MARLBORO MIDDLE SCHOOL

ACCREDITED BY THE MIDDLE STATES

ASSOCIATION OF COLLEGES AND SECONDARY

SCHOOLS

Mini Dukes ___________________________

Dates to Remember

Dec. 23 - Jan. 2, 2011—Winter Recess Jan. 5, 2011—PTA Meeting Jan. 6, 2011—Board of Ed. Meeting Jan. 17, 2011—Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, School Closed Jan. 20, 2011—Board of Ed. Meeting Jan. 21, 2011—Coffee House Bistro Feb. 3, 2011—Board of Ed. Meeting Feb. 4-5, 2011—School House Rock MMS Musical Feb. 11, 2011—District Wide Professional Development Day (students dismissed 1/2 day) Feb. 11, 2011—Valentine’s Dance Feb. 16, 2011—District Wide Scholarship Concert Feb. 17, 2011—Board of Ed. Meeting Feb. 21-25, 2011—Presidents’ Week, School Closed

Marlboro Middle School Learning Community Parents’ Newsletter

Communication is Essential

Volume 8, Issue 2 Winter 2010-2011

Principal’s Message

On this first day of winter 2010, we are reminded by the cold tempera-tures of the possibility for inclement weather. If there have been any changes in your address or phone number, please contact the MMS main office so we can update your information. This will allow us to be fully prepared for any emergency dismissal or school closing.

It is truly frightening how fast this year is going. Before we know it, the second marking period will come to a close and we will have reached the half way point of the school year. To ensure the continued success of all students, parent–teacher contact is essential. If you would like to schedule a meeting with your child’s team of teachers, please contact the guidance office for assistance. They would be happy to meet with you and discuss ways to help your child.

Many thanks to all who participated in our seasonal drives. This fall we held a food drive, coat drive, pajama drive, and toy drive. We are al-ways touched by the generosity of our community and it is reassuring to know that all contributions will go to help those who are struggling this winter.

Many of the teachers and coaches have taken time to highlight some of the occurrences in this edition of the newsletter. We hope that you en-joy reading about the many events we have held.

During this festive season, all of us here at MMS wish you a very happy holiday and prosperous, safe, and healthy New Year.

As always, if we can be of any assistance, please do not hesitate to con-tact us. Happy Holidays,

Mrs. Debra Clinton Mr. Darren Corsetti

Debra Clinton Darren Corsetti

Principal Assistant Principal

The monthly cafeteria menu can be accessed on the MCSD Web site, www.marlboroschools.org

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MEN’S CHORUS The MMS Men’s Chorus, or the “Hu’s,” have had a successful start to the new school year. This is their second year as a group at the middle school under the direction of music teacher, Ms. Hu. They were heard performing patriotic tunes at the Veteran’s Breakfast in No-vember. They performed the Rascal Flatts version of “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” at the NJHS Senior Tea. Finally, they had a wonder-ful winter concert on December 8th, where they premiered Marl-boro’s one hit wonder, “Twelve Days of Chorus” re-written by “the Hu’s.” We will begin rehearsals again in January every Tuesday after school until 4 p.m. or from 5-6:15 p.m. We welcome any new members. Happy Holidays from the Hu’s!

NJHS National Junior Honor Society members have been very busy! Members would like to thank all who donated coats, hats, mittens and canned goods to the recent drives. Our annual Senior Tea was held on Friday, December 10th. We had a wonderful turn out! Many compliments and cards were received thanking us for the invitation, good food (prepared by the Culinary Arts Club), and holiday favors handmade by the Arts Service Club. The Men’s Chorus, under the direction of Ms. Hu, performed musical numbers from their recent holiday concert. A duet was performed by Lauren Perlik and Taylor Bozydaj. Ms. Houck ended the afternoon with a lively Christmas sing-a-long. Upcoming events include the “Souper” Bowl of Caring Drive and the Coffee House Bistro.

