J.M.S. News...
October 2018
Quotes for the Month of October:
October 1- “The most certain way to succeed is to just try one more time.” – Thomas Edison
October 8- “You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” – Winnie the Pooh
October 15- “Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.” – Mark Twain
October 22- “America was not built on fear. America was built on courage, on imagination and an unbeatable determination to do the job at hand.” – Harry S. Truman
October 29- "You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them.” – Maya Angelou
Monthly SEL Theme for the Month of October: COURAGE
Winston Churchill viewed courage as a starting place. He said "Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all the others."
Martin Luther King said, "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands in time of challenge and controversy."
Classroom News!
Team 6A:
In Social Studies, the 6th graders are learning about the early hominids that roamed the earth. They analyzed images containing clues that paleoanthropologists used to study how early man lived. They then hypothesized about the capabilities of these early hominids. It's been an exciting beginning to middle school for these youngsters. As mathematicians, they’re dusting off their skills and working with factors and multiples. As scientists, they have been learning about the many process skills scientist utilize every day. They successfully ‘Saved Fred’ from his capsized boat through communication and observation.
Team 6B:
The scientists on Team 6B have been using the process skills to make some unique discoveries. Students generated questions that they wanted answered, and designed an experiment to determine the optimal temperature for hatching our sponge-capsule creatures. Ask your child which capsules hatched most quickly! 6B scientists observed, inferred, communicated, classified, and hypothesized as they worked cooperatively to answer their inquiries.
Team 6C:
Team 6C students participate in a team breaking activity to get acquainted with new friends. The challenge: build a pyramid out of plastic cups using only a rubber band with four strings attached to it. No hands allowed! Students worked as a team to devise strategies and successfully complete the challenge.
Team 6D:
Team 6D began the year studying, “What Cultural Means to Me”. After studying the classes different ideas and definitions of the word culture each student put together their own “Cultural Pizza”. Some students decided that culture is about family, respect, cultural traditional such as special holidays, language religion and many other possibilities, too. It was a great way to start the year off by learning and respecting each other.
Team 6E:
Team 6E is learning about embracing a “Growth Mindset.” Instead of telling ourselves we can’t do something, we are now saying we will try. Putting purpose into practice we posed the question; can you draw a mouse? The answer from the class was “no way!” Well, with the help of Chris Riddell, British illustrator and author of children's books, students were surprised at what they could accomplish once they changed their mindset.
Team 7A:
Team 7A had their first Team Day this month. The morning consisted of an outdoor battle of the homerooms, with competitions including a tug of war, bear/crab walk, hula hoop relay, and many others. During the afternoon, students watched the movie "We are Marshall" to learn about themes such as team building and overcoming adversity. Throughout the day, students learned to work together and what it means to be part of a team.
Team 7B:
Team 7C:
Team 8A:
Team 8A participated in several team-building activities during team day. To foster our SEL theme of the month, community, students and teachers worked together to complete several relay activities. Students encouraged each other as they rooted on their teams!
Team 8B:
The beginning of the school year presents an opportunity to begin working on one of our goals for the year: creating a team where every student feels valued and has a sense of belonging. On Monday, September 17, our students participated in a "Team Day" where they engaged in a number of activities meant to strengthen friendships and promote community.
Team 8C:
Team 8C enjoyed their team day last week: field games, a pizza lunch, and an exciting showing of Remember the Titans in our beautiful auditorium. In ELA class, students spent time browsing, sorting by genre, and checking out books from our classroom library. Students have also been busy creating personal narrative podcasts. Students listened to eleven different podcasts, discussed the elements of effective storytelling, and began brainstorming and writing their own podcast scripts. Coming up next, students will learn how to use apps like Garageband and Spreaker to create their very own podcasts!
Jericho Middle School Welcomes New Staff Members!
Courtney Musumeci
Courtney Musumeci is very excited to join the Jericho Middle School staff! Courtney graduated from Suffolk County Community with an associates degree in Education and Child Study. She is currently pursuing her bachelors degree in English at Stony Brook University. In her prior placement Courtney spent several years as a Special Education Aide for Eastern Suffolk BOCES. She has also volunteered as a coach for K.I.D.S Plus, an organization providing therapeutic recreation and sports programs to individuals with developmental disabilities. Courtney is looking forward to working the students and staff of Jericho School District!
