Chardon Middle SchoolNewsletter

December 2013

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

This holiday season, I am thankful to the voters of the Chardon Community who voted YES for the school levy. It was through the efforts of many that the levy passed. I would like to thank each and every person who helped with the campaign. Many hours of time and energy were spent spreading the word to voters. Again, thank you!!

I am also thankful for the Chardon Schools Foundation and the Chardon Middle School P.T.O. Last year, the Foundation funded Ipad Minis that are being used by our seventh grade teachers in the classroom to access apps to reinforce the concepts students are learning. The Foundation also funded sound amplification systems that have been installed in five of our classrooms. These systems benefit not only hearing impaired students, but all students who are able to focus on their teacher’s voice. This school year, the Foundation has funded five Ipads for Maria Lysiak’s multi-handicapped classroom. These devices will allow her students access to apps and learning tools they otherwise would not have access to.

This year, our PTO has already funded many projects/events for the classrooms that impact our students. These include magazine renewals for the media center, lab materials for science classrooms, snacks for 6th grade students attending a field trip, privacy folders for test taking, student prizes for our incoming 6th grade scavenger hunt, differentiated reading materials, pizza for our new student luncheon, Action magazine for reading students, Spigot on-line magazine for science students, and partial funding for the Thanksgiving Feast in our multi-handicapped unit.

Again, I am very thankful for the help these two organizations have given to Chardon Middle School. You are very important pieces of our puzzle!!

In this month’s newsletter, I have included information regarding Ohio’s New Learning Standards. In 2004, Ohio adopted Academic Content Standards for each subject area. The New Learning Standards are simply updated versions of the Content Standards. If you have any questions regarding Ohio’s New Learning Standards, feel free to contact me at 285-4062.

Happy Holidays!!Mrs. MurphyPrincipal, CMS

What Ohio’s New Learning Standards Mean for Your Child

This year, your child will be learning under new standards in math, English, science and social studies. These standards contain higher goals for what your child needs to know in each grade. The math and English standards are also known as the Common Core State Standards. Ohio and other states, not the federal government, worked together to create these Common Core standards. Ohio teachers, subject experts and education leaders created Ohio’s standards for science and social studies.

You will notice three main changes in your child’s learning under each of the new standards:

The teacher will cover fewer topics within each subject, but will cover each of those topics more thoroughly. Let’s use third-grade math as an example. Your student will study fewer concepts, but will get a more complete understanding of those concepts, such as multiplication and division.

Higher expectations for what kids learn. The standards call for students to have a deeper understanding of the subjects they learn so they can use that understanding in everyday life. Your teacher also will encourage your child to think critically about what he or she is learning, be innovative, solve problems and work together with others. These are skills that your son or daughter can use both in and outside school. They also are skills your child will need some day to be successful in college or jobs.

Clearer definitions of achievement. Your teacher will be able to explain to you more clearly whether your student is learning all that he or she needs to know to move to the next grade and beyond.

Teachers can tailor their lessons to all kinds of learners under the new standards. As always, talk with your child’s teacher if you have special concerns about his or her learning.

Snow-Day Procedures

Students and parents should be advised to listen to the local television and radio stations listed below and NOT call school officials. Information will definitely be available through a direct reporting system on T.V. Channels 3, 5, 8, 19, CNN and 43 as well as the major radio stations: WMJI, WMMS, WGAR, WTAM, etc. School closing notification will also be posted on the Chardon Local School District website: www.chardon.k12.oh.us.

Depending on the situation, the data gathering for snow days begins at approximately 3:30 in the morning. The data for making Snow-Day decisions includes the following information:

Weather and radar reports Personal observation Input from local law enforcement and road crews Input from district maintenance and snow removal staff When necessary, the Manager of Operations drives the roads to determine the condition Input and discussions with Superintendents from neighboring districts

When all of this information is gathered, the Superintendent, Manager of Operations, and Transportation Supervisor jointly make the decision to close the schools or keep them open for students. Please understand that there will be occasions when inclement weather comes late in the morning and forecasts change abruptly, which makes the determination of school closing very difficult at times.Parents can always keep their children home if they truly feel there is a risk.

