NORDONIA MIDDLE SCHOOL NEwSLETTER

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NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2009
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A LEGACY OF ACHIEVEMENT,
A COMMITMENT TO THE FUTURE.
Nordonia Middle School
73 Leonard Avenue
Northfield, OH 44067
From the Principal,
Dear Parents,
It is hard to believe that the first quarter of the year has concluded. Report cards were
mailed Friday, November 6, 2009 and Parent / Teacher Conferences will be held on
Thursday, November 12 and Thursday, November 19. On both evenings conferences
will begin at 3:00 P.M. and conclude at 7:00 P.M. The November 12 and November
19 conferences are set up for you to meet with your child’s team of teachers and can be
scheduled through the main office. If you would like to meet with just one teacher,
that can be arranged also by contacting the main office or the teacher. Please take advantage of this opportunity to communicate with your child’s teachers. I look forward
to seeing you here.
New Co-Curricular Activities
Office:
330-467-0584
Parent Access Line: 330-908-6199
Attendance Line:
330-908-6160
Fax:
330-468-6710
Website: www.nordoniaschools.org
Athletic Department:
330-908-6614
Athletic Website:
www.nordoniamiddleschoolathletics.com
Dave Wilson, Principal
David Wessel, Associate Principal

Eileen West, 8th Grade Counselor
Our new library media specialist Angela Wojtecki has introduced a Book Club
open to all students. This is the first year of the book club, and the mission of this
Tonya Huml, 7th Grade Counselor
after-school activity is to provide students with a social experience for a usually
independent activity, reading. The book club focuses on one genre per month such
as mysteries, historical fiction, and science fiction. The club meets two Wednesdays per month in the Nancy Fike
Media Center and each student comes with a book to share with the group. Mrs. Wojtecki, the media specialist is the
facilitator of the book club.
The book club fosters student motivation in reading and helps further develop reading and writing elements.
The goal of the book club is to provide an opportunity for students to socialize and discuss their thoughts and
opinions on the books and materials they read! All Nordonia Middle School students are welcome and encouraged
to attend the book club and will be notified in advance of meeting dates and times.

We will be starting up the Lend a Helping Paw Club again this year. Our first meeting will be in the next couple of
weeks. This is a group dedicated to proper animal education and treatment as well as some fundraising for rescue
groups. Last year, we donated almost 400 dollars to three different animal shelters by doing a car wash and having a
corn hole tournament. We also marched in the Memorial Day parade with some of the dogs from a shelter in which
some of the girls volunteer. Last year, there were about 20 students who participated in the club and we are hoping
to increase that number this year.
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Something to think about:
The Farmer’s Donkey
When things are not going our way it is sometimes hard to remember that some good comes from just about
every situation. Young people struggle with this as well. Here is a short fable to remind all of us that things
are not always as bad as they seem.
One day a farmer’s donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried
to figure out what to do. Finally he decided that the animal was old and the well needed to be covered up
anyway, it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey. He invited all of his neighbors to come over and
help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized
what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone’s amazement, he quieted down. A few shovel
loads later the farmer finally looked down the well and was astonished at what he saw. With every
shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and
take a step up. As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it
off and continue to step up. Pretty soon everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of
the well and trotted off.
Life is going to shovel a lot of dirt on you. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up.
Each of our troubles is a stepping stone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up.
Shake it off and take a step up.
Enjoy your kids!
Dave Wilson, Principal
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Counselors’ Column
Mrs. Eileen West, 8th Grade
The first grading
period is over and the
second grading period
began on November 2.
Report cards went home
on November 6. This
year report cars will be
on-line for the 2nd and 3rd
quarter and will NOT be
mailed home. Evening
conferences for parents
are on November 12th
and 19th. Please contact
the main office if you
would like to meet with
your child’s teachers or
one of us during these
times. This is an excellent
time to evaluate your
child’s progress and make
necessary adjustments to
study routines. Usually
academic demands increase with each quarter.
We hope all parents are accessing Progress book to monitor
their child’s academic
progress. This is a valuable on-line tool available
to parents and students.
Mrs. Tonya Huml, 7th Grade
Students and parents are
encouraged to check
grades and assignments at
least once a week.
Students are adjusting to the new grading
system and the new intervention program that
takes place daily during
4th and
5th periods.
Please ask your child
about both of these topics. We have 32 new students this year who are
transitioning to our building. A couple of these students were honored at
our second “Knight Way”
breakfast in October.
On December 4th
nine of our 8th grade girls
will be participating in a
program at the Cuyahoga
Valley Career Center. The
program “It’s For Girls” encourages middle school
girls to pursue interests in
STEM-related (science,
technology, engineering
and mathematics) subjects
and information technol-
ogy careers. The girls will
rotate through a variety
of interactive sessions
and have the opportunity
to eat lunch with professional women from the IT
industry.
Shortly after winter
break the 8th grade will
begin the orientation and
scheduling process for
high school. Look for
more information and important dates during the
month of January. The
7th graders will schedule
after the 8th grade process has been completed.
Please make sure you
don’t schedule any appointments or vacations
the week of April 19th as
this is OAT testing week.
Taking make up tests is a
hassle for students and
staff.
As always if you
have questions or concerns, please contact
your student’s counselor.
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N ot e s f ro m
Student Council
The Nordonia Middle
School and Chick-Fil
-A support Toys For
Tots by donating
10% of sales from
receipts collected
now through December 15th.
While ordering at
Chick-Fil-ask for the
receipt and then
place it in the container marked Nordonia Middle School
on the table to
the right of the registers. If ordering at
the drive-thru ask
for the receipt and
send to the middle
school office.
October 23rd was the first middle school "social." The student
council decorated the gyms and
the hallway with streamers, balloons, and pictures of pumpkins
and scarecrows. More than 200
students attended. There was
dancing, a Wii tournament and
inflatables which were in the
smaller gym. The social was
from 7:00 to 9:00. When the
social was over, people started
to flood out of the gyms. The
parking lot was full of cars and
kids telling how it was. As kids
were picked up the students
said their goodbyes, still smiling
and left. The memory will most
likely last for a long time.
Brooke Bowerman
HEINEN’S ABC School
Upcoming Parent Mentor Events
Parent/Professional Communication
Learn the four types of communication and develop organized communication skills
to become your child’s best advocate
January 26, 2010 from 6:30 – 8:30 @
Lee Eaton School Library
Presented by Karen Lyke from OCECD
NORTHERN SUMMIT COUNTY PARENT MENTOR SPEAKER SERIES
6:30 – 8:30 @ RBC Middle School Library – 10270 Ravenna Rd., Twinsburg, OH
January 12, 2010
Settle & Support Class – Relaxation &
Stress Relief, Finding Peace Amongst
the Chaos!
Presented by Gary Peterson, RCST Star Institute
Donation Program
Each year Heinen’s
donates more than
$200,000 to area schools
and organizations through
the ABC School Donation
Program. Just by enrolling
in the program and shopping at Heinen’s funds are
raised.
Customers are
required to register the
school of choice each year.
Last year’s participants
with computers may log into
Heinen’s Tasteful Rewards
Don’t Forget PTSA collects
General Mills Box Tops and
Nestle Pure Life Water labels
to benefit our school. Collection boxes are located in
the office and cafeteria.
profile to select a school at
www.heinensrewards.com.
Those without computers may
call
216-475-2300 ext. 2337.
OUR NEWSLETTER CAN BE
FOUND ON THE MIDDLE
SCHOOL
PAGE AT THE
DISTRICT’S WEBSITE.
IF
YOU
TO
DO
THE
COPIES
THE
NOT
HAVE
WEB,
ARE
MAIN
ACCESS
PAPER
AVAILABLE
OFFICE.
