Marrs Falcon Flyer

Hello Falcon Families,

Happy November! It has been a busy time here at R.M. Marrs! Thank you for the outstanding participation in fall conferences. It is always a pleasure to share school experiences with parents and guardians.

We have much to be thankful for and this is the perfect time to focus on the blessings we have in our lives. Personally, I am very thankful for this amazing school community that I have the privilege to serve. I am thankful for our families, teachers, and the support staff for their dedication and commitment to the education of our amazing children. I am also so thankful for our students who remind us daily why we do the work we do – they are incredibly smart, funny, and resilient.

We are hosting a parent coffee on November 7th at 10:00 am in the media center and our next family night is set to take place on November 20 at 5:30 pm. The focus of this family night will be STEAM, so please join us for some great food and educational activities.

As I have said so many times please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, comments or concerns as we work together for your child’s success in both their academic and social growth. We have counselors, deans, a social worker and an administrative team that is here to support and serve you and your children.

We are committed to the following for every student:

*A welcoming, safe, and supportive environment where each student is known and valued

*Social-emotional learning and character building

*High academic growth for every student

Except when it is extremely cold, we will be going outside every day for about 10 minutes after lunch for some fresh air. Please remind your children to dress appropriately for the cooler temperatures.

Please look over this newsletter to see some of the exciting things we have planned here at Marrs in the upcoming month.

U.S. History encompasses all the skill sets that students have/are learning in different classes here at Marrs Middle. From practicing creative and critical thinking, to studying and organizational skills, our classrooms aim to challenge students in their last year at Marrs, as they prepare for their transition to high school next year.

Our 8th Grade students began the year with learning about the American Revolution, reviewing the beginning of the United States while mastering the four steps of historical thinking as we dove into primary sources! This October, our students learned about the creation of the American Government and the Constitution. As they recognized their rights as citizens, students learned about the key issues of its fruition, and how this created the morals and perspectives that Americans value to this day. The constant connection to real-life experiences is something that we incorporate in our history classrooms for students to see the relationship between the past and the present. In other words, by demonstrating this connection, students get to see the importance of understanding the events in the past and recognize the impact our history has today.

In our next unit we will be diving into the expansion of the United States as a country. Think wagons, horses and trails! The adventures of the wild, wild west with characters such as Lewis and Clark, Sacagawea, and more. This unit explores the factors of movement and migration, and how it can shape decision making in human nature. We will continually be practicing historical thinking skills throughout this unit, ending the semester with a district summative that asks students to critique sources and analyze the impact of Westward Expansion on Native Americans.

To support your students in providing excellent US History education, we encourage you to practice accountability in U.S. History! to ensure that students complete their work with their full effort and that we are always respectful, ready, and safe inside and out of our history classrooms. As we gear up for the upcoming presidential election, we invite you to have these following conversations at home. What is going on in the country? What is going to be on the ballot on November 5th? Why is it important to vote? And last, why is it important that we care?

Thank you for your continuous support for your student! We are excited to see them blossom into wonderful historians in our classrooms!

ian.dalzell@ops.org

riana.prudente@ops.org

joey.vickery@ops.org

Hello Marrs Families and Happy Fall!

We are loving this time of year and hope you are too. 7th grade social studies is off to a great start as we are "traveling the world" in our studies. In the first quarter, we studied basic concepts of map skills. You could quiz your students over their compass directions and the seven continents! We later learned about the Middle East and all its fascinating geography. We ended the unit studying the Israeli and Palestinian conflict. We looked at the origins of both sides' religion, the start of the conflict, and connected it to the modern issues we are seeing as well. Students were asked to take a stance and determine who deserves the rights to the land of Israel - the Israelis or the Palestinians, by writing an opinion essay.

We are now a few weeks into our second unit, Africa! We have learned about the beautiful geography of Africa and all its land inhabits. We will continue this unit by discussing colonialism, the triangular trade, and the middle passage. During this unit, it would be helpful to us as teachers if you could emphasize the importance of being kind to others who do not look like them and having compassion for the ways in which people have been mistreated, and still are being mistreated, in our world. Thank you for your support at home, and please reach out if you have any questions!

delaney.freese@ops.org

lindsey.reed@ops.org

riana.prudente@ops.org

Hello Falcon Families and Friends!

In our 6th grade Social Studies classes for October and November, we have already journeyed through Ancient Egypt and Kush, and we are currently trekking through Ancient Greece!

During our Egypt Lesson, we covered topics such as what Egypt was like under the Pharaohs, the achievements of Egyptian civilization, as well as the development of both Ancient Egypt and Kush.

During our journey through Ancient Egypt, we also completed our first of three CBA’s. During the first CBA, our students were asked to answer the two following questions:

1. How was Egyptian society organized?

2. How did each of the social classes function in Egyptian society?

We are currently trekking through Ancient Greece, and covering topics such as Democracy in Athens, Oligarchy in Sparta, Ancient Greek beliefs and arts, and many more.

We will also be taking our second CBA which will encompass what we have discussed and learned about Ancient Greece.

Thank you very much for the support that you give to our students each and every day.

Sincerely,

Marrs 6th Grade Social Studies Team

Trenton Rannells: trenton.rannells@ops.org

Laura Andersen: laura.andersen@ops.org

DUAL LANGUAGE SOCIAL STUDIES

While we are learning about the interesting Ancient Greek civilization, we are also taking time to celebrate Hispanic Heritage month here at Marrs, this time we are taking the Dia de los Muertos to showcase our heritage appreciation.

Our amazing, creative Dual Language students participated in sugar skull decoration using their imagination, paper, and colors. Their creations are displayed in the 6th grade pod hallway. This is our way to honor the memory of our loved ones. This activity was a collaborative project done by the Dual from Social Studies and Language Arts. We love to see our students enjoying their creations during the passing periods.

Elizabeth Reynoso Rosas: elizabethreynosorosas@ops.org

Red Ribbon Week is a week-long awareness campaign in the United States that aims to prevent violence and the use of drugs, tobacco, and alcohol.

The Red Ribbon Campaign is the largest drug-abuse prevention campaign in the United States.

Wearing red ribbons during the month of October continues to represent our pledge to live drug free and honors the sacrifice of all who have lost their lives in the fight against drugs.

So, each advisory classroom decorated their doors last week for Red Ribbon Week to highlight the importance of living a drug-free life! They used a combination of pictures and slogans or catch phrases to reinforce the important message of living a drug-free life. On Friday, they had a few police officers go around to judge the doors for the best one!

Mrs. Wendy Colin and Mrs. Diana Acuña

Per Nebraska State Law, students entering 7th grade are required to have up-to-date immunizations( Tdap vaccination is required for 7th grade students), and a physical exam. A complete dental check-up is also encouraged at this time. These exams must be completed on or after March 1 of the current year.

🎉 Quarter One Attendance Party Recap! 🎉

We’re thrilled to share that our Quarter One Attendance Party was a huge success! Students enjoyed a fun-filled afternoon playing yard games, listening to music, and savoring delicious snacks. It was a fantastic way to celebrate their hard work and commitment to being present. Thank you to all the parents and staff who made this event possible. We can’t wait for more celebrations in the future!

🌟No-Miss November🌟

We’re excited to announce our No-Miss November initiative! Throughout November, students with no absences will earn a special invitation to our dance on December 2nd, which will take place during the school day. "No-miss" means your student is at school for the entire school day: no late arrivals and no early pick-ups. This is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate attendance and foster school spirit. Encourage your child to stay engaged and present—every day counts! Let’s make this a month to remember! 🎉✨

🗣️ The Importance of Attendance Communication 🗣️

Open communication with our school about your child’s attendance is crucial, especially if they are refusing to attend, are feeling unwell, or have a medical appointment. Keeping us informed helps us provide the support your child needs. If your child visits a doctor, please remember to bring in a doctor's note for our records. Together, we can ensure that every student stays on track and receives the best possible care and support!

