Middle School Campus Newsletter
November 2022
Principal's Corner
Report cards and STAR/Freckle data went home with students TODAY, November 18th. Please review these results and grades with your child! Any questions please contact your child's teacher or school counselor.
Important Dates:
- Go Home Early drill Tuesday, November 22nd at 2:30.
- All staff and students must exit the building at 2:30. Those staying after school may come back inside once the drill is over.
- Thanksgiving Recess--November 23-25
7th Gr. Band, MS Jazz Band, 7th Gr. Chorus, 8th Gr. Chorus Concert--December 5th at 7PM in the MS Aud
Parkway Band, Orchestra and Chorus Concert--December 7th at 7PM in the MS Aud
MS 7/8 Gr. Orchestra, 8th Gr. Band and Chorale-December 15th at 7PM in the MS Aud
2 Outstanding Educators--Ms. Williams and Mr. Spost
On 11/17, The Genesis Group recognized Art Teacher, Ms. Williams, and Assistant Principal, Mr. Spost, as Outstanding Educators for the 16th Annual Celebration of Education. Both were nominated by other colleagues as exemplars in our field of education. The Genesis group selected both nominations and added both staff members to the prestigious list of Genesis Group "Outstanding Educators." Ms. Williams and Mr. Spost are dedicated to our students and school community. Please joining the Middle School Campus in congratulating both on this outstanding recognition!
Mr. Slatton--Our US Army Veteran Teacher
Born and raised in rural southwest Arkansas, Mr. Slatton wanted to be a soldier as long as he could remember. At age 17, he joined the US Army and received an ROTC scholarship to the University of Central Arkansas, where he earned a degree in History. Following graduation, Mr. Slatton spent the next several years on active duty as an infantry officer and Army Ranger. After a long deployment to Iraq, Mr. Slatton left active duty to become a teacher, and in 2010 earned a Master’s degree from Utica College. Mr. Slatton taught for four years at Central Valley before joining the Whitesboro Middle School. For the last five years, Mr. Slatton has taught Social Studies 8 here at the Middle School. He also coaches Modified Baseball and Modified Basketball.
When Mr. Slatton is not teaching or coaching, he enjoys spending time with his wife and two sons. He loves participating in outdoor activities and sports of any kind. He's also a die-hard Arkansas Razorbacks fan!
On November 10th, Mr. Slatton performed the Pledge of Allegiance for the Middle School Campus in addition to speaking to us about what it truly means to be a Veteran in the United States. Thank you Mr. Slatton. We salute you!
World Kindness Day
TODAY--November 18th--The Middle School Campus celebrated World Kindness Day. Students and staff are encouraged to express their kindness and wear a cardigan sweater in spirit of Mr. Fred Rogers, of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. This event was organized by the Tolerance Club and Advisor/School Counselor, Mrs. Kuhn.
Interesting Facts:
- Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was a show that encouraged viewers - children - to explore their imaginations, choose love over hate, and listen to other people.
- Fred Rogers, otherwise known as Mister Rogers, had an uncanny ability to connect with children. His trick was simple — he respected what kids had to say and treated them with dignity.
- 1,000 episodes over 30 years (1966-2001)
- Mr. Rogers' mother knit every sweater he wore on the show.
- His grandfather always said to him, "You know, you made this day a really special day. Just by being yourself. There's only one person in the world like you. And I happen to like you just the way you are." Mr. Rogers ended every show with that monologue.
- A blind fan once wrote to him and said she was worried he was not feeding his fish because he described every thing he was doing. He then made a point to say out loud that he was feeding his fish - every show.
- Mr. Rogers broke the color barrier. In 1969 when Black Americans were still prevented from swimming alongside white people, he invited a Black police officer to join him in a small pool.
- People with disabilities were not on television. Mr. Rogers challenged stigmas surrounding people with differences. He insisted on having children in a wheelchair on his show to explain why they used the equipment or describe the help they needed.
- He tackled difficult topics such as the death of a family pet, sibling rivalry, the addition of a newborn into a family, moving and enrolling in a new school, and divorce. For example, he wrote a special segment that dealt with the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, days after the killing. He knew families struggled to deal with certain realities and wanted children to know he would be honest with them and answer their questions.
“There are three ways to ultimate success:
The first way is to be kind.
The second way is to be kind.
The third way is to be kind.”
Tom Varano--Emotion into Art
B=Books --Read as much as you can...Reading is the key to success
I=Individuals --Surround yourself with good people who support you
G=Goals --Set goals and take steps to reach them
At the end Tom took some pictures with us to mark this memorable day!