IN
February 23, 2010
Services provided by Summit County
Developmental Disabilities Board
Learn the intake process, timelines,
transition, family services, etc.
Presented by Greg Coriale and Jill
Boxler, Service Administrators
March 9, 2010
What are we going to do in the summer?
Presented by agencies and camps for
special needs children and local tutoring services.
Please register by calling the Nordonia parent mentor office at 330-9086219.
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NOTES FROM THE LIBRARY
The Nancy Fike Media
Center has been a very busy place
since the beginning of the school
year!
We have welcomed many classes
and assisted with research for various classroom projects. Listed below
are a few classes we have provided
print and non-print resources in
order to help with the research and
information gathering process:

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Madame Brett’s French city
postcard activity
Herr Szentkiralyi’s German
country reports and famous
German biographies
Mrs. Sekulich’s social studies
Chinese Dynasties travel brochures
Mrs. Zehner’s Colonial and
Boycott projects
Mrs. Healy’s Edgar Allan Poe
Activities
We also have some exciting technology news! We have received a
Smartboard in the media center
which allows for a more hands-on
technology experience thanks to the
interactive board. If you have not
seen what a SmartBoard can do or
how it works, feel free to stop in for
a brief demonstration by Mrs. Wojtecki. The students are enjoying
using it in classes. Projects will be
created to incorporate its many features.
We now also have five Flip video
cameras that teachers can check out
in order to videotape class or student presentations. They can then
easily upload the videos to the computers and view them.
Our new website is up and running!
It contains helpful links to each
content area and can help your
child find the reliable and current
information they need! It can be
accessed by going to: http://
apps.mynordonia.net/msimcweb/
index.cfm?
CFID=85264&CFTOKEN=79310899
Our new Book Club is a huge success!
The students are enjoying sharing
books in a different genre each month
with one another. We will also be
having a guest speaker from the Akron- Summit County Public Library
sharing some information about
Graphic Novels at our December 2nd
meeting. There is a link to more Book
Club information on the Library
News page.
If your child needs some extra assistance in content areas, the AkronSummit County Public Library is offering after school tutoring assistance
at the Nordonia Hills Public Library
from 3:30-5 every Tuesday afternoon.
For more information regarding this,
you can call them at 330.467.8595.
And, as always, remember that INFOhio is a great resource for at-home
research and homework! Visit
www.infohio.org today!
Relax and take some time to enjoy a
good book!
Mrs. Wojtecki~and~Mrs. Kuboff
Notes of Interest-Band
Congratulations to all the bands for a spectacular performance on the 28 th. Way to go! The Holiday Concert has been
scheduled for Thursday, December 17th: 8th grade will perform in the gym at 8:30 AM and 7th grade will perform at 9:30
AM. Parents are invited and welcome to attend as well as the student body.
The band fundraiser will kick off this month. Please help by supporting our bands in any way you can.
Congratulations to Nick Armao, Susan Mantkowski, Edward McDonald, Matt Rogucki and Rachel Thompson for their
participation in the District VI Honor Band on November 13 th at Barberton High School. They did a great job in representing our school and community.
As always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email or phone me anytime!
330-908-6657
[email protected]
Have a great Thanksgiving!
Mary Schrembeck, Director of Middle School Bands
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WHAT IS JTI?
Junior Teen Institute (JTI) is a
drug, alcohol, tobacco, and violence
prevention youth group at the middle
school level. Middle school students who are interested in drug
prevention and community service
projects are welcome at anytime.
There is open enrollment all year
round. Meetings are held in Room
A110 at the Middle School from 2:503:50pm every 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of
the month. If you have questions regarding this group, you can contact
the group’s facilitator, Dr. Deb
Wallace, at 330-908-6020 or email at
[email protected]. If
your student has a question, Dr. Deb
is in the Guidance Department at the
Middle School every Tuesday.
