Paola Middle School Newsletter

09/03- Tuesday- Volleyball @ Woodland Spring - 4:00

09/05- Thursday-

Cross Country @ Anderson County - 3:30

Football @ Baldwin- 4:00

Volleyball @ HOME vs. SH - 4:00

09/09 - Monday - Volleyball @ Home vs. Tonganoxie - 4:00

09/10 - Tuesday- Football @ Home vs. Ottawa - 4:00

09/12- Thursday-

Cross Country @ Spring Hill - 4:00

Volleyball @ Home vs. FS - 4:00

09/16- Monday- Volleyball @ Louisburg -4:00

09/17 - Tuesday- Football @ Forest Spring -4:00

09/19 - Thursday-

Volleyball @ Home vs. Eudora - 4:00

Cross Country @ Wellsville

09/23- Monday- Volleyball @ Ottawa - 4:00

09/24- Tuesday- Football @ Home- 4:00

09/25- Wednesday- Cross Country @ Tonganoxie

09/26- Thursday - Volleyball @ Bonner Springs - 4:00

09/28-Saturday- Cross Country @ Ottawa - 4:00

09/30 - Monday- Volleyball @ Baldwin- 4:00

Before School: Doors Open at 7:30 a.m.. School begins at 8:00 a.m. Please have students arrive at 7:30 or after, as any students arriving before 7:30 will not be under supervision.

School Release: School ends at 3:00 p.m., students are asked to exit the building immediately unless working with an arranged teacher or have an activity/practice.

Home Sports/Activities: Students are not allowed to enter the gate until 3:30.

Reminder: If your student is absent please call the office to let them know.

Ways to stay connected to what is happening at Paola Middle School:

Weekly emails/updates- please make sure you have turned on your email in IC

Monthly Newsletter- emailed and posted on Facebook

Facebook

School Calendar

Textcaster- sign up on USD 368 website. This will give you immediate alerts to weather changes, schedule changes, etc.

The following clubs are starting soon are open to all 6th-8th graders:

Art Club:

Will meet on Wednesdays from 3:00- 4:00 in the Art room (302).

Pep Club:

Will meet in the library at 3:00 until 3:30 for all home games.

Panther Book Club

Will start on Nov. 13th in the commons at 3:00

KAY club

Will meet on Tuesdays during seminar in the Choir room, starting Sept. 3rd.

Craft Club

Craft Club will start September 9th, from 3 to 4 p.m. in room 217. Bring a craft of your own, or use the supplies I have. The goal is to be creative and try new crafts. Everyone is invited to come, whenever you can, as often as you want. We do have a google classroom that you can join to share ideas or get updates on meetings. See Mrs. Lohaus-Fast to be added to that group.

FCA Club

Fellowship of Christian Athletes will meet in Mr. Doolittle's room on Fridays at 7:30 a.m. (starting Sept. 6th).

There will be potentially more clubs starting, stay tuned.

Reminder: Students are expected to have their cell phones turned off, and in their locker or in their backpack from 8:oo-3:00. Thank you for your help in protecting our learning environment from distraction.

All PMS students are allowed into Paola Middle School home events for free with the presentation of a school ID. All students are expected to stay in the student section, be awesome encouragers, and cheer positively for our Panthers.

Students that are not able to stay in the student section or follow expectations, may be asked to sit with their parent or asked to leave.

Welcome to the exciting start of the 6th grade Social Studies school year! We’ve already hit the ground running, and I’m thrilled to share what we’ve been working on in class and what’s coming up next. Over the past couple of weeks, our focus has been on understanding the fundamentals of geography. Students have been learning about the importance of maps, how to read them, and the different types of maps used for various purposes. We’ve also explored key geographical concepts such as latitude and longitude, continents and oceans, and how geography influences people's lives. In addition to maps, we’ve introduced the concept of timelines. Students are beginning to see how history is organized chronologically and how events from different parts of the world can be connected through time. This foundation is crucial as we move forward into more complex historical studies. As we wrap up our unit on geography, maps, and timelines, we’re gearing up to dive into the fascinating world of early civilizations. This next unit will take us back thousands of years to explore the beginnings of human society in places like Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indus Valley, and China. Students will learn about the development of agriculture, the rise of cities, and the formation of governments and religions. We’ll explore the innovations and achievements of these early civilizations and discuss how their legacies continue to influence our world today. So buckle up and join us on this great adventure. The past awaits our arrival!

