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P A G E 2

Mountain Ridge Middle School

A note from the principal . . .continued

I know often as parent, I would check the grades and ask my son about

them instead of him owning the process. This is a very intentional way

to keep you informed, open communication lines with your student,

and have them take ownership of their progress. I know, sometimes it

is just easier to do these things yourself, because at least you know

they will get done! J Now is a good time to start turning these pieces

over to your child and begin preparing them for their next steps.

Parenting a middle schooler is hard! Being a middle schooler is even

harder! Middle school is such a great time for students to try newthings, find out what they like and dont like, learn resiliency and learn

from their mistakes. The only way they can do that is if they are given

a safe place with support to spread their wings. This is a goal that we

have at MRMS. We want to give students the opportunities to try,

learn, and sometimes struggle; but we want to let them know that we

are here to help them every step of the way. For us, it is also that

continued release of responsibility from us to them. We believe that if

we give them a safety net, they will be more likely to push themselves

knowing that if they fail at whatever task, they will learn from it and

be able to move forward. This is such a crucial part of middle school!

With this support at home and at school, students are bound for

success! Thank you again for all you do for your kids and for sending

us students who are eager to learn and push forward. Please always

let us know if there is anything we can do to support you or your

student. Have a great fall!

Shannon Clarke, Principal
http://www.lessonsonly.com/http://www.botanicgardens.org/corn-maze/about

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Whats happening in the MRMS library?

Have you visited the library wiki? If you want to get a look at what sort ofactivities go on in the MRMS library, visit Hardwired for Stories(an online

perpetual work in progress that serves our schools staff and students).

Your student should know that the quickest way to get there is simply to

Google, Hardwired for Stories. Once there, feel free to snoop around

and explore the many different activities that have been created to

support our schools curriculum. Mr. Vincelettes favorites include; the

Houdini nonfiction adventure, the Library Murder Mystery, and the HFS

book exchange project.

Has your student mentioned using voicethread? Voicethread is an online

application that all of our students have accounts for. It providesstudents with several tools for presenting information, (as in telling

stories digitally or demonstrating their learning). If your student is taking

a world language class here at MRMS, theres a good chance they have

already made their first voicethread. Please encourage your student to

tinker/play with this powerful tool. The more familiar with it they are,

the better. If students have questions about accessing their accounts

they should see Mr. Vincelette or Mrs. Meyer in the library.


General Announcements continued

P A G E 4
http://c/Users/Juleigh/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.IE5/GMEB15GX/hardwiredforstories.wikispaces.comhttp://c/Users/Juleigh/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.IE5/GMEB15GX/hardwiredforstories.wikispaces.comhttp://www.fueluptoplay60.com/http://www.thewildlifeexperience.org/http://c/Users/Juleigh/AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Temporary%20Internet%20Files/Content.IE5/GMEB15GX/hardwiredforstories.wikispaces.com

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Notes From The Counseling Department

P A G E 5


continued on the next page

What are your kids on.

Middle school students use social media for a variety of purposes. Someclassrooms use social media to communicate and share information and it

can be a great tool for an innovative classroom. Many students connect

with friends online to make plans, play games or just check in with each

other. But when can social media be unhealthy for students? When does

social media create more problems for students?

Social media can be a difficult world for students to navigate. As a school,

we recognize the impact social media can have on the lives of our

students. To teach students how to be safe online, MRMS partners with

Douglas County Sheriff's Department to teach students the YES program.The program teaches students how to be safe online and negative

consequences if social media is used inappropriately. And though students

learn about online safety, we continue to have numerous student conflicts

that stem from online social media sites. We want parents to have

resources so they can support and guide their student when using social

media. If you need help or information about online safety for children

and teens, check out the parent links below for help and support. If you

have specific questions or concerns about your students online activity,

please call our main office and ask to speak with an administrator or one

of the counselors. We are here to help our students learn how to be safe

online.

http://stopcyberbullying.org/prevention/parents_role.html

nternet-safety.yoursphere.com/2013/08/ask-fm-what-it-is-and-what-

parents-need-to-know/

https://support.twitter.com/articles/470968-families#
https://support.twitter.com/articles/470968-familieshttp://www.warriorsyouthsports.com/https://support.twitter.com/articles/470968-families

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Parent Corner

The Gift of Struggle

One of the most important things we can do as

parents is help our children develop resiliency.

