September/October
2015
Mr. Cary D. Dimmick,
Principal
Mrs. Marion Finkbinder
Vice Principal
Mr. Graham Lear
School Administrator
Mr. Vannest G. E. Wilkins
Newspaper Advisor & Editor
Roving Reporters
Ruth A. Dawit, Eleanor Owens, Jennifer Diaz-Cruz, Dagem Legesse and
Mekdem Legesse
Associate Superintendent, Dr.
Williams et Principal Dimmick
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Office of the Principal ... 2
Summer 2015 ................ 3
The Organized Student .. 5
S’Team…………………….7-9
Sports Schedule ………..10
WSLI is on the Air……...11
SPECIAL POINTS OF
INTEREST
The Montgomery County Board of
Educa on met on Tuesday, June 16,
2015, at the Carver Educa onal
Services Center, 850 Hungerford
Drive in Rockville. It was at that
me that the Board of Educa on
approved the following administrave appointment of Mr. Cary D.
Dimmick as the principal of Sligo
Middle School in Silver Spring, Maryland.
 Supporting Math pg. 4
 Outdoor Ed
pg. 5
 Dig Into Reading pg. 6
Sligo Middle School - 1401 Dennis Avenue, Silver Spring, Maryland 20902 301.649.8121
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Dear Stallion community,
I wanted to thank you all for such a warm welcome as I transitioned into the principal ship at Sligo
MS. We have had an amazing start to the school year. Our staff is committed to making each day
memorable for all of our students. This year, our staff will be focusing our efforts on checking for understanding of students’ progress towards mastering the objective (or learning goal), in multiple, varied and equitable ways throughout the lesson. We also will be working to build and facilitate a warm,
safe, supportive and engaging environment where students are able to grow independently and collaboratively. My vision is that our work will enable all students to leave Sligo Middle School armed with
skills to be inquisitive, to think critically, to be able to communicate effectively and to take ownership
in one’s education. We want all of our students to be in a position when they get to high school to continue down a successful path to be prepared to attend college or begin a career.
Thanks to all who attended our Back To School Night, as well as our Fall Open House. We had a great
turnout at both events and hope that all who visited left with a better understanding of the curriculum. We also hope that you left with a positive impression of our enthusiasm for teaching and learning. We have appreciated your feedback to date and encourage you to continue to share your questions or concerns should they arise; we also like to hear compliments as well. Your communication is
vital to our growth
Congratulations to our students on your success in softball and cross country. We have had some great
competitions to date. Another congratulations to our music program for a wonderful fall concert. We
are excited about seeing what the rest of the school year brings for us in both athletics and our music/
arts program.
In closing, please remember to visit our website for the most updated information, including our 201516 Activities Calendar. You can also follow me on Twitter @SligoMSPride.
Best wishes in quarter #2. Let’s keep working hard and progressing towards our goals!
Cary Dimmick
Principal
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Eleanor Owen
The first week in September students shared their summer family fun and excursions. This past summer, Ellie O. stated, “ I did many fun and
exci ng things. One of the things I did was a two week camp in West Virginia. Later that summer my family went to Costa Rico and I went on a
zip line course. What a summer!” Isabel G. expressed her family summer treats, “ I joined a swim team and went to the horse camp.. I rode a
great horse and was able to care for the horse. Next, I went to a sleep away camp where I went on a giant swing and a banana boat ride. Later I
went to Montana where I rode horses and we went to the Yellowstone Park. One of my greatest summer ventures was visi ng Hershey Park.”
Talio G., states, “This summer was amazing for me. I went to Kidsco Teens on the Run. We went to the Chesapeake Bay Waterpark. We also
went on an overnight trip to Hershey Park where we stayed in a hotel. We went bowling and ice ska ng. Later, we went to Asia Armenia which
is were I was born. Ezinellia B., states, “I went to New York, watched movies, and went to my uncles’ wedding”. Robert C. went to see classic
cars. Two of the cars were a 1986 Buick and a 1965 Corve e. Jomioll V. went to Virginia Beach, played her Play Sta on 4, and played on her
tablet everyday. And, then went to the Arlington Fair on the Gaithersburg ground. Andrew C., played outside and later on she went to visit with
his uncle and aunt. Aaliyana L. mostly stayed at home and played with her video games, helped her mom with her baby brother, took walks,
played on her lap top, went to South Carolina, Florida, Kings Dominion and received a I Phone 6. Another treat was going to Sonic. Gabby G.,
grandparents came to visit with the family. We went to church on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Then it was the last day of summer.