I’m excited to share what we’ve been up to in 6th-grade Communications! We’ve kicked off the year with some fundamental skills that will serve your child well in school and life. We started by diving into the art of letter writing, covering everything from structuring a friendly letter to crafting a formal one. Students are learning the importance of a clear, respectful tone and how to make their writing engaging and effective. We’ve also explored email etiquette—how to write a subject line that gets attention, use appropriate greetings, and convey their message clearly without appearing too casual or formal.

To reinforce our lessons, we took a trip to the library, where students explored a variety of books and resources. Plus, they had a great time selecting books to help further their reading and writing skills. We’ve been brushing up on our grammar by reviewing the parts of speech. Understanding nouns, verbs, adjectives, and more is crucial for writing well, and the students are getting plenty of practice identifying and using them in their writing. This foundation is essential as we move forward with more complex writing assignments. As we progress, we’ll apply these skills to more creative writing projects and learn how to craft persuasive arguments. Your child will also get hands-on practice in editing and revising their work, helping them become more confident communicators.

The beginning of the year Kansas Gallery, portraying student chosen Kansas symbols and images, is now complete. An added feature this year is that students were required to submit at least one factoid about their choices, in Ripley's Believe it or Not style. Some samples: Shelby Howell found that the Pittsburg State gorilla mascot came about in 1920 when a group of rowdy boys at athletic events came together to form The Gorilla Club. It became the official mascot in 1925, and the current design was created in 2013. Our state animal, the buffalo, can reach a top speed of 37 mph, researched by Leah Glenn, and Colin Farley found out that the stinger of the honeybee, our state insect, is connected to its intestine. And there's much more, so next time you're in the building, you're invited to come down to the north end of the 100 hall and check out this year's version of the Kansas Gallery!

After Ms. Husted gave students details about her background, she wanted students to have the opportunity to let her know more about them. Students spent some time in August reading random pages from books looking for words they could use to describe themselves. Then, students added some of their own words to the words selected on the page, as well as some illustrations, to create a more complete description and to make the book page more their own. This activity begins to address the Kansas 7th grade Language in Writing standard W.7.10.a - Choose language that expresses ideas. “Our Stories” will be displayed on a bulletin board in the hallway near her room throughout the month of September.

7th and 8th graders in Computer Applications class are off to a busy start this school year creating their own personalized license plates and shoe designs in Canva. Both grades have come to class with positive attitudes and are ready to learn. Next up for 7th graders they will be learning about Identity Theft and then we move on to Google Slides while the 8th graders will be typing personal business letters to their favorite places to eat, shoes they wear, nail salons they visit or favorite celebrity. The choice is up to them. Thank you for sharing your children with me.

• Current school policy based on guidelines from Miami County Health Department for all Respiratory Viruses (COVID, Influenza & RSV) are as follows: Any person with a positive case shall remain in home isolation until fever-free for 24 hours without the aid of fever reducing medications AND overall symptoms are getting better. Contact school health staff for any additional questions.
• Healthy Futures Dental Clinic will be coming to our school this fall. If you would like your student to participate in this program for FREE Dental Services in the school, please see the attached flyer with information on how to enroll. If your student was previously enrolled there is no need to enroll as this carries over from year to year.
• Giving the Basics is a program available at our school that provides basic personal hygiene necessities such as laundry soap, shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste, feminine hygiene products, and much more FREE to any student. See the counselor or school health staff to pick up any needed supplies.

If you would like more information on how to receive assistance, please contact our school nurse, Melissa Gatlin, email: melissa_gatlin@usd368.org

Paola Middle School is Yellow Ribbon School. The Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program was founded in 1994 by the parents and friends of a bright, funny, loving teen, Mike Emme, who took his life when he did not know the words to say, or how to let someone know he was in trouble and needed help.

Paola Middle School has provided all students access to Yellow Ribbon Cards. If you have questions or would like more information, please contact Dave Cash, Counselor.