Resiliency is the quality that allows them to

bounce back from setbacks, to persevere in the

face of adversity, and to continue trying until

they succeed at a task. A colleague of ours

calls this the gift of struggle, and she contends, as do many others, that

this struggle is a vital part of our students development. Just as a

butterfly must struggle to leave its cocoon in order to develop its wingsfor flight, human beings need to have opportunities to grapple with

challenges so we can learn how to conquer them rather than be

defeated by them.

So how do we set the stage for this gift of struggle? We can model

problem-solving rather than problem-avoidance. We can talk over

situations and choices with our kids, reviewing pros and cons of various

courses of action. We can talk to them in terms of what they might do

and why, when facing a tough situation. We can resist the impulse to

remove all obstacles from our childrens paths. And, most importantly,we can step back and allow them to solve problems in a guided fashion,

with trusted adults on the sidelines for coaching.

Notes From The Counseling Department continued

P A G E 6

http://hanleetkd.com/http://www.learningrx.com/

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continue on the next page

P A G E 7


Wow! MRMS students are participating in tons of sports and activities!

Aside from winning the district championship, our students show their

resiliency, sportsmanship, and pride wherever we go. Thank you parents

and guardians who have supported and encouraged your students to get

involved and surround themselves with positive influences!

Congratulations to our cross country team and 8th

girls volleyball team for

taking home the District Championship! Our 8th

football team is hitting

hard and will finish their season on October 9th

. Seventh grade volleyball

and seventh grade flag football started September 15 and will end their

season October 25th

. Seventh and eighth grade wrestling will start right

after fall break on October 20th

and end with a tournament on December

17th. If your student is still playing volleyball or flag football, and theywant to wrestle, please have them finish their season and then join the

wrestling team. Eighth grade girls basketball starts October 27th

and ends

December 6th

. Our Unified soccer team started off with a tie against Mesa

Middle School with more games to come. Unified Basketball will start in

December.

There are so many clubs for your students to get involved in, as well as

the possibility for your student to start their own club. I will do my best to

list what is going on now and in the near future: NJHS, Interact, BIONIC,

Student Council, Mountain Bike Club, Green Team, Gamma Nu, MovieClub, Technology Student Association (TSA), Running Club, iCode, Jazz

Band, Mens Choir, Womens Choir, Advanced Choir, Thespian Troupe,

and World Affairs Challenge. Again, if your student has a passion, please

have them come see Mr. Hess to see how to get a club started.

Thank you for all your support and making MRMS a positive and safe

environment where students can explore, take risks, have fun, pursue

their passion, and be apart of something special.

Athletics And Activities
http://www.medvedsouth.com/

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P A G E 8


Athletics And Activities continued

AladdinBy Daniel Schwartz

If youve stayed after school for the past

three weeks, you can hear the sound of over

one hundred kid singing memorable songs

from the newly written musical Aladdin Jr.

Thats right folks! This year, as most of you

should know, Aladdin Jr. is our Fall Musical.

The cast is amazing, including our leads. Our leads are: Nick Rogers as

Aladdin, Julia Driggs as Jasmine, Ian Spillman as Jafar and Evan Gibley asthe Genie.

Aladdin is about a poor boy on the streets of a great city known as Agra-

bah. The princess Jasmine is very reluctantly having to choose a prince to

marry. The whole ceremony gets interrupted after Aladdin steals a loaf of

bread from the city baker. He ends up getting arrested and thrown in a

cave because all the prisons are full. There he ends up meeting the Genie

who he asks to help him try and get Jasmine to fall in love with him. Alad-

din takes her on a magic carpet ride and they end up getting engaged.

