CMS Panther Press April 2010 - West Windsor

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609.716.5300
PANTHER PRESS
COMMUNITY • MIDDLE • SCHOOL • NEWSLETTER
School Website: www.wwprsd.org/cms
District Website: www.ww-p.org
Principal’s Pen
Our district continues to make a
dedicated effort to promote and
expand communication. With
the aid of technology, our efforts are constantly evolving in
order to find the most efficient
and effective ways of keeping
the lines of communication
open.
Research has shown
Dr. Arthur C. Downs, Jr.
that children do better in
school when parent/teacher communication is readily
available.
Gerri Hutner, our district Communications Director, has renovated our district Web site (www.
ww-p.org) using our new SharpSchool website creation
tool. The site is frequently updated to reflect important
district, school, and department-specific information. The Community Middle School section of the district site is also the launching point for Teacher Web
Pages (wwpcms.sharpschool.com). These pages
VOL. 23, NO. 4
APRIL 2010
E-mail: [email protected]
provide convenient links to team information, individual teacher and/or department pages, learning
resources, and samples of student work.
SharpSchool features include a public Web
presence along with individual user accounts for staff
and students. Teachers can easily upload and share
assignments for students, as well as resources for other
teachers. Teachers, students, and administrators can
share ideas with each other online via secure chats,
forums, blogs, or wikis. SharpSchool is an economical
solution that will provide consistency as well as a wide
range of additional services to complement our existing infrastructure while enhancing our ability to
communicate effectively and efficiently.
Mark Your Calendar!
School Board Election and Budget Vote
on Tuesday, April 20th.
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Community Middle School Wins 9th Straight Science Olympiad Title
On March 16, 2010, it was another first-place finish for Community Middle School at the New Jersey State
Science Olympiad Tournament held at Middlesex County Community College, Edison, NJ. The Community
Middle School Science Olympiad Teams have captured first place trophies at State competitions for the past
nine years!
This year’s CMS Science Olympiad Team will now be representing New Jersey at the National Science
Olympiad Tournament, to be held at the University of Illinois in May of this year.
At the State competition, CMS Science Olympians went up against 27 other top middle school teams, and
competed in 24 individual and team events such as ecology, fossils, science crime busters, dynamic planet, trajectory and more.
CMS came away from the day-long event with a total of 17 medals: seven gold, eight silver, and two
bronze.
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Community Middle School Returns to the NJ FPS State Bowl
Once again our FPS students scored high enough in the Qualifying
Problem to earn a bid to the NJ Future Problem Solving State Bowl. In
fact, many of the CMS teams had high scores on the qualifying problem, but the rules state that no more than two teams from the same
school can participate in the State Bowl. The bowl was held on March
26 at Woodbridge High School.
Congratulations to our winning teams and individuals! All of CMS
is hoping you’ll earn a bid to the next level – the International Conference at the University of Wisconsin, La Crosse in June! These are the
State Bowl Participants:
Junior Division:
Ria Mittal
Alan Xu
Matthew Pan
Jasen Zhang
Jeremy Zhang
Andrew Wei
Middle Division:
Ross Chapman
Victoria Chan
Lyric Gupta
Sohi Kim
Rohan Agrawal
Bolong Xu
Avilash Bagchi
Jungsoo Park
Hunter Rendleman
Middle Division
Individuals:
Max Puthenpura
Aditya Bindra
The Hunger Banquet Teaches about Food Insecurity
The second annual Hunger Banquet, held in
our theater and Commons on February 18,
2010, raised over $560 for the earthquake victims while delivering lessons about food, economic status, and society. This year four
school groups coordinated efforts: RISK (the
PRISM group appropriately named for
Reducing Instances of Starvation in Kids),
Hands Across the Water, Student Council, and
Sew Comfy. RISK synchronized the actual
event with the help of the RISK parents
(namely Mrs. Ochs, Mrs. Engel, and Mrs.
Mookerjee); Hands across the Water offered
sweet homemade desserts; Student Council sold the Help for
Haiti rubber arm bands in CMS colors; and Sew Comfy sold
their “hobo bags.” The Wake Up Community crew filmed the
event and featured it on a recent show.
Great job, Community! We work best when we work
together!
Assistant Principal’s Corner
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PAGE 3
for the testing program. In order to ensure that students
are as successful as possible, we suggest that you review
the following with your child at the appropriate time:
♣ All students should be in school during testing days.
While there will be make-up days specified in case of
illness, please remember that students will miss valuable classroom time if they have to make up part or
all of the testing.
♣ Students should be encouraged to get plenty of rest
each evening. An early bedtime will enhance their
ability to think.
Stephanie Leroux and Donna Nini
Assistant Principals
With the approach of spring we look forward to the
warmer weather, spring sports, and all of the springtime
traditions and festivities that take place at Community
Middle School. Another springtime tradition is the standardized testing program mandated by the state. The testing program does provide parents, students and teachers
with benchmark data to affirm the academic progress that
occurs from year to year.
All three grade levels will be tested this year with the
7th and 8th grade NJASK first on the schedule for April
27, 28, 29, & 30 (make-up testing May 3-6). The grade 6
NJASK will be administered on May 3, 4, 5, & 6 (makeup testing May 10-13). Detailed information on the tests
will be sent home to parents prior to the test administration, and scores will be reported in the summer.
Since a formal testing program can cause concern and
anxiety for students, it is important for us to help our children develop a positive attitude and physical readiness
Principal Dr. Arthur C. Downs, Jr.
Assistant Principals Donna Nini • Stephanie Leroux
Supervisors
Karen Schubert-Ramirez, IRLA
Barbara Braverman, Math
Miriam Robin, Science
Mark Wise, Social Studies
Rosanne Zeppieri, World Languages
Guidance Counselors
Faith Scibienski • Ellen Burgess • Colleen Pedersen
Lynn Fisher
Wendy Alley, Student Assistance Counselor
Panther Press Editors
Antonella Vescuso • Mara Bok
♣ Students are encouraged to rise early each morning so
that the home routine is not rushed. Keeping calm
will help students maintain a positive attitude.
♣ Eating a good breakfast is essential to a successful
morning. Brains need proper nutrition to function at
maximum potential!
♣ Once testing begins, students are encouraged to pay
close attention, listen carefully, and follow instructions precisely. Teachers periodically inform students
of the time elapsed or remaining on the board and students should pace themselves accordingly.
Traditionally, our students do very well on all of
these assessments, and they are well prepared by their
teachers throughout the year for these events. If your
child seems stressed as testing time approaches, it may
be a good idea to remind him or her that standardized
testing, while formal, is but one assessment tool that we
use during the year. As always, if you feel that your child
needs any assistance, please contact us.
