Kinawa Students Reach Out to Help the Red Cross

CHIPPEWA CONNECTIONS
December 2014 Newsletter
Veterans Day Assembly
On November 11th, Chippewa Middle School honored our Veterans by holding a Veterans Day Assembly. The
choir, led by choir director Mrs. Bellamy did a beautiful job singing very patriotic, inspirational music. Guest
speakers included Ron Springer, Sgt. First Class Blaxton and Major Strickland. The ceremony began and
ended with our Boy Scout honor guard. These scouts were Sam McQuaid, Eddie Hicks, John Virk, Sean
Crowley and Robert Walsworth
The program was narrated by Will Jones, and he introduced the students that were selected to read their essays
about veterans and Veterans Day. The readers of their very moving essays were Kenidee Everett, Emma
Francis, Connor Warren, Eric Li, Rebecca Yeomans-Stephenson, Max Fleming and Sophie Romain. Our
bugler, John Devries beautifully performed Taps.
WINTER WONDERLAND PARTY
On December 19th, we will hold our annual Winter Wonderland Party. We encourage students to dress in
comfortable, nice clothing for this special day. The festivities will commence with a turkey lunch ($2.75)
served to students by their teachers. Holiday cake will be served in the cafeteria. After lunch, we are planning
a variety of activities for students to choose; a dance, a movie, board games, and a craft project. School will be
dismissed at 2:50 as usual. We are excited about our Winter Wonderland Party, and feel confident that our
students will enjoy the afternoon.
Winter Break: December 22rd – January 02rd
School Resumes January 05th
You should receive your student’s report cards during the week of December 8th.
STUDENT COUNCIL
The “Hat & Slippers Day” fundraiser held on Friday, November 21st was a big success and helped to provide
Thanksgiving baskets to families right here in our Chippewa community.
Please remember to support our Student Council fundraiser with Schwan’s. If you or anyone you know
likes to order from Schwan’s they can support our campaign simply by following the attached directions
and letting their salesperson know that they wish to help. We receive 20 percent for each purchase during
our campaign window, Nov. 14-Dec. 29, 2014. In addition we receive 5 percent for the rest of the school
year. Please be sure to let friends and family anywhere know that they can help too.
YOGA AT CMS
A special thanks to the OEA for funding yoga mats, blocks, and bands. The yoga elective first trimester has
been a wonderful start to many students’ day. Yoga students find better concentration and a great sense of
peace in their day-to-day lives. It is such a gift that the OEA has provided the equipment to help make this a
reality at Chippewa Middle School.
7th GRADE CAMP
7th grade Parent Camp Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, December 03, 2014 @ 7:00 PM in the
Chippewa Auditorium. Teaching staff will have a presentation regarding all camp information on this
evening.
“Raising Greens by Wearing Their Jeans”
CMS staff members will again be participating in their annual "Greens for Jeans" fundraiser. In return for a
donation, staff is allowed to wear jeans for the entire month of December. The money raised is used in
conjunction with Student Council's efforts to purchase items for local families in need this holiday season. So if
you notice more staff donning their denim at school this month, you'll know it's for a great cause.
CHIPPEWA CHOIR NEWS
On November 11th, the CMS 8th grade Choir was honored to take part in our Veterans Day Assembly. It
was a very meaningful assembly in which our 8th grade singers performed beautifully, and showed great
respect and leadership in front of their peers We thank Mrs. Kregelka who put this gathering together, and we
thank her students and the veterans who spoke for the moving and important event!
Our Winter Choir Concert will take place on Monday, December 15th. The Chippewa Choirs will be hosting
the Kinawa Choir for an evening of lovely vocal music. The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. We are delighted
to sing with the students from Kinawa and look forward to hearing them too. Please join us in the Chippewa
Auditorium that evening.
We are very excited to announce that four Chippewa Middle School singers were selected to be members of
the MSVMA State Honors Choir. The students are Vishnu Gundamraj, Nick Lulich, Tobias Lyon-Callo, and
Cameron Moy. They will be rehearsing and performing with the Men’s Choir at DeVos Place in Grand Rapids
in early 2015.
