The Panther Pride

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Good afternoon Panther Families,

It was so nice to see all of you in the building for our Open House a few weeks ago. It makes all the difference when we have the opportunity to see everyone in person. Hopefully you had the opportunity to meet your student’s teacher team and get a feel for their day to day life here at the middle school. We’re looking forward to more opportunities to see you and collaborate on ways to make your child’s experience the best it can be.

Now that Autumn has arrived, students are settled into their routines for the school year. Academics are well underway. We recently completed our iReady benchmark assessments for Math and Reading. These along with past performance on MCAS are used to identify a baseline for each student. Teachers will be working to develop lessons that meet the needs of each student while providing grade level instruction.

In just a few short weeks we’ll be sharing our Trimester I progress reports. Those are quickly followed by our Parent Teacher Conferences. That will be a great opportunity to discuss your child’s progress and chart a course for the school year. Teachers at this point will have a clear picture of your student’s academic profile and parents can contribute a lifetime of knowledge. It’s aWe’re far enough into the year for meaningful conversations with plenty of time to develop skills and knowledge.

October is also a fantastic month for student activities and extracurriculars. Many of our clubs had strong interest at lunches and Open House. The majority of them will have launched in the next week or so. We’ll also have our first student event of the school year - our Halloween Outing. This is one of my favorite events of the year. Everyone gets so excited for the first student night event!

As always, we’re here for you if you have any questions, concerns or want an update on your student. There are also opportunities to get involved through our Advisory Committee and the ASPTO.

Have a fun and spooky month,

Bryan Oelerich

10/10 - Columbus Day (No School)

10/13 - Chris Poulos Presentation

10/24 - Trimester 1 Progress Reports Issued

10/29 - Half Day - Professional Development

10/27 - PICTURE DAY

10/27 - Half Day - Evening Parent Teacher Conferences 6-8pm

10/28 - Half Day - Afternoon Parent Teacher Conferences 12-2:30pm

10/28 - Halloween Party

See our district calendar for important dates for the year.

Trimester 1 Progress reports will be sent out on Monday 10/24. They are followed by Parent Teacher Conferences later that week on Thursday 6-8pm and Friday 12-2:30pm (10/27-10/28). These are an opportunity to discuss your student progress and collaborate on ways to encourage their growth.

Conferences will be scheduled with individual teachers. Each session will be 10 minutes in length. Sign up information will be sent out soon. We look forward to meeting with all of you!

All teachers are available for extra help sessions after school at least once per week. Please see our Extra Help Hours for specific days and times for each teacher. Students can always attend during these times, no scheduling is required. Many teachers make themselves available at additional times as well. Please feel free to reach out directly by email to find out about your students progress or discuss ways they can receive additional support.

Mark your calendars! There will be an Ayer Shirley Middle School Halloween Party, Friday October 28th from 6 - 8 pm. Admission is $5 and we will have snacks and drinks available for purchase. There will be music, costumes, food and games. This gathering is open to Ayer Shirley Middle School students. (We are unable to allow non ASMS students to attend.) Additional information regarding the event will be provide as it approaches.

Students will be permitted to wear Halloween Costumes on October 28th. Please keep in mind that we will still be learning throughout the school day. Students can wear school appropriate costumes only - meaning they should align with the handbook policies on attire. To ensure safety, facemasks, weapons and facepaint are not permitted.

Chris is a world champion athlete, youth motivational speaker, and aspiring author who shares powerful life lessons as he demonstrates amazing bicycle stunts. He specializes in core values, anti-bullying, and character education. He will be here on 10/13 to provide a presentation for the students!

A big thank you to our ASPTO for sponsoring and booking this event!

https://www.chrispoulos.com/index.php

Like to sing?

Chorus is back! Chorus will meet on Fridays after school from 2:30-3:30 in the music room.

The first meeting will be Friday 10/7.

sign-up sheet:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1s5tCSg63mjcMJI5KFm3h7M8OJqOMUfy9OzfG8At3t0U/edit?usp=sharing

The Smile Programs mobile dentist is coming on 11/2/22 - please complete and return the permission form by 10/12/22 if you would like your child to be seen.

Please remember to forward all physicals and doctors notes for excused absences.

