hung up a positive message on every locker in the building so when the students came in last Monday they were greeted with a little burst of happiness. Next time you are visiting feel free to pick up your own “You Matter” cards to distribute out in the community or to someone in your life.
“Kindness is free-sprinkle that stuff everywhere”
You Matter Reminders
Positive Messages on Lockers
Student Council Members spreading Positive Messages around school
YEARBOOKS: 2018-2019
Order your Yearbook today!
The 2018-2019 Thomas C Armstrong Middle School Yearbook is now on sale.
Visit www.jostens.com
$25.00 plus tax...all sales are online only!
Attention All TCA Students and Parents!
Yearbooks are now on sale. To purchase a yearbook head to www.jostens.com and find Thomas C Armstrong Middle School as your school and select a yearbook for $25.00 plus tax. Head to the cart, and with help and permission from your parent/guardian, pay using credit card. Remember all sales are pre-sale only, and must be purchased online. This means, if you want to make sure you get a book, you must order online. Books will be passed out mid-June 2019, but they will not be available for purchase at that time.
The deadline for purchasing a yearbook is March 1, 2019.
Please direct any questions to Mrs. Feola at afeola@wayecsd.org
Counselors Corner
Caring and compassion the middle school way:
Since our focus November and December is caring and compassion our students have been busy reaching out to affirm each other through random acts of kindness such as sharing “You matter” cards with each other and taping encouraging notes on lockers and around the building. At our November assembly, they are learning how to be a "Sweetheart" or carrier of hope and a "Hero,” someone willing to jump into action to help another in need. https://www.sweetheartsandheroes.com/AboutUs
We will be learning and practicing the ABC’s of handling a bullying situation. Our theory is that we practice fire drills all the time but we are rarely caught in a fire, yet teasing and bullying can happen much more often – so we should be practicing our ABC’s as often as possible! Students can always stand up for others in these easy to remember and practice ways:
A = Away: Help your child come up with things to say to someone being targeted that can help that person get away. Example: “Hey, your teacher is looking for you.” “Did you drop something at your locker?”
B=Buddy: Be a buddy to the person being targeted. Students can walk with that person, invite him or her to sit with them, or offer to go get help with the person.
C= Confront: It’s okay to call it what it is, when someone is being mean! Students can say, things like – “Hey that’s mean!” “That’s not helpful.” “Ouch-that’s hurtful!”
Great new Resource:
Are you looking to strengthen your relationship with your tween or teen? Then this is for YOU! It’s an interrelated website, Facebook page and twitter feed! Dr. Ginsburg, at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia has launched the Center for Parent and Teen Communication. The main goal is to invest quality resources into empowering youth, their families/ loved ones, and caring providers to support healthy adolescent development. This interconnected resource gives you a travel guide of sorts, to help parents navigate the teen years. They offer materials for teens that will help them to be their very best selves. You can find it all at:
www.parentandteen.com, https://www.facebook.com/parentandteen , Twitter @parentandteen
Your Middle School Counseling Team:
Mr. Corleto: 5th & 6th
Ms. Peters: 7th
Mrs. Palmer: 8th
5TH GRADE NEWS
Science: Mrs. Becker / Mr. Liseno: students are continuing to explore plant and animal cells. They have learned about famous scientists who helped us to develop the cell theory and the impact that it has on us today. They will continue to use the microscopes to explore the smaller side of science for the next couple of weeks.
ELA: Mrs. Herendeen: we have begun Unit 2 of Journeys, in which we are reading stories involving “wild encounters.” Some of the skillls we are studying include verbs and verb tense, “how to” writing and analyzing character traits. As we practice these skills in class, we also practice them by doing our weekly IXL. We have also been continuing to work on test taking strategies, especially completing a well-written short response. In addition, we also continue to work on our 5th grade goal of becoming more responsible for ourselves and taking ownership for our learning.
