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News from Simmons Simmons Middle School 6450 W. 95th Street Oak Lawn, IL 60453 708/599/8540 Fax 8015 (simmons.ridgeland122.com) October 2011 / Newsletter Important Dates October 6thParent/Teacher Conferences 5pm-8pm October 7thNO SCHOOL & Parent/Teacher Conferences 9am12pm October 10thNO SCHOOLColumbus Day October 31stNO SCHOOLTeacher Insti- tute Day School Hours: 7:50AM Arrival/Entrance Bell 8:00AM Class Begins 2:30PM Dismissal Bell If your student is absent for any reason please call the attendance office at 708-599- 8540 before 9:00am or leave a message on the Simmons answering machine. Dear Simmons Families, Our school year is underway and everyone is starting to get comfortable in their new surroundings. We are so pleased with how well the beginning of the school year has gone. It was great to see so many families come out for open house. Our PTA had record book fair sales this year thanks to the support of our Simmons Families! As we go deeper into the school year we want to encourage all of our Simmons Middle School families to stay involved with your children’s education. Here are just a few of the ways that you can get involved and stay connected to Simmons Middle School: 1. Join the PTAthis parent-teacher organization sponsors many events that support our children both educationally and socially. From book fairs to student socials to fundraising, our PTA sup- ports the students and activities at Simmons Middle School. Please consider joining. Forms are available in our office. 2. Attend Parent-Teacher Conferencesconferences will be held on October 6th from 5:00-8:00pm and on October 7th from 9:00am-12:00pm. Please use this opportunity to pick up your child’s ISAT report, MAP testing results, and their progress report and to meet with your child’s teach- ers. Working as partners, we can help your child to succeed. 3. Visit our websiteWe are so pleased that Mr. Abramczyk is our new IT at Simmons Middle School. He has already made some fabulous changes to our website and is constantly working to keep it up to date. On our website you can check your child’s homework assignments, or catch photos, video, and highlights from Simmons Events. You can also see our most up-to-date and past newsletters and calendars. Be sure to check it out. 4. Sign up for Parent Portal—this online system will allow you to see your child’s grades, atten- dance and help you to monitor your child’s progress. We will have additional signup forms available at Parent-Teacher Conferences. If you are having any trouble using the system, please feel free to contact us. 5. Attend Monthly Principal’s Coffees—We will be holding a casual monthly Principal coffee be- ginning this October. This will give you the opportunity to meet with the administrative team Simmons Middle School and hear short presentation based on educational topics. This month’s topic will be Assessment. We will be discussing the upcoming Explore exam that our 8th graders will be taking at the end of October. This test is used to help determine recommendations for course placement at the high school level. J We will also be available to discuss ISAT results and MAP data and to answer any questions that you may have about your child’s results. We hope that you can join us on October 20th at 9:00am and 3:30pm. 6. Attend sporting eventsOur softball and cross country events are coming to a close after an ex- citing season. Girls Basketball and Boys Volleyball seasons will be getting underway so please come out and support our Simmons Knights! Yours for Children, Mrs. Flood, Mr. McDermott, and Mr. Simpson

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Page 1: News from Simmonsimages.pcmac.org/SiSFiles/Schools/IL/Ridgeland...News fromSimmons e School ISAT report, MAP testing results, and their progress report and to meet with your child’s

News from Simmons

Sim

mons M

iddle S

chool

6450 W

. 95th

Street O

ak L

awn, IL

60453

708/5

99/8

540 F

ax 8

015 (sim

mons.rid

gelan

d122.co

m)

Octo

ber 2

011

/ New

sletter

Important Dates

October 6th—Parent/Teacher Conferences

5pm-8pm

October 7th—NO SCHOOL & Parent/Teacher

Conferences 9am—12pm

October 10th—NO SCHOOL—Columbus

Day

October 31st—NO SCHOOL—Teacher Insti-

tute Day

School Hours:

7:50AM Arrival/Entrance Bell

8:00AM Class Begins

2:30PM Dismissal Bell

If your student is absent for any reason

please call the attendance office at 708-599-

8540 before 9:00am or leave a message on

the Simmons answering machine.

Dear Simmons Families,

Our school year is underway and everyone is starting to get comfortable in their new surroundings.

We are so pleased with how well the beginning of the school year has gone. It was great to see so

many families come out for open house. Our PTA had record book fair sales this year thanks to the

support of our Simmons Families! As we go deeper into the school year we want to encourage all of

our Simmons Middle School families to stay involved with your children’s education. Here are just a

few of the ways that you can get involved and stay connected to Simmons Middle School:

1. Join the PTA—this parent-teacher organization sponsors many events that support our children

both educationally and socially. From book fairs to student socials to fundraising, our PTA sup-

ports the students and activities at Simmons Middle School. Please consider joining. Forms are

available in our office.