Calendar of events: December 10 @ 7:00 p.m. –Winter Band Concert; CMS gym December 11 @ 7:00 p.m.-Winter Chorus Concert; Chardon Methodist Church December 13-Student Council Holiday Dance from 2:30-4:00, CMS gym December 23, 2013 through January 3, 2014 Winter Break January 6, 2014-Classes resume January 8, 2014 PTO Meeting @ 6:30 pm; CMS media center

For more detailed information about any of these dates and other district news, log onto Chardon School’s website at www.chardon.k12.oh.us.

From the Assistant Principal, Mr. Sciarabba

Thank you to all the staff, parents, and students for making the fall season at CMS a success! As we move into our winter months I would like to remind all students to dress for the weather. I recommend dressing in layers as the temperature of the building can fluctuate as the day progresses. Parents, please send your student to school with a coat. Living in Northeast Ohio, we can all attest to the frigid winters we endure and I want your children healthy and in school daily. Please remember, if your child will be missing school due to illness you must phone the middle school attendance hotline at 440-279-0537 prior to 9:00 AM. Lastly, students should provide documentation of their absences from a physician whenever possible. Any questions regarding student attendance can be directed to Mrs. DiSanto in our school office. Have a great Holiday season and stay warm!

NovemberStudents of the Month

6 th Grade Hannah MeansJonah ZeigerMarissa ScerboKyle Nelson 7 th Grade Joe SweetNatalie BreznaiCalista PelusoAndrew WhiteKira Weber

8 th Grade Kaitlin RyanMyles MetzKyle GesselNatasha Paros-Gaser

Encore: Anna Pastor

Scoliosis ScreeningLast month, all students enrolled in first semester physical education classes participated in a postural screening conducted by Mrs. Strickland RN, the school nurse. Students’ backs were checked for signs of possible scoliosis, a lateral curvature of the spine.  Referral letters were mailed home to those students who failed the screening. The letters recommend that parents have their child examined by their physician. Students having physical education second semester and those students without PE this year will be screened later in the school year.

CMS MEDIA CENTER NEWS

The media center would like to thank everyone for this year’s successful Scholastic Book Fair. The CMS media center will be able to add over 300 books to our collection using the profits of our sales. We would also like to sincerely thank all of our volunteers for their efforts with this year’s fair beginning with the volunteer coordinator Erin McKnight. The other volunteers included: Polly Steffen, Stephanie Koppelman, and Elaine Cressman.

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!

CMS Students You're Invited to our Holiday Dance        Sponsored by CMS Student Council 

When: Friday, December 13, 2013Time:  Right after school! 2:33pm to 4:00pm! Parents/Guardians: Please remember to pick up students promptly at 4pm!Please wait in your cars for students to be released.

Entrance Fee is $2.00 - Please bring two, one dollar bills to enter.Remember to bring extra money for food, snacks, pop and the CMS Style Photo Booth! 

2013-14 CMS Girls Basketball Tryouts

Tryouts for the CMS 7th & 8th grade girl’s basketball team will bethe week of Dec. 16-Dec.19

Exact times and dates will be posted.

Prior to tryouts you must have: Current OHSAA Physical

Emergency Medical Form/Insurance Waiver FormMeet Academic Eligibility requirements.

All school fees and athletic fees must be current.Please turn in all forms to Mrs. Taylor or the Main Office

Team News

Team 7A Action News!

Happy autumn to all! Students will delve into Rome and the enduring impact of this ancient civilization in social studies. In language arts, students will soon be able to answer questions about sentence patterns and compound sentences. Also, they will be researching the Victorian Era and reading “A Christmas Carol”. Math anyone? Students will be learning how to enlarge and reduce figures as well as looking at maps, blueprints, and scale models. Wishing for a snow day? Ever wonder how the weather is predicted? Students will be learning about weather during science.

Team 8A

 The presidential administrations of George Washington, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson will occupy most of our December class time in social studies. In science, students will continue to learn about weathering and erosion. 8th Grade Language Arts students will be reading Flowers for Algernon, Honors Language Arts students will be reading Lord of the Flies. In Math8, students will be continuing their exploration of linear functions.

Team 8B

Remember to stock up on pencils, pens, folders, and notebook paper. Supplies may be running low during this time of the year and they make great stocking stuffers!

In science, students will be investigating weathering and erosion. We will be creating presentations to teach each other about these concepts. We will be connecting our past study of the structure of the Earth and its components to the impacts of weathering and erosion on the crust.

