3rd Quarter PANTHER PRESS 2018-2019

Principal Dr. Teresa W. Hargrett 6th Grade Administrator

Ms. Eva Miano 7th Grade Administrator

Ms. Twyla Hinton 8th Grade Administrator Mr. William Grant Student Services Admin. Ms. Crysta Caruthers Counseling Dept. Ms. Kim Gray Ms. Rebecca Moore Language Arts Coordinator Ms. Tara Mann Math Coordinator Mr. Todd White Science Coordinator Ms. Oneisha Young Social Studies Coordinator Mr. Kasisi Brown Gifted Coordinator Ms. Laura Thomson ESOL Coordinator Ms. Melissa Guglielmi Academic Coach Ms. Sara Folk

Floyd Middle School Cobb STEM Certified School

2016 Bronze National Healthy Schools Award Title I Distinguished School

Honorable Mention for High Flying Schools Award

ASME INSPIRE Certification 2015-2018 Beating the Odds Designation by GOSA

Newsletter Date

March, 2019

4803 Floyd Road, Mableton, GA 30126 PH 770-819-2453 Fax 770-819-2455

http://www.cobbk12.org/Floyd/ http://teresahargrettblog.wordpress.com/ https://twitter.com/TeresaHargrett

Melted Clock Illustrations and Salvadore Dali Parodies by Ms. Lisa Collins’ Visual Arts Classes

Page 2 Panther Press, 3rