December 2001
The Marauder
Williamson Middle School
SPECIAL POINTS OF INTEREST:
Classroom News
Clubs News
Student of the Month
Middle School Calendar for December
WCS K12 Learning Fair
Proud To Be An American Note Cards
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Classroom News
2
“Reading Counts” Tally
23
What’s the Buzz?
3
Enrichment News
4
Club News
56
Student of the Month
78
Middle School December Calendar
From Mr. Kissinger……..
Dear Parents,
In this issue you will find the latest tally for the Reading Counts
program. It is wond
erful to see so many young people taking time out
of their busy lives to enjoy a good book. I recently had the
opportunity to v
isit the town library and once again I was impressed
with this community’s commitment to both the children and the life
long lea
rner in all of us. There is certainly something for everyone at
the library and if you have not been there recently I suggest a
family
outing soon. What could be a better night out for the family than
quietly reading and exploring the hundreds and hundre
ds of books on
hand. It is a great way to escape the holiday madness for awhile and
also gives parents a chance to model positi
ve behavior in a fun and
relaxing way. Allow your child to pick their own book and discuss
their choice. You may learn a great
deal more about them. Enjoy the
holidays and read, read, read!
Sincerely yours,
Russell Kissinger
Middle School Principal
MIDDLE SCHOOL MARAUDER
Page
2
Luke DeFisher
— Cooperation
Katlyn Gregg
— Good Listening
Paul Jenkins
— Responsibility
Melissa Turner
— Responsibility
Jeremiah Wackerm
an— Helpful
Noelle White
— Cooperation
Mrs. Bierer’s
Classroom
Terry Skerrett, with 3,070 minutes, and Nina
Calabresi, with 2,340 minutes, lead the pack for
BookIt!
reading quantities. This is a lot of
reading!
By publication time, The First Thanksgiving, a
play, will have been produced in
the classroom on
November 20th. From a Wampanoag orphan to
Chief Massasoit himself, from an indentured
servant to Governor Carv
er, all roles were of real
people in 1620. By performing in the play,
students reviewed this part of history as well as
experie
nced the genre of plays and gained poise in
speaking in front of an audience. Mrs. Velte’s
Class visited in the morning for a p
erformance, and
parents/relatives enjoyed the afternoon
presentation.
Miss Brownell’s
Classroom
Our class has begun Unit 2 of the reading series.
The theme of the Unit is “Building Bridges.” The
focus is on knowing what we have in common with
each other helps us appreciate our differences.
Reading skills that will be ta
ught include: Fact and
Nonfact, Forming Generalizations, Inflectional
Endings and Study Skills. The writing focus will
be pers
uasive writing.
Shining the light on science is what students will be
concentrating on! Our next unit of study will be
optics/
light. Investigations will include blending
colors, experimenting with the path of light,
shadows, and reflections/refractions.
I have several students that I would like to
recognize for their accomplishments this month:
James Bailey
— Exceptional Behav
ior
Marlowe Cline
— Hard worker
Reading Counts!
by Ms. Prill
Tally 9
0801 through 11
1601
The following students are responsible for
The following students are responsible for
reading Thousands of Wor
reading Thousands of Words.
ds.
Name
# of Words Read
Wayne
Grevell
26,932
Shelby Maroselli
316,526
Nina Calabresi
244,591
Corey Baker
49,785
Bethany Redder
127,929
Diana Horton
100,282
Chelsea Young
95,304
Ashley
Haskins
166,525
Adam Noto
162,085
Courtney Dalke
26,747
Steven
Malloy
52,415
Rachel
Hadley
68,868
Travis
Burdick
45,966
Michael Collins
4,810
MacKenzie L
ighthouse
24,768
Terry Skerrett
420,325
Andrew Mosher
20,355
Katherine Johnson
76,944
Andrew Cantwell
55,684
Kelly Jon
es
27,933
Autumn Bowman
15,901
Darely
Trejo
9,793
Ashley
Hoffman
48,082
Carrie Lergner
55,498
Andrew Nacci
10,55
6
James
Bailey
7,473
Nicholas Damico
10,083
Amanda Gage
30,434
Michael Cobb
4,693
Michele Cahill
13,872
William Ho
llebrandt
8,865
Zachary Lancy
71,778
MIDDLE SCHOOL MARAUDER
Page
3
What’s the Buzz?
