J. M. S. News. . . by Donald F. Gately January 2014

Quote of the Week January 2-3: “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company

Middle School Play “The Little Mermaid, Jr.” Under the direction of Ms. Rose Scalera, Ms. Carol Dell'Erba, and Mr. Ron Verderber, the Jericho Middle School players performed The Little Mermaid, Jr.(see picture above) on Thursday, December 5, and Friday, December 6th. A sold-out audience of all ages sang and clapped along with Disney classics such as "Under the Sea" and "Kiss the Girl." Congratulations to the cast and crew of this amazing production! Parent Informational Meetings

Incoming 7th and 8th Grade Parent Informational Meeting/

PTSA Meeting MS Library - Wednesday, January 15th – 7:00 p.m.

(Note: The High School will be holding their Incoming 9th Grade Informational Meeting for 8th

grade students and parents on January 23rd – Auditorium - 7:00-8:00 p.m.) Cooperation (Tolerance and Brotherhood) SEL Theme for January Brotherhood is the habit that reaches beyond comfortable relationships to extend a welcome to those who may be different. Brotherhood demonstrates the dynamics of Understanding, Tolerance, Sensitivity and Acceptance. These dynamics are such powerful habits of the heart that even when only one person reaches out to do right, the impact can be life long. I would like to share a beautiful and meaningful story entitled “Starfish.”

There was a man who lived along the ocean. One morning, at about 5:00 a.m. when he could sleep no longer, he decided to take a walk along the beach. It was a foggy morning, and the first rays of the sun were slipping above the horizon. The man enjoyed the walk; it was as if the beach belonged to him. He glanced down on the beach and saw a figure that seemed to be dancing. He wondered why anyone would be on the beach so early; his curiosity caused him to quicken his pace. As he drew nearer, he realized that the figure was that of a young man, and he wasn’t dancing – he was throwing something into the water. As he drew very close, he realized that the young man was picking starfish off the beach and tossing them back into the water.

“Why are you throwing starfish into the water?” “The tide is going out, the sun is rising, and the starfish that are left on the beach will surely die.” said the young man, continuing on his task. “But that’s such a waste of time and energy! There are so many starfish, and there are miles and miles of beach. What difference does it make?”

The young man thought for a moment. He reached down to pick up a starfish and said, “It makes a difference . . . to this one.” As you can see, brotherhood, to be preserved, must be practiced and lived each and every day. A good community cannot exist without it. Geography Bee The Finals and Championship Rounds of the National Geographic Bee will take place January 10th during an Assembly from 12:03 PM to 1:29 PM in the Auditorium. The winner and runner-up will represent Jericho Middle School at the State level in Albany in the spring. We send our congratulations to the following students who will participate in the January 10th Championship Rounds: 6th Grade: Matthew Lecher, Brian Weinberger; 7th Grade: Evan Goldstein; 8th Grade: Leland Chan, Ishan Gurnani, Jack Kasper, Swati Mandankumar, Molly Schwartz, Warren Wang, Kristal Wong, Chenglong Zheng Mr. Sharma’s 7th Grade Three Dimensional Cell Model Science Projects Last month, seventh grade science students completed their three dimensional cell model projects. The projects were creative and gave students the opportunity to use their verbal skills to present and explain the projects. Materials used for the project ranged from a fish tank to cake. Everyone is a few pounds heavier, but more knowledgeable about cells, after presenting these creative and delicious projects!

Long Island Cares The Middle School World Language Department in conjunction with the Community Service Classes and Student Council organized a collection for Long Island Cares. An enormous amount of goods, from toothbrushes and shampoo to diapers and food were stocked in the back of Ms. Waters’ classroom. Thank you Jericho Middle School for showing Long Island Cares--We Care!

“Act Locally AND Globally” The Middle School World Language Department organized a "Act Locally AND Globally" drive to support Long Island Cares and El Centro Escolar Distrito Italia, a school in El Salvador. Hundreds of pounds of items were collected for those in need on Long Island and over $2600 was collected for the school. Our 8th grade language leaders did a beautiful job organizing an assembly that educated our school community about the need that exists locally and globally. Mr. Perez, the director of the El Salvadoran school, spent the day with our students, who were greatly touched by the challenges that his students and teachers face. Thank you Jericho Middle School for your generosity and support! Diversity Day Poster Contest The theme of this year’s Diversity Day is: SHOW YOUR COLORS Please go to Middle School Website for the Diversity Day Poster Contest flyer. Posters MUST include:

v The theme Show Your Colors v The name of the show Jericho Middle School Diversity Day v The date: February 11, 2014 v Your name and grade printed on the back

Posters are due to Ms. Waters in room 102 by Friday, January 31, 2014

Weekly Quotes for January January 6-10: “We all do better when we work together. Our differences do matter, but our

common humanity matters more.” Bill Clinton, 42nd President of the United States January 13-17: “Put yourself in the other man’s place and then you will know why he thinks

certain things and does certain deeds.” Elbert Hubbard, American writer January 21-24: “Human diversity makes tolerance more than a virtue; it makes it a

requirement for survival.” René Dubos, French-born American microbiologist

DATES TO REMEMBER

January 15 PTSA Meeting/Incoming 7th& 8th Grade Parents Mtg.-MS Library-7:00 p.m. January 16 Board of Education Meeting – Seaman Elementary School – 7:45 p.m. January 20 Schools Closed January 23 HS Orientation Incoming Grade 9 Students & Parents-Auditorium- 7:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m. January 31 Middle School Second Marking Period Ends