Once again the school year is going so quickly. It has been great seeing all of the students getting comfortable in their school day and activities!

We welcome Ms. Christina Teahan, Adjustment Counselor and Dr. Dana Lorway, School Psychologist, to our counseling department at the Middle School. We will share Dr. Lorway with the high school.

During the last week of September, Nashoba valley Technical High School sent a representative to speak with the grade 8 students about the opportunities their high school can offer. Applications are open, they have an open house on November 6th. See their website for information.

We are continuing our partnership with the BRYT Program this year and, therefore, we continue to have the opportunity to make additional resources available to families.

From the BRYT Network:

• Join Victor for a DAD’s group, open to ALL male-identified caregivers (dads, stepdads, granddads, uncles, etc) of ALL children. Tuesday nights see Dad's group flyer here

• BRYT Parent-to-parent support group flyer! Please feel free to share this flyer link far and wide with your administration, colleagues, and friends to share with families who are interested. Our parent-to-parent support is open to ALL parents of youth who are navigating mental health challenges. The groups are virtual, hosted by a BRYT family engagement coordinator, and are designed to be a platform for families to support each other. *The purpose of these groups is to give parents an opportunity to give and receive support from each other. PSP groups are not designed to supplement mental health treatment.*

• We will also be beginning a monthly Parents Learning with Parents (PLP) FREE Virtual Speaker Series for ALL CAREGIVERS of students in K-12. These events will have a guest speaker or a panel of professionals on a set topic so that families may ask their own questions directly and confidentially. Topics will include technology use, youth substance use, grief in children and teens, navigating a mental health crisis, preparing for post-graduate life, etc. October 12, 7 pm. Webinar "Parenting in the Age of Technology"

• The speaker is Diana Graber, author of "Raising Humans in a Digital World". She will cover cell phone use, but parents will also have the opportunity to ask questions and she will share various practical resources for parents. JOIN US!

• Facebook group for BRYT families:

This closed FB group is only for BRYT caregivers. To join, just search 'BRYT FAMILY SUPPORT' on Facebook and ask to be added. BRYTFamily Engagement Coordinators manage the group and caregivers will find posts about events, parenting articles, support from other parents, and more.

• BRYT Family Engagement Resources. This resource doc houses our Youtube live recordings from last year as well as articles and links for you to reference on various topics. We will continue to add to this throughout the year. Let us know your topic needs.

As a reminder, Ms. Brine has students with last names beginning with A-D, Ms. Teahan has students with last names E-K and Ms. Esielionis has students with last names beginning with L-Z. There are some exceptions to these caseloads.

Please reach out with any questions or concerns at any time! We are looking forward to a fantastic year!!

The Sixth Grade Green Team had a successful start to their middle school journey! With time and determination all students can now open their lockers, navigate the school and schedule. It has been so wonderful getting to know our sixth grade family!

Mathematicians have been working with ratios. Students have been creating equivalent ratios, representing ratios, and solving real world ratio problems. Next up mathematicians will be learning about rates and percentages!

Historians have been working on physical features and mapping their fantasy islands. Additionally in Mr. Langford's enrichment students have been creating thematic maps showcasing the country through their interests.

Readers are diving into the novels Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief in Mr. Churchill's class and Harbor Me in Ms. Stahl's class. Writers in both classes are working to incorporate evidence from two sources into their essays.

Scientists are adventuring into outer space learning about the moon. Students are identifying phases, features, and eclipses. Have them share with you what they have learned on a clear night!

Lastly, sixth graders are going on a field trip!! Sixth graders are headed to Boundless Adventures on November 10th to learn through a high ropes course designed to challenge students mentally and physically and increase our self-confidence and achievement! Students should have brought home a field trip form to be signed and returned. Families please check your email with other important information.

We look forward to all the fun new memories and learning that our sixth graders have in store this month!

ELA:

6th Grade: We are off to a good start in sixth grade! The class novel, Harbor Me, is well underway and is bringing up a lot of great discussion. We have learned about plot structure and have been reviewing open response questions and summaries. Coming up, we’ll be reading some fun, suspenseful, stories for Halloween!