JTI Schedule 2009-10
A WORD FROM OUR BOOKKEEPER
TRIP GIFT CARD PROGRAM
DON’T FORGET TO ORDER YOUR GIFT CARDS. Orders are taken each week throughout the school
year .
A family purchases gift cards through the TRIP program and redeems these gift cards when doing
their daily purchases of groceries, gas, clothing, etc.
Build up TRIP credits to be applied once a year by
the school towards the student’s class trip fees. Any
excess credits earned will be applied to the TRIP Assistance Fund to help other students.
If you have questions, contact the bookkeeper at
330-908-6604 or email at [email protected].
ORDERS DUE EACH WEEK BY TUESDAYAT 12:00 PM.
PICKUP THE FOLLOWING THURSDAY 7:30-9 AM & 1-3 PM
DATES TO REMEMBER
Dec. 3-Cookie Order afternoon pick up
NMS is pleased to announce that academic
and athletic fees can be
paid online using EZPay.
More information can be
found on the NMS webpage under links.
November 10,24
December 8
January 12,26
February 6 Retreat Day
February 9, 23
March 9, 23
April 20
May 11,25
*Game Night and Community Service
Days to be announced later.
An Academic Consumable Fee will be charged for
each student. If you are financially unable to pay student fees for this current school year, you must show
in writing, proof of one of the following: qualification
of free or reduced lunch program; welfare case load
number; AFDC number or income verification which
meets government guidelines. Waiver forms are
available in the Main Office. Regular academic fees
should be paid in full at the time of notification. Partial payments and a payment plan can be arranged
with the bookkeeper. Payments will be applied
against any previous outstanding balance. If no payment is made, records will not be released. Any accumulative balances will remain open each year until
graduation time. Middle School – Academic Fee $60.00, Athletic Fee - $42.50, Band & Club Fee
$10.00 If you have any questions, please contact the
bookkeeper @ 330-908-6604 Please make checks
payable to: Nordonia Middle School .
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SCHOOL DRESS CODE
Nordonia Middle School students are expected to
suggestive, lewd or obscene. If a student is unsure
dress in a neat, clean and modest manner that en-
about the appropriateness of the outfit, it should
hances a positive school image. Any apparel that
not be worn to school. Parental cooperation
violates health and safety codes is prohibited. Cloth-
regarding appropriate dress and grooming is
ing should not be worn with messages or graphics
greatly appreciated.
that promote or suggest profanity, gang affiliation,
violence, substance abuse, or is considered to be
The Following Restrictions Apply To Student Dress:

Hats/head coverings- Upon entering the building, students are expected to remove all head coverings.
No
Slippers!
Acceptable- barrettes, clips, scrunchies, headbands
Unacceptable- hats, bandannas, sweat bands, scarves, hoods

Shoes- Students must wear shoes at all times.
Acceptable- tennis shoes, hard-soled shoes, sandals
Unacceptable- slippers


Tops- All tops must be long enough to tuck in. Tops must not be revealing
cleavage or midriff ) . Sleeves must cover the shoulder, and armholes may not
expose one's side or underwear. Outerwear ( jackets and coats ) must be
stored in the locker upon arrival to school.
Administration reserves the right to
determine the appropriateness of appear-
Acceptable- T-shirts, sweatshirts, sweaters, blouses, polo/dress shirts
ance. Students who
Unacceptable- tank tops, spaghetti straps, mesh or sheer shirts, undershirts,
muscle shirts
are in violation of the
Bottoms- Pants, shorts or skirts must be secure above or at waist level. Shorts
and skirts must be at least fingertip length, including slits.
Acceptable- jeans, ( with no holes or tears ) casual or dress slacks, shorts,
sweatpants, skirts

Unacceptable- pajamas, boxers, spandex, thin knit or sheer bottoms, pants
with words or graphics on the backside, jeans with holes or tears.