In Pre-Algebra, the students will be graphing linear equations by creating a table of solutions, identifying the constant rate of change and the y-intercept. The children are also solving multi-step equations, and working with solving word problems using the 5-D Process.

In Language Arts students are finishing their study of suspenseful stories. They have analyzed the techniques authors use to create tone and mood. Next they will read Flowers for Algernon and research areas of learning and the brain. They are also continuing to review the parts of speech.

English I students are finishing their media projects on The Odyssey. They are creating Twitter, Facebook, graphic novels, poems, blogs, and web pages about the characters and adventures in this classic epic. Next they will read

the novel Lord of the Flies. They will also continue to review sentence structure and parts of speech.

The students have completed discussing the foundational documents in American History. They can describe how the American Government was formed and the principles which guide it. Next, students will discover how these principles are practiced. President Washington will become the center of our focus as we discover the way “We the people” put these governing principles into practice. 

Chardon Middle School Superior/Honor/Merit Roll 1st Quarter – 2013

Superior Roll – 4.0 GPA

6 th Grade: Leah Baker, Kirsten Beard, Hannah Berman, Chloe Budd, Sara Conway, Caleigh Dawson, Lauren Dvorak, Elizabeth Evans, Natalie Fullerman, Caitlyn Goodrich, Kelly Holl, Tucker Keeney, Annabelle Liebhardt, Elizabeth Love, Meredith McKeon, Hannah Means, Mac Metz, John Mullaly, Agnes Mullett, Clare Myeroff, Ashley Paterson, Lauren Phillips, Karlie Pirnat, Andrew Rhodes, Hailey Richard, Cassidy Robinson, Marissa Scerbo, Mila Stropkay, Ashley Tice, Jonah Zeiger

7 th Grade: Autumn Betarie, Natalie Breznai, Parker Carson, Dana Chapin, Kelsey Cohn, Grace Cousens, Emma Drake, James Gross, Laine Hursh, Andrew Katz, William Kidd, Grace Kilfoyle, Isabelle LeMaster, Caila Maronde, Nina Merlini, Lindsey Nichols, Calista Peluso, Kayla Powell, Sofia Scarfo, Denali Selent, Nimue’ Shive, Scott Solar, Benjamin Sulka, Joseph Sweet, Kira Weber

8 th Grade: Leah Barto, Kyle Brown, John Browne, Jake Cattell, Drew Cressman, Shalom Decipeda, Casey Fisher, Kyle Gessel, Abigail Gillispie, Caroline Goergen, JP Hlifka, Madylin Knaack, Jessica Krebs, Tess Lannon, Clara Lundblad, Tyler Mothersbaugh, Emily Munoz, Joshua Nelson, Olivia Organiscak, Natasha Paros-Gaser, Neil Patel, Marissa Perrico, Peyton Rudman, Jackson Selent, Megan Sivula, Matthew Smrdel, Paige Steffen, Erika Strazinsky, Jason Tysl, Asher Vokoun, Natalie Washington, Andrew Williams

Honor Roll 3.5 – 3.99

6 th Grade: Sophia Alexandrou, Kayla Allen, Leigh Ashby, Gwendolyn Avery, Sarah Bennett, Whitney Beorn, Ryan Bluemmel, Alexandra Bojec, Dimitri Brenick, Nicholas Bross, Kylie Brown, Benjamin Burns, Elise Chollett, Anne Ciszak, Emily Clemons, Kara Connolly, Iris Corral Lujan, Dillon Cox, Gabriele Cross, Mason Danison, Emma Davis, John Dinko, Alexa Eierman, Carrie Eierman, Nolan Ellis, Aidan Enright, Mitchell Ewaska, Cooper Farrow, Alyssa Fisher, Loganne Foster, Robert Frank, Flora Frieden, Emma Fulton, Grace Gasper, Jena Goodwin, Jacob Grantham, Dylan Grieb, Reagan Halford, Jacob Hamulak, Alexis Hatridge, Jorja Hlifka, Hannah Holbert, Madeline Houser, David Kapis, Joshua Kernc, Justin Koluder, Sophia Ku, Halle Landies, Lauren Laudato, Tori Lowe, Aidan Macaskill, Megan MacCartney, Isabelle Marinchick, Robert Mason, Mackenzie May, Cole McHale, Elliot Miller, Brigit Morgan, Zachary Mothersbaugh, Lucia Muhic, Trevor Neece, Kyle Nelson, Christen Niedzielski, Marisa Organiscak, Catherine Parr, Halle Parrish, Isabella Patti, Maya Pedersen, Grace Powell, Cara Robbins, Hannah Romanoff, Noel Rozic, Hannah Rus, Sarah Schmauder, Kierstin Schreiber, Katarina Schultz, Jonathan Sharp, Bailey Silvia, Allison Smrdel, Anna Sole, Olivia Stern, Alaina Sudnick, Elaine Szep, Jude Taddie, Gina Terranova, Nicklas Tilton, Jacob Vatty, Izabella Veon, Maxamus Vujaklija, Casey Wilcox, Jocelyn Williams, Mary Woolf, Keaton Ziegenfuss, Joseph Zimmerer, McKenna Zugan