Meredith Willson’s “The Music Man Jr.”
Meredith Willson’s “The Music Man Jr.” opened on November 21st and 22nd. Congratulations to the
wonderful Chippewa students who performed, worked on sound, lights, and stage crew, and who assisted with
publicity! The musical was fun, acting and singing marvelous, and was an incredible community production of
talented workers. Thank you to the high school students, the PTO, and all of the family members who helped
to support our production behind the scenes. Their time and effort resulted in outstanding sets, costumes,
publicity, and programs for the show. Thanks also to the Chippewa Middle School and Okemos High School
Band members who helped to end the show with pizazz. We are thrilled with the performances and are looking
forward to future Chippewa Middle School musicals.
Chippewa Band News
On Saturday, November 22nd the following students participated in the MSBOA Solo & Ensemble Festival in
Charlotte. Congratulations to: Aditya Agaram, AnaPaola Almaguer, Kasar Ambler-Colwell, Chloe Bentley,
James Brynn, Cormac Conklin, Jon deVries, Jamie Eagle, Hugo Fan, Emily Goebel, Vinnie Grewal, Carter
Haugen, Zach Hetfield, Maren Holcomb, Kristen Kiley, Eli Knapp, Jake Kwon, Eric Li, Justin Mason, Declan
McCole, Alexander Mensah, Jack Moreland, Allison Nickel, Ayesha Panda, Jacob Precise, Swedha Rajaram,
Dong June Seo, Adelle Stanko, Mark Starovoytov, Conor Warren, Josh Woo and Kevin Woo. Every student
earned a medal and did a great job of preparing for this important event. We could not be more proud of all of
them.
The 7th Grade and 8th Grade Bands will perform a concert together on Tuesday, December 9th at 7:30 p.m. in
the Chippewa Auditorium. Both bands will perform for each other and their friends and families. We hope to
see you all at the concert!
7th and 8th Grade Orchestra News
The 7th & 8th grade orchestras will be performing our Winter Concert for parents and friends on Wednesday
December 10 in the Chippewa Middle School auditorium at 7:30 p.m. Students should plan to arrive to
Chippewa no later than 7:00 p.m. that evening. Students should plan to wear concert uniforms -- white tuxedo
or button down dress shirt on top, black bow ties, black on bottom, and black dress shoes, no jeans, and no
tennis shoes.
Congratulations to all of the 7th & 8th grade orchestra students who performed at our “Solo & Ensemble”
festival on Sat. Nov. 22! 68 string events performed, and all events received a Division One or Division Two
rating, which are the highest ratings that can be earned! Students who participated learned a great deal from
this experience! (7th Grade Orchestra): Eli A., Shreya B., Ari B., Oliver G., Ben G., Danella G., Jack H., EJ
H., Kyle K., Michael KT., Marie K., Ari L., Yunseong L., Lily L., Sebastian L., Jonathan M., Pauli N., Viraj
N., Usha R., Anthony R., Anirudh S., Sarah S., Shruti S., Stella Z., Eagle Z. (8th Grade Orchestra): Elaina B.,
Evan B., Reina B., Thomas C., Joseph C., Alana C., Karabo D., Monique F., Caitlin F., Paul F., Roan F.M.,
Eliza G., Maya H., Liam HS., Ashley H., Sovann H., Aditya K., Trinity K., Tanuja K., Jinwook L., Bryan L.,
Richard L., Avery N., Sara N., Keegan N.L., Michael P., Heather P., Olive P., Marini Q., Akash R., Jaqueline
R., Anirban S., Scott S., Olivia S., Emma T., Kevin W., Martina Y., Gailina Z., Rebecca Z. WAY TO GO!