7th Grade: In seventh grade students are enjoying the classic novel, The Outsiders. We are also reviewing plot structure and learning about characterization. Like sixth graders, we will also review open response questions and summary and read some fun stories for Halloween.

Math:

6th Grade: The purple team is off to a fantastic start in math. 6th graders are working through Module 1 of Eureka Math which introduces the concepts of ratio and rate. So far we have covered what a ratio is, equivalent ratios and associated ratios. Students are working with ratio tables, tape diagrams, equations and coordinate planes.

7th Grade: 7th graders began the year with a review of measures of central tendency: mean, median, mode, range and mean absolute deviation. Now we have moved onto Module 1 of Eureka Math which covers ratios and proportional relationships. We are analyzing relationships given in tables, graphs and verbal descriptions.

Social Studies:

6th Grade: Students have adapted well to their first month of Middle School Social Sciences by examining world geography and its physical features. We engaged in multiple project-based learning assignments both in class, and independently at home. We will transition to our next unit, “What is History?” where we will learn about research methods when interacting with historical documents.

7th Grade: Καλό απόγευμα [Kaló apógevma]- (Good afternoon). 7th graders are fully entrenched in our unit on Ancient Greece studying Hellensitic contributions to the past and modern world. More specifically, Greek art & architecture, government, literature, and theater. We will also be studying the Peloponnesian War and the many conflicts between city-states Athens and Sparta. “Spartans, what is your profession?”

Science:

6th Grade: We are investigating the motions of the Earth-Sun-Moon system to explain the causes of lunar phases and eclipses of the Sun and Moon.

7th Grade: We are describing how matter and energy are transferred among living and nonliving parts of Earth’s Systems. Including the cycling of matter (carbon, water, and phosphorous) by studying the processes of photosynthesis, cellular respiration, and decomposition.

ELA with Mr. Veeder - 7th and 8th graders took their first Word of the Day quiz and finished their first literature response - Woohoo!

We’ll continue with short stories into October and start our first grammar unit on nouns!

Math with Mrs. Daisy -
7th graders are combining previous concepts learned - proportional relationships, unit rates, and fractions.

8th graders are completing the exponent rules unit. We will transition to scientific notation for our next unit.

Science with Mrs. Kauppi - Scientists created a water cycle in class. They used their critical thinking skills to show evaporation, condensation and precipitation in a container. We’re going to be tackling the next unit of Earth’s changing surface.

Social Studies/Civics with Dr. Pataky - Here is what's going on in social studies/civics over the next two weeks:

7th Grade- Unit 2- Ancient Greece

• Ancient Greece Vocabulary quiz 1 on 10/7/22

• Do Now Quotes in notebook

• We will first look at Greek geography and maps before moving into history and culture

8th Grade- Early Colonial America

We have been working on readings about early colonial America. We will be working on an independent Build a Colony project over the next week.

World Language with Mr. Emilio Cabanas -
Mr. Emilio Cabanas is a new teacher who started late. Please look for his update on the next newsletter. Looking at the curriculum in world language grade 7th:

We are beginning with Introductions/Numbers/days of the week/time/objects in the schools/lots of vocabulary regarding those topics. Jacky and I are working on a sequence of topics (to be updated as we go) and to become permanent moving forward.

Mr. Nessman & Ms. Nigohosian’s Corner -
We will be supporting students in a variety of classes this trimester. I will also be working on some organizational strategies with various students. We are taking donations of unused (or lightly used) notebooks, folders, and binders to help students in organizational need.

We are also sending home a daily homework email. I can’t guarantee it will always be 100% accurate for every class every day, but it will give you an idea of what specific assignments need to be worked on and what upcoming quizzes, tests, and projects there are.

Email Mr. Nessman (knessman@asrsd.org) if you want to be added to the list (7th grade parents and guardians only)

Civics

In Civics students have briefly reviewed information about the thirteen colonies and will begin to learn about the French and Indian War and the impact it had on the relationship between the colonists and the English government paving the way to revolution! Students will learn about the events that led to the colonists taking the bold step of declaring independence from what was the most powerful nation on earth at the time.