2. Attend Parent-Teacher Conferences—conferences will be held on October 6th from 5:00-8:00pm

and on October 7th from 9:00am-12:00pm. Please use this opportunity to pick up your child’s

ISAT report, MAP testing results, and their progress report and to meet with your child’s teach-

ers. Working as partners, we can help your child to succeed.

3. Visit our website– We are so pleased that Mr. Abramczyk is our new IT at Simmons Middle

School. He has already made some fabulous changes to our website and is constantly working to

keep it up to date. On our website you can check your child’s homework assignments, or catch

photos, video, and highlights from Simmons Events. You can also see our most up-to-date and

past newsletters and calendars. Be sure to check it out.

4. Sign up for Parent Portal—this online system will allow you to see your child’s grades, atten-

dance and help you to monitor your child’s progress. We will have additional signup forms

available at Parent-Teacher Conferences. If you are having any trouble using the system, please

feel free to contact us.

5. Attend Monthly Principal’s Coffees—We will be holding a casual monthly Principal coffee be-

ginning this October. This will give you the opportunity to meet with the administrative team

Simmons Middle School and hear short presentation based on educational topics. This month’s

topic will be Assessment. We will be discussing the upcoming Explore exam that our 8th graders

will be taking at the end of October. This test is used to help determine recommendations for

course placement at the high school level. J We will also be available to discuss ISAT results and

MAP data and to answer any questions that you may have about your child’s results. We hope

that you can join us on October 20th at 9:00am and 3:30pm.

6. Attend sporting events– Our softball and cross country events are coming to a close after an ex-

citing season. Girls Basketball and Boys Volleyball seasons will be getting underway so please

come out and support our Simmons Knights!

Yours for Children,

Mrs. Flood, Mr. McDermott, and Mr. Simpson

Page 2: News from Simmonsimages.pcmac.org/SiSFiles/Schools/IL/Ridgeland...News fromSimmons e School ISAT report, MAP testing results, and their progress report and to meet with your child’s

PBIS Lunch Time Website Updates

Promoting Positive Behaviors

Good Character, Good Decisions

PBIS is going strong here at Simmons Middle School. The

students are working daily on the 3 R’s (RESPECT SELF,

RESPECT OTHERS, and RESPECT PROPERTY). Dona-

tions for PBIS rewards are being accepted all school year.

Students can bring their donations to their first period teacher.

We are well into the school year and students are stopping by my

office complaining of sore throats, upset stomachs and headaches.

These are just a few issues that the students deal with on a regular

basis. Most of these complaints can be solved with simple remedies.

Our environment is loaded with substances that can irritate the

throat, especially if the student breathes through their mouth. Send-

ing a note with a few throat lozenges would be helpful. The student

can then stop in my office with the note so they can be cleared to

carry them.

Upset stomachs can be due to skipping breakfast, not drinking

enough fluids, and bowel irregularities. Students are allowed to take

a few minutes to rest, use the bathroom if needed, and have a light

snack from the cafeteria. They are encouraged to eat breakfast at

home or here at school .

Headaches are often caused by stress and/or a lack of liquids. Stu-

dent at this age often do not drink enough water, juice or milk to stay

hydrated. With adequate fluids, a short rest period, most students

can return to class.

What about adequate sleep? Researchers at Stanford University

Page 2

Student Council

Nurse’s Corner

SIM M ONS MI DDLE S CHO OL

Congratulations to our new Student Council Representatives listed below. They will soon be attending a Leadership Training day in Oct.

We will then begin our work at Simmons Middle School.

Mary Quinn, RN ILCSN

Simmons Middle School Nurse

Just Say No PBIS 2011

This month we had our first meeting! We set dates for

the next few weeks and talked about the expectation of

the club. The students had some great ideas and we are

very excited to get started planning activities for the

school year. First on our schedule is Red Ribbon Week.

More information will follow about what we are doing

for Red Ribbon Week.

studied teenager sleep patterns. The results of the study showed

that teenagers need more sleep than their younger siblings. The

recommended time for sleep is between 9-10 hours per night. It is

believed that at this age students bodies are changing at a rapid rate

and hormones that are critical to growth are released mostly during

sleep. Signs of sleep deprivation are: difficulty waking up in the

morning; irritability in the afternoon; falling asleep during the day;

oversleeping on the weekend; having difficulty remembering or

concentrating; and waking up often and having trouble going back

to sleep.