NURSE’S CORNER
Please remember that any incoming sixth
graders need to have their Tdap and menactra
vaccinations when they turn eleven years old. They
need it before they start school if their birthday is
between January through September!!! Spread the
word.
Sport permsission packets for Fall ’10 for HSN
and CMS are due to the nurse’s office starting in the
middle of May. Remember a current physical for
PAGE 4
CHALLENGE DAY
PANTHER PRESS
“What is Challenge Day? Imagine a school day where enemies
find their common ground and make peace; where friends heal
past hurts and make amends; where young people ignite their
passion for service and leadership; where teachers and youth
alike join hands to create a school where every student feels safe, loved and celebrated. This is the work of the heart. This is the work of Challenge Day.”
For the second year in a row, 200 7th graders
participated in Challenge Day, a nationally-acclaimed program designed to allow students to
express themselves honestly with each other and
in doing so, break down social barriers and create a peaceful school. On March 9 and 10, thirty
teachers volunteered to join the two Challenge
Day staff members in facilitating activities and
small group conversations that blended fun and
laughter
with open conversation and real emo- Efren Siguenza, Ylana Lopez,
Oishi Bhattacharya, Tiana
Walters and Nyambe Tuch- tion. By the end of each day, students were cel- Dan Pemberton and Jarrett
scherer embrace “Being the ebrating each other with hugs of apology, and Luoma partner up for fun.
acceptance, and inspiring thoughts of how to
Change.”
make change everyday in the halls of
Community Middle School.
Now there are almost 400 students
at CMS committed to “Being the
Change”, and making our school a
better place by following these three
steps:
• NOTICE what’s happening in the
world around them,
• CHOOSE actions that create positive change, and
Challenge Day facilitator Mzima shows
Justin Goldstein and Jonathan • ACT as a living example of the love to Ambika Nair for accepting the
Gelb share a laugh with 7B power of contribution and compas- “Be the Change” challenge.
teacher Jeanne Rhein.
sion.
And they are doing it!
Says one seventh grader,
“Some people who bullied me in the past are
coming up to me and
saying they’re truly
sorry. That means the
world to me. I felt SO
good after they said that
to me.” Wow, stay positive, 7th grade, and
Seventh graders Julian Fonseca and make that Change!
You can learn more Teachers and students join Challenge Day faDana Angley show their commitment
to stop bullying after Challenge Day. by visiting www.Chal- cilitator Tony in having fun.
lengeDay.org.
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PANTHER PRESS
SUMMER CHINESE LANGUAGE CAMP
JUNE 21 – JULY 2, 2010
9:00 a.m.—3:00 p.m.
Princeton Regional Schools and West Windsor-Plainsboro Schools
are excited to offer our fourth
SUMMER CHINESE LANGUAGE CAMP.
The camp will take place at Community Middle School in Plainsboro.
Students entering 7th grade or above (including first year of university)
are able to attend.
The camp fee is $100 per student.
The program combines language and culture and features a
daily Chinese lunch and a field trip.
There will be three groups or classes:
• Beginning Chinese - You neither speak nor write Chinese.
• 2nd level - You have studied Chinese in middle school or
for one year in high school.
• 3rd level - A class for students who have studied Chinese for a
couple of years in high school
We invite former heritage students to apply to become counselors in training.
Please contact Priscilla Russel or Rosanne Zeppieri (West Windsor-Plainsboro supervisor) via email for more information. Registration forms are available at
www.prs.k12.nj.us
[email protected] • [email protected]
I
R
L
A
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What does it mean to “walk in someone else’s
skin”? This is one of the many themes
explored by eighth grade IRLA students as
they continue to read Harper Lee’s classic To
Kill a Mockingbird. As an introduction to the
novel, students participated in our sixth
annual Kick-Off Day on February 24th. The
eighth grade concourse was all abuzz with
activity as students explored information
about the time period, the culture, and the
author at different stations. In addition, teachers took on the roles of a variety of characters
from the novel to engage the students in a Southern
atmosphere.
To Kill a Mockingbird
Kick-off Day
Student Reactions: “I know it sounds ridiculous but I
do believe that this novel will change how we look at
the world and how we act towards others…We are
enjoying this novel entirely.” – Minal Malik 8E
PANTHER PRESS
“I like the honesty of history in this book.” – Jade
Mannheim 8B
“There are many things to learn from Atticus- such as
how to be courageous and how to be true to what you
believe.” – Madeline Day 8B
“I believe kick-off day was a great experience and an
amazing bridge to the book…” – Neil Shah 8C
“My favorite part was talking with my group about the
stereotypes that are displayed in the novel and how
some still appear today.” – Tresa Joseph 8A
“Kick-off day was a great way to introduce us to the
book. I thought it was creative to have teachers represent characters.” – Juhi Kapadia 8D
PANTHER PRESS
TEAM NEWS
We hope that all had a restful and relaxing
Spring Break. It was one that was certainly
warranted for the students. We have quickly
adjusted our focus to finishing the year as strongly as
we began 7 months ago.
(Please refer to “To Kill a Mockingbird” section in
this issue for Ms. Zaccaria’s IRLA input.)
Now that all of 8A understands how light behaves,
how mirrors and lenses work and how they see, we are
going to begin our study of astronomy. We will look at
the interactions within the Earth/Moon/Sun system and
the effects on Earth’s tides, seasons and eclipses. A
detailed look at the Sun and how it works will precede
our study of the other seven planets of the solar system
(sorry about Pluto). Like Buzz Lightyear, we will venture into the beyond. What is beyond our solar system,
our galaxy? How far does the universe extend? Get
ready for some good science, interesting history and
maybe a dose of humility on our journey through space
and time.
Students have reviewed and expanded their knowledge of data analysis and probability. Next, we will be
introduced to topics such as square roots, measurement,
equations, graphs, slope, similar figures and logic.
Algebra students have completed their chapter on
graphing, and they are currently expanding on this concept using “Systems of Equations,” along with “Rational and Radical Expressions.” We will continue to
acquire the foundations that are necessary to understand
and apply “The Quadratic Formula.”
8A social studies students have truly done a
commendable job since our last publication. They have
progressed through Medieval Europe, emerging from
the Dark Ages and discovered a new world (with the
assistance of Christopher Columbus and other European Conquistadors). We’ve now moved onto a unit of
study on the impact that 1492 had not only on the 16th
century, but on our 21st century world as well.
