April 2001
The Marauder
Williamson Middle School
SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST:
Spelling Bee Results
6th Grade Medieval Festival
Pictures
Student of the Month for
March
End of Year Testing Schedule
April Calendar
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Classroom News
24
Spelling Bee Results
4
Club News
56
6th Grade Medieval Festival
7
Student of the Month
8
End of Year Testing Schedule
9
April Calendar
10
From the desk of Mr. Skeet….
Dear Parents:
The month of March has been a very busy time for student activities
at the Middle S
chool. Please take a minute to read over the March
issue of “The Marauder” to get a feel for the extensive list of
enrichment e
xperiences for the Middle School students.
Starting on May 8th we will have an extensive testing program at the
Middle School a
nd throughout New York State. This year is the first
year of the expanded test program at the eighth grade. In addition to
the two mandated New York State tests in Math and ELA, the state
has two tests in the area of Science and Social Studies.
The S
pring test schedule for the middle school is later in the
newsletter for you to post. Please save this page for your record of
testing. I will reprint it in the May Marauder also.
As always, if you have any questions concerning the Middle School
please
feel free to contact me at school.
Happy Spring Time!
Sincerely yours,
Douglas G. Skeet
Interim Principal
MIDDLE SCHOOL MARAUDER
Page
2
News from Mrs.
Bianchi’s Room
By Mrs. Bianchi
As part of the fifth grade science curriculum, the
human body and the six systems
are taught to the
students. In Mrs. Bianchi’s class, the students have
been studying the human body. They studied the
skeleta
l system, muscular system, digestive system,
respiratory system, and nervous system. They are
currently studying the reproducti
ve system. As the
students learned about each body part and how they
are used or work for the body, the children colored,
cut a
nd pasted the body parts to life size paper
bodies they had traced of themselves. These bodies
are currently displayed in the h
all.
Pictured: Kevin DeRue, Olivia Gimbel, Matt Cuvelier
During the study of the reproductive system, the
children are learning
about the reproductive
process. The children are being introduced to this
gradually. First, fertilized eggs were brought into
the classroom to be incubated. They learned about
how the eggs were stored in the chicken and the
journey the egg takes throug
h the chicken from
yolk to egg shell to having the hen lay her egg.
They watched the growth chart of the chicken and
how it dev
eloped on a daily basis until the chick
hatched. While the chicks were still in the egg, the
children had the opportunity to wa
tch them grow
inside of the egg through a process called candling.
This was a process that began on February 27th and
ended on
the “birth” of the babies on March 19 and
Fifth Grade Anti
Smoking Project
By Mr. Habecker
Currently all fifth grade students are in their third
week of T.N.T. training.
T.N.T. stands for
Towards No Tobacco use, it is a nine lesson,
research based program shown to reduce the use of
cigarette smo
king up to 85% and chewing tobacco
100% in Junior High students. T.N.T. training is
being done by Mr. Habecker, the eighth grad
e
Health Teacher and is funded by a grant that the
guidance department and administration wrote in
the summer of 2000. The stud
ents learn the
negative consequences of tobacco, how to develop
high self esteem, how to put themselves in safe
situations, refu
sal skills and alternative choices to
tobacco all from lessons proven by research to be
effective. The students have T.N.T. one
period a
week for nine weeks in a row.
20th. The first
born was on Monday, March 19th
at 1:57pm. His/Her name is Charlie McNugget.
The other nine births were on the
ir due date, the
20th of March. This was not coincidental; the
arrival of the chicks was planned for the first day of
spring.
This lesson was a wonderful experience
and it has allowed students to have this lesson be
smoothly transitioned to the dog/puppi
es and cat/
kittens as examples and discuss their reproductive
cycles. The children are currently learning about
the reproductiv
e cycle of the human. This unit on
the human body has been an informative and
wonderful learning opportunity about how the body
works.
