January 2016 - Grissom Middle School

 Grissom News and
Views
January 2016
Comments from Mr. Boyd,
Principal and Mrs. Dean-Null,
​
​
Assistant Principal
Dear Parents and Guardians, Thank you to everyone who attended our holiday concert performances. We deeply
appreciate families making the time and commitment to celebrate both the season and our
students’ efforts. All of our performances highlighted the many talents of our children, as well as
the skillful guidance of our staff. In addition, it is with excitement regarding student growth that
we begin our transition into the second semester, focused on sustaining our momentum towards
our children’s achievement goals. As an important reminder, this year’s ISTEP+ test given in
March-April 2016 has changed significantly. It will continue to be called ISTEP+, however, the
new ISTEP+ test will measure the ​
New Indiana College and Career Academic Standards​
adopted
by the State Board of Education. The new Indiana Academic Standards have fewer standards per
grade within the Math and English Language Arts curriculum, however, the rigor and intensity is
deeper. In turn, our students are gaining depth of knowledge versus covering a lot of material
with limited understanding. ​
We look forward to partnering with you as our Grissom students
work hard in preparation for ISTEP+ and grow academically and personally each day!
ISTEP+ Experience Online
The Indiana Department of Education is providing the ISTEP+ “Experience” opportunity through
Pearson. The purpose of Experience is for students, educators, parents, and community members to see
how test items similar to those on the ISTEP+ Part 2 assessment are presented in the online system.
You can access the ISTEP+ Experience on the following IDOE website:
http://www.doe.in.gov/assessment/experience-online
Once on the main page of the Experience ISTEP page, access the practice assessment found in the
following link:​
download.pearsonaccessnext.com/IN/in-practice-tests-links.html (link is external)​
.
The answer keys for the Experience Online Assessment can also be located on the main page.
This information is also posted on the Grissom website under Academics >> ISTEP+ >> ​
Prepare Your
​
Child for Spring 2016 ISTEP+​
.
Info from the PTO: Please join our PTO email list. To get your name added just email us at [email protected] We are
looking for parents to help support our school. Please e-mail us at [email protected] or stop by
the office and fill out a volunteer from.
8th Grade Students & Parents:
January through March​
– Grissom counselors meet individually with students to review
Penn course selection, four year plan, and to discuss career and college goals.
Week of February 1​
–Penn High School will notify the parents of students selected in the
Summer School PE Lottery. (Applications were due December 18th. )
Friday, February 26​
– Payment due to ​
Penn High School Bookstore​
for those selected from the summer
PE lottery
Make sure to look at the Incoming Freshmen information posted on the Penn High School Website.
*****************************************************************************************
Grissom students have been completing Career and Interest Inventory activities, during FOCUS time. As
a wonderful follow up, all students and parents are encouraged to explore the many wonderful
resources on the Learnmoreindiana.org website.
**************************************
Setting S.M.A.R.T Goals
The New Year is notorious for inspiring transformation. Whether it be marked by a new gym
membership, savings account, or other commitment, this time of year reminds us to be better
than we were before and to try again. ​
Middle school is no different!​
As the new calendar year
​
begins, the last academic marking period winds to a close and students have the chance to
clear the ledger and start fresh one more time. So for all of us, it seems fitting to remember
some tips for making change. As a first step, setting a goal will give your New Year’s resolution
specific direction. After all, as the great Yogi Berra said, “If you don’t know where you are
going, you might wind up someplace else.” But what separates a good goal from a great goal?
A goal that can be achieved is a great goal indeed. SMART is one acronym to use when setting
a goal to avoid common pitfalls and fully load your chances for success by examining the specifics that often go
unnoticed. Smart goals are: ​
S​
pecific, ​
M​
easurable, involve ​
A​
ction, are ​
R​
ealistic, and in a specified ​
T​
ime frame.
For example, a vague goal to get better grades this quarter,but a SMART goal might be to improve Math(specific) from
a C to a B (realistic and measurable) this quarter (time) by doing homework every night(action).
The action plan needed will be to write down assignments and have a set time and place at home each night for doing
work. To really kick your plan into high gear, consider keeping track of your progress with an old fashioned paper and
pencil placed somewhere to remind you. This will not only serve as a reminder as you stumble into it, but the info you
collect will help you troubleshoot if the goal is a bust. A simple checklist will do. As in the example above, circle on a
calendar each day that math homework was turned in, star the days when the homework routine at home was
followed, and each Monday note the current class grade in the margin. I’m often surprised by my records where the
sticking points are hiding!Students can also request a one-on-one appointment with their counselor at school to work on
setting goals, and a worksheet is available on the goal setting bulletin board across from the treasurer’s office. As with
anything, practice makes perfect, so don’t give up! And, have a Happy New Year from all of us in the PAC office!
