A monthly newsletter from the school principal

Volume 11, Issue 8 April 2014

Dear Parents and Caregivers,

When you receive this newsletter, your child very

likely will have completed the pilot Smarter Balanced

assessment. This assessment will replace the New

England Common Assessment Program that we have

administered for many years. I can safely say that the

decision to participate in the pilot test was something we

thought long and hard about. After seeing the unique

nature and different demands of the assessment, we are

happy with our decision to do the pilot. Our teachers and

tech support maneuvered through some interesting

situations, and the students were fantastic, as always.

Having had this experience puts in a much better place

when we take the test next year and the scores count

toward school accountability. Thanks to all who had a

hand in the pilot test.

Conferences are coming up on April 17th and

18th, and I encourage you to make an appointment with

your child’s advisor or team. We have so much to share

with you about the amazing things happening at BJHS,

and we always enjoy having some face-to-face time with

parents. Parent involvement is one of the top factors in

school achievement and this is a great way to strengthen

the home-school connection. Please be sure to check in

on Family Link to review your child’s progress.

As I was riding in to school this morning, I am

pretty sure I saw some spots of brown grass. I am

cautiously optimistic that we will be able to spend more

time outdoors very soon. Let’s hope!

As always if you have a school related question

or concern, please contact the school at 319-1930.

Sincerely,

Walter Wallace

Principal

8th grade students & their parents are

cordially invited to attend the

GRADE NINE SPRING FLING

A special program for

students & parents

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Brunswick High School Cafeteria

At 6:00 P.M.

Refreshments and Entertainment

Extracurricular/Sports Exhibits

Speakers and Tours

How to prepare for yours

and your child’s

transition into high school

The calendar says it is spring, and with springtime weather comes the onset of seasonal allergies. Allergic rhinitis (sometimes called hay fever or seasonal allergies) are allergy symptoms that happen during certain times of year when trees, grasses and weeds release tiny pollen particles into the air. There is no cure for seasonal allergies but it is possible to relieve symptoms during allergy season by keeping windows closed and staying indoors when pollen counts are high. Also it is a good idea to wash your hands or shower and change clothing after being outside. If reducing exposure doesn’t help there are medicines that can help ease symptoms. Consult your doctor or local pharmacist for help in choosing an allergy medication that would be right for you.

Happy Spring! Helen Tetu, RN

Baseball assessments will be on April

1st/3rd from 5:45-7:15 p.m. Please meet in

the gym.

7th grade Boys LAX Team rosters will be

posted April 2. Red team first practice will

be April 3rd from 2:45-4 p.m./White team

first practice will be April 4th from 2:45-4

p.m. Please meet in the small gym.

8th grade Boys LAX assessments will be on

Wednesday, April 2 from 5:45-7:15 p.m. and

Friday, April 4, from 5:30-7 p.m. Please meet

in the small gym.

7th grade Girls LAX assessments will be on

April 1st/2nd from 2:45-4:00 p.m. Please

meet in the small gym.

8th grade Girls LAX assessments will be on

April 2nd from 4-5:30 p.m. Please meet in

the small gym.

Assessments have been completed for soft-

ball and 7th grade boys LAX.

We are expecting over 225 students involved in a

spring sport at BJHS. Every student athlete

needs to have an athletic permission form on file

before they can participate. Tryout dates,

practice dates/times, game schedules, and sport

specific information can all be found on the

school’s athletics webpage. Parents should check

Family Link regularly to make sure their child is

keeping up their grades. The athletic director will

do regular eligibility checks. Students must be

carrying a 70 average in all classes to remain

participating. Until the snow melts and ground is

dry, we are not allowed on any of the fields. We

are taking it week by week and will do our best to

keep teams practicing.

The world is mud-luscious and

puddle-wonderful. e. e. cummings

Prepared by National Middle School Association

Some parents believe that as boys enter

the young adolescent years (10-15) they

become less interested in reading and

more excited about other activities. Yet,

parents can stimulate their reading inter-

ests and build a foundation for reading

achievement.

"The key is finding material that interests

boys as they mature," urges Sue Swaim,

executive director, National Middle School

Association (NMSA). "Parents can be pow-

erful teachers since they understand their

son's interests."

A recent study provides information that

can guide parents in helping boys to great-

er literacy achievement.

"In studying a diverse sample of boys for

one year, we found that they pursue lit-

erate activities outside of school in inter-

esting and complex ways that adults do

not always recognize," said Jeffrey D. Wil-

helm, associate professor of English

Education, Boise State University. "The

condition boys seek in all activities, in-

cluding reading, is a sense of connection or

total engagement with a task or activity."

The study found that reading which ap-

peals to boys includes:

Electronic texts such as websites

Visual texts such as graphic novels

and comics

Nonfiction, particularly with weird

and wonderful facts

Mysteries and whodunits where

readers know how the stories work

"As we strive to develop reading skills and

a love for reading in all students, it's im-

portant to find appropriate reading mate-

rial for them, but

material they will enjoy," said Swaim.

"Otherwise, reading will become one more

unappreciated task in their lives."

Swaim encourages parents to notice what

boys like to read and encourage that type of

reading. Specific steps parents can take

include:

Make available a variety of materials, includ-

ing those mentioned above, newspapers, and

magazines that connect with their interests.

If a boy is involved in baseball, offer him the

sports section of the daily newspaper, or bring

home one of the many magazines that cover

baseball. If he is becoming interested in cars,

provide automotive magazines.

Talk with your sons about the content of their

reading in nonjudgmental ways. The study

found that boys value conversation as a way

to use reading. Once you provide reading

material connected to their interests, it will

be natural to discuss that information with

them. It also gives them opportunities to build

their oral communication skills.

Read with your boys. Young adolescents still

value examples set by their parents, and mod-

eling behavior is a very effective way to teach.

