A.G. Currie Middle School
H om e o f th e Coug a r s
Jeane Thorman Elementary
H om e o f th e P an th e r s
The Big Cat Courier
Monday, March 24, 2014
Weekly Newsletter
CURRIE STUDENTS ATTEND RACHEL’S CHALLENGE ASSEMBLY
- THORMAN CALENDAR See website for more information.
Now through March 28th: Pennies for
Patients Fundraising Event
March 24th and 25th: SPRING
CONFERENCES - MINIMUM DAY
March 27th and 28th: SPRING
CONFERENCES - MINIMUM DAY
March 27th: 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. PARENT
WORKSHOP - Healthy Media Boundaries
April 2nd: 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. ELAC
Meeting
April 14th through April 21st: SPRING
BREAK - No School
April 22nd: SCHOOL RESUMES - Back
to School
- Spring Equinox March 20, 2014
- CURRIE CALENDAR See website for more information.
Now through March 28th: Pennies for
Patients Fundraising Event
March 26th: 7:30 a.m. to 8:50 a.m. 8th
Grade Beckman High School
Orientation/Registration
March 26th: 7:30 a.m. to 8:50 a.m. 8th
Grade Tustin High School Orientation/
Registration
March 27th: 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Girls
and Boys Volleyball Games at Hewes
April 2nd: 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. ELAC
Meeting
April 3rd: 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. Incoming
6th Grade Parent Night
April 9th: 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Volleyball Festival at Hewes
April 14th through April 21st: SPRING
BREAK - No School
April 22nd: SCHOOL RESUMES - Back
to School
Currie Middle School is
very fortunate to be hosting the Rachel’s Challenge Assembly on
Wednesday, March 26th.
We are especially thankful to the Tustin Public
Schools Foundation for
the grant they awarded
us. Rachel’s Challenge is
a nation-wide program
that focuses on Rachel
Joy Scott, one of the first
victims in the Columbine
High School tragedy on
April 20, 1999. She left
behind a legacy in her
diaries and an essay titled “My Ethics, My
Codes of Life.” Her messages of making a difference in the lives of others by doing small
things, starting a chain
reaction of kindness and
compassion and eliminating prejudice are all present throughout the program. The assembly
closes with a personal
challenge for each student in the audience to
act and initiate positive
change. Rachel’s Challenge encourages participants to examine their
own lives and focus on
the 5 challenges: 1)
Look for the Best in
Others 2) Dream Big
3) Choose Positive Influences 4) Speak with
Kindness and 5) Start
your own Chain Reaction. We will also be
starting a club titled
“Friends of Rachel.” One
hundred students have
been nominated by their
teachers to participate
exclusively in this program. The focus of the
club will be to sustain the
program’s message and
put into practice what
students learned in the
assembly. The “Friends
of Rachel Club” will create activities that foster
a permanent culture of
kindness and compassion
on campus.
ELAC MEETING INCLUDES TUSTIN AND BECKMAN AP’S
Our next ELAC Meeting will be held on
Wednesday, April 2nd, at 9 a.m., and
will include guest speakers, Margaret
Sanders, Assistant Principal at
Tustin High School, and Vivian
Choi, Assistant Principal at
Beckman High School. They will be
presenting information to parents about
high school graduation requirements and college entrance
requirements, and how to keep
your child on track!
5TH GRADERS’ PERSUASIVE LETTERS GET A RESPONSE
Earlier this year, Mrs. Oza’s fifth grade class
wrote persuasive letters to address important issues, both in our community and
across the world. Since then, the class has
received positive responses from Tustin
Unified School District, the White House,
and even the United Nations! At first, the
class wrote a general letter explaining their
point of view. A few of the issues
included local swimming pools in
Tustin, immigration laws, worldwide poverty, and the harmful
effects of smoking and drinking.
Then, students read examples of
effective persuasive strategies, such as
“butter up and zing,” naming expert
sources, and including percentages and numerical data for support. Using the Greek
philosopher Aristotle’s ideas of “pathos,”
“ethos,” and “logos,” the students had to
determine the best ways to convince readers that their issues were important and
urgent. Some changes that resulted from their hard work and
effort include pizza in last
month’s cafeteria menu at Thorman and new soccer nets! Bravo,
Fifth Grade Writers!