IN THE MIDDLE Chatham Middle School February 2008

PRINCIPALS MESSAGE Kenneth J. Wark

We are already at the mid-point in the school year! I never cease to be amazed how quickly the school year seems to pass by. As in the past, we are already beginning to plan for 2008-09. Schedule and program planning for our eighth graders is underway and details of the schedule, budget and staffing are also in process. Please be alert for letters providing details and required information the school will need to accurately plan for the upcoming school year. I’ve always struggled with deadlines and I know some of you do as well. However, some elective selections have enrollment restrictions and students are accepted into these classes on a first come first served basis. Your student could be disappointed if the required paperwork is not completed and returned in a timely manner. State mandated testing is scheduled for the week we return from our April vacation! We have requested a waiver to allow CMS to begin testing on the Tuesday (rather than the Monday) after vacation for students in grades seven and eight. The testing continues for the remainder of that week; April 29 to May 2nd. The sixth grade testing begins the following week. I know these dates sound very far off but they’ll be here before we know it. Please try to avoid allowing your vacation plans to intrude on this important school event. Students seem to have a more difficult time with the testing during the mandatory make-up days then when they take the tests with their peers. Also, the students must miss classes during

the make-up testing week which forces them behind in their work. On another note, please call the school attendance line (973) 635-7203 whenever you child will be absent or late to school. This is very important as we try our best to keep track of the status of each student in CMS. Very soon we will begin using the automatic calling system to make our “missing student” calls. It would be very helpful if you would check the status of your account on the Honeywell Instant Alert system. You can modify the list of phone numbers and email addresses the system will call automatically if your child does not report to school. These calls will only be made if we have not received a call from a parent or legal guardian by 8:25 AM. Thank you for your help with this. With your cooperation we will be better able to manage this considerable, but important, clerical task.

FROM THE PTO PRESIDENT

Marianne Slamm

Winter Greetings to All!

I just want to take this opportunity to bring you up to date on some PTO “happenings”. First of all, I would like to express a heartfelt thank you to all the ladies involved on the Holiday House Tour Committee and all the volunteers, homeowners and

attendees, who made it such a success for the second year in a row. I know that is was a great deal of work!! The Holiday House Tour earned about $17,000 for the CMS PTO!!! The PTO and Ken Wark will be brainstorming on how to use the funds to enhance the school for everyone. As we have said in the past, this was our big fundraiser for the year and we count on this money for all our activities and programs for the school year. We will purchase T-shirts for the upcoming 6th grade field trip to Liberty Science center, subsidize the 7th grade trip to Frost Valley and offset some of the costs of the 8th grade activities at the end of the year, including the dinner dance and trip to the Broadway show. So each grade level receives a benefit from our fundraising specifically. Our Site Council is currently looking into refurbishing the teacher’s lounge and we will earmark some funds for that project, too. Other ideas on how to best use the money, once our normal operating expenses are covered, will be discussed at the upcoming PTO meetings. Our next PTO meeting will be held on February 14th at 9am (new date). This is the same day as the 7th Grade Valentines’ Day breakfast, which is a big day in the life of a 7th grader!! See if you can volunteer to serve the breakfast… it is really nice to see them all “dressed up”. The PTO meetings for the remainder of the year are: March 13th, April 10th, May 8th and June 11th. The Parent social will be held on April 5th at Fish and Game. We are excited to have the Glostixx band play for us. For those of you that don’t know them, you are in for a real treat, as their middle school children would surely agree!! This will not be a fundraiser, but rather a casual social event. Mark your calendar now so that you don’t miss out on the social event of the Spring season! The Hospitality Committee was also very busy these past few months. They coordinated a staff luncheon during conference week and supplied teachers and

staff members with beautiful poinsettias for the holidays. Both events were extremely appreciated by the CMS staff. Thank you to Mary Jo Oakley and the hospitality committee for your time and efforts! The Nomination process to identify candidates for the PTO Board for the 2008-09 school year has just gotten underway. The nomination form is attached to this month’s In The Middle. Forms will also be available, in hard copy by the front office and we will send it around on our GMAIL with the weekly newsletters.. If you have the time and would like to help make a difference, we could use your help. Please return the completed form to the main office. Volunteering for the PTO is a wonderful way to be involved with your community and meet people. A big thank you is also needed for Linda Foster, who volunteered to help me with the weekly newsletter on the GMAIL system. It is a huge undertaking to gather the information and send it along to the over 900 email addresses that we maintain on the GMAIL (GOOGLE mail) system. We hope that you have found it helpful. As always, check out the COIN website, which is another key piece of information about the Middle school and all the schools in the district The Honeywell Instant Alert system seems to have been working well and has eliminated the need for the old-fashioned phone chain. As we have stressed all year, please make sure that you are logged onto the system and your information is updated. Once again, I would like to thank all of you who volunteer and support the PTO and its endeavors. We hope to see you at the Parent social and at the upcoming PTO meetings.

6 SIXTH GRADE NEWS

A game of chess, fireworks, $200,000,000, and a girl named Turtle!!!!

Those are just a few of the crazy elements of our newest novel: The Westing Game. This mystery is sure to keep us guessing as we try to figure out who murdered Sam Westing. Students have been assigned characters, and when we read as a class, they will read their character’s parts. This will make for a fun and interesting journey through the novel. Students will also work in small groups to try and piece together all of the clues. If you are looking for a well-written, humorous book with a crazy twist at the end, why not pick up The Westing Game and read along with us?

6th Grade Writing The third marking period places emphasis on descriptive writing. Students will learn ways to spice up their writing pieces with vivid word choices. We will incorporate figurative language into our writing and continue to use vivid adjectives, verbs, and adverbs to make our writing lively. Graph Project The sixth grade has completed their annual circle graph project. Students created their own survey questions to find out what the "average" sixth grader is like. They asked questions about school, home, free time, food, how families are alike and different, what sixth graders value most, and much more. Using this data, they converted their figures into fractions, decimals, and percents. Students completed their project by using Microsoft Excel to make eye catching, engaging posters of their findings. COME AND SEE THE RESULTS! All 300+ posters are in the upper theater lobby.

7 SEVENTH GRADE NEWS

With the second marking period coming to a close, the 7th grade English teachers want to remind everyone about Book Talk requirements. As you know, each student must complete a minimum of two per marking period; for each book talk not completed, the student will lose 10 points from their marking period average. There are many opportunities to present book talks. Time in class is allocated regularly; we are often available before and after school; study halls and lunch periods may also be good times. Please ask so that arrangements may be made. Additionally, special education teachers and Mrs. Connolly, our librarian, are also happy to listen to Book Talks. Ask your son or daughter where they stand. Maybe you can recommend a favorite novel that will spark their interest! Maybe they have a good suggestion for you. On November 19, 2007 a N.Y. Times headline read: “Study Links Drop in Test Scores to a Decline in Time Spent Reading”. In a report by the National Endowment for the Arts, they noted that “These trends are concurrent with a falloff in daily pleasure reading among young people as they progress from elementary to high school….The data also showed that students who read for fun nearly every day performed better on reading tests than those who reported reading never or hardly at all”. Whether you think this is alarming or over-stated, everyone agrees that a establishing a “culture of good reading habits” helps kids. The U.S.S.R. program at Chatham Middle School encourages students to read novels of their choice for fun! With our mini-February break ahead, what could be more

relaxing than a blazing fire, hot cocoa and a good book! Check out our beautiful new library and check out a novel!

8 EIGHTH GRADE NEWS

Well, it has been a fortuitous year for the 8th grade teachers and students, particularly with current events paralleling the new curriculum. After studying the basics of citizenship and major issues of the day, all 3 houses ran a political campaign as one of the major candidates for President. The project culminated in actual speeches in the CMS auditorium followed by a student Q & A in "town hall" fashion. Our attention then turned to the legislative branch and bill writing, which included committee debates and floor votes for passage. As on Capitol Hill, very few passed into law, illustrating the time, money, and frustration that accompanies the legislative process. Next, students will conduct a Mock Trial to better understand the workings of the criminal justice system and legislative branch. Ask your children how the case is progressing in the next few weeks!

Eighth Grade Health News

Chatham High School requires a physical exam for entrance to ninth grade next September, for the school year 2008-2009. Some important points:

• This exam must be recorded on the High School exam form.

• Forms will be available in the Health Office at the Middle School.

• The physical is valid for 365 days, therefore, if you are going to your physician anytime this year, please have the physical information recorded on the high school form. This will save a return visit for sports next year.

