A Message From Our Principal, Mrs. Mary Hart

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Dear Parents and Students,

I hope everyone had a relaxing, enjoyable Mardi Gras break! The students have returned with enthusiasm to learn and be back together with friends. It’s hard to believe that we are almost at the end of the third marking period. Please encourage your children to keep giving it their all and to work to their full potential.

Fourth grade LEAP Phase I testing will be held on March 19, 2013. LEAP Phase 2 testing and iLEAP testing will be held the week of April 8 -12, 2013. I feel confident that our students are well prepared for these standardized tests. What’s Coming?

Check Out Upcoming Events

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2525 Soult St. Mandeville, LA 70448

MandevilleMiddle.stpsb.org

The Mandeville Messenger March 2013

Inside

A Message From Our Principal, Mrs. Mary Hart

What’s Going On? Our Kids Are Heroes!

PTA Co-Presidents’ Message

Updates From Teachers

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To Our Sponsors… A Sincere Thank You

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Mandeville Middle Messenger March 2013

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Mandeville Middle.

We Care.

The kids at Mandeville Middle do their part in making the world a better place.

4th Graders Celebrate Abilities Awareness Day

On Tuesday, January 8, 2013 the fourth grade classes participated in an Abilities Awareness Program. This program was developed by MMS Counselor, Judy Meyers, to educate students about various disabilities, to eliminate negative attitudes towards people with disabilities and to show even with disabilities everyone has ABILITIES. The students participated in activities surrounding Autism, Physical Impairment, Visual Impairment, Hearing Impairment and Attention Deficit Disorder. We would like to thank all the many volunteers who helped make this a successful day for everyone involved. A special thanks goes to:

-Mrs. Hart and Mrs. Barton who allowed us to present the program. -St. Tammany Parish School Board Brailists Cheryl Delchamps and Shannon Nette. -Sophie Trist for sharing her inspirational story. -Sign Language Teachers-Rose Valenti and Bart Weiss -Alyssa Dixon for teaching the students about everything she can do! -All the Room Coordinators and Volunteers -Abilities Awareness Committee-Judy Meyers (MMS Counselor), Janelle Meyers and Jackie Hyer

We would also like to thank Saia’s for donating finger sandwiches and Bosco’s for donating the salads for the presenters and volunteers.


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Business Memberships

§ Kumon Math and Reading Center of Mandeville § TCBY § Honey Dippers, LLC

Silver

§ Kids and Family Arena § Knight's Wrecker Service

Bronze

§ Cartridge World § Kumon Math & Reading Center § CHC Electric and Churchill Construction, LLC § Mandeville Jazzercise § Motivatit Sfds, LLC § Law Office of Laurie M. Pennison § Jones Physical Therapy § Cookies by Design

To Our Volunteers and Sponsors

We Thank You! Our volunteers and sponsors contribute to our school in countless ways. Volunteers help reinforce to kids that their education IS important. Sponsors make all the “extras” possible. You both reinforce the partnership between MMS and the community.

February

Jennifer Cardinal Awards Program, Library

Amanda Lee Tutoring, AR, Library

These ladies, like so many of our Volunteers are at school often and make themselves available for many programs.

Thanks!

Volunteers of the Month


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Continued from page 1

I would like to extend a thank you to all of our PTA volunteers who help us on a daily basis. Without your assistance, MMS would not be the awesome school that it is. Moms and dads can always be found on our

campus working in the classrooms, library and front office. Your involvement in our school is invaluable. The PTA cookie dough and candle sale was a huge success! Thanks to all of you who participated. I just want to remind everyone that when you arrive at MMS, you must sign in the office and receive a nametag from the office. Your driver’s license will be required. Check- in is required for all events. Thank you for your cooperation, as it is for the safety of our students. The character trait for the month of February is honesty. March’s character trait will be responsibility. Ms. Judy provides lessons in the classrooms focusing on these traits. Each class works toward a class reward earned through by being acknowledged by others on campus for exhibiting these character traits. I would like to thank all of our parents who are dropping off children in a timely manner in the morning. The car line seems to be moving faster, with fewer students being tardy. Thanks so much for your cooperation! The improvement is noticeable.

Over the last two months our students have participated in Abilities Awareness Day, Student of the Month breakfasts, Black History month activities, as well as All District Honor Chorus. These activities enhance the curriculum and provide learning opportunities for our students.