So, I said bye. I was so happy I was going to middle school and mee ng my new teachers. Kassandra Cruz went to Breeze wood with her Dad.
She and her cousins rode the roller coaster. Camila’s father purchase three Guinea pigs. She name them Beto, Diago and Manola. One of the
best treats was going to the Fogo de Chao Restaurants in DC. It was pre y cool. Sierra B., went to Minnesota to visit with family, celebrated her
birthday in July, went to the pool, played basketball, stayed at the Gaylord Hotel, visit the Mall of America and went to Pebble Lake Beach. Robert Castro also went to the beach. He went to Six Flags, went to the movies, traveled to Miami, Ocean City for 2 days, played basketball and
football, received a I Phone 6 and later went the North Carolina for three days. Tyler C., went to DC, visit the White Hose, went on the DC Mall
and went to museums. Jenifer D. also went to Six Flags, to Washington, D.C. and to the beach where they celebrated her birthday. Later on that
summer she went to New York City. Madison W. and her family went to the beach, Six Flags, to the movies, travel to Miami, Florida, and later
they went to Ocean City for two days. Madison played basketball and football. Like three other SMS Stallions, she, too received a I Phone 6.
before the summer was over Madison went to North Carolina for three days. Rachel M., also went to Virginia Beach, to Niagara Falls, Columbia,
South America. And, yes she too went to New York City. Jeana N., like many, we to Ocean City, got a new house, yes, a new phone, went to a
fashion show and was a model, started ballet classes. Jeff, joined many in visi ng Virginia Beach, Six Flags, Pennsylvania, New York, Florida, and
went to the pool with friends. Jeff received soccer cleats and won a trophy. Stallions, we had a Wonderful Summer!
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Supporting Your Child
In Middle School Math
By Diana Goldberg
As parents, we somemes forget how confusing, frustra ng and
difficult middle school
can be, and for some
kids, math is especially confusing, frustra ng and difficult. Being a middle school math
teacher, I hear from many parents who want to help their children but aren’t sure how.
Whether you iden fy with the Carla*, a mother who helps her son too much because she’s
eager for him to get good grades or Todd*, a dad who doesn’t know how to help to his
daughter because he “doesn’t understand the math” himself, every parent can benefit
from these ps for suppor ng children who struggle with middle school math.
Before you can help your child, it’s important to understand what is happening
(mathema cally) to the adolescent brain. Middle school is an exci ng me; adolescents’
brains are transi oning from reasoning in a concrete manner to understanding abstract
concepts and ideas. According to the Na onal Council of Teachers of Mathema cs, middle
school math typically begins with concepts such as frac ons and decimals, and by the me
students’ move on to high school, they have learned pre-algebra concepts, such as manipula ng variables and solving or wri ng equa ons to find unknown values—ideas that cannot easily be visualized or explained with physical objects. Keep in mind that this is par cularly hard for students stuck in a concrete state of mind; they tend to rely on memorizing
steps or procedures to solve problems, which can lead to more difficul es later on.
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Here are some useful ps on how you can support your child in math: Always have
notes from class, a textbook or other resources right next to a homework paper. If
your child gets stuck, she is likely to find a similar problem in one of these resources
that can help her move forward.
Ensure the student takes responsibility for her own learning by finding assistance
independently; the ability to access help on your own is essen al for student success
in all areas of academics.
Never give children the answers to problems! By giving away answers, you’re depriving your child of the chance to develop the mental processes required to learn a new
concept. No parent enjoys seeing their child struggle, but providing answers could set
them up for frustra on when they have to tackle more difficult problems and might
even stunt their progress as classmates move to more advanced lessons. Furthermore, your child’s teacher will not be able to address the misconcep ons or areas of
weakness that should be targeted in school if homework assignments do not reflect
the student’s level of understanding.
Encourage your child to underline or highlight key words or phrases in situa onal
problems, as these o en help students set up a solu on.
Realize that your child may struggle with abstract concepts if his or her brain is not
quite ready to reason at an abstract level. Your child’s brain will mature in me, and
success in math class is likely to accompany this development.
If your child is frustrated by mathema cs, show him how to focus on concepts rather
than procedural knowledge. This might help some students approach and solve problems in a different way—one that makes more sense to them. For instance, ask your
child to explain one problem in their assignment each night. If possible, choose one
that incorporates both words and computa on. If your child is simply reci ng step-by
-step instruc ons, encourage her to elaborate by asking ques ons focusing on the
“why” of the problem:
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Ruth Dawit
Ge ng Organized
Being organized is very important for so many reasons for example, having more me when you put all your things in order ,and
focus you will finish early. Another example, is finishing assignments, and projects other on me when have a planner to remind
you. Many of the skills that help you succeed in school will help
you in the future jobs, too. Using a daily planner to schedule test
dates, study me, appointments, and per nent informa on. Being
aware of deadlines and dates are vital.
Using an alarm clock and making a checklist will help you. organizing your text books and your reading books will help you not get
confused. Balancing school and social ac vi es? Use a chart to
write down what you do a er school for one week and see how it
goes. learning to pace yourself, you won’t feel rushed all the me.
Over all you are being a be er student by ge ng everything done.
Ins tute for Outdoor Learning
states, “ Outdoor
Learning can
be powerful, exci ng, inspira onl, developmental and rewarding in
many ways. The power of Outdoor Learning makes it
a valued means for overcoming some of the toughest
learning challenges. For example: it can bring about
personal breakthroughs for people with learning
difficul es; it can help to bring divided communi es
together; and it can inspire culture change
From the Desk of Ms. Sullivan: It was an exci ng Girls
So ball Game last night against White Oak Middle
School. At the bo om of 7th inning, Sligo came back and
ba ed 4 runs to WIN a nail bi ng game by winning 97. Thanks to all our staff, parents and students for coming
out to support our game. Hope to see you next Thursday
when we play our next home game against Key Middle
School. When you see any of the girls on the team make
sure you congratulate them on a great win!!! (10..07.15)
From the Desk of Mr, Brewer: Congrats to the boys so ball team on their victory over Eastern MS. Chris an Molina had a big RBI double and Ma Lilley pitched well.
Everyone contributed defensively the en re game leading to a great team effort and win! (10.14.15)
From the Desk of Ms. Sullivan: The Girls So ball Team won another game against Eastern Middle School on Tuesday by a score
of 15-8. The girls in the 4th inning scored a total of 8 points with
all ba ers ba ng in that inning, excellent hi ng ladies. Dana
Tandoc pitched great by striking out 13 ba ers during the game.
We played as a team by having a player from Eastern hit over the
head of our Le Fielder, Stephanie Matamoros, which relayed the
ball in to our pitcher Dana, who then threw the ball to Alizah Francois our catcher to get the player out before she was able to score,
what a wonderful play this was. (10.14.15)
This year's Outdoor Ed trip will take
place from Nov 30 - Dec 4
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Reading Tips for Parents of Middle School Students
from Winnisquam Regional Middle School! Adapted From: Larkspur Middle School, Virginia Beach, VA
As your child’s first and most important teacher, you can be a powerful force in your child’s efforts to become a skillful reader. Whether your
child is already a proficient reader, or is a struggling or reluctant reader, your posi ve encouragement can help them make con nuous
strides toward success.
Create a quiet, special place in your home for your child to read.
Keep books and reading materials readily available.
Help your child see that reading is important. Set a good example for your child by reading books, newspapers, and magazines.
Talk about what you are reading.
Join a Family Book Club.
Allow your child to subscribe to magazines based on his/her interests to encourage frequent reading.
Read and discuss newspaper and magazine ar cles.
Visit bookstores, public and school libraries regularly to find materials for pleasure reading.
