B O C A R ATO N C O M M U N I T Y M I D D L E S C H O O L P T S A
S EPTEMBER
2013
BOCA RATON MIDDLE S CHOOL P T SA , ww w. BOCAMIDDLEPTSA. C O M
MESSAGE FROM MR. SLACK, PRINCIPAL
MEMO FROM MRS. CHAPMAN, PTSA PRESIDENT
Dear Boca Middle Families:
Welcome back and I hope you had a great summer.
It is with great pleasure that we at BRCMS wel- Once again, the BRCMS PTSA has lots of great events
come our returning families along with all of planned for the coming school year and we hope that
those new families joining us for the 2013-2014 we can count on you to help in some way, big or small.
school year. We are all extremely proud to be part
of such a great school with a rich history of serv- Spirit Week is scheduled for September 30
ing the community since 1969.
through October 4 this year. This is a great week for
Dear BRCMS Family,
At BRCMS you will find a dedicated professional
faculty and staff who are committed to providing
the best possible educational environment for all
of our students. We are all especially proud of our
recent accomplishment of remaining an “A” Rated School for the twelfth consecutive year. We
thank the teachers, staff, students, parents, and
PTSA members, who are all responsible for the
many outstanding achievements over the past
year. The key to all past and future success is collaboration and teamwork. With parents, students, and teachers working together we can all
“Dream Big” for this year to be BRCMS's
most successful, productive, rewarding, and
memorable school year to date.
Boca Raton Community Middle School’s Night of
Expectations (Open House) is scheduled for
Thursday, September 19, 2013, from 6:30 PM to
8:00 PM. We look forward to seeing everyone as
we show off all of the fantastic programs that
make BRCMS the best middle school in Palm
Beach County.
the kids and staff alike at Boca Middle. We will have
themed dress up days all week such as: Crazy Hat Day,
Sports Jersey Day, and grade-level Color Wars! There
will be Fun Lunches and games before school in the
courtyard where students can participate and show
their Cobra Pride. Spirit Week culminates in the
Boca Bash, the evening of October 4. This muchloved event costs only $10, and includes a dance, inflatables, open court basketball, arcade-style games where
students can win prizes, a cake walk, and dinner!
There’s no better deal in town, and a safe place for students to have fun with their friends. We will need
volunteers to come help out in the mornings before school to help run the games, and lots of
parents to help at the Bash—a great alternative for
working parents. We hope you can help!
The Cobras Spirit T-shirts were a huge hit at schedule pick-up—so much so that we ran out quickly. We
have re-ordered and will be selling them in the cafeteria on Fridays, beginning September 13. At
only $10, these shirts are part of the daily dress code
and must be worn with uniform pants, shorts or skirts.
Thank you again for your continued support and
The Night of Expectations (Open House) is Sepcooperation.
tember 19. Please plan on attending and meet your
children's teachers and the BRCMS staff. We will also
be selling PTSA memberships in the lobby and
Noteworthy Upcoming Events
collecting supplies for teachers: tissues, hand sanitizer, copy paper, wet wipes, loose-leaf paper, colored
September 19 Early Dismissal, 1:35
pencils, dry erase markers and paper towels. These are
September 19 Night of Expectations, 6:30,
things teachers need all year long. Let’s help them stock
and Book Fair
up now. Incidentally, both Office Depot and Target
September 23-27 Book Fair
offer “give-back” programs to our school with
your purchase, so tell the check-out clerk to
September 30-October 4 Spirit Week
credit your sale to Boca Middle!
November 9 5K Race
Finally, coming up on November 9 is our 2nd
Annual 5k Race. This is sure to be a great event, even
bigger and better than last year! Come support our
school, do something healthy for yourself, and have a
chance to ride in a helicopter, too!
The Boca Middle Chess Club Waits for Your Move! We would like your child to enjoy making new
friends and learn patience, planning, confidence, and discipline by joining the BRCMS Chess Club and practicing the amazing game of chess. Google "academic benefits of learning chess" and read all the advantages. Your child's IQ and test scores WILL go up. No experience is necessary, however, learning the
basics online would be helpful. Sparkchess.com is an excellent resource. The club meets on Thursdays in
Mr. Johnson's room, 1-112, from 4:05 - to 5:20.
