Glimpses

A couple of glimpses into 8th grade classes during one of my classroom drop-ins...

8th grade Science students study astronomy vocabulary with games they created. 

Intent stock market traders, in Mr. Nelson and Ms. Meyers' 8th grade Humanities class, paying close attention to what happened to their stocks in 1925!  

Odds and Ends!

Tomorrow (Tuesday) night at 5:30pm is an 8th grade Technology Information night - hope you can make it!

"We" were in the news again - Mr. Bruce was featured in The Stowe Reporter recently - enjoy the article here!  Congratulations!

The cold weather seems to be here, which is of no surprise since we have turned the calendars to December already!  The school is unlocked and open at 7:30am, so if your students are here before that, please know that they'll be outside, and should be dressed accordingly.  Also, since the students go on walks at least 3 days a week, and have the chance to go outside after they eat almost everyday, it's important they are ready for the weather!

Speaking of dressing... we have accumulated quite a lot of items (primarily clothes) in our lost and found.  If you are missing something from your household, encourage your child to go through the lost and found, or even pop in to take a look yourself.

Comcast Internet Essentials is a program to help bring internet into homes at a reduced cost.  If you, or someone you know may have interest in this program here is a little information for you, or for you to pass along:

• How to qualify:  To qualify for $9.95 a month Internet service and a low-cost computer, your household must meet all these criteria:

1. Be located where Comcast offers Internet service
2. Have at least one child eligible to participate in the National School Lunch Program
3. Have not subscribed to Comcast Internet service within the last 90 days
4. Not have an overdue Comcast bill or unreturned equipment

• How to apply

1. Call 1-855-8-INTERNET (1-855-846-8376) to request an application
2. We will mail you an application. Complete and return it, along with lunch program documents from your child's school
3. We will notify you by mail about the status of your application. Allow 7-10 days for a response

I realize that Comcast doesn't reach all of Morrisville, but this may help some people!  And if you know of people in other towns and states that might benefit from this, pass it along!

December 10th is an Early Dismissal day from school - the faculty will be scoring the On-Demand Writing Prompts that afternoon.  Students are dismissed at 12:00.

Thank you for all that you do for the school community of PAML.  Karen

Time of Giving...

I'm proud of our students!! We had a fabulous Community Gathering based on accomplishments this past Friday morning, which I mentioned in my last post.  In addition we have a student who started a collection for the Bradley's Food Shelf of Morrisville.  The school community has donated a lot in a short amount of time. The deadline is tomorrow at 12:00 PM and then the student will be taking it to the Food Shelf.

We also have a Penny War competition going on between the grade levels. The goal is to raise money for the Red Cross Disaster Relief Funds. The hope is that the money raised will go to the Philippines or the the communities affected by the tornados in the mid-west.  Bring on the Pennies!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving time with friends and family.

November...

The week of Nov. 18 - 22nd has been Spirit Week!! Students and teachers alike have been having a lot of fun with this community building event.  We are ending the week with a whole school community gathering Friday morning to review accomplishments; individual as well as the honor role and merit list. The photo collage below feature some shots taken from Well-dressed Wednesday, during the 7/8 lunch.  

Please be extra careful driving through our parking lot. The new lines and signs have helped a lot, but we are still seeing people driving too fast.   This is happening both before school and at the end of the day.

PAML was well represented at the Edtechteacher iPad Summit in Boston last week. Lots of ideas and best practice research was brought back and shared at school.  A team member from each grade level, the Expos and Special Education was represented.  Over 1000 people attended this summit, with people from all over the country and even other countries. Here's a link to more information if you are interested. http://ipadsummitusa.org/boston/sessions-materials/

Pictured are Sue Ludington, Leah Bronner, Liz Sanner, Kelsey Higgins, Jim Paige and Karen Weeks.  

Missing from the photo are Amy Merriam and Val Sullivan.

Spirit Week at PAML

Student Leadership has come up with fun SPIRIT WEEK themes for each day beginning on Nov. 18th through the 22nd.  There's something for everyone!

Monday - Pajama Day

Tuesday - Favorite Sport Day

Wednesday -  Well-Dressed Wednesday

Thursday -Mis-matched Day

Friday - Hair Day

I hope everyone gets into the spirit for at least one day.  If your student wants to wear things that you deem not reasonable - trust your instinct!  The spirit of the week shouldn't get in the way of teaching and learning.  But I'm sure we'll have some fabulous photos!

