Newsletter 30.Pub 1

Inside this issue:

Relay for Life T Shirt 2SIC Nomination 3Lit. Mag. & Yearbook 4End of Year Sch. 4World Language 5April– Military Child Mon. 5Special Olympics 6Bio Med Camp 7CATS Summer Camps 7-8

Irmo Middle School6051 Wescott RoadColumbia, SC 29212(803) 476-3600

www.lexrich5.org/imsSchool Hours:8:20 a.m.-3:35 p.m.

If you have any news youwould like to see in theBuzz, email Allison Redickat [email protected].

April 21 2014, Issue 30

Dates to Remember:

BlackWeek

Mon April 21-B Team Baseball @ Spring Valley 6 PM

Tues April 22

-Student Govt 7:45-8:15

Rm 713

-JV Soccer @ Home vs.

Spring Valley 5 PM

Thurs April 24-2BIB Ris. 9th– 5-8 PM IMS

-B Team Baseball @

Dreher HS 6 PM

Fri April 25-FCA 7:35-8:05 Rm 603-JV Soccer @ Home vs.

Lugoff/Elgin 5:30 PMSat April 26-B Team Baseball @

Home vs. Chapin 12 PM

The Buzz at Irmo Middle School

“Creating successful students for the challenges of tomorrow” Robert S. Jackson, Ed.S., Principal

[email protected] https://twitter.com/IMS_Principal

Come cheer on the IRMO B Team and JV Baseball teams as they takeon Chapin on Saturday, April 26th AT IRMO HIGH SCHOOLBASEBALL FIELD. The B Team game starts at noon and the JVgame will begin at 2:30pm. We will be grilling hamburgers and hotdogs. Come out and support your teams!!

***************************************************************************************The Irmo Games - Birkelien from the Irmo Branch Library. The simulation was intended toengage students mentally A Hunger Games Simulation!May the odds be ever in your favor!Eighth grade students in Mrs. McKenzie's ELA class participated in a Hunger Games simulationtoday as a follow-up activity to their recent book study, hosted by Alisha Polkowsky and Holly andphysically in situations similar to those in the book.The 14 participating "tributes" (students) were divided into teams and challenged to work througha series of tasks. Included in the activities was a Cornucopia Race, during which teams earnedpoints for the thoughtfulness of item selection, and an Archery Contest, where students earnedpoints based on their success at hitting specific targets.The archery portion of the simulation was led by local experts, Dennis and Jamie, from the Sports-man's Warehouse outdoor center. After leading a thorough demonstration of safety proceduresand shooting techniques, each student had the opportunity to try-out archery - just like the maincharacter of the featured text, Katniss Everdeen!In response to the collaboration, Dennis related, "It warms our hearts to see the smiles on the kids'faces as they get better with every shot. You really can see the growth and excitement come outas they relax and get into it."Why is it an important component of instructional time to engage students in text-based simula-tions? According to literacy expert, Jeffrey Wilhelm (2002), "The end goal of all enactment[simulation] is for students to internalize content and strategic knowledge, including that of usingthe enactment techniques themselves as a means for problem solving and critical thinking."Thanks to the volunteers from the local library and The Sportsman's Warehouse, iAM studentswere able to engage in another unique learning opportunity!

***************************************************************************************April is Autism Awareness Month

This month is Autism Awareness month. Please let us recognize and celebrate all thestudents here at IMS who have this disability. Equally important, please recognize allour teachers who work with students with autism. We thank and appreciate you all!

***************************************************************************************Relay for Life "Path of Honor". Be a part of celebrating, honoring and fighting cancer atIMS. Student Government will be selling "FOOTPRINTS" during all lunches toraise money for cancer research. Help us fight cancer by honoring someoneyou know who has fought cancer and making a $1 donation for a"FOOTPRINT" with their name on it. The "FOOTPRINTS" will be used to cre-ate PATHS of HONOR in the cafeteria. 7th and 8th grade will be competing tosee who creates the largest PATH of HONOR.

Relay for Life of Chapin & Irmo 2014Friday May 16 2014, 6:00pm, Crossroads Middle Schoolhttp://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLCY14SA?pg=entry&fr_id=60808

Support Relay for Life by Purchasing a T-Shirt Designed by IMS’s veryown Genaro Santos! Front— Celebrate, Remember, Fight Back. Back—Youcan personalize the shirt by having the name of a loved one printed. You choice of blank, In Honor of(a Survivor), or In Memory of (a loss). All proceeds go to American Cancer Society and support the IMSRelay for Life Team.

Front Back Options

Relay for Life T-Shirt Order Form

Name ____________________________________ Telephone ________________________

Hanes: 100% Cotton T Shirt Color: Sapphire BlueYouth: Small______ Medium_____ Large_____ XL_____

Adult: Small______ Medium_____ Large_____ XL_____ 2XL_____ 3XL_____ 4XL____

Cost: $ 15 (Add $2 for size larger than XL) Total Number_______ Total Cost_______

Order Deadline: May 5. Orders to Allison Redick, (IM S Career Specialist), 476-3668, located inRecords or email them to [email protected]. Checks payable to IMS.