By Ms. Prill
The BEE is back! Open to students in grades 5
8.
The first round (written) will be 10th period
Tuesday, November 20 in the students grade level
English teacher’s room. Fifth graders to Mrs.
Bierer. The word list was distr
ibuted to interested
students in early November.
October
5th Grade
Book It
All
Stars
(Read for 360+ minutes)
Kelly Jones
Caleb Burlee
Noelle White
Chelsea Young
Darely Tre
jo
Jeremiah Wackerman
(Achieved 360 Minutes)
Jason Buckler
Donnell Clark
Stephanie Kingsbury
Kevin Larson
Carrie Lergner
Taylor Rutkus
Jessica Wood
Michael Collins
Shelby Maroselli
Rebeccah Klejment
Stephanie Darling
Billy Hollebrand
t
Ashley Hoffman
Tyler Eaton
Matt Imperato
Michael LaComba
Pierce Alquist
Cleveland Williams
Nick Damico
Brittany Thompson
Kayla Anselmo
Stephanie Bowles
Roxanne Bowman
Nina Calabres
Ryan Buskey
Jon Gobeyn
Danniene Denner
Tommy Godsey
Carleigh Hotchkiss
Katie Johnson
Alex Cappon
Terry Skerrett
Chelsey Storrs
20,328
Stephanie Kingsbury
8,751
Kevin Larson
7,053
Sergio Trejo
3,832
Lisa Beck
28,406
Andrea
Bla
uvelt
22,217
Krystal
Jones
9,003
Stephanie Bowles
18,015
Matt Imperato
5,230
Paul Jenkins
4,970
Michael LaComba
6,327
Jonathan Manktelow
316,526
Joshua
Knataitis
8,662
Danielle Morris
5,094
Brendan Bouvier
4,987
John Predmore
2,31
3
Kyle Bull
5,430
Anthony Campisi
2,385
Amanda DeCann
5,184
Bonnie Smith
5,884
Breanna Bigelow
2,059
Brittany Duell
1,005
Stephanie Follette
1,599
Joseph Moll
3,001
Faith Supersad
1,198
Cleveland Williams
3,001
Chevaughn Walters
1,028
Nicole Maylin
20,001
Derek Wood
3,003
REASONS TO READ:
•
book it
book it
•
Reading Counts!
Reading Counts!
And most importantly, to add to
And most importantly, to add to
your
your
own enjoyment,
own enjoyment,
knowledge, and understanding.
knowledge, and understanding.
The second round (oral) will be 10th period on
Valentine’s Day, February 14th in the MS
auditorium among the 10 top spellers fro
m Round
1.
The top 3 winners of the second round compete in
the Regional Bee in March at Hobart College in
Geneva. The 4th pla
ce student, the runner up, also
attends if one of the three Williamson contestants is
ill and unable to compete that day.
The winner of the Regional Bee competes among
other winners from around the country in
Washington, DC in May. Scripps
Howard, a
publishing company, sponsors the Bee.
Contact for the Bee is Ms. Prill in the Middle
School.
Be(e) a winner
— take a chance!
MIDDLE SCHOOL MARAUDER
Page
4
Box Tops For Education
By Mrs. Freischlag and Mr. Mitchell
Please save all of your “Box Tops for Education.” The box
tops are
found on about 100 different food items. We will
collect the box tops throughout the school year, and purchase
sports equipment
for Williamson School. This is an easy way
for our school to purchase equipment. Send in the box tops to
Mrs. Freischlag or M
r. Mitchell.
Physical Education
News!
By Mrs. Freischlag and Mr. Mitchell
In Physical Education Class we are
finishing a soccer tournament.
Students
(captains) “drafted” their teams and were
responsible for their team lineup.
In Recognition of “Red Ribbon” Week we
had two sheriff deputies speak to the physical
education classes about the danger of drugs.
The fifth/sixth grade student assoc
iation sponsored
a Knockout (Basketball) contest.
This year fifth graders will be cross
country skiing in physical education cl
ass.
Cross country skiing is an excellent cardio
respiratory endurance activity. All equipment will
be provided for the studen
ts.
Enrichment News
by Carol McMahon
December
is a month full of exciting enrichment
activities here in the Middle School! But be
fore we
look to the future I want to congratulate the 8
th
grade class on a recent event. On Monday
November 19
th
the
8
th
Grade
class at Williamson
Middle School sponsored an event called
“Give
Thanks for America”
to celebrate with the
community our apprec
iation for our country. This
event was the brainchild of
Geoff Haywood
and
Devin Greaney
, who felt that we, as a community,
should unite to show our support for America.