Turn the television off at least once a week and read as a family.
Discuss what everyone is reading. Remind your child that some mes adults have “homework” to do as well (i.e. reading reports, doing
performance appraisals, research, etc.). This will allow your child to see the connec on of reading to real life.
Create a family “word wall” on a bulle n board or the refrigerator.
Share new words you came across in your reading and what they mean.
Encourage your child to read for 15 minutes before going to sleep each night.
Take reading materials with you on ou ngs.
Encourage your child to read while riding in the car, wai ng at the doctor’s office, passing me between ac vi es. If your child has an
assigned reading, try to read the same book so you can have meaningful discussions about the story. If your child is struggling to
complete an assigned reading, try taking turns listening to him/her read, and reading aloud to your child, checking frequently for
understanding. Ask your child about reading strategies he/she has learned at school. Have your child use these strategies when
reading at home.
Encourage your child to re-read material to get a deeper understanding of its contents. This is par cularly true for non-fic on material
(textbook content) and material wri en above grade level.
Discuss the importance and approach of reading for different purposes: to entertain, to inform, to persuade, etc. Reading for different
purposes helps to define the speed and depth of understanding to apply to that reading.
Dis nguish between skimming, scanning, speed reading, and reading for deep understanding. Help your child to understand the appropriate applica ons of each.
Encourage “engagement strategies” such as highligh ng, using post-it notes, underlining, and developing ques ons as your child reads.
Although your child should never mark in a library or school textbook, cu ng post-it notes into smaller “flags” can serve a similar purpose.
Write notes recognizing your child’s accomplishments. A li le praise can go a long way! Reward progress with a trip to the bookstore to
select a special book.
Consider purchasing an electronic reader (i.e. Kindle, Nook, etc.). E-readers have become very popular and may en ce your child to
read more o en.
Emphasize the importance of reading.
Sligo produces Great Readers!
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SMS Former Principal Wilson shares con nuing support to SMS
S’Team Program. Thank you Mr. Wilson.
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Thanks for your kind support!
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S’TEAM Sligo Community Day
Dagem and Mekdem Legesse, 7th Graders
Our experience at Sligo's first ever Community Day was thrilling. We got to show our progress in learning about Sligo Creek to the world along with many other activities. Also
during our experience at Sligo's Community Day we sang a song called, Down in Sligo
Creek which spoke about the lifestyle of a yellow crowned night heron. There was free
food and beautiful music throughout the show. Last we got to show our beautiful mural
painting that everyone collaborated on and is going to be permanently installed on the side
of Sligo Middle School. Everyone enjoyed it and was a beautiful show out event. Many
people came to the event and it ran smoothly and I hope we can do this next year.
Sligo Middle School hosted the "S"TEAM Sligo Community Day Fes val, an event to bring together staff,
students and the community to learn more about the outdoor environment surrounding the school. Community Day is a culmina on of the work of 24 students, all of whom worked for the past year on projects designed to enrich and support the environment through the use of 21st century learning skills such as crea vity and innova on, cri cal thinking and problem solving,
community and collabora on.
Kudos are extended to Ms. Christina Campou-Adoun, a most excellent coordinator and SMS Staff
http://www.mymcmedia.org/sligo-middle-school-students-host-a-day-of-steam-in-silver-spring/
Just wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone -- including the students -- who made our first ever STEAM
Sligo Community Day a big fun success.
It was really great to see the kids' show off their newly gained knowledge about the creek right next to our
school, and also great to see how confident they were instruc ng visitors and teaching younger kids lots of
environmental informa on.
I can't wait to see the mural be installed -- it is gorgeous! It was also great to hear the kids sing. I know Ms. Campo-Abdoun
worked so hard to make it all come together and I appreciate her a en on to the many details of the day and this program.
It was very fun to watch our visi ng Board of Ed members Chris Barclay and Jill Ortmann-Fouse walk around and talk to our
students and parents. The staff of the founda on that funded us came, and seemed truly sad when the day was over and they
had to go home. Mrs. Trawlick from the founda on was especially caught up in the fun, and made several watercolor pain ngs
with students and enjoyed all the science ac vi es. Even our former principal, Mr. Wilson was on hand, twee ng about the
fun with his cell phone.