We have less than two months remaining in this
school year and, while your children are looking forward to the summer months, we still have much work
to do before sending them off to …gulp…high school!
8A
Team 8B has been using a student-centered
approach for the Panther Press communications. We are using various themes relating to
the curriculum such as global connectedness, personal
beliefs and philosophies, and our most current theme of
tolerance developed from the eighth grade novel, To Kill
8B
PAGE 7
a Mockingbird. Different students have been selected to
address these themes and write from their perspective.
In science, 8C is bringing our study of Light
to a close as we investigate mirrors and lenses.
This will lead into a study of the human eye
and will culminate in a dissection of a cow eye. Students will be able to compare structures and will get an
understanding of how our eyes function. Additional
studies will include comparisons to other organisms and
also how eye problems are dealt with and remediated.
Mrs. Cantor’s algebra students have been working
on polynomials and factoring, and are about to embark
on their study of quadratic equations and functions in
Chapter 10. You may hear them singing the quadratic
formula song, hopefully a fun way to remember a long
formula
Pre-algebra students are working on mastering integers, rational numbers, and inequalities. They will
then start solving the Mystery of Blacktail Canyon (the
theme for their Module 3 work) using the math they
learn in Module 3: square roots, slopes, graphing of linear equations, similar figures, scientific notations and
Venn diagrams. All math students are also continuing
to prepare for the grade 8 NJASK tests which are scheduled during the last week of April.
8C
Ms. Bowen’s science students completed their
study of light and are looking at Earth in space.
They are investigating our planet as a part of a
solar system and some of the phenomena happening
here. If you catch the students star gazing, they might
just be doing their science homework.
Students in Mrs. Fenton’s algebra class examined
systems of linear equations. Students used the algebraic
methods of substitution and elimination to solve systems and applied these methods to real-world situations, such as determining profit margins. Students then
moved to working with exponential expressions and
functions.
Students in Mrs. Fenton’s pre-algebra class used
proportions to solve problems involving percent. Students learned about probability and discovered the distinction between theoretical outcomes and those that
result from actual events. After deciphering between
dependent or independent events, students will use
probability to make predictions.
8D’s social studies students examined what made
the Western European Dark Ages “dark”, as well as
8D
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TEAM NEWS
the factors that added “light” to the Dark Ages. They
are sharpening their communication skills by engaging
in debates and Socratic discussions, as well as delivering oral presentations about Black History and
Women’s History.
8E social studies students are excited to be diving into new technology through the use of
Glogster, Poll Everywhere, and Prezi. We are
looking forward to our end of the year project where
we will see the impact global connectedness has on our
world today.
internet in order
to research children’s
book
activities that
correspond with
their
books.
8E
Team 7A is a group of inquisitive and unique
individuals, always eager to delve into unknown and new subjects.
7A students have recently completed the short story
unit which included collaborating with the equally productive 7D to create detailed and accurate Venn diagrams that dissected and evaluated the differences and
similarities between ten stories, such as The Black Cat
and The Tell-Tale Heart. This interesting unit involved
completing pre-writes which required students to fill information for the story line elements, such as a setting
and theme. The prewrites also contained thought-provoking questions that demanded students to carefully analyze the stories for answers. Unarguably, these
assignments assisted students in analyzing literature for
common threads and broadened their perspectives of
reading and writing, one of the important goals of 7A.
Additionally, 7A students performed an egg bungee
experiment. During this lab, students were faced with
the challenge of predicting how many rubber bands it
would take for an egg to reach the ground without
breaking when dropped 200 cm from the ground. Students and their lab groups explored new concepts of
gravity and how elasticity helps a bungee jumper. Although some eggs did not survive the jump, everyone
had a fun time exploring the forces of gravity, fluid friction, and elasticity in this experiment.
By Winston Shaw and Andrew Ma
7A
On Tuesday, March 2, 2010, Team 7B students celebrated “Read Across America Day”
with amazing events. Students selected tantalizing children’s picture books for reinforcing reading
strategies to inspire Dutch Neck students on their reading journeys. Additionally, the students utilized the
7B
PANTHER PRESS
Some students
crafted word puzzles unique to
their read-aloud. A few students anticipated the joy of
reading to their own younger
siblings, while other students took a stroll down
memory
lane
and
renewed acquaintances
with former teachers.
Being role models for
younger students encouraged middle school students to visualize themselves as
future teachers.
Earlier that day students participated in the Thirteenth Annual Read-a-Thon. Martin House Learning
Center benefitted from the money raised by students
through the generous support of the students’ families
who sponsored the students’ reading in IRLA, Social
Studies, and Science classes.
During the month of March, 7C students completed their joint IRLA and social studies research papers. When students handed the
papers in on March 10th, they felt a great relief and a
sense of accomplishment after all of their hard work.
The topics focused on the environment and tied into our
class trip from earlier this year to the Solar Decathlon
in Washington D.C.
In IRLA, students also recently read the novel Tangerine, a book about the life of a twelve-year-old boy
Paul, who moved to Tangerine County, Florida from
Texas. Students made connections to the novel in Mrs.
Baner’s science class because sinkholes and muck fires
occur in the novel and were further explored in her
7C
PANTHER PRESS
TEAM NEWS
class. Students also
enjoyed in-class
discussions and
acting out scenes
from the novel.
Additionally, 7C
students identified
and
discussed
stereotyping
in
Tangerine. They
7C students discussing “Tangerine” by
are currently workEdward Bloor.
ing on writing a literary analysis paper to further explore the stereotyping
that occurs in the novel, and comparing it to the stereotyping that transpires in the movie Stand and Deliver.
By Nick Kerins
7D is a one of a kind team in which the students learn a lot of good information under the
guidance of our vivacious teachers. The teachers like to provide us with interesting and challenging
activities and projects that get the lesson across in a
unique way. There are several things that we are working on in 7D. In IRLA, we are on our short story unit in
which we are teaming up with 7A to compare and contrast several literary pieces. We are exploring pieces by
authors such as Edgar Allan Poe, Ambrose Bierce,
Shirley Jackson, and O’Henry. Mrs. O’Brien, our
knowledgeable teacher not only makes sure that we understand the short stories, but also the authors who
wrote them. Going on to math, we are moving along
well in both pre-algebra honors and the regular classes.
The honors class is working on the geometry unit which
includes angle relations and geometric measurements.
We are also aiming to finish Chapter 9 before the marking period ends. The other class just got a new textbook
and is enjoying using it. There is also an online component to this new textbook which makes doing the
homework much easier. Overall, math is an engaging
class in which our exuberant teacher, Mrs. Widmann,
adds her own fun touch to it.