HOLIDAY FOOD BASKETS This holiday season the Marl-boro Middle School commu-nity collected food to prepare holiday dinner baskets for families in our area. We col-lected enough food to give twenty-five families great holiday dinners!

You are cordially invited to attendYou are cordially invited to attendYou are cordially invited to attendYou are cordially invited to attend

Marlboro Middle School’sMarlboro Middle School’sMarlboro Middle School’sMarlboro Middle School’s AnnualAnnualAnnualAnnual

Coffee House BistroCoffee House BistroCoffee House BistroCoffee House Bistro

Sponsored by National Junior Honor Society

Friday, January 21stFriday, January 21stFriday, January 21stFriday, January 21st 6:306:306:306:30----8:30 PM8:30 PM8:30 PM8:30 PM

Students are asked to create and submit an original creative piece for judging (ie. Music,

poetry, technology, painting etc…)

Please join us for an exciting night!Please join us for an exciting night!Please join us for an exciting night!Please join us for an exciting night!

Admission: a canned good for the NJHS Food Bank at Marlboro Middle School

OR $1 donation

$5 for families Proceeds to fund food bank

PTA will have refreshments for salePTA will have refreshments for salePTA will have refreshments for salePTA will have refreshments for sale

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WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE LIBRARY? This month 7th and 8th grade students are very busy working in the library on their research papers. Miss Moore created a user friendly webpage to facilitate the research process both in school and at home. A link to the library webpage is located on the top of the MMS main page. Please feel free to explore the “Research Paper” link from home! Also, new magazines, DVD’s, and books will be coming in at the end of January. Some of the titles include: Alexander the Great Rocks the World by Shecter, Vicky Describes the life and accomplishments of Alexander the Great of Macedonia. Cleopatra Rules!: The Amazing Life of the Original Teen Queen by Schecter, Vicky Examines the life of Cleopatra, discussing her rule at an early age, alliances, acquisition of land for Egypt, enemies, and other related topics. Countdown by Wiles, Deborah As eleven year old Franny Chapman deals with drama at home and with her best friend in 1962, she tries to understand the larger problems in the world after President Kennedy an-nounces that Russia is sending nuclear missiles to Cuba. Features historic quotations and pho-tographs. The Cruisers by Myers, Walter Dean Friends Zander, Kambui, LaShonda, and Bobbi, caught in the middle of a mock Civil War at DaVinci Academy, learn the true cost of freedom of speech when they use their alternative newspaper, “The Cruiser”, to try to make peace. Dirty Little Secrets by Omololu, Cynthia When her unstable mother dies unexpectedly, sixteen your old Lucy must take control and find a way to keep the long-held secret of her mother’s compulsive hoarding from being revealed to friends, neighbors, and especially the media. Dizzy in your Eyes:Poems about Love by Mora, Pat Collects fifty poems written in the voice of teenagers which reveal the speakers’ feelings about and experiences with love. Includes notes about the various types of poetic forms. Empty by Weyn, Suzanne When, just ten years in the future, oil supplies run out and global warming leads to devastating storms, senior high school classmates Tom, Niki, Gwen, Hector, and Brock realize that the world as they know it is ending and lead the way to a more environmentally-friendly society. The Fortune of Carmen Navarro by Bryant, Jennifer A modern day resetting of the story on which the opera “Carmen” was based in which four teens tell of half-gypsy Carmen, who believes she will become a famous singer, military cadet Ryan’s passion for her, and their best friends’ efforts to protect them both.