Then Jafar stops the wedding and tries to marry Jasmine in order to gain

absolute power. Tune in to see what happens next

Make sure you buy the tickets while you can! The shows will be November

5th through 8th and can be purchased on Ms. McDaniels website or

www.headstrongtheatre.com
http://theschoolnewslettercompany.com/districts/douglas-county-school-district/

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P A G E 10


Team 7-2 continue

Upcoming Parent Involvement Opportunities.

On Thursday, October 9th

we will hold

our Annual Road Rallyevent in the

Team 7-2 pod. We would love to have

10-12 parents join us to help facilitate

this exciting opportunities for students

to race around the globe. We plan to

set up around 9:00 a.m. and finish by

12:00 noon. No training or Road Rally

experience is required. If you would like

to participate, please contact [email protected].

We have begun to explore the natural landscape around our school with a

hike to High Point and by researching invertebrates. Early next quarter

we will travel off campus for our annual trip to our local invertebrate zoo,

otherwise known as the Butterfly Pavilion. Students will put into practice

their science skills of

observation and

investigation. They will

collect butterfly data

(flutter-bys and landings)

in order to test theirhypotheses related to

butterfly activity and color.

Parent volunteers are

needed for this field trip.

We will be traveling on

Oct. 27 and 28 (half of the

team each day). If you can

join us, please contact Alan Savage at [email protected]. When

students return from the field trip, they will graph and evaluate their data

in order to discover patterns and evaluate the validity of their hypotheses.To improve their overall understanding of invertebrates, students are

conducting in-depth research on and writing about a specific invertebrate

of their own choosing. Students will use their Social Studies knowledge to

locate and map their invertebrates habitat, an illustration to accompany

their research paper. They have uncovered some pretty cool facts about

these animals and why invertebrates (which account for 97% of the

Earths entireanimal population, including humans) are so important to

the health of the planet. Ask you student!

mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]

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P A G E 11


Team 7-2 continue

T-Shirt Design ProjectWE ARE TEAM 7-2!

In iLab, students worked in design teams to come up with a t-shirt design

that would represent who we are as a team. In each class, design teams

worked to incorporate the core beliefs and characteristics of our team

and our school in an effort to represent the Team 7-2 community in their

design. Each team prepared and gave a presentation explaining their

design in an attempt to persuade the voters that their design would be

the best choice. The students have made their selection and we expect to

receive the shirts by the beginning of 2nd

Quarter. If you have not yet paid

for the shirt, you can visit your account on Infinite Campus where you will

find a t-shirt fee for $7.50. If you have already paid, thank you!

Thank you to all of the parents and students who attended Student-Led

Conferenceson September 24th

and 25th

. It is always so wonderful to

watch students strut their stuff for their parents and to engage in

meaningful conversation about learning.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&docid=gORdRQbTRfmfiM&tbnid=5AeZtciaphYSPM:&ved=0CAcQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fclipart.mrdonn.org%2Fholidays%2Fthankyou.html&ei=SB4qVJfzOIP7yASI_IBY&psig=AFQjCNEntxUuoKJ4NxTkRW3H5T

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P A G E 12


Team 7-4 One Of The Top 6 Teams At MRMS

We have had an amazing first quarter with our students. We have had

two change agents of the month to honor, a critical thinking contest todesign a team t-shirt, and a challenging maze to work through to prac-

tice collaboration and communication skills.

Our Change Agent of

the Month for August

was

Liam McChesney.

Liam has a positiveattitude and energetic

towards everything he

approaches. He is kind

to all he interacts with

and always makes a

connections to his

learning. We are so

excited to have Liam be

our first Change Agent

for team 74.

Our Change Agent of the

Month for September is

Kariss Cash.

Karriss improves any group

she is a part of. She brings

out the best in other

students and demonstrates

exceptional leadershipskills. She is good at

compromising, listening to

others, and collaborating

with whomever she

works. We are honored to

have her on our team and

as our change agent for

September.


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P A G E 13


Team 7-4 continued

Students worked in collaborative groups to design a team t-shirt for Team

74 Change Agents. Here is the winning design. Please check revtrak tomake sure you have purchased one, we are ordering them next week.

Finally, our students went to the Corn Maze on Wednesday, September

23rd to work on their critical thinking, collaboration, and communication

skills while mapping the unknown. They did an excellent job and we are

excited about the learning that took place.

