Middle School
Weekly Update
Week of January 22nd
01
CONTENTS
Calendar
1/25: 8th grade field trip to BOCES
2/8: 5th grade band informance; 7:00 in the gym
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Office Updates
From Ms. Amodeo
As you may know, all middle school students take the iReady diagnostic test three times a year: in the fall, winter, and spring. This test helps to identify students’ areas of strength and weakness in the subjects of reading and math. We use the information gleaned from these exams to revise how and what we teach, and to provide additional supports to our students. This week, students are completing their winter screening.
Beginning with the second quarter report card being sent home on Friday, 2/3, you will now receive the results of your student’s iReady diagnostic tests. You can find more information regarding these reports in the documents here: Your Student’s Report and FAQ.
If you have questions regarding your student’s results, please do not hesitate to reach out to his/her teacher.
School Nutrition
Though school meals are no longer subsidized for every student, free and reduced-priced meals are available to those who qualify. The application can be found HERE.
To add funds to your child’s school lunch account, you can use our online system at MySchoolBucks or you can send a check directly to the TCSD Food Service Department. Students may always pay cash if they choose to as well.
What’s for lunch? Check My School Menus
5th Grade
5th Grade Daily Planner (Please bookmark for your use)
Please help your 5th grader remember to charge their Chromebook and to bring a water bottle.
Science: This week we studied the alchemists of the middle ages, early chemists who tried to create potions and change metals. Ask your kiddo about copper pennies, salt, vinegar, and steel nails.
ELA: Students have been working hard this week taking their winter iReady Diagnostic. They also have been making progress with their free read books and have been showing off their writing skills in their weekly responses to the choice board. Please continue to support your 5th grader with their weekly reading goal and ask to see their weekly activities. Finally all 5th grade students had the opportunity to buddy-up with a 2nd grader this week. On the day opposite our field trip to the Johnson Art Museum, students traveled to the elementary school and partner read. We really enjoyed ourselves and hope there is another opportunity for us to connect later this school year for more reading.
Band: Band 5/6 Lesson Schedule Link
5th grade took an exciting virtual reality trip this week!
Ms. Johnson's students met their classroom guinea pig
6th Grade
6th grade planner (please bookmark this link)
Please remind students to bring a reusable water bottle to fill up at school. Students need pencils! Please send your student in with a few pencils! Healthy snacks are a great idea to send in with your student, they are growing at a rapid rate.
Social Studies: Students have been very busy this week getting ready for the Athens/Sparta debate! The debate will be January 31st during ss classes. Next week we will start learning how to be good debaters (sorry, parents).
Math: Students began working with percentages. We learned that percent means out of 100. We started by using money to represent parts of 100.
Science: The science students took a deep dive inside earth this week to start exploring igneous rock. Ask your student the difference between intrusive and extrusive igneous rock.
ELA: In ELA we are revising our narratives by adding transition words as well as zooming in to one section. Free read books should have been completed by Friday 1/20. Assignment #4 is due by Monday 1/23. Enjoy the snowy weather and read your books (if they are not done). We will be working on debate prep as well next week.
Health begins Q3 → Students will need a one-subject or composition notebook for this class.
7th Grade
7th Grade Digital Planner (Please bookmark this link.)
Science: Last Friday students had a chance to apply their new microscope skills to observe amazing, living single-celled organisms. This week we will continue our study of the cell, and students will get instructions for the 3-D Cell Model Project.
Math: What an exciting set of short weeks. We are all done with our Math iReady coming back from Martin Luther King Jr Day, and we will continue on ahead! Woohoo! Prealgebra has started its important unit on percents and finances, while Math 7 lays the foundation with expressions and equations. Wowza, we’re rocking this thing!
Social Studies: Students this week are being introduced to the beginning of the American Revolution, and then we are pausing to write an essay on the Causes of the American Revolution. This is a DBQ Essay using a past regents writing prompt. Students will write four paragraphs explaining the causes with each body paragraph including a claim, outside information from our notes, evidence from a primary / secondary source document, analysis that connects their evidence back to their claim and the thesis, and a conclusion. WHEW! This is very important work as our 7th graders develop their disciplinary literacy skills in Social Studies.
ELA 7: We finished our reading iReady and our projects this week. This coming week, we will watch TED Talk “The Danger of a Single Story” with Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. We will use her words as a springboard for talking about stereotypes and how the single story limits our perceptions as well as our interactions with others.
Music: We continue on our adventures in composing music in BandLab. This week, we will learn about texture in music and how to make our work sound intentional.
7/8 Band: What should 7th & 8th grade students be practicing?
1. Rhythms in NoteFlight for the upcoming assessment
7/8 Lesson Schedule 1/23- 1/27
8th Grade
On February 2nd at 8AM (1st period), we will be welcoming Jennifer Ptasznik and Keith Williams to our library to talk about TST BOCES P-TECH Academy! This informational session will be a great opportunity for our interested 8th grade students to learn more about the P-TECH program and see if they might be interested in attending.