Other/Misc.- Jewelry is not to be worn during physical education classes or
when participating in after-school athletics. Any dress or grooming that has a
distracting influence or is a possible safety hazard is not permitted.
Unacceptable- chains, spiked jewelry, face or body piercings, exposed tat-
toos, jewelry that is unsafe ( l arge or sharp ) , sunglasses.
Book bags, backpacks and carryalls may not be carried during the regular
school day and must be stored in student lockers. No water bottles or drink
containers may be carried into the school building.
school dress code will
be issued clothes to
wear for that day.
Clothing must be
returned to school the
next day properly
laundered. Habitual
violations of the dress
code may result in
disciplinary action.
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Welcome to Team Gator
Team Gator Highlights:
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Connected Math classes are wrapping up learning how to calculate surface area
and volume. Their next book is called Frogs, Fleas, and Painted Cubes. It teaches
about quadratic relationships and have students use Algebra to graph and solve
quadratic equations. Please make sure your child has a working calculator every
day in class. They are still for sale in the Opportunity Room for $12.
Algebra students have been investigating the meaning of functions and will then
focus more specifically on linear relationships.
Spanish students are wrapping up the trimester with a project on Mexico City,
family, food and clothing vocabulary and salsa dance lessons. Our last week of
espanol we will have a Spanish fiesta with salsa, tortillas, dulce de leche caramel
and Maria cookies as well as make our own Mexican ornaments called Ojos de
Dios! Students will switch to French with Mrs. Brett after Thanksgiving break.
Language arts classes are presenting their Edgar Allan Poe projects. These projects are the culmination of an in depth study of Poe’s classic stories and poems.
Next, students will read the highly acclaimed contemporary novel, Miracle’s Boys.
Students continue to work on writing and test-taking skills, as well as Word Wisdom.
Social Studies students are finishing up the Revolutionary War and will be then
start a unit on the Constitution.
In Science students will be continuing to study sound waves and light waves.
Newton Laws will also be taught along with the waves.
Thank you to all students who bought a Team Gator t-shirt. Congratulations to Dani Liptack
for drawing the design that was put on the shirt!!!
8th Grade Encore
8th
8th Grade Physical Education
The first semester is flying by for
students in Mrs. Hopkins’ eighth
grade art classes! We have just
finished an in-depth portraiture
unit, and will soon be involved in
creating an architectural design
using mixed media techniques (to
be entered into an annual art contest sponsored by the Akron Institute of Architects.) . In December,
students will create a clay representation of their family pet or their
Students in Physical Education
class are beginning their “Netgame” units. The first unit is Badminton. Students will learn a variety of skills and strategies to improve their game performance.
After Badminton, students will
participate in a Volleyball unit
where basic playing skills will be
refined and higher-level game
strategies will be incorporated.
Grade Art
favorite animal. We will round out the
year with a printmaking unit, as the
students create a portfolio of prints.
Tech Ed
Architecture:
Eighth grade students are currently
designing, constructing and testing a
prototype bridge. The bridges will be
tested to determine its structural efficiency.
9
Cheetahs
8th Grade French
Social Studies:
We will finish up the American Revolution before
Thanksgiving Break & start
a quick unit on; “A New
Nation”. This will cover major domestic problems
faced by the leaders of the
new republic under the Articles of Confederation
and the actions taken to
build one country from 13
colonies. This will be a tran-
sition unit for us, as we then
will begin a major unit
studying the U.S. Constitution. Specifically, the challenges in writing and ratifying the document including; The Great Compromise, The 3/5 Compromise,
and the compromise over
the slave trade, the Federalist/Anti-Federalist Debate, and the debate over
civil rights. We will spend
the rest of the 2nd quarter
learning about this information.
Bonjour tout le
monde. French students are
currently studying famous
French people and their contributions to humanity. They
will continue to explore Art
and French food before
switching languages after
Thanksgiving break.