62 eighth grade students were inducted into the Whitesboro Chapter of the National Junior Honor Society (NJHS) on Thursday October 27th. The ceremony was led by the 4 elected officers of this year’s group:
President: Katelyn Grieco
Vice-President: Lana Moore
Secretary: Alanna Sents
Treasurer: Juliette Guzman
National Junior Honor Society students will continue to demonstrate their strengths in the 5 pillars of the NJHS (Citizenship, Character, Scholarship, Leadership, and Service) throughout the school year by maintaining high academic averages, volunteering, being good role models for the student body, and completing group community service projects.
Please click here to view photos of the induction on the Wboro website.
6th Grade Travels (Remotely) to Italy
On Friday, October 28th, Parkway Students had the opportunity to remotely visit the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology located in Bolzano, Italy. The museum is home to Otzi, a Copper Age man found frozen in the Alps in 1991. Following a brief video tour of the museum, students participated in a live chat with museum experts. During this live chat, students were able to ask questions about the Iceman and interact with the guide. They were prepared with questions prior to the live chat and were like ambassadors of our country! The main highlights of the museum visit were the mummy Otzi and his original belongings (artifacts) which gave students a striking picture of life during prehistory. This proved to be a unique experience that students will never forget.
Metric Olympics
The Whitesboro Middle School Campus hosted the very first Metric Olympics Night on Thursday November 10th from 6:00pm until 7:30pm. It was an Olympic style competition with teams (a 6th, 7th, or 8th grade student and a parent/guardian or NHS student) moving around the building to multiple event rooms to perform a fun task and predict different metric measurements (in mass, volume, and length) all for a chance to win prizes!
Congratulations to everyone who attended this year’s Metric Olympics. The winners in each of the events were:
Paper Straw Javelin Throw
1st place: Mason Jarvis and Dad
2nd place: Ivy Melnick and Sister
3rd place: Robert Centor and Megan
Cotton Ball Shot Put
1st place: Remy Graves and Dad
2nd place: Olivia Morrissette and Dad
3rd place: Nate Webb and Dad
Little Foot Was Here
1st place: Sawyer Dote and Dad
2nd place: Karen Sharkey and Mom
3rd place: Rachel Perras and Mom
Right-Handed Marble Grab
1st place: Nicholas Gibbs and Dad
2nd place: Lucy Hagadorn and NHS Volunteer
3rd place: Nick Rogowski and Dad
Left-Handed Sponge Squeeze
1st place: Rachel Perras and Mom
2nd place: Liam Hagadorn and NHS Volunteer
3rd place: Egan Zammiello and Grandfather
Med-Kit Math
1st place: Robbie Lewis and Mom
2nd place: Mason Jarvis and Dad
3rd place: Nicholas Gibbs and Dad
Apple Crunch
October 27th was our Annual Big Apple Crunch Event. This event promotes and supports the hard-working and dedicated farmers all across our country and in our own backyards. Apples will be available to all District students and staff during lunch today. Apples for this year's event were grown and harvested from Old McMarley's Farm and Orchard, located in Clinton, NY.
8th Grade Visits BOCES CTEC Programs
On November 2nd, the 8th grade class visited the Oneida Herkimer Madison (OHM) BOCES Career Technical (CTEC) Programs on it's Middle Settlement Rd campus. CTEC programs are two year commitments typically offered to Junior and Senior High School Students to spend a portion of their school day learning a trade. ALL CTEC teachers have worked in the field in which they teach. Each program also integrates high school academic credit (ELA, Math and/or Science) along with the hands on trade instruction that provides students with career skills at completion of the programs.
8th graders explored the programs of their interest as they think about making plans for High School! Check out the chart below. It contains the interests of our 8th grade students after they visited CTEC.
Creek Week in 7th Grade Science--Part 2
Veterans Day Celebrations and Events
Feed Our Vets
November 1-21, the Middle School Campus campaign for "Feed our Vets" is taking place. Student Council encourages all students to bring in as many non-perishables as possible for this important initiative.Cards For Veterans
Many students from the Middle School Campus made a card to honor a local veteran. These cards were collected by our local Assemblywoman and delivered to nursing homes.
International Club
This year Miss Murphy and Ms. Rowley launched the Middle School International Club which is a club offered to all 7th and 8th grade students. The goal of our club is to offer students the chance to experience different cultures, customs and traditions other than their own. Each meeting we complete a hands-on cultural activity from a different country. For our October meeting, students decorated sugar skulls to celebrate the Mexican holiday, Dia de Los Muertos. Dia de Los Muertos is a national holiday in Mexico which celebrates and remembers the lives of our departed loved ones. Sugar skulls are a common symbol of the holiday and are placed on altars or gravestones to help remember past loved ones. All 7th and 8th grade students are welcome to come join in the fun and meet a familiar or new face!