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Letter from the Principal
Dear Parents and Guardians,
All elementary and middle schools in the State of Pennsylvania are in the third year transitioning to the Pennsylvania Core Standards and administering the now more rigorous Pennsylvania School System of Assessment (PSSA) tests. These changes to higher standards and more difficult state tests have greatly impacted our curriculum, instruction, and assessments particularly in English Language Arts and Mathematics.
The major challenge of the Pennsylvania Core Standards is developing critical thinking skills, in depth problem solving skills, and higher levels of literacy (reading and writing) in all of our students across all subject areas. Specifically, we have increased the opportunities for students to read and write about informational text. These text dependent analysis (TDA) assignments require students to read and re-read passages very closely examining details and drawing specific conclusions about the text. Students must then write a detailed analysis of their conclusions including evidence directly from the text to fully demonstrate their insights. TDAs are extremely rigorous and require mastery of multiple reading and writing skills! Nonetheless, while I am concerned about our transition to the requirements of the core standards, I am truly optimistic and confident that our teachers will have students fully prepared come PSSA time! Looking ahead, PSSA testing dates are listed below.
English Language Arts 7th and 8th April 4, 5, 6, 7
Mathematics 7th and 8th
April 25, 26, 27
Science 8th grade
May 2, 3
The second quarter of the school year is now complete and our students continue to demonstrate growth and achievement as evidenced by our honor roll numbers! In late January we held an honor roll assembly for our students, and I am happy to report that forty-six percent (46%) of middle school students achieved honor roll status. Of that number, fifteen percent (15%) received Distinguished Honors – a grade of ninety-two percent (92%) or higher in all subjects. At this assembly we also recognized those students who improved their grades from the first quarter to the second quarter. Seven students received Bringing Up Grade (BUG) awards for improving grades in at least two subject areas by one letter grade. While seven students may seem like a low number, keep in mind that our honor roll numbers were extremely high the first making period and that curriculums become more difficult as we progress through the school year. Congratulations to each of our honor roll and BUG award recipients! These awards are indicative of the positive work ethic of our students and teachers!
Our Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) has had a busy and successful beginning of the year as well. Our PTO is comprised of a few parents, and they have done remarkable work! They have organized a Box Tops for Education drive and held a student dance while financially supporting our middle school field trips and activities. I deeply appreciate the work of our PTO and value their support, as well as, the support of all parents for our middle school! Parents, thank you for all you do to make our school and our students successful!
Important Information
Please remember that attendance is mandatory during the PSSA Testing schedule. Any absences that occur will result in make up PSSA testing. Thank you and good luck!
SEVENTH GRADE NEWS
Science
The 7th grade Science students are currently growing bacteria and fungi in Petri dishes to see, first hand, the differences between the two.
 
SEVENTH GRADE IS WASHINGTON, D.C. BOUND!
The 7th grade class will be going to Washington, DC on Tuesday, May 2. We will be visiting several museums including the Museum of Natural History and the African American Museum. Students will also have the opportunity to explore
different museums with any other time that is available. This is always a fun
trip for our class and we look forward to
it again this year.
Please note that there was chaperone information sent home with midterms on Tuesday. If you are available to help out
with that, please let us know!
The 7th Grade Team
Counselor’s Corner
Summer Opportunities
LIU summer academy is back! Please see the attached flier for more information. The deadline application is March 1st.
MedCamp at Penn State Mont Alto is a unique opportunity for students with a strong interest in science, healthcare, and medical careers.
MedCamp is a popular long running camp, open to students interested in learning more about healthcare and medical careers. The program gives incoming ninth- and tenth-grade students the opportunity to visit high profile facilities such as Hershey Medical Center, Summit Health, Wilson College Vet Tech Program, and Shenandoah University. Students learn about
healthcare careers, including physical medicine, surgery, nursing,
physical therapy, occupational therapy, radiology, pathology, and
lots more!
The “home base” for the camp is Penn State Mont Alto and transportation is provided by charter and school bus lines to field trip locations throughout the week.
For more information, please contact the Office of Continuing Education at 717-749-4117.
June 19 - 23, 2017
Cost: $280.00.
They also offer a STEM camp. STEM Camp at Penn State Mont Alto provides incoming 9th and 10th grade students with hands on practical experience in the fields of computer programming and gaming, chemistry, math, art, GPS mapping, engineering and geocaching.
The Penn State Mont Alto STEM Camp promises to be a week of exploration, discovery and fun! The Penn State Extension 4H Robotics Club will host a high-engagement challenge utilizing the latest EV3 Lego Mindstorms.
For more information, please contact the Office of Continuing Education at (717) 749-4117.
July 10 - 14, 2017
Cost: $160.00
Kim Jenkins
UAMS Counselor
BAND NEWS
Congratulations to the following for being selected to county band:
Kaitlynn Cook - Clarinet 1
Alexandra McNew - Clarinet 3
Jordan Dunlap - Trumpet 1
Carmella Bramucci - Trumpet 3
Sareena Slaybaugh - Trumpet 3
Alex Presser - Trombone 2
HELP STAMP OUT BULLYING!
Bystanders ... Become Upstanders
Bystanders are kids and teens who witness bullying and cyber bullying in action, who stand by and watch, who videotape it and make it viral ... and WHO DO AND SAY NOTHING.
Very often they don’t know what to do. They’re afraid of retaliation or fear that their own group will exclude them for helping an outsider.
When you’re a bystander it’s important to know that by doing nothing you are sending a message to the bully that their behavior is acceptable.
It isn’t!
And that’s not a message you want to send, nor is it a message you would want someone to send if you were a victim.
Yes, it is scary to directly confront a bully and sometimes it can mean taking a big risk.
STAND UP!
Whether you know the victim or not, there are things that you as a bystander can safely do to support the victim:
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Don't laugh
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Don't encourage the bully in any way
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Stay at a safe distance and help the target get away
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Don’t become an "audience" for the bully
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Reach out in friendship
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Help the victim in any way you can
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Support the victim in private
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If you notice someone being isolated from others, invite them to join you
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Include the victim in some of your activities
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Tell an adult
There is strength in numbers. Every school and every community has more caring kids than bullies.
If you are NOT part of the solution, you ARE part of the problem!
Unite, be empowered and speak out against bullying and cyber bullying!
Together, you can STOMP Out Bullying – but only if you do something!
When you see someone being bullied and/or cyber bullied and you help them ... you stop being a bystander and become an upstander!
STAND UP for others! Be a Hero! Be a leader and STOMP Out Bullying!
It's up to you ... It's up to all of us! You can change anything you want -- Why not STAND UP and change the way bullies treat their targets!
This message provided by www.stompoutbullying.org. For more information on Bullying and Bystander Training you can also visit http://www.bystanderrevolution.org and http://www.greatschools.org
Up-Coming Events
February
17 – Snow makeup day
20 - No School
24 – Half-day
March
20 – End of 3rd marking period
April
4-7 ELA PSSA testing
12 – 17 Easter Break
25-27 Math PSSA testing
May
2-3 Science PSSA testing
(grade 8 only)
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MIDDLE SCHOOL MINUTES – February 2017