Franklin-Simpson Middle School April 2010Wildcat Wrap-UpWUnsung Hero - Asia Parker

Asia Parker has received an unsung hero award from Simpson County. Nominated by Mrs. Smith for her service to community and friends, Asia is a well-deserving recipient. Congratulations Asia! There will be a banquet to honor Asia and the other recipients on April 24 at the Boys & Girls Club. See Asia if you would like to purchase tickets to the banquet.

FSMS Science Olympiad TeamFSMS sent a small group to compete in the Science Olympiad this year. The hope was to expose the students to the competition in preparation for next year's Olympiad. However, our students' projects impressed the judges so much that the team captured third place overall! Great job guys! Thanks also to our sponsors Mr. Brown and Mrs. Speed.

Individual Honors include:

1st Place in Experimental Design - Ross Lutts & Shivam Champaneria1st Place in "Can't Judge a Powder by its Color" - Ashley Hammer & Brittany McGee2nd Place in Elevated Bridge Design - Caleb Carter & DA Canler2nd Place in Ornithology - Meah Rigg & Brittany McGee3rd Place in Anatomy - Kain Kotoucek3rd Place in "Junkyard Challenge" - Madison Freeman & Matt Thacker3rd Place in "Write It/Do It" - Ashley Hammer & Brittany McGee

CONGRATULATIONS! Ross Lutts, Shivam Champaneria, Ashley Hammer, and Brittany McGee will compete at the State Science Olympiad on April 24 at Western Kentucky University. Good Luck!

The Speech Team at Franklin-Simpson Middle School competed against approximately 450 students from across Kentucky at the State Speech Contest on Friday and Saturday at Western Kentucky University.

After competing in regular rounds on Friday, five FSMS Speechies advanced to Saturday competition. They were Abbe Adams in poetry, Brittany DeFreece in prose, Victoria Powell in poetry, Quentin Steadman in broadcasting, and McKenzie Wilson in oratorical declamation.

McKenzie advanced further on Saturday afternoon and went on to win sixth place in the state. Other members of the State Speech Team were Xavier Bell, Brittany Brown, Kelsey Collier, James Hill, Dillion Huffine, Asia Johnson, Ale Minnicks, Elizabeth Peden, Collin Stinson, and Abby Yates.

Tryouts for next year's middle school Speech Team will be held in May.

Laura Benton Elliott and Amanda Daugherty coach the team.

FSMS Speech

FSMS ChorusOn Wednesday, April 14, the FSMS Chorus will be traveling to WKU to perform in the 3rd District Choral Festival. They will be rated by three judges on their prepared pieces of music, and then by one judge on a sight-reading piece - one they have never seen before!

They will perform in Van Meter Auditorium on WKU’s campus. The 7th and 8th grade perform at 10:00 AM, and the 6th grade will perform at 1:20 PM. Everyone that can come is invited and encouraged to attend!

Cheerleading TryoutsCheerleading tryouts will be held on April 30th beginning at 4:00 PM at the FSMS gym. The tryouts will be held in closed session; visitors may wait in the lobby or outside in the courtyard. There also will be a mandatory cheer clinic on April 26, 27 & 29 at the FSMS gym. The clinic will run from 3:15 - 5:00 PM each day. Anyone interested in cheering needs to see Mrs. Jones as soon as possible.

At Franklin-Simpson Middle School, we strive to INSPIRE young minds, ENCOURAGE everyone to follow their hearts, and MOTIVATE each other to be the very best!

Shelina Smith, Principal Craig Delk, Assistant Principal Daryl Woods, Assistant PrincipalDenise Reetzke, CIA Specialist Mary Shipley, Counselor Michael Barnum, CounselorTodd Hazel, School Social Worker Jessica Bell, Youth Services Center

KCCT Window - May 3 - 14The KCCT (a.k.a. “CATS” test) will be administered at the middle school from May 3 - May 14. During this time, it is very important that each student make every effort to be present for testing. Also, if at all possible, please avoid scheduling doctor and dentist appointments during this window; make-up testing can be very hard on students. The Kentucky Department of Education gives families the following tips for students:

*Make sure they get enough sleep the night before the test. Children who are tired are less able to pay attention or to handle the demands of a test.*Make sure your kids eat breakfast. A well-rounded meal to start the day will give them the brainpower they need.*Make sure your kids are on time. Getting to school late starts the day with anxiety that kids don’t need, especially during testing.*Encourage your kids. A good, positive attitude can make a big difference.

During Testing, follow these simple rules:

*Try to stay relaxed; if you start to feel nervous take a few deep breaths to relax. *Read the directions carefully. Take time to understand what is wanted. Always read the whole question and don't make assumptions about what the question might be. *Look over the whole test to see the numbers and types of questions so you can pace yourself. *On multiple-choice questions, eliminate answers you know aren't right. Read all the choices before choosing your answer. *If you don’t know the answer to a question, skip it and come back later. If you’re still stuck, make an educated guess. *Write legibly. If the graders can't read what you wrote, they'll most likely mark it wrong. *When you are finished, and if you have extra time left, look over your test, make sure that you have answered all the questions, and only change an answer if you misread or misinterpreted the question. *Watch out for careless mistakes and proofread your open response questions.

Finally, stress the importance of trying your hardest on the tests, but don’t pressure your student. You could end up causing stress. If your child has a bad day testing, try to stay positive and encourage him or her for the next day.

Mr. McLellan's enrichment classes are building bird and squirrel feeders this semester. Bird

feeders are $15.00 and squirrel feeders are $10.00 (small) and $20.00 (large). Profits go to the Humane Society of Simpson County and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. Contact Mr. McLellan if you would like to purchase a feeder.

April 19th is Zaxby’s night for FSMS. Come on out, eat dinner with us, and support the middle school at the same time! A portion of your bill will be sent directly to the school. What a terrific way to raise money for our school!

Thanks Zaxby’s!!!

Lincoln Students visit the Middle School!

Thanks to all the counselors who coordinated the 5th grade visit to the middle school. Students were given a tour of the building, met teachers and administrators, and got a quick look at life as a middle schooler. These activities ease the transition to the middle school. There will be a special orientation night for 5th grade families in July.

Team PerseveranceOur students have done a great job in MAPS testing. Several students improved their scores in a big way! In Science class the students will be discussing how the ocean effects our weather. Students will be starting a new book after Spring Break in Language Arts, "Bud Not Buddy.” In Math the students are learning how equations and inequalities are useful in our lives. In Social Studies the students are discussing the elements of culture.