MS Newsletter 6/12/2026

Upcoming Events:

• Reminder:  The Middle School dismisses at 2:40 on Fridays.

• Reminder:  The school does not open until 7:30am.  Please be aware that students are not supervised before 7:30am.

• END of the YEAR DATES:  UPDATED

  • 8th grade moving up:  June 23 at 6pm.

  • 5-7 awards:  June 25.

  • No school:  June 19

  • Showcase Night:  June 17.  5-7pm, food trucks will arrive at 4:30.

  • Honors trip for grades 7-8:  June 18.

  • June 22-25:  Half day for students, dismissed at 11:30.

  • Students LAST day:  June 25.

Message from the Nurse:  With the warmer weather arriving, please encourage your child to drink extra fluids throughout the day to help prevent dehydration. Bringing a refillable water bottle to school each day is a great way to help students stay hydrated, especially during recess and outdoor activities.

• As required by New York State, students entering 6th grade who are 11 years old or older must have a Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis) vaccine on file with the school. In addition, students entering 7th grade are required to receive the meningococcal (meningitis) vaccine.

• If your child will be entering either of these grades this fall, please contact your child's primary care provider to confirm that all required immunizations are up to date. Providing updated immunization records before the start of the school year will help ensure compliance with New York State requirements. Please submit updated vaccination records to the school nurse as soon as they become available.

Athletics:

• There will be a parent/player information meeting on Wednesday, June 17th at 6pm in the High School Auditorium for any boy that will be in 7th-12th grade next year that is interested in playing soccer. 

Modified track team, we officially wrapped up our season this past Tuesday with our banquet! The athletes had a wonderful time celebrating their hard work and achievements. During the event, team members received their well-deserved awards and ribbons from our final races.

Thank you to all the athletes, families who made this a fantastic, and memorable track season!

Guidance:

Most of our Grade 8 students have completed their 9th Grade schedule requests.  Please contact the guidance office if you would like to be a part of your student's scheduling meeting or if you have any questions. 

~ We continue to implement our character development program PurposeFull People. Our character trait for the month of May is Creativity.  Please see the attached parent flyer.

~ 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: Our fifth graders have been hard at work designing book jackets for our final novel, Freedom Crossing. These finished projects will be proudly displayed on your child's locker during Showcase Night on Wednesday, June 17th, from 5:00 – 6:00 PM. You are cordially invited to come view their hard work, and students may take their projects home at the end of the evening.

• A Friendly Reminder (Classroom Library Books): As we wrap up the school year, please help your child check around the house for any borrowed classroom library books. I ask that all classroom books be returned by Thursday, June 18th.

• Thank you so much for your continued support!

• Social Studies: Our 5th graders have begun researching their countries for the upcoming Potato Olympics! They are having a fantastic time exploring far-away lands. Get ready for a spud-tacular week ahead as students select their potato athletes and begin training for the BIG GAMES. Have a wonderful weekend!

• Math- Fifth graders are wrapping up their coordinate plane sewing projects. Be sure to come to the Showcase on Wednesday to check out your student's work! Students also learned how to correctly solve numerical expressions following the order of operations (PEMDAS). Fifth graders created and solved their own numerical expressions. Some students even created expressions for others to solve using their classmates as their numbers and symbols. They had a blast! 

• Science is working on their projects for the Showcase on June 17th.  They have picked some special science topics to present about. I am hopeful you will be able to join us as they present their creations.  The fifth graders were able to help release the Brook Trout they have raised all year on Monday.  Please reach out with any questions or concerns.   

• Thank you to Mariah Swartz from the New York State DEC for helping with the Trout Release.  We appreciate her taking the time to speak with the students about Conservation and what the DEC does. Thank you also to our Local Chapter of Trout Unlimited for their support of our Trout In The Classroom Program.   

6th Grade:

• ELA: Our sixth graders have been hard at work designing book jackets for our final novel, Wonder. These finished projects will be proudly displayed on your child's locker during Showcase Night on Wednesday, June 17th, from 5:00 – 6:00 PM. You are cordially invited to come view their hard work, and students may take their projects home at the end of the evening.

• A Friendly Reminder (Classroom Library Books): As we wrap up the school year, please help your child check around the house for any borrowed classroom library books. I ask that all classroom books be returned by Thursday, June 18th.

• Thank you so much for your continued support!

• Social Studies: 6th grade students concluded their study of Ancient Rome this week by fully immersing themselves in the culture. They tackled the challenge of "surviving" a week in Ancient Rome, which was an engaging way to test their knowledge and review key concepts. The unit wrapped up with a final assessment. Have a great weekend!

• Science is working on their projects for the Showcase on June 17th.  They are making car chassis out of wood and will hopefully be able to get them to move with a balloon or a sail.  I am hopeful you will be able to join us as they present their creations.  Please reach out with any questions or concerns.   

7th and 8th Grade:

• ELA 8:  During ELA this week, students focused their efforts on completing their final Independent Reading Project, which reached its submission deadline today June 12th. These capstone projects represent the culmination of their literary analysis and creative work. We invite families and community members to attend the Middle School Showcase on June 17th from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. This event will provide a wonderful opportunity to view a curated selection of student projects and celebrate their academic achievements from throughout the school year.

• Please don’t hesitate to contact me at ncrandall@oxac.org with any questions. Thank you for your continued support!

• 7th & 8th grade Social Studies students:  Please remember to return your Social Studies books! 

• 7th grade science:  Students will be actively reviewing on Monday and Tuesday for their final exam on Wednesday - 6/17.  The final exam is based on the study guide students completed in class.  The answer key is posted in Google Classroom for review.

• 8th grade science:  Students will be presenting their Science Passion Projects in class over the next few days.  Please take a moment to check with your student to make sure their project is completed.

• Spanish 7 grade students have officially finished their unit on free-time activities! We are currently wrapping up by reviewing our vocabulary and watching educational Spanish videos to practice listening skills. Next week, we will dive into cultural music and learn some traditional Spanish songs! 

• 
  

•  Spanish 8 grade students officially took their final exam this week! Final grades will be posted on SchoolTool next week for you to view. To wrap up our time together, we are currently reviewing vocabulary and enjoying various styles of Hispanic music in class. 

• 
  

News / Programs / Clubs / Related Arts:

• Art Elective students had fun demonstrating their ability to make a mold using plaster. Throughout the year students have had a couple of demonstrations of the process. This time these brilliant students took the lead! 

• PE:  Mrs. DeJager’s classes have been playing pickle ball in physical education the past few weeks. The girls are having a great time while working on hand-eye coordination.  

• The Multicultural Club officially wrapped up a fantastic year! This past Wednesday, members celebrated with our annual tradition: going out to the movies and sharing a delicious dinner together. We had an amazing time celebrating the end of the school year. 

• We are already looking forward to welcoming new members next year! If you are interested in joining the club, you can sign up during the very first week of school.

• See Ms. Acevedo in Room 224 for more information or to sign up!

PRINCIPALS MESSAGE:

• Please read the updated end of the year schedule.  Students will have a half day on June 25th.

• 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.