In social studies, under our wonderful Mrs.
Kluxen, we have just completed a unit on Reconstruction after the Civil War and the Civil Rights movement.
Our next unit will be a novel study on several Mildred
Taylor books that realistically portray the struggles of
an African-American family from Reconstruction to the
1950’s. In April, we will be doing research on Ameri-
7D
PAGE 9
cans who have made a difference. We will finish the
school year by studying the 20th Century.
In science, we are finishing up our unit on the
Human Body Systems with our final test on the digestive system being a performance test using interesting
materials. We will also be learning about the respiratory and circulatory systems in this unit. Our next unit
will be on genetics, in which we will be spending time
in the computer lab and working with Mr. and Mrs.
Potatohead! Mrs. Stein, our helpful and intelligent science teacher encourages us to work at our own pace and
to learn in the style that best fits us. Overall, 7D is a
well-connected team; all our teachers are amazing and
as the year moves by fast we are learning important information that is going to help us further along the road
of our education.
By Sanchaya Satish
7E IRLA students have just completed presenting their family memory trees in conjunction with their reading of The Giver, by Lois
Lowry. Students read about the value of memories and
family roots in the novel and learned it for themselves
by interviewing parents and grandparents to generate
“memories” of their lives. Some of the amazing family
discoveries included royalty, pickle farms, multiple
wives, freedom fighters, and Holocaust survivors.
In science, the 7E students are busily constructing
their awesome Rube Goldberg devices to demonstrate
their knowledge of energy transfers and the mechanical
advantages of various simple machines. This activity
will culminate with a “science fair” type of exposition
with Ms. Saba’s class, whereby both teams will
demonstrate to each other how their devices work.
7E
Over the past several months 6A teachers and
students have been participating in a program
called Let Me Learn which empowers students
with the knowledge and understanding of how they
learn, and in turn, empowers teachers to better understand how their students operate. The following is an
excerpt from the official website (http://letmelearn.org):
Let Me Learn equips learners by teaching them how
to use the Let Me Learn Process®, an Advanced Learning System that provides an inward look at their internalized behaviors, an outward analysis of their actions,
and a vocabulary for communicating both to those
within their learning environment.
6A
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TEAM NEWS
The Let Me Learn Process® begins with the use of a
tool, the Learning Connections Inventory (LCR©2003),
a nationally and internationally validated instrument that
measures the degree to which learners use each of four
interactive learning processes (Sequence, Precision,
Technical Reasoning, and Confluence).
The learning patterns identified provide valuable insight and information regarding the learning process for
each person. Learning patterns also reflect how people
interact with one another. The combination of these patterns determines how one learns. There is no good or
bad learning combination, no right or wrong. One’s
learning combination impacts learning, both in and out
of school.
The Let Me Learn Process® provides learners with
the means to articulate who they are as a learner and
provides the learning environment necessary for them
to employ their learning tactics with intention. Learners
who are a part of this advanced learning system can intensify, modify, or forge the use of their learning
processes into a working partnership with others in
order to complete a task.
Students on team 6B have just finished wrapping up their final copies of the comparison/contrast essay on two Greek myths. In
IRLA, students are moving on to their research project.
Classes are working together with Ms. Randolph to
research, organize, and create a research document. Students will be spending two weeks on the research,
where students will gather facts and learn how to paraphrase correctly. Students have self selected their topics related to Ancient Leaders. This is a great
opportunity for students to acquaint themselves with
the media center and all of the resources available to
them beyond the internet.
6B
In Dr. Cheek’s IRLA class, students have finished with the charming and challenging historical fiction novel A Single Shard, set in 12th
century Korea. They are currently engaged in a study of
Greek and Roman mythology in preparation for reading
The Adventures of Ulysses, an adaptation of Homer’s
The Odyssey. They have also been busy with the joint
IRLA/social studies “Ancient Leaders” research project, where they have been involved in the process of research, as well as preparing a research paper.
In Ms. Crain’s mathematics class, students have
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PANTHER PRESS
now conquered all four operations of fractions and decimals and they will continue to apply these in a variety
of problem solving situations. Throughout the spring
quarter, all content covered this academic year will be
reinforced along with the addition of algebraic applications. Team Math, a popular problem solving approach,
will also be on the agenda.
In Mrs. Kotch’s social studies class, the research
process has been a focal point as well as the study of ancient India, including religious beliefs, geography and
the ascent and decline of this intriguing ancient dynasty.
Upcoming are units on the classical world of Greece
and Rome.
In Mr. Maggio’s science class, students have been
examining earthquakes and discussing the causes,
effects and locations of earthquakes. Additionally, they
have experimented with earthquake waves and ground
motion as well as earthquake epicenters, the structure of
the earth’s structure and plate tectonics.
On March 2nd, team 6D went on an exciting
field trip to Millstone River School in order to
celebrate Read Across America Day. Sixth
grade students worked together in small groups to prepare a poetry lesson in IRLA class, and were responsible for teaching the lesson to small groups of fifth
graders. In order to prepare the lesson, students had to
choose a themed poetry book, read a selection of poems,
and create a fun and creative type of activity for the students to complete. Many groups read poems which were
themed, such as by sports or food, and then had the students complete a variety of activities ranging from
drawing pictures based on the imagery from the poem to
creating a new poem along the theme of the book.
Students were able to see first-hand how much
thought and preparation is put into the daily lessons
their own teachers prepare. The 6th graders were
responsible for writing a formal lesson plan and preparing all the materials needed to complete the lesson,
whether they needed colored pencils, clipboards, or
stickers for rewards. Some groups even created their
own worksheets and graphic organizers for the fifth
graders to complete.
All 6D students were rewarded for their participation with individualized certificates recognizing their
hard work. Team 6D students had a great time teaching
the fifth graders, and were able to learn what it is like
to be in “the teachers’ shoes” for the day!
6D
PANTHER PRESS
TEAM NEWS
By Mrs. Meredith along with Maansi Jayade,
Ashmitha Mathukumar, and Samantha Gong
In Mrs. Bhatheja’s math classes, the students
of 6E recently celebrated Pi Day, a celebration
of the number that represents a circle's circumference-to-diameter
ratio:
3.14159265358979323846… On the third month, 14th day at 1:59:26
p.m., it was pi hour, minute and second. The class measured circles and various objects by utilizing what they
learned about this magical number, pi. Now, Team 6E
is all ready for the construction business with geometry
(angles, triangles, and many other assorted geometric
figures). The class is currently working on algebraic
thinking and increasing their knowledge of variables,
expressions, equations and more.