ELA: Mrs. Welch: we have begun Unit 2 of Journeys, in which we are reading stories involving “wild encounters.” Some of the skills we are studying include verbs and verb tense, prefixes, main idea and analyzing character traits. As we practice these skills in class, we also practice them by doing our weekly IXL. We are continuing to work on crafting a well-written short response and multiple-choice strategies. Researching an animal will be our writing focus in Unit 2. In addition, we also continue to work on our 5th grade goal of becoming more responsible for ourselves and taking ownership for our learning.
ELA: Mrs. Dysart: we have begun Unit 2 of Journeys, in which we are reading stories involving “wild encounters.” Some of the skills that we are studying in grammar are verbs, direct and indirect objects, conjunctions, and complex sentences. In addition, we will be learning about direct quotations and interjections. In writing, we are writing short answer responses, and procedural compositions. Later in the unit, we will be researching and writing an animal report. Please encourage students to continue reading a minimum of 20 minutes per day.
ELA: Mrs. Zilliox: we are enjoying the new unit in Journeys centered around animals. We are analyzing text more in depth to better obtain knowledge from a variety of non-fiction texts. Among other things we are working on author’s purpose, cause & effect, and identifying main idea and details. We our focusing on using quotes as a way of citing evidence for written responses to questions. We are continuing to grow our language skills by learning new vocabulary within each lesson and challenge ourselves to use them within our writing. New assignments in IXL are helping us to practice our skills.
Social Studies: Students continue to practice using map skills: reading a key, using latitude and longitude to pinpoint locations, identifying hemispheres. We continue to deepen our understanding of the U.S. Constitution and of our rights and responsibilities as citizens. We are beginning to explore the history and cultures of Native Americans, and we continue to discuss current events and U.S. history.
In Mrs. Zilliox’s Social Studies class we are getting more in depth with longitude and latitude map skills. We are also learning about our government; its origin, how it’s organized, and its importance today as a living document. Since finishing the northeastern region of the United States, we are focusing our study of the five themes of geography around the southeastern region. New assignments in IXL reflect our change in regions.
Math: 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!
6TH GRADE NEWS
December is here! The 6th Grade is working on some interesting topics and projects. Check it out! Remember to check agendas and homework hotline to stay current with work. Thank you!
ELA 6
Boo! Yikes! What makes us afraid? How can we strive to overcome our fears? Students are continuing the “Facing Fears” unit with a new novel, Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis. Under the “Facing Fears” umbrella, students will continue to explore themes of racism and family, while learning about the Great Depression time period. Literary elements of conflict, setting, characterization, theme and author’s message as well as literary devices of simile, metaphor, idioms, and personification will continue to be a focus. Students also continue to read DEAR books with due dates approximately every two weeks. Thank you for your continued support with DEAR book reading.
Social Studies 6
6th grade Social Studies students are in the middle of the Early Humans unit. This unit focuses on human life during the Paleolithic (“Old Stone Age”) time period to the Neolithic (“New Stone Age”) time period. Students will learn that the development of farming by early humans will lead to the creation of early civilizations. Mr. Shoemaker’s and Ms. Eaton’s classes use their Google Classrooms almost daily; be sure to have your child share his/her online Social Studies classroom with you. Readings, games, videos, etc are uploaded for at home use/review. You can also ask your child about his/her World Affairs packet that explores current statistics of the countries around the world. This packet should be completed prior to the December vacation.
Science: Mrs Martin: Ask your child about static electricity; you may be amazed at what he/she will tell you!!
Students have been working on current electricity with lab partners and learning about different types of energy in Science! We will explore electromagnets and generators. In addition, students will be building electrical circuits from our Project Lead the Way kits. Students should be reviewing notes and vocabulary, nightly.
HEALTH - Mr. Molisani
Students recently finished critically examining the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens and are now delving into mental health issues. Our present instruction is on self-image, growth vs. fixed mindset and effective decision making. The LifeSkills Training booklets we’re working in provides a myriad of introspection and application activities in these areas.