I am really glad our school did this grant and I hope we get to do more like it in the future.
Thanks again to everyone who helped our students through this great program!!! It was a wonderful day for Sligo Middle
School.
Alison Gillespie
We would like to thank the Sligo community for suppor ng the Media Center. Several
families have generously donated books from our Amazon wish list. It has been wonderful to have the students’ book request fulfilled. They are so excited to read the
new books:
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SOFTBALL
Tues. Sept. 29 Boys vs. Takoma Park
Tues. Oct. 6 Girls vs. White Oak
Thurs. Oct. 8 Boys vs. Eastern
Thurs. Oct.15 Girls vs. Key
Wed. Oct 21 Boys vs. Lee
CROSS COUNTRY
Tues. Oct. 6 at White Oak
Thurs. Oct. 8 vs. Eastern
Thurs. Oct. 15 at Key
Wed. Oct. 21 vs. Lee
BASKETBALL
Wed. Dec. 16 Girls vs. SSI
Tues. Dec. 22 Boys vs. Lee
Thurs. Jan. 7 Girls vs. Eastern
Wed. Jan. 13 Boys vs. Takoma Park
Tues. Jan. 26 Boys vs. Newport Mill
Thurs. Jan. 28 Girls vs. Key
SOCCER
Wed. April 6 Girls vs. SSI
Tues. April 12 Boys vs. Eastern
Wed. April 20 Girls vs. Key
Wed. April 27 Girls vs. Lee
Thurs. May 5 Boys vs. Newport Mill
All games show the home team except Cross Country. Whichever team is home the other
team is away against the same school. (ie. Boys home Girls away.)
Now announcing normal BEST Buck store hours. The BEST Buck store will be
open today, Monday September 28, 2015 for 6th grade only. On Wednesdays,
the BEST Buck store will be open for 7th grade only. On Thursdays, the BEST
Buck store will be open for the 8th grade only. Be sure to bring at least 5 BEST
Bucks and a pass from your teacher. Hours are posted outside the BEST Buck
store.
Minecra will start on Wednesday, Oct 28 – May 11 with Ms. Heller in the media center.
Cooking club with Chef Sandy are on Wednesdays is in the staff lounge. All seats are filled.
The second session will start around spring me. Art club are on Wednesdays with Ms.
Muhn in room #104. Mar al Arts club are on Thursdays with Mr. Nguyen in the cafeteria.
Bughouse Chess will hold an informa on mee ng on Tuesday, October 20th. Upcoming
clubs that are coming to Sligo are: Champion Boxing Fitness on Nov. 3 – Dec. 3, Sligo’ s
Dance Club on Nov. 3 – May 12, and Sligo’ s LEGO Robo cs Club on Nov. 11 – May 18. To
par cipate in any of the Rec Xtra clubs, a registra on form must be turn into the Main
Office. For more informa on, please see Ms. Hernandez or to Mr. Lear on the main office.
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WSLI will stir your Intelligence. You will Learn about different people and places. While nothing beats actual travel for this
type of learning, most people are limited in the amount of travel they can do. However, WSLI will open up the world to you
through watching documentaries, or look at various drama series with multicultural characters. This will give you and your friends
a little in common and something to talk about. There will be Laughter – Laughing is good for us. As the saying goes, laughter is
the best medicine. WSLI will stir excitement and will share Educational and Informative discussions. This ill give you something to
talk about with your families. Each Friday be sure to watch WSLI TV Production across the in‐house school channel 19. Yes, you will enjoy!
WSLI TV ProducƟon Student Teams will be sharing their media experiences in November/December EdiƟon
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Next Months New Assignments!
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A Student report on SMS Food and Nutri on Breakfast and Lunch Menu
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Students will share, “What’s Good Going on at Sligo”
Upcoming Holiday Safety Tips from the Office of Security
Middle School Students Perspec ves on Studying Math at the High School Level
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Sports Update
The Student Visit to the Medieval Times Stage
Thanksgiving Notes (students sharing their thankfulness)
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