Congratulations to all of our students who auditioned for the “All-State Orchestra” on Oct. 25 & 26! The
All-State Middle School Orchestra is one of the top honors orchestras in the state of Michigan. We are very
proud of all the students who worked hard to prepare for a very difficult and competitive blind audition
process. Students who win spots in the All-State Middle School Orchestra will perform in Grand Rapids in
January for the Michigan Music Conference (MMC). The results of the auditions will be posted
on www.msboa.org on Nov. 25th.
As always, practice cards need to be turned in every Monday via the online practice record
on www.msleeorchestra.com – keep up the hard work!
Ms. Lee and Mr. Schut
2014-2015 Boys Basketball Schedule
Date
12/1
12/3
12/8
12/10
12/15
Team
Fowlerville
Haslett
Parkside
East Lansing
Holt
Home/Away
7H/8A
8H/7A
7H/8A
7H/8A
8H/7A
Girls Basketball 2014-15
There will be a 7th and 8th Grade Girls Basketball meeting for interested participants, Thursday, December
4th at 7:45 am in the Library. Girls need to have their physical cards turned into to Mrs. K before the 1st
tryout.
Tryout Dates: Jan. 5th & 6th – 3:30 -5:00 in the CMS gym. You must attend both tryout days. Teams will
determined on Wednesday, January 7th.
Team practices will start Thursday, January 8th at 3:30.
Go Chiefs!
Coach Clark and Coach Magsig
Date
Day
Time
1/21/15
Wed.
4:30 PM
1/26
Mon.
1/28
Team
Home
Away
Parkside
8
7
4:30 PM
E.Lansing
8
7
Wed.
4:30 PM
Holt
7
8
2/2
Mon.
4:30 PM
Owosso
7
8
**2/4
Wed.
4:30 PM
Williamston
8
7
2/9
Mon.
4:30 PM
Fowlerville
7
8
2/11
Wed.
4:30 PM
Haslett
8
7
2/18
Wed.
4:30 PM
Parkside
7
8
2/23
Mon.
4:30 PM
E.Lansing
7
8
2/25
Wed.
4:30 PM
Holt
8
7
** The game on 2/4 is subject to change as a result of 7th grade camp.
The Library’s “GIFT A BOOK” Program
Help your school's library buy books. Talk to the library staff and select a recently or soon to be purchased
library book. It costs $8.00 for you to dedicate a book in your student’s name or the name of a staff member.
Book plates are placed in each book dedicating it to the person of your choice. This is a great way to celebrate
the season and is a special experience for students and staff.
Please consider supporting this wonderful program that adds more titles to our collections and builds a feeling
of library citizenship. When we all pitch-in, everyone benefits! Thank you, Cyndi Webster
COMPUTER CODING CLUB
Is your student interested in learning more about computer coding and hanging with like-minded classmates?
Whether they are a novice or expert all are welcome. There are a number great websites from leading
universities like MIT geared toward students of various ages which we will utilize. Much of this club will be
guided by and in the hands of the students themselves!
We are also looking for parents who code for a living or who have experience with coding. We would love to
have one or two of you come to the club and share your expertise and how you use coding in your job or life.
The club will take place on most non-PLC Wednesdays starting in December after school in Lab B from 34pm. We will have a small party at the end of the year for those who show up on a regular basis. There is no
fee and no need to sign up - just show up!
Our first meeting will be on December 3. A handout of all the dates can be picked up in the library. If you have
questions regarding Computer Coding Club, please email [email protected].
Northwestern University’s Midwest Academic Talent Search (NUMATS)
All students who used paper registration for NUMATS should receive their test preparation materials no later
than two weeks prior to their test date. Please read through these materials carefully and thoroughly. Be sure
to take any practice test provided as directed. Any participant who has NOT received these materials should
promptly contact NUMATS at 1-847-491-3782, ext. 3. STUDENTS WHO REGISTERED ONLINE,
however, have access to test preparation materials from the NUMATS toolbox immediately after completing
their registration. If you used the online registration method, you MUST download the practice test from the
website as none will be mailed to you. (The deadline for online registration is January 4th for the SAT; January
7th for the ACT .)