We are looking forward to our next quarter and watching our Change

Agents grow. Thank you for sharing them with us.

Team 74

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P A G E 14


Team 8-1

Team 8-1 welcomes you! We are so excited about how this year has

started. We had a beginning of the year activity that was absolutelythrough the roof. Students demonstrated a great deal of enthusiasm

during the spirited small group competition. Team building and a sense

of pride in work was felt throughout the day. As Mrs. Earl said, We work

hard, but we play hard too!

Our theme this year is, How will you lead?

Language Arts

In August we started our new novels and went into all the elements of a

novel. We also discussed goal setting and what we could work on as

individuals throughout the year to be more prepared for 9th grade.

Students are beginning their second round of books, and we will be

making sure that students have evidence within their writing to support

their main points. Here is a list of books that we have read this year so

far in various classes: Sleeping Freshman Never Lie, The Disreputable

History of F.L.B., Touching Spirit Bear, The Acorn People, Stargirl, Life of

Pi, and Nothing But The Truth.

Math/Algebra

Currently students are discovering patterns in tables, graphs, and

equations. We are learning how to be excellent tablemates and

collaborate with our peers. It is ok to fail while we are learning as long as

we are learning from our mistakes! Everyone can do algebra!!! In the

next few weeks, we will be participating in a video challenge project that

will allow students to collaborate with other students around the world

to reach a solution to a challenging math problem.

Science

Students have been exploring Newtons Laws of motion and different

types of forces. We are currently exploring how surface area and weight

affect friction. Later in the month, we will be exploring buoyant forces,

electromagnetic forces and elastic forces.

STEM

Students have been learning the basics of programming and

robotics. They will continue to work on these basic programs for the

next few weeks and then switch from one topic to the other. The goal of

robotics and programming is problem solving. Students are faced with

challenges that they will need to collaborate on in order to solve a

problem.continue on the next page

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P A G E 15


Team 8-1 continued

Physical Education/Health

In health, we are discussing the internal and external influences in ourlives. Social media, family, friends, sports, food, TV, video games,

magazines, books...etc. are all contributors to how we mold our

lives. We will also take a look at cyberbullying and what the law says

about it. Officer Walton, from the Y.E.S.S. Program, will share the facts

about how social media has changed the way we think, act and live. Its

gonna be a great unit!

US History

What a great start to a new year! Students are exploring how European

claims overlapped, leading to the French and Indian War and creating ahuge financial deficit that the British Crown demanded the new colonies

pay.

Who will win the war and will the new colonies stand up to the Crown

over this issue of taxation without representation? Only time will tell...

Applied Academics/Resource Class

Students have been working on specific skill sets aligned with the goals

and objectives on their IEPs. In addition, students are receiving

homework support for their core classes and conferencing with meregarding their grades and any missing work. Students have also been

working on progress monitoring and organizational skills. I co-teach

language arts, math, science, social studies and STEM in order to offer

students additional support in their core classes. I have really enjoyed

getting to work with the students on this team this year. They are hard

working and enthusiastic.

GREEN TEAM

We are looking for students that want to make a difference in their

school and community. The Green Team meets once a week. Thechanges we create can help earn several thousand dollars for our

school! Lets be a greenschool!

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Social Studies

In social studies, students are studying the Declaration of Independenceand the causes of the Revolutionary War. Students continue to examine

the question, Why do people rebel? as well as getting ready to

experience the war through the eyes of an eighth grader.

Science

Currently, students are studying thunderstorms and atmosphere. See the

website for home discussion questions!

Language Arts

To piggy-back off of Dalbys thematic question of rebellion, students are

completing the the novel, Nothing but the Truth, by Avi, and headed into

robotics (paired with STEM) to examine the pros and cons of a

technologically-based society.

STEM

Half of the students are working on robotics and the other half are

working on energy.

