Charles Town Family and Friends,

It seems that the cold weather has left us in favor of spring sunshine, and we welcome it! With the new season comes a renewed focus for everyone at CTMS to ensure that our students end the year on a high note. Already into the last marking period, our students and teachers are working hard to ensure the success that we have come to expect from our population. The Writing Assessment is complete, leaving our students to focus on a high marking period grade and winning performance on the WESTEST. Eighth graders are anxiously looking toward new and exciting high school experiences at Washington and the sixth and seventh graders are eager to begin news stations here at CTMS next year. It is important that all students maintain their focus through these last warm weeks and finish the year as strong as they started.

With summer just around the corner, it becomes more and more alluring to push schoolwork and academics to the side in favor of vacations and days by the pool. However, we need everyone to resist these temptations and remain focused on academics for the next two months. All Jefferson County students will be taking the WESTEST in May and these scores will define their academic futures for the next school year. We’re confident that our teachers have and continue to educate our students to the highest of standards; we just need them to keep doing what they do best! Attendance is crucial at this stage of the game as we don’t want our kids to miss any valuable time in the classroom. Please be cognizant of this when scheduling trips and other appointments.

We were very proud of our students and their performance on both the Writing Assessment and the Golden Horseshoe. The writing assessment was challenging and the staff and students put a great deal of work into preparing for it. We won’t receive the scores for quite some time; however, it was evident from a cursory glance through the lab on testing days that our students took this very seriously and gave it their all. The Writing Assessment is an annual state assessment to measure students’ abilities when it comes to narrative writing. Students are offered a variety of prompts for their essays. These essays are then measured and scored in key areas such as: organization, spelling and grammar, word usage, etc. The scores on the Writing Assessment comprise 30% of the overall Language Arts WESTEST score. As such, a good grade on the Writing Assessment is imperative to success on that portion of the WESTEST. The Golden Horseshoe is an annual test administered to eighth-graders only. This test measures students’ knowledge of West Virginia’s history as well as current events involving the state. Those students that achieve the highest scores are awarded trophies and certificates. A winning score on the Golden Horseshoe test makes a great feather to add to the cap of any college resume!

As the year winds down at Charles Town Middle, we’re looking forward to the success of our athletes, the exciting events arranged and sponsored by our clubs and organizations, and the success of all of our students in the classroom and on the WESTEST. With your help, we’ll be able to finish the year strong and claim our title of The Proud Panthers of 2011-2012!

Charles Hampton – Principal Ann Workman – Assistant Principal

Bettina Sperry– Assistant Principal Dustin Weaver – Leadership Committee

Panther Press 2012 3rd

edition

April

3, 5, 17, 19, 24, 26 Jazz Band 3-4pm

17 Music Booster Meeting 7pm CTMS

May

1, 10 Jazz Band 3-4pm

3 Spring Concert 7pm at Washington High School

12 Bake Sale at Wal-Mart (Jazz Band performs)

15 Music Booster Meeting 7pm CTMS

19 End of the Year Dance (8th Grade Farewell)

Sponsored by the Music Boosters 28 Memorial Day Performance 7th and 8th grade band 10:45am at Seminary St. Cemetery TBA 8th Grade Trip to Hershey Park

Tentatively May 30th or 31st

June-August Summer Band dates coming soon!

CUT, SAVE and SEND!

THANK YOU!

The county has decided to extend the application

deadline for Governor's School for Math & Science.

We are now able to take applications until April 12th.

The application and instructions can be found at:

www.wvgovschools.org.

An Announcement from The guidance Counselors Office

FFA Spring Plant Sale

Starts on Saturday, April 28th

and will run through Sunday,

May 13th.

Charles Town Middle School is proud to

announce Royalicious Bagel Bakery and Deli as

our newest business partner.

http://royaliciousbagelbakery.c

om/

CTMS-PTSO’s next meeting: Tuesday April

3th

, at 7pm in the Library. Please come! Your

support is needed for making

Fitness Field Day a success. If

you can’t make the meeting, but

wish to volunteer contact the

CTMSPTSO at:

ctmsptso@comcast.net

Spring Has Sprung!!!!

Our students have completed their Writing Assessment. We feel the students did extremely well. They

worked hard. Language Arts is currently working on various forms of poetry and reading various novels.

Students should continue to practice their grammar review for the summative test. Social Studies will

begin a unit on Ancestry. Students will be asked to bring items about their family history. Science is

moving on to the unit of Sound.

Pi Day (3.14) in math class was a great learning day. All the students were able to find and describe pi. Of

course, we got to eat PIE!!

We are finishing up on Algebra and beginning Geometry!!!

STUDENTS SHOULD BE COMPLETING THEIR WORD PROBLEMS EVERY NIGHT!!!!

21st Century Learning

Students completed the Timeline TechStep in Ms. Diamond’s

class and will continue to work on Web Powered Research in

Mr. Slacker’s class.

Students are reminded to continue reading AR every night

for 30 minutes to complete the fourth grading period goals.

Students did a fantastic job on their castle creations. A

slide show of these amazing projects can be seen on the

school website under daily news and announcements.

http://boe.jeff.k12.wv.us/education/components/whatsnew/d

efault.php?sectiondetailid=678

Thanks to all of the volunteers who chaperoned the Purple

Puffin field trip to Medieval Times.

Math Tutoring!!! Math tutoring is after school in Mrs.

Mann’s room until 4:00 PM on Wednesdays. Students need

to sign up by Tuesday. Students need to be picked up by

4:00 PM.

All math tests need to be brought back signed by parents.

Reminder to parents:

Gum is no longer allowed in classes

by purple puffin teachers due to

gum being misplaced on floors and

in the fish tank. Please do not

send gum to school with your

children.

Reminder to check live grades to

track the progress of your child.

Westest will occur in May. Remind

your child to continue giving their

best effort to prepare for their

end of year testing.

6th Grade Silver Hawks

April will be busy for our wonderful students!

The Writing assessment is behind us. WESTEST 2 is in mid-May. We will be

experiencing the age of knights in jousting armor and fair maidens as we step into the

past at Medieval Times as a field trip on March 30.

Parents please encourage your child to sell their Pizza Discount cards as soon as possible!

We still have about 25 students who have not turned in the money for the cards.

Language Arts:

B1 is beginning a PBL

(Project Based Learning) unit next week. They will be engaged in a futuristic dystopian society as

seen through a novel called “The Giver” by Lois Lowry. There will be group activities and

projects for class work and Individual parts to be completed at home.

B2 Honors has been working on their PBL for two weeks at present. They are tweaking out the

requirements for their grades.

B3 is reading Red Kayak by Priscilla Cummings. After they complete this unit they will begin

their PBL using the novel Wringer by: Jerry Spinelli.

Science:

In science class the students will be observing the phases of the moon and its cycles; catch the

waves with tides and their effects on our planet and will check out eclipses and study planets.

World War II is nearing its end and next we will examine the Cold War.

Math:

Math 1 & Math 2 are movin’ & grovin’ their way into geometry, while Math 3are building houses.

MATH RULES!

Important dates:

Immediately- turn in Pizza Discount Card money

March 30- Medieval Times Field Trip

May- WESTEST 2

Social Studies:

Rehberg’s Realm (Science)

I hope everyone is enjoying this lovely weather we have been having! Spring fever is definitely in the air! In science, we just finished our biology unit and we are heading into our chemistry unit. All classes will be starting off the last quarter with Tech Steps and then we will be working on some exciting projects before spring break. Honors students will be dissecting fetal pig as an extension to our biology unit. I think the students are pretty excited about this opportunity. The Regional Science Fair was held March 13 at Shepherd University. Our 7th grade students who competed did an awesome job! Students who placed in the fair and who earned medals were as follows: Maddy Landmesser - Honorable Mention in Biochemistry with her project: Enzymes in Action Aleah Shadle - First Place in Energy and Transportation with her project: Does the Species of Wood Affect How Long it takes to Burn? Anna Allen - Third Place in Environmental Sciences with her project: Does Water Type Affect Plant Growth? Emma Locarnini -Third Place in Microbiology with her project: Vinegar, Cheese, and Mold, OH MY! Congratulations to all of the students who competed! You represented Charles Town Middle School well! I am looking forward to a great last quarter of the school year!

Striving for excellence, curiosity, and creativity!

Muia’s Math

The Math classes are

working hard as

evidenced by the

students' thick

notebooks. We are also

having fun while

learning. The classes

celebrated Pi Day on

March 14 by listening to

a Pi Song and embracing

a challenge to memorize

pi. Our grand prize

winner, Dara

Insixiengmay,

memorized 54 digits and

was a guaranteed winner

of 2 prizes in the

classroom PAWS drawing

held the next day. The

classroom PAWS drawing

has been very successful

throughout the year with

promoting positive

behavior, perfect

attendance, and superb

questions and answers.

The Hall Way (English)

Job well done to all my students on the writing assessment! My honors class is well on their way in their Alphabiography project. I’m enjoying reading the chapters and the interesting things your children are writing. All classes will be doing a short unit on poetry before moving on to research reports. Reading/English combined will be working through a unit on Mythology, which will culminate in a research paper on a mythological character. Students recently enjoyed the GET A LIFE program here at school. If they haven’t told you about it, ask!

7th Grade Golden Dragons

Ms. Adams’ World

The fourteen-inch-tall daffodils outside our classroom have convinced us to stop thinking about

SNOW (almost). We will still enjoy visiting Lapland and the snowy Alps while completing our

study of Europe.

We have talked about Ancient Greece. Your child knows about the Parthenon and the “Elgin

Marbles.” ASK! Rome is next on our agenda.

Students were introduced to Israel during Social Studies day in Skills class. We will spend a week

in The Middle East before moving on to Asia.

Don’t forget to FLY THE FLAG!

MARCH/APRIL

Spring is here! I hope everyone has a great Spring Break! We made it through the WESTEST Writing Assessment! Our students did a great job digging deep and thinking "outside the box" with their writing prompts. April will bring about the 7th grade research paper. The students will choose a biography book from our library and write a three page paper defining the contributions to society that their "person" has made. Please continue to check your child's LiveGrades. If you need your parent password, please contact the guidance office.

As the bright colors blossom the butterflies will flutter and the bee will be buzzing. It is for sure spring fever will begin to run rampant. Students are already looking forward to spring break. We have completed our unit on South America and our unit on Europe. The students created wonderful collages, timelines and travel brochures of South American Countries. While in Europe, the children created a journal of an imaginary vacation. Each group detailed in pictures, and in writing, the events of their visit to three European Counties. Currently in seventh grade we are studying Africa. We are mapping its countries climates and bodies of water. In West Virginia History we are learning about the Civil War era. The children are given sufficient class time to finish their work. There should be no need for homework over our break. I wish all of you and your families a safe and enjoyable Spring Break.

If your children have missed work remind them to see me at the beginning of Skills Support. I

will provide them with their work and teacher support. Additional help is available online on

my website at:

http://boe.jeff.k12.wv.us/education/components/sectionlist/default.php?sectiondetailid=679

&category=306

Children can also review and study for their tests with the information provided there.

Copy, paste and add to favorites.

Enjoy Spring Break!

Mrs. Colbert's West Virginia History and

Civics class is entering a complex and

exciting period in history: the Civil War. If

your family has anything they would like to

share, please pass this information along

through your student.

My 8th grade math students have been working very

hard on their Geometry Unit. We have been finding

area and volume. This is a tough topic for middle

school students. Please ask your child what they are

working on in math and ensure that they are

completing homework daily. If you send me an

email: ccoughlin@access.k12.wv.us saying you read

this in our newsletter I will give your child two

homework points for this 9 week period. Soon we

will begin working on solving inequalities, an

important topic to prep for Algebra next year.

My algebra class continues to impress me with their

hard work! We are factoring polynomials, which is a

very abstract process for middle school students.

Hang in there.

In Social Studies we are working on the Civil War

era. West Virginia is becoming a state just as the

Union is falling apart. I believe we are lucky to live

in this area, so rich in history. Much of what we

have been reading about has happened right here in

the Eastern Panhandle. The Golden Horseshoe Test

is coming up in late March. Good Luck Panthers!

Hi everyone! Owen has finally arrived, born

today, March 15th at 3:25 PM 7 lbs. 8 oz. and

19in.