Science with Mrs. Urban
In science we are beginning the Physical Science Unit. We will be mainly focusing
on mechanical and electromagnetic waves with an emphasis on sound and light
waves. We will discuss how these waves transfer energy from one place to another
and how they interact in predictable ways.
Language Arts with Ms. Blair
In language arts class we will be finishing the Poe unit and will use formula writing to write an essay
about Poe. We will also continue studying grammar by using Harry Noden's Image Grammar and
diagramming sentences. Our focus will be adjectives, prepositions, participles, gerunds, and infinitives. We will begin the novel Miracle's Boys after Thanksgiving Break. Each student will need a
copy of this paperback to bring to class and they are available here at the school for $3.50. They
can be purchased in the Opportunity Room. I will be making an announcement in class a week before we need them.
10
Team Coyote
It is hard to believe we are already in the second quarter! Students have settled into
their routines at school and are making progress. Please make sure your child has adequate
supplies for school, which includes binders, folders, and writing utensils. The most successful
students come to class prepared and ready to learn.
In Connected Math, we have just finished talking about the Pythagorean Theorem and
have started working on area, surface area, and volume. We will be taking our first quarter
test which will be counted for the first grade for the second quarter. After the quarter test,
we will begin working on the Frogs, Fleas and Painted Cubes book in Connected Math. In this
book, students will learn about the quadratic formula.
In Algebra, we have started talking about functions in Chapter 4. We will also be taking
our quarter test which will count for their first grade for the second quarter. We will be
ready to take our test over Chapter 4 and moving on to Chapter 5 where we will look at Linear
Function.
In Science, students are wrapping up the study of weather. By now, they are experts at
reading a weather map. Have your child interpret the nightly weather map for you – you may
be pleasantly surprised! Soon we will be moving into the study of waves, sound, and light. Students will be exchanging their weather books for a new book, as well.
In Mr. Shank’s Social Studies class, students are investigating the various battles of the
American Revolution. Each Coyote student is busy with a “Travel the Revolution” project that
explores the history of four specific battles and surrounding tourist activities. Who knew
that the Bunker Hill Monument (Boston, MA) has 294 stairs? After wrapping up the American
Revolution, students will enjoy an in-depth look at the leadership of George Washington and
the beginnings of our fine country.
In language arts the students are exploring the world of Edgar Allan Poe. Recently they
finished reading and discussing the “Tell Tale Heart”. We will continue to work with Poe
through his works “The Raven” and “Annabelle Lee”. The students will begin to start reading
Jacqueline Woodson’s novel “Miracle’s Boys”. They will also be introduced to William Shakespeare through his “A Midsummer’s Night Dream”. This quarter will be packed with a wide assortment of literature.
Students are wrapping up their time in the German classroom, and will be beginning
French after Thanksgiving. Das ist wunderbar!!
11
7th Grade Encore
All seventh grade first semester art students participated in The
Safety Kids Poster/Calendar Contest sponsored by the Summit
County Prosecutor’s Office. Congratulations goes out to Colleen Boyer, Brianna Guzik, Derek Pelsoczi, and Kaelynn Vargo,
who had winning poster designs in this year’s contest. Winners
will receive gift cards to Borders or Best Buy for their efforts.
Winning poster designs will be printed on billboards and in calendars that will be distributed throughout Summit County.
The family and consumer science classes will be completing the pillow projects,
so look for these masterpieces to come home around the end of October. The students will be involved in various activities to give them
skills in making small clothing repairs such as fixing ripped seams and
sewing on a button securely.
Mrs. Ritchie would like to thank the parents for their support
with getting the cloth and stuffing supplies to school in such a timely
manner. Preparation leads to a quality product.
Health education classes have been finishing up the
three parts to one’s good health (social, physical, mental/
emotional). They are currently learning about proper nutrition. What is a calorie? The next topic that we will discuss
will be the respiratory system, how to care for it, and the dangers of using tobacco.