As parents, you can set the rules about adequate sleep, healthy

foods, and setting a daily routine for your children. Together we

can promote healthy habits and look forward to a successful year.

Feel free to call me with any questions you may have.

Mo Abdelsalem

Alexandra Aguirre

Rawan Alsalhi

Jacob Asfour

Stefen Bernitt

Raneen Bishawi

Brianna Boseman

Amanda Bulow

Alex Cruz

Felix Cruz

Brendon Juarez

Madelyn Kean

Aseel Khatib

Jelana Kissling

Amanda Komperda

Jon Konopinski

Isabel Kozlowski

Patti Kucharska

Pawl Las

Mia Loya

Daisy Magana

Max Maturlak

Ryan McNamara

Alyssa Mellas

Izeaha Morales

Bernie Muransky

Suzy Nowak

Adem Osmani

David Pawlikowski

Eulises Pena Bello

Yaritza Porras

Joras Ramirez

Brett Risley

Adem Sabriu

Mohammed

Salameh

Yesenia Salvador

Yara Sarhan

Steven Sawicki

Javaris Shorter

Nicole Sowa

Olivia Stelter

Giselle Telles

Francisco Vazquez

Marianna Vazquez

Rudy Yates

Luz Cruz

Alexis Fernandez

Tommy Glodo

Kailey Greene

Ricki Guajardo

Samantha Izaguirre

Jake Janicke

Marco Jimenez

Lucas Jimenez

Tabatha Joechle

Page 3: News from Simmonsimages.pcmac.org/SiSFiles/Schools/IL/Ridgeland...News fromSimmons e School ISAT report, MAP testing results, and their progress report and to meet with your child’s

SI MM ONS M I DDLE S CHOO L Page 3

Athletics

Physical Education

SST will have its first meeting on

Tuesday, October 18. We will meet

in room 222 until 3:00. All new

members are welcome to come!

This first meeting will prove to be

very "cool."

NJHS SST

The Cross Country team ended their sea-

son on September 26th at the conference

meet. All of our runners improved their

times throughout the year due to their hard

work and dedication. Even better, our

team showed true character as athletes by

running alongside their teammates when

they were tired, teaching each other new

drills and looking out for one another at

practice and in school. We are so proud of

all our runners and can't wait to see you

back next year!

Coach Stanek, Coach Cosich and Coach

Demma

The Boys’ softball team has had a tough run

as of late losing two consecutive extra inning

games. With a record of 2-6, the Knights

look to gain momentum going into the SWIC

conference tournament. The offense has been

powered by Steven Sawicki and Marcus

Favila, while Marco Jimenez has been the

most improved player taking great strides on

the mound. Cody McGrath and Ryan Quinn

have been stellar on defense. Good luck and

let’s sneak up on some teams!

The Lady Knights have been

battling off the rain and the oth-

ers teams to stay competitive in

the SWIC Conference. Marisa

Loya has been dominating the

league in pitching and the

Knight’s bats have been steadily

improving over the season. The

Lady Knights are hoping to pick-

up a few more wins and momen-

tum before heading into play-

offs. The team has shown great

improvement and looks to finish

the season

with Simmons

first playoff

win.

NJHS is off to a great

start! We held our first

few meetings and are

ecstatic at the great turn-

out! NJHS members

please remember we will

meet each week on Fri-

day’s for approximately 20 minutes after

school. Before inductions in 2012, second

year members must have completed 40 hours

of community service and first year members

must have 15 hours. We are hoping to have a

fun-filled year completing some great projects

and fundraisers. If you have any questions,

please see Mrs. Velasco or Mrs. Garcia.

PE uniforms arrived late this year but have been distributed to all students. Please remind your child to wear their uniform daily and have

gym shoes. Some of the activities the students will be participating in this tri-semester include kickball, volleyball, ultimate frisbee, yoga,

hockey, flicker ball

and more.

NJHS Car Wash Fundraiser

September 24, 2011

gym

Page 4: News from Simmonsimages.pcmac.org/SiSFiles/Schools/IL/Ridgeland...News fromSimmons e School ISAT report, MAP testing results, and their progress report and to meet with your child’s

In literature, we are reading "Casey at the Bat" and creating baseball cards for the main character. In language arts, the yellow team just

completed their Museum of Me presentations and wrote their "Dear me" letters. Mrs. Valerio's class is just finishing up their Museum Of

Me presentations. We are learning a plethora of interesting facts about each other. In science the students have just finished learning about

lab safety and are leading into their first lab! They will learn the parts of the microscope and get to use them to look at animal cells! In

math we are into Chapter 1 of our Math textbooks. The students have just finished learning about variable expressions and exponents. We

will be moving into the Order of Operations, where the students will be SINGING the "rules" to the Order of Operations to try and remem-

ber it easier. Parents should be aware there will be another song being sung at home besides their Spanish alphabet! Spanish students are

currently learning numbers as well as how to ask someone's age and where they are from. In social studies students are discovering the Age

of Exploration by taking on the role of an explorer and creating an artifact to share with their classmates.