If your child is interested in tournament play, he or she will also have the option to attend the many chess
tournaments held in Palm Beach County, and the chance to earn individual trophies and represent our team.
We are proud that the BRCMS Chess Club has earned the First Place Team Trophy at every single
tournament we've attended—17 straight! Your child will need to pick up a Chess Club permission slip
from Mr. Johnson in Rm. 1-112. It's your move . . .
Boys Intramural Soccer, sponsored by Mr. Hilaire, begins September 9, and meets Mondays and
Wednesdays. Intramural Girls Volleyball has started, sponsored by Mrs. DiMauro. Sixth-graders meet on
Mondays and Wednesdays and 7th and 8th graders on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Finally, Mrs. Fravel is
sponsoring Intramural Lacrosse, which meets this month. Players meet at these locations on the dates
listed: Monday 9/9: tennis courts; Thursday, 9/12, soccer field; Monday, 9/16: tennis courts; Tuesday,
9/17: soccer field; Wednesday, 9/18: Tennis courts; Monday, 9/23: tennis courts; Tuesday, 9/24: soccer
field; Wednesday, 9/25: tennis courts; Thursday, 9/26: soccer field. All intramural sports begin right after
school and end at 5:30 sharp. The after-school activity bus is available to take students home at 5:40. Intramural sports are open to all who wish to participate. No tryouts are necessary, however, students must
fill out an intramural athletic permission slip in order to participate. These are available in the front
office, from the PE department, or in student services. For more information, please contact Mr. Burke at
338-4512 or via email at [email protected].
September is PTA Membership Month
It’s official . . . Governor Rick Scott and the Palm
Beach County School Board have designated September as PTA Membership month! For only $10 per
adult and $5 per student, you can become a member
of this nationwide advocacy group.
For more than 116 years, PTA has been a powerful
voice for all children, a relevant resource for parents,
and a strong champion for public education. Today's
PTA is committed to making sure parent participation
in education is meaningful and to helping the nation's
schools welcome and engage parents as true partners in their children's education.
November 1, 2013
Sharon Lubin at [email protected]
At BRCMS, PTSA not only sponsors fun activities like
Spirit Week and the Boca Bash, but also raises money for technology, books and classroom supplies for
teachers, sports team uniforms, and school improvement programs, among others. By joining you will
make new friends and get up-to-date information
about all the happenings at Boca Middle. What are
you waiting for? Join today!
Help us Earn Money for BRCMS
at Give With Target!
Target is currently awarding money to schools
across the country with its Give With Target program. This is great news—and even better is that
no purchase is necessary and you need not leave
the comfort of your own home. Simply go to the
website givewithtarget.com/school/12755 (this is
our direct Boca Middle School link) and vote
for our school. After we have surpassed 25
votes, each vote equals $1 for up to $10,000 per
school! Voting ends September 21 at 11:50:59
p.m. central time, or until $5 million has been
awarded, whichever occurs first. You must be 13
years old or older and can only vote once per week
per person. Visit the app Facebook.com/Target for
more details.
PTA believes all children deserve a quality arts education and
encourages students to pursue artistic expression through
participation in its annual arts Reflections Program. The program offers students the opportunity to create works of art for
fun and recognition. We invite all Boca Raton Community Middle School students to participate! Select one or more areas
of interest in the six categories listed above and contact your
homeroom teacher to sign up. Rules and regulations will be
sent home with you.
We’re collecting Labels for Education. Look for these on
participating products, such as Campbell's Soup and
Pepperidge Farm Goldfish. We can earn merchandise for
our school ranging from basketballs, to music and art
supplies, to minivans! Box Tops for Education collection
has also begun. We earn 10 cents for each label collected! Box Tops collection ends in February. Please turn in
both Box Tops and Labels for Education to your first hour
teacher. The class with the most Box Tops collected will
win a breakfast party at the end of the school year.
Visit bocamiddleptsa.com for a list of products. For info,
Linda Weber at [email protected].
Come aboard the Boca Express with the Creative Cobras from Mrs. Sapio’s Class . . .
Featured this month are REAL Lemon Stories!
The Life and Story of Jeremy the Lem- weeks; he watched as people stopped by,
picked up a lemon, and decided upon taking it.
on
He himself was picked up once or twice, always got very excited, only to be frowned at
and replaced in his spot. After an entire
Marcos Uehara, Jared Pittinger
month, Old Yeller was starting to die, brown
Jeremy was a lemon, with great dreams of bepatches were appearing on his yellow skin,
ing a lemon. He went to his new high school
and he was losing hope, apparently nobody
called Fruity High. He was very nervous for his
wanted the deformed lemon . . .
first day. As he entered his first class, he
heard an apple say, “HEY LOOK, A LEMON! Just as he gave up on being chosen, Old YellAnd everyone started laughing. Jeremy didn’t er was bought! Picked up by sweaty hands, he
was placed in a bag and toted to a house, as
understand what was happening since at his
the other lemons called it. Old Yeller was set
former school, there were a plethora of lemon the countertop, his juices flowing, as he
ons, like him. He sat down next to a banana.
watched one lemon after another being
“Don’t let them get you down or put you down.
shoved into the lemonade press. Finally, his
I get bullied because I’m a banana,” exclaimed
wish had come true, but was it really what he
the banana.
wanted? He didn’t want his life to end; his ex“Thanks, what’s your name?” inquired Jeremy. citement turned into fear. Quickly, Old Yeller
rolled off the countertop and under the cupThe banana replied, “My name is Peeler.”
board door. A hand reached for him, but he
His days at school were horrible; fruits always was too far under. He was safe, for now.
teased and bullied him. One day when he was
Just when Old Yeller had become accustomed
walking to the trash can to throw away his
to his life under the cupboard, a tennis ball
lunch, a banana tripped him. Jeremy fell and
rolled up next to him. Soon a dog’s snout folhis juice splattered everywhere. He decided
lowed it, but instead of grabbing the ball, it
he couldn’t take it anymore, so he went inside
chose him and was yanked from his home.
a blender and ended his life in a cup of lemonOur little lemon was more deformed than ever.
ade.
He was treated as a tennis ball, tossed about
“Don’t judge other people for being different;
and chewed with sharp teeth, scratches shredstop bullying.”
ded his yellow skin, dirt covered him; he was
miserable!
By Ana Kaye, Cristina Timotei,
Old Yeller: A Lemon’s Trials
and Tribulations
By Moyra Stewart, Lucy Paules, Marrina
Guadagnino, and Michelle Mancuso
As a seed, Old Yeller was always different. All
the other lemons on the farm were perfectly
round and plump, but he was knobby and thin.
Despite his deformities, Old Yeller carried on
in that short but sweet life that all lemons lead.
This is how we find our hero in a supermarket,
piled up in the produce section, surrounded by
his brothers and sisters. Days went by, then
Until one day, when he was lying out in the
sun, heating up to an unbearable level, Old
Yeller was gently picked up and taken inside a
house where he was washed clean. His rescuer, a little girl, placed him on her mantel, and
told him stories every night thereafter, gently
holding him in her diminutive hands. For the
first time in his life, Old Yeller was treated
kindly. The girl didn’t see a deformed lemon;
she saw the uniqueness in him. He was happy, extremely so; no need to worry about dogs
or lemonade presses ever again, the little lemon found his home at long last.
Tyler
By Elizabeth Landes, K’Dashlyn Mayers, Coco Teawdatwan and Megan Silva
A lemon was hanging on a tree. Dozens of others looked like replicas of that one individual
lemon. That lemon did not want to be like every other lemon; it wanted to be…well….different.
A breeze suddenly blew and plucked the lemon off the tree.
This was his chance, a chance to be different. When he fell to the ground, he gained a few
bruises. His chance was ruined! But suddenly, a little girl with a basket approached the tree.
She noticed the lemon with the bruise and examined it.
“HMM…...” the little girl said. “Should I take this one?” She pondered for a bit and shrugged.
The young lass didn’t care as she liked being different.