Chardon Middle SchoolChardon Middle SchoolChardon Middle SchoolChardon Middle School Newsletter

February 2015

The Mission of Chardon Middle School: To provide experiences that encourage responsibility, communication, collaboration and critical thinking while promoting a tolerance for individual differences.

C M S = WHERE ALL THE PIECES FIT TOGETHER

From the Principal:

We are in our final weeks of preparation for the Performanced Based Assessment (PBA) portion of the PARCC assessment as well as the 6th grade social studies and 8th grade science test. On January 28th, CMS administration hosted a Parent Forum to provide information regarding Ohio’s Next Generation Assessments. To access the presentation, click --> HERE <-- Included in this newsletter is the testing schedule for both March and May. It is critically important for your child to be in school, on time, on testing days. All appointments should be scheduled around the testing dates. Make-ups will be scheduled for absences, but it is always in the best interest of the student to test within the original testing window. Our teachers have been collaborating and using best practice instruction and assessments to prepare our students for higher education. This instruction, at times, utilizes technology into a blended learning environment which helps prepare our students for our ever-changing technological world. These practices also coincide with how to prepare for Ohio’s Next Generation Assessments. We are confident that the teaching our staff is currently utilizing will enable our students to experience success in future endeavors as well as state testing.

While our teachers are preparing students at school, we will be asking for your help at home as well:

• Ensure your child has headphones that they bring to school during testing • Ensure your child charges their Chromebook fully at home the night before

a test (do not plug other devices into the Chromebook to charge as this drains the life of the battery)

• Ensure your child has at least 8 hours of sleep • Ensure your child eats breakfast

• Ensure your child attends school, ON TIME, on all testing dates-avoid making appointments during this time

Again, I am confident in the work our teachers do on a daily basis to help prepare our students for their futures!! For more information regarding the Next Generation Assessments, please see the information enclosed in this newsletter from the National PTA.

Mrs. Murphy

Principal, Chardon Middle School

CMS PARCC/AIR testing schedule 2014-2015

Performance-Based Assessments (PBA) (schedule takes into account the time needed for the high school level math assessments as well as time needed for instructions)

Date Subject Grade Level Testing

Time

March 3 Math Unit 1

PARCC

ALL (6, 7 8) 8-10 a.m.

March 4 Math Unit 2

PARCC

ALL (6, 7 8) 8-10 a.m.

March 5 Science

AIR Grade 8 ONLY 8-9:30

a.m.

March 5 Social Studies

AIR

Grade 6 ONLY 8-9:30 a.m.

March 10 ELA Lit. Anaylsis

PARCC

ALL (6, 7, 8) 8-10 a.m.

March 11 ELA Research Simulation

PARCC

ALL (6, 7, 8) 8-10 a.m.

March 12 Narrative Writing

PARCC

ALL (6, 7, 8) 8-9:30 a.m.

March 4-March 18

Make-ups ALL (6, 7, 8) T.B.A.

End-of-Year Exams (EOY) (schedule takes into account the time needed for the high school level math assessments as well as time needed for instructions)

Date Subject Grade Level Testing Time

April 29 ELA Unit 1

PARCC

ALL (6, 7 8) 8-9:30 a.m.

April 30 ELA Unit 2

PARCC

ALL (6, 7 8) 8-9:30 a.m.

May 5 Math Unit 1

PARCC

ALL (6, 7 8) 8-10 a.m.

May 6 Math Unit 2

PARCC

ALL (6, 7 8) 8-10 a.m.

May 7 Science

AIR Grade 8 ONLY 8-9:30 a.m.

May 7 Social Studies

AIR

Grade 6 ONLY 8-9:30 a.m.

April 30- May 13 Make-ups ALL (6, 7, 8) T.B.A.

Students will follow either the 2-hour delay schedule or a modified version of this schedule on all testing dates. This will ensure no classes are missed during the testing window. 7th grade students who are not testing on the science/social studies test date will remain with their team teachers during the testing window. They will resume the 2-hour delay schedule once testing is complete. Make-ups will be conducted on non-testing days through March 18th and May 13th.