Indiana’s 21st Century Scholars Program
Prepare – Plan – Pay for College
For income-eligible Hoosier students, the 21st Century Scholars Program offers tuition assistance,
college and career readiness through the ​
Scholar Success Program​
, and other support services. Visit
Scholars.IN.gov, click the link above or contact your child’s GMS counselor for more information.
Application deadline is June 30, of the student’s 8th grade year. News from Miss Grossnickle, Assistant to the Principal
Academic Super Bowl teams will be having practices beginning the second week of January.
Academic Super Bowl is sponsored by Purdue University with the theme this year being
“Hoosier Heritage”.
Our teams and coaches include: Math – Mr. Akers
Science – Mrs. A. Gouker
Language Arts – Ms. Jarrett
Social Studies – Miss Biek
Interested students need to speak with any of the coaches or Miss Grossnickle to sign up.
We encourage all of our students to seek out opportunities to expand and enrich their middle school academic
experiences.
News from Mrs. Gouker, 6th/7th grade Science Teacher and Science Academic Super Bowl Coach Science Super Bowl I'd like to thank all the science teachers for encouraging students to join the Science Academic Super Bowl
Team. If your son or daughter (grades 6-8) is interested in joining the team, please have them pick up a
permission slip, meeting dates and times, and competition information from me in room 168. The first practice is
scheduled for ​
Tuesday, January 12 from 8-8:45 in room 168.​I am looking forward to working with a great group of
students.
Attention 6th and 7th Grade science students and parents:
We have been working diligently in our science lab notebooks. As a result, your son or daughter will most likely be
needing a composition notebook sometime during the second semester once their lab notebook is full. Please do not
let your child throw away the full science lab notebook. We will need it to study for the ECA in May.
Thank you!
Mrs. Angie Gouker
January & February Intramurals Encourage your student to sign up for Intramurals. Sheets are posted in the Cafeteria and an Activity Bus is available on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons for after school activities. The Bus makes six stops and leaves the school promptly at 5:00pm. Mr. Mark Burns is the Intramural Coordinator, questions can be directed to him. Here are the Intramurals and dates. Information can also be found on the Grissom Website. Go to Athletics>>Intramurals Ping Pong
Mural Painting
7 on 7 Football
Battle of the Books
January 5, 12, 19, & 26
February 2, 9, 16, & 23
January 5, 7, 12, 14, 26
February 2, 9, 16, & 23
January 5,7,12, 14, 21, 26, & 28
February 2, 4, 9, 11, 18, 23 & 25
January 14
February 11
4:00pm to 5:00pm
4:00pm to 5:00pm
7:30am to 8:45am
8:00am to 9:00am
LGIs
Room 202
Gym
IMC
Something to think about… High school students weren’t even able to make it through a sleep study session without
resisting the urge to respond to that late night text. The effect of smartphones on teenagers’
sleep is the focus of new research by ​
JFK Medical Center​
.
To read more about this interesting study go to:
http://www.njtvonline.org/news/video/sleep-study-finds-texting-source-of-sleep-deprivation-in-tee
ns/
News from the National Junior Honor Society The National Junior Honor Society at Grissom is in the process of preparing for the induction of new members in March. Letters to prospective new members will go out to eligible students after the end of the second quarter. Applications will have a specific due date and will then be reviewed by a five member faculty committee. Acceptance or rejection is based on the decision of that committee. Induction is scheduled for ​
Thursday, March 17 at 7:00 p.m​
. New members are required to attend a​
rehearsal Wednesday, March 16 at 8:00 a.m.​
All current officers and members who are volunteering to help are also required to attend the rehearsal. NJHS members have been active this year helping raise money to benefit Miller's Vets in South Bend, helping to decorate HOPE Ministries for the Christmas season, and completing individual service projects. th​
Members are looking forward to helping with Grissom Trivia Night for Riley Hospital on March 18​
. (Newly inducted members will also be able to participate in Trivia Night.) News from the IMC:
Grissom Middle School is participating in the ​
Martin’s Advantages for Education Program.​
Martin’s provides the
opportunity for schools to get FREE computers and educational-related equipment into our classrooms. Register at
www.martins-supermarkets.com or at any Martin’s location. Provide our school ID ​
#4734​
then shop with a Martin’s
Advantage Card. You can also register at any Martin's store. Each scan of a Martin’s Advantage Card will help Grissom
Middle School earn FREE educational awards!!!