Dina DiMarco- PT Cafeteria Aide
Dina is very excited to join the Jericho team. She been very focused for several years raising her children, ages 19, 16 and 10. During this time, she has been an active member of the PTA and has been involved in many PTA events and fundraisers for school and sport teams.Dina has been a room representative and assisted as a chaperone on field trips and school dances. Working with children brings her great joy, and watching them grow, even more so. Prior to that she worked in the mortgage industry for several years as well as advertising and marketing. Dina also attended SUNY Farmingdale. She love to spend her time watching her children play sports and relaxing with her family at their lake house in the Poconos.
Jessica Draddy- ENL Instructor
Jessica Draddy is delighted to join the students and staff in the Jericho community this year. Following her undergraduate studies at the University at Albany, she enjoyed more than a decade in corporate America working in entertainment and technology. Jessica then left the red carpet behind and pursued her passion to become a teacher, earning her Master’s Degree in Childhood and Early Childhood Education from Long Island University. During her years with the South Huntington and Elwood school districts, she taught third through sixth grade, and enjoyed time with students outside of the classroom by supervising the Intramurals programs and attending student concerts. In her free time, you can often find Jessica kayaking around the waters of Long Island, and volunteering with the NYC Shiba Inu Rescue organization. (Yes, she’s always had a doge, before “doge" was even a thing!)
Dates to Remember...
October 3: Ryan's Story by John Halligan Presentation- MS/HS Auditorium 7:00PM
October 4: MS PTSA Exec. Meeting - MS/HS Faculty Cafeteria - 8:30AM
October 4: MS PTSA Meeting & Principal's Coffee Hour - MS Library - 9:15AM
October 4: MS Yearbook Portraits- MS/HS Auditorium
October 5: MS Yearbook Portraints- MS/HS Auditorium
October 5: SEPTA Exec. Meeting - District Conference Room - 9:30AM
October 8: Schools Closed
October 9: SEPTA Meeting - MS Library - 7:00PM
October 9: MS Evening Guidance Hours 7:00PM-9:00PM
October 11: MS PTSA Parent Brunch & Learn- MS Library- 9:00AM-10:30AM
October 12: MS Spirit Day & School Store Open
October 16: 6th, 7th and 8th Grade Guidance Evening Hours - 7:00PM–9:00PM
October 18: MS OLWEUS Anti-Bullying Kick-off (Raindate 10/19)
October 18: Board of Education Meeting - MS Library - 7:15PM
October 23: 6th, 7th and 8th Grade Guidance Evening Hours - 7:00PM–9:00PM
October 23: MS Book Fair - MS Library
October 24: MS Book Fair-MS Library
October 26: MS Spelling Bee - MS/HS Auditorium
October 30: 6th, 7th and 8th Grade Guidance Evening Hours - 7:00PM–9:00PM
Tips from the School Nurse
Happiness protects your heart
My dad always said “when life gives you lemons, you make lemonade”.
WebMD recently cited a study that suggested, “People with the most negative emotions had the highest risk for heart disease and people who scored highest for happiness had the lowest risk”.
Other studies have also confirmed that happiness seems to protect your heart. In a ten year study, participants were rated on a scale of 1-5 for the extent to which they expressed positive emotions like joy, happiness, excitement, enthusiasm, and contentment. It turned out that the happier people were less likely to have developed coronary heart disease. Over time, these effects can add up to serious differences in heart health.
Nobody is immune to life’s stressors, but the question is whether you see those stressors as moments of opposition or moments of opportunity.
As parents, one of the greatest lessons we can teach our children is how to effectively, manage stress. Equally as important, I find this generation needs to be taught how to choose happiness. Happiness is always a choice.
Some of the proven techniques to reduce stress are mindfulness, deep breathing and yoga.
Here are some ways to choose happiness:
1. Choose to smile more often. (smiling automatically elevates your mood).
2. Choose to be around positive minded people.
3. Choose to eliminate toxic people from your life.
4. Choose to focus on what you have, not on what you haven't. ...
5. Choose a good attitude.
6. Choose to take care of your body.
7. Choose to devote time to family.
8. Choose to help others when you're able.
9. Choose to accept that which you can not change.
10. Choose gratitude.
Next month we will discuss the effect of happiness on your immune system.
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Jericho Middle School
Email: dgately@jerichoschools.org
Website: jerichoschools.org
Location: 99 Old Cedar Swamp Road, Jericho, NY, United States
Phone: (516) 203-3600
Twitter: @JerichoMS