Other important February dates:

February 10 - Interims grades updated on Infinite Campus

February 16 - No school-President’s Day

February 18 - Special Invite Parent Conferences, 5-8:00 p.m. (These conferences are being held on an invitation only basis. If you would like to see the team of teachers or an individual teacher but did not receive an invitation, please contact a member of the team or the teacher directly to schedule an appointment.)

From the Assistant Principal’s Desk:

Every School Day Counts in a Child's Academic Life

A missed school day is a lost opportunity for students to learn. In this era of increased accountability for states, districts, and schools, the connection between student attendance and learning is being examined more than ever before. Not only does your child need to be in school, he or she must be here on time ready to go, and seated in homeroom by 7:30 a.m. sharp.

The cafeteria doors open at 7:05 a.m. allowing students to enter the cafeteria and gym until dismissed to their lockers at 7:20 a.m. Students may purchase breakfast between 7:05 a.m. and 7:25 a.m. A warning bell sounds at 7:25 a.m. and the tardy bell sounds at 7:30 a.m. At 7:30 a.m. announcements begin and attendance is taken through homeroom which is the student’s first class of the day. Traffic can be congested during morning arrival, so please plan accordingly to ensure your child is not tardy. For families who have bussing available to them, riding the bus is a great way to ensure that your child is not marked tardy.

January Students of the Month

6th Grade Morgan Debevec Jared McGill Jenna Oriani Dominik Joyal

7th Grade Halle Parrish Jonah Zeiger Natalie Dumm Jon Sharp 8th Grade Natalie Kankula Connor Loza Caila Maronde Alex Schragal Encore: Mitchell Ewaska

Chardon Middle School Superior/Honor/Merit Roll 2nd Quarter – 2015

Superior Roll – 4.0 GPA

6th Grade: Abigail Atchley, Kate Bradley, Catherine Condon, Nicholas Cusick, Nicholas Fay, Drew Fetchik, Jeffery Fletcher, Abigail Frania, Ethan Fuerst, Jeremy Goerss, Haydn Haueter, Madison Hauser, Karen Landies, Brandon Leszynski, Darcy Maas, Olivia Means, Mackenzie Morris, Noah Munoz, Jenna Oriani, Louisa Piotrkowski, Jake Ryan, Zoe Shive, Emily Sivula, Olivia St. James, Jacob Stephans, Jack Sweet, Campbell Tierney, Elliott Tyminski, Riley Zelazny, Riley Zugan 7th Grade: Leah Baker, Kirsten Beard, Emma Beil, Sarah Bennett, Whitney Beorn, Nicholas Bross, Gabriele Cross, Mason Danison, John Dinko, Natalie Dumm, Lauren Dvorak, Elizabeth Evans, Alyssa Fisher, Natalie Fullerman, Caitlyn Goodrich, Jacob Hamulak, Jorja Hlifka, Kelly Holl, Tucker Keeney, Elizabeth Love, Cole McHale, Meredith McKeon, Hannah Means, Lucia Muhic, Clare Myeroff, Marisa Organiscak, Ashley Paterson, Maya Pedersen, Lauren Phillips, Karlie Pirnat, Grace Powell, Cassidy Robinson, Hannah Rus, Marissa Scerbo, Katarina Schultz, Jonathan Sharp, John Shuman, Allison Smrdel, Mila Stropkay, Jude Taddie, Casey Wilcox, McKenna Zugan 8th Grade: Dominic Arganti, Autumn Betarie, Natalie Breznai, Parker Carson, Dana Chapin, Kelsey Cohn, Michael Corsillo, Elizabeth Courtney, Grace Cousens, Emma Drake, Sylvia Fill, Alyssa Gotliebowski, Julie Granger, Molly Greene, James Gross, Heather Hajjar, Jacob Hougan, Heather Humbert, Andrew Katz, Liam Kerry, Ethan Kreuz, Isabelle LeMaster, Katherine Lessick, Emily Loiselle, Caila Maronde, Riley McCormick, Samuel Myers, Lindsey Nichols, Anna Pastor, Calista Peluso, Cameron Peluso, Dante Perrico, Cole Purchase, Summer Rath, Alexander Schragel, Denali Selent, Nimue’ Shive, Holly Stegh, Toni Strazinsky, Joseph Sweet, Anna Thompson, Grace Turk, Andrew White, Sofia Zampino Honor Roll 3.5 – 3.99 6th Grade: Brittany Adams, Jordan Adams, Madison Arganti, Blake Barker, Emma Beorn, Teagan Bonin, Abigail Breznai, Christian Bross, Mackenzie Brown, Emily Browne, Shane Callahan, Amanda Carroll, Alexandra Corrigan, Taylor Cox, Andrew Cusick, Jacob Cutwright, Morgan Debevec, Jesse Decipeda, Victoria Detweiler, Violet Detweiler, Mary Douglas, Mason Douglass, Liam Downs, Jessica Drake, Bradley Duchon, Emeril Esquivel, Angelo Ferrante, Vincent Ferrante, Alexis Fishleigh, Zachary Fronk, Thomas George, Lauren Gessel, Emma Gittins, Katherine Giza, Alaina Goss, James Granger, Cecillia Gullo, Margaret Hamulak, Bryan Hofacre, Morgan Jaeck, Julia Jeckering, Gabriella Jeschelnig, Madelynn Johnson, Dominik Joyal, James Kankula, Thomas Kimpton, Maja Lampic, Samantha Liechty, Emily Lingafelter, Logan Lundblad, Sydney Lynch, Audrey Manary, Laney McBean, Cade McDevitt, Shannon McFaul, Una Moon-Geosano, Mackenzie Morrison, Sarah Mularo, Abigail Myers, Matthew Mysyk, Kayla Noerr, Emma Norton, Ivan Orozco, Autumn Reese, Peter Robie, John Ross, Jarrod Russo, Olivia Sackman, Brendan Sarbach, Anna Schaefer, Brandon Schreffler, Meghan Solich, Willard Squires, Emma Sternagle, Paige Toot, Braden Toth, Owen Vokoun, Jewelia Whitehead, Shawn Youdath, Anthony Zampino, Ashley Zmarzly,

7th Grade: Nathan Albers, Sophia Alexandrou, Kayla Allen, Gwendolyn Avery, Madisyn Barry, Ryan Bluemmel, Chloe Budd, Benjamin Burns, Marcus Chauby, Elise Chollett, Anne Ciszak, Kara Connolly, Sara Conway, Iris Corral Lujan, Dillon Cox, Emma Davis, Caleigh Dawson, Alexa Eierman, Carrie Eierman, Aidan Enright, Mitchell Ewaska, Cooper Farrow, Logan Felger, Loganne Foster, Robert Frank, Flora Frieden, Emma Fulton, Grace Gasper, Molly Goodge, Jena Goodwin, Jacob Grantham, Reagan Halford, Alexis Hatridge, Hannah Holbert, Madeline Houser, Kaylee Kozlowski, Sophia Ku, William Kurtz, Halle Landies, Lauren Laudato, Annabelle Liebhardt, Tori Lowe, Aidan Macaskill, Megan MacCartney, Mackenzie May, Daryann Medvec, Mac Metz, Brigit Morgan, Zachary Mothersbaugh, John Mullaly, Catherine Parr, Halle Parrish, Isabella Patti, Hailey Richard, Cara

Robbins, Hannah Romanoff, Noel Rozic, Bailey Silvia, Olivia Stern, Cameron Strichko, Elaine Szep, Matthew Talarcek, Dylan Thomas, Ashley Tice, Nicklas Tilton, Mario Trillo, Izabella Veon, Jocelyn Williams, Jonah Zeiger, Keaton Ziegenfuss, Joseph Zimmerer 8th Grade: Emily Adamic, Jonathan Adams, Jacklyn Adkins, Lydia Avery, Adam Baran, Alexia Breedlove, Annika Corcoran, Morgan Danison, Angelina DiLillo, Luke DiPofi, Dominic Dovsek, Jessica Doyle, Jacob Gaspar, Nicholas Gehrke, Grace Giorgi, Teagan Guerra, Madison Gura, Maria Evelin Hernandex, Brian Horton, Searra Hough, Laine Hursh, Grace Jackson, Alexsis Jaeck, Amelia Joliat, Natalie Kankula, Grace Kilfoyle, Taylor Kimpton, Kaitlyn King, Ethan Klepac, Andrew Kobuszewski, Grace Koppleman, Graham Koppleman, Alicia Larkins, Max Liechty, Jaden Linn, Ethan Mack, Tamara Makaryan, Abigail Martin, Hayden McBean, Corrine McClintock, Olivia McFarland, Nina Merlini, Marko Milic, Kathryn Molle, Dominic Mularo, Megan Mullaly, Gillian Murphy, Jenna Mysyk, Ragen Neely, Breanna Nickels, Mary O’Reilly, Angel Pamonicutt, Kayla Powell, Sydnee Raines, Haleigh Redmond, Sydney Robertson, Sofia Scarfo, Alexandria Schaffert, Alexis Shanks, Scott Solar, Lydia Spangler, Zachary St. Jean, Chloe Taddie, Allison Thobe, Jacob Urbic, Nicholas Vilardo, Jessica Vollman, Allison Wilson, Jordan Wright, Emma Youmans, Zachary Zemanek, Thomas Zver

Merit Roll 3.0 – 3.49