World Language

En la clase de español . . . We have spent a few weeks discussing Hispanic Heritage Month (el 15 de septiembre - el 15 de octubre) and the contributions of Hispanics to our society. Do you know who Ellen Ochoa is? Ask your student! Students have also learned how to have basic Spanish conversation, count to 1000, and ask and answer questions about the date and birthdays. ¿Cuándo es tu cumpleaños? Next up, time and weather!

Science

In science class, students are wrapping up their unit on seasons, tides, and gravity! Next up, a unit on heat transfers and convection within the Earth.

Math

Math students are working on scientific notation and notation with exponents. They are also working on word problem. Soon they will be finished with the first 8th grade module of Eureka Math!

English Language Arts

In ELA, the creative juices are flowing as students begin writing their first major narrative essay. Student’s are rewriting a scene from the suspenseful short story, Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl. They are being sure to include plenty of inner dialogue and descriptive language as they weave the narrative from a different character’s point of view. They are also continuing their outside reading journey, finishing books or choosing new ones if they would like to.

Academic Support

During the month of September in Academic Support, we have been reviewing integers, and one step equations. We have also been focusing on external dialogue rules to apply to ELA narratives as well as understanding operations with Scientific Notation to solve word problems within math class.

Students learned colored pencil and watercolor techniques that they will be able to use to create an original art piece. The theme of this piece is "color". How students interpret the theme and what they create is up to them. Students will be working on their original art as well as using the potter's wheels during the month of October.

Enrichment Visual Arts

Needle felting, toilet paper sculptures, origami, stop-motion, and neurographic drawings are options the 7th and 8th graders can choose to work on in Art Enrichment.

6th graders have created Infinity cards and are now bettering their weaving skills to construct a drawstring bag.

In STEM through September we saw some great Artemis 1 Rocket projects being worked on, and we look forward to seeing the launch

now scheduled for late October. It was a great way for students to choose how they wanted to demonstrate their knowledge about this amazing new

Space Launch System from NASA.

In Rock Painting Enrichment, students have been making some amazing pieces and they will be on
Display in the lobby to show off their skills. Next we will be moving into our sign making phase and we

will be working on wood boards as our canvas.

During the past couple weeks many of our clubs have begun. Sign up forms are available in the main office. Please contact advisors directly for additional information. The majority of these extracurriculars can be sign up for at anytime so it's not too late to join!

• Art Club - Ms. Nogueira (enogueira@asrsd.org)
• Band - Mrs. Fletcher (rfletcher@asrsd.org)
• Chess and Game - Dr. Pataky (cpataky@asrsd.org)
  
• Chorus - Mrs. Fletcher (rfletcher@asrsd.org)
• Competitive Gaming League - Ms. Doyle (adoyle@asrsd.org)
  
• Diversity and Equality - Mrs. Couture (jcourture@asrsd.org)
  
• Guitar and Ukulele - Mr. Langford (klangford@asrsd.org)
  
• Tennis Club (Spring) - Mr. Veeder (nveeder@asrsd.org)
  
• Student Government Association - Dr. Pataky (formerly Student Council) (cpataky@asrsd.org)
  
• Yearbook - Ms. Champagne (schampagne@asrsd.org)

Did you know that you can search the school library catalogue when not at school? Go to asrsd.follettdestiny.com to take a peak at what you might want to be reading. Once you are at the site, select the school you want to explore. That will bring you to our cataloguing page where you can search for books by title, author, keyword, subject and series. Please contact Mrs Lyon klyon@asrsd.org if you have any questions.

Middle School Library

October 11th

November 8th

December 13th

January 10th

February 15th

March 14th

April 11th

May 9th

June 13th

“Together We Can Do More”

Website: https://sites.google.com/view/aspto

Welcome Letter and Calendar: https://docs.google.com/document/d/16J8aKAlJRDaLDOUfABCSKicda5l55Ecn/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=107589591020179956727&rtpof=true&sd=true

Our mission is to provide high-quality education in a safe, respectful, and inclusive environment where every student develops the skills, character, and core values needed to graduate and become a productive member of global society.

Email: boelerich@asrsd.org
Website: asrsd.org
Location: 1 Hospital Road, Shirley, MA, USA
Phone: (978)772-8600
Facebook: facebook.com/ASRMSPanthers