MS Newsletter 10/2/2026

Upcoming Events:

  School Picture day:  October 7

Athletics:

Friday October 2:  Modified girls soccer at UV 4:30pm

Friday October 2:  Modified boys soccer home vs. UV at the HS 4:30pm   

Tuesday October 6:  Modified girls soccer home vs. BG   4:30

Wednesday October 7:  Modified boys soccer at BG 4:30

Thursday October 8:  Modified girls soccer home vs Walton/Downsville 4:30

Thursday October 8:  Modified  boys soccer at Downsville 5:00

Thursday October 8:  Modified  football home vs. Afton-Harpursville 6pm

Friday October 9:  Modified girls soccer at UV 4:30

Guidance:

This school year we continue to implement our character development program PurposeFull People.  Our character trait for October is Responsibility.  Please see the attached parent information sheet to kick-off our October trait.

~ Over the summer we had several generous donations to both our clothes closet, the Hawks Hanger, and our school supply closet.  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 student questions or concerns- KStarkSp@oxac.org- (607)843-7185 ext. 2518

5th Grade:

5th Grade ELA Update We have successfully wrapped up our first unit on The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Next week, students will begin our first novel study, Esperanza Rising. For each chapter, students will listen to the reading and complete corresponding comprehension questions. To strengthen their analytical writing, we will be focusing heavily on the RACE strategy (Restate, Answer, Cite, and Explain). This unit will also incorporate weekly vocabulary. Please refer to your child’s October Homework Calendar for upcoming assignments and quiz dates.

• Key Reminder: All 5th graders must submit their completed Independent Reading outline at the start of class on Thursday, October 8th.

5th grade math we multiplied 2 and 3 digit numbers by 3 and 4 digit numbers. We become really strong in answering questions using the standard algorithm. We also learned tips and tricks when dividing by multiples of 10. Math fact fluency will come in handy next week as we take on division with 2 and 3 digit numbers.       

5th Grade Social Studies- We continued building our map skills this week as students expanded their exploration into different types of maps! We learned about road maps, climate maps, resource maps, and thematic maps. Next week, students will review and compare these map types to prepare for our unit assessment on Wednesday, October 7th. Please also remind your student to review their vocabulary terms for our upcoming quiz on Thursday, October 8th. Please reach out with any questions or concerns. Have a wonderful weekend!

5th Grade Science is continuing our Earth's Systems Unit.  We are looking at water from all sources for the next two weeks.  We also did a lab with Smarties to review some of the properties scientists look for when performing experiments.  The  students will be taking a vocabulary quiz on Wednesday October 7th.  Please reach out with any questions or concerns. 

6th Grade:

6th Grade ELA Update Students have completed their introductory unit reviewing The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Next week, we will launch our first novel study, Bud, Not Buddy. Throughout this unit, students will practice applying the RACE strategy (Restate, Answer, Cite, and Explain) to their written responses. Please note that students will have chapter quizzes every other day, along with ongoing vocabulary assignments and assessments. Students have received their October Homework Calendar to help them stay organized.

• Key Reminder: All 6th graders must submit their completed Independent Reading outline at the start of class on Thursday, October 8th.

6th Grade Math: The students are solving complex ratio word problems using ratio tables, double number lines, and graphs. We are focusing on annotating the text to break down the vocabulary within each problem. Next week, we will begin discussing rates and finding the unit rate.  Have a great weekend!  

6th Grade Social Studies- Students wrapped up our first unit this week by taking their assessment on how historians think, focusing on perspective, reliable sources, and distinguishing fact from opinion. We then jumped right into our new unit on continents and oceans! Students explored the 5 major oceans and discovered what makes each one unique. Please encourage your student to study their vocabulary terms in preparation for our next quiz on Thursday, October 8th. Please reach out with any questions or concerns. Have a wonderful weekend!

6th Grade Science is continuing our Thermal Energy Unit.  This week we are incorporating heat and energy transfer.  The  students will be taking a vocabulary quiz on Wednesday October 7th.  Please reach out with any questions or concerns. 

7th and 8th Grade:

ELA 8:  It was another busy and exciting week in ELA 8! Students have been working hard, building important skills, and settling into our routines for the school year.

✏️ Bell Ringers
This week, students practiced grammar, mechanics and usage skills by editing quotes by famous writers. We are also continuing to work on the importance of using our best handwriting and taking pride in the work we put on paper.

📖 Vocabulary
Students studied their Anchor Terms 2 vocabulary list this week. The week wrapped up with a vocabulary quiz on Friday.

📚 Independent Reading
Students also completed their second Independent Reading Page Check this week. Students shared information about the books they have chosen and had the opportunity to tell the class a little about what they are reading.

A reminder that students should be reading for at least 30 minutes each day. Reading progress will be checked weekly through our page checks. Our next page check will be Thursday, October 8th.

Thank you for encouraging your student to read at home and for supporting their learning! Your partnership makes a difference.

As always, please feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns at ncrandall@oxac.org. I look forward to another great week of learning with your students!

7th grade Social Studies students are working on writing summary and analysis paragraphs related to a current event.  

8th grade Social Studies students have been analyzing primary sources.

8th grade math, we are learning how to apply the laws of exponents to simplify expressions.

Math 7: This week we learned about the additive inverse property and the additive identity property, and used them to understand the "why" behind adding and subtracting positive and negative numbers.  Next week, we will continue adding and subtracting positives and negatives by graphing them on the number line.  Have a great weekend! 

ELA 7:  This week ELA students continued our writing unit.  We revisited writing terms such as the four types of sentences in language (declarative, imperative, interrogative and exclamatory), in which situations to use the conjunctions because, but and so, the importance of using appositives and subordinate conjunctions to enhance the complexity of sentences in which they write.

Students were assigned their first independent reading assignment of the school year.  The book chosen must be a minimum of 200 pages. The in-class assessment is scheduled for 10/30.  Please encourage your student to read daily.

7th grade Science:  Students are continuing to practice applying the scientific method. This week, students tested three different dish detergents to see which created the largest bubble!

• Reminder: The Vocab Quiz 1 & 2 Retake is on Thursday, 10/8. Please encourage your student to study by using flashcards and/or printing the study list from Google Classroom.

8th grade Science:  Students kicked off their foray into chemistry this week! After learning about physical and chemical properties, students observed a "carbon snake" experiment to identify which parts of the process were physical changes and which were chemical.

• Reminder:  Please encourage your student to study for weekly/bi-weekly vocabulary quizzes by using flashcards and/or printing the study list from Google Classroom. 

News / Programs / Clubs / Related Arts:

Custodial Appreciation Day:  Today we recognized the hard work and dedication our MS custodian, Bill Loiselle, provides for our building and our kids.  He is a great asset to our district.  Our director of building and grounds, Cody Hrehor, is the guy who directs it all.  He has been a great addition to our leadership team and is always willing to clean, fix, create whatever we have in mind.  Thank you!

Multicultural club :  Hello families! Our Multicultural Club will be participating in the town community event on Saturday, October 3rd!  We are looking for students who want to be a part of the club, help out, and participate in this exciting event.

FAB LAB:  Calista helped out the soccer team by cutting out names in heat transfer vinyl, and using the heat press to put them on sports bags.  Brooks and Mason designed their own fidget toy in tinkercad and then printed it using the Bambu 3D printer. 

PRINCIPALS MESSAGE:

• We are quickly approaching 5 weeks.  Please check SchoolTool and ParentSquare for updates on your child's progress.

• Reminder:  If your child is playing a modified sport, they have to maintain passing grades to continue to be eligible to play.

• Thank you for sharing your children with us.

• Be great everyone.