Individual Printed Names and Sizes:

In Honor of _______________________________________________________________________

In Memory of ______________________________________________________________________

Page 2 The Buzz at Irmo Middle

IRMO HIGH SCHOOL – SIC NOMINATION FORMApril 10, 2014

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Irmo High School, as stipulated by law, has a School Improvement Council. The School Improvement Councilserves as an advisory body to the principal. The council serves as a liaison between the school, school organiza-tions, the county and the school board by collecting and disseminating information regarding school improvement.

The School Improvement Council is composed of parents, teachers, students and representatives of the commu-nity. Seven parent representatives are elected. There will be three (3) seats open for the 2014-2015 school year.Nomination Forms will be available on the IHS website and in the Main Office.

If you will have a student in grades 9-12 for the 2014-2015 school year and would like to be a candidate or nominatean individual for the School Improvement Council, please complete this nomination form along with a brief bio andemail it to [email protected] no later than 4 p.m. Wednesday, April 30, 2014.

The SIC Election will be held on Tuesday, May 13, 2014 from 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and on Wednesday, May14, from 7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. in the Main Office.

School Improvement CouncilIRMO HIGH SCHOOL

Parent Nomination Form

Nominee’s Name ____________________________________________________________

Address _________________________________________________Zip ________________

Telephone number ________________________home ___________________________ work

Nominee’s Signature ___________________________________________________________

Name of Children ______________________________________Grade/s _________________(Attending Irmo High)

Please contact IHS Secretary, Marilyn Johnson at 476-3011 or email: [email protected] you have questions.

E-mail address: ____________________________________________________________

Please EMAIL your biographical information to [email protected] regarding your interest to be elected to SIC.The bio information should be concise and checked for errors. It will be published as submitted, with no editing bythe school.

Your nomination and bio should be submitted no later than 4:00 pm, Wednesday, April 30, 2014.****Nominations will not be accepted after this date.


The IMS Literary Magazine is being composed. Would you like tohave your work published in it? Please submit exemplary poems, short sto-ries, and pencil sketching's to Mr. McCloy. Either give them to him, ask ateacher to put them in his box, or email them to him [email protected] . Remember to include your name on your work.

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Time to Purchase an Irmo Middle School YearbookThis has been a wonderful year of memory making for your children.Help preserve these memories through the purchase of the 2013-14 IMSyearbook. A very limited number has been ordered, and it is filled with individual pictures, as well aspictures for events, sports, performing arts, clubs and other fun and academic activities. We've workedextremely hard to keep the book affordable for all students and families. This year, the cost is only45.00 and they are going fast. So buy your copy now. Make checks payable to Irmo Middle School. Ifyou need any additional information, please contact Deborah Ware or Erin Fuseler.

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Revised End-of-Year Schedule

At Monday night's School Board Meeting, the trustees approved our dis-trict plan for inclement weather make-up days.

We had a total of four inclement weather days (January 29 and February12 -14). We already made-up one day (February 17). The bill passed by the SC legislature and signed bythe Governor requires that all scheduled make-up days be used before any days can be forgiven. June6th is the only remaining make-up day. Therefore, June 6, 2014 is now a school day in Lex5. The re-maining two inclement weather days were forgiven and will not be made-up.

Extending the school year by one day, requires that the half day schedule shift one day as well. June3rd will now be a full school day. June 4th, 5th, and 6th will are the half days.

The exam schedule for the last week of school is as follows:

May 29th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ELA (1), Science

May 30th . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ELA (2), Science

June 2nd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Math, Social Studies

June 3rd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Math, Social Studies

June 4th . . . . . .Half-Day for Students . . . Exploratory Classes (Special Schedule)

June 5th . . . . . .Half-Day for Students . . .Make-up Exams (Special Schedule)

June 6th . . . . . .Half-Day for Students . . .Make-up Exams (Special Schedule)


Great News for World Language Students! The International Academic Magnet at IMS is proudto offer 4 world languages – Chinese, French, German and Spanish. What could be more important totheir future than adding the knowledge of a world language to compete in the ever-growing globaleconomy. Recently, The State Newspaper ran the followingtwo articles that are of the utmost importance to our stu-dents and our state. First, we have the NUMBER ONE In-ternational MBA pro-gram right here in ourbackyard at the Uni-versity of South Caro-lina and second, for-eign companies haveinvested billions ofdollars in South Caro-lina! Please note thatthe number 2(Germany), 3(France), 4 (China)and 7 (Spain) coun-tries are directly tiedto the languagestaught at IMS. Whatgreat opportunitiesfor our world lan-guage students.!!

*************************************************************************************************************April is Month of the Military ChildCelebrate the Month of the Military Child at MilitaryKidsConnect.orgMilitaryKidsConnect.org invites all military parents to spend quality time with their children thismonth at MilitaryKidsConnect.org, the only Department of Defense web site dedicated to the psy-chological health of military kids.