Have you been collecting ​
Box Tops for Education?​
Our IMC does collect and redeem them for items
for our IMC. Please, send your box tops our way! While visiting with friends and relatives, please ask
them to save Box Tops for us. Our goal is to replace the IMC couches and chairs with something new
and stylish.
OverDrive
Secondary students at Penn Harris Madison are able to access a wealth of eReader books through OverDrive. To access
this site, go to the Grissom Homepage, select "students", select "resources", select "IMC", finally, select "OverDrive".
The "library card number" is the student's ID number. Student last names do not have capital letters. If your child has
trouble logging into OverDrive, please have your student contact Ms. Mayer in the Media Center. It is important to note
that many items on OverDrive are shared between Grissom, Schmucker, Discovery, and Penn. Therefore, some
materials might not be appropriate for all students
MyOn Online Books
Through the Hoosier Family of Readers initiative, students and their families across the state will have unlimited access
to reading material on myON, giving families an opportunity to share rich literacy experiences together.
How to Log In (Information is also on Grissom Home Page)
1. Go to ​
https://www.myon.com/school/hoosier/
2. Enter the School Name: Hoosier Family of Readers (The School Name will automatically populate as you type)
3. Enter the username read and password read.
4. Click the green Sign In button.
From the Yearbook Club:
Yearbooks are still on sale and orders are still being accepted. Please visit the GMS website for an
order form​
, or you can pick one up in our office today! Yearbooks are $25 ($30 for personalized). The
personalized orders will be accepted until ​
2/26/2016​
. Get your orders in today!
Food Pantry News
Our Pantry was created by a grant from the PHM Foundation in 2009. Grissom's Food and Clothing Pantry is available to
all Grissom families and is open from ​
4:00-5:00 on the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month when school is in session.​
If
your family needs help, we're here for you. There are many opportunities for you to volunteer with us. Would you be
able to work a couple of hours to help sort donations? Maybe a 4-H Junior Leader or National Jr. Honor Society student
needs some volunteer hours. Could you help host a food drive? Please contact Ms. Mayer at 968-9628 or via email at
[email protected]​if you might be interested in helping.
ENL News from Ms. Tallman
Parents of English Language Learners:
From January 11 to February 26, English Language Learner (ELL) students in grades kindergarten
through twelfth grade will participate in the administration of the WIDA ACCESS for ELLs® 2.0 language
proficiency test. ACCESS 2.0 provides a standardized measurement of academic language proficiency
for ELL students throughout the state of Indiana, and in other states. With this information, we are
able to monitor individual ELL student progress on an annual basis. Please visit
https://www.wida.us/assessment/ACCESS20.aspx​
for more details.
Let me know if you have any questions. Thanks! Homework Assistance
This program is sponsored by Penn Honor Society and Mishawaka Penn Harris Public Library. Students from the Penn High School Honor Society provided this service to students who need help. Just a note, this is for homework assistance, this is not tutoring. Student should bring all materials with them as none will be provided. Sessions are held at: Harris Branch­­Mondays at 6:30­8 Mishawaka Main Library­­Tuesdays at 6:30­8 Bittersweet Branch­­Wednesdays 6:30­8 (If school has been cancelled for any reason, no homework assistance will be available on that day.) Washington DC Update!
Thank you to all for returning the needed information for a White House tour. All information was sent
in on December 17th! We will not hear about a tour until mid May. Let's keep our fingers crossed that
we get an appointment.
The all school fundraiser, the Butter Braid and Poinsettia fundraisers are in the books! Payment forms
with fundraising profits were passed out to 8th graders before break. If you are seeing a different
balance than what we are saying it is because Hemisphere Educational Travel has not yet received the
checks and processed the information. Please submit what our form says by January 14th.
The final fundraiser will be South Bend Chocolate. Mrs. Potts, who ran the Poinsettia fundraiser, is
again in charge.Thank you Mrs. Potts!!! Be on the lookout for this fundraising opportunity. Usually, it is
out in January, and the candy is in by Valentine's Day.
Keep asking your student about new DC information. They are the main link to keep you informed.
Attention traveling parents!! Contact Mrs. Rice if you have not told her who you would like to room with
during the trip.
If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Rice (​
[email protected]​
) or Mrs. Kummeth
(​
[email protected]​
)
Happy New Year!
Mrs. Kummeth and Mrs. Rice
6th grade Science News from Mrs. Kummeth
Welcome to 2016! This month finds the young scientists in Space! We began the Solar System unit right
before Winter Break and we will finish it up by the end of this month. The second marking period is
almost over! It officially ends on Jan. 12th. So all missing work needs to be turned in pronto! As I am sure
you are aware, all of the grades are on HAC (Home Access Center) and can be accessed 24/7. Please
continue to monitor your child's academic success by utilizing this tool.If you have lost the username
and password information, contact your child's school counselor.(They have all the top secret
information) Our counselors are Mrs. Reynolds and Ms Miller.