The supported and recommended testing date for the SAT is Saturday, January 24, 2015; the recommended
date for the ACT is Saturday, February 7, 2015. Be sure to take your admission ticket and letter of
identification to the test site. Admission tickets should arrive no later than one week before the exam.
When it arrives, check the test center location that you have been assigned. If you do NOT receive your
admission ticket one week prior to your exam date, call SAT at 866-756-7346 or ACT at 319-337-1270.
ACT and SAT preparation sessions will be held for all NUMATS participants, during school hours, prior to
the test dates. Students who notified the Gifted Education Office of their participation in the Talent Search
will be contacted regarding this preparation session to be held in early January. If written notification is
not on file, the student may miss the session. No make-up sessions will be offered.
Please continue to watch future newsletters for other pertinent information. Should you have questions, please
call Deb Hamilton, District Coordinator of Gifted Education at 706-5011 or email
[email protected]
OEF APPLE Awards
Looking for a meaningful gift for your student’s teacher this holiday season? APPLE Awards are a great way
to publicly honor our fabulous OPS teachers and staff, while also helping the Okemos Education Foundation
give financial support to all seven of our schools. For a $20 donation to the OEF, families can purchase a 5x7
color, personalized certificate for their honoree. APPLE awards are appropriate for any staff member who has
shown an Amazing Performance in Promoting Learning and Education (APPLE)…teachers, paraprofessionals, support staff … Who has touched the life of your student? To order, visit www.oefsite.org under
“ways to give.” Or see attached flyer.
District Parent Council
The District Parent Council met on 11/17/14; meeting minutes can be viewed at
http://districtcouncil.okemosparents.org/minutes. In addition to reports by Superintendent Cathy Ash,
Board of Education Trustee Amy Crites, and parent representatives from each school in our district, the
group heard about the new science curriculum and the Teachers Learning Together initiative at Kinawa
from Building Principal John Hood. Deputy Superintendent Patty Trelstad presented on state
accountability scorecards and the MEAP replacement, which students will experience in the spring. The
next District Parent Council meeting is scheduled for12/15/2014 at Chippewa in the Large Group Room. A
discussion on pedestrian and traffic safety on Kinawa Drive will be that meeting’s special topic. Visit the
DPC’s website at districtcouncil.okemosparents.org for details. All are welcome at DPC meetings.
Schwan’s Home Delivery offers over 350 delicious foods, flash-frozen at the peak of freshness and conveniently
delivered to your door. Through Schwans-Cares.com, you can order from Schwan’s Home Delivery and help our
organization meet its fundraising goals. When you order by December 29th, 2014 , 20% of product and 40% of
e-certificate sales will go back to the organization. In addition, Schwan’s will contribute 5% of all orders to our
organization for the rest of the year!
Here are two ways to support us!
Order Online:
1. Visit Schwans-Cares.com
2. Enter Campaign ID: 16120 into the search box located in the upper right hand corner then click to open
campaign.
3. Click the "Buy Now" button to purchase an eGift Card or "Shop Now" to place a product order.
Order by Phone:
Call 1-855-870-7208 and provide Campaign ID: 16120
The holidays are a perfect time to send an OEF APPLE Award!
Looking for a meaningful gift for your student’s teacher?
Say “thank you” and support Okemos students through the Okemos Education Foundation.
An OEF APPLE Award recognizes an Amazing Performance in
Promoting Learning and Excellence. It’s a nice way to honor
teachers, paraprofessionals, administrators, office staff, food
service workers, custodial staff, bus drivers…any of the many
amazing people in our school district who make
your student’s education a special one.
APPLE Awards can be purchased at any time of the year.
Visit oefsite.org under “ways to give” or use the form below.
Each APPLE Award costs $20, which is a tax-deductible
donation to the Okemos Education Foundation.
The OEF provides funding to support excellence and
innovation in our school district through classroom
grants and extra-curricular clubs and student
organizations. Donations to the OEF support the entire
school district. For more information about the OEF,
please visit our website at www.oefsite.org.