Math8th grade math is working on solving equationsAlgebra is making connections between representations of linear

functions

Geometry is learning about angles with parallel and perpendicular lines

Upcoming field trip

On Friday, October 3rd

, Team 83 will be traveling to Cherokee Ranch. The

purpose of the trip is to build positive relationships with students and

expose them to some of the outdoor learning they will experience in the

spring, when we revisit the ranch. We are going to hike in groups of 30-33students. Each group will have parent volunteers and a teacher leader.

We plan to drop students at different locations around the ranch. Each

group will then hike to the castle. Kids will share pictures and experiences

from each of the different hikes and discuss what they have seen. We will

load the buses at the castle and be back at school by 1:00 p.m. (start of

electives).

We are all excited about this adventure and would love for you to come

along!

P A G E 16


Team 8-3

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P A G E 17


Team 8-4 News

All The News Thats Swagworthy!

Pod 84 From a Student Perspective

Whats new in 8th Grade?

Contributions by A. Neta and C. Raisor, edited by Team 84

Students have changed drastically already, from

appearances, to how things appear to them (their

point of view). Mathematics has changed from

re-viewing straight into 8th, and 9th grade math.

Ms. Van has a game where we put what we havelearned to the test, literally; the program we use is

Kahoot. Another class that has changed is Physical

Education. Core 4 students state that they havent

lost a single game to the other pods. The gym

teachers have a game day every Friday. In social

studies, Mr. Klinkerman is trying fun new ways to

take notes, and read the chapters. For one

worksheet, we did a competition: each group takesnotes to answer questions, and if the answers are

right, you get to shoot a miniature basketball at a

miniature hoop. Also, every Friday, in language arts

we take our test and have time to work on our

writing and reading.

Everything seems to be new and exciting, and our students are engaged

and off to a good start. Here are some updates on the team so far:

STEM

Students in Ms. Peters STEM class have been learning to program NXT Lego

Mindstorm robots with various challenges such as Forward and Accelerate,

Curves, Square, and Parking Bay. The real challenge was developing a

unique pattern that incorporated the following elements . . .


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P A G E 18


Team 8-4 continued

Students utilized many of their problem solving and resiliency skills while

programming their robots into creative designs like roller coasters,

flowers, turtles, any many other designs. Robotics Level 1 was a fun way

to learn about collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical

thinking. Kudos to all the kids on their end of the unit project, My

Pattern!

Social Studies

This September, we have been learning about colonial life and causes of

the Revolutionary War. In addition to lots of reading, discussion and note

-taking, students created stories as if they were living in one of the

original thirteen colonies. Recently, we have been investigating events

that led to the Revolution, all while playing a little basketball. Just this

week, we held a colonial town hall meeting with the likes of King George

III, Sam Adams, Ben Franklin and Mercy Otis Warren. Be sure to ask your

child if they would have remained loyal to Britain or would have revolted

and become a Patriot. Over the next month, we will be learning about the

the Revolutionary War, the Declaration of Independence, and our

Constitution.

Language Arts

Students in LA8 just finished their Rambling Autobiographies and shared

with their classes. This crazy assignment allows each writer to represent

his or her life so far as an emotional rollercoaster of events and

memories. After sharing their pieces, the classes have a special bond that

will allow them to support and trust one another as a writing community.

In the next few weeks, these students will connect with Social Studies as

they study the question, Why do people rebel? through historical

fiction set in the Revolutionary War era. In the Advanced classes, students

are currently tackling the theme of Foundations-Disequilibrium-Change

90 Point Turn (left or right)

180 GENTLY CURVING turn

Forward

Backwards

Visible Acceleration

A 360 spin

A sound

A display on the LCD

screen

A programming loop


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P A G E 19


Team 8-4 continued

through various novels. Each week, small groups hold discussions on their

thoughts and questions following the assigned reading. In October, theAdvanced classes will tackle the Rambling Autobiography project.

Math

Students in Algebra are applying real-world concepts to mathematical

structures. Following their studies on the Pythagorean Theorem and the

Wheel of Pythagoras, students are jumping into solving inequalities

through an analysis of quarterback passing statistics. In Math 8, students

are working on transformations, reflections, rotations and dilations.