6th Grade: Bailey Cathan, John Chesnes, Hayden Coe, Dominic Corsillo, Cory Deutsch, Alexis Diemert, Delayne DiFranco, Vincent DiGeronimo, Kevin Doyle, Sarah Eldridge, Isabella Evans, Risa Fabian, Jaden Farris, Cristyl Fox, Emily Fuerst, Mason Gamiere, Jacob Garrett, Tristan Goodsite, McKenna Haack, Ashley Hoenigman, Haley Hoynes, Jocelyn Janda, Travis Johnson, Matthew Kloski, Molly Kosir, William Kreuz, Alexandra Lanese, Christina Lebedev, Lindsey Leggett, George LeMaster, Jason Loncar, Brianna McKenzie, William McKnight, Aurora McMasters, Benjamin Morgan, Zakary Mueller, Malena Muni, Joshua Neece, Bryan Nells, Emma Niksick, Bridget O’Reilly, Jackson Perry, Ethan Peterson, Anderson Riendeau, Madison Russo, Katarina Schneider, Sidnee Seredich, Lauren Siktberg, Kyle Simmons, William Sinclair, Emily Spangler, Joseph Spoljaric, John Stegh, Angela Stupi, Anne Sweet, Ian Temple, Nathaniel Vilardo, Owen Vucetic, Alexander Zaccarine 7th Grade: Olivia Adkins, Nicholas Becker, Hannah Berman, Alexandra Bojec, Dimitri Brenick, Gracie Bright, Ethan Buehner, Joshua Campbell, Mitchell Cormiea, Dillon Dwyer, John Ellington, Nolan Ellis, Layne Fierman, Chloe’ Geiss, Dylan Grieb, Mia Gumpf, Mikhail Hall, Samantha Hess, Steven Jackson, Thomas Jahnke, David Kapis, Caleb Kelly, Joshua Kernc, Justin Koluder, Alexandria Lavo, Isabelle Marinchick, Robert Mason, William Mazurek, John Meleski, Elliot Miller, Kyle Nelson, Christen Niedzielski, Brian Parker, Cooper Pason, Matthew Pickup, Cameron Rypel, Sarah Schmauder, Kierstin Schreiber, Nikolaus Spotz, Allison Sutton, Makaila Tepley, Joesph Trivisonno, Jacob Vatty, Maxamus Vujaklija, Bradley Warburton, Katie Whiting, Bradley Yoger 8th Grade: Ronan Baker, Ryan Brown, Victoria Butala, Victoria Collins, Olivia D’Amico, Bridget Dague, Ellis Dillen, Evan Fairbanks, Sydney Feller, Devin Good, Cameron Holt, Emily Johnson, Hunter Jones, William Kidd, Brooke Kinkopf, Justin Kunzi, Adrianna Lakatos, Matthew Lane, Alexis Leggett, Connor Loza, Jonathan McKnight, Andrew McNaughton, Jennifer Megger, Hallie Mezerkor, Scott Mullett, Summer Musgrave, Wade Novak, John Paglio, William Piotrkowski, Kayla Preziuso, Allison Restly, John Riendeau, Victoria Samardzija, Kayla Schikowski, Bryce Schinness, Rachel Siefert, John Sinclair, Jacob Skilton, Austin Smith, Bailey Spear, Brent Stewart, Benjamin Sulka, Patrick Toothman, Christopher Uhland, Jonathan Vaji, Parker Waclawski, Joel Watson, Matthew Watson

From Lori Strickland RN, School Nurse: ______

Meningitis Vaccination

Did you know that you can protect your child from the most common bacteria that cause bacterial meningitis? Meningococcal vaccine is now available and recommended for ALL children 11-12 years of age. Older adolescents who missed getting this vaccine can also get vaccinated. It is recommended that college freshman living in dormitories receive the vaccine. The vaccine is given in one dose. Geauga County General Health District will vaccinate your child at one of their Children’s Immunization Clinics. For more information contact Geauga County General Health District at 279-1950.

ATTENTION SIXTH GRADE PARENTS: STATE IMMUNIZATION REQUIREMENT FOR SEVENTH GRADE By the start of next school year, your child is required to have a booster shot in the diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis series. You must provide the school with written verification of Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, acelluar pertussis, adult and adolescent formulation) vaccination from your healthcare provider. Failure to do so will result in exclusion from school until the requirement is met. This requirement is a state law. Please contact your child’s physician now to see if your child has already had this shot or to make arrangements to receive it. We have already begun accepting written verification of this vaccination for next year. This vaccination can be obtained through the Geauga Co. General Health District. The health district holds monthly walk-in immunization clinics.

It's Monday morning at 6:30 a.m. Your child is holding his (her) belly and pleading with you to allow him (her) to stay home from school today. What should you do? As a parent myself, I know that this can be a difficult decision to make. I recently came across a great on-line article at Web M.D. titled "Is Your Kid Sick or Just Faking It?" It was full of helpful information that I would like to share with you. You can access this article by clicking on the link below. http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/features/is-your-kid-sick-just-faking-it

News from the Art Dept: ______________________________

Welcome second semester students! We are going to have a great semester. We

look forward to creating many exciting art projects. 6th grade will focus on color

theory. 7th grade art will focus on the elements and principles of art, and the 8th

graders will focus on different techniques and value. We will have all of our hard

work on display in the spring art show. More details to come.

~Mrs. Heron & Miss Cataldo

TEAM NEWS

6th Grade

3rd quarter slide? Please encourage your child stay on top of homework, projects, assignments,

etc. Often this is the quarter that we see grades start to slide a bit.

Please continue to remind your child to come prepared to every class every day and to come on

time. This is also the time of year that school supplies might need to be “refreshed.”

REMINDERS:

• HOMEWORK- Students should be writing down ALL their homework in their assignment

notebook- it is their responsibility. Teacher websites should be the back-up in case a

student is absent or forgets their planner.

• ABSENT? - If a student is absent, it is his/her responsibility to check teacher websites

for missing work. It is the student’s responsibility to make up the work in a timely

manner (1 day out, 1 day to make up work; 2 days out, 2 days, etc). ICE is the perfect

time for students to visit teachers for make-up work.

• MATERIALS – many students are coming unprepared to class.

Students need some basic materials for ALL classes and are expected to bring them: paper,

pencils, pens, red pen, textbooks, independent reading book, calculator (MATH)

Team 7A

Conferences will be run differently this time and specific invitations have been sent.

If you have any concerns about your child, please don’t hesitate to contact the team.