7 th Grade: Emily Adamic, Jonathan Adams, Dominic Arganti, Lydia Avery, Ryan Brown, Jayden Condon, Annika Corcoran, Michael Corsillo, Elizabeth Courtney, Morgan Danison, Cameron DeLembo, Angelina DiLillo, Ellis Dillen, Luke DiPofi, Dominic Dovsek, Jessica Doyle, Anne Evans, Sydney Feller, Sylvia Fill, Nicholas Gehrke, Brian Gigliotti, Grace Giorgi, Julie Granger, Molly Greene, Teagan Guerra, Madison Gura, Heather Hajjar, Amanda Holder, Brian Horton, Jacob Hougan, Heather Humbert, Grace Jackson, Alexsis Jaeck, Amelia Joliat, Alexia Karl, Liam Kerry, Taylor Kimpton, Kaitlyn King, Ethan Klepac, Andrew Kobuszewski, Grace Koppelman, Graham Koppelman, Audrey Kostelac, Alexis Leggett, Maxwell Liechty, Jaden Linn, Emily Loiselle, Abigail Luther, Ethan Mack, Abigail Martin, Danielle McCartney, Corrine McClintock, Riley McCormick, Olivia McFarland, Jennifer Megger, Marko Milic, Kathryn Molle, Domenic Mularo, Megan Mullaly, Scott Mullett, Gillian Murphy, Summer Musgrave, Sam Myers, Jenna Mysyk, Ragen Neely, Breanna Nickels, Angel Pamonicutt, Anna Pastor, Cameron Peluso, Dante Perrico, William Piotrkowski, Cole Purchase, Summer Rath, John Riendeau, Sydney Robertson, Alexander Schragal, Rachel Siefert, John Sinclair, Jacob Skilton, Bailey Spear, Holly Stegh, Brent Stewart, Toni Strazinsky, Kathryn Sweet, Chloe Taddie, Anna Thompson, Emily Tonks, Grace Turk, Jonathan Vaji, Andrew White, Megan Woolf, Jordan Wright, Emma Youmans, Sofia Zampino, Zachary Zemanek

8 th Grade: Samantha Albers, Ian Baker, Kayla Benjamin, Grace Bradley, Madysen Breedlove, Benjamin Brewster, Luke Callahan, James Cierco, Owen Corcoran, Faith DiLillo, Brandon Frania, Connor Fuerst, Alyssa Gotliebowski, Emma Greenwood, Dylan Hemly, Brenden Hofacre, Nicole Holder, Jacob Hutson, Emma Jackson, Andrew Janu, Nathan Kawalec, Kendra Kelly, Bradley Knez, Zachary Kuminkoski, Katlyn Lancaster, Michael Mazurek, Joseph McGuinness, Nathan Melena, Connor Milks, Tyler Mintus, Timothy Oh, Nolan Patrick, Cameron Peters, Emily Phillips, Alexander Prots, Connor Prusha, Joseph

Rayl, Aidan Rhodes, Morgan Richard, Kaitlin Ryan, Joseph Scerbo, Emily Stern, Brian Strimbu, James Stropkay, James Taton, Hanna Tice, Kayla Toth, Jennifer Vandenberg, Owen Vodopivec, Samantha Wingren, Megan Yamamoto, Maria Zbiegien, Sydney Zhanai,