Dear Parents,

We will be shortly starting the last

instructional unit for the remainder of the

school year (Physics). Topics covered in this

unit include Forces, Newton's Laws of Motion,

Simple Machines, Power and Work. If you have

any concerns or questions please contact me at

rrockey@access.k12.wv.us

We are currently reviewing story structure and

literary elements/devices by reading and analyzing

Greek mythology via Percy Jackson and the

Olympians: The Lightning Thief.

Mr. Day’s 8th Grade Reading Classes:

We are currently reviewing story structure, Latin

roots, and analyzing a novel. We just finished The

Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and will

soon be jumping into I Am Legend.

*Please feel free to contact me via my school email

at <jwday@access.k12.wv.us>.

Students took the Writing Assessment on

March 19th and 20th. Honors students are

creating Commonplace Books, accelerated

reading students will be finishing the novel

The Watsons Go to Birmingham 1963, and

English 8 students are working on writing a

variety of essays. As we move into April we

will be focusing on National Poetry Month,

and beginning Literature Circles in

accelerated reading.

BOGERT’S READING CORNER

Well the year is quickly coming to a close. It certainly has been going fast. All my classes are in the middle of their

various novels and awaiting our April 5th Field Trip to see The Hunger Games. Many teachers are looking forward to

viewing the film as well.

The Top AR Readers for the end of Term #3 are: Meghan Stillwell with 50.2 AR Pts., Allison Jones with 54.8 AR Pts.,

Gabrielle Lugo with 59 AR Pts., Madeline Foster with 65. 8 AR Pts., Hailey Hawthorne with 67.2 AR Pts., Rashell

Rodriguez with 69 AR Pts., Megan Marino with 80.3 AR Pts., and Kaleigh Elms with 92.9 AR Pts. All students who

exceeded 75 AR Pts. received a $5.00 gift card from me. Congratulations to all my students who strived to get their

AR Pts. this term.

Have a great Spring Break!!!

l

8th Grade Purple Team Let your hungry mind feast on a book!

MR. WEAVER’S ENGLISH CORNER All of my classes are beginning or finishing a unit. We continue to examine and write about literature from not only a plot

perspective but with a critical eye, in an attempt to discern the themes and author’s message. The general classes are finishing Jon

Krakauer’s Into the Wild. Once we finish, students will work on an essay dealing with the themes of the book and we will compare

and contrast the film adaptation with the book. Throughout reading the book, the students completed reading guides examining the

author’s message and intent. Now that we are almost through with the text, we will examine these themes by way of an essay.

Following the Into the Wild unit, we will study either Carol Matas’ Daniel’s Story or John Boyne’s The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.

Both are historical young adult novels that deal with the Holocaust and tell a compelling story of children living through this terrible

time. Westest is coming up in May so we will also be dedicating some time to the mechanics of reading and writing just as a

refresher as the students should be well-versed in this material from their reading class. I am very excited about the fourth marking

period and very proud of the progress my students have made so far this year.

The honors class has finished our collection of mini-units, each dealt with a weighty theme commonly present in the best of

literature: love, friendship, loss, hope, etc. This week we are beginning what will be our final and most challenging/complex unit: The

Promise: Bruce Springsteen’s American Dream. We will be examining the American Dream and whether or not this uniquely

American vision is a real possibility or just what its name indicates: a dream. We will use the prolific writings of Bruce Springsteen as

our primary literary window by which to examine this. Along with Springsteen, material from America’s best thinkers will be looked

at: Martin Luther King, Jr., John F. Kennedy, Barack Obama, Ronald Reagan, Maya Angelou, etc. The students are working in teams

and will be completing a variety of challenging writing-based assignments over the next two months. Throughout this unit, it is my

goal that the students will gain a better understanding of the social/political history of our country and what it means to be an

American. On a daily basis, I am totally amazed by these students. This is by far, the best class I have ever had in my five years of

teaching. What a joy it is to come to work every day and work with your kids. They are a talented group—each and every one of

them—and you should be very proud. I know I am!

