Whittier Middle School
March 12, 2017
WHITTIER WIRE
1457 Maine Street, Poland, ME 04274 | P (207) 998-3462 | F (207) 998-3481
Physical Education
Monday:
Ms. Sirois’s ELA classes
Tuesday:
Mrs. Lachapelle’s Math classes
Mr. Knott’s Science classes
Wednesday:
Mrs. Adams’ Math classes
Mrs. Shanning’s Math 7 class
Coming Events
Mar 14: Progress Reports
Mar 14: So. Maine Math Meet
Whittier students with their mentors at Bates College. Seventh
Mar 16: No school/Conferences
Grade GaTE (Gifted and Talented Education) students are working
Mar 17: No school/Workshop
Mar 17: Middle School Play
Mar 20: Whittier Home Math Meet
with mentors from Bates College on the online Meridian Stories
Challenge Program. Student teams have selected challenges in
Mar 21: MEA Testing begins
History, Language Arts, and STEAM (Science, Technology,
Mar 27: Kieve Parent Info Night
Engineering, Art, Math) areas. Videos displaying their work will be
Mar 31: Dance
submitted by the deadline at the end of the month.
April 11: Kieve Outreach
April 12-14: Grade 7 Kieve
April 17-21: Vacation
April 25-26: Grade 8 Science Test
MEA Test Results
As we prepare for this spring’s Maine Educational Assessment,
parent reports from last year’s testing were made available this
Look for progress reports on
week. The reports are printed and will be shared with you during
Tuesday afternoon. With the
student-led conferences.
snow days, we delayed the
release of progress reports to
allow extra time for students
and teachers.
www.rsu16.org/WMS/WMS.html
Overall, Whittier students continue to perform better than the state
average on the MEA. Investments of hard work, collaboration,
creativity, and shared decision-making are paying off with relatively
strong levels of student achievement. On the 2015-16 English
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Whittier Middle School
March 12, 2017
language arts test, 54% of Whittier students met or exceeded the
standard (compared to the state’s 49%), and on the math test 50%
of Whittier students met or exceeded the standard (compared to
the state’s 39%). Additionally, 80% of Whittier 8th graders met or
exceeded the standard on the state science assessment (compared
to the state’s 61%). We continue to work toward supporting all
students in meeting state standards.
Students learned about refraction
in Mr. Jones’ science class.
Drama Schedule
Monday, March 13
This year’s testing begins on Tuesday, March 21st.
MidKnight FireSlayers
Seventeen students participating in the MidKnight FireSlayer
program recently received their CPR and First-Aid certification.
Since establishing this program in 2011, more than 80 middle
3:15-5:00
school students have participated in the MidKnight FireSlayers and
Tuesday, March 14
Captains are half way to earning their community service hours
2:30-6:30 Dress Rehearsal
have this certification. In addition to this 3 of our 8th grade
which is part the program requirements.
Wednesday, March 15
2:30-5:30
Thursday March 16
1:00-3:00
Friday, March 10
5:00 (call time for students)
7:00 Show time!
* if there are any weather
cancellations, an updated
schedule will be mailed to
parents of students in the play;
Timeless Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
you can also contact Ell Fanus
The play pays tribute to Andersen who wrote hundreds of stories
with questions: [email protected]
over 2 centuries ago, many that have been turned into modern
works and animated Disney movies. The play, which is scheduled
for 7:00 on the evening of March 17, features the acting, singing,
dancing and art talents of over 40 middle school students. We
hope you’ll come out for this free and fun event!
www.rsu16.org/WMS/WMS.html
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Whittier Middle School
March 12, 2017
Grade 7: Camp Kieve
Whittier 7th graders will go to Camp Kieve: The Leadership School from April 12-14. School vacation is the
following week. If at all possible, please do not plan to start your child’s vacation early. This opportunity is
one we do not want any 7th graders to miss! If you have not seen the registration materials, please check in
with your child.