This year our 6th graders obliterated our old mark of number of filled Samaritan’s Purse Christmas Boxes. Many are not pictured here. In the end, we were able to send 30 boxes to underprivileged kids in other countries. Assisting in packing this year’s gifts boxes (our elves) are Sophia Johnson, Caiden Melos, Katie Mueller, and Giuliana Gillette. Nice job girls and great job everyone who donated items!
6th Grade Math
6th Grade Elves
7TH GRADE NEWS
Science:
Accelerated Science (Bastian):Our upcoming unit of study explores the phases of matter and classification of matter into elements, compounds, mixtures and solutions. We will also be experimenting with separating mixtures.
Math 7: We are beginning to transition into learning about percents and how they are used in the real world. While you are out holiday shopping with your children, be sure to talk with them about how the discounts (sales) and tax is calculated for your purchases.
Additionally, the holidays are a great time to purchase additional school supplies for your children. Many students need new pencils, cap erasers, and binders. For math, it’s also helpful to have a pencil pouch for 3-ring binders so that they can safely keep their calculators in their math binder. Happy holidays!
Math 7 accelerated: Students are finishing up a unit on Proportional Reasoning and Slope.
Each month a new 20/20 assignment is given to help review previous skills and concepts. Students get approximately one month to complete this assignment. It counts as 10% of their overall grade.
Additionally, if your student has a current average below 80%, they should be staying after school on a weekly basis as they are considered to be on academic probation in the program.
Health-In 7th grade Health we are just finishing up learning how to modify food to make it healthier. Hopefully you have been hearing about GOLD and SILVER food and how to change ingredients and cooking methods to get the most out of your daily diet. We will be transitioning onto the six essential nutrients next and really getting into how the nutrients can help us get through this enormous period of growth.
Special guest speaker in health last week!- Barry VanNostrand, our safety and security officer, came into our class to discuss the overall ramifications of sexting and other dangers of online social media sites. Please discuss with your child what their social media apps are and what type of privacy settings they have in place.
Spanish: Students just finished up the Family Unit and are beginning the next unit the House. They will continue their practice, incorporating new vocabulary words like the rooms of a house and furniture. They are expanding their vocabulary and their abilities to speak, read, write and listen in another language!
We will be celebrating the New Year early in class when we discuss the Spanish tradition of eating 12 grapes at midnight on New Year’s eve. Throughout the month we will be talking about holiday traditions celebrated in different Spanish speaking countries.
8TH GRADE NEWS
Physical Science:
Students in Mrs. Becker’s classes have just finished up exploring density and buoyancy of materials. Be sure to ask your child how lava lamps operate, how convection currents circulate warm air, why hot air balloons float, what we learned in the Cheese Lab, how to make raisins dance, and how Archimedes Principle explains why some things sink while others stay afloat. We also learned about the property matter has of inertia --- did your tablecloth fly out from underneath massive dishes or a dollar bill leave two glass bottles behind? In December, we will be investigating the phases of matter: solid, liquid, gas, and plasma. Students will be making ice cream, explaining the use of road salt in winter, and learning why plasma isn’t common on earth even though it’s the most common form of matter in the galaxy. We will also be melting and boiling H2O on hot plates to see how thermal energy can be added without an increase in temperature, and we will take a closer look at why icicles form on poorly insulated houses. Please check SchoolTool weekly to remain on top of your child’s progress.
Algebra:
Students are halfway through unit 3 on Linear Algebra. The unit test is scheduled for December 12th. All IXL skills are due the date of the unit test. Students typically get 3 to 4 weeks to complete these skills. This counts as 20% of their grade and should be done as lessons are completed. We are finding that some students are procrastinating and saving them all for the day before the exam.
Each month a new 20/20 assignment is given to help review previous skills and concepts. Students get one month to complete this assignment. It counts as 20% of their overall grade.
Additionally, if your student has a current average below 80%, they should be staying after school on a weekly basis as they are considered to be on academic probation in the program.