About P-TECH: Pathways in Technology Early College High School (P-TECH) is a six-year program at TST BOCES centered on science, technology, engineering, math (STEM) and social justice education that prepares students for careers in Computer Science and Advanced Manufacturing. Students enter in Grade 9, and complete college coursework at Tompkins Cortland Community College (TC3) throughout their career at P-TECH. P-TECH offers three degree pathways through TC3: Applied Science and Technology, Computer Information Systems, and Computer Support Specialist. Upon completion, students will graduate with a Regents Diploma and an Associate’s degree from Tompkins Cortland College at no cost to the students' families.
Any interested 8th grade students are welcome to attend. Students must sign up with Ms. Magee in Student Services by the end of the day on February 1st. Please call or email Claire Valletta,(607) 387-7551 ext. 1485, with any questions. Thank you!
ELA: Students have finished their final projects for The Giver and will show them off on a gallery walk during tomorrow’s class. Students are currently taking the iReady Winter diagnostic and have just begun reading Homer’s The Odyssey. If you get a chance, ask to take a look at your student’s final project for The Giver (some very impressive work was done!)
Social Studies: Students have been creating their own original political cartoons, depicting Andrew Carnegie or John D. Rockefeller as “creative capitalists” or “ruthless robbers” -- such creativity!
Algebra: This week we will work on patterns as a precursor to sequences. We will focus on arithmetic sequences this week.
Math 8: We are working on solving multi-step equations. Students need to distribute, combine, like terms and know how to solve equations with variables on both sides. There will be a mini project at the end of the week which counts as an assessment.
Science 8: We have been studying dissolving/solutions and phase changes. This week we have moved on to Density & Buoyancy learning about Archimedes and his discovery of displacement for measuring volume. We will wrap up our Chemistry unit as our marking period comes to a close. In the 3rd marking period we will begin studying Physics.
Regents Earth Science: This week we continued our studies of Plate Tectonics and earthquakes. Students have learned how to find the epicenter of an earthquake using a P & S waves chart and triangulating with a compass on a map.
7/8 Band: What should 7th & 8th grade students be practicing?
1. Rhythms in NoteFlight for the upcoming assessment
2. Scales
3. New band music!
Clubs & Activities
Musical
Yearbook
Beauty and the Beast rehearsals are underway. Cast, keep up to date with rehearsals and other important information via our Beauty and the Beast Jr. website.
If you are a cast member (or parent of a cast member) and have not yet signed up for our REMIND app, please email tparker@tburg.k12.ny.us to get the sign up information. Remind is a way that we send quick text message updates or changes. Remind also allows you to directly text Tammy Parker (Producer) or Danny Trippett (Director).
Calling all students interested in being part of the
Beauty and the Beast Stage/Tech Crew!
Come to our Informational Meeting!
Thursday, January 19th, 2:45-3:30 pm in the MS Library.
If you need to ride a late bus home you need to sign-up
on the sheet outside of room 211, ASAP -OR-- email Mrs. Parker→ tparker@tburg.k12.ny.us
Our next meeting is scheduled for: January 26th at 2:45 in the Media Classroom
We have a MS Yearbook google classroom code, staff application and a Remind sign up packet your student will bring home once they have attended a meeting.
If your child attends a meeting and needs to ride a bus home they MUST complete the weekly google form emailed out by Ms. Magee, no later than noon of the meeting day.
Questions? Email Tammy Parker tparker@tburg.k12.ny.us or Lisa Magee lmagee@tburg.k12.ny.us
To order a yearbook go to www.YearbookOrderCenter.com and use the order number 18914
If you would like to submit pictures to possibly be used in our yearbook please go to http://www.hjeshare.com and enter the word “doig” in the school code box to upload from your computer or get the HJeshare App and upload right from your phone!
Clubs & Activities
Student Council
Our next meeting will be Tuesday 1/24, after school in room 306. Hope to see all interested students - we have a lot of things to plan.
Any student who needs to ride the late bus needs to fill out a late bus form by 1:30 on the day they want to ride. Contact advisors Bill Begeal or Nadine Salib to get signed up for the bus.
Troubadour
The Winter 2022 Trumansburg Troubadour is available online. We are so proud of our contributors and are excited to share their work with the community.
A new 2023 Creative Issue of the Troubadour will be published this January. For students who would like to contribute to this or the Spring 2023 Trumansburg Troubadour, please have them contact trumansburgtroubadour@gmail.com.
PTO
Follow us on Facebook to stay up to date with all of our events.
Building Contacts
Main Office: Brenda Everhart, 607-387-2825
Attendance: Lauren Conners, 607-387-7551, x1425
Nurse's Office: Julie Carpenter, jcarpenter@tburg.k12.ny.us (preferred) or 607-387-2827
Student Services Team: 607-387-7551 ext. 1449
Bryce DeSantis, School Psychologist
Lisa Magee, Administrative Assistant
Brian Cobb, LCSW, Social Worker
Claire Valletta, Guidance Counselor
IT Help: help@tburgschools.on.spiceworks.com or 607-288-2821 (Monday - Friday 8 am to 4pm)
Newsletter items/help/unsubscribe: Gail Brisson, gbrisson@tburg.k12.ny.us