Upcoming Events:

• March 8:  Daylight savings time - Clocks turn 1 hour ahead.

• March 13:  No school

• March 16:  No school

• March 26 and 27:  Parent teacher conferences

Athletics:

• Spring modified sports start dates and coaches:

• Baseball:  Coach Charles Davenport - March 23

• Softball:  Coach Kim Bohannon and Becky Rosas - March 23

• Track:  TBA - March 23

Congratulations to Carter Davis and Chris Brower for winning the 2026 MAC league modified wrestling championship.  

Guidance:

• On Monday March 9th there will be a high school orientation meeting for all 8th Grade students and their parents/guardians.  This meeting will take place at 6:00 pm in the Oxford Middle School auditorium.

• We continue to implement our character development program PurposeFull People. Our character trait for the month of March is Cooperation.  

• Our clothing and hygiene closet, the Hawks Hanger, and our school supply closet are full of helpful supplies for any student in need.  Please encourage your child to see me or the school nurse, Mrs. Barber, for any supply needs they may have. 

• Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions or concerns- KStarkSp@oxac.org- (607)843-7185 ext. 2518

5th Grade:

• ELA: We will be finishing Stone Fox next week and have our unit assessment.  Vocabulary next week is a review week of some of the most common ELA vocabulary words that we use often.  Next week is a shorter week for students.  Vocabulary quizzes will be on Wednesday and Thursday.

• February Readers of the Month:  5th Grade: Reese Rhodes and Klarissa Rhodes

• Math - Fifth graders were introduced to perimeter and area this week. Students solved problems with whole numbers, fractions, and decimals that required them to calculate the perimeter and area of shapes when given 1 to 2 side lengths. They also learned how to calculate side lengths when given the perimeter and area. Please encourage your student to review for upcoming assessments and practice their math facts each night. 

• Social Studies-Students learned about the Tea Act of 1773 and how the colonists responded to it. They did a mini project on the Boston Tea Party. They ended the week with a vocabulary quiz.. Friendly reminder to get America’s Field Trip entries in to me by 3/17. Have a wonderful weekend!

• Science- We are working on our Spaceship Earth Unit.  We began by talking about day, night, and the Earth's rotation.  We will then be discussing the origin of time and the first clocks.  There is no school next Friday due to a Staff Development Day so we will be taking the next vocabulary quiz on Thursday the 12th.  Please reach out with any questions or concerns. 

6th Grade:

• ELA: We are more than halfway through our guided/independent unit, Shiloh.  By the end of next week we will just about be completed and working on the final assessment.  There are some students forgetting to read the assigned chapter(s) for the evenings, which can make the quizzes difficult.   Vocabulary next week is a review week of some of the most common ELA vocabulary words that we use often.  Next week is a shorter week for students.  Vocabulary quizzes will be on Wednesday and Thursday.

• February Readers of the Month:  6th Grade: Abryanna Rhodes and Shyanne Hofmann

• Social Studies- Students started the Ancient China unit. They looked at China’s geography and learned about 5 influential dynasties of Ancient China. They ended the week with a vocabulary quiz. Friendly reminder to get America’s Field Trip entries in to me by 3/17. If you have any questions, please reach out. Enjoy the weekend!

• Science- We are working on our space unit still.  We will continue next week.  This week we focused on Gravity.  We made parachutes to test the force of gravity and dropped them from the balcony in the auditorium.  We will be making modifications to the parachutes next week.  There is no school next Friday due to a staff development day so we will be taking the next vocabulary quiz on Thursday the 12th.  Please reach out with any questions or concerns. 

7th and 8th Grade:

Oxford Middle School Eighth Graders Achieve National Publication Success 

in Young Writers Contest

Three Oxford Middle School Eighth Grade ELA students—Braelynn Rogers, Marlea Monroe, and Arianna Kelly—achieved national success by having their creative writing published in the Young Writers' Unsolved-Tales of Hidden Truths competition.

Their "mini-sagas," complete one-hundred-word stories centered on a mystery theme, were selected from over 13,500 nationwide entries for publication. The students' work—Braelynn's "The Lost Decade," Marlea's "Regrets," and Arianna's "Dark Places"—demonstrated exceptional imagination, creativity, originality, and use of language.

The published anthology, Unsolved-Tales of Hidden Truths, is scheduled for release in May 2026. Oxford Middle School will receive a complimentary copy. The school congratulates Braelynn, Marlea, and Arianna on this outstanding accomplishment.

• ELA 8:  This week, 8th Grade ELA focused on foundational language arts through daily Bell Ringer tasks, editing inspirational quotes to practice spelling, punctuation, and grammar.