In science class, matter…matters. The students have
learned that anything that takes up space and has mass,
is matter. On a related note, why does ice float on water?
Why does a helium balloon float in air? Why does salad
dressing separate into layers? Why do fools fall in love?
What can be learned from the findings of Archimedes
and Lavoisier? These questions and many others occupy
the growing minds of Team 6E sixth graders as they try
to make sense of the world they live in.
Social Studies and Language Arts have commingled
significantly as the students continue their studies of ancient cultures and the development of the world. The
sixth graders have learned about leaders such as
Ashoka, Hammurabi and Darius the Great. They have
studied ways in which people have sought to explain the
workings of the world through philosophies such as
Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, and
Legalism. Team 6E strengthened their understanding of
how to write a quality research report by undertaking
the process of exploring and studying ancient personalities such as Julius Caesar, Pericles, Hammurabi, Ramses, Augustus Caesar, Shi Huangdi, and Alexander the
Great. Concepts discussed in IRLA include elaboration,
balance, supporting a thesis statement, structuring a research report, creating a bibliography, and footnotes and
citations. To further enrich their experiences, Team 6E
recently visited Wicoff School to share the art of reading with third and second graders. Afterwards, the sixth
graders visited a local restaurant, Flavor of India, to
experience the various foods of this wonderful country.
One of the best ways to learn about new cultures is
through the foods of the people who live there!
6E
PAGE 11
KOREAN FESTIVAL 2010
The Korean Festival 2010 was a cultural festival that
shared a taste of Korea with the community. It was one
way for students in the West Windsor-Plainsboro
Regional School District to introduce and to share the
Korean culture. The Korean Festival is the combined
efforts of the Korean bilingual class and Korean Club at
High School South, under the direction of teacher and
advisor, Janice Chai. The Korean Festival was held on
March 26.
The evening introduced the concept of pojangmacha through the style of dining and the types of food
that was served, as well as the sharing of the more
known Korean specialties: kimchi and bulgogi. The
Korean Festival presented a dynamic Korea—a blend
of traditional and modern. Events included traditional
fan and drum dances to martial arts, taekwondo, and
current Korean pop culture. Also, there was a Korean
wedding, a play based on Korean folk tale Hungboo
and Nolboo, and a fashion show featuring clothing from
old and new Korea.
Ms. Chai noted, “The High School South students
involved in the making of the Korean Festival have
learned about commitment, leadership, and cooperation. And, the culmination of their efforts will have a
positive impact on the community today and in the
years to come.”
News From
World Languages
Mrs. Perez, Spanish teacher at Community Middle
School, received news on April 5th that two of her
eighth grade students were recognized for their podcast
entry in a contest sponsored by the Foreign Language
Educators of New Jersey. Tyler Cruz and Matthew
Howarth submitted a video clip demonstrating the impact that studying Spanish has had on their lives.
You can view their winning entry at the following
website:
http://flenjpodcasting.org/index.php?option=com
competition&task=view_details&sub_id=104
Congratulations to the students and their teacher!
PAGE 12
PANTHER PRESS
PTSA NEWS
Happy Spring! Check out the PTSA spring event
schedule!
GENERATION TEXT: Join author Dr. Michael Osit
for a lecture and book signing on Thursday, April 15.
Dr. Osit will discuss the phenomenon of the many
facets of Generation Text, how it shapes our children’s
values, attitudes and behaviors. Acquire insights that
offer parents the savvy skills and confidence to raise
children with healthy identities, and strong ethics to
make good choices in this technologically advancing
world. Join us on April 15 at 7:30pm in the CMS
Theater!
PTSA Meeting: Congratulations, Gabriel! Please join
us on April 15 just prior to the Generation Text presentation on for a brief PTSA meeting. We will officially
congratulate CMS’s own Gabriel Yoder-Shenk, winner of the NJPTA State Reflections Award for his original musical composition. The meeting will begin at
7pm.
Reflections Presentation: Join us at 6:30pm on April
15 (just before the PTSA meeting and Generation Text
presentation) as we acknowledge CMS students for
their participation in this year’s NJPTA Reflections
Arts in Education Program! The works of art submitted
to the Reflections Program by CMS students will be
displayed.
The PTSA is busily working on several of CMS’
favorite events of the year:
Talent Show: We may not discover the next American
Idol, but we certainly will have fun trying! Everyone is
invited to join the audience and enjoy the show on Friday, April 30! If you are able to help, please contact
Mona Gawroniak at 936-8267 or monakg@
comcast.net.
8th Grade Dance: As CMS prepares to turn it’s 8th
graders loose on high school, the PTSA is making plans
for the annual 8th Grade Dance, set for June 11.
17th Annual Cameo Awards: An evening celebration
for the many CMS students involved in TV Production,
including CMS’s daily news show, Wake Up Community, Friday, June 4.
End of Year Family Picnic: It’s not often that all of
CMS is able to get together for a party! We’ll have it all
– food, games, music, and you! It’s going to be a blast
– mark the date! The party goes from 5pm-8pm on
Tuesday, May 18, here on CMS grounds.
As the PTSA starts looking forward to next year,
we’d like to thank the CMS faculty, students and families who supported the PTSA’s efforts at Community
Middle School this year, be it through volunteering
time, donating money, or attending a PTSA event.
(We’d like to sneak in a thank you to the recent Challenge Day volunteers!) The PTSA sponsored or
planned dozens of events and programs benefitting
everyone at CMS this year. The success of the Just
Write a Check fundraiser has made it possible for the
PTSA to purchase additional smart boards for CMS
classrooms, as well as a soundboard for the CMS theater. The soundboard will be used for most school functions conducted in the theater and will save the school
thousands in equipment rental fees.
The PTSA is always looking for new ideas and new
volunteers. If you are interested in learning about ways
you can be involved in the PTSA, please contact Mary
Meduski at [email protected] or Dawn O’Brien
at [email protected].
ed
SPORTS NEWS
Spring sports kicked off with baseball tryouts
which began March 15. Due to the severe weather,
most sports began their practices and tryouts indoors. Hopefully, Mother Nature will soon give us
warm temperatures and bright, sunny skies. Spring
sports include 7th and 8th grade boys baseball, 7th
and 8th grade girls softball, 7th and 8th grade girls
lacrosse, 7th and 8th grade boys lacrosse, coed 7th
and 8th grade tennis and 6th, 7th and 8th grade coed
track. All sports with the exception of track and tennis play their home games here at
CMS. Track home meets are held
at HSN and tennis home matches
are held at Plainsboro Courts and
Mercer County Park. The home
season begins on Tuesday, April
13th with a home baseball game
with Timberlane. Come out and
support your Panther spring athletic teams.