• This physical will be used for the required sports physical for FALL SPORTS.

• If your child is not playing sports next year, the information will be recorded on their health record for high school entrance.

GUIDELINES Carole Soder Abby Silverman Damon Wyatt The second half of the year in the Counseling Department carries with it a time of change. First, the Guidance Department has been renamed the School Counseling Department. All of the services will remain the same; just the name has changed! Another change that occurs is the transition process in scheduling. 6th and 7th grade parents will soon receive letters for students to choose their electives for next year. Please sign and return them promptly to the counseling office or certain electives may be closed.

Along with the scheduling process, eighth graders are preparing for their transition into high school. The homeroom teachers have already distributed a Program of Studies for 2008-2009 to each of the eighth grade students. Carole Soder held small group meetings to explain some of the transitional process. In order to acclimate 8th grade parents to the 9th grade, the high school will host two orientation programs for parents (only). The first one will be held on February 12th in the high school auditorium from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. The second orientation will focus primarily on curriculum and it will be held on February 26th from 7:00 to 8:45 p.m. On April 29th through May 2nd 7th and 8th graders will be taking the NJ ASK 7 and the NJ ASK 8 respectively. The eighth grade test was formerly named the GEPA and has been renamed to the NJ ASK 8. These state mandated assessments are administered to determine your child’s level of proficiency using the New Jersey Standards for Curriculum Content. The results of this assessment will be available by the end of the school year. Sixth graders will also by assessed by the state utilizing the NJ Assessment of Skills and Knowledge exam (NJ ASK). The mandatory state examination will be held the week after 7th and 8th graders are tested, May 5th through 8th. It will assess the proficiency level of students in the subjects of math, reading and writing. The results for this assessment will also be available at the end of the school year. Abby Silverman, Carole Soder, and Damon Wyatt continue to meet weekly with administration, teachers, and your children both individually and in groups. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. (973) 635-7243

FROM THE STUDENT ASSISTANCE COORDINATOR

Sandy Smith The following websites provide useful parenting information:

www.teenhelp.com www.connectwithkids.com

www.wiredsafety.org Another that is specific to alcohol/drugs is:

www.jointogether.org

February 4-9 is National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and Prevention Week. Here are some facts you should know*:

• 1 in 3 teenagers report knowing a friend or peer who has been hit, punched, kicked, slapped, choked or physically hurt by their partner.

• Nearly 1 in 5 teenage girls who have been in a relationship said a boyfriend had threatened violence or self-harm if presented with a break-up.

• If trapped in an abusive relationship, 73% of teens said they would turn to a friend for help; but only 33% who have been in or known about an abusive relationship said they have told anyone about it.

• 71% of teens regard boyfriends/girlfriends spreading rumors about them on cell phones and social networking sites as a serious problem.

• Nearly one in four teens in a relationship (24%) communicated with their partner via cell phone or texting HOURLY between midnight and 5:00am.

• One in three teens (30%) say they are text messaged 10, 20, 30 times an hour by a partner inquiring where they are, what they're doing, or who they're with.

* Liz Claiborne Inc. study on teen dating abuse conducted by Teenage Research Unlimited, February 2005 and January 2007. Even though your preteen may not be dating yet, use these facts to begin a conversation about safe and healthy relationships.

SAVE THE DATE: April 10, 2008 Bobby Petrocelli CHS auditorium, 7:30 p.m. Bobby returns to Chatham because of parent requests to present his program “10 Seconds Can Change Your World”. Don’t miss it!! If you have any questions about alcohol/drugs or other parenting issues, please contact me at 973-635-2971 or ssmith@chatham-nj.org

GIFTED AND TALENTED PROGRAM

Monica McNee Guinan

The enrichment component of the ACE Program enabled ten Chatham Middle School students to participate in the County Spelling Bee sponsored by the NJ Consortium for Gifted and Talented Programs. Charlotte Kwon received 10th place in the final round. Other members of the spelling bee team included Jake Budlow, Antonia Chan, Patricia Crigler, Julia Harrigan, Kaitlyn Helmstetter, Jessica