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Life, After by Littman, Sarah When poverty forces her family to leave their home in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Dani has a hard time adjusting to life in New York City, where everything is different except her father’s anger, but an unlikely bond she forms with a wealthy, spoiled girl at school helps heal both of their families. Mercury by Larson, Hope Atheneum A necklace that reportedly has the power to find gold serves as a link between Tara Fraser, a teen who is facing the angst of living with relatives and being the new girl in school after her home burns down, and Josey, a distant relative who lived in Tara’s house over one hundred years earlier and fell in love with Asa Curry, a mysterious man who claimed to be a gold dowser. Out of my Mind by Raper, Sharon M. Considered by many to be mentally retarded, a brilliant, impatient fifth grader with cerebral palsy discovers a technological device that will allow her to speak for the first time. Paradise Lost/The Sequel to “This Side of Paradise” by Layne, Steven Payback Time by Deuker, Carl Overweight, somewhat timid Mitch reluctantly agrees to be the sports reporter for the Lincoln High newspaper because he is determined to be a writer, but he senses a real story in Angel, a talented football player who refuses to stand out on the field.—or to discuss his past. The Search for WondLa by DiTerlizzi Living in isolation with a robot on what appears to be an alien world populated with bizarre life forms, a twelve year old human girl called Eva Nine sets out on a journey to find others like her. Features “augmented reality” pages, in which readers with a webcam can access addi-tional information about Eva Nine’s world. Shakespeare makes the Playoffs by Koertge, Ronald Fourteen year old Kevin Boland, poet and first baseman, is torn between his cute girlfriend-Mira, and Amy, who is funny, plays Chopin on the piano, and is also a poet. Short: Walking Tall When You’re Not Tall at All by Schwartz, John Journalist John Schwartz examines societal views on height, discussing marketing, psychology, and mythology; and reflects on the influence of stature on his beliefs and life. Spilling Ink:A Young Writer’s Handbook by Mazer, Anne Authors Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter offer advice for aspiring young writers, discussing finding a voice, character development, plot, revisions, and other related topics. Includes writing prompts.

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HEALTH OFFICE NEWS BY MRS. BLESKI, RN, SNT Cough, cold, and flu season is upon us! Please keep children home for twenty-four hours after the last fever reading to contain the spread of germs to staff and other students. Eating nutri-tiously, sleeping ten hours each night, and exercising are all means to stay healthy! Mrs. Bleski has trained peer leaders for “Project Northland”, the evidence-based alcohol use prevention program for 6th graders. We began this program in our regularly scheduled health classes in December and there are three remaining sessions. Approximately every two weeks your child will bring home an activity book designed to stimulate discussion with you through fun and educational activities. When your child returns the completed assignment, he/she will receive an incentive reward. Please visit Mrs. Bleski’s webpage on the MMS website for “Project Northland” dates as well as other information. Best wishes for a Healthy and Prosper-ous New Year to All!

S.W.A.T. (STUDENTS WITH ADMIRABLE TRAITS) BREAKFAST On December 2nd, a breakfast was held to celebrate a group of Marlboro Middle School’s Stu-dents with Admirable Traits (SWAT). A total of 21 students were honored at the breakfast, which was sponsored by staff members, community members, and the PTA.

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BLUE RIBBON COMMITTEE’S PAYBACK NIGHT On Friday, November 19th Marlboro Middle School’s Blue Ribbon Committee presented Payback Night for all Marlboro Middle School students and their parents. Students sent their parents back to school while they had fun at game night. The night was free to all those who attended and started with a pizza party in the cafeteria. Parents were invited to attend workshops from 6:30-7:15 PM and 7:30-8:15 PM. This year’s workshop sessions included such topics as Life In and After High School, ELA, Foreign Lan-guage, Integrated Algebra and Photostory 101. All parents attended our keynote presentation on Internet Safety given by Mrs. Karen Brooks, a technology instructor at Ulster BOCES and area schools. Babysitting was provided for children ages 4-10 by the National Junior Honor Society. This night was fun and educational for the students and their parents.