If you have any comments or concerns, please do not hesitate to call me at 985-626-8778.

Thanks for everything you do for us and your children. Mary Hart

Our Kids In Action

Safety Poster Winners

Congratulations!

6th grade - Emily Ashley, Samantha Brandt, Jack Chapoton, Rachel Eschete, Daniel Favrot, Chris Marquez, Madison Miller 5th grade - Kaylee Smiroldo 4th grade - Elle D'Angelo

Martin Luther King Speech

Artwork created by Jonah Molaison and Gavin Boudreaux with an excerpt of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream Speech”.

Principal


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A Message From Our PTA Co-Presidents,

Chrissy Hagan & Kelly Ranum

I hope that everyone enjoyed their Mardi Gras break. I know we did and are ready for Spring Break, which is only around the corner. Thank you to all who attended our December General PTA meeting. We had a fabulous musical performance by the MMS band and announced our Pam Lunn PTA mini-grant recipients. Congratulations to Sharon Amie, Sharon Tucker, and Kellie Windom for receiving PTA grant money to do some awesome things for the children at MMS. Congratulations go out to the MMS students who will be honored at the St. Tammany District PTA Children’s Awards Banquet on Friday, March 15. They have been selected as district winners for their Reflections entries. Special thanks to Yvette Roussel for all of her work on this program. Congratulations also to Mrs. Nicol Rabalais for being selected as the 2012-2013 Educator of Distinction for Mandeville Middle School. Mrs. Rabalais is an amazing educator and so deserving of this honor. Another successful Abilities Awareness Day was held on January 8 for our 4th graders. This is such a wonderful program and we are so proud to be a part of it for the second year in a row. A huge thank you to Janelle Meyers, Judy Meyers, and Jackie Hyer for making this such a successful and meaningful experience for our children. There are some big things happening at MMS as we wind this school year down. March 4-8 is Teacher Appreciation Week so be sure to show your teachers how much you appreciate the time and dedication that they show our children. Art Fest is March 22. This is such a great day for the children that allow them to participate in art activities while developing an appreciation for Arts. Lastly, it is already that time for us to start thinking about the 2013-2014 PTA board. If you would be interested in volunteering your time to be on the PTA board for next school year, we would love to hear from you. There are many positions available. Not all of these positions require an enormous time commitment. Being active at our school is a great way to get to know the administration, the teachers, and the students that your children spend their days with. Please contact us at [email protected] or [email protected] for more information or for a list of positions we have available. Thanks, Chrissy Hagan & Kelly Ranum Co-Presidents


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A Message From 6th Grade

Ms. Leger’s Class

Sixth graders have been very busy this nine weeks. On Friday, February 1st, our sixth grade students, along with students from around the country, had the opportunity to participate in Groundhog Job Shadowing Day! All the 6th grade students were encouraged to “shadow” an adult at his/her work. Job shadowing is one of the ways chosen to educate our students on career choices in accordance with the Career Option Law. These activities will help introduce our students to careers that may interest them as they continue through junior high and high school. Those students who were unable to participate in Job Shadowing day attended school and were involved in career related activities throughout the day. Here is how some students felt about their experience… “I got to shadow a food and beverage director and experience New Orleans in a different way.”…James S. “I watched F-15 fighter jets take off!”…Jeremy M. “I shadowed a teacher and taught spelling games.”…Macie H. Also, the sixth grade students have been studying Ancient Rome. In our class, the students were divided into groups and created review activities for their peers. The groups created board games, plays, card games, crossword puzzles, and interactive computer games.


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Hello from Fifth Grade! What an exciting time we have had in science during our last unit. An important part of the science curriculum for 5th grade covers science topics from cells to body systems. We began the unit by investing the make-up and function of plant and animal cells. Students created edible cells that helped them to reinforce their knowledge of cells. Yum! After some research and investigation, student groups learned about a particular body system so they could share their knowledge and important information with the rest of the class. Students presented this information through posters, PowerPoints, and student created videos. Great job science students! Next, we move on to animal classification.



