Middle School News - September to November

 

OHMS Students of the Month September 2012
(Pictured left to right: Jenna Gere, Nathan King, Izzy McPeak, and Richie Pirong)

5th grade: Jenna Gere - Jenna is a very conscientious student. She
tries her personal best every day. She is kind to her classmates and
is willing to help others.

6th grade: Nathan King - Nate is very enthusiastic about school,
hard-working and extremely helpful. He is respectful and kind,
always setting a good example in and out of the classroom.

7th grade: Richie Pirong - Richie is a very hard-working student. He
tries hard in all his classes and takes an active role in his learning.
He is polite and respectful.

8th grade: Izzy McPeak - Izzy has a great attitude, is kind to others
and is hard-working. She is very helpful to both her classmates and
teachers and a great role model.




OHMS Students of the Month October 2012
(Pictured left to right: Noah Rolince, Christopher Grabda, Emma Bryant, and Grace Clifford)

5th grade: Christopher Grabda - Christopher is a very responsible
student. He always tries his best and plans ahead. He volunteers his
own time to do things for his class. He goes above and beyond to be
successful.

6th grade: Grace Clifford - Grace is always polite and very
thoughtful. She is helpful to students and staff alike and brings out
the best in others.

7th grade: Emma Bryant - Emma is very hard working and
responsible. She is mature and helpful to her teachers and
classmates. She always does her best and is always doing more
than what is required.

8th grade: Noah Rolince - Noah demonstrates the traits we would
like to see in all students. He is diligent in his work, respectful
towards peers and teachers, follows directions and always strives to
do his personal best.

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The Blue Project


On September 7, 2012, the OHMS school year kicked off with a wonderful, motivational speaker named Jared Cambell. Jared's main focus is allowing his music to impact the lives of his listeners by experiencing joy, finding comfort through pain, and looking past obstacles towards living a better life. Students and teachers raved about Campbell's presentation and noted that both his storytelling  and musical performance connected to their personal experiences. His presentation helped set the stage for a successful year focused on positive decision-making and interactions with both peers and adults.


                                                                                                  








 

 

 

 

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Business First Ranks Westhill #4!

Business First Magazine does an annual ranking of schools in NYS based on academic performance. Westhill was ranked #4! The ranking takes into consideration a variety of factors from grades 3-12.
Below is the link that will take you to the article.

http://www.bizjournals.com/buffalo/news/2012/10/22/fayetteville-manlius-tops-all-syracuse.html

 

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National Day on Writing!


October 20, 2012 was the 4th annual National Day on Writing (sponsored by the National Council of Teachers of English). OHMS celebrated this day by taking a few minutes during homeroom to think about how important writing can be.  We tied this into the messages we received from Jared Campbell's Blue Project presentation. Several homeroom teachers had their students choose someone to write to, telling them "why they make a difference".  Some homerooms wrote "friendship grams" to other students. Students in Ms. Zabel's 7th grade English Classes celebrated by writing "You Are Special" letters to a person of their choice.  Mrs. Zabel said that before writing the letters, students discussed some of the short stories and poems they had recently read in which a character's life was enriched by someone's act of kindness, and then they talked about how their words could also make someone's life happier.   *Ask your child what they did to celebrate National Day on Writing!

(Pictured: Owen Rodgers, Luke Puglisi, and Megan O'Reilly)


 

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Haunted Houses For Sale!!

Ms. Castracane's 5th grade class became real estate agents in charge of selling haunted houses. After brainstorming thematic adjectives, spooky rooms it might have, and who the audience might be (monsters, ghosts, vampires, etc...), the students wrote a descriptive paragraph about their house. They also drew a picture to help illustrate the special amenities their house contains. Anyone interested
in buying one of their fa"boo"lous houses?






 

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5th and 6th Graders Were Invited to Visit French IA!

 

You're Invited (Vous etes invites!!)