Set a time when everyone in the family reads

together, even if it's just for 10 minutes a day,

and focus on material that will interest your

boys. Or, read a magazine or book that your

son selects along with him and then discuss

your impressions.

"It's especially important to encourage boys to

read at this age, but reading is important for

all young adolescents," Swaim said. "So, these

strategies can also be applied to girls in your

family. Parents are key to developing good

reading habits are the key to making that

happen.”

Despicable Me 2 !

6th grade movie night!

When: April 4th

Where: BJHS Library

Time: 6:15 pm

to about 8:15 pm

Admission cost: $5

(movie + popcorn)

OR

Dinner Deal: $10

(movie, popcorn, candy,

2 slices of pizza, water.)

Hope to see you there!

Celebrate spring by enjoying time outside!

Go for a walk, run, bike ride, or play a game, or

work in the garden. To celebrate the warmer

weather and get back to our healthy habits, The

Wellness Team at BJHS has developed the

first ever 5-2-1-0+8 Challenge. This will act as a

reminder of the healthy messages from Let’s

Go! Students who participate in the Challenge

will be eligible for exciting prizes related to

healthy eating and physical activity. This is also

a great time to work together as a family on

making small changes to improve our health

habits.

Dear Parents, The Wellness and Go Green Teams are gear-ing up for what is sure to be a fantastic grow-ing season in our Garden of Eatin'. Last year we started the back garden between the 6th grade and Diversified Studies Wings, so we now have even more room to grow! If you and your family would like to join our Teams, we will be meeting on Tuesdays in Room 108 until 4:00 for the remainder of the school year starting on April 29. All are welcome to join us!

The healthy snack cart is open EVERY DAY

now between periods 2 and 3 by Mrs.

Duffy’s office. The cart sells a variety of

healthy snacks for only 50 cents! We have

fruit, pretzels, cheese sticks, yogurt,

Nutrigrain Bars, Pirate Booty, Goldfish

crackers, and much more!!

The deadline for year-book orders is April 21st!! Order yours

on-line now by clicking on the link from our

school homepage. Questions? Please email

me at lhench@brunswick.

k12.me.us

B.J.H.S.

Huskies

Would using a calculator help you solve the

problem?

Would it help to go on to another problem

and come back to this one later?

Why don’t we look for some help on the

Internet?

If you do only part of a problem, will the

teacher give you some credit?

Can you go in before or after school for help

from the teacher?

Remember, support homework—don’t do it!

Besides supporting your child on homework,

show the importance of learning math by helping

your child connect math with daily life. Point out

your own activities that involve mathematics, such

as deciding if you have enough money to buy items

on a shopping list, estimating how long it will take

to make a trip, determining how much carpet or

wallpaper to buy for a room, or developing a

schedule to complete a series of tasks. Talking

about these everyday situations will give you a

chance to increase your child’s appreciation for the

usefulness of math!

Math homework is due

tomorrow —

how can I help?

Homework causes trouble in many house-

holds. Relax—remember whose homework it

is! Think of yourself as more of a guide than a

teacher. Don’t take over for your child. Doing that

only encourages him or her to give up easily or to

ask for help when a problem becomes difficult.

The best thing you can do is ask questions.

Then listen to what your child says. Often, simply

explaining something out loud can help your child

figure out the problem. Encourage your child to

show all work, complete with written descriptions

of all thinking processes. This record will give your

child something to look back on, either to review or

to fix a mistake, and can also help the teacher

understand how the problem was solved.

Asking the following kinds of questions can

help you and your child tackle the challenges of

math homework:

What is the problem that you’re working on?

Are there instructions or directions? What

do they say?

Are there words in the directions or the

problem that you do not understand?

Where do you think you should begin?

Is there anything that you already know that

can help you work through the problem?

What have you done so far?

Can you find help in your textbook or notes?

Do you have other problems like this one?

Can we look at one of those together?

Can you draw a picture or make a diagram to

show how you solved a problem like this

one?

What is your teacher asking you to do? Can

you explain it to me?

Can you tell me where you are stuck?

Is there someone you can call to get help?

Can you discuss the problem with a

classmate?

HOMEWORK CLUB Homework Club meets every Tuesday and Thursday for an hour in room 403 for some quiet, guided, homework time (with snacks!) Walk, ar-range a ride, or catch the 3:30 “late” bus home. All are welcome.

CREATIVE WRITING CLUB Love to write? Love to read? Feeling

like a budding editor? Creative Writing Club meets every

Wednesday after school in room 403 until 3:30pm. We practice our writing

through prompts, games, activities, and more. This spring we will begin planning for our student literary

magazine. All are welcome!

Did you know that there are over 200 different types of cancer that can affect over 60 different organs? But, did you also know that there are over 28 million cancer survivors? Help us increase this number by bringing in quarters. Student Council is sponsoring our annual Quarter Drive to support Relay For Life. Last year Brunswick Junior High was able to raise over $560. This year our goal is to raise $575. Help us meet this goal by bringing in your quarters starting April 28th through May 15th. Quarters will be collected in Advisor rooms. The Advisor room with the most money donated in each grade, will be rewarded with homemade cupcakes. Please help us show our support for not only this amazing event, but for all those who have been affected by cancer. Questions? Contact Mrs. Lavigne (clavigne@brunswick.k12.me.us) or Mrs. Shaw (cshaw@brunswick.k12.me.us)

In the State Final Math Counts competition last month, the BJHS Math Counts team earned an overall fourth place finish. Tobyn Blatt finished in 9

th place individually. Other team members were Adam Benoit,

Daniel Lyons and Ethan Boll.

In Central Maine Math League Competition, the BJHS 7th

and 8th

grade math teams each finished in first place at their last meet of the season.