MEMORIAL BOULEVARD MONTHLY BULLETIN - … BOULEVARD MONTHLY BULLETIN June 2011 Issue In this issue:...

MEMORIAL BOULEVARD

MONTHLY BULLETIN

June 2011 Issue

In this issue:

Principal’s Message 02 Team News 10

Yearbook Cover Winners 03 Saying Goodbye—Retiring Staff 12

Cyber-Bullying Assembly 04 MBMS Sports—Team Photos 14

Girls with a Purpose 04 June Dates: Events and Trips 21

Boulevard Bulletin ♦ October 2009 Boulevard Bulletin ♦ March 2011 Page 2

Remembering “Camp Outside”

S ummer, that wonderfully magical time when our schools are closed and many parents, after a week or two, are looking fran-tically for something for their children to do. Anything that can

occupy a child‟s time athletically, artistically or mentally that is both healthy and beneficial is given the highest consideration. Addition-ally, if an activity can get their child outside and away from either the television or computer on a regular basis, what a bonus it becomes. Thus, the summer camp is a means to an end and preserves the peace and sanity in the home for many parents throughout the summer, when the school is no longer an option.

In a difficult and trying economy, however, and with the “dollar” shrinking in value, it becomes more and more difficult to even con-sider sending our children to a summer camp for even a week. These summer camps, as we all know, have tremendous value for our young-sters and offer seemingly endless choices of activities ranging from the athletic to the artistic and the scientific, to the truly individualistic in scope. However, the price for these camps may become prohibitive for a family with more than one child or even a family considering a variety of different camps throughout the summer weeks. As I write this article, I in no way am recommending that parents forgo sending their child to a summer camp if the opportunity presents itself, but I am advocating that parents consider registering their children at the local camp most of us attended when we were our children‟s age. How many of us can fondly remember this camp? Its name was “Camp Outside”.

What a special place “Camp Outside” was. We rode our bikes and took walks around our neighborhood or park; we swam in our back-yards and city pools. Then there were the nature walks, the discovery of a myriad of wonderful things with our friends as we cemented rela-tionships and memories that have lasted a lifetime. We went to the local library and museums and took advantage of anything that our town or city offered to us free or at a nominal charge. Every minute that wasn‟t spent running around somewhere, we read books and magazines. Let‟s not forget those special family times, the local fire-works displays, the amazing times at the beach or lake; the talking and playing continuously as we enjoyed the freedom the summer months brought us. And how about those picnics and good times we shared with our parents and other relatives? Sadly, it passes all too quickly and is over in a blink of an eye, but that doesn‟t mean that our children shouldn‟t get to experience the same “Camp Outside” either.

As always, I wish our students, parents and staff a safe and healthy summer. I encourage our students to always make wise personal de-cisions and choices for themselves and to keep their minds academi-cally stimulated. Hopefully, after experiencing a fantastic summer, all of our students will be eagerly looking forward to the excitement of a new school year.

Marci Jones

Principal

Boulevard Bulletin ♦ June 2011 Page 2

CONGRATULATIONS!

Boulevard Bulletin ♦ June 2011

Yearbooks will be distributed the week of June 20th.

DIDN’T ORDER A YEARBOOK? Extra yearbooks will be available for $20.00 (first come, first serve) the week of June 20th.

MICHAEL GIBBONS Yearbook—Front

Cover Image Winner

ARIANNA PORRINI Yearbook—Back

Cover Image Winner


Last month the GWAP group (Girls with a Purpose), run by Bristol Youth Services, the BYS staff and MBMS guidance counselor, Mrs. Theriault, visited the State Capital for Youth Services Day. The focus of that day‟s seminar/panel discus-sion was bullying and ways to address this problem.

Photos from the event can be found on page 5.


END BULLYING CAMPAIGN

MBMS is continuing its campaign to bring

awareness about bullying to our students. So far the students have taken a cyber bul-lying survey, produced some great anti-bullying posters, and purchased END BUL-LYING bracelets. The money raised by sell-ing the End Bullying bracelets was used to bring Scott Driscoll‟s Cyber Safety program to our school. Scott Driscoll presented a program about cyber safety and cyber bul-lying to our students on May 13th. The pro-gram helped to make students aware of the consequences of making poor choices on the Internet. The focus of this presentation was to get students thinking about what could happen if they share too much infor-mation about themselves on-line. Through discussion and presentations, the children explored the topics of instant messaging, game rooms, cyber bullying, and social networking sites, in addition to refresher rules on stranger safety.

About the presenter: Scott Driscoll has been in law enforcement for 21+

years. For the majority of his career, he has worked with the youth in his

community to help them stay safe.

