By: Jerra Leek
Happy New Year from Chester County Middle School! Our students, faculty and staff are all excited to start the new semester. Mrs. Renée and Mr. Shumate surprised the faculty with iPads, Apple Pencils and Apple TVs at the end of semester faculty meeting. These were purchased with Title 1 funds and will be used in all the classrooms to benefit all the students in our school. The teachers are thrilled and look forward to utilizing the technology in the classroom to enhance the learning experience for all.
We welcome Ms. Rebecca Richardson to our custodial staff from the Junior High. She is taking over for Mrs. Laura Gauger, who has moved to the central office; however, we will still see Mrs. Laura as she will still be on campus to make sure Williams Auditorium is always show-ready.
Report cards will be sent home on Thursday, Jan. 12.
Students will attend Jackson Christian’s production of “The Sound of Music” at FHU’s Loyd Auditorium on Friday, Jan. 13, to celebrate their hard work and effort put in on their benchmark tests in December.
Packets will be sent home soon for students to practice at home for the Second Annual Spelling Bee. Classroom rounds will be Jan. 17-19. Winners from those rounds will compete in the school-wide Spelling Bee at the end of the month. The school-wide winner will be eligible to compete in the state competition which will be held in Nashville in the spring.
This semester the students will participate in a Read Around the World Adventure. Students will grab their coffee cups and their book bags and will embark on a reading adventure as they read articles about events and places from around the world. Once they read for information, the students will be given a choice of an extension activity to complete. Books from the places we “visited” will be on display so students can read them, take tests and fill up their coffee cups to earn StarBucks!
IN THE CLASSROOM-Texts and skills this week…
Fifth grade – ELA: “The Phantom Tollbooth” novel study, narrative writing and story elements; Math: adding/subtracting fractions and mixed numbers with unlike denominators; Science: phases of matter; Social Studies: Roaring Twenties and the Great Depression.
Fourth grade – ELA: Narrative writing and analyzing poetry and story elements; Math: equivalent fractions; Science: weathering and erosion; Social Studies: Louisiana Purchase, Lewis and Clark and the War of 1812.
Students attend activity classes once a week (PE, twice) and acquire new skills.
Academic Lab – Setting and Background of “The Sound of Music”
Computer – Students will learn how to write binary codes to answer riddles and write their names.
Library – Students will “visit” Washington, D.C.
Music – Teachers and students will get to know each other and start discussing music theory.
PE – “Swamp Ball” focuses on throwing, catching, and moving.
Faculty and Staff Birthdays this month: Destiny Whitney, Gabby Morris, Jennifer Hardin, Melanie Shelton, Amanda Griffin, Mickie Legg
