CENTRAL DAUPHIN MIDDLE SCHOOL
The Principal’s Page /December 2015 Edition
Mr. Jeffrey S. Matzner - Principal
PTA
THERE WILL BE NO PTA MEETING THIS MONTH!!!!
Box Tops – Did you know that CDMS PTA actively collects Box Tops and generates revenues for valuable educational programs for our students? Please consider taking the time to cut out Box Tops and deposit them in the "Box Top Box" in the main office!
Coke Rewards – Save the screw top caps from your Coke products and earn money for the school! Please save your caps and remit them to the main office where the Coke Rewards Committee will enter the numbers on behalf of the school!
Reflections –The red carpet will be rolling out for the annual PTA Reflections Award Ceremony, on Wednesday, December 16th, at 7 PM, in the CDMS Library. All participants and their families are invited. Trophies, Metals, and Certificates will be presented, as well as refreshments following the ceremony. This year's theme is "Let your Imagination Fly." See you at the Gala.
Membership – It is never too late to join the CDMS PTA. Please consider joining and contributing to your student's middle school experience. Here are a few reasons to join: learn about what is happening in the school and district, use your skills to benefit the students, provide a forum to discuss thoughts and concerns.
Spirit Wear – Holidays are fast approaching. CDMS Spirit Wear can be ordered anytime through Ms. Fox in the school store. Just go to www.spiritandpride.com and enter our school number 360505. You’ll see lots of great things that show your school spirit, and they make great gifts. If ordered through Ms. Fox, you don’t pay any shipping charges. Any questions, email .
NURSE’S CORNER
A reminder to parents, please turn in any outstanding physical (6th grade) or dental (7th grade) paperwork. If these are not turned in, your child will be scheduled to see the school doctor and/or dentist. In addition, if your child is on provisional enrollment due to immunizations, please turn in proof of immunizations as soon as possible. The deadline for this is April 25th. Students that do not meet the new requirements will not be permitted to attend school after this date. These absences will be unexcused. Please keep your child home from school if they have had a fever, diarrhea or vomiting within the last 24 hours.
Six ways to minimize exposure to the flu:
1. Avoid close contact with people that are sick
2. Stay home when you are sick
3. Cover your sneeze/cough
4. Wash hands frequently
5. Avoid touching your eyes, nose and/or mouth
6. Disinfect frequently touched surface areas
STUDENT COUNCIL
Student Council will have our first Winter Holiday Frenzy competition on December 23, 2015. Students will not have classes that day and will spend the morning competing in the competition and the afternoon everyone will be in the auditorium for a movie. Homerooms will compete against one another to create some type of holiday creation for the judges to rate. They may choose to decorate their rooms (or their teacher, themselves, etc.), to put on a skit, to create a video, to write and sing a song, etc. They are only limited by their own imagination. Students are responsible for bringing in any props or materials they need, but they are not required to purchase anything (they are allowed to purchase items if they want to, but it is not a requirement to compete). They will be judged on creativity, team work, enthusiasm, neatness and special effects. There will be a winner in each grade level and they will get a victory lunch that day (pizza, drinks and other treats) and free time in the gym for activities of their choice. We are very excited to see what the students come up with!
CDMS STUDENT ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
This will be the first year for our SAP teams Holiday Giving Program and we are very pleased with our progress so far. We are working with our staff to purchase gifts for CDMS families that have a financial need this holiday season. The generosity of our staff members and their eagerness to help has been incredible! We are very excited that we are able to help our families and look forward to this program continuing to grow in the future.
HOLIDAY CONCERTS
The Sixth Grade Band, Orchestra and Chorus will present their Annual Holiday Concert on Tuesday, December 8th @ 7 p.m. The Seventh and Eighth Grade will present theirs on Monday December 14th @ 7 p.m. All are invited to attend these nights of music by the students of CDMS!
CDMS YEARBOOK
Yearbooks are on Sale for $25.00
Don’t miss out on getting your copy.
Order at ybpay.lifetouch.com
With yearbook ID code: 11890916
CDMS NJHS
Members of the NJHS have been very busy since the beginning of this school year. In September students became involved with Nutri Pack, helping the special needs students and giving the morning announcements. In addition, the recycling team of students keeps teachers’ classrooms free of clutter. In November, students participated in a successful donation effort for our local Humane Society, which the magnitude of donations brought tears to the eyes of the Humane society representative. Currently several students are volunteering to wrap Christmas presents at the Capital City Mall. The donations received from their efforts supports the United Cerebral Palsy organization. One conscientious student has initiated a coat drive for Syrian refugee children who have been displaced and need assistance. The next upcoming event is the Candy Cane Gram drive in December.
DECEMBER CALENDAR OF EVENTS
08 6th Grade Winter Concert @ 7:00PM (CDMS Auditorium)
14 7th/8th Grade Winter Concert @ 7:00PM (CDMS Auditorium)
16 PTA Reflections Ceremony @ 7:00PM (CDMS Library)
24-31 NO SCHOOL – Winter Break
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
Gray Wolves – Social Studies – We are currently learning about William Penn, the PA Charter, and the PA constitution. The students have had a blast making their own Kahoots based on this information. Next we are diving into the Pennsylvania Economical history. Science- We are learning about the six simple machines. We will focus on levers and pulleys. The students are getting excited about sharing their catapults. Math-We skipped back to chapter 1 and are learning about rates and ratios. Our test will be the 10th of December. Next chapter we will be learning about fractions, decimals, and percent. As always, fourth period is available for math help every day. Language Arts-We have been learning about nouns and verbs. We have also been working on figurative language.
