Upcoming Events:

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

• No school:  May 8

• Half-day:  May 15.  Students dismissed at 11:30.

Athletics:

I would like to thank the following students for all their hard work. They truly did a great job.

Carter Jaycox

Shawn Haughwout

Delaney Carey

Peyton Moore

Chayse Burleson

Blade Barrows

Julian Smith

Jonathan Martinez

Joey Locke 

Troy Stone

Lincoln Davis

Jacob Sejersen

Adam Foster

Cole Russel 

• May 7:  Modified softball away at Greene 4:30.

• May 7:  Modified track home meet 4:30.

• May 12:  Modified baseball home (Greene) 4:30.

• May 13:  Modified softball  at Harpusville 4:30.

• May 15:  Modified softball at Hancock 4:30.

• May 15:  Modified baseball at Harpurville 4:30.

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 April is Courage.  

• 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:

• ELA: We are officially halfway through our class novel, Freedom Crossing. The students are deeply engaged with the story; in fact, the suspenseful cliffhangers at the end of each chapter have them eager to read ahead! Please note that we will introduce new vocabulary next week. As with our current schedule, vocabulary quizzes are slated for next Wednesday and Thursday.   

• Math- Fifth graders took the Math State Test this week. Everyone worked very hard and tried their best! We will move forward with our geometry unit next week and resume Math4Today quizzes as well. Enjoy the long weekend! 

• Social Studies-Students truly stepped into history this week! Students took on the exciting roles of delegates to represent their states at our simulated Constitutional Convention. It was wonderful to see them passionately arguing their points while skillfully refuting others. We wrapped up this high-energy week with a vocabulary quiz to show off everything we've learned. What a great effort by everyone!  If you have any questions, please reach out! Have a wonderful weekend!

• Science is reviewing electricity.  We will continue next week.  The next vocabulary quiz will take place on Thursday May 14th due to the half day on the 15th.  The students received their new list today.  Please reach out with any questions or concerns. 

6th Grade:

• Math: The students worked very hard on the state assessment this week!  We are heading into our final statistics unit and also starting up our collaborative amusement park project.  More details to come on what supplies students are going to need to bring in. Have a great long weekend!       

• ELA We are wrapping up Part 2 of Wonder this week. It has been a pleasure facilitating such insightful conversations regarding the book's themes, and the students are staying highly engaged with our daily board precepts. Just a reminder: new vocabulary starts Monday, with quizzes scheduled for next Wednesday and Thursday.   

• Social Studies-Students have been absolute scholars! This week, they dove deep into answering document-based questions about Ancient Greece. They did a marvelous job connecting the dots and wrapped up our Ancient Greece unit with a final assessment. They should be so proud of all the knowledge they’ve gained! .If you have any questions, please reach out! Have a wonderful weekend!

• Science is working on Weather and Climate. We will continue next week.  This week we took temperatures in the direct sunlight and in the shade and then compared the two.  The next vocabulary quiz will take place on Thursday May 14th due to the half day on the 15th.  The students received their new list today.  Please reach out with any questions or concerns.                              

7th and 8th Grade:

Oxford Middle School Students to Become Published Authors in National Anthology

Oxford Middle School  is bursting with pride as several of its students are set to become published writers in a highly competitive national anthology. Eighth graders Arianna Kelly, Amelia Moroch, Lilly Davenport, Mattison Donnelly, Marlea Monroe, Teagan Crandall, and Braelynn Rogers all had their creative works selected for publication by Young Writers, a UK-based organization that promotes writing and literacy in young people.

The students’ success is particularly noteworthy given the sheer volume of submissions. Their work was chosen from a pool of over 13,000 entries submitted by young writers across the United States.

The challenge presented by Young Writers was to craft a "mini-saga," a complete, one-hundred-word story centered around the theme of "stranger than fiction." This strict word limit demanded exceptional discipline, imagination, and precision in language. The eighth graders rose to the challenge, demonstrating incredible talent and originality in their narratives:

• Arianna Kelly with "He’s Always Watching!"

• Amelia Moroch with "The Ghost She Saw"

• Lilly Davenport with "The Mystery Shadow"

• Mattison Donnelly with "Something In The House"

• Marlea Monroe with "Missing"

• Teagan Crandall with "Hiding"

• Braelynn Rogers with "A New Town"

Their combined pieces showcased an impressive mastery of storytelling essentials—exceptional imagination, rich creativity, distinct originality, and sophisticated use of language—all within the compact, challenging format of the mini-saga.