Merit Roll 3.0 – 3.49

6 th Grade: Olivia Adkins, Nathan Albers, Charles Baker, Noah Bannister, Mackenzie Barry, Madisyn Barry, Nicholas Becker, Emma Beil, Logan Bjornholm, Cody Blackburn, Arianna Bock, Dalton Bowyer, Joseph Braford, Ethan Buehner, Nicholas Calabrese, Joshua Campbell, Marcus Chauby, Mitchell Cormiea, Colin Downs, John Ellington, Allison Eves, Brennen Farina, Logan Felger, Brittany Ferraro, Layne Fierman, Dashawn Francis, Madeline Frustereo, Logan Gilles, Molly Goodge, Nathan Griffin, Mia Gumpf, Mikhail Hall, Heather Hamburg, Samantha Hess, Jordan Humar, Steven Jackson, Noah Keeney, William Kurtz, Justin Lane, Alexandria Lavo, Kenneth Leach, William Mazurek, Madeline McDonald, Daryann Medvec, John Meleski, Zachary Morrison, CoraRuth Mullett, Joseph Niederst, Brian Parker, Cooper Pason, Cody Petersen, Matthew Pickup, Matthew Reminder, Dakota Sanner, Elise Silipini, Joseph Soncrant, Brandon Soor, Cecelia Stansbury, Gianni Straniero, Cameron Strichko, Allison Sutton, Matthew Talarcek, Makaila Tepley, Daniel Thomas, Dylan Thomas, Joseph Trivisonno, Bradley Warburton, Katie Whiting, Bradley Yoger

7 th Grade: Jacklyn Adkins, Mason Barajas-Anguiano, Adam Baran, Carl Battiato, Alexia Breedlove, Victoria Butala, Victoria Collins, Kevin Cseplo-Horvath, Bridget Dague, Jessie Dunn, Jacob Gaspar, Devin Good, Maria Evelin Hernandez, Cameron Holt, Searra Hough, Emily Johnson, Natalie Kankula, Brooke Kinkopf, Ethan Kreuz, Justin Kunzi, Annekah Lanese, Katherine Lessick, Connor Loza, Johnathan McKnight, Andrew McNaughton, Mary O’Reilly, John Paglio, Kayla Preziuso, Alyssa Psenicka, Kevin Queen, Sydnee Raines, Alexandria Schaffert, Kayla Schikowski, Bryce Schinness, Alexis Shanks, Austin Smith, Zachary St. Jean, Wyatt Sullivan, Allison Thobe, Patrick Toothman, Christopher Uhland, Jacob Urbic, Emily Vatty, Nicholas Vilardo, Jessica Vollman, Parker Waclawski, Joel Watson, Maya Weber, Allison Wilson, Thomas Zver

8 th Grade: Lillian Baker, Jared Barker, Jennifer Bender, John Benson, Sydni Biello, John Bojec, Amanda Bryant, Jeanine Calvert, Allyson Coble, Amanda Conley, Dean Coso, Lillian Cukelj, Savanna Davis, Halley DeAndrade, Caroline Denning, Hayley DeShetler, Jacob Dunay, Elizabeth Duncan, Victoria Duncan, Sarah Eisenhart, Samuel Eldridge, Madeleine Elswick, Brendan Finnerty, Olivia Gliebe, Andres Gonzalez, Grant Goodge, Rob Hemly, Luke Hinesley, Kate Hornyak, Joseph Jeckering, Jacob Jenkins, Clara Kalis, Natalia Kapis, Lindsay Katz, Chase Kline, Cassandra Leach, Andrew Lingafelter, Shelbey Mcintyre, Rylan Mallory, Jenna Mandato, Jeremy Marks, Delaney Maroney, Cameron McCann, Anthony McMasters, Casey Mezerkor, Connor Morris, Devan Moses, Tyler Nameth, Jake Niehus, John Niehus, Valicity Novak, Kathryn O’Linn, Veronica Olivera, Tyler Palesh, Nathan Parks, Crista Parrish, Evan Pollack, Alexander Prather, Justice Rodgers, Morgan Rosipko, Jacob Sass, Daniel Schreffler, Ian Scott, Samantha Simicevic, Rachel Slivka, Alexis Snow, Alexander Sulka, Dillon Wachob, Hannah Ward, Ethan Williams, Matthew Wilson, Allison Yuha, Mason Ziegenfuss, Kate Zmarzly, Max Zugan

Holiday Fun at the Geauga Lyric Theater Guild!