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On Tuesday, January 8th the fourth graders participated in our 7th annual Abilities Awareness Day Program. Sophie Trist, a sophomore at Mandeville High School, began the program sharing her life story and what it is like to be blind. She told of her adventures which include snow skiing, traveling, speaking to politicians, and starting her own business. Students then participated in a variety of activities to learn about the abilities of people with visual, hearing, and physical impairments and how they do some things differently. They also participated in activities that helped them learn about and experience what it is like for those with Autism and Attention Deficit Disorder. This was a hands-on active program that included approximately 45 parent and community volunteers to make it successful. From the comments from the students, teachers, and volunteers alike, it was another very successful year! Many thanks to all who helped in any way.



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Mrs. Ellen Marino’s 6th grade class has been busy writing Newspaper articles. Here are two selections….

ORFF is fun for anyone!

By: Camille Cardinal

In Mrs. Vickers’ music room,

something is happening..... it’s ORFF! Students join on Wednesday and Thursday to learn how to play xylophones, temple blocks and many other percussion instruments.

ORFF was started by Carl Orff, a German composer, in the 1920s or 1930s. ORFF stands for Carl Orff’s surname, and also refers to the process of teaching music he started which incorporates rhythm and movements.

The ORFF ensemble at Mandeville Middle mostly plays xylophones, though the ORFF method uses the following: claves, cow bells, a djembe (conga) and rainmakers. It also uses rhythm sticks, sand blocks, shakers, temple bells, a tone block, a vibra slap, and wood blocks.

Students get better at playing songs on the xylophone by practicing and having plenty of patience. ORFF can benefit in a student’s life by aiding their memory skills, and building confidence and dexterity.

Mrs. Vickers, teacher of ORFF, has an especially favorite part of ORFF. “My favorite part is the students,” Vickers says. “They tend to be very committed and are team players. They are usually very hard workers.”

ORFF can be enriching. It can also be fun, in the case of some students. Many students enjoy ORFF, such as myself. Think about joining ORFF. You can enjoy it too.

Multiple Shadows

By: Stephen Baudier

Shadowing Day is a day when 6th grade students at Mandeville Middle School, get to learn more about careers. On February 2nd, Groundhog’s Day 6th grade students go with their parents or someone they know to work and get to know what each and every person does.

Some MMS teachers heard of Shadowing Day from Tchefuncte Middle School teachers and decided to use it in MMS. Mrs. Ellen Marino, a teacher at MMS, says, “It gives students an insight into the real world.”

According to Mrs. Marino, on Shadowing Day students go with someone they know to work to work and fill out a log. In order to fill out the log, students have to get to know what everyone does there. If students can’t participate, then they go to school and do some career related activities with the teachers.

Shadowing Day is a fun learning activity for students because it gives the students an opportunity to see what jobs are really like and what it is like in a working environment. “I think it is a great opportunity to find out what different jobs are like,” says Mrs. Marino.


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Highlighted Events

Art Fest

Art Fest is just around the corner! In keeping with our annual tradition of celebrating the arts, the PTA has scheduled a full day of educational and fun-filled activities on March 22, 2013 from 8:00 - 2:00. Join us for these fun activities which include a Marine brass band, Museum in a Box, painting, printmaking, an Ice Sculptor and other great activities. We are in need of volunteers to assist in art-making projects; if interested, please contact Gail Owens at [email protected].

Bank at School

Our next Bank Day is Wednesday, March 13 !

If you would like to open a bank at school savings account, you may pick up an application in the MMS office. Call Susan Leger for any additional info: 624-6678

MMS-Samaritan Center Food Drive Thanks to all who participated in February’s food drive for the Samaritan Center Food Bank in Mandeville! Our school collected 944 items. We have now collected a total of 6,118 food items to help those in need within our community. This means we have helped over 70 families! Our goal is to collect a total of 10,000 items by the end of the school year! The class that collects the most food items (percentage based on number of students in the class) in each grade will win a pizza party at the end of the year. March’s food drive is being held March 4th-8th. The Samaritan Center welcomes any non-perishable items you are willing to give. Please give what you can -- this month and every month!

Dates To Remember

March 4th-8th Food Drive & Teacher Appreciation Week

13th Bank Day

19th Phase1 LEAP (4th grade) 22nd Art Fest 25th-April 1st Spring Break

In The Lead!

4th – Mrs. Schoen 5th – Mrs. Allen 6th – Mrs. Gauthreaux

All Classes Year-to-Date

Items Donated

4th Grade 2,401 5th Grade 2,017 6th Grade 1,652

Mrs. Thiele (multi-grade) 48 Way to go guys!

A Message From Our Principal, Mrs. Mary Hart

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