Physical education students have been playing softball, soccer and football outside during the wonderful fall weather. Student teacher Ashley Kuban from Kent State
University has been working with the 7th graders in the team sports of volleyball and
basketball. We wish her the best of luck as she graduates on December 19th.
12
For both teachers and students on Team Wildcat, the year is going by quickly. Students were very
thoughtful in writing special notes for Veteran’s Day for those stationed in Iraq, worked hard selling magazines, and experienced their very first Middle School spirit assembly. They also enjoyed their first Middle
School dance and social, the pumpkin team theme unit, and many other sporting events and activities.
In the midst of football season, students in Mrs. Ault’s and Mrs. Vinson’s classes, read Crash, the story of a
middle school football player.
During the reading of this Jerry Spinelli novel, students will examine the literary devices of simile, metaphor, allusion and more! We’ll also answer literal, interpretive, and evaluative questions, without losing the
enjoyment of reading about this boy who goes through some typical feelings associated with the sometimes
wobbly pre-teen years. For instance, Crash puts mustard in the shoes of a buddy. But why doesn’t the prank
engender laughs like it used to? Are his friends growing up? Does Crash need to catch up?
Then once our study of Crash concludes, we head into the holiday season by reading an adaptation of
Charles Dickens’s, A Christmas Carol.
Dickens still inspires today’s writers and audiences. A recently released DVD, “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past,”
owes its storyline to Dickens, and Jim Carrey’s new animated film of the story is in theaters soon.
Our Team Wildcat students will enjoy a live theatrical presentation of “A Christmas Carol” on December
10 when we board the big, yellow limousines for Cleveland’s Playhouse Square!
Yes, the classics are classics for a reason!
Science classes with Mrs. Tylicki will finish up the ecology unit with the study and research of various
biomes on Earth. They are moving on to classification and organization of organisms through the Diversity of
Living Things. They will study the Kingdoms of organisms from one-celled organisms to multi-cellular plants
and animals. Soon, students will have a chance to study these organisms later microscopically when they do
the microscopy unit, an all time favorite.
Math classes have been learning about positive and negative integers through Connected Math. Presently Mr. Merhar’s students are working on Stretching and Shrinking. They are learning the mathematical
meaning of similarity and explore the properties of similar figures. To do this, they will compare corresponding parts, use scale factors, draw shapes on coordinate grids, just to name a few. The main theme is what is
similar and what is different?
The next stop on our voyage through ancient civilizations is Greece! Students will experience what it
was like to live in the ancient Greek world. Students will become Greek Hellenes who will learn about the
history, culture, and contributions of the ancient Greeks as they participate in a variety of exciting activities,
projects, quizzes, tests, and simulations.
Organized into city-state teams, all young Hellenes will attend “school” to learn the Greeks’
enduring principles of thought and behavior that were carried across Europe to the shores of North America;
especially how Athenian’s direct democracy compares and contrasts to the United State’s Representative De-
13
mocracy. They will take part in a “Survival” activity where they demonstrate the differences between the five
types of government. Each method of decision making for who should stay and who should go from the island
will illustrate how a monarchy, anarchy, democracy, oligarchy, or tyranny/dictatorship works. The students
will choose an individual project to showcase their understanding and appreciation of Greek Mythology
while being filmed on flip-cameras. The students will work together to design a picture book for Homer’s, Illiad and Odyssey and create comic strips to accompany our studies of “Alexander the Great”. Documentary style
note-taking will occur during our studies of the Persian Wars. Your Hellenes will also show off their physical
skills in a classroom Olympics, or stimulate their intellectual side as they exchange ideas role-playing some of
Greece’s most illustrious citizens during a Greek Symposium and Feast. Most importantly, the students will
learn why this era is considered one of the most significant in human history.
**Please look for directions on how to make a Toga and information for how to donate food for our symposium during the second week of November.