PANTHER PRESS
PAGE 13
SCHOOL COUNSELING DEPARTMENT
ATTENTION ALL PARENTS:
Join Us for an Important Program
On Thursday, April 15th, the Community Middle
School Guidance Department in conjunction with the
CMS PTSA will host a presentation and book-signing
with Dr. Michael Osit, author of Generation Text: Raising Well-Adjusted Kids in an Age of Instant Everything.
The event will take place at 7:30 pm in the Community
Middle School Theater.
“Our children’s unprecedented access to the world
through technological advances and the excess of
‘things’ and privileges offered to them can pose a significant deterrent to raising healthy kids,” observes Dr.
Osit. As a clinical psychologist and a father of three,
Dr. Osit knows the power of technology to put kids at
risk for developing a distorted self-image, a poor work
ethic, a sense of entitlement, and weak social
skills.
During the Thursday evening program, Dr. Osit will share tips and advice
on establishing a foundation of limits and
expectations early; dealing with peer,
media and social pressures to go along and
accept what is unacceptable; keeping pace
with technological and cultural changes; and
giving teens respect and acceptance without
giving in to all their pleas.
For all the bewildered, guilty and anxious
parents who only want what’s best for their
kids, Generation Text leads the way to maintaining a comfortable balance between the exciting new world of technology and trusted
“old-fashioned” values.
Coming Up
Community Middle School is a very busy place as we
enter the last marking period of the 2009-10 school
year. Students, parents and staff have plenty of things to
do before school ends in June.
• Parents of fifth graders who will be attending
Community Middle School next year attended the
Parents’ Orientation Night on Thursday, March 25.
Presentations from the administration and counselors provided important information, but the highlight of the evening was a glimpse of a typical day
in the life of a CMS sixth grader presented by a
group of our sixth grade students. After the presen-
tation, parents met in smaller conversation groups
with staff members and students for a question and
answer session. Mrs. Burgess, Mrs. Fisher, Mrs.
Pedersen and Mrs. Scibienski, the CMS counselors, also visited fifth grade classes to talk about
what the students may expect when they become
middle school students in September. Eighth grade
AMIGOS participated in the visit to answer any
questions the elementary students had about the
transition to middle school. The fifth graders were
asked to select an elective and a world language.
• Sixth graders are looking forward to the Outdoor
Education camp in June.
• The seventh grade will participate in an exciting
World Cup Tournament with their world language
classes.
• Eighth graders have many activities to anticipate - More information will be provided about
the 8th grade dance, the trip to Hershey Park,
Awards Assembly, Picnic and the Salute.
It’s a good time for students to plan to
finish the year with a strong academic push.
Parents should continue to encourage good
study habits in spite of the additional time
students may spend on sports and activities. Also, don’t let ‘spring fever’ affect
your child’s school attendance.
NOTE: If there is any pertinent information you wish to share with the
school prior to middle school placement for next
year for your current 6th and 7th grade students,
please share it in writing with your child’s counselor
by May 17. As we look forward to the summer
months and scheduling of students, the administration wishes to remind parents that no request for
specific team/teacher placement will be honored. In
developing team assignments, great care is taken to
ensure that all students’ needs have been accommodated and that each team is balanced.
Parents/Guardians – Please Note:
If you are planning to move prior to the start of school
in September 2010, please contact Mrs. Margaret
Boland, school counseling secretary, at 716-5300, ext.
5330.
PAGE 14
JAKE FINE WINS PRUDENTIAL
SPIRIT OF COMMUNITY AWARD
Congratulations to Jake Fine, a seventh grader at Community Middle School. Jake has been named one of the
top runners-up in the 2010 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards in New Jersey for his work with juvenile diabetes. As a result, Jake will receive an engraved
Distinguished Finalist medallion to commemorate the
prestigious award.
Based on the number of volunteer hours, Jake has
also qualified for the President’s Volunteer Service
Award! This award recognizes Americans of all ages
who have volunteered significant amounts of their time
to serve their communities and their country. This additional award is presented on behalf of President
Obama to Prudential Spirit of community honorees
who have met its requirements.
Jake’s volunteer work focused on juvenile diabetes.
He co-founded a youth-run fund-raising campaign that
has collected more than $60,000 to find a cure for juvenile diabetes. The money goes to Juvenile Diabetes
Research Foundation (JDRF). Jake also created a buddy
program for recently diagnosed diabetes patients, and
devised a simple acronym, DIG (Drink-IcingGlucagon), to help others understand what diabetics
need when experiencing low blood sugar. Jake and his
brother Dan also help sponsor a golf and tennis open at
the Green Briar Country Club in Lawrenceville. The
event for the past four years has helped raise over
$700,000. This year, on June 14, the Fine family will
try to raise another $200,000. Jake and his family also
have a Brotherly Love program where a family team of
over 200 people walk for diabetes. This spring Jake
would like to start a fund raiser at Community Middle
School to raise money and awareness. This fund raiser,
which would be called Kick for Cash, would raise
money by selling paper sneakers during lunches.
As stated by a representative of the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), the students recognized by the Prudential Spirit of Community
Award “demonstrate enormous capacity for giving and
reaching out to those in need.” This clearly is Jake Fine.
A special thank you goes out to Jake Fine from the
staff at Community Middle School for his willingness
to devote time and effort to helping others in the fight
against juvenile diabetes. We are proud of his accomplishments and this honor, and we know that he will
continue his effort of finding a cure for diabetes.
PANTHER PRESS
8th Grade
TV PRODUC TION
Mr. Lepore
Through February and March the 8th grade TV Production students have experienced what it is like to
write, produce and direct a “live” studio TV show. The
students participated in a “How-To” show where they
learned how to work with all the studio equipment,
write a longer-style script, produce tape segments
to use in their shows, direct a show with
three cameras, use graphics to enhance their message, and incorporate
music to further create a mood in their
show. All of these elements were combined to produce some very interesting, professional, and entertaining TV shows.
In addition, the students also continued to learn how
to interact with a group of co-workers. They needed to
rely on each other more in this project, and trust that
everyone in their group was performing their duties to
the best of their ability.
Creativity began to take a stronger role. For some
creativity equaled comedy; for others creativity meant
that they began to think “out of the box.” Whatever
route they chose, the students started to see how creativity could enhance their message and be used as a
tool to keep their audience’s attention.
