Spartan Spotlight January 2005

Message from the Principal . . . .

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great winter break. I’m sure, if you are like me, you were ready to send your children back to school. We’re now busy getting back to the normal routine and focusing on our upcoming tests in March.

The 6th grade will take the Ohio Proficiency Test March 7 through 18 in all subjects. The 7th grade students will take The Seventh Grade Math and Reading Achievement Test. For this year, the 7th grade reading test will not be scored. Glen Este Middle School was selected by the state to give the test for norming purposes only. Eighth grade students will take the Eighth Grade Math and Reading Achievement Test. Both scores will count for the 8th grade. In addition to taking the Ohio Achievement Tests in March, the 7th and 8th grade students will be taking the SAT 10 at some point after the achievement tests.

The standardized tests our students take are certainly challenging. It is a challenge that we, as a school community, take seriously. Next week (January 10-14) we will be taking practice tests to gather data about our students. The practice tests model the assessments that students take in March and should help to alleviate a lot of stress that is associated with standardized tests. The practice tests keeps us forcused on the standards our students are expected to know and allows us to monitor student learning.

For your information, each school in the state of Ohio receives a ranking, dependant upon how their students perform on the Ohio proficiency tests. Last year, Glen Este Middle School earned an “Effective” ranking by the state by passing five out of six indicators. This year, we are striving to earn an “Excellent” rating. There is certainly a lot of pressure put on teachers and students but we are up to the challenge and preparing diligently. I know that I am probably in the minority when it comes to enjoying the Ohio proficiency tests. But, I haven’t found one thing that the students will be tested on which isn’t important for them to know. I also believe that the tests really keep us focused on not only what we teach but how effectively we teach. The tests aren’t going away so we had better embrace them and prepare our students to perform well.

As with every year, we are striving to improve upon the prior year. Our focus again this year has been to improve upon our students’ reading skills. We not only have increased the amount of reading our students are doing, but we have focused on improving our instruction in teaching students to read more effectively. I feel confident that our students will see positive results when scores are released.

I am looking forward to seeing all of you at parent-teacher conferences on Thursday, January 27 and Wednesday, February 2. Conference request forms are enclosed. Be sure to complete and and return to school as soon as possible.

Early Release Day

Wednesday, January 26 Glen Este Middle School will dismiss at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, January 26 for staff development activities. (Bus service will run but
no lunch will be served on that day).

Student of the Month

Students of the Month are chosen for displaying determination and self-motivation. The following students have been selected for November. Congratulations, students, on this fine honor!

6-1 Jake McMullen 7-1 Justin White 8-1 Michael Scholle

6-2 Michael Muse 7-2 Alyssa Sexton 8-2 Taylor Tully

6-3 Mac Losey 7-3 Jacob Wapinsky 8-3 Jill Fronk

Riel - Jillian Hahn Riel - Josh Bowman 8-4 Tyler McCalla

Band News

Congratulations to Zach Romohr (oboe) and Christopher Marchman (bass clarinet) for participating in the District 14 Honor Band. They performed their concert at Walnut Hills High School on December 5. Great job, guys! Congratulations also go out to Chelsea Van Roekel (clarinet), Brenton Edwards (baritone saxophone), Taylor Linnemann (percussion), Kate Hart (flute), Audrey Alger (flute) and Zack Romohr (oboe) for making the Land-Of-Grant Honor Band. The students will perform in concert on January 16 at Western Brown High School.

Glen Este Middle School would like to extend a warm welcome to student teacher Charlotte Buelow from Northern Kentucky University. She will be working with Mr. Morgan teaching band and orchestra for eight weeks beginning in January.

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Winter parent-teacher conferences will take place on Thursday, January 27 and Wednesday, February 2 from 4:30 until 8:00 p.m. If you wish to schedule a conference, please complete the enclosed request form. Your child should return it to his/her first period teacher. A confirmation will be sent home with your child stating the conference time.

Important Dates

January

4 School Re-opens
17 NO SCHOOL - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
19 PTO Meeting, 7:00 P.M.
21 Spartan Spectacular Talent Show, 7:00 P.M.
26 Early Release, 11:00 A.M.
27 Parent/Teacher Conferences, 4:30-8:00 P.M.

February

2 Parent/Teacher Conferences, 4:30-8:00 P.M.
16 PTO Meeting, 7:00 P.M.
18 NO SCHOOL, Mid-Winter Break
21 NO SCHOOL, President’s Day
25 7th/8th Grade Dance, 7:00-9:00 P.M.
28 End 2nd Trimester

PTO NEWS

Next PTO Meeting Wednesday, January 19 GEMS Library, 7:00 P.M.

bigg’s Payback Program

Congratulations to Mrs. Devine’s first period class for winning November’s donut party for the most total bigg’s receipts. Keep bringing in those receipts and then maybe next month your class will be the winner!

Volunteers Needed

Volunteers and desserts are needed for Parent-Teacher Conferences on Thursday, January 27 and Wednesday, February 2. Please contact PTO President Jenny Kleinwachter at 752-9060 if you can help!

7th/8th Grade Dance

Date Change: The 7th/8th grade dance scheduled for February 11 has been changed to Friday, February 25 from 7:00-9:00 p.m. Tickets will be sold the week of the dance during lunch periods.

Team 6-3 News

Team 6-3 had their annual Author’s Tea on Friday, December 10 to display their beautiful scrapbooks. Over 100 guests showed up to enjoy the scrapbooks and have some snacks and drinks. Team 6-3 also displayed biography projects from social studies, adaptation artistry models from science, and geometric snowmen from math class.

By Kara Atwell
Student Recorder

Did You Know . . . . .

That you can help your child develop better study skills by:

Creating short-term (such as a grade on a paper) and long-term goals (such as college).
Setting up a study plan at home where your child has a specific time and place to study each day after school.
Connecting your child with study helpers, including teachers, tutors, family members, and peer buddies who can help with homework.
Working with your child often on organization: keep extra supplies at home, help your child break down longer assignments into smaller chunks, and assist in cleaning out book bags and lockers on a regular basis
Encouraging your child to read or skim text material the night before he or she will read it in class.
Developing your child’s comprehension skills through taking notes, outlining, writing down questions, visualizing, and predicting while reading.
Helping your child to test better by spreading out studying for short periods on multiple nights instead of cramming the night before.
Checking your child’s planner or Edline for assignments due and asking your child to see completed work.
Communicating with your child’s teacher if homework is too difficult to complete or takes much longer to complete than expected.

For additional information, look at these websites: homeworktips.about.com, www.how-to-study.com or call Mrs. Urshel, school psychologist, at 947-7735.

6th Grade Immunization News

The state of Ohio requires that every student must receive a 2nd MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) immunization before entering the 7th grade. If your child has already had this immunization, please send proof with the doctor’s signature to the school health clinic. Call Mrs. Scott, school health aide, at 947-7703 if you have any questions.