During the 2009-2010 school year, Nordonia Middle School will be incorporating a wide variety of
technology into the classrooms. Each team will receive SMART Boards, which are interactive, electronic
white boards that enhance instruction and learning. A SMART Board requires a projector that is used to display a computer video output onto the whiteboard, which then, converts the whiteboard into a large touch
screen.
Also, each team will receive a Student Response System. This system allows educators to have the
ability to actively engage students and assess individual student achievement. They are used for formative assessment and progress monitoring. Also, Student Response Systems are great for preparing students for assessments. At times, a student may become nervous to answer a question because they could be wrong. The
Student Response System allows the students to answer questions individually, anonymously, and at their
own pace.
THE OWLS
The Owls are getting ready for the holiday season as we head into November and December. In
Mrs. Holan’s language arts classes, students will be
reading the Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol. This
experience will be further enhanced by a private
screening of the 3-D movie, A Christmas Carol, on
December 17th. Details about this field trip will be
coming shortly. Mrs. Bailey’s math classes will be
finishing their exploration of similar figures as they
wrap up the book Stretching and Shrinking. Then,
they will move on to examining positive and negative numbers in the book Accentuating the Negative. Mr. Pilato’s social studies classes will continue
their study of ancient Greek civilization. This unit
will culminate in Team Owl’s version of the Greek
Olympic Games. This exciting day will help bring
together many of the concepts covered in the
social studies class as well as topics from the
other disciplines. Finally, Mr. Capretta’s science
classes will be studying the various biomes of
the Earth. Students will display their knowledge and understanding of biomes in a creative, culminating project. Following this unit,
students will begin to explore the most basic
unit of life, the cell.
If you have any questions or concerns
throughout the year, please feel free to contact
individual Owl teachers via e-mail. In addition,
you may also schedule a conference with the
Team on any regular school day between 1:15
and 1:55. Team Owl teachers would like to
wish you a safe and happy holiday season!
14
NEWS FROM THE ROOS
November 12th and November 19th
are conference dates at the middle school.
The Team Roo teachers will be available between 3:00 and 7:00 on both of those
Thursday evenings. If you would like to
schedule a conference with the team, please
call the main office to schedule a time.
The students continue to be busy
with many interesting activities. In Social
Studies, students will learn about the glory
and the fall of the Greek and Roman Empires through a variety of hands-on lectures,
activities and projects. At the end of these
units, students will understand what these
two glorious empires gave to the ancient
world and today’s world.
Mr. Yeager’s math classes have explored an area of mathematics which combines geometry and algebra, that is working
with scale factors, which can stretch or
shrink any geometric figure. Upon completion of that area, all classes will be involved
in work with positive and negative integers,
fractions and decimals.
Mrs. Scheip’s students will be finished
with their first novel, CRASH, and then will
be reading a play version of Charles Dickens’
A Christmas Carol. This play captures the
language of Dickens but allows the students
to read and present it as a readers’ theater.
The play will culminate with our field trip to
the Ohio Theater to see the play performed.
The students will also be reviewing their
grammar and mechanics rules, continuing
to practice their writing skills, and sharpening their reading and vocabulary skills.
In Science class students are continuing to study Ecology. They will be
working on learning about specific ecosystems called biomes. Students will be
choosing one biome to study in depth; including graphing the climate, creating
food webs, and examining the interactions
of the many organisms. Students are continuing to work on developing scientific
thinking skills, and using the scientific
method in lab activities. We are continuing to build basic science vocabulary by
completing two vocabulary templates
every week. Vocabulary is given out every
Monday. Students are supposed to be doing this in study hall every week, and turn
it in on Friday.
We want to remind all students and
parents that our assignments are posted
on Progress Book every week. It is an excellent site where you can find the nightly
homework, projects that may be due, tests
and quizzes that are coming up. Also, it is
a great place to see the progress for each
class. If you haven’t see Progress Book yet,
please take some time to check it out.
Check here next issue to see what’s
“hoppening” on Team Roo.