With the help of Ms. Ludwig, Mr. Amend, Mrs.
Wilkinson, Mr. Plyter, the PTA and m
yself, these
students were able to mobilize their peers and
create a memorable tribute. It is this kind of spirit,
attitude and
effort demonstrated by these students
that truly does make this a great country!
Diane Castle Babcock
will bring her printmaki
ng
skills to all the
art classes
on the 6
th
and 7
th
of this
month.
Soldiers from the French and Indian War will be
encamped on
the Middle School property on
Friday, December 14
th
.
Pat Fairchild
and
Leif
HerrGesel
will be here to enrich Mr. Bruinix’s
Grade 7 Social Studies
curriculum with their
realistic portrayal of soldiering life in the 1700’s.
The
High School Band
, und
er the direction of Mr.
Ken Scott, will visit the Middle School on
Friday,
December 21
st
during 3
rd
and 4
th
period for a
special
Holiday Concert
.
On
December 10
th
and 11
th
Todd Beers
will
engage Mrs. Yackel’s
Grade 6 English
classes in
the art of
poetry
. For these two days the students
will experience language in a unique and exciting
way and create images and poems for ou
r annual
Grade 6 Coffeehouse.
Grade 6 Coffeehouse
with poet,
Todd Beers
and spoken word
artists,
“Plumb”
Thursday, January 17
th
at 7:00 PM
In the Multi
purpo
se Room
Openmic performances by Grade 6
students!
Refreshments provided by the PTA.
Dust off your dashikis and love
beads and
come on out!
MIDDLE SCHOOL MARAUDER
Page
5
English 7 News
By Mrs. Hussion
Have you asked your seventh grader about English
lately? A lot of learning and thinking is g
oing on!
A display of student poetry livened the hallways;
the theme “I AM” helped us get to know each
other. We took a journe
y with Jacob Freisten,
The
Boy Who Owned the School
and learned how to
work a fog machine and how to rescue the most
popular gir
l in school.
“Words, words, words…” (Shakespeare)
Vocabulary is ongoing. Did you know that a well
built vocabulary is correlat
ed to people who make
more money?
Seventh graders have rediscovered some of the
joys, sights, sounds, and smells of Autumn. A
sunny, warm walk in the woods, followed by cider
and donuts gave students inspiration for a
descriptive piece of writing
— a snaps
hot of autumn.
Thanks to Mrs. McMahon, enrichment teacher, the
day was awesome. English is fun and connected to
the real worl
d! Students in the accelerated program
are studying patriotic literature, reading their choice
of fiction outside of the classr
oom, and writing
book reviews.
The future brings new journeys...Native American
travels will enrich social studies and provide
a
glimpse of a culture quite different from our own.
Adventures in poetry, poetry readings and a
continued study of literary el
ements propel us
toward the new year.
Stay tuned for further news about the travels of
English 7...the future is ours to shape
and hold.
Reading Counts!
Quote: “This program makes me want to read
more and more.” by Diana Horton
SKI CLUB
By Mrs. Osborn
The Ski Club will have trips to Brantling beginning
December 7. The other trips for December will be
December 14, 21 if the weather permits.
Remember that we leave about 3:20 from the
Middle School and we will leave the high sch
ool
about 3:45. Return time to the HIGH SCHOOL
will be at 9:30.
ART CLUB
By Mrs. Wilkinson
You can see from the color insert in this newsletter
that the students in ART CLUB have been ve
ry
busy. Our “Proud to Be An American” note cards
are ready for sale. You may purchase them through
the main office at the Middl
e School. See the insert
for more information.
A big THANK YOU to the following students who
worked so hard to make this projec
t happen: Chris
Duda, Cynthia Otero, Amy Avery, Leela Shields,
Elora Supersad, Emily Gentile, Vanessa Haskins,
Emily Gimbel, Kay
lyn Allen, Jamie Bruce, Ryan
Noble, Tyler Palmer and Kandus Christman.
I would also like to thank Mrs. Palmer for helping
with
our posters and Miss Ludwig for guiding us
through all the computer graphics and printing.
MIDDLE SCHOOL MARAUDER
Page
6
There is a rack outside the Middle
School cafeteria containing many
articles of clothing, shoes, even one
cleat. These items ha
ve been found
throughout the school year. If your
student has lost something, encourage
them to check the rack. Anything not
claimed by the Christmas break will be
cleaned and donated to the Come
Unity Center.
STUDENT ASSOCIATION
By Mrs. Osborn
The Student Association will meet Tuesday,
December 4 at 2:15 in Room 13. The Jewelry
Sale items will have arrived. Students will deliver
the ordered items and collect payment. Checks
should be made payable to th
e Middle School
Student Association. Thank you to all who
supported this fundraiser. The 7
th
and 8
th
Grade
Student Association
planted about 250 tulip bulbs
in front of the school at their last meeting.
INTERNATIONAL CLUB
By Mrs. Osborn
The International Club will meet Thursday,
December 6 at 2:15 in Room 13. We will
celebrate Christmas customs and decorate cookies
and make pizelles.
5/6 Student Association
By Miss Finkelstein and Mrs. Hoody
During the past few weeks our members have
been busy fundraising. T
hey have gone to family,
friends, and teacher selling jewelry. They did a
fantastic job, put forth great effort, and sold many
items. Our next meeting will be Tuesday,
December 4. At this meeting we will be
discussing our holiday project and the food dr
ive.
Health Screenings
By Mrs. Starr
This year students are receiving their Health
Screenings during their Physical Education class
to
minimize lost time from core academic classes.
Each Phys Ed period, two students have their
screenings done as per New York
State Education
Department guidelines. These include Height,
Weight, Vision, Hearing and Scoliosis screenings.
Their hair is a
lso checked for head lice at this time.
Parents are notified of any problems that require
their physician’s attention by mail.
If cases of head
lice are identified parents will be notified by phone
with a request that they pick up their child at that
time and keep them home until the problem is
resolved. At this time approximately 30% of the
required screenings have been comp
leted.
An Ounce of
Prevention…
By Mrs. Starr
Attendance this year has generally been good. The
illnesses that have been causing stude
nts to stay
home have been primarily viral in nature. Upper
respiratory and stomach viral infections are
preventable, mainly by
good handwashing.
Encourage your children to wash hands before
eating lunch. If they insist that they don’t have
time, they a
re wrong. However, that is the
perception many of them have. Rather than fight it,
try putting one of the many varieties of wa
terless
hand cleaning products in with their school
supplies. They make great stocking stuffers!
MIDDLE SCHOOL MARAUDER
Page
7
Student
Grade
Teacher
Reason
Pierce Alquist
5 Ms. Luke
Exceptional Effort, Excellent Work
Kayla Anselmo
5 Mrs. Bierer
Relationships with Others
Jaycee Bristol
5 Mr. Marshall
Exceptional Effort
Caleb Burlee
5 Miss Brownell
Relationships with Others
Tyler Eaton
5 Ms. Luke
Exceptional Effort, Exceptional Work
Jonathan Gobeyn
5 Mrs.Bierer
Helpfulness
Rebeccah Klejment
5 Mr. Marshall
Exceptional Effort
Carrie Lergner
5 Mr. Holowka
Exceptional Effort
Shelby Maroselli
5 Mr. Holowka
Constructive Attitude
Norma Ruiz
5 Mrs. Hendrickson,
Ms. Prill
Relationships with Others, Exceptional Effort,
Constructive Attitude
Brittany Thompson
5 Ms. Luke
Excellent Effort, Excellent Work
Melissa Turner
5 Miss Brownell
Exceptional Effort
Jessica Wood
5 Mr. Holowka
Exceptional Effort
Jonathan Fyles
6 6th Grade Team
Outstanding Effort in Sixth Grade
Rachael Gnage
6 6th Grade Team