PEFor PE, our focus has been on establishing the overarching philosophies

of our physical education program for 8th graders. We want to develop a

lifestyle of fitness and an understanding of transferrable skills/

concepts. Students started the year by working through the Fitness Gram

testing. Once they set their baselines for the fitness data, students wrote

goals and progress plan to reach those goals by post test time this spring.

Students have also been involved in a variety of activities and competitive

games. The purpose of these games has been to emphasize teamwork,

strategy and communication. Students have had to critically think andcooperate with one another in order to be successful. We have also

discussed with students the idea of resiliency and trial and error when it

comes to playing games and working with others.

Moving forward, we will be continuing to build our level of fitness and

working through barriers that may exist around running and cardio

training. We will also be developing the idea of transferable skills and

looking to demonstrate our knowledge and abilities in multiple sports and

activities.

Health

In health class, we have been working through on Introduction to 8th

grade Health. Students evaluated various areas of their health and

identified places of growth. We discussed and practiced the process of

decision making. Students worked on real life, relatable situations, in

which the process improved the outcome of the situation. We will be

referencing and using this process multiple times throughout the year as

we continue to focus on making healthy, appropriate decisions.


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P A G E 20


Team 8-4 continued

Recently, we have been looking at the concept of influences and how

people may be influenced by things like the media. Students analyzed TVand print advertisements looking at what makes commercials effective

and how they have the power to change behavior. Student were then

assigned the task of creating their own commercials with the purpose of

influencing others health. Students have an opportunity to be creative,

collaborative and think critically about influencing decision making and

behaviors.

In the coming weeks, students will learn about effective communication,

perception and how being intentional in various situations can help you

develop a healthy lifestyle. We will take those concepts and ideas fromthe first unit and move forward with a focus on violence prevention. In

this unit, we will address what violence is and how it influences us along

with bullying and dating violence

Science

Students in science class are learning how to work in collaborative study

teams--having round table study sessions, leading large group

discussions, studying for quizzes together, holding each other

accountable, and learning to rely on each other to build a strong

foundation for their future success. We have begun playing Classcraft--a

great tool for helping create an environment which encourages student

engagement and rewards positive contributions to class. Students helped

create the norms the game is built upon, and they decided the rewards

and consequences which would be given when certain events occur in

class. Ask your students to show you what Classcraft looks like!

Our study of force and motion is culminating on Friday October 3rd

, with a

symposium-style presentation of the students paper roller coasters.

Parents will be our guests that day, to provide an authentic audience for

students to present their work. Next month we will begin a unit in

collaboration with language arts in which students will choose a product

claim to put to the test in a carefully designed scientific investigation.

The results of that experiment will be shared with the company or a

magazine or other audience in a professionally formatted business letter.

Through this experience, students will develop critical thinking through

analyzing bias, manipulating variables, and interpreting data in addition

to critiquing media messages.

Stay tuned

October 1st, Wizard of

Oz Field Trip to MVHS

October 2nd, Team 84

Talk (Parents @ noon)

October 3rd, RollerCoaster Symposium

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The World Language department is eager

to kick off our second year with our online

textbooks. This series allows students to

really incorporate 21st

Century Skills

through activities that promote

collaboration, communication, creativity

and critical thinking skills. Students will be

provided with a current curriculum, that is

comprised of interpersonal, interpretive and presentational activities that

align with Colorado State GVCs (Standards). 7th

grade students will have

access to an online textbook, supplemental practice and assessments,

while 8th

graders will continue to maintain their eportfolios from last year.

We are also excited to announce a new member of our World Language

family, Kelly Britton. Kelly is teaching Spanish 1A and 1B, taking over for

Judi Welch, who retired in May. Last year, Kelly taught on team 71 and

we were lucky enough to snatch her away. She is very excited to be

teaching Spanish this year. Kelly lived in Spain as an exchange student in

her college years and loves the language and culture. Other members of

the team include Cathie Knutson (Spanish 1A and 1B), Jeff Shroyer

(Spanish 1B and World Cultures) and Andrea Beckett (French).