Lowe, Meghan Lyons (alternate), Julie Messing, Samanatha O’Brien and Kyle Roffina. Congratulations to Charlotte and all the students for a job well done. Congratulations, also, to both the Junior Varsity and Varsity Forensics Teams on a terrific job at the Oral Interpretation Tournament held on December 1, 2007 at Chatham Middle School. The following CMS students received awards at the event: Junior Varsity: Ellie Zachariades – Second Place Sarah Thomson – Third Place Kira Gavalakis – Fourth Place Varsity: Kendall Contri – First Place Courtney Johnson – Second Place Sarah Lamb – Third Place Claire Chatinover – Fourth Place Tess Frenzel – Fifth Place The next tournament, TheatreFest 2008, will be held on March 15, 2008 from 9:30 am – 2:00 pm at Chatham Middle School. The Chatham Middle School KnowledgeMasters Team placed 5th in New Jersey and 96th overall in the country on the Fall KnowledgeMasters Challenge. This is the best overall performance ever for the CMS team. Congratulations to KMO team members Nathan Busam, Robert Costanzo, Patricia Crigler, Cuyler Lam, Julia Harrigan, Charlotte Kwon, Julie Messing, Michael Molisani, Ben Romero, Dylan Toolajian, and Charlie Zachariades. Three Chatham Middle School students participating in the Fall Stock Market Game received awards at the Stock Market Game Awards Ceremony on January 16, 2008. Sixth graders Kennedy Krauss, Logan Loeloff and Bennett Wildauer received third place in the northern region – middle school division. It was tough competition for ten weeks as many of the middle school stock market

game participants traded places in the top ten. Congratulations to Kennedy, Logan and Bennett and all the Stock Market Game participants for an excellent performance! The Jr. Model UN participants will be attending the Jr. Model UN Day on February 8, 2008. Important information regarding the field trip was sent home with the students. The Mock Trial Group is preparing their case to present at the Chatham Borough Municipal Court in April. The Workshop for the Arts Group enjoyed an exciting two-day seminar in art, music, dance, drama, and creative writing on January. The students attended workshops in the arts on the first day and spent the second day developing a creative presentation of a pre-written scenario. The students incorporated script writing, acting techniques, music and dance into a dramatic presentation which was presented in the afternoon on the second day. CASGATE (Chatham Supports Gifted and Talented Students) Parent Speaker Series: Topic: Dealing With the Emotional Components of Gifted Children Speaker: Dr. Ofelia Rodriquez Srednicki, Associate Professor of Psychology, Montclair State University Date: March 25, 2008 Time: 7 PM Place: Milton Avenue School Library Early March begins Family Theatre Week in New Jersey. During this time many opportunities to attend plays and/or classes free of charge or at a minimal fee are offered by theaters across New Jersey. For more information you may call 973-593-0189 or visit the website at www.familyweek.com.

FOR YOUR INFORMATION! OUT OF DISTRICT PROGRAMS AND CONFERENCES The New Jersey Association for Gifted Children is sponsoring the 2008 Annual Conference on Gifted Education on February 29 – March 1, 2008 at the Westin Princeton. The Conference includes a Friday Family Fun Night, which in the past, has been educational and fun and Saturday is dedicated to parents and students. If you are interested in attending the conference, information is available by contacting NJAGC: phone (856) 273 - 7530 or the NJAGC website: www.njagc.org. Additional ACE Program class schedules are available in the Guidance Office or on the windowsill of the balcony lobby. Schedules are also available at www.chatham-nj.org. Click on “Gifted and Talented Programs.” If you have any questions, please leave a message on my voice mail, 635-7254, Ext. 233.

Health Office News To be compliant with state immunization requirements, as of September 2008 all 6th graders will be required to have at least one dose of the Meningitis Vaccine. Please see attached for more information. Any questions please call our health office at 973-635-5738 or e-mail sbutler@chatham-nj.org.