Outstanding Effort in Sixth Grade
Brandon Hogan
6 6th Grade Team
Outstanding Effort in Sixth Grade
Matt Smith
6 6th Grade Team
Outstanding Effort in Sixth Grade
Stephanie Volpe
6 6th Grade Team
Outstanding Effort in Sixth Grade
Amy Avery
7 Mrs. Perez
Exceptional Effort, Class Participation
John Bonke
7 7th Grade Team
Work Ethic, Attitude
Brittani Conger
7 Miss Nellany
Helpful; Organized Entrepreneurship Tickets
Jamie Deline
7 Miss Nellany
Helpful with Super Computer Skills
Ashley Jenkins
7 Mr. Brown
Exceptional Effort
Kristen Jones
7 Mrs. Nail
Exceptional Effort, Attitude
Ashley McCaslin
7 7th Grade Team
Work Ethic, Attitude
Harrison Ronan
7 7th Grade Team
Effort
Eric Scheffinger
7 7th Grade Team
Well
Prepared, Positive Attitude
Katelynn Verbridge
7 7th Grade Team
Work Ethic, Attitude
Ken Bloss
8 8th Grade Team
Attitude
Tabitha Davis
8 8th Grade Team
Attitude
Jessica East
8 8th Grade Team
Exceptional Effort
Kyle Griffin
8 8th Grade Team
Effort
Geoff Haywood
8 8th Grade Team
Citizenship
Jessica Hepler
8 8th Grade Team
Effort
Christopher Koudelka
8 Mr. Brown
Constructive Attitude
Rachel Pilato
8 Mrs. Osborn
Well
Prepared, Positive Attitude
Student of the Month for October
MIDDLE SCHOOL MARAUDER
Page
8
Student
Grade
Teacher
Reason
Lukas Allen
5
I. Bierer
Compassion
Roxanne Bowman
5
I. Bierer
Loyalty
Michael Cobb
5
J. Luke
Always Trying His Best
Katlyn Gregg
5
H. Brownell
Exceptional Effort
Paul Jenkins
5
H. Brownell
Taking Responsibility for his own Learning!
Stephanie Kingsbury
5
G. Holowka
Constructive Attitude
Josh Knataitis
5
J. Luke
Putting Forth a Great Deal of Effort in All That He Does
Michael LaComba
5
J. Luke
Always Trying His Best
Kelly Marchionda
5
G. Marshall
Exceptional Effort
Anthony Miralles
5
G. Marshall
Exceptional Effort
Joe Tobin
5
G. Holowka
Constructive Attitude
Chelsea Young
5
H. Brownell
Exceptional Effort
Joey Davis
6
6th Grade Team
Outstanding Effort in Sixth Grade
Amanda Fox
6
6th Grade Team
Outstanding Effort in Sixth Grade
Caitlin Garofoli
6
6th Grade Team
Outstanding Effort in Sixth Grade
Jenny Odell
6
6th Grade Team
Outstanding Effort in Sixth Grade
Jeff Sherwin
6
S. Nellany
Cooperative, Super Attitude
Ricky Tarr
6
6th Grade Team
Outstanding Effort in Sixth Grade
Robert Wenzel
6
M. Wilkinson
Consistent Effort and Positive Attitude
Robert Wenzel
6
L. Marshall
Friendly, Works Hard, Always Smiling!
Hallie Ankrom
7
7th Grade Team
Effort, Attitude, Behavorial, Improvement, and Citizenship
Elizabeth Cormier
7
7th Grade Team
Effort, Attitude, Behavorial, Improvement, and Citizenship
Alyssa Hermenet
7
M. Wilkinson
Exceptional Patience, Understanding, and Positive Attitude
Casey Marino
7
D. Osborn
Well Prepared, Positive Attitude
Abe Moll
7
S. Nellany
Super Class Participation
Anna Reiber
7
P. Perez
Class Participation
John Scahill
7
7th Grade Team
Effort, Attitude, Behavorial, Improvement, and Citizenship
Elora Supersad
7
7th Grade Team
Effort, Attitude, Behavorial, Improvement, and Citizenship
Andrea Blauvelt
8
D. Brown
Constructive Attitude
Jess Blauvelt
8
8th Grade Team
Attitude
Stephanie Crichton
8
8th Grade Team
Effort
Ryan Dobson
8
8th Grade Team
Effort
Samantha Knataitis
8
P. Perez
Always Willing To Help Out During Her Free Period
Michael Kraft
8
L. Marshall
Studious Individual, Very Kind, and Considerate To Others
Ami Kush
8
8th Grade Team
Attitude
Ami Kush
8
D. Osborn
Well Prepared and Positive Attitude
Brad Morse
8
8th Grade Team
Attitude
Tyler Palmer
8
8th Grade Team
Citizenship
Colby Stohr
8
8th Grade Team
Effort
Yari Winter
8
D. Brown
Exceptional Effort
David Wood
8
8th Grade Team
Effort
Student of the Month for November
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