Through April and May, the classes will be
producing a television commercial where they will
experience how to attract an audience in a short period
of time. This project always has some fun and funny
results.
ONE LAST NOTE…..TV Production students will
be participating in an awards dinner and show at the
end of the year called, “The CAMEOS.”
“The CAMEOS” are an Emmy Award-like
evening where the students are recognized for their efforts all year in TV
Production. The date for this year’s
CAMEOS is Friday, June 4th with a
buffet dinner at 6:00pm and the show
at 7:00pm. Mark your calendars for a fun-filled, exciting evening!
PAGE 15
CMS Historians Recall Historical Innovations
PANTHER PRESS
The CMS National History Day students hooted and
hollered several times during the awards ceremony at
the NJ Southern Regional Competition, Friday, March
5. This year’s theme is INNOVATION IN HISTORY:
IMPACT AND CHANGE. The following PRISM students need to continue their research for the next round
of competition at William Paterson University on May
1. Two winners from each category will be chosen to
represent New Jersey at the National Competition at the
University of Maryland, College Park in mid-June.
We hope some of our CMS students will be honored with the chance to represent New Jersey at the
National competition.
• Varun Subbiah – Grade Six – Junior Individual
Exhibit – “Molding” a Cure for the Masses: Penicillin
• Shruti Marathe and Alisha Kanitkar – Grade Seven
– Junior Group Exhibit – Innovations in Publication:
Serialized Novels
• Shreya Marathe, Samantha Sun, and Prachi Mahableshwarkar – Grade Seven – Junior Group Documentary – Revolutionary Radiation: Beauty and the Beast
• Liam Knox – Grade Seven – Junior
Individual Documentary – CNN 24/7:
Launching a Brave News World
• Mathangi Ganesh – Grade Seven –
Junior Individual Documentary – Hoover
Dam: Engineering Social Expansion
• Alex Taylor – Grade Six – Junior Individual Documentary – The Pentium Chip Rules the World!
• Ruchi Patel – Grade Eight – Junior Individual Documentary – “Many Strands Make Light Work” - Fiber Optics, the Innovation that Changed Access to Information
• Alice Li and Mahima Srivastava – Grade Eight –
Junior Group Website – Red, White, and Blue Jeans –
an American Original
• Vishnu Kaimal – Grade Eight – Junior Individual
Website – The Manhattan Project: Innovation for
Destruction
• Sundar Solai – Grade Seven – Junior Individual Performance – Interchangeable Parts for the Human
Body: Organ Transplantation and its Impact on
Bioethics
A Night of Baby Blue and Carnation
When does haute couture mix with teddy bears and
rattles? Attend our Third Annual March of Fashion and
see stylish clothes modeled by middle school students for
a worthy cause! The AMIGOS host the event as a
fundraiser to aid the March of Dimes in their quest to
save premature babies. On April 23rd students, teachers,
parents, friends and the friends of your parent’s teachers
are invited to this fashion show where student and teacher
models will show off attire from stores such as Niko
Niko, New Hope Apparel and Ma Cherie Boutique. From
eight to nine o’clock music will play, prizes will be given
away, clothing will be sold, and yes there will most definitely be cake. Friday, April 23rd will be a night of great
food, music from
this generation, fashion models, and
pacifiers floating in
bubbles.
This event hopes
to lessen the worry
that comes with
knowing your child
was born months too
early. Millions of
parents watch their
newborn baby boy or girl lose their battle with a life that
has barely begun. Many people donate money to help
keep premature babies alive and to better understand
what causes prematurity to occur.
Our hosts for the night, eighth grade students Sami
Cirkus and Michael Foley, have dedicated much time to
make the event memorable. These models are eighth
grade AMIGOS Lauren Schwartzman, Ryan Wilityer,
Madison Ochs, Adam Kercheval, Olivia Harpel, Garrett
Weinberg, Ranjitha Vasa, Jason Wang, Victoria Hernandez, Ojas Diwan, Paige Dalcourt, Brian Foley, Gabi
Haeuber, Jeremy Kaish, Emani McNair, and Aditiya
Bindra. In addition to the students, we always have some
of our favorite teachers make an appearance on the catwalk, too!
Tickets are five dollars and we also offer special,
front row seating for seven dollars. Tickets go on sale the
week before the event during all lunch periods. The AMIGOS hope you will join us for this special night. We also
hope to raise even more than $1,800 dollars we made last
year for the March of Dimes. Promoting fashion and enjoying a night with friends surrounded by pink pacifiers
floating in bubbles sounds like a perfect way to spend
Friday night, April 23, starting at 8 o’clock!
By Olivia Harpel
PAGE 16
PANTHER PRESS
M AT H
At the regional competition on Saturday, February 20, West WindsorPlainsboro won first and second
places for the MathCounts teams
from
GMS
and
CMS,
respectively!
The following are the “rankings”. The first list (rankings 1 – 6)
represents the standings after the individual testing was done and the
second list (rankings 1 – 6) represents the final standings, including
the countdown, quick-fire question
round. Aleck Zhao and the Wm
Annen student both had perfect
scores at the end of the individual
competition and had to participate
in a tiebreaking round. The Wm
Annen student won that tiebreaker
to be in first place at the end of the
individual competition, but Aleck
defeated him during the countdown
round to emerge the overall winner!
1) Wm Annen School student
2) Aleck Zhao– GMS
3) Montgomery School student
4) Brice Huang – CMS
5) Chaitanya Asawa – GMS
6) Jeffrey Kuan – GMS
1) Aleck Zhao – GMS
COUNTS
2) Wm Annen School student
3) Montgomery School student
4) Jeffrey Kuan – GMS
5) Brice Huang – CMS
6) Chaitanya Asawa – GMS
7) Ernest Chiu – CMS
8) Bill Huang – GMS
9) Charlie Gu – GMS
10) Sally Jiao – GMS
11) Ridgeway School student
12) Witherspoon School student
13) Andrew Ding – CMS
14) Yinan Zheng – GMS
15) William Jiao – GMS
16) Witherspoon School student
17) Warren Middle School student
18) Aaron Berger – CMS
The places (after the countdown
round) didn't change past the 6th
mCOMING
position. As a school district, we
had 12 of the top 18 positions. All
eight of Grover’s students were
in the top 15 out of 115 participants.
Grover also won “Most
Improved School” - go figure!
The other Community participants were:
Steven Pan,
Pastorales Liu, Karen Zhang, and
Margarita Misirpashayeva.
The CMS team won first place
at the state competition on March
13. Ernest Chiu along with Mrs.
Alyce Doehner will be headed to
Disneyworld for the National
MathCounts competition from May
6 to May 9, as part of the New
Jersey State Team. Best of luck!