Foreign Language News In December, French students in Mme. DeMallie's, Mme. Neto's and Dr. Jensen's classes had the opportunity to learn first hand about life in France and Christmas customs. Marine Christophe, a 20 year old French woman, is spending the school year living with a family in Chatham. She hopes to become a teacher, and offered her time to come in and meet with us. She answered our questions about French holiday traditions and explained the many courses typically included in the bountiful Christmas Eve late dinner called "Le Reveillon". Marine was familiar with Santa's flying reindeer, but had never heard of Rudolph! Marine also shared her impressions of life here in the States. She found Americans very warm and welcoming. She misses her friends back home, but wants to take advantage of the time she's able to spend here in this country. When asked a question about school lunches, she was surprised that our lunchtime was typically around 25 minutes as opposed to a much longer full course, hot meal served in the French cafeteria for lunch! (Of course, because of the longer lunchtimes, a French student's school day extends way past 3:00. Our students were not too interested in that idea.) We thanked Marine for sharing her thoughts and giving us another opportunity to practice our French!

CHATHAM EDUCATION

FOUNDATION Seeking Time and Talent!

The Chatham Education Foundation is currently seeking a few new trustees to join our Board in July 2008. Are you someone who has experience or skills in fundraising, corporate funds solicitation, accounting/finance, grant administration, publicity, or non-profit organizations in general? The Board of Trustees meets monthly during the school year usually on the third or fourth Tuesday evening of the month. We invite you to fill out a Trustee Interest Form which can be downloaded from our website at www.chatham-nj.org/coin/cef (under how to help) and mail it to: Chatham Education Foundation, P.O. Box 81, Chatham, NJ 07928 ATTN: Nominations Chairperson Questions may be addressed to: Sherri Carlton, Nominations Chairperson, at (973) 665-0811.

Physical Education News Open Gym activities began on Monday, November 26 and will end on Wednesday, February 27. This program is open to all students, to provide an opportunity to expand skills and knowledge gained from the physical education program. This

program also affords an opportunity for participation and competition in a variety of sports activities. Open gym is from 2:45-3:25pm and no one will be permitted to leave early unless signed out by a parent or guardian. Students medically excused from PE that day will not be able to participate in open gym. A late bus will be available. The following schedule will be followed:

Monday – 6th Grade Only Tuesday – 7th Grade Only

Wednesday – 8th Grade Only

Box Tops for Education is underway and the Physical Education Department will be collecting box tops now until February 22nd. The boy and girl in each grade who brings in the most box tops will win a prize. Don’t forget the deadline is February 22nd.

Builders Club News Along with our usual activities such as monthly mailings for the Municipal Alliance Committee and helping with district and community activities, the Builders Club sponsored several fund raisers so that contributions could be sent to local organizations. Entertainment 2008 Coupon Books and specialty lollipop sales helped support donations to The Chatham Emergency Squad, The Raptor Trust, St. Huberts Giralda, and The Seeing Eye. The Builders Club sponsored the Annual Holiday Food Collection to replenish the stock of the Interfaith Food Pantry in Morris County. Many bags of canned and dry goods were delivered during the holidays by Mrs. Cooperman and Mr. Groff. For the second year in a row, Mrs. Hassert’s seventh grade homeroom won this competition; they will be given a pizza party to reward them for their efforts. Mrs. Rutkowski’s eighth grade homeroom finished second and Mrs. Cooperman’s seventh grade homeroom placed third.

The Builders Club and the C.M.S. Student Council have been involved in an after school recycling program. Recycling activities are of primary importance to the families in Chatham and the students at C.M.S. are proud to be a part of this. In March, there will be a No Idling Campaign after school. Pamphlets and signs will help remind drivers that keeping their car engine running, while they wait to pick up their children, wastes gasoline and pollutes the air. Many members of the Builders Club are taking part in the school musical, in the cast or as members of one of the crews. Upcoming activities include a Bowlathon to raise money for the Valerie Fund and participation in the Mathathon sponsored by St. Judes Childrens Hospital. Builders Club students will be assisting the Kiwanis of the Chatham’s with their annual Fish and Chips Dinner in March. This event is held at Chatham High School and is one of the most popular events in Chatham. Other activities include the Annual Stuffed Animal Pet Show. Students may bring in their stuffed animals and enter them in special categories such as Softest, Longest, Best Holiday Outfit, and Most Loved. Prizes are awarded for first, second, and third place. The “Entrance Fee” is $1.00 or a box of Kleenex or a role of paper towels which are donated to the Raptor Trust to help with the care of orphaned baby birds and ducks that are brought there in the spring. Elementary aged siblings of Builders Club members are invited to participate in this event also. The Builders Club really appreciates all the support that students, parents, administration and teaching staff have shown throughout the year. Best wishes for the coming year!