GIRLS WITH A PURPOSE

Boulevard Bulletin ♦ October 2009

NYC IS THEIR KIND OF TOWN


In conjunction with our May 3rd trip to view the Pompeii exhibit, Emerald

students wrote stories and plays to depict the last day of the city's existence, August 24, 79 A.D. Seen here are "citizens of Pompeii" going about their normal routines shopping at an outdoor boutique, the spewing forth of ash and pumice from Mt. Vesuvius, and the fateful aftermath hours after the final wave of destruction.

May 3rd Green Team trip

to New York City to view Pompeii Exhibit.

An added bonus on the NYC trip was the Harry Potter Ex-

hibit, where the characters, settings, and conflicts of author J.K. Rowling's imagination were brought to life. Favorite highlights of the exhibit included the trying on of the sorting hat and interactive displays where we tried our hand at re-planting the squealing Mandrakes, scoring points in Quid-ditch (a rather easy task with no defenders in sight), and entering the hut of Hagrid, the gentle giant who befriends the protagonists in the beloved novels.

Boulevard Bulletin ♦ October 2009 Boulevard Bulletin ♦ June 2011 Page 7

ENGINEERING

& TECHNOLOGY

with Mr. Jennetta and Mr. Yatsenick

Problem Solving

Engineering &

Technology Fun

Spring Highlights

Boulevard Bulletin ♦ October 2009 Boulevard Bulletin ♦ March 2011 Page 8 Boulevard Bulletin ♦ June 2011 Page 8

BOULEVARD BITS

MAKE IT A SUMMER GOAL

Mr. Greene and Mrs. Peterson are encouraging all MBMS students to spend as much time as they can outdoors taking in the fresh air and getting plenty of exercise. The Physical Education Department will be looking to see next year‟s MBMS students sur-pass the 71% of students who passed this year‟s Connecticut State Fitness Test, which included the Mile Run (cardio), Sit & Reach (flexibility), Partial Curl-ups (abdominal strength) and Push-ups ( upper body strength).

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNER OF THE

COMMENCEMENT PROGRAM COVER: Dominico Colon

See photo of design on page 13.

Green Team Forest students complete a Project Adventure activity to reinforce the difference be-tween the terms "topic" and "theme" in Language Arts class.

Students work on their letters to the current fifth graders in our feeder schools. These particularly industrious writers collectively sent multi-page epistles to more than a dozen members of what should prove to be the last sixth grade class at Memorial Boulevard School.


CONCERT/SYMPHONIC BAND

Mrs. Zabawa is so proud of all the band students; they have worked so hard to improve their playing

skills and it shows. From performing with the BCHS marching band in October at Muzzy Field, to the winter concerts in December, the Music in Our Schools Month concert in March, the Rock Cats perform-ance in May, and to the Adjudication Festival on June 3rd, all of our talented MBS Band students have flourished in sound and ensemble playing! Our final performance is the BAND Spring Concert on Wednesday June 8th at 7:00 PM. Wear black pants and white MBS Music shirt and please bring a dessert or beverage for the refreshment table. * Parents, please consider bringing your child‟s instrument to a music store such as Music and Arts Center in West Hartford, Apple Music in Southington, The Music Shop in Southington, or JC Music in Meridian over the summer vacation and for a tune-up. While you are there, don‟t forget to restock drum-stick, reed, or valve oil supplies.

JAZZ BAND

ROCK ON! Our twenty Jazz Band students performed for residents at two nursing homes; for preschool-ers at the Imagination Museum; parents, friends, and fellow students at two winter concerts; basketball players at our last home game; a packed auditorium at BEHS at the Bristol Jazz Festival, and wowed the incoming sixth graders at the 5th grade orientations! That‟s a lot of gigs and boy did they come through! Jazz Band‟s last rehearsal will be Tuesday, June 7th. Please bring $3.00 for pizza and soda. Our final performance of this school year will be at the annual band spring concert on June 8th.

FLUTE & CLARINET CHOIR

What a great year of music making! From the Celebration of Family dinner, three nursing home gigs, to

playing at Green Hills and South Side Schools, and performing at the B.O.E. Art show, our fine young chamber musicians represented the MBS music dept with great sound and pride! Our final rehearsal and gig of the school year will be Monday, June 6th at 4:00 PM— 4:30 PM at Sheri-dan Woods. Please remember to bring $3.00 for pizza and soda before we leave at 3:35 PM to go to Sheridan Woods.