At great way to help ensure your child's success is to make sure they are ready to learn! Students need to come to class
daily ready to learn! This means they need pencils, textbook, lab book and Chromebook. I am saddened everyday by
students that don't have what they need. I am also very limited and do not have extras to hand out. Please do your part
to make sure your child is ready to learn.
I am sure you have noticed that just about every Friday I give a quiz. I give lab book quizzes that are checking to make
sure students are completing our in-class work. They actually use the lab book to find the answers!! These are easy
points for students to earn and help to support the Indiana standard that addresses keeping a scientific journal. The
next week is a vocabulary/content quiz. Just about every activity has content specific vocabulary. Students need to
keep up on our terminology so they can truly" talk the talk." Using flashcards is an easy and inexpensive way to help
students review vocabulary. Now that all students have Chromebooks, students can make electronic flashcards.
Quizlet.com is just one of the many flashcard websites that is user-friendly and you may wish to encourage your child
to use.
Finally, it is difficult to heat GMS. Often my room is chilly. I have suggested that students layer clothing so they are
comfortable as they travel throughout the building. When the room is especially cold I do allow students to get their
coats. I am hoping that the temps. stabilize and we will all have a better idea on how to dress.
It is cold and flu season. Here is some information to help you prepare. As always, if you know your child will be absent
due to illness, call the attendance hotline ASAP.
INDIANA STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
Epidemiology Resource Center
QUICK FACTS​
About . . . Influenza
​
What is influenza (flu)?
Influenza is an illness caused by flu viruses that infect the respiratory tract. The illness can be mild to severe
and can cause death in some people. Although anyone can become infected with flu, the elderly, young
children, or anyone with other health problems are at more risk in getting worse. Every year 3,000 to 49,000
people die of influenza and the problems of the disease.Flu is not a reportable disease so the number of cases
is not tracked. However, there are between 10-100 influenza associated deaths reported on death certificates
or report forms.
What are the symptoms of influenza?
Symptoms usually include:
* Fever * Chills * Headache * Cough * Sore throat * Muscle aches
* Sometimes diarrhea and nausea occur in children
Symptoms usually start about 1-4 days after being exposed and last 2-7 days.
How is influenza spread?
Flu is spread by close contact with persons who are sick with flu or touch surfaces or objects that have flu virus
on them. Infection can occur when influenza viruses contact the eyes, mouth, or nose, and through breathing in
droplets from a sneeze or cough. People may be able to spread the virus to others about one day before they
show symptoms and up to seven days after becoming sick.​
That means that you may be able to spread the
​
flu to someone else before you even know you are sick, as well as while you are sick.
Who is at risk for getting influenza?
In the United States, on average 5% to 20% of the population gets the flu and more than 200,000 people are
hospitalized from seasonal flu-related complications. Flu seasons are all different and can be bad. Some
people, such as older people, young children, pregnant women, and ​
people with certain health conditions​
, are
at high risk for serious flu complications.
How do I know if I have influenza?
A health care professional usually can tell by looking at your symptoms. Sometimes your nose will be swabbed
and tested for the influenza virus.
How is influenza treated?
​
Flu is usually treated with medicine to bring down fever, throat or cough drops, water, and plenty of rest. If the
diagnosis is made at the very beginning of the illness, a doctor may prescribe antiviral medicine.
How is influenza prevented?
The best way not to get flu is to get a flu shot every year before the flu season starts. Since flu viruses change
over time, it is important to get a shot each year. Each year the vaccine is remade to include types of flu viruses
scientists think will be around to cause illness during the flu season. The vaccine begins to protect you within a
few days after you get the flu shot, but the vaccine is not fully effective until about 14 days after the shot. Good
respiratory hygiene is important to prevent the spread of ALL respiratory infections, including influenza.
* Use your elbow or upper arm, instead of your hands, or a tissue to cover your mouth and And nose or when
you cough or sneeze. Immediately throw used tissues into the trash can.
*Try not to touch your eyes, nose, or mouth. Many diseases often spread this way.
* To clean your hands after coughing or sneezing, wash with soap and water, or clean with alcohol-based hand
cleaner if water is not available.
* Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
* If you get flu, stay home from work, school, and social gatherings. This will help others from
Catching your illness and gives your body the rest it needs to get better.
For more information, please refer to: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/ or the ISDH influenza website located at
http://www.in.gov/isdh/25462.html​
.