The On-Demand Writing Prompt (ODWP) will be administered on Tuesday, Nov. 19th.  This is an LSSU-wide assessment giving us an indicator of how students write a first draft to a given prompt.  It is a helpful tool for teachers to know the needs of the students through this common assessment, scored locally, to plan appropriate instruction for the students.  

Don't forget Winter Sports Night for 7th/8th grade Basketball and 5th - 8th Nordic Skiing on Tuesday night at 6:00 this week too!  See parents and athletes in the PA auditorium.  The High School is having a community meeting that same evening in the library that is a Visioning Session -- feel free to drop in to that after the sports meeting if you'd like.

Winter Sports Meeting for PAML

It's hard to believe it's time for the Middle Level Winter Sports Meeting already.  We plan to have the meeting at 6:00 PM on November 19th in the Auditorium.  In Middle Level we have Basketball for grades 7th and 8th and we also have Nordic Skiing for all grades 5th - 8th.  At the Sports Meeting you will hear about the sports, hear from the Athletic Director, Natalie Soffen, and meet the coaches.  Please plan to attend, with your Student Athlete.

I found some information that might be of interest to you...

Would you like a happier teen? Then encourage them to play sports. According to a new study published in Applied Research in Quality of Life, teens at the middle-school level that play teen sports feel healthier and are more content with their lives.

 Benefits of Middle School Sports: What a Study Shows Participating in sports in middle school positively affects all aspects of a young teen’s life.

When researchers asked 245 middle-school kids to complete questionnaires about their activity level, general health, and outlook on life, they found that girls who belonged to a sports team or had taken part in vigorous physical activity in the last seven days were more satisfied and optimistic about their lives. 

Boys who played on a sports team were also more satisfied with their lives and described their health as better than young males who didn’t take part in sports. 

For both sexes, sports in middle-school school improved the overall sense of satisfaction and general health young teens experienced – and that’s good news for parents.

 Why Are Sports in Middle-School So Beneficial for Teens? Researchers believe that sports in middle-school benefit teens, not only physically, but mentally and socially as well. Not only do teen sports reduce the risk of obesity, but they help build a stronger body image - as young teens discover what they’re capable of doing. It also helps build agility, endurance, flexibility, strength, and improves coordination. 

Teen who participate in sports in middle-school also get psychological and social benefits. Teen sports participation builds self-esteem, leadership skills, and a sense of responsibility. Teens involved in sports often do better academically and are less likely to use drugs, alcohol, or be sexually active. Middle-school sports also benefit them socially by building strong interpersonal skills and showing them the value of working as a team. These skills will be important to them later in life - when they enter college or a career. 

Benefits of Middle-School Sports: The Bottom Line? 

Young teens that play sports are happier and have better overall health. Plus, they’re building skills that will last a lifetime. Encourage your teen to get involved in sports - whether it’s tennis, gymnastics, track, football, basketball, volleyball, soccer, or swimming. With so many options available, there’s a middle-school sport for almost every teen.

 References: Eurekalert.org. "Young teens who play sports feel healthier and happier about life"

The End of the First Quarter!

Hi All,

I can't believe how quickly the first quarter has flown by...in a blink!  We are busy preparing a mailing to send report cards out on Nov. 8th.  That also is the day Term 2 ends, which means that Expos and Experts start anew on Nov. 12th (Nov. 11th is an in-service day...no school for students on Veteran's Day).

Our 4th grade friends from MES joined 5th and 6th graders on Oct. 25th for an assembly by Roy Tuscany (Bonnie Tuscany's son).  Roy and others have started a foundation called High Fives.  The purpose of the assembly was to share with the students the importance of wearing helmets for skiing, snowboarding and biking.  You can explore their website as well as talk with your student about the #HelmetsAreCool assembly.  They were a great audience and I think overall expressed that they are students who wear helmets!

Every year the students take a survey which asks questions to gain an understanding of the students' perspective of their school experience.  It's been pared down this year and not long.   This will happen in the next couple of weeks, in all of the school in LSSU.  We will use this information as we move forward with the school year.  I'm looking forward to hearing from the students about such things as "Our school feels welcoming." or "If I have a problem in school, there are adults I feel comfortable with and can talk to."

Thanks so much for all that you do for students at PAML.

Karen Weeks