NOTE-WORTHY NEWS Mrs. Zabawa

BAND


UPCOMING EVENTS

Thursday, June 2nd Friday, June 3rd Spring Concert MBS All Stars Fantastic Festival

CHORAL NOTES Mrs. Sipes

MUSIC DEPARTMENT

YELLOW TEAM

The Yellow team is very pleased to announce the

names of students who completed all assignments for the month of April, receiving no homework stamps. They are: Brett Adams, Morgan Armour, Jack Bator, Emily Brito, Ben Cherwinski, Destiny DeMontigny, Jamie Houlihan, Samantha Eilerman, Luis Diaz, Garrett Gottschall, Hannah Ouellette, Andrew Owsianko, Amanda Palladino, Nicole Pizarro, Adam Passander, Lauren Putnam, Desarae Rankin, Cam-eron Reed, Mariah Santana, Shanaya Siriwardene, Brianna St.Onge, Ximena Juarez, Keirra Knappenber-ger, Danielle Lavigne, Kayla Letalien, Kristina Men-dela, Desirae Miller, Cristian Nugra, Catherine Thai, Devon Varela, Brendan Varnum, Molly Watstein, and Kevin White. Students have been given a golden ticket homeroom pass which can be used in any class. The Yellow Team teachers congratulate these students for the effort they have shown this past month. WELL DONE! Yellow Team Science students will close out the year with a unit on weather and what causes it. After inves-tigating heat transfer through conduction, convection and radiation, students will conduct labs to discover why the Earth heats unevenly and how that causes winds that drive our weather. Some of our lab work will be done outside which will add a new dimension to our study. We‟re looking forward to our budding meteorologists demonstrating wonderful improve-ment in problem solving and critical thinking from the novice 6th graders who walked through our doors in September. Students are to be congratulated on their year-long focus and commitment to becoming scien-tific thinkers. The school year has just about come to an end and we hope it is just the beginning for many great adven-tures. As you begin making plans for the summer, we would like to share a few points of interest: Knowing one‟s math facts can help ensure a smoother transition to next year‟s math class. It is the basis for the math that will be covered all year. Daily review of these facts will increase accuracy and is time well spent. Make or buy decks of cards for multiplica-tion and division facts (stores such as Staples offer inexpensive decks). Go through the deck as quickly as possible, placing incorrect responses back into the deck. Time how long it takes you to complete the en-tire deck. Try to beat your previous best time. Chal-lenge a friend to do the same. A great inexpensive way to keep from getting bored this summer is a weekly trip to the library. Our reno-vated Bristol Public Library has offerings for all ages

that are worth checking out. Get a library card, use the computers, check out books, videos, books on tape, and read the current magazines… all for free! Books listed in the summer packets can be found in the library. The air conditioning on hot summer days will also provide welcome relief. The ability to read is often considered an indicator of future success. The way to improve these skills is through practice. Take advantage of this great opportunity! The very best of wishes for a safe and happy sum-mer. We look forward to seeing you in the fall!

GREEN TEAM

The highlight of the month of May on the Green

Team was our trip to New York City‟s Times Square Discovery Exposition Center to view the Pompeii ex-hibit. The trip was the culmination of an interdiscipli-nary unit in which the students studied about volca-noes in Science, learned about ancient civilization in Social Studies, and read stories about Pompeii in Lan-guage Arts. The exhibit featured many works of art from Pompeii and Herculaneum, including mosaics, frescoes and statuary, large and small. Midway through the exhibit, we were guided in small groups into a stand-up theater, where, through the magic of cinematography, we experienced the countdown through the last twenty-four hours of Pompeii‟s exis-tence, complete with multi-sensory effects. The thea-ter shook as thunder pealed and we felt, heard and witnessed the wrath of Vesuvius. As the last surge of ash approached, complete with a strong wind blowing through the theater, the front curtains parted, the usher said, “Silence in this room, please.” We exited into an eerily-lit room which housed the infamous plaster casts. Students and chaperones were in com-plete compliance with the usher‟s request, as we were all in awe of the famous real-life “sculptures” which so intricately and movingly preserved the last moments of the lives of the citizens and animals of Pompeii. It was literally breathtaking! Many thanks to Mrs. Caw-ley for her tireless efforts in making this unforgettable field trip a reality. Although the Groovy Greenies have already written her thank you letters, we would be remiss if we did not thank her publicly for her initia-tive, leadership, and hard work in putting together what is sure to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience for us. The Green Team would also like to thank Mrs. Peter-son and Mr. Greene for organizing our ACES (All Chil-dren Exercise Simultaneously) FLEXercise on May 5th, and Mrs. Peterson and the Student Council for pre-

(Continued on page 11)