EIGHTH GRADE MOVING UP CEREMONY Who: Graduating 8th grade students, their families and guests Where: High School Auditorium When: Thursday, June 23rd at 1:00 PM

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MMS CLUBS

2010-2011

CLUB NAME CLUB ADVISOR DAY/TIME LOCATION

A Stitch in Time Ms. Pierro Every other day 1st Period Rm. 205K

Art Service Club Mrs. Besson Twice a month Room 205

Cheerleading Ms. Mannese Mon, Tues, Wed, Thurs 2:30-5:00 Cafeteria or Stage

Chef’s Club Ms. Pierro Every other Tues. 2:30-4:00 PM Room 205K

Chess Club Mr. Pesano Twice a month Room 212

Computer Club Mr. DeVenuto Every other Thurs. 2:30-4:00 PM Room 104

Culinary Club Ms. Pierro Every other Tues. 2:30-4:00 PM Rm. 205K

Drama Club Ms. Houck, Mr. Budryk Every day 6:00-8:00 PM Cafeteria

Intramurals Mrs. Lipsey, Mr. DeGeorge Every other Wed. 2:30-4:00 PM Gymnasium

Men’s Chorus Ms. Hu Tues 2:30-4:00 or 5:00-6:15 PM Room 100

MMS TV Studio Mrs. Messina, Mr. Marallo Every morning 7:15-7:35 AM TV Studio

Novice Jazz Band Mr. Brown Thurs. 7:00-8:30 PM Band Room

Stage Technicians’ Club Ms. Houck, Mr. Budryk Thurs. 6:00-8:00, some Sat. Stage, Cafe.

Student Council Mrs. DeStefano, Ms. St. Germain 2nd Wed. of Month until 4:00 PM Rm. 202

Yearbook Mrs. Messina, Mrs. S. Smith Every other Tues. 2:30-4:00 PM Rm. 209

SIXTH ANNUAL SEVENTH GRADE BOSTON TRIP: MAY 19 & 20, 2011 Our seventh graders are getting ready for the chance to register for our sixth annual trip to Bos-ton, MA! We will visit many historic sites, such as Paul Revere’s house and the U.S.S. Con-stitution. We are also excited about the addition of the “Blue Man Group” to our itinerary this year. More information regarding the trip will be given out in classes over the next several weeks. Please email Mrs. Linda DeStefano at destefl@marlboroschools.org, or call the school with any questions.

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CULINARY AND CHEF’S CLUB Members have been busy baking! Students prepared a marble maple falling leaves cake for the board meeting held in the Middle School on November 18th. Cookie bags were decorated with falling leaves and filled with an assortment of cookies for each board member. When parents arrived in classes for “Pay Back Night”, the culinary and chef’s clubs had bis-quick chocolate chip cookies, chocolate gingersnaps, snickerdoodles, and chocolate pepper-mint cookies waiting to help them make it through the night! Students’ baking and serving skills were again displayed at the Senior Tea on December 10th as they served marshmallow snowmen, a variety of tea sandwiches, chocolate mint squares, snowball cookies, easy eggnog pound cake, and andes grasshopper cake. They did an excel-lent job not only in baking and serving, but in clean up as well! GOOD JOB! Chocolate-Peppermint Cookies Makes about 4 dozen 3/4 c unsalted butter, room temperature 3/4 c granulated sugar 1 large egg 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract 1 1/2 tsp peppermint extract 1/8 tsp salt 1/4 c Dutch process unsweetened cocoa 1 1/2 c flour Preheat oven to 350° Combine butter and sugar in large bowl. Using electric mixer set on high speed, beat until light. Add egg, vanilla, peppermint and salt and beat until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low, mix in cocoas. Then add flour and mix until well blended. Pack dough into cookie press. Fit with desired design plate. Press dough out onto ungreased baking sheets, spacing cookies 1 inch apart. Bake until firm to touch, about 10 minutes. Transfer cookies to wire racks to cool. Store in airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. **For an added touch, finely chop peppermint candies or candy canes in a food processor, mix them with an equal amount of con-fectioner’s sugar and coat the warm cookies by tossing them in the mixture.