Page 4 SIM M ONS MI DDLE S CHO OL

8th Grade

7th Grade

Greetings 8th grade parents and students. The first trimester is off to a great start! Here are the interesting things happening in 8th grade. 8th grade literature students are studying a variety of literary terms

and analyzing their favorite children’s book to identify all ele-

ments that we have covered. Following these projects, we will

begin to use these elements to comprehend and explore Paul Zin-

del’s novel, The Pigman.

Advanced literature students will be analyzing critical story ele-

ments in their favorite children’s stories and poems. They will use

this knowledge to comprehend and examine elements in Of Mice

and Men by: John Steinbeck.

In language arts, students will be giving speeches about them-

selves. They will be creating personal portfolios, and will present

objects that have had an impact on their lives which have allowed

them to grow into the young adults that they are today. Following

these presentations, students will focus on word choice and sen-

tence structure to communicate clear ideas in their 100 word sto-

ries.

During Spanish we have been learning to identify items in the

kitchen and at the kitchen table. We’ve also learned to express

obligation, wishes and preferences. In addition we’ve learned so

much from the Venezuelan cultural such as their famous exporta-

tion items, famous waterfalls, and their delicious food. We are

currently learning what ingredients are used in making "Arepas" a

In the sixth grade there are many wonderful things happening in

class. We are working to make this transition to Middle school

easier for each student. We have worked on locker organization

and moving class to class. We have implemented a stamper tracker

for all of our students. The students will have the ability to earn

stamps from the teachers and there are various reward activities

they can participate in. We are reading many wonderful short sto-

ries in Literature class and working on our reading strategies pro-

vided by our consultant, Gretchen Courtney. In Language Arts, we

are writing, writing, and writing some more. We are working on

making strong sentences, proper use of grammar in the context of

our writing, and vocabulary. In math class, the 6th grade will be

6th Grade

covering number patterns, fractions and fraction operations. During

social studies class, the 6th will learn about how geography, espe-

cially rivers, affected civilizations. In Art, Purple Team students just

finished a drawing of their name using the rule of Perspective to

create a 3-D effect. Students are beginning a Pop-Art Self Portrait

that will focus on the pen and ink technique of stippling and use of

value to create a realistic form to their face. Weather and Climate is

the first book that we will be covering in sixth grade Science. We

will learn all about weather cycles and even learn how to predict

weather. We have learned all about the layers of the atmosphere and

how it heats itself. We will also learn all about air pollution and how

to prevent it.

traditional Venezuelan dish.

8th grade Science is working on matter and the states of matter. One

of the questions we are investigating is "Does air take up space?" If

not, then is air matter? Shortly we will be learning about the ele-

ments on the periodic table and the structure of the atom.

In social studies, students are studying the reconstruction era in our

history. The students are learning that bringing our country back

together after the civil war was not an easy task. The south was tat-

tered and torn by the war. Houses, plantations, and railroads were

burnt to the ground. The southern economy was in ruins. Many

years went by before the south could function again.

Algebra is off to a great start. Students had been working on expres-

sions, equations, and inequalities. We have also been facing our fear

of large word problems and tackling them head on! The students have

been working in groups and with partners to explain their thinking in

order to develop an understanding for mathematical problems instead

of just memorizing formulas. Also try to visit classzone.com; it is an

excellent resource for extra practice and tutorials. Math is like an old

friend, consistent is very ways, sometimes frustrating, but it is AL-

WAYS there!