6th/7th GRADE TEAM NEWS


senting the film, “Despicable Me” on May 9th, which many of the Groovy Greenies attended and thoroughly enjoyed. Additional thanks go out to Mrs. Cahill and Ms. Lavoie for bringing the fascinating, and highly important cyber-safety and cyber-bullying May 13th assembly to MBS. It was quite an eye-opener for stu-dents and staff alike, and we hope parents and fami-lies have had a chance to talk about the topics which Officer Driscoll discussed. A big round of applause to Mr. LeCara who, each month, takes on the enormous task of compiling and publishing the Boulevard Bulle-tin. Thank you for providing this venue which, both on the Green Team and throughout the school, en-ables us to share all of the special goings-on. Mrs. Mancuso‟s Math classes worked in the Library‟s computer lab this month. They continued their work with the Geometer Sketch Pad. Each student had his/her own computer and a set of geometry problems to solve. It was a very nice culminating activity which concluded our work with math consultant, Mr. Wes-ton, this year. The classes were very enthusiastic and excited to work on their own computers, providing them with hands-on experience constructing various polygons, measuring the degrees of each angle and measuring the length of the sides of each polygon. An excellent job was done by all! Mrs. Earl‟s sixth grade students are continuing to work on proofreading and grammar skills. We have also started to study persuasive writing. Students are becoming familiar with terms like „circling in persua-sion‟, „fence sitting‟, and „writing smaller‟. After per-suasive writing, we will start the Figurative Language unit. We will then be studying and writing poetry. It‟s a fun way to wrap up the year! The Green Team seventh grade students have been reading Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen to complement our theme unit. The protagonist, Cole Matthews, is a fifteen-year-old violent juvenile who brutally beats another boy and then gets a chance to avoid jail by accepting Circle Justice. Cole is banished to a remote island in Alaska. As the story unfolds, we learn that Cole has been brought up in a violent home. His parents drink a lot and his father beats him. When Cole gets to the island he is not willing to change until he encounters the spirit bear and is forced to deal with his anger. Touching Spirit Bear is a great story about making choices. After the theme unit is complete, the seventh graders will also have some fun with figura-tive language while studying and writing poetry to end the year. In Language Arts with Ms. Paradis, our sixth graders

have also been studying theme and discovering how examining the ways that characters handle their liter-ary conflicts can lead us to make inferences to deter-mine the theme of a particular piece of literature. Furthermore, students have been introduced to the concept of universal themes (One of our favorites is: “Pride goeth before a fall and a haughty spirit before destruction.”) and how we might best apply what we learn through literature to our own lives. In addition to revisiting works that we studied in earlier units, sixth graders have been reading picture books, short stories and the following novels to help in their under-standing of theme: The Barn by Avi, Pinballs by Betsy Byars, and Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan. The Emerald, Mint, and Forest classes had also been busy preparing for our Pompeii field trip, as well as writing letters to the fifth graders who attend our feeder schools and visited MBS for spring orientation on May 17th and May 19th. A reminder to all Green Team students and families that the dates of our common assessments have been changed due to the unusual amount of snow days we had this winter. The Language Arts assessment will be administered on Thursday, June 9th; Science on Friday, June 10th; Social Studies on Tuesday, June 14; and Math on Thursday, June 16th. Study guides will be distributed and reviewed in class the week before each assessment. Students are reminded to remain attentive in class and to complete any suggested study regimens at home. This is a great chance to show off what you‟ve learned and to finish the year with a pro-verbial BANG! Finally, the Green Team teachers would like to take this opportunity to thank you, students, parents, and guardians, for another great year. We have thor-oughly enjoyed these past months working with our students and interacting with their families. As we brace ourselves for our last year together at Memorial Boulevard School, we hope that this year‟s crop of Groovy Greenies will stop by and visit next year. We will miss you. Best wishes for a restful summer and a successful, happy and healthy future to you all. P.S. The learning and hard work continue until 12:31 p.m. on June 24th!

PURPLE TEAM

Each month, Purple Team teachers choose four stu-

dents who serve as a positive role model for all. These students exemplify excellent character as well as dem-onstrate their best effort in all of their classes. Stu-dents are treated to a special lunch by the Purple

(Continued from page 10)


7th GRADE TEAM NEWS


Team teachers and given a certificate of achievement. They are also given special privileges in all of their core classes for the whole school year. Their pictures are proudly displayed on a bulletin board in our Pur-ple Team hallway. The students of the month for March were: Nick Gagnon, Brittany Stancavage, Nicole Baral, and Jorge Cruz-Santos. CONGRATULA-TIONS on a job well done! Students are reminded to continue to exemplify good behavior in order to take part in any of our end-of-year activities.