Write on! During the month of February, students will be working in centers that continue our

studies of the patterns of organization and will include reading and writing activities. Be sure to check out

the team website and the screen casts for grammar

lessons (found in the grammar bits section). Grammar will revolve around

varied sentences and dependent clauses.

We’re studying the European Middle Ages, and students will be taking

on roles of people in the Middle Ages. They will be creating an on-line journal and documenting their

character’s role that would have existed during this time period.

In math, students will be learning a new method for solving word problems.

Keep a lookout for their chapter five vocabulary project being assigned.

In science, students are finishing up ocean currents and beginning

climates and biomes.

Team 8A

The teachers on Team 8A are happy to recognize Caila Maronde and Alex Schragal as our

Students of the Month. Keep up the great work

Team 8A is thrilled to invite you to join us on

February 18, 2015 for our Celebration of Scholarship poster exhibit.

During their ICE time, every one of our students has created a poster displaying work that they

are proud of. This “drop in” style exhibit will provide our parents, siblings etc., an opportunity to

view the wide variety of work that our students have excelled at. We hope that you will show

your support of their hard work by joining us at our Celebration of Scholarship poster exhibit.

The exhibit runs from 5:00pm to 7:45pm and typically takes about 20 minutes to view. We

encourage families to begin in Room 205 where cookies and coffee will be served.

Team 8A reminds parents to visit our website: www.team8a.com regularly to stay aware of what

is happening in our classrooms. The CALENDAR page is particularly helpful, as it offers parents

one location to quickly glimpse all of the major assignments, projects, tests etc coming up in all

of the academic subjects.

Mr. Heintz encourages all parents and students to register to receive periodic text message

updates. These updates will remind recipients of approaching due dates for tests and forms as

well as school events. To register, send the message: @cmsteam8 to the number: 256-724-

6004.

In February, Social Studies students will be learning about the westward expansion and the

different cultures that began to develop in the different regions.

SCIENCE - students are finishing a chapter on the rock and fossil record and will be starting a

unit on force and motion.

LANGUAGE ARTS 8 Students in language arts are sharpening their argument writing skills this

week and will begin reading The Diary of Anne Frank. Students will also begin a self-directed

punctuation unit in grammar.

ENGLISH 1 The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet will be explored throughout the next month of

English One. Students are currently researching the life and times of Shakespeare and his

works to create background knowledge before diving into reading the play. Students will also

begin a self-directed punctuation unit in grammar. Math 8 students are finishing up their unit on Transformations. The individual unit assessment will

be at the end of the first week in February. Regular study sessions are now available every Monday,

Wednesday and Friday after school until 3:15. Students are able to use that extra time to get help with homework or study for upcoming assessments. Our next unit will focus on a more in-depth study of Linear Functions and Slope and we will then be moving into Exponents.

The Chardon Board of Education will meet on February 9th, at 6:30 pm in the Board Conference

room. The meetings are open to the public and all are welcomed to attend!

Team 8B

Mrs. Debevec’s math classes will be working with transformations -translating, reflecting,

rotation and dilating figures with multi-step problems. Algebra students will be solving systems

of linear equations. Lastly, the Honors Geometry students will be investigating similarity.

English I students have written argument essays in their literary analysis of Lord of the Flies. They are now studying Shakespeare and the Elizabethan Age as they read Romeo and Juliet. They will continue grammar by practicing punctuation and usage rules.

Language Arts students will begin to study the Holocaust and World War II as a background to

reading the play The Diary of Anne Frank. They will also complete a Photo Project in which they

will make connections between Jewish life pre-WW II and our lives today. These students will

also study and write argument essays as well as practice punctuation and capitalization rules.

In Science, Mr. Farrow will be finishing our look into the physical sciences. We will be doing

some experimentation that will need to be designed by the students. We will be looking at the

new AIR test the state is asking us to take, the kids will be exploring the process of taking this

new format of testing.

In American History, the United States will begin to reach from coast to coast. Soon, the map

of the nation will take the shape with which we are all familiar. Even as the country begins to

take this shape, serious problems will occur. The tug-of-war over slavery will begin to rip the

nation apart.