Page 5: News from Simmonsimages.pcmac.org/SiSFiles/Schools/IL/Ridgeland...News fromSimmons e School ISAT report, MAP testing results, and their progress report and to meet with your child’s

Ayyob Mustafa

Zuzanna Nowak

Donald Nugent

Miles O’Brien

Jennifer Ogrodny

Christina Oprzedek

Karoline Para

Yaritza Porras

Gabriell Prochaska

Larissa Ptak

Natalia Rafacz

Qamar Rihan

Alexis Safstrom

Jasmine Schutt

Alejandro Serna Villal-

pando

Taylor Skala

Shaquira Smith

William Stubitsch

Rodrigo Zavala-Avalos

PT

A

Anthony Glover

Jennifer Gonzalez

Alexis Gratsonis

Aleksandra Gronski

Enrique Guajardo

Mahmoud Hussein

Olivia Jebreal

Madelyn Kean

LeAnne Kommenich

Jonathan Konopinski

Isabel Kozlowski

Alexis LaBarbera

Shane Land

Eduardo Liquez

Isayah Liquez

Diamond Mitchell

Ahmad Mohammad

Yasmeen AbuSamra

Makenna Arnold

Moises Avila

Tamara Benson

Alyssa Bitner

David Blacha

Zandra Bledsoe

Conor Burke

Adrian Castillo

Raymond Castillo

Jesse Compean

Maria Delgado

Timothy Doran

Allison Dusek

Luis Fierros

Karolina Galica

Anna Gil

Join us in wishing our students a Happy Birthday!

Octo

ber

September Student of the Month

Blue Team—Christian Calderon

Green Team—Muneer Awad

Red Team—Michael Cieczak

Yellow Team—Alexis Safstrom

Orange Team—Alex Correa

Purple Team– Maddy Kean

Thank you to the parents and faculty that stopped by the PTA table during the open houses whether it was to purchase

donuts, register, or just introduce themselves.

The Scholastic Book Fair was a success! Thank you to everyone who visited the book fair and to the parents that donated

their time to assist with the book fair. It looks like our students will start the year off with some good books to read! The

Orange team brought in the most change and won a few books for the team! Way to go!

We are looking forward to the 6th, 7th, & 8th grade socials. There will be a drawing for gift baskets at each dance; one for

boys and one for girls.

Upcoming PTA events……

October 13th—PTA Meeting 2:45pm

October 21st—6th Grade Social 2:30pm—4:00pm

November 4th—7th & 8th Grade Social 2:30pm—4:00pm

The vender fair that was scheduled for October 21st has been CANCELLED!!!!

Page 6: News from Simmonsimages.pcmac.org/SiSFiles/Schools/IL/Ridgeland...News fromSimmons e School ISAT report, MAP testing results, and their progress report and to meet with your child’s

Students gather outside Friday, September 9th to

remember the victims of September 11, 2001 P

rom

eth

ean

Bu

s V

isits

Sim

mon

s

Simmons Softball

Page 7: News from Simmonsimages.pcmac.org/SiSFiles/Schools/IL/Ridgeland...News fromSimmons e School ISAT report, MAP testing results, and their progress report and to meet with your child’s

6th GRADE

PURPLE TEAM

Mrs. Bentley

[email protected]

Ms. Cosich

[email protected]

Mrs. Kirk

[email protected]

Mr. Kuzanek

[email protected]

ORANGE TEAM

Ms. Korkosz

[email protected]

Ms. McGraw

[email protected]

Mrs. Skendzel

[email protected]

Ms. Stanek

[email protected]

Mr. Wichert

[email protected]

7th GRADE

RED TEAM

Mrs. Brooks

[email protected]

Mrs. Dasbach

[email protected]

Mrs. Poetz

[email protected]

Ms. Sauter

[email protected]

Mrs. Small

[email protected]

YELLOW TEAM

Mr. Blabas

[email protected]

Mrs. Chavosky

[email protected]

Mrs. Demma

[email protected]

Mrs. Valerio

[email protected]

8th GRADE

BLUE TEAM

Ms. Borchers

[email protected]

Mr. Gath

[email protected]

Ms. Hornik

[email protected]

Mrs. Valderrama

[email protected]

Ms. Wells

[email protected]

GREEN TEAM

Ms. Barry

[email protected]

Mrs. Chavosky

[email protected]

Mrs. Garcia

[email protected]

Ms. Price

[email protected]

Mrs. Vieni

[email protected]

PE/HEALTH

Mr. Burton

[email protected]

Mrs. Cherco

[email protected]

Mrs. Francis

[email protected]

Mr. Hunt

[email protected]

Mr. John

[email protected]

Ms. Rusch

[email protected]

Administrators

Mrs. Flood

[email protected]

Mr. McDermott

[email protected]

Mr. Simpson

[email protected]

Social Workers

Mrs. Daglas

[email protected]

Mrs. Wilson

[email protected]

Nurse

Mrs. Quinn

[email protected]

Speech

Ms. McNally

[email protected]

ELL

Ms. AbuRabah

[email protected]

Mr. Yasin

[email protected]

E-Mail

SIM M ONS MI DDLE S CHO OL Page 7