PENNINGTON’S SCIENCE CORNER

In Science we are starting the Unit on Newton’s Laws and will be busy constructing roller coasters in science

class. Parents ask your children to show you their presentation on their group’s coasters in a few weeks. You will be

impressed!

Nurse Daily’s Updates

Jefferson County Schools – APRIL Menu,

2012

MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

2 - 5 Cinnamon Toast; Yogurt;

Fresh Fruit; Milk

Spaghetti and Meat Sauce;

Tossed Salad/w dressing; Corn; Applesauce; Bread

Sticks; Milk

3 Chicken Biscuit; Fresh Fruit;

Milk

BBQ Ribs; Mashed

Potatoes/Gravy; Green Beans; Yellow Cake; Milk

4 Taco go eggs; Toast; Fresh

Fruit; Milk

Hot Dog on W/W Bun; Tater

Tots; Baked Beans; Fruit Salad; Milk

5 Egg patty w/Cheese on

English Muffin; Fresh Fruit;

Milk

Chicken Noodle Soup;

Toasted Cheese Sandwich on Whole wheat; Fresh Fruit;

Fresh Vegetables w/dip; Milk

6 NO SCHOOL - IS

DAY

9

NO School – Spring

Break

10

NO School – Spring

Break

11

NO School – Spring

Break

12

NO School – Spring

Break

13

NO School – Spring

Break

16 - 6 Fruit muffin square; Yogurt; Fresh Fruit; Milk

Hamburger on W/W Bun; French Fries; Green Beans;

Fresh Fruit; Chocolate Chip

Cookie; Milk

17 Oatmeal; Toast; Fresh Fruit; Milk

Turkey & Cheese Sub;

Lettuce/Tomato; Potato

Tots; Fresh Vegetables w/dip; Fresh Fruit; Milk

18 Cinnamon roll; Yogurt; Fresh Fruit; Milk

Chili Con Carne w/Beans;

Carrot Sticks w/dip; Cornbread;

Fruit Salad; Milk

19 Sausage Gravy/Biscuit; Fresh Fruit; Milk

BBQ Chicken; Mashed

Potatoes; Peas; Applesauce;

W/W Roll; Milk

20 French Toast w/syrup; Yogurt; Fresh Fruit; Milk

Fish Sticks; Macaroni and Cheese; Peas and Carrots;

Fruit Salad; Oatmeal

Cookie; Milk

23 - 1 Pancake w/syrup; Yogurt;

Fresh Fruit; Milk

Beef-a-Roni; Tossed Salad w/dressing; Frozen Juice Bar;

Whole Wheat Roll; Milk

24 Scrambled eggs w/ham;

Toast; Fresh Fruit; Milk

Chicken and Noodles; Green

Beans; Fresh Fruit; Whole Wheat Roll; Milk

25 Bagel w/Jelly; Yogurt; Fresh

Fruit; Milk

Vegetable Soup; Toasted Cheese Sandwich; Oatmeal

Cookie; Fresh Fruit; Milk

26 Breakfast Pizza; Fresh Fruit;

Milk

Chicken Patty on W/W Bun; Lettuce/Tomato; French Fries;

Baked Beans; Carrots w/Dip;

Milk

27 Cheese Omelet; Toast;

Fresh Fruit; Milk

Pizza; Tossed Salad w/Dressing; Fresh Fruit;

Brownie; Milk

30 - 2

Cinnamon Toast; Yogurt;

Fresh Fruit; Milk

Grilled Chicken/Cheese on

W/W Bun; Steamed Broccoli; Baked Potato/Sour Cream;

Milk

Visit the new West Virginia Department of Education – Child Nutrition website - www.wvsmartfoods.com - for more

information about school child nutrition.

Free/Reduced Meal Applications are now available online – http://wvschoolmeals.net

Payments may be made at - http://wv.parentonline.net Please visit the safe and secure way for parents to make online

payments and view student meal account activity.

Menus are subject to change due to availability of food product.

A variety of cold cereals are offered with all Breakfast menus.

In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) policy, this institution is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. To file a complaint alleging discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue SW,

Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call, toll free, (866) 632-9992 (Voice). Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing or have speech disabilities may contact USDA

through the Federal Relay at (800) 877-8339 or (800) 845-6136 (Spanish). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.