Chicken’s Including “Charlie McNugget”
MIDDLE SCHOOL MARAUDER
Page
3
Math 8
By Mrs. Bayley
We have completed a survey project. The students
chose a question and surveyed 25+ seventh or
eighth gra
ders. Then they converted their data into
a frequency table, a histogram or line plot and
finally a paragraph describing what t
hey did. The
results were “published” by displaying their work
in the hall. We learned that very few youngsters
eat fruit and
vegetables, drink milk or read for
recreation. Sleeping times were normal and not too
many kids spent a lot of time on
line.
W e are beginning our work with rational numbers.
The students will need a calculator. Some do not
bring a calculator everyday.
Thanks for your
support.
Health Education
By Mr. Habecker
The second semester health education classes are in
their sixth week of classes and currently
half way
through a sexuality unit. The first two weeks
consisted of a introduction to Health Education
learning about the five
aspects of Health, wellness
and decision making. Currently the students are
four weeks into a seven week sexuality unit that
addresses such issues as puberty, reproduction,
reasons for being abstinent, putting yourself in safe
situations, refusal skills
and relationship skills. The
final exam will be a project (triple fold pamphlet,
poster or power point project) that helps par
ents
and children better discuss the issues ranging from
asking someone out on a date to reproduction.
Mrs. Bierer’s
Classroom
As we conclude the study of the Civil War time
period, our first research paper, and attendant
suppleme
ntary learning, to cement personal
understanding of the culture, we have simulated
both a high society tea (honing our manners!)
and
lodging at a farmhouse where we tended our
starving and wounded bodies with lotions and
potions of the era. For the tea, M
rs. Sue Verbridge
played the part of a young girl learning about
housewifery, while Mrs. Fox embodied Dr. Mary
E. Walker, the se
cond licensed woman physician in
the United States, for the farmhouse lodging.
Along with the deplorable conditions of the Civi
l
War, it was appropriate and timely to study the
skeletal system in Science! Actually, skeletal
remains of a Civil War soldier
were found outside
Gettysburg in recent years. Allison Carnwath
earned extra femur (useful as a pen) by drawing a
detailed, ac
curate picture of the skeletal system!
Mr. Jim Stohr, a physician assistant, will visit to
guide exploration of our circulatory
system when
we conclude musculature.
A busy month for all, Book
It! Honors also go to
Allison Carnwath for reading over 1000 m
inutes
for February. Unreported for January reading were
four students over the 1000
minute mark: Allison
Carnwath, Amanda Fox
, Kirsten Goranowski, and
Michael Hurlimann.
Spring Time
Just a reminder to each driver in the family. As the
days get warmer, really they will get warmer, we
will have mor
e students walking and riding their
bikes to school. Please be extra careful when
driving near or on school property.
Thank yo
u for your cooperation on this important
matter.
MIDDLE SCHOOL MARAUDER
Page
4
Spelling Bee
Round 2
Results
By Ms. Prill
Twelve Williamson
Middle School students
competed in the second
round of the Spelling
Bee
on February 14, 2001 in the Middle School
Auditorium in front of more than fifty well
wishers.
The top three Williamson Ro
und 2 scorers, who
competed along with 27 other contestants in Round
3 with the three top scorers from each of ten area
schools
on March 17th at Hobart College in
Geneva, were: 1st Place: Audrey Wackerman, 2nd
Place: Ariana Barbato, 3rd Place: Mike Hurlim
ann,
and Alternate: DiMa George.
First place contestant in the Geneva Bee was Ian
Johnson from Sodus. He will travel with a f
amily
member to Washington, DC for a week in order to
compete in the national competition.
Williamson’s Heather Wackerman, Clai
re Herbert,
Bryan Fitzgerald, Erin Grzybek, Melissa DeVille,
Hayley Hannon, Vanessa Haskins, and Kelly
Kolyer were all Round 2 w
inners too for trying.
The Bee is offered because of the work and time
put forth by teachers: Mr. TenEyck, Mr. Murphy,
Mrs. Bu
ell, Mrs. Yackel, Ms. Luke, Mrs.
McMahon, Mrs. Bierer, and Ms. Prill. Parents,
PTSA (Mrs. Hurlimann), and all relatives and
friends who came to cheer the contestants.
Custodians: Kent Snyder and Bill Brunswick.