We budget and fundraise for Camp Kieve, but we ask seventh grade families to make a $30 contribution for
their student by Friday, March 31st. Please make checks payable to Whittier Middle School and put your
child’s name on the memo line. If you are unable to make the payment and you need assistance, please
contact Shawn Vincent ([email protected]).
Our goal is for all Whittier seventh graders to experience the Leadership School. If you are interested in
making additional donations or providing a scholarship for other students, we welcome your support!
There is a parent information night scheduled for Monday, March 27th at 6:00pm. We look forward to
sharing this tremendous experience with your child.
Refraction Haikus
Refraction
by Colby Geoffroy
Refraction is light
waves bending at an angle.
Refraction is waves.
___________________
Refraction Haiku
by Jada Olson
What is refraction?
Mysterious waves passing
at different angles.
____________________
Refraction
by Amy Fryda
Light reaches forward,
bending, breaking. Red is longest, violet shortest.
March is Music in Our Schools Month
And what better way to celebrate than to have a couple of concerts?!
www.rsu16.org/WMS/WMS.html
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Whittier Middle School
March 12, 2017
March 22nd is the all-chorus concert and March 29 is the all-band concert. Students involved in both are
expected to perform in both, and students who are not in both are encouraged to attend their friends'
concert! Each concert is on a Wednesday night and begins at 7pm in the auditorium. As always, school
concerts are free, and all members of the community are welcome to attend!
If you have a student in chorus or band, please check in with that student to ensure he/she has appropriate
attire -- the expectations for NHD and game day/Sunday best work just fine for school concerts!
We look forward to seeing you and sharing the hard work of our fantastic music students!
Julia Edwards & Larry Williams
Drawstring Backpacks
When we talk about overcrowding at Whittier Middle School, the students’ main
concern seems to be the crowded hallways. We make efforts to reduce the
number of students in the hallways by staggering seventh and eighth graders’
schedules, so they are at their lockers at different times. We also ask students to
put away their large backpacks during the day. This also helps provide more
space in our small classrooms. We recognize that carrying a bag may be easier for
some students, so we do allow students to carry drawstring bags during the school day. They take up less
room, and require students to be a little more organized and efficient with their materials. We go through a
lot of these backpacks at Whittier. If you have extra drawstring backpacks at home that you are not using,
please feel free to drop them off or send them in with your child. We will put them to good use.
Maine Educational Assessment 2017
March 10, 2017
Dear Parents and Families,
Beginning March 21st and running through April 1st, Whittier students will be administered the Maine
Educational Assessment (MEA) that will assess students' mastery of the grade level expectations aligned
with Maine’s College and Career Readiness standards. The test is computer based and will assess students'
knowledge in the areas of Reading/Language Arts, Writing, and Mathematics. To learn more about the MEA
for math and literacy, go to: http://www.maine.gov/doe/assessment/math-ela/index.html.
The specific testing dates and times are as follows:
March 21 from approximately 8:00-9:15.
March 22 from approximately 8:00-9:15.
March 23 from approximately 8:00-9:10.
March 28 from approximately 8:00-9:10.
www.rsu16.org/WMS/WMS.html
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Whittier Middle School
March 12, 2017
March 29 from approximately 8:00-8:35.
March 30 from approximately 8:00-8:35.
We will make changes in the daily schedule to ensure that students miss as little class time as possible. With
our current testing plan, students will miss each class twice over the two weeks of testing.
At Whittier, we are going the extra mile to make this a positive experience for our students. The students
have practiced released items to gain familiarity with the test, vocabulary used, and self-confidence about
the process. We are asking our students to do their best to show what they know and our staff will work hard
to make the experience as positive as possible.
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How can you help your child to prepare and do their very best?
Attend school - don’t miss any days when students are well enough to be at school
Arrive at school on time each day
Make sure that he/she gets plenty of sleep
Eat a good breakfast each morning
Be supportive - encourage your child to be confident, work hard, stay calm and do their best work.
We appreciate the effort and focus required of students during testing and have planned some fun along
the way. We will make the most of this testing season and look forward to seeing what our students can do.
Sincerely,
Shawn Vincent
Principal
www.rsu16.org/WMS/WMS.html
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