Math 8:
Solving equations helps to train our brain to think in sequential order and is the basis for all logical thinking. In this unit we studied one-variable equations and two-variable equations. Students have their second Gap Check on December 3rd. Remember all grades can be improved upon so if your child is failing the class, they have the choice to improve. Each week I send an email home. If you are not receiving my weekly emails, please contact me at mpeck@waynecsd.org. As alway all class information and a calendar of events can be found on our class website.
Living Environment Honors: In Living Environment we are just completing our biochemistry unit which revolves around the five main macromolecules: carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids and proteins. We also have been designing individual enzyme reaction rate labs. Our next unit is cells, cell parts and functions. We will be completing our first New York State lab during this unit.
Spanish 8:
In Spanish 8 we are in the second half of the food unit, which we will finish before Christmas break. Once we return from break, we will be beginning the nature unit which includes the weather, the seasons, elements of nature, and animals. Students should study their food vocabulary independently to supplement the practice we have been doing in class.
PTO News
Thank you to everyone who participated in the 8th Grade Wreath Fundraiser! The proceeds from this sale benefit the students going on the Washington DC trip in the spring.
WE STILL HAVE SOME GREENERY LEFT! It’s beautiful and smells wonderful! Please e-mail the PTO at tcarmstrongPTO@gmail.com if interested. We have sprays ($25), table top trees ($30), 25’ garland ($35), and one Wintergreen wreath ($30). Here’s a link to see what they look like:
http://www.mickman.com/fundraising/wreath-products/
The next fundraiser for the 8th graders is a bottle and can drive with Sparky’s, running now through January 5th. Ask family and friends to bring empty cans and bottles to Sparky's Can Return. See pictures below for complete information.
After a successful Spooktacular this past October, we are planning a February Fun Night! Stay tuned for more information. It will be awesome and great way to have some fun during the long winter months!
Our next meeting is Monday, January 14th at 6 PM. We are having The Council on Alcoholism & Addictions of the Finger Lakes present their “Hidden in Plain Sight” demonstration. This is an initiative that teaches the participants the signs of hidden substance abuse. Facilitated by specifically trained Council staff members, the demo is an interactive recreation of a typical teenager’s bedroom that teaches about common items that can be substance abuse warnings. Program participants will learn about current trends in youth substance abuse, drug paraphernalia and the clever and very often surprising ways that illicit drugs and alcohol are concealed. Suggestions on how to talk to youth about alcohol and drugs and WHAT to do if a problem is suspected is also discussed.
We are very excited to bring you this unique and informative resource! Please mark your calendars and plan to attend!
As always, we are always open to new ideas! Feel free to contact the PTO at tcarmstrongPTO@gmail.com with any questions or comments. And be sure to like our Facebook page!
PTO Fundraiser
Washington DC
(8th Grade Trip--Class of 2023 Account)
Sparky's Can Return
6341 Ontario Center Rd, Ontario NY 14519
Open Tuesday-Friday 10am-5pm
Open Saturday 10am-4pm
After School Clubs
5th and 6th Grade Clubs and the Advisors:
Art Club: Mrs. Feola
Games Club: Mrs. Bristol
Lego League: Mrs. Uerz
History Club: Mrs Waring
Intramurals: Mrs. Quick/Mr. Luke
7th and 8th Grade:
Newspaper: Mr. Smith
Yearbook: Mrs. Feola
Games Club: Mrs. Dempsey & Ms. McCollister
Art Club: Mrs. Feola
TSA (technology student association): Mr. Gauthier & Mr. Powers
Skateboard: Mr. Gauthier
Science Olympiad: Mrs. Sozio
Intramurals: Mrs. Doyle
Student Council: Mrs. Mateo & Mrs. Mangos
National Junior Honor Society: Mrs. Kittleson & Ms. Peters
Grades 5-8:
Musical: Mr. Allen & Mr. Kittleson
Ski Club: Mr. LaBarge
Media Club: Mrs. Brewer
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