Students: who try out, study, compete
and support
their classmates.
Thank you!
English 7
By Mr. TenEyck
In one way or another, all year we have been
preparing for the TONYSS test in May. Whether
we have re
ad novels, short stories, plays, poems, or
nonfiction, the skills involved aim toward the
TONYSS. Whether we have completed a
“Do you
hear what I hear?” (Silver
Strong technique) or
have written paragraphs, compositions, poems, or
research projects, the
skills used aim toward the
TONYSS. All of this preparation has been non
obvious, since the test has barely been mentioned in
English class during these first six months of
school.
Now
, however, the tide is turning! For the next six
weeks, our work will
be purposefully and
obviously preparing for the TONYSS. It is not
only an important test for identifying students’
needs, but
it also serves as the final exam grade for
English 7. (Therefore, it counts as one
fifth of the
report card grade for the year!
) For sure, students
need to work seriously and hard so that they may
do well on this test.
After
the test, we have the luxury
of time and
opportunity to read another novel, participate in a
Great Books unit (with Mrs. McMahon, our
Enrichment Coordinator
), and to enjoy the fourth
quarter and earn a fine end
of
the
year grade.
Spelling Bee Round 2 Winners in Williamson
DiMa George, Ariana Barbato, Michael Hurlimann,
Audrey Wackerman
MIDDLE SCHOOL MARAUDER
Page
5
“45
Minutes
from
Broadway”
By Mr. Amend
Williamson Middle School presents George M.
Cohane “45 Minutes From Broadway” Friday a
nd
Saturday, April 6th and 7th! Tickets are on sale in
the Main Office for $4/each and $5 at the door.
Mark your calendars, it
was worth the wait! See
you there!!
Yorkers
By Mrs. Bierer
Learning the swing
dance 1940’s style
doesn’t come easily for
many of the members,
but a few tried out a
nd will perform at Gates Hall
for our 1940’s Night.
Does anyone remember “Chickery Chick Cha La,
Cha La”? Yes, it came to life
again one Friday
afternoon for the Yorkers who are learning various
parts of the life and times of the 40’s. Nonsense
never se
ems to go out of style!
To be enjoyed in April will be foods (Mrs. Amy
Jones) and Williamson in the 1940’s (Mr. Chet
Peters).
The last hurrah will be the 1940’s Night,
courtesy of the Pultneyville Historical Society, in
Gates Hall on Wednesday, May 2. S
ociety
members and parents will witness the showcase of
this year’s learning in Yorkers.
Enrichment Update
by Carol McMahon
On
Thursday, March 15
th
the 6
th
Grade class held
their annual
Medieval Day
! Once again the
ladies
of “Gaudete” were here to teach the students about
the roles of people in Medieval society. Merchants,
clergy, nobility
and serfs were all represented as the
students rotated through workshops on alchemy,
tinsmithing, storytelling and more. An ex
citing
new addition to this years festivities was a
workshop by “The Mercenary’s Tailor” (Allan
Senefelder and Chris Harlen) whi
ch focused on the
arms and armour of the Middle Ages. All this
culminating in a grand feast and festival presided
over by the r
eigning nobility, King Douglas of
Skeet. Many thanks go out to all the parents who
helped support us in this endeavor.
Artist
Colin Coots
spent a day in the Art
department on
March 23
rd
demonstrating his talent
in the area of portraiture. Students enj
oyed his
good nature and lessons on observing our world as
shown by his unique ability in capturing the quality
of a person on p
aper.
On
March 30
th
forty
four Williamson Middle
School 8
th
grade students participated in the
Wayne
Technical and Career Cente
r Middle Schools
Skill Competition
. Students were able to learn a
skill and then compete against their peers in an
Olympic styl
e judged event. Categories included
Auto Body Repair, Electrical Wiring, Drafting/
CAD, Crime Investigation and Initial Logo Des
ign
and more.
On
April 26
th
The Traveling Lantern Theatre
Troupe
will be at the Middle School performing
“Lewis, Clark and Saca
jawea”
for
grades 5
and
7
students.