Mademoiselle Ludovico sent an open invitation to all 5th and 6th graders welcoming them to her French IA on Thursay, November 1, 2012. Her desire was to introduce French by letting them see her room, hear an exciting story based in France (The Invention of Hugo Cabret), and learn some French words!  As you can see from the picture above...it was a huge success!

 

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OHMS Spelling Bee!
 

The annual Spelling Bee took place on November 16th. All OHMS
students were invited to take the preliminary spelling test, and from
that test the students who correctly spelled 13 out of 20 words
competed in the Spelling Bee!  It was a tough, friendly competition.
All participants should be proud of their accomplishment!  The pictures below show the 19 who competed, and the two winners who will go on to compete in the Post Standard Regional Spelling Bee!

                                                      




(Pictured L tor R, Top to Bottom: Madeline Jones,
Alaina Kenny, Kailey Kozubowski, Jack Mannion, Rory
O'Connor, Brendan Rewakowski, Brad Zell, Connor
Hewitt, Dylan Honeywell, Ryan Albert, Brian Coman,
Chris Costello, Cassie Derrick, Jack Dwyer, Quinn Etoll,
Alex Feliu, Liam Felter, John Geer, and Matthew Graber)

 

                                                                          
(Pictured L to R: Kailey Kozubowski and Alaina Kenny)

 

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             12th Annual Outsiders Day!

 

                                                                                                       

               If your child is in Ms. Zabel's 7th grade English class then he/she read The Outsiders. The novel teaches
               powerful lessons about belonging, identity, loyalty, and the importance of family. As a culminating activity
               to the study of the novel, "Outsiders Day" was celebrated! Students (and some staff) came to school
               dressed in character and enjoyed; food, music, role-playing, and even participated in a "rumble" between
               the Greasers and the Socials. *Be sure to ask your 7th grader how their "rumble" turned out!
 

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Seventh Grade Art Students Raise Awareness!

Easton Friedel is a baby who was born with the rare disease;
Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB).  Baby Easton was born at Crouse
Hospital back in August and broke hearts across the state.
Children born with this disease are often referred to as "butterfly
children". Mrs. Ramos-Burrows had her 7th grade students
create "butterfly" works of art, raising awareness to EB. More
information on this rare disease can be found at debra.org.





 

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Helpful Tips For Parents
 

"Teachers tell parents how to help their kids be better students"
(Adapted from The Huffingtion Post  - Published August 22 - written by Mari-Jane Williams)

1. Let your child see you making mistakes: Part of being a lifetime teacher, is teaching your child how to deal with making mistakes. Let your child see that you can make mistakes and laugh at it, and move on.

2. Use e-mail to keep in touch: E-mailing is a great way to contact your child's teacher. It is important to have positive communication going back and forth.

3. Don't tell your child that you weren't good at math: You want your kids to think math is here to serve you not make life harder! Relate math to daily activities; whether it is tipping at a restaurant, or calculating statistics at a sporting event.

4. Get organized with a color-coded system: Some middle school kids might find it hard to stay organized. Color-coordinating folders, notebooks, and composition books may help.

5. Check their homework, and then have them explain it to you: It isn't enough just to get the answer right. You want to make sure your child understands what they are learning. Even if you aren't exactly sure what the student has done it shows that your child has completed the task and it let's you know their level of understanding.

6. Don't compare your child with others: Every child is different. They all have strengths and areas that need improvement. They all have talents and challenges!

7. Middle school and high school is not the time to take a more hands-off approach: This may be a time in their lives when children are trying to sort out who they are. Howevery, it is not a time to take your hands off of what they are doing!

8. But don't do everything for your child: Although it may be faster to do things yourself rather than wait for your child to complete a task...By doing everything for your child, you're not preparing him/her to take care of him/herself.

9. Ask about your child's day: Small things do make a big difference! Asking a child how their day went or what they did in school can continue the learning.


 

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"Middle Years" Newsletters - Working Together for School Success
*Helpful information for parents of middle schoolers
(Click on each month below to download the monthly newsletter)

Middle Years Sept.

Middle Years Oct.
Middle Years Nov.
 

 

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