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DRAMA CLUB

The Marlboro Middle School Drama Club will be presenting “School House Rock LIVE!, Jr.” on February 4th and 5th at 7:00 PM. The cast members have been hard at work since October learning the music, staging and choreography for the show. We rehearse every night from 6:00 PM until 8:00 PM in the cafeteria, band room or on the stage. Our advisors are mid-dle school music teacher, Katie Houck, and third grade teacher, Thomas Budryk.

WINTER CHORAL AND INSTRUMENTAL CONCERTS Our Winter Choral Concert was presented on Wednesday, December 8th and our Winter Instrumental Concert was presented on Wednesday, December 15th. Both the sixth grade and the seventh/eighth grade Choruses and Bands performed. Each group worked extremely hard since school began to present a top-notch concert for their audience. Our choral program included the songs “Christmas Time is Here,” “Chapua Kali Desemba,” “Let it Snow!,” and a special full group song called “Adiemus.” Our instrumental program included the songs “Parade of the Wooden Soldiers,” “Bandology,” “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch,” and “Carol of the Bells.”

MMS PTA

We would love to wish everyone Happy Holidays from the Marlboro Middle School PTA. We look forward to seeing everyone at our next meeting when we return from break on Wednes-day, January 5, 2011 in the Media Center.

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MODIFIED VOLLEYBALL Coach: Mrs. Francine Lipsey Congratulations to the girl’s volleyball team, for their outstanding season with a 13-1 overall record. Highest scorers for the season were Katelyn Fabrizio with 83 points, Kayla Garitta with 81 points, Mia DeFabio and Crysten Hunt both with 73 points, Alana Baglieri with 72 points, Shannon Corcoran with 60 points, Leah Tomasetti and Megan Kuchinsky with 53 points. We had some great spiking by Katelyn Fabrizio, Taylor Orsewski and Mia DeFabio, and with-out our fantastic setters as Kayla Garitta, Alana Baglieri, Leah Tomasetti and Crysten Hunt, the spiking would not happen. Our most intense game was a home game with Saugerties where we won one game and lost one game, causing our team to finish with a tie for first place. Great job by all the volleyball players both offensively and defensively.

CROSS COUNTRY Coach: Mr. Gary Trapani The Cross Country team had a great season this year. All members drastically improved their mile time from the first week of the season. The runners also improved their race times each meet. Team MVP was Ray Decker. Bryanna Mazzella was the Rookie of the Year and Alli-son Phillips was most improved. Dalton Begosh won the “Ironman Award” for not missing a single practice or meet. Way to go!

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MODIFIED BOYS’ SOCCER Coach: Mr. Marc Caserto The boys enjoyed a winning season and had fun doing it! They fought hard on game days and at practice, where they ran up to five miles! We had five wins, four losses, and one tie. The MVP was Jonathan Zambrano.

MODIFIED GIRLS’ SOCCER Coach: Mrs. Criss Besson Our final record was 6 and 4. Top scorers were Lindsay Weissman, Alex Martens, and Haley Drake. Even though we lost, our best game would have been our final game against Sauger-ties. Everyone played extremely well. Excellent team work and communication!

MODIFIED FOOTBALL Coaches: Mr. Charles Busick Mr. Tom Corcoran Mr. Frank Taddeo This season the modified football team had 7 wins and 0 losses. The MVP was Ryan Greaven. The highlight of the season was our victory over FDR. It was a great team effort to achieve this victory.

CHEERLEADING Coach: Ms. Jenna Mannese and Ms. Courtney St. Germain

Although the Fall 2010 season was a short one for the cheerlead-ers, they brought a tremendous amount of spirit and pride to the modified football team. Members included Amanda Carras-quillo, Kimmy DelBasso, Ashley Quick, Sarah Smith, and Rachel Tompkins. Despite the very cold temperatures that these five girls endured at the home games they attended, they were able to keep the crowd cheering and the football team’s spirits high. Our MVP was Rachel Tompkins.