Festival of the Arts is coming!
Williamson Middle School
Tuesday, May 15
th
from 6:30
8:30
PM
MIDDLE SCHOOL MARAUDER
Page
6
5/6 Student Association
By Miss Finkelstein and Miss Webster
The Valentine’s Day Dance was held on Friday,
February 16, 2001.
Our members sold tickets
during the week of February 12 and they sold over
200 tickets. Our committee members did a great
job o
f planning out the refreshments, the
decorations, and finding teacher chaperones.
Parents please keep in mind that we always wi
ll
need parent chaperones when planning dances.
Many of our members stayed after school to help
decorate the gym and create a b
ack drop for
pictures, all of which looked great. We want to
thank our members for staying during the 7/8 dance
selling refresh
ments, and a very special thank you
to Carol McMahon for being our photographer at
both dances.
Stock
Market
Simulation
Game
Spring 2001
By Mr. Habecker
Currently six Junior High
students are partaking in the Rochester Demo
crat
and Chronicle Stock Market Simulation Game.
The game consists of 39 Rochester area Middle
School teams each with $100,000.
00 of play
money to invest how they want in the stock
market with the use of an Internet trade site. The
game is to develop res
earch skills, team work,
knowledge of the stock market, career
opportunities and math skills. Students
participating are Mark M
iller, Jack Allen, Ashley
McCaslin, Katie Bacon, Angela Balzano, and
Ashley Frank.
Mr. Habecker supervises the group that meets
on
Wednesdays, tenth period. As of March 14th , the
team was in 20th place out of 39 teams with a
current portfolio value of $
100,090.00, but we are
very concerned with the current Bear market.
A ROCKIN’ CONCERT
To Celebrate Reading
Tuesday evening April 3rd, 2001 at 7PM
At the
Williamson Public Library
This
FREE
high
energy concert will be the perfect
kickoff for National Library Week. The Hill
Brothers will perform their all new
“Reading
Show”
guaranteed to entertain and enlighten
audiences of all ages!
Great family entertainment featuring a unique
blend of tight
musicianship, comedy, sing
alongs
and especially…..audience participation. This 40
minute show will get families and students
excited
and really fired up to
READ
!
For more information call the Williamson Public
Library at 589
2048.
Don’t forget to save the
Calendar and the End
of the Year Testing
Schedule!
MIDDLE SCHOOL MARAUDER
Page
7
MIDDLE SCHOOL MARAUDER
Page
8
Student
Grade
Teacher
Reason
David Allman
5
Mrs. Bianchi
Consistent Completion of Homework, Cooperative
Max Barber
5
Ms. Luke
Being More Attentive and Doing His Very Best
Devon Byron
5
Mr. Marshall
Constructive Attitude
Nicole DeMarree
5
Ms. Luke
Consistently Doing Above Average Work in all
Academic Areas
Bryce Flora
5
Mr. Holowka
Homework Quality
Ryan Garrod
5
Mr. Holowka
Improved Homework Quality
Olivia Gimbel
5
Mr. Holowka
Exceptional Effort
Colby Giuliano
5
Ms. Luke
For Attending Extra
Credit Reading After School
Meaghan Gordon
5
Mr. Marshall
Exceptional Effort
Rachel Hadley
5
Mr. Marshall
Constructive Attitude
Claire Herbert
5
Mr. Plyter
Outstanding Performance at Solo Fest
Katie Holleran
5
Mrs. Bierer
Cheerfulness
Sam McCarty
5
Mrs. Bierer
Care of Others
Jennifer Odell
5
Miss Brownell
Consistent Homework Completion
Samantha Sprague
5
Mrs. Bianchi
