Welcome Spring!

We have all had enough of winter this year. There are many great things happening at the Middle School. There are authors visiting the school. The 7th grade will have their second dance of the year. Green week is just around the corner with our annual re-use contest. There are so many things to watch for . Please be sure to read your weekly emails that come out every Wednesday to stay up to date.

It is also an important time for our District as the Board of Education prepares to accept our budget for next year. As you know NYS will cut funding next year to every district and little unfunded mandate relief seems to be coming.  Our district will have to make cuts because of this loss of revenue and other revenue reductions facing the district. I urge you to voice your ideas and concerns to the Board of Education before they accept the budget on April 12th. To find out what changes we are facing visit the Board of Education section of the school website.

Our nominating committee has been formed and we will need to fill many positions on our Executive Board for next year. Please keep a look out for our emails asking for your help and volunteer for the benefit of our children.

Our next general meeting will be held at the SMS Library on May 10th at 7:30. Please watch for more details as we get closer. I look forward to seeing you there.

Linda Graffitti, SMS PTA President

The PTA is once again hosting the Bus Driver Appreciation Breakfast on Friday, April 8, 2011. We are looking for donations for raffle baskets, goody bag items, and food. For details, go to http://www.somersptacouncil.org/COUNCIL/BusDriverAppreciationMainPage.htm.  

Questions? Contact Angela Welsh, 245-3019 or Welsh.angela@yahoo.com. 

   8th Grade Graduation Celebration! 

  

Using Parent Guides to Support

the Common Core State Standards 

PTAs can play a pivotal role in how the standards are put in place at the state and district levels. Although many states have adopted the standards, we are still in the very early stages of the implementation process. Once the standards are implemented, a key part of the work will be to help teachers and parents talk about and understand how the standards can be used to improve their children's chance for success. The guides are a great tool that PTAs, Departments of Education, and school districts can use to make the standards understandable to parents and family members.

Click here to get the Guides: http://www.pta.org/4446.htm

  

The SMS PTA Mini-Grant program provides teachers with an opportunity to apply for funding for new and innovative projects or items which are typically not covered by the School District.  Teachers are invited to submit a request if they have an idea that would enhance their students' educational experience.  This year, the projects funded by the program focused on educational enhancement through the teaching process  - by bringing new, fresh ways to present the established curriculum.  Programs have included assemblies, hands-on experiences and the incorporation of iPads into the classroom.  The innovators and their new programs for 2010-1011 are:

Elizabeth Ferrucci, $500

A Walk through the Roman Forum Assembly and Hands-on materials benefiting all 6^th grade Social Studies programs and the 8^th grade Italian classes

DJ Colella & Curtis Dell, $500

Robotics Assembly benefitting all 6^th grade Science programs

Sherri Mangus, $500

Purchase of an iPad and educational programs for use in the classroom (funded together with the SEPTA Mini-Grant Program)

As you can see by this year's projects, requests can benefit the students of an individual class, a particular grade level or the entire school.

Keep the ideas coming!

Carolyn Worsley and Janice Pirrotti

Mini-Grant Chairpersons

Click here to view all of the submitted works!

Congratulations to six Somers Middle School students who submitted entries to the National PTA Reflections Program and have won at the Regional level!  Winners at the Regional level are invited to a reception in the spring.  All Reflections participants are recognized before the Board of Education in the spring.

Film Production           Gabby Rosenzweig, Grade 7

Literature                     Julia Dal Ceredo, Grade 7

Music                         Carleigh Meyer, Grade 7
                                  Jason Miller, Grade 8

Visual Arts                  Erin Liffiton, Grade 7
                                  Live Pirrotti, Grade 6

The National PTA Reflections Program is an arts recognition and achievement program for students. The Reflections Program provides opportunities for students to express themselves creatively and to receive positive recognition for original works of art inspired by a pre-selected theme, all the while increasing community awareness on the importance of the arts in education.

The theme for the 2010 program:  "Together We Can . . . "

Questions? Please email LSweig@aol.com or your school's Reflections Chair.