The Counselor’s Corner February 2015

Mrs. Donna Weir (A-L) and Ms. Amber Zemek (M-Z)

Standardized tests play a major role in today’s schooling. Odds are your child will take two or more standardized tests each year and it is important that he/she do his/her best.

The state tests your student takes in middle school really do matter — they’re an important way to monitor how your child’s learning is progressing. When students perform well on the state tests of reading, writing and math skills in middle school, and stay on track developing skills in these areas, they are more likely to also perform well a few years later on the assessments they need to earn a diploma. When students don’t meet achievement standards on one or more of these middle school assessments, it’s a sign that they may need targeted assistance and extra effort to ensure their skill development is on target to succeed in high school.

How you can help your child prepare: Successful test-takers tend to be students with good attendance, homework, and study habits; therefore, your daily assistance with homework and attitude toward school has the biggest impact on your child’s performance.

Optimize brain power. Teachers say the students who struggle the most on testing days are the ones who didn’t have enough sleep or a good breakfast the day of the test. Make sure that your child is in school during the testing sessions. Do not plan any doctor or dental appointments on test dates.

Encourage good study habits and challenge critical thinking skills. Good reading skills factor heavily in a timed test, so encourage reading as much as possible. Testing also measures critical-thinking ability, so ask him/her to discuss ideas or voice his/her opinion often to stimulate these thought processes.

Look at your child’s past performance. If your student scored low in a particular area, you may want to provide exercises which reinforce that subject. Aim for activities that simulate the testing experience, such as multiple choice math questions or vocabulary practice that asks him/her to identify antonyms or synonyms. Avoid areas where your child excels; you run the risk of boring him/her and losing patience with testing.

Provide practice opportunities. You can access the “PARCC Practice Test” online at http://parcconline.org/take-the-test. Be sure to time any practice tests so he/she is not surprised by time constraints on test day. Start practicing several weeks before the date and keep study sessions short. Setting small goals will help your child measure their progress and boost their confidence. Make sure your child takes the night off before the test – cramming may increase their stress level.

Review test-taking strategies. Encourage your child to listen carefully to all test-taking directions given and to ask questions about any directions that are unclear. Advise your child to go through the test question by question. When answering multiple choice questions, look for key words such as “always” or “never,” which often indicate that the question or a potential answer is false or incorrect.

Relax and remain positive. The best test-takers are confident, committed, and at ease. Even if you are nervous about their performance, be wary of transferring that concern to your child. When parents provide proper support and help them adequately prepare, they can create a positive test-taking experience.

**Parents of an 8th grade student: Mark your calendars for the Parent Meeting Night being held on Tuesday, February 24 at 6:30 p.m. in the LGIR at CMS. This will be an opportunity to hear about classes available at CHS and the scheduling process for their freshman year. More information will be communicated as the date gets closer. Stay tuned! **

BAND NOTES ~Our next concert is on March 5 and features the 7th and 8th grade bands. It is at 7 PM in the CMS gym. ~Silverscreen Spectacular, our annual jazz concert will be on March 20 at 7:30 PM in the CMS LGIR. This is a ticketed event, and all are welcome! You do not need to have a child in Jazz Band to attend. Please email Ms. Paroubek with ticket inquiries. ~Congratulations to our students who were selected for OMEA and OSU honor bands happening this month! Great job! ~OMEA Solo and Ensemble contest is March 28. Please consult with your private lesson instructors immediately to choose songs. Forms are due to me by February 16.

**************** CMS DRAMA CLUB CMS DRAMA CLUB CMS DRAMA CLUB CMS DRAMA CLUB ********************

CMS Drama Club is sponsored by Geauga Lyric Theater Guild of Chardon, but the

weekly meetings are held after school at Chardon Middle School. This semester we

will usually meet in the band room to give us more room to move and plot out the

show. Meetings will be on TUESDAYS~STARTING FEB. 10 WITH PICK UP AT 4:45

IN FRONT OF THE BUILDING.