When you purchase an APPLE award, your
honored teacher or staff member will
receive a personalized, color 5x7 certificate
to remember your appreciation, and your
gift will be recognized on the OEF website
and in the OEF newsletter.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
Thank You! for your support of the OEF and for taking the time to recognize excellence in our schools.
Chippewa 7-8 School
December 2014
Short
Stops
Color-coded notes
In social studies class, your
tween needs to remember
which people, places, dates, and events
go together. As she takes notes from
her textbook, suggest that she write
related words in the same color pen
or pencil. For instance, if she’s reading
about the Civil War, she could use blue
ink for Union names and victories and
gray for Confederate.
Make a time capsule This New Year’s Eve, start a tradition:
Create a time capsule for the year that’s
ending. Gather photos and mementos,
and list big events (major news stories,
blockbuster movies, top songs). Ask
your child to seal the items in an envelope, and tuck it away in a safe place.
It will be fun to open next New Year’s
Eve—and then to create one for 2015.
Up for change
Being adaptable can improve everything from your youngster’s relationships with friends to his value to future
employers. Point out that change is
part of life and that often things work
out for the best. If he has to switch
ideas halfway through a class project,
for example, he might come up with
something he likes even better.
Worth quoting
“What good is the warmth of summer,
without the cold of winter to give it
sweetness.” John Steinbeck
Just for fun
Q: What has two
hands, a round
face, always
runs, but stays
in place?
A:
A clock!
© 2014 Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated
Jody Noble, Principal
A place for respect
Where’s the best place for
your child to show respect?
Everywhere! Share these
pointers to encourage respect
no matter where he is.
School
Together, talk about ways
kids are respectful — or not
respectful — in his classes or
after-school activities. He
could compare a classmate
who waited his turn patiently
during a group discussion vs. the one
who kept interrupting everyone else.
Then, ask about times your middle
grader finds it hard to show respect.
For instance, maybe he thinks a teacher
doesn’t grade his papers fairly. Explain
that he still needs to approach him with
respect— and that the teacher is more
likely to listen to him that way.
Social events
Prep your child for how to behave
at family gatherings. For starters, you
might let him know that relatives won’t
appreciate playing second fiddle to his
phone or video game. Remind him to
look people in the eye when they’re
talking and to answer questions politely.
It’s also a nice show of respect to be interested in their lives and to ask questions
back. (“How’s everything in Cleveland,
Aunt Martha?”)
Home
There’s no question that life goes more
smoothly when family members treat each
other with respect. Consider writing up a
few “Family Rules of Respect.” Each person could contribute an idea or two, and
then work together to follow them. Some
ideas: “Speak in a nice tone of voice.”
“Ask before borrowing something.” “If
you break or tear it, fix or replace it.”
Do your work carefully
Your middle grader might know how to solve
831 x 427 or how to spell chromosome— but if
she isn’t careful, she could still get the answer
wrong. Here are ways for making sure her work
shows what she knows:
■ Encourage her to take care with the little
things so they don’t turn into mistakes. For
example, did she line up the numbers properly in
her math problems? Did she include all the steps in her lab report?
■ Have your child reread papers and essays before turning them in. A tried-and-true
system is to lay a sheet of paper on top of her work and slide it down slowly, reading
one line at a time. Or she could try this trick: Look for one type of error (spelling,
punctuation, grammar) on each reading.
Middle Years
December 2014 • Page 2
Reading: The
right connections
When your tween reads, making meaningful
connections can help her understand the text and
enjoy reading more. Suggest these strategies.
Connect with characters.
Ask your middle grader
to think of ways in which she is similar to a book character. Maybe the character just started middle school.
Your child could think back to how she felt on the first day
of school (nervous, excited) to help her understand the character’s behavior.
Connect with other
books. What is the
theme of the book, and
how is it similar to
other books she has
read? For instance, the
story might be about
growing up. Your youngster may compare it with
other coming-of-age novels
she has read—what do they
have in common? Perhaps she’ll notice that characters discover important things about themselves or that they start to
think more about their futures.