Our summer 8th

grade trip to France and Spain was amazing. In Spain,students had the opportunity to visit places like Barcelona, Pamplona and

San Sebastin. Kids had a great time recreating the Running of the Bulls

(Pamplona) and enjoyed some beach time (San Sebastin). France was

beautiful! Students enjoyed the major sites: the Eiffel Tower, Notre

Dame, the Louvre, Versailles and Montmartre. We also toured the Loire

Valley, home to many historical chateaus of

French kings and queens and had the great

experience of cooking with true French

chefs at a cooking school in Tours. What an

incredible opportunityStay tuned for

upcoming educational travel opportunities!

P A G E 21


World Language

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P A G E 22


Electives continued

Multimedia II

Multimedia 2 is a year-long class new to Mountain Ridge this year.

Multimedia I (the semester long course) still exists, however Multimedia 2

is designed to take students further into the realm of movie making.

Above and beyond the semester class, students will be learning more

about movie making philosophies, scene composition, scheduling,

scouting, special effects, broadcast journalism basics, ethics, and a whole

lot more. Students will be learning these skills through the creation of a

full-length movie and streaming news broadcasts throughout the school.Students are also beginning to maintain our new Youtube channels for

RaMedia productions and RNN, Ram News Network. Students have taken

on incredible leadership roles in this class, and will be volunteering to help

tape and produce videos at our schools live events such as concerts,

plays, and other performances.

Our new movie, 21 Ridge Street, is well underway in the pre-production

stage, We have a completed screenplay and shot list, and will have it cast

before fall break. We are hoping to start production by the end of

October and finish principal photography by the end of November. After

that, we will enter post-production with editing, special effects, publicity,

and soundtrack production. We already have our premiere night

scheduled for Friday, May 15th, at 7pm at Mountain Ridge (subject to

change), complete with a semi-formal red carpet event!


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Art

Day of the Dead (Spanish:Da de Muertos)is a Mexicanholiday observed

throughout Mexico and around the world in other cultures. The holiday

focuses on gatherings of family and friends to remember friends and

family members who have died. The celebration takes place on October

31, November 1 and November 2, in connection with the triduum of

Allhallowtide:All Hallows' Eve,Hallowmas,and All Souls' Day.Traditions

connected with the holiday include building private altars called

ofrendas,honoring the deceased using sugar skulls,marigolds,and the

favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with

these as gifts. Loved ones also leave possessions of the deceased.

MRMS art students sketched their own sugar skulls and used

professional watercolors and masking fluid for the background. The

Unryu Paper, which literally means, "Cloud Dragon Paper," is made by

adding long swirling fibers to a basic kozo pulp.

P A G E 23


Electives

Speech

Speechis a fun and interactive elective at Mountain Ridge Middle School.The purpose is to overcome your fear of public speaking. If this is not a

concern of yours, and you like public speaking, this is a great class to take.

If you are really shy, this class helps you come out of your shell. If talking

is one of your favorite hobbies, this class is for you! It helps you with pub-

lic speaking and gives you lots of practice. The class provides ways to talk

with friends and learn to talk in front of large audiences. This class will

help you in life because someday, you are going to need to give a speech

and youll look back and say good thing I took Speechin middle school.

Ms. McDaniel is one of the best elective teachers that Mountain Ridgehas. She is a great person. She is funny and nice, and she played rugby in

college. How can you not think that is cool? She is fun to be around. She

makes hilarious jokes and loves to interact with her students. She is not

totally strict. She lets you have some freedom, and her classroom is al-

ways a blast!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_languagehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_languagehttp://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%ADa_de_Muertoshttp://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%ADa_de_Muertoshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_peoplehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allhallowtidehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allhallowtidehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Hallows%27_Evehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Hallows%27_Evehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallowmashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallowmashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Souls%27_Dayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Souls%27_Dayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ofrendahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ofrendahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_skullhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_skullhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tagetes_erectahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tagetes_erectahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tagetes_erectahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sugar_skullhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ofrendahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Souls%27_Dayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallowmashttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Hallows%27_Evehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allhallowtidehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mexican_peoplehttp://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C3%ADa_de_Muertoshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_language

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P A G E 24


Electives continued

Documents

2014-09 Mtn Ridge v.1