RED TEAM

Eighth grade students participated in the annual

“Memorial Walk” on Wednesday, May 25th. The stu-dents were divided into groups to tour the boulevard, for which our school was named, visit Downs Street Historical Cemetery, and answer questions regarding the monuments. Thursday, May 27th was 8th grade day—a fun-filled field trip to Lake Compounce. Also planned for eighth graders: the annual eighth grade dance. Students will buy tickets starting in June for the event. Commencement is Friday, June 24th. Wow, where did the year go?

BLUE TEAM

Blue Team Science students are currently working on

reviewing force and motion concepts by creating a marble skateboard park. Groups will be combining

obstacles that allow the marble to continue to convert potential to kinetic energy throughout their park, while minimizing frictional forces. We'll be rounding out the year with a review of DNA and genetic diseases and a preview of high school with a mini-unit on poly-mers. What do histograms, box and whiskers and scatter plots all have in common? Eighth grade Math stu-dents know that these are all different ways to display data. Blue Team students will be learning how to cre-ate these graphs on the graphing calculator. They will also learn how to interpret data that appears in any of these graphs. End of year review guides will be sent home on June 8th. Exams will take place on June 16th for our Academic eighth grade Math classes and on June 17th for the Algebra classes. Please be sure to help your child be prepared to do their best! Language Arts classes are finishing up our Theme unit by reading novels that ask the questions: "What is the author's message?" and "How do we relate these themes to the human experience?" We will then begin our Figurative Language unit where we explore and interpret the literal and implied meaning of words and phrases. We will also evaluate literary conventions and techniques such as metaphor, simile, and hyper-bole as they relate to figurative language. U.S. History classes are completing the Civil War unit. Our curriculum covered the Exploration period



8th GRADE TEAM NEWS


Three of Memorial Boulevard Middle School‟s vet-

eran teachers and one of our paraprofessionals will be saying good-bye to students and faculty for the last time in June. Retiring this year are:

YELLOW TEAM: Mrs. Theriault, teacher of Math PURPLE TEAM: Mrs. Gallagher, teacher of Science UNIFIED ARTS: Mrs. Racloz, teacher of Wellness

PARAPROFESSIONAL: Mrs. Ferris

Enjoy your retirement!

We’ll miss you!

MBMS WILL NEVER BE THE SAME


through to Reconstruction. Our final common assessment will be on Tuesday, June 14th. Students should be prepared to try their best. Study hard! There has been a large amount of information learned throughout the year and the students have done a re-markable job. Good luck next year!



MBMS SPORTS ~ 2010—2011 Team Photos ~

FALL SPORTS


WINTER SPORTS


SPRING SPORTS



MBMS SOFTBALL ~ 2010 Memories ~

MBMS 2010 Girls Softball Team: The MBMS Girls Softball Team had a stunning season last year. Their remarkable 11-1 record was something to be proud of and is certainly on the minds of this year‟s veteran players, who along with the fans, are hoping for a repeat.

Boulevard Bulletin ♦ October 2009 Boulevard Bulletin ♦ June 2011 Page 21

Fun and interesting web sites to help you practice your reading and math skills!

LEARNING LINKS from Mrs. Rubbo and Mr. Komanetsky

JUNE EVENTS/FIELD TRIPS

Wednesday, June 1ST

Mentor/Mentee Social: 1:00—2:00 PM

Friday, June 3RD

Yellow Team: Pine Lake Ropes Course

Tuesday, June 7TH

U.A. Olympics/Field Day

Monday, June 20TH

Purple Team: Litchfield Hike

http://www.rif.org/us/literacy-resources.htm

READING IS FUNDAMENTAL Browse through several recommended booklists compiled by leading literature experts. Some booklists will help you further your literacy research, while other lists will provide some titles that might moti-vate your children or enhance what they‟ve covered in the classroom.

END-YEAR

COMMON ASSESSMENTS

Testing begins June 9TH

Please check with your

child’s team for a

complete schedule.

EARL-DISMISSAL

Wednesday, June 22ND —

Friday, June 24TH

12:31 PM

NO LUNCHES SERVED ON THESE DAYS

LAST DAY OF SCHOOL

Friday, June 24TH

SPECIAL THANKS TO

EIGHTH GRADER TIFFANY LABARRE—

Miss LaBarre submitted

many of the photographs

that appeared in this year’s

bulletin, including many of

the cover shots.

MEMORIAL BOULEVARD MONTHLY BULLETIN - … BOULEVARD MONTHLY BULLETIN June 2011 Issue In this issue:...

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