SOONn
Wednesday, April 14....................................Team Academic Pictures
Thursday, April 15.......................................PTSA Meeting – 7:30pm (IRLA & SS Teacher presentation)
April 15 -16 ...................................................7th & 8th grade Choir Trip to Lincoln Center
Friday, April 16............................................All Grade Dance – 7 to 9pm
Tuesday, April 20 .........................................School Elections
Wednesday, April 21....................................Project Pride Camp Trip (3 days)
Thursday, April 22.......................................8th Grade German Trip to Washington DC (3 Days)
Friday, April 23............................................AMIGOS March of Fashion Show – 8pm
Tuesday, April 27–Friday, April 30 ...........NJASK Testing Grade 7&8
Friday, April 30 B Day ................................PTSA Talent Show – 7pm
PANTHER PRESS
PAGE 17
The Gumball Kids “Chew Up” Racism!
Upon being made aware of
Asian students from South
Philadelphia High School
who were boycotting their
school because of several
racially motivated incidents,
the Gumball Kids or G7
(Seven 6B/6C Gumballgiving PRISM students)
decided they wanted to
squash the hate. Our WWP
students take pride in being Asian and found
the situation in South Philly intolerable. They
developed the idea of using gumballs as a
metaphor for tolerance and purchased enough
gumballs so that all the students in the school could
share a sweet treat, appreciate the many different
colors and flavors, and
recognize that when you
break through the tough
outer shell, you get a sweet
surprise.
Original student artwork,
letters of introduction,
poems, quotes from the Dalai
Lama, cards, mini-books, and
computer-generated flyers
Bag of Gumballs shown on the theme of peace, gumby Victoria, the originator of the GUMBALL balls, and acceptance were
squashed into a box and
idea.
mailed to a teacher at South
Philly High. Anticipation gnawed at the G7 as
they awaited the response from the Asian students from South Philly.
The monster snow storm that crushed
Philadelphia in late December delayed delivery
of the package. It took a few weeks before the
“thank you’s” started arriving; we first heard
from the teachers and then received another
thank you card from the principal of the school.
Our students now understand that their gift was especially appreciated because
the Asian students from
South Philly had received
nothing but negative publicity for their two-week
boycott of their school. Our
package was the first gesture of kindness, and they
greatly appreciated our concern and good intentions.
Recent news of racist incidents sparking
protests at University of California campuses
has the G7 ready to gnaw away at another
socially unacceptable situation. The sixth
graders agreed that another care package is
needed to promote healthy social relationships
and let others know that targeting people
because of their race is unacceptable.
Would you like to show your appreciation
of this good idea and help us prepare the
next care package of gumballs? You can purchase a package of gumballs and send them to
the G7 in Room 814, Community Middle School,
PRISM Program. Why gumballs? Why not! They
come in different
colors, just like people; they’re sweet,
just like us; and
when you combine
colors, it makes for
some
interesting
and delightful results. Besides, we
found that “some
ideas are made to
stick!” Here’s hoping
that you’ll help us
put in a plug for A meeting of the G7 — Vineeth,
Kevin, Ashley and Miriam (missing
diversity and toler- — Victoria, Roger, Dan)
ance.
PAGE 18
PANTHER PRESS
Quality Kounts studies
Water Fountains in CMS
The sixth grade PRISM group from teams A, D, and E
monitored taste, appearance, and functioning of the
water fountains in our school and presented their findings to Dr. Downs. They hoped to get a water-bottle
refill station installed, but that idea may not materialize.
Stay tuned for our chemical testing results.
Human Footprint
film makes Impact
on PRISM group
After viewing the National Geographic film “The Human Footprint”,
an eighth grade PRISM group from teams B and C decided to film their own CMS version. Stay tuned for the
debut of the student film on or around Earth Day, 2010.
Calendar Kids Continue Making
Timely Statements
In keeping with the mission of the Calendar Kids, every
month presents a new focus and new set of products.
With new members come new ideas. This January one
of the newest Calendar Kids suggested we endorse an
activity to promote cultural diversity. Bringing the idea
of diversity to the halls of CMS began to take form
when we closely examined the painted map of the
world already found within our school hallways. The
wold map originally painted by Mr.Serunghetti’s Art
Club promotes a display of diversity, and we plan to
add to that display with clay tiles placed throughout the
leaves. Watch as the project unfolds this spring!
Library of Congress Letter
Many of our eighth grade students participated in a contest discussing an inspirational novel. Of the 69,617 applicants across the country, CMS had a number of state
winners. We congratulate all our students for their efforts and enthusiasm.
2009-10 Level
II Second Place
State
Winner:
Ernest
Chiu
(back row, second
from the right)
Honorable
Mentions: Nikhil
Raman, Eric He,
Rohan Agrawal, Adeet Phanse (back row, left to
right), Alice Li, Victoria Chan, and Sowmya Gadiraju (front row, left to right)
Sew Comfy + T Shirts = Bags + $
for Haitian Earthquake Victims
A Sew Comfy
Meeting – Anuksha, Melody, Miranda, Tanvi, and
Natalie
Last year the PRISM group called Sew Comfy created
hand-tied fleece blankets and donated them to people
in need. This year the group wanted to take up the same
effort but needed a way to pay for the fleece materials.
When Mrs. Rosnick showed them a bag made from an
old t shirt that she brought back from the FPS International Conference, they agreed to alter their project’s
scope. The group collected almost 150 t shirts from the
faculty and students of Community Middle School
throughout most of December. In January Sew Comfy
learned how to thread a sewing machine, make a bobbin, and stitch the bottom of the stretchy t-shirt fabric.
The student-created bags made their debut at the
Hunger Banquet for the Haitian earthquake victims on
Februay 18. These bags are great for carrying books,
groceries, gym clothes, or lunches. Check out the display in the hallway near the PRISM room, upstairs
close to the elevator. Stop by and find one that suits
your needs! Additionally, Sew Comfy will turn one of
your favorite old t-shirts into a bag. Fill out this form
along with $2 and attach it to the shirt; give the items to
Mrs. Rosnick in Room 814 and Sew Comfy will assemble your bag in a timely manner. Thank you for
supporting our cause!
T-SHIRT/HOBO BAG ORDER FORM FOR SEW COMFY
Name ____________________________________________
Homeroom Teacher _________________________________
Describe the t-shirt __________________________________
Date you dropped off shirt, this form, and $2 per shirt to Mrs.
Rosnick in Room 814. _______________________________