MilitaryKidsConnect.org features online games and activities that parents and children can playtogether, having a blast and building lifetime memories. All site content is themed around military issues, whichgives parents an opportunity to talk to their kids about the challenges and rewards of military life.

The site features games, activities and educational videos customized for youth in three age groups: kids 6 – 8;tweens 9 – 12; and teens 13 – 17. Tweens and teens can participate in live, monitored social forums to sharetheir experiences and coping strategies. Parents and educators will find a large selection of adult resources andlesson plans for helping military youth thrive during difficult times.

The challenges of military life are constant. From moving frequently to deployment and reintegration, militaryyouth face challenges that can help them grow into strong, healthy young adults. MilitaryKidsConnect.org is their24/7 source of information on coping positively with the challenges of life in a military family. MilitaryKidsCon-nect.org proudly supports the 2011 Presidential Study Directive 9 (PSD-9), which seeks to improve the healthand wellbeing of military families. The directive marked its second anniversary early this year. MilitaryKidsCon-nect.org is developed by psychologists at the National Center for Telehealth and Technology (T2), located at JointBase Lewis-McChord, WA. T2 serves as the primary Department of Defense office for cutting-edge approaches inapplying technology to psychological health. For more information visit:

https://www.militarykidsconnect.orghttps://www.militarykidsconnect.org/month-of-the-military-childhttp://www.monthofthemilitarychild.com/for-parents/2013/04/10/celebrate-the-month-of-the-military-child-at-militarykidsconnect/#sthash.iCRqvfng.dpuf


Irmo Middle School student set to fly high at 2014 Special Olympics USA GamesOnly four gymnasts hailing from South Carolina will compete in the 2014 Special Olympics USA Games thisJune. Among the athletes traveling to New Jersey for the event will be Irmo Middle School student ChaseMcCarty.

McCarty must overcome obstacles every day that arise from cerebral palsy, a condition she has that can af-fect posture, movement and balance. McCarty’s coaches and teachers say the difficulties haven’t discour-aged her but have instead made her more focused. “She never quits. She never gives up and she is a veryserious student” said Margaret Plexico, McCarty’s teacher at Irmo Middle. “To think about the challenges thatshe faces each day is amazing … But Chase is always determined.”

Nearly 3,500 athletes from around the country will arrive at the 2014 Special Olympics USA Games to com-pete in 16 different sports from June 14 through June 21. South Carolina athletes will come well-prepared bySpecial Olympics South Carolina, which provides year-round training and regional competitions.

McCarty can be found many afternoons following school at Star Gymnastics in Columbia preparing for hertime in the spotlight. Coach Emily House said McCarty’s active lifestyle has proved beneficial. “Chase is ahard worker, and her willingness to work on skills and take corrections has paid off, not just for her compet-ing at the national games but also in improving her body awareness and physical abilities,” House said. “Aspeople with cerebral palsy age, they require more physical activity. Doing gymnastics, Chase has found asport that she can enjoy and benefit from now and years from now.” McCarty finished first in her age groupat last year’s state meet, and she said she is excited to take part in the national level in just a few months. “Ithink it’s going to be really good. Gymnastics is fun …it’s going to be fun,” she said.

The eighth-grader is not known only as a dedicated athlete around the gym. She also is involved on campusat Irmo Middle through dance and leadership courses. “She is such a leader that the other students noticewhen she’s not here,” Plexico said. “Because she is so determined, she actually takes a leadership classand helps with other students in our class.”

Irmo Middle is a Special Olympics School Program site where special-needs students can compete in bowl-ing, track and field and basketball. Those who have seen McCarty excel at her passion of gymnastics saythey think she is a strong, positive example to other students with disabilities of what they, too, can achieve.“As soon as people hear the word cerebral palsy or disability, they get this image in their mind and think ofthe extremes …of what that person can’t do,” Plexico said. “That’s not the case for Chase. She’s shown thatwhen she puts her mind to it, she can accomplish anything. And we’re just so proud of her.”“They are all kids and they all have gifts. They can do anything they set their mind to in the classroom and inthe sports atmosphere,” House said. “They’re all winners.”

Irmo Middle School student Chase McCarty trains for this June’s Special Olympics USA Games.


Want to be a doctor? Are you interested in the medical field? Then this is the camp for you ….


Who: Rising 7th and 8th gradersWhen: June 16th - 19th from 8-3Where: The Center for AdvancedTechnical Studies, 916 Mount VernonChurch Road, Chapin SC803-476-8600

What: Four fun filled days of learningthat include:

Dissections, Solving Medical Cases,Medical Careers, Interactive hands-onactivities, etc.

General Surgery, Cardiovascular Sur-gery, Orthopedic Surgery, Ophthal-mology, Neurosurgery, and more

Cost: $200 – includes materials, snacks,and T-shirt

Register Online: http://www.lexrich5.org/CATS.cfm

Summer Camps Tab on the left


http://www.lexrich5.org/CATS.cfm


Documents

Newsletter 30.Pub 1