Red Phoenix – Congratulations to our Students of the Month- Bailey O. and Rishi P. for Red Phoenix. These two students are great examples of the people we have on the Red Phoenix.
Language Arts/Reading: Our team is continuing to work on Unit 1 of the Reading unit. Some students are working on monitor/clarify, while others are learning about Figurative Language. Writing: The students are finishing up their narrative writing pieces and creating a photo story to share with their classmates on the even they chose to write about. Grammar: The students will be focusing on incorporating the parts of speech effectively in their writing, with an emphasis on nouns. Science: Students have been learning about the six different Simple Machines. We will be focusing on levers and pulleys. Students will be taking a Simple Machines quiz prior to the holiday break. Students have also been working on their catapult projects. We are excited to see them launched on December 18th. Math: Chapter 1- Working with Ratios and Rates. Where and when do we use ratios and rates? How much does a gallon of gas cost? How far can we go on 20 gallons of gas? How long will it take us to get to our destination? Although there is a lot of vocabulary, we have used many of these terms in previous chapters and in our daily lessons. Social Studies: We will be wrapping up our study of early Pennsylvania History and beginning our study about the formation of the United States Government. Students are also learning about various sources to gather information on news and current events and we will presenting stories that they find interesting in class over the next several weeks.
Please continue to monitor your child’s progress in HAC.
Blue Dolphins – Congratulations to the November Blue Dolphin Students of the Month: Emily H. and Matthew B.
In Science we are learning all about simple machines and mechanical advantage. Students are working on researching and constructing their own catapult! In Mrs. Klick’s Language Arts we are finishing up figurative language and nouns. We will be moving into text structure next. In Social Studies, we are in Unit 2, PA History. We are learning how immigration impacted and shaped Pennsylvania's culture, society, government and economics. In Mrs. Klos's Language Arts, we are finishing up nouns and also identifying and working with different text structures. Students will soon create their own magazine with different articles written with different text structures in mind. In math we are beginning the unit on Ratios and Rates. In this unit we will be learning how to calculate greatest common factor (GCF) and least common multiples (LCM). We will learn how to set up ratios, compute rates, establish unit rates, work with ratio tables, and solve equivalent ratios. In Mr. Neagley’s Language Arts class we are reading the novel Tuck Everlasting. We will be continuing with our study of figurative language and will be learning about nouns.
Red Raptors – The Red Raptors would like to congratulate Aztlani M. and Patrick E. for being selected as the students of the month for November. In World History, we have started a unit on the Greek city states. The students will be creating a poster to convince someone to live in eitherAthens or Sparta. In the near future, we willbe studying the Persian Wars and Alexander the Great. In science, we are finishing a codes project that compares/contrasts codes used every day to the DNA code. Next we will be starting a portion of the unit that deals with cells. In English we are finishing a unit on effective sentences and after the fall break we will be starting drama. In Academic Literacy we will continue to explore theme in various types of literature. In Pre-Algebra, we will be finishing how to use algebraic equations to solve problems. Afterwards, we will be using algebraic inequalities to solve problems.
Gold Stars – The Gold Stars team hopes that you had a peaceful and relaxing Thanksgiving holiday. The winter break is quickly approaching, but there is still work to do before we ring in 2016. In Science in December, the students will be looking into Mitosis, Meiosis, and Reproduction. They will also discuss genetic testing, what causes cancer, and regenerative medicine, and will continue to work on genius projects as well. In English class, the students will study drama during the month of December. The Gold Stars will read a play version of “A Christmas Carol” and use what they learn to write their own 1-scene plays. In World History, the students are learning about the contributions of the Greeks. Next, they will learn about the Romans. Congratulations to Period 1 and Period 8 for winning the continent quiz championship. Finally, in Pre-Algebra, the students are learning how to solve one- and two-step equations and apply them to real-world situations. Next, they will apply the same skills to inequalities. Mrs. Smith’s Information
Academic Literacy-Students just completed a unit focused on identifying Central Theme and Supporting Details. Students read an article titled “Why are your clothes so cheap” about the plight of garment workers in Bangladesh and other countries overseas. Students then selected their favorite clothing brand and have written letters to the companies asking them to describe the actions they take to protect the garment workers who supply their clothing. These letters will be mailed to the companies this month with hopes of responses.
Responding to Reading- Students have just finished a unit on time management and have made calendars detailing their activities over a 7-day time frame. Students then completed a reflective writing piece analyzing how they spent their time and how they intend to make better use of the time they have to improve their academic life as well as their rest and relaxation time.
Green Clovers – The students of the month are Enas K. and Rance R. In both Algebra and Intro to Algebra classes, the students are learning about functions and linear relationships. In U.S. History class students are getting ready to head out west on the great Lewis and Clark expedition. Also, we would like to congratulate Miss Phillips and wish her the best of luck. In Responding to Reading, vocabulary development and application continue to be emphasized in class and in written responses. As we move further into the second marking period, the students in Reading will be analyzing various texts in terms of structure, comprehension, theme and purpose. The students are turning their attention to reading and writing skills that will part of the revised PSSA English Language Arts standardized test. Finally, with an eye to the future, the students in Responding to Reading will soon be starting their 'Dream College' projects. In Earth Science, we have progressed through the seasons and are shooting toward the MOON. Students will be discussing and diagramming phases, eclipses, and tides. In English class, students have been researching a history topic to write an informative essay. Poetry is next, and students will be analyzing poetry in various forms, including in popular music. In January, CDMS 8th graders will be attending a presentation by a survivor of the Holocaust as we prepare for our study of The Diary of Anne Frank.