Cooperative, Class Participation
Chris Stedge
5
Miss Brownell
Improved Reading Skills
Elizabeth Cormier
6
6th Grade Team
Outstanding Effort in 6th Grade
Christopher Duda
6
6th Grade Team
Outstanding Effort in 6th Grade
Eric LaVare
6
6th Grade Team
Outstanding Effort in 6th Grade
Alicia Schaefer
6
6th Grade Team
Outstanding Effort in 6th Grade
Steven Shay
6
Mr. Plyter
Outstanding Performance at Solo Fest
Josh Veley
6
Mr. Skeet
Peer Peace Making Efforts
Elizabeth Zavala
6
6th Grade Team
Outstanding Effort in 6th Grade
Ronald Acciari
7
Mr. Brown
Exceptional Effort
Ed Coomber
7
Miss Nellany
Cooperation and Enthusiasm
Justin Cuvelier
7
7th Grade Team
Outstanding Effort in 7th Grade
Derek DeWeese
7
7th Grade Team
Improvement
Amanda Gage
7
7th Grade Team
Effort, Attitude, Behavior
Danielle Grace
7
7th Grade Team
Outstanding Effort in 7th Grade
Geoff Haywood
7
Mr. Brown
Constructive Attitude
Sean McElhinny
7
Miss Nellany
Leadership of NYCD
Jason Schell
7
7th Grade Team
Attitude
Kendall Shultes
7
Mrs. Osborn
Excellent Participation, Well Prepared
Allison Smith
7
Mrs. Perez
Exceptional Effort
Alex Allman
8
Mrs. Osborn
Well Prepared, Improved Skills
Jesse Jopson
8
Mrs. Perez
Constructive Attitude, Class Participation
Nicole Miller
8
Mrs. Willkinson
Donating Time to Assist in the Art Room, Many
Thanks!
Student of the Month for March
MIDDLE SCHOOL MARAUDER
Page
9
2001 End of Year Testing Schedule
Williamson Middle School
May 8, 2001
ELA Grade 7
— Local Exam
ELA Grade 8
— NYS Exam
May 9, 2001
ELA Grade 7
— Local Exam
ELA Grade 8
— NYS Exam
May 10, 2001
ELA Grade 5
— Local Exam
ELA Grade 6
— Local Exam
May 11, 2001
ELA Grade 5
— Local Exam
ELA Grade 6
— Local Exam
May 15, 2001
Math Grade 7
— Local Exam
Math Grade 8
— NYS Exam
May 16, 2001
Math Grade 7
— Local Exam
Math Grade 8
— NYS Exam
May 17, 2001
Math Grade 5
— Local Exam
Math Grade 6
— Local Exam
May 18, 2001
Math Grade 5
— Local Exam
Math Grade 6
— Local Exam
May 24, 2001
Science Grade 8
— NYS Performance Exam
May 25, 2001
Science Grade 8
— NYS Performance Exam
May 30, 2001
Science Grade 7
— Performance Level Exam
May 31, 2001
Science Grade 7
— Performan
ce Level Exam
June 6, 2001
Science Grade 7
— Local Exam
Science Grade 8
— NYS Exam
June 7, 2001
Science Grade 5
— Local Exam
Science Grade 6
— Local Exam
June 8, 2001
Technology Grade 7
— NYS Exam
June 11, 2001
Social Studies Grade 5
— Local Exam
Social Studies Grade 6
— Local Exam
June 12, 2001
Social Studies Grade 5
— Local Exam
Social Studies Grade 6
— Local Exam
June 13,
2001
Social Studies Grade 7
— Local Exam
Social Studies Grade 8
— NYS Exam
June 14, 2001
Social Studies Grade 7
— Local Exam
Social Studies Grade 8
— NYS Exam
June 18, 2001
Foreign Language Proficiency
— NYS Exam
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
1
2
B
3
C
4
D
5
E
6
F
10th Per
—
Yorkers Meeting
7
Passover Begins
at Sunset
8
Passover
9
A
Passover
10
B
11
C
Board of Ed.
7:30am
12
D
End of 3rd
Marking Period
13
No School
Good Friday
14
15
Easter Sunday
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
Earth Day
23
E
24
F
25
A
Board of Ed.
7:30am
26
B 27 C
Report Cards
Home with
Students
10th Period
—
Yorkers Meeting
28
29
30
D
April 2001
“45 Minutes From Broadway”
7:00pm Shows
$4/seats, $5 at the door
NO SCHOOL — SPRING BREAK
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