Southern Columbia Area Middle School, 810 Southern Drive, Catawissa, PA 17820 (570) 356-3400
SOUTHERN COLUMBIA
MIDDLE SCHOOL TIGER NEWS
November
2007
May 2010
From the Principal’s Desk…
We're almost finished! This year has gone by very fast! I hope you and your
child had a successful year and it was a year of positive growth
academically, socially, and emotionally! Thank you for all of your help!
A reminder to make sure obligations are taken care of. The two most
common obligations are library books/fines and cafeteria balances. If you
have any questions about either, please contact us.
Please watch the middle school website for updates and announcements. We
will try to keep things updated.
If you have any of end-of-the-year issues/concerns, please let us know!
PSSA’s were successful, we’re hoping and anticipating great results! Students worked very hard and
were very attentive!
Have a fantastic month!
Yours in education,
Mr. Nunk
MS Principal
5th Grade
In reading class we are finishing the novel Hatchet and learning literature circle jobs. We will work on our book
review project. The students read a novel of their choice and will record an enhanced podcast using
“GarageBand”. The podcast will tell the elements of the novel except the resolution. If students are interested in
how the book ends, they must read it themselves to find out! By the time you get this newsletter, we will have
finished the social studies chapter on the explorers that came to America. We will be moving on to the first English settlements and then the New England, Middle and Southern Colonies. Science Students are currently in the
midst of a unit on genetics and heredity. This fascinating unit will help students understand why they are such
unique individuals and why there is such diversity of life on the planet. You can expect students to continue to use
their textbooks to support this unit as the vocabulary is very specialized. As the unit develops we will conduct
activities to explore how traits are inherited and why offspring can be different within the same family. Look
forward to one last Wonder Question in the form of a glog! In writing class, students have started to transform
into young aspiring poets. Students have been learning about various types of poetry, along
with different elements of poetry. They are beginning to piece together their own unique
writing portfolio. At the end of the month, students will participate in a “Cocoa House”
where students will read and share their writing with each other. On the 5th grade math
front, our focus is on getting ready for Connected Math in 6th grade. We are using binders to organize our work by lesson notes, homework, assessments, and vocabulary, mimicking as closely as possible the expectations for 6th grade. As is done in 6th grade, the
first graded binder check is on 5/10/10. Students were supplied with a checklist of materials they need to ensure everything is in the binders for that date. Now that PSSA time
has ended, we have moved away from P.O.D. Questions with our homework to doing sample
"ACE" questions from 6th Grade Connected Math along with our nightly Saxon assignments. Our plan is to take as
much of the surprise out of the change in series from 5th Grade to 6th Grade.
6th Grade
Recently, sixth grade students wrote, designed (story boarded) and developed (recorded and edited) podcasts
about the functioning of the immune system. Each podcast had a creative theme. Many podcasts are found on
Mr. Pecora’a Sixth Grade Science Web Site (see address below) on the site’s Podcasts web page. Upcoming, information will be sent home with students to invite family members to participate in a service learning weather forecasting project. Mr. Pecora’s science web site: http://msweb.scasd.us/pecora/6thpecora.html. This marking period, we are conducting literature circles using Fantasy books. Each week, students are reading and completing
jobs for an assigned portion of the text. Two times a week, students are holding discussions with others reading
the same book and analyzing the plot, characters, setting, and theme of the novels. During class, we have begun
our unit on poetry. Students will be analyzing and comparing different types of poems. Our focus essential questions are: “What makes poetry different from pose?” and “What brings a poem to life?” In writing class, we are
beginning our final prompt of the year, our CivilWar research projects. Students each selected a different topic
on the Civil War and will be doing in-depth research to learn more information regarding that topic. This will all
be organized and compiled into a final research paper. All sixth grade classes are currently studying the Civil
War. Presently, we are covering the major battles during the 1862. All 6th grade students will participate in Law
Day activities on May 13th. In Math we’re working on area and perimeter. Mr.
Wilson has an email account now and can be emailed at [email protected]. Mrs.
Knouse's class is reading Drums of War for the Civil War Unit. It is about a drummer boy from Pennsylvania with the PA 49th. In writing we are working in the Literature book until the end of the year. In math we are working on area and perimeter. Field Trip- 6th grade is going to the National Civil War Museum on
May 25, 2010. Permission slips have been sent home.
7th Grade
In geography we will be finishing our study of Latin America and beginning our study of Europe. Students will also
be presenting their research project on a European country. Later in May, we will be beginning to prepare for final exams. Mrs. Barbarito's Language Arts Class students will complete their research project by Friday, May
21st. Also, we will finish reading, comparing and contrasting, and writing our unit on myths, legends, fables, and
folk tales. Finally, we will practice diagramming a few more sentences before the final exam. In math class, students are currently working in a CMP2 unit entitled, "Filling and Wrapping." The theme of the book is threedimensional measurement and students will be exploring surface area and volume of
various objects. Students will be able to understand volume as a measure of 'filling'
and object and surface area as a measure of 'wrapping' and object. Students will
soon begin to review key concepts from earlier in the year in preparation for their
end of year final exam. In Mr. Young's science class we will be studying environmental science for the remainder of the year. Parents are reminded that the 7th
grade field trip to the Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre will be on Thursday, May 13th.
We will depart at 8 am & return at 2:30 pm so students will take their normal buses
home. Students will be receiving finals review sheets shortly & they will be reviewed
prior to the exam for students to prepare for the finals. Please review the finals
schedule with your child so you can arrange for them to be picked up on days of
early dismissal. Have a great summer. We are in the process of finishing our student selected biography/autobiography. The students will be responsible for completing a take home assessment and a photo story project on their chosen work. It is important that students
stay focused and continue to strive for success as the year comes to a close.
8th Grade
Civics-Students will begin a simulation activity dealing with PA History.
Math-Both classes have just started and will finish the year with units on working with algebraic expressions.
Language Arts-Students are in the process of completing a unit on persuasion which includes identifying and analyzing persuasive techniques in nonfiction, media, and literature. In addition to the completion of this unit, we will
end of the year with a mini unit on poetry. This unit will focus on author’s use of figurative language.
Mrs. Scicchitano-Students in Mrs. Scicchitano’s math classes have just began a unit on integers and rational numbers. We will conclude the year with a unit project on integers.
Science-Students will be learning about the Earth’s resources and our impact on the planet’s long-term ability to
sustain life. We will investigate climate change, pollution, population growth, and resource management.
Attention: May 21st is the 8th grade field trip to Philadelphia!
Art News
6th grade art classes are completing their pop art paintings and starting a unit on Impressionism.
7th grade art classes completed design projects and are beginning artist reports.
8th grade art classes are completing work on sequential art (comic strips) and will be using the elements of design
to make posters. A number of students are also working on individual projects and murals.
The chess club is now in the semifinals of the spring chess tournament.
Supervision…
Just a reminder concerning students staying after school unsupervised. Some students remain after school and
are either on a sports team or waiting for a game or match to start. That means they are staying here from dismissal until the start of their practice or the event they wish to attend. There
are times when practices or events don’t start until 5 or 6 pm. That is entirely
too long for students to be here without supervision. If practices or games are
not starting until that late, they should be riding the bus home and be brought
back to school at the appropriate time and/or coaches should be telling them
where and when to report. Staying after school with no supervision is a liability
that we take very seriously. Coaches have told students when to report for their
events and some students take it upon themselves to stay here without proper
supervision. Please talk to your child about this. I will hand out consequences to
those not following these guidelines. We simply can not have these liability or
safety concerns. Please call me if you have any questions. Thank you for your support.