The Tech Ed. Department, Rich DeVito, Mike Fry and Bill Rock will be hosting the 3rd annual KidWind Challenge at SMS on Friday, May 6, 2011 for Middle School level students and on Friday, May 13, 2011 for High School level students.  The event is funded by the Somers CSD, the KidWind Project and NYSERDA.

See the flyers on Kid Wind and the CO2 car club.

Drama:

Kudos to the drama department for their successful performances of Seussical the Musical!  Students from grades 6 - 8 participated in the four shows that spanned from March 3-5.  The costumes, set design, stage direction and of course the acting and singing were out of this world.  It was a huge team effort.  A special thank you to all of the families that helped organize the healthy meals for students during tech week.  Thank you to Mrs. Wozniak and Ms. Rossini for providing such guidance and support to the students!

Seussical Jr. from Ms. Rossini

Article March 10, 2011

The SMS Drama club production of Seussical Jr. was a wild success from start to finish. With over 100 students participating in the production I was thrilled to see students from every school fill the auditorium for each performance. It was a wonderful opportunity to bring the Somers family together for a little fun!

Behind the scenes was equally successful. When students accept the responsibility of being part of the production, the expectation is quite high. Your child's family values are tested and further developed during this 3 month journey from the first rehearsal to opening night.

As their teacher, I was very moved by the kindness of this cast. When anyone struggled with a costume, a line or a song an encouraging word was close at hand. I was impressed with students' maturity, as they coped with the disappointment of not getting the "part" they had hoped for. I watched with pride as they created masterpieces with the "part "they had! I witnessed the shy students bloom and the talented students grow. I can assure you that the cast of Seussical Jr. functioned as a family because of the families they came from. A special nod to our parents for their devoted attention to these important values. We saw the best of your family, in your child.

The recipe for any successful endeavor is kind and skilled leadership, perseverance when the road gets rough (or snowy!) and a willingness to work together. Our show had it all.

Mrs. Wozniak with her diligent attention to every student from crew to "who"! Mr. Heller (formally known as a 6^th grade social studies teacher) for his quiet calm presence, in spite of the fact that he thought he was on Survivor! Mr. Rock and Mr. DeVito who ventured out of the "land of tech" to create a gigantic egg that opened for every performance and no one got hurt! I think the producers of Spider Man will be calling you BOTH! Ms. Sebastiano, our choreographer also a beloved kindergarten teacher at Primrose brought new meaning to" show and tell "with the dazzling dance numbers! Ms. Verdino kept us all connected as a superb communication commando! I would be remiss in not mentioning all the Middle school teachers' who helped by lightening the homework load the days before the show. Our cast could relax a little! A special thanks to our new superintendent Dr. Blanch for his help and interest. We welcome him to the Somers family of the performing arts!

Like many of you, I saw the documentary "A Race to Nowhere" in the fall. The message from this important film left many of us with the prevailing question ...how do we teach our children to reach for the top and manage it all? Upon reflection, I believe the production of Seussical Jr. achieved this goal. We all worked together to achieve excellence and we took care of each other along the way. The performing arts remind us that balanced, hard work should never deplete our energy, but rather inspire us! It is my deepest wish that your participation in the production of Seussical Jr. will serve as an inspiration for many years to come!  

Opera

Carla Tuite, the opera specialist, worked with the 8th grade Italian classes during the blocks last week to prepare the students for their upcoming trip to see the opera, Cenerentola (Cinderella), in NYC on April 1st.  Students were able to view clips from operas and learn more about opera in general.  

 Recent Conversations with the 6^th Grade    

All sixth grade students attended a grade-level assembly reviewing our expecations for our students in middle school. Recently there has been an increase in the number of reports of teasing, bullying and other unkind behaviors.  We began by reviewing the key ideas of T.U.S.K.E.R. and then explained the behaviors that are unacceptable at SMS.  We clearly defined bullying and discrimination, and listed graduated consequences for these behaviors.  The students were encouraged to report any misconduct to a trusted adult either here at school or at home.  Our goal is to ensure the safely and emotional well-being of the students, which can in turn impact their success while they are here.  Please take a minute and ask your child about the assembly.  Together we can make the middle school experience a positive one for all.