The selected works will be featured in the forthcoming anthology, Stranger Sagas 2026-Where Weird Begins. The official release of the published book is scheduled for August 2026. As a tribute to the students' achievements, Oxford Middle School will receive a complimentary copy of the anthology, which will be a cherished addition to the school's library and a source of inspiration for future student writers. The publication serves as a powerful testament to the literary talent fostered within the halls of Oxford Middle School.

                                   SIX ELA 8 Readers of the Month for April!

Wow! April was an absolutely incredible, record-breaking month for eighth-grade readers. The level of dedication, enthusiasm, and commitment to Independent Reading this month has been truly astounding. It became impossible to choose only a single Reader of the Month, as so many students went above and beyond the expected reading goals. Therefore, I am thrilled and immensely proud to report that we have an exceptional group of SIX incredible readers to recognize and celebrate for their amazing accomplishments during the month of April.

Our Phenomenal April Readers of the Month for April are:

Kaydence Bush: A true reading champion, Kaydence has demonstrated remarkable consistency and a relentless appetite for books. This month, she accomplished the amazing feat of completing her twenty-first book of the school year! Her dedication to making reading a daily habit is an inspiration to all her peers.

Lucas Calixto: Lucas has taken his personal reading journey to an exciting and entirely new level. He has passionately embraced the world of manga and has been diligently reading on Manga.com. We are delighted to recognize Lucas for completing three full volumes this month, proving that reading comes in many fantastic formats and that he is mastering them all.

Aubrey Clemens: Aubrey's reading momentum shows no signs of slowing down. She continues to set a high bar for her classmates. We are celebrating Aubrey for completing her twenty-second book in April! Her commitment to exploring diverse titles and genres is exemplary.

Teagan Crandall: Teagan has truly found her reading groove this year, transforming into a highly successful and prolific reader. Her focused effort has paid off, as she has now read an impressive twenty-five books this year-5 of those in one week alone! Teagan's success story is a fantastic reminder that consistent effort leads to outstanding achievement.

Lincoln Davis: Lincoln dove headfirst into reading and hasn't looked back! His enthusiasm for books is infectious. We are thrilled to celebrate his milestone of having read over twenty books this school year! Lincoln's progress highlights the incredible gains possible when a student finds the right books to captivate their interest.

Harvey Moore: This recognition is particularly special. Harvey, who candidly fought reading from day one and found it to be a real struggle, finally achieved a tremendous personal victory: he completed a book! This is a monumental accomplishment that demonstrates grit, perseverance, and a willingness to overcome challenges. Harvey's success is a powerful testament to the idea that every reader can find their way, and we couldn't be prouder of his hard-earned success.

Congratulations to all six of our April Readers of the Month! Keep up the outstanding work!

• ELA 8:  Eighth-grade ELA students are reading the free-verse novel Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai, exploring themes of war, displacement, and identity through the story of Hà, a young Vietnamese refugee. They are analyzing the author's poetic language and connecting Hà's experiences to historical context.

• A significant part of the course is independent reading. Students must complete their chosen independent reading book by Monday, June 1st, to prepare for the final assessment. The culminating independent reading project, a double-weight summative grade, is due on Friday, June 12th. Students should plan their reading and begin the project immediately.

• Thank you for your support! Contact me at ncrandall@oxac.org with questions.

• 7th grade Social Studies students wrapped up their presentations of nineteenth century inventions and their impacts on society and the economy.  They also shared a summary and analysis of a current event topic with the class.  We worked on how to respectfully engage in class discussion on topics where there might be opposing views.

• 8th grade Social Studies students have been learning about World War II.  They are currently selecting an article of their choosing on a WWII topic to summarize and share with the class.

News / Programs / Clubs / Related Arts:

• Fab Lab:  Aleea Bailey had a shoe emergency after her dog ate the band on Croc's.  After taking careful measurements with the digital calipers she designed a new band for her Croc's using Tinkercad and then 3D Printed it using TPU filament that is flexible like rubber instead of the usual filament that is harder like plastic.   

• Music/Chorus:  The 5&6 grade chorus had an AWESOME time watching a production of The Little Mermaid at Sidney Central School last Friday - especially the stop at McDonald's. Thanks to everyone, especially Jen Banks and Michele Reynolds at the bus garage for making this trip possible! 

PRINCIPALS MESSAGE:

• I held our 10 week student expectation meetings with each grade level this week to remind all students of the expectations at Oxford Middle School.   Some of the points we emphasized were:  dress code, plagiarism with AI, stiffer consequences for repeated code of conduct violations, and taking care of their chromebook. If any parents have questions about our expectations, please contact me.

• 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.

• Thank you for sharing your children with us.

• Be great everyone.