*Co-Directors will be Julie Douglass and Karen Porter with several of the high school interns

returning from 1st semester. Forms are available on the table outside the CMS office.

Health Class News

Grades 6th, 7th, & 8th

Mrs. Whiteman & Mrs. Caldwell Website: www.cmshealth.weebly.com

Health is a semester class and is offered to all students at CMS, providing it fits in their schedules. The course aligns to the National Health Education Standards in addition to the Chardon Local Schools Health Education Objectives 6th Grade Health We concluded our introduction to health lessons and our studies of the health triangle. The three parts of the health triangle include social, physical, and mental/emotional. Our focus turns to the Body Systems. We will begin with the nervous system. TPP (Teen Pregnancy Prevention) will be the third week in February. Please watch for information and a permission slip for your child to participate. 7th Grade Health We began the semester with our attention on mental and emotional health. Some of the topics include: anxiety, stress, suicide, traits of good mental and emotional health, and coping with loss. We will discuss at length how to identify when someone might need additional help and where to turn to get the necessary support. 8th Grade Health We started the semester with a review of health concepts and are now learning about Communicable Diseases.

PTO NEWS We will be collecting Box Tops for Education in a fun & friendly competition. Simply collect your box tops in a Ziploc bag and bring them to school labeled with your homeroom teacher’s name. The competition will begin January 6, 2014 and end February 28, 2014. The top 3 winning homerooms will receive a cafeteria voucher for a lunch treat. To add to the fun, the top classroom teacher will win a prize too! Come on students, show your CMS spirit and send in your Box Tops. As always, thank you for helping CMS earn CASH through the Box Tops for Education program. Last school year we were able to raise over $1,000 with your participation☺!

More Opportunities to Help CMS: Check out the great opportunities available to help Chardon Middle School. Your participation is easy and very valuable! Please help by clipping “Box Tops” coupons from product packages and sending them into school with your student’s homeroom teacher’s name. Also, save ONLY the UPC symbol from the label of Campbell’s product and send them too. You may like to visit the follow websites for a complete list of participating products and more information about the programs. Log onto Boxtops4education.com and labelsforeducation.com Also, don’t forget to register with Giant Eagle for “Apples for the Students” by either calling 1-800-474-4777 or email www.gianteagle.com with your Advantage Card number and- our school code of 0180. What a great way to earn points toward technology items. It is easy, you can support more than one school on your card and it takes less than 2 minutes to register! Additionally, Heinen’s offers a similar program which benefits the Chardon Schools Foundation.

***Spread the word to your family, friends and neighbors to designate their Giant Eagle and Heinens purchases to benefit CMS.***

Thank you very much for your support. Together we can build a better school for our children!

Heinen’s ABC School Donation Program Heinen’s will donate up to 1% of qualified purchases from any customer that has selected our school and uses their Heinen’s preferred shopper card when they shop. Heinen’s customers may select their school of choice anytime between September and April by logging into their Tasteful Rewards profile page at www.heinensrewards.com. Customers needing assistance may contact Heinen’s Customer Relations department at 855-475-2300 Ext.2337

Support Chardon Middle School when you purchase on Amazon. Please use our school link to access Amazon.com at www.amazon.com/?tag=charmiddscho-20

This unique school rewards link takes you directly to Amazon.com, where you can browse and shop just as you normally would. Each month, Amazon pays CMS up to 10% of all purchases made by shoppers who reached Amazon through our link. We don’t know who shopped, or what they bought, we simply get a check. Please bookmark this link in your Internet browser and share it with friends and family.

You will see the regular Amazon homepage and there is not a welcome to CMS message. All of the bookkeeping takes place behind the scenes. If you have questions, call or text Melissa Raines at 440.463.4260.

Get ready to play HS lacrosse for the Hilltoppers!!!

Boys - Spring 2015 and Girls - Spring 2016

Registration now open for 3rd-8th graders For information about playing the “fastest game on two feet” this Spring: Visit www.chardonlacrosse.com and click on the Youth & MS

Lacrosse tab or contact Stephen Webster at

lake.co.lax@sbcglobal.net “