Upcoming Events:

• April 3 - April 12:  Spring break, no school.

• April 17:  Half day for students.

• April 20:  Boe meeting, 6pm.

• April 21-22:  NYS ELA exam for grades 5-8.

• Reminder to parents that the Middle School dismisses at 2:40 on Fridays.

New York State requires vision and hearing screenings for all students in 5th and 7th grade. If your child has not already had these completed by their primary care provider, the school will conduct the screenings.

School screenings will begin next week. If you have already had these done, please send in documentation from your child’s provider to the school nurse. 

Athletics:

• Spring modified sports start dates and coaches:

• Baseball:  Combined with Greene - March 23

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

• Track:  Sandra Acevedo,  Combined with Greene - March 23

Guidance:

• Grade 8 students will be completing their 9th Grade schedule requests over the next month or so.  Please contact the guidance office if you would like to be a part of your student's scheduling meeting. 

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

• Our clothes 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:

•  March Readers of the Month:

• 5th Grade: Reese Rhodes

•  ELA: After break we will review important vocabulary that students may see on the State Assessment.  We will also read excerpts and answer comprehension questions and continue with our poetry unit.  Many students are in need of pencils.    

•   In science we are working on the Stars and Planets Unit.  This week we created a model of the solar system and tested the brightness of the sun from different planets.  When we return from spring break we will be working on exploring gravity and star brightness.  The next vocabulary quiz will take place on Thursday April 16th due to the staff development half day on Friday.  I emailed a list of words to parents and guardians on Wednesday this week.  (Just in case you wanted to practice the words ahead of time.) Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.    

•  Math:  fifth graders continued to work on understanding the hierarchy of quadrilaterals and identifying polygons with different numbers of sides. Additionally, they continued to work on calculating the volume of a cube and a rectangular prism. When we return, we will continue working in our geometry unit and reviewing for the state test. Have a wonderful break!           

6th Grade:

• March Readers of the Month:

• 6th Grade: Abryanna Rhodes and Anisah Singh 

• ELA:  After break we will review important vocabulary that students may see on the State Assessment.  We will also read excerpts and answer comprehension questions and continue with our poetry unit.  Many students are in need of pencils.

• In science we are working on thermal energy.  We will expand this concept after break and look into climate zones and ocean currents.  This week we tested different cups to see which ones could keep water cold the longest.  We will also be tying in density when we return.  The next vocabulary quiz will take place on Thursday April 16th due to the staff development half day on Friday.  I emailed a list of words to parents and guardians on Wednesday this week. (Just in case you wanted to practice the words ahead of time.)  Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

•  Math: The students just finished up Module 4: Expressions and Equations.  After break, we will begin our Geometry unit and start reviewing for the upcoming state test.  Have a wonderful break!

7th and 8th Grade:

•  ELA 8:  This week, students in 8th Grade English Language Arts were deeply engaged in the culminating activity for their Independent Reading Projects. The students demonstrated creativity and comprehension by designing and constructing cereal boxes based on the novels they read independently. This project was a unique way for them to synthesize key elements of their chosen book—including characters, setting, plot, and theme—and present them in a visually appealing and engaging format. Each cereal box included a front panel with a compelling title and illustration, a summary of the "nutritional value" (the literary elements), and engaging games or puzzles on the back and side panels to entice a "reader" to "consume" the story. This hands-on activity encouraged critical thinking, artistic expression, and a deeper connection to their chosen literature.

• Thank you for your ongoing support! Please reach out to me with any questions at ncrandall@oxac.org.

• 7th grade Social Studies students are working on an essay about the Louisiana Purchase and the Lewis and Clark Expedition.  They are using primary sources created during the time period.

• 8th grade Social Studies students completed presentations on a New Deal Agency this week.

• Spanish 7 grade: We finish the unit about breakfast and lunch. They created a children's book in Spanish and they were creative. They will take them home today so they can share it with you. 

• We will learn about healthy habits and activities to keep good health. Keep up the good work!!!

• Spanish 8 grade: We practiced for the final speaking task and they recorded a dialogue in Spanish with their classmate about how they help at home. We will talk about clothes in the next unit and they will use magazines to create collages  in Spanish. 

• Science 7:  The new vocabulary list has been posted to Google Classroom. Please encourage students to study these terms over the break, as there will be a quiz on Thursday, April 16th, immediately upon our return from break.

• Science 8:  Review questions will continue to be posted weekly through May 8th to prepare for the NYS Science exam.  The exam will be administered on May 13th.  If your student has missed a previous set of questions, a bonus set has been posted to offset that score.  These are due by April 12th.  Consistent participation in these weekly reviews is vital, as each set is worth 10 points toward your student's final score.

• This week ELA 7 students continued practicing for the upcoming NYS ELA Test. As a class, students read released texts from previous NYS ELA tests and answered questions relating to many different NYS ELA standards  The NYS ELA Standards reviewed include: 

• 7R2: Determine a theme or central idea of a text and analyze its development over the course of the text; summarize a text.

• 7R3: In literary texts, analyze how elements of plot are related, affect one another, and contribute to meaning.In informational texts, analyze how individuals, events, and ideas are introduced, relate to each other, and are developed.

• 7R4: Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings. Analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning, tone, and mood, including words with multiple meanings

• 7R5: In informational texts, analyze the structure an author uses to organize a text, including how the sections contribute to the whole and to the development of themes and central ideas.

• 7R6: In literary texts, analyze how an author develops and contrasts the point of view and the perspectives of different characters or narrators. In informational texts, analyze how the author distinguishes his or her position from that of others.

• On 3/23 students were assigned their sixth 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 5/1.  Please encourage your student to read every night.

News / Programs / Clubs / Related Arts:

• The multicultural club will meet April 14 at 2:45. Sign for the late bus in the office before 11 am. Everyone is welcome, we hope to see you. 

• Lego Club:  Tuesday saw our final after-school meetings for Grades 4 - 6 students.  Every week Lego Club members were given a new building challenge.   For this session, students were given the opportunity to put the finishing touches on their creations for a museum-style display.  Family and friends were invited to come in and view everyone’s projects.  The creativity that everyone showed was truly amazing!

Spirit Fridays:

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 Days.                               

PRINCIPALS MESSAGE:

• ParentSquare will be used for all communication from the school including progress and report cards in the newsletter.  You can download the ParentSquare app and create an account or you can go to the schools website and scroll all the way to the bottom and can get to the site from there as well.

• 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.

• Thank you for sharing your children with us.

• Be great everyone.