MS Newsletter 9/11/2026

Upcoming Events:

Athletics:

Saturday September 19:  Modified Football vs. UV in Greene   10am               

5th Grade:

5th Grade ELA Welcome back! Our fifth graders are transitioning smoothly into the new school year. This week, we focused on community-building activities to help students get to know one another and personalize their ELA journals. Next week, students will complete their IXL diagnostic benchmarking and begin foundational writing skill exercises. I am looking forward to a wonderful year of growth and partnership with your child! 

 5th Grade Social Studies- Welcome to Middle School! This week, our 5th graders dove into learning the ins and outs of classroom procedures to set us up for a smooth and successful year. Students also jumped right into mastering foundational skills we will rely on all year long—including analyzing chronological order, identifying the main idea, and exploring different perspectives in historical events. 

5th Grade Math: This week we spent some time getting to know each other and went over classroom expectations. We worked with partners to measure our height and answer math questions. We did our beginning of the year IXL benchmark assessment. Next week we will start our first math module about place value.  

5th Grade Science is off to a great start to the new school year.  This year we will be doing weekly vocabulary quizzes to help build your child's knowledge of science.  The quizzes will take place on Wednesdays.  I sent you a message on the Parent Square App on Tuesday September 8th with a copy of the list attached.  Please let me know if you did not receive this message.  The students also received a paper copy of the list this week so they can make flashcards with it if they would like.  We are currently reviewing lab safety in class and will be moving on to our first topic of the year next week which will be Earth's Systems.  Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns.  I can be reached through Parent Square or email.  My email is hpizza@oxac.org 

6th Grade:

6th Grade ELA Welcome back! We kicked off the school year with welcoming activities and our first journal entry to help students settle in. Next week, we will conduct our IXL diagnostic benchmarking and jump into writing skill development. I am thrilled to work alongside your child for another fantastic year! 

6th Grade Social Studies- Welcome back, 6th graders! We kicked off the week by reviewing our classroom procedures and expectations to ensure a supportive, productive learning environment. As we prepare to study a wide variety of ancient civilizations this year, students practiced looking at history through different perspectives and worked on drawing conclusions using prior knowledge to make informed decisions. 

6th Grade Science is off to a great start to the new school year.  This year we will continue weekly vocabulary quizzes to help build your child's knowledge of science.  The quizzes will take place on Wednesdays this year.   I sent you a message on the Parent Square App on Thursday, September 3rd with a copy of the list attached.  Please let me know if you did not receive this message.  The students also received a paper copy of the list this week so they can make flashcards with it if they would like.  We are currently reviewing lab safety in class and will be moving on to our first topic of the year next week which will be Thermal Energy.  Please reach out if you have any questions or concerns.  I can be reached through Parent Square or email.  My email is hpizza@oxac.org 

6th Grade Math: We started the week reviewing classroom expectations and were able to complete our first IXL benchmark assessment of the year.  On Monday, we will begin our first unit which will focus on ratios and proportional relationships. I am excited to work with your children this year! Have a great weekend! 

7th and 8th Grade:

ELA 8:  Welcome back! I am thrilled to kick off an amazing year in 8th-grade ELA with so many exciting plans ahead. This week, students got organized and settled into our daily routines. They also tackled their first informal writing activity, complete with a personality-test pig drawing—be sure to ask your student what their sketch revealed about them! I am eager to partner with you for a productive school year. Please feel free to contact me anytime at ncrandall@oxac.org if you have any questions. Here’s to a fantastic year ahead! ~Mrs. Crandall

8th grade math class, we discussed the difference between a growth mindset and a fixed mindset.  Specifically, we learned that we need to embrace challenges, to readily accept failure and to persevere when problem solving.                                         

Math 7: This week we went over classroom expectations and completed our first benchmark to gauge where students are at.  Next week, we will begin our first unit.  Students will need a 1 inch binder and folder for math class.  We had a great first week!  

7th & 8th grade Social Studies students got their textbooks this week.  They should be taking them to class and storing them in their lockers during the day. We did an activity to help students use the index of their textbook, as well as complete a timeline of some events we will discuss this year.   

ELA 7:  This week ELA students went back to basics.  We reviewed what are the elements of complete sentences (subject and predicate; must be a complete thought) and ways to avoid writing errors such as sentence fragments and run-on sentences.  Next week we will build off this and discuss conjunctions, subordinate conjunctions, appositives and the four types of sentences in writing. 

Spanish 7 grade: We had a great start labeling composition notebook and folder. They start greeting in Spanish and enjoying the new words. Please make sure to review grading policy with your child/ student 

Spanish 8 grade: They had the opportunity to discuss our grading policy and add some new units to our syllabus. Please review grading policy with your child/ student 

News / Programs / Clubs / Related Arts:

Breakfast matters! Skipping breakfast can sometimes leave students feeling tired, dizzy, nauseous, or just not quite themselves. Please encourage your child to eat breakfast each morning to help support energy and focus throughout the school day.

Stay hydrated! With the weather still warm, please remind your child to drink plenty of water throughout the day. Staying hydrated can also help prevent headaches, dizziness, fatigue, and feeling unwell. Students are encouraged to bring a water bottle, and refill stations are available throughout the building.

6TH Grade Reminder

Safety Patrol is starting up for the 2026-2027 school year.  We encourage all 6th grade students to sign up and be part of the team.  Come to a meeting and get all the information before deciding it’s not for you!   Permission slips are due by Monday, September 14, to ensure patrol post schedules can be implemented by Monday, September 21.  If you need any information, please contact Mrs. Murphy @ 607-843-7185 ext. 2520.

PRINCIPALS MESSAGE:

• Welcome to the 26-27 school year. We are excited for your children to be in middle school.  Looking forward to a great year.

• 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.