• In literature, we started our unit on the novel in verse, Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai. Students researched the Fall of Saigon to establish context before beginning the story of Hà, a young girl fleeing Vietnam. A crucial vocabulary list from the novel has also been assigned.

• Students are making excellent progress in independent reading. We stress reading for a minimum of 30 minutes daily (including weekends) to build fluency and comprehension. All Independent Reading books are due to be completed by Wednesday, March 25th.

• Thank you for your support. Please email me (ncrandall@oxac.org) with any questions.

• 7th grade Social Studies students wrapped up their unit about the American government this week.

• 8th grade Social Studies students are writing an essay about America's involvement in World War I.

• Spanish 7 grade: We started the unit about breakfast and lunch. They will be able to talk about their preferences in Spanish. 

• Spanish 8 grade: We are talking about house and house chores. 

• ELA 7 students began honing their writing skills by writing short paragraph responses to constructed-response questions.  These responses require students to read a short text, answer questions relating to it and citing textual evidence to support their answers.  The NYS ELA Standard learned is  

• ELA 7 7R1: Cite textual evidence to support an analysis of what the text says explicitly/implicitly and make logical inferences.

• On 2/9 students were assigned their fifth of seven independent reading assignments.  Students must choose a book to read on their own outside of class and will be assessed on their understanding of it on 3/20.  Please encourage your student to read every night.

• Math 7: Students this week learned about Interest earned on Loans and Investments. We looked at the cost of buying cars, houses and using credit cards to make extremely large purchases.

• 7th Grade Science: We are wrapping up our unit on Photosynthesis and Cellular Respiration. Please look forward to an upcoming quiz on these topics soon. I encourage you to remind your students to review their notes and vocabulary terms regularly.

• 8th Grade Science: We recently completed the "Jumping Frogs" lab, where students used origami to observe transformations between kinetic and potential energy. Ask your student to show you their folding skills at home! This coming week, we will begin our next required NYS lab.

We are thrilled to announce that Mattison Donnelly has been selected as the Eighth Grade ELA Reader of the Month for February 2026!

Mattison has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to reading, a true mark of an engaged learner. Since the school year began, she has already devoured an incredible eleven books! This remarkable feat showcases her dedication to literacy and her passion for stories.

When asked how she manages to find the time to read so much, Mattison shared her secret: she maximizes her time by reading on the bus during her daily commute to and from school. It's this kind of resourcefulness and commitment that makes her a standout reader.

Mattison's preferred genre is manga, a popular form of Japanese comics. Her absolute favorite book series is the highly acclaimed Toilet-bound Hanako-Kun, written and illustrated by Aidalro. It's wonderful to see students connecting with diverse forms of literature and finding series that truly capture their imagination.

Congratulations, Mattison! Your dedication to reading is truly inspiring to your classmates and the entire Eighth Grade team. Keep up the phenomenal work, and keep turning those pages!

News / Programs / Clubs / Related Arts:

• The multicultural club will meet on Tuesday at 2:45 in room 224. If a student needs a late bus, they can sign for it in the office. All grades are welcome 5-8. 

• FAB LAB:  Students in the Fab Lab have been working on creating 3D printed articulating animals.  Students have been learning how to create joinery to allow for their designs to move, but also trying to hide it so it looks more natural.  Here are some finished designs.

• Jr. FFA: Over the weekend the Oxford FFA, consisting of 4 HS Students and 2 MS Students, traveled to Fonda-Fultonville to participate in the Ignite Conference. Students were able to hear a speech from an FFA National Officer, spend time speaking and learning from NYS Officers and meeting new friends from FFA Programs like Cobleskill-Richmondville, Chenango Forks, Cincinatus, St. Johnsville, and many others. Students were broken up into 3 different groups, based on age, and participated in leadership activities to inspire the direction of their future plans!

Spirit Fridays:

March 12 - Different school colors (wear the school colors of another school)

March 20 - Agents vs. Aliens

March 27 - Role Reversal (teachers dress as students and students dress as teachers)

April 17 - Country vs. Country Club

April 24 - Dress as your grade 5th babies 6th toddlers 7th adults 8th grandparents

May 1 - Sports Day (Favorite team or Sport)

May 4 - Star Wars Day!

PRINCIPALS MESSAGE:

• Update to our Website:  School Lunch Access:   "My School Bucks" that parents can access to see their child's lunch account activity and add money to it.  It is under the "Parents/Community" tab on our school website.

• The end of the 25 week marking period is this Friday.  Please check your child's SchoolTool account for their grades.

• Thank you for sharing your children with us.

• Be great everyone.