Cross country ended with a fantastic performance at City Finals on October 9th! We loved this season with our student-athletes. Cross country is an opportunity to push yourself to physical and mental limits you did not know you were capable of. The athletes did a great job representing Marrs with respect, kindness, and a strong work ethic. Below you can find pictures from the season as well as the results. We look forward to next season!

Individual medal winners:

Divin Yetongnon (grade 8)

Diego Escobar (grade 8)

Leonel Garcia (grade 7)

Dalia Hernandez (grade 7)

Team Results:

8th grade boys - 2nd place of 13 schools

8th grade girls - 5th place of 13 schools

7th grade boys - 4th place of 13 schools

7th grade girls - 6th place of 13 schools

Marrs Show Choir

¡Viva Vivace! has been working extremely hard this month in preparation for their big performance the first week of November! Here are the details:

What: The South Sound Off! Concert

Where: South HS Auditorium

When: Thursday and Friday, Nov. 7th and 8th

Time: 6:30pm

Tickets: adults - $12; students - $10

We hope to see you there!

Tanya Maas, Director

Tri-M Honor Society

Tri-M has had a very busy October! Door decorations were completed for quarter one, and ones for quarter two have been started. Gifts for the teachers have been worked on all month long. Members were out in the neighboring elementary school music classrooms volunteering. Members were also volunteering here at Marrs during conferences. We celebrated Principal Month by gifting special mugs for Ms. Barone, Ms. Malowski, and Mr. Wisdom. We provided lunch for the custodians to celebrate Custodian Appreciation Day. Our bi-annual Neighborhood Cleanup happened on Saturday, October 12th.

It'll be another busy month during November. We can’t wait to celebrate more staff members in the month of November, along with a collaboration with the Lincoln East High School Tri-M chapter. The Tri-M officers will also be traveling to Lincoln to attend the Tri-M Symposium.

Tanya Maas, Advisor

Rehearsals are underway for this year's Marrs production of Beauty and the Beast.

Music Appreciation: Música Tradicional (Club de Música)

To date, we meet in the cafetorium at 3:15, and we have found a space (plan room 145) and class ends at 4:45pm to read, listen, learn, explore, build a TEAM (group), have fun and perform! This week, we reviewed what was introduced; the Mariachi Mastery text for the instrument(s) that we can, and will explore: The guitarrón, vihuela, guitarra, trumpet, violin, vocals, and the latin percussion instruments were presented to start to become "ONE". The week of October 28, we presented the electric guitar.

We'll continue to present other instruments for exploration. This week we continue to read about the key of G Major scale and chords for warm-up. If you want to join us, please bring your permission forms, no experience is necessary but attendance is needed to get the full benefit or experience.

Mr. Hernandez, Para, Sponsor

I hope you have a great book you can snuggle up with and I hope you have an opportunity to have fun conversations about the books your kids are reading. Talk to them about why they like it or what observations they have made! There's so much to learn about the world from reading . . (plus, it's nice to cut down on screen time.)

During the month of October, in observance of Hispanic Heritage month, the library staff built an ofrenda to pay homage to our ancestors. The offcial Day of the Dead or Dia de los Muertos is November 1st. Students and staff brought in photos of family members and we're displayed on the ofrenda, along with a calavera poem written by Ms. Reynoso. Thanks to Mrs. Madrigal for supplying candles and butterflies and Ms. Aguirre for the Mexican-style cross.

Students who visited the library this month learned about suspense by listening to scary stories and trying to find the suspenseful words. Our scary section of books is by far one of the most popular areas of the media center. Swing by and pick up some tales of horror!

Email: marrs.principal@ops.org
Website: marrs.ops.org
Location: 5619 South 19th Street, Omaha, NE, USA
Phone: (531) 299-2420
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RM-Marrs-Magnet-Middle-School-244556262362440/
Twitter: @OPS_RMMarrs