2015-02 Mtn Ridge v.1.Compressed (1)

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FEBRUARY 2014

Main Office 303-387-1800

Fax 303-387-801

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A note from the principal . . .

Happy Spring (Almost)!

I am writing this as we await what is supposed to be a huge storm this weekend. I have a feeling that we are in for a snowy Spring! That ought to be great for all of you skiers and snowboarders out there. For the rest of us, Yuck!

I gained my inspiration for this month’s column while I was sitting at a Vista basketball game the other night (which they won, by the way). As I have watched the student section over the season, it hit me how symbolic it truly is! For those of you who have not been to an event in Vista’s gym, here is the setup: all of the adult spectators sit on one side, while all of the students own the opposite stands. Vista students have created a very impressive fan section that has actually been recognized as the best in the state! It is fun to watch them with their traditional cheers as well as new ones for the “big games.” There is a pecking order to how the students arrange themselves, however. Seniors get the front rows, juniors right behind them, and so on. The freshmen know their place and head straight to the back. At the start of the season, the freshmen

http://www.warriorsyouthsports.com/

P A G E 2

Mountain Ridge Middle School

A note from the principal . . . continued

wanting to give the upper classmen plenty of space. We often have middle school students attend these games too. The 7th grade students usually sit toward the bottom on the visitor side, often with a parent. The 8th grade students go to the top of the bleachers but stay far to the side of the Vista section. Hopefully this gives you a visual of how things look, at least at the beginning of the season.

I was noticing the other night, however, that the configuration had begun to shift a little as this was the last home game of the regular season. The seniors were still upfront with the juniors right behind. The freshmen, however, have become more comfortable and have now integrated themselves more into the mix, while still staying in the back. There were several rows behind them now! The 8th graders in attendance have gradually moved their way over to the Vista student section, leaving space, but standing behind the freshmen. The 7th graders gradually made their way to the top of the stands where the 8th graders used to be.

What a great symbol for this time of year!!!! Everyone is beginning to transition into their next phase. Freshmen are now seeing themselves more as part of the student body, 8th graders are testing the waters of high school to begin integrating, and 7th graders are trying on the role of the big kids at MRMS. This is a beautiful and scary thing to watch. Each and every one of you is going through this transition with your student as well. It is natural yet terrifying. Give them that room to begin moving into their new “section,” but be there to watch and support when they get scared and intimidated by this.


http://www.medvedsouth.com/

http://www.avid4.com/

P A G E 3


A note from the principal . . . continued

I love middle school for this reason! Our kids come to us as elementary students and we get to watch them turn into high school students. Amazing! Who would think that so much could be learned from watching the student section at a basketball game?

Let us know how we can support you and your student as the sections in the bleachers continue to transition. As always, thank you for letting us be a part of your amazing students’ lives day in and day out, and thank you for your support!

Shannon Clarke, Principal

http://www.childrenscolorado.org/about/locations/highlands-ranch?utm_source=school&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_content=highlands-ranch&utm_campaign=denver-preference


General Announcements

P A G E 4

A Gentle Reminder

Parents are welcome to bring their students lunch from a restaurant, however, we are unable to accept deliveries for students from restaurant delivery personnel, including pizza deliveries. Thank you for helping us minimize distractions to the learning environment. Thanks!

Creative Writers… Go Crazy!

Have you ever experienced a fleeting moment of craziness and turned it into a piece of writing? Well, you'll learn how to do that in this class. Current unit of study is Story Corps interviews. Originally run on NPR, MRMS students are learning to show that their stories matter as they interview each other and publish on Voicethread.

http://www.nwphysicians.com/

https://gridironflag.com/League/highlands-ranch/



General Announcements continued

P A G E 5

B.I.O.N.I.C.

Believe It Or Not, I Care

Here at MRMS, we are fortunate to be blessed with amazing students who truly care about each other and about making others feel comfortable, comforted, and welcomed.

Out of that care and concern came the B.I.O.N.I.C. group, which stands for “Believe It Or Not, I Care.” The BIONIC teams are made up of students who volunteered or who were invited to participate. Teams are divided up into several areas, welcoming new students, comforting those who might have experienced a loss, and comforting students who are facing/have faced longer term illnesses.