Idea: Your tween can deepen her understanding of the plot
by jotting down the connections she makes in a journal.
Activity Start your
Corner engines!
Together time
Can your middle grader use his noodle to build a race car out of pasta?
Encourage him to explore engineering
with this activity.
Parent-child relationships are a lot
like gardening—tend them with care,
and watch them grow! Use these tips to
stay close to your middle grader.
1. Let him look at
pasta in the
grocery store
and think
about which
shapes would fit together to make a car.
Examples: lasagna for the base, spaghetti
threaded through penne for axles, wagon
wheels for tires.
Catch up
2.
Make plans
Suggest that he sketch a model of his
race car on paper.
3.
Using his sketch, he can arrange the
uncooked noodles and attach the parts
with craft glue.
4.
To test his vehicle, he could make
a ramp by leaning a piece of cardboard
against a stack of books. Then, he’s
ready to send it down the ramp and
measure the distance it travels.
5.
Based on his results, have him redesign and retest until he comes up with
the ultimate race car. Idea: A friend or
sibling could make one, too, and they
can race.
O
U
R
P
U
R
P
O
S
E
To provide busy parents with practical ideas
that promote school success, parent involvement,
and more effective parenting.
Resources for Educators,
a division of CCH Incorporated
128 N. Royal Avenue • Front Royal, VA 22630
540-636-4280 • [email protected]
www.rfeonline.com
ISSN 1540-5540
© 2014 Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated
Try to spend 15–20 minutes a day
in one-on-one time. Let him show you
Or
something he’s working on, like a song on his guitar or his math homework.
you might chat about school or friends before he goes to sleep.
Tune in
When your child wants to talk, stay focused on what he’s saying. You could
if he
close your laptop if he comes to you for help or put down your magazine
starts to talk about his day.
them
Ask your youngster what special things he’d like to do together, and write
an
to
go
or
d
weeken
the
on
ball
on your calendar. Maybe he’d like to play racquet
art fair next month.
Parent Alcohol…already?
to
So we talked about ways to avoid
heard a starParent tlingI recently
pressure, like only going to parties
statistic: About a
third of eighth graders say they’ve had
alcohol in the past year. My daughter
Sabrina is in eighth grade, and it really
concerned me to think of children her
age drinking.
I asked Sabrina how
she feels about underage
drinking. She said it
can be dangerous and
assured me she wouldn’t
break the law. I was
happy to hear that, but
I know it’s hard to say
no to peer pressure.
supervised by adults. I reminded Sabrina
that saying yes to drinking could lead to
her being arrested or suspended from
school and activities. I also mentioned
that alcohol can make people do embarrassing things
and even lose friends.
Sabrina didn’t say
much, but I’m hoping
she’ll remember our conversation. I plan to bring
up the subject regularly
to help her think twice
about drinking.
Chippewa
December Calendar
Dec. 01
Boys Basketball
7H/8A vs. Fowlerville
4:30PM
Dec. 03
Boys Basketball
8H/7A vs. Haslett
4:30PM
Dec. 03
7th Camp Parent Meeting – CMS Auditorium
7:00PM
Dec. 04
Girls Basketball Meeting – CMS Library
7:45AM
Dec. 08
Boys Basketball
4:30PM
Dec. 09
7 & 8 Grade Band Concert - CMS
Dec. 10
Early Release – PLC
Dec. 10
Boys Basketball
Dec. 10
7 & 8 Grade Orchestra Concert - CMS
7:30PM
Dec. 15
Boys Basketball
4:30PM
Dec. 15
7 & 8 Choir Concert w/Kinawa 6th Grade @ CMS 7:30PM
Dec. 19
7H/8A vs. Parkside
7:30PM
Dismissal 12:50PM
7H/8A vs. East Lansing
8H/7A vs. Holt
“WINTER WONDERLAND”
4:30PM
1:20-2:50PM
Enjoy your Winter Break Dec. 22 – Jan. 02
School resumes Monday January 05, 2015