Every Thursday, BIONIC students get together to create cards and messages, and then they deliver those to students. The BIONIC Teams are one more way we showcase student leadership here at MRMS and one more way we make our larger community feel welcoming to all.

BIONIC Team members works with our Counseling staff to identify students who need extra care.

http://www.happyteethcolorado.com/

http://www.evolveasp.com/camps



P A G E 6

B.I.O.N.I.C. continued

Making cheerful cards!

BIONIC Team members enjoy the camaraderie of their groups

http://hanleetkd.com/

http://realcolorado.net/camps/camps-info



P A G E 7

Make a WISH!!

Wish Week 2015 was a major success this year! Mountain Vista invited MRMS to participate, and our students and staff got behind the event 100%.

Activities here at MRMS included NJHS members selling hot chocolate and donuts and donating the proceeds, Student Council sponsoring Hat Day and donating the proceeds, RAM classes conducting a mighty penny war, and our own principal Shannon Clarke and security guard Pete Mazula playing in the basketball game against the Harlem Wizards on Monday, February 2. The Wizards generated excitement, laughter and game night anticipation here at MRMS during an assembly Monday morning on the day of the game.

The event culminated in a Wish Week Assembly at Vista which we were able to livestream to classrooms here at Mountain Ridge. There was not a dry eye in the house as Asher and his family were introduced.

Final totals are in for the Wish Week events—together, we raised over $61,000.00—enough to grant EIGHT wishes for the Make A Wish Foundation. What a great testimonial to the big hearts in our feeder!

http://www.midasonbroadway.com/




P A G E 8

Morning Traffic??

Cars, Buses, and SUV’s—oh my!

We need your HELP!

Anyone who has experienced morning traffic here at MRMS knows it is far from being a picnic. In fact, the traffic issues seem to have multiplied as the school year has gone on.

The combined efforts of MRMS and MVHS security have resulted in a traffic loop and drop-off system that really does work efficiently when everyone is following it. But even the most efficient system cannot handle the immense volume of traffic we have been experiencing.

As a result, our buses are getting caught in the loop and are held up in the drop-off process. We are regularly experiencing waves of students arriving late, sometimes up to a couple of hundred students arriving up to 10 minutes late to the building. Students are missing announcements and instructional time is being impacted.



P A G E 9

Morning Traffic?? continued

WE NEED HELP!!

Please consider the following suggestions to help make the morning a little easier:

● If your student can walk or ride the bus and is not, please have him/her do that. We understand there are bad weather days or special projects due that make a car ride easier, but in general, cutting down on the sheer numbers of cars coming into the parking lot will help.

● Consider carpooling. Most of the cars coming into the parking lot have just one rider. Carpooling is more efficient and the added benefit is parents don’t have to face the drive every day!

● Get in line earlier. Cars getting into the loop closer to 7 a.m. seem to move through more quickly and smoothly. Anyone getting into the line at 7:15 or later is almost guaranteed a long wait and a late student!

● Do you have a high school student driving to school with a parking permit in the upper lot? Again, carpooling (if possible) can help. Students with other permits should use the far west parking entrance. And, again, getting into line closer to 7 a.m. than 7:30 is strongly recommended. (Yes, we DO realize we are talking about teenagers…)

● Avoid the traffic loop altogether and drop your student off in a safe neighborhood location so he/she can walk the rest of the way up to the building. (Again, yes, we DO realize we are talking about teenagers…)

● If you are driving in and dropping off, thank you for driving as FAR around the loop as you can before stopping to let students out. Remind them to exit on the sidewalk side of the car and to be ready to exit immediately when you are able to come to a safe stop.

Over the years, there have been significant improvements to our traffic flow and process. The double turn lane into our schools was put in a few years ago and has been tremendously helpful. Our security guards are well-versed in moving traffic efficiently. Thank you for recognizing their efforts—they love your smiles, waves and good humor in the morning!

We appreciate your efforts in helping us run a smooth traffic pattern and in trying to reduce the volume of vehicles coming in each morning. Our goal is to get students in safely and quickly and to get our school started on time!



P A G E 10

Yearbook Closing in on Their Last Deadline

Here we are! It's hard to believe that the storytellers of MRMS are working toward our last deadline. It takes a lot of communication and collaboration to cover all of the amazing events hosted here and we're close!

If you haven't purchased a yearbook, please call our bookkeeper, Mar-gene Greeno and we'll make sure to put you on the list. Cost of each yearbook is $35

Baby Ad deadline for 8th grade parents to submit is Friday, Feb. 20. All information is on our main MRMS page.



P A G E 11

P A G E 12


Athletics And Activities

8th grade boys basketball ended their season February 28, 2015. This season the boys worked very hard and grew in their sportsmanship, skill level and collaboration. Thank you to all the parents and athletes. In addition, thanks to Steve Lopez, Mike Kelly, and Craig Harvey for an amazing job coaching our athletes! Our team had a lot of support from the MRMS student body. They cheered, chanted, danced and even raised money for Children’s Hospital.

Our 7th grade boy’s basketball season started March 2, 2015. Our coaches, Mike Kelly, Lucas Reeves, and Pete Mazula predict success and lots of fun! Good luck boys on your upcoming season! The season ending tournament will be April 11, 2015 at Highlands Ranch High School.

Track season starts April 13, 2015. The team is coming back from a district championship last year! This is a great opportunity for 7th and 8th

P A G E 13


Team 7-1

7th

Graders at Work at

International Towne

P A G E 14


Team 7-1

Even the parents had

fun!

P A G E 15


Team 7-1

A Brief Commentary by Russell Loucks - Team 71

Insights and thoughts on Education in

"A Brave New World."

February 20, 2015

Teaching iLab has given me an opportunity to “play” with learning, both mine and the students’. I’ve come to realize that there are certain insti-tutional norms unwritten, but both parties understand the expectations, and when they are broken, brilliant learning can happen.

Let’s start by defining the current paradigm of teaching and learning in, generally, most middle and high schools across the nation. It goes like this: student comes in to class with an expectation, which is that–student “receives” information or knowledge from teacher; teacher de-livers information and knowledge; student regurgitates information back in some acceptable form–multiple choice test, essay, or “fill in the blank.”

It is how I’ve conducted teaching and learning for far too long. Students, parents, and teachers believe that the mark of a good teacher or the rigor of a class depends on this cycle of deliver, receive, regurgitate. As we all know, that does not create life-long learners or thinkers; it creates mechanical apathetic students who pray and cheer for “snow days.”

I hate that.

I mean: I REALLY hate that!

When the

Coffee Kicks In…

https://reloucks.wordpress.com/




P A G E 16


Team 7-2 Are You Aware?

We are getting close to the last quarter and it will be here before we know it. Spring Break will be the week of March 22-28 with the Friday before, March 20 being a teacher work day, so the students will not have school that day. Prior to the end of this quarter, we have our first round of state testing. Testing will begin on Tuesday, March 10 through Thursday, March 12. During this testing, the students will be working on performance based assessments and will continue to have their normal elective classes.

Here is what is going on throughout the POD

Social Studies:

Currently working on different types of governments and will soon be starting a new unit of different types of religions. They even played a review game using Kahoot which tested their knowledge of the types of government and "who has the power".

iLab:

Students have been becoming experts on their chosen "Deep Dive" topics and have created infographics to display their knowledge. They will soon be moving on to the creation of their Capstones.

Health:

Students are finishing up working on body image and eating disorders and they made a poster that displayed their understanding of how the media affects our views of body image. They will be moving on to diseases next.

Math:

7th grade math students are working on applying proportions to linear equations, mark ups and interests. Algebra students are working on solving inequalities.

Science:

Students are wrapping up genetics and heredity and will soon be moving on to geology. The students have been studying DNA and how genes are passed on from one generation to the next

Language Arts:

Students in advanced language arts have been creating a Utopian society where they choose a government and philosophy, and create a map and flag to go with it.

Students in 7th grade LA are reading the novel The Outsiders

P A G E 17


Team 8-1

Interview with Team 81 Spirit Unit: Bryn Smith, AJ Stevens, Zack Hoff, Eric Kimmell, and Rafe Kinder. These awesome students took it upon themselves to organize and cheer on our boy’s basketball team. They are also trying raise money for Children’s Hospital. Thank you for your positive leadership, Spirit Unit!

What is the best thing about being on Team 81?

There are great teachers that give us freedom to explore our interests. They give us time to learn things that interest us. The atmosphere is good and you are welcome everyday. Everyone is enthusiastic and encourages our learning. They allow us to take risks and go to great length to advance our learning. Our teachers participate in spirit days and have fun with us. They balance work and fun and don’t overload us. Our teachers make it easier on us to succeed by making sure we can manage our time.

How has the learning prepared you for life beyond MRMS?

They intrigue us so we are eager to learn. In science we learn about real life stuff that we talk to our parents about. Mrs. Earl makes sure that we understand how our learning is important for high school and life. The teachers challenge us so that we have to think harder and they push us to become better learners.

What motivates you to succeed on Team 81?

My teachers and friends create a team atmosphere that raises us up on bad days and keeps us motivated to do our best.

What do you want others to know about Team 81?

We are the best! We have a competitive spirit that drives us to have fun and be successful. We are fun loving. We are positive. We love to learn and we love how all our teachers have different ways to teach us. We take care of business and get things done because we care about our education and one another.

P A G E 18


Team 8-1 continued

P A G E 19


Team 8-3

Hi team 83 community. We are getting close to the last quarter and it will be here before we know it. Spring Break will be the week of March 22-28 with the Friday before, March 20 being a teacher work day, so the students will not have school that day. Prior to the end of this quarter, we have our first round of state testing. Testing will begin on Tuesday, March 10 through Thursday, March 12. During this testing, the students will be working on performance based assessments and will continue to have their normal elective classes. Fourth quarter is when our team kicks everything into gear and we focus on the transition to high school. So many things will be happening over the last few months. This includes our second part of the Cherokee Ranch field trip during May. We will be communicating more about the trip as it gets closer. Also, we will spend time before the end of the year visiting Mountain Vista to help with the transition for next year. Don’t forget, March 6 is the final due date for all STEM projects. Language arts is deep in the trenches with poetry. Social studies is focused on the different political parties. Astronomy is the core of science class right now. As for math, the different classes are all working on their own thing. Math 8 just finished a unit on linear equations, while Algebra is breathing a sigh of relief with inequalities after finishing up quadratics. Geometry, on the other hand, will soon be entering into some trigonometry. Healthy choices is the topic in health right now.

P A G E 20


Team 8-4 News

All The News That’s Swagworthy!

Interview with team 84: Chris Manwarring, Neha Ankam, Madison Schall, Nick Englhard, Cody King (member of the Spirit Unit).

What is the best thing about being on team 84?

Everything we learn is for a purpose and they make connections between classes. We have very cool teachers and very nice friends. The way they teach is awesome. It is not just lecture, it is hands on interactive learning. We love that we do a lot of projects and collaborate with our classmates. The teachers are really cool and we have a strong sense of community. We will see teachers observe other teachers to make sure they are connected. We really like how we present our learning in unique ways.

How has the learning prepared you for life beyond MRMS?

We get taught and graded on 21st century skills. Those are the skills that will transfer to life. We get a lot of real world examples in our classes. In health, we learn things that will apply to us and help us live healthy. The reading and writing and things we do in language arts are going to prepare us for school and life. Before, we would get scripted answers on why this is relevant. Now our teacher are able to give us great examples and specifics. Our teachers are like counselors-preparing us for high school and beyond.

What motivates you to succeed on Team 84?

Being ready for high school. Our parents motivate us. We are also self-motivated and that started with our teachers helping us and preparing us. We have fun on the team and it doesn’t just feel like work so we are motivated to work hard.

What do you want others to know about Team 84?

Even though we work hard we still have fun! We are all really nice and support each other. We help each other out. We feel connected to our teachers and this makes our team a very special place. Everyone is treated fairly. Our teachers make every effort to support us. We just like coming to school. We feel safe to participate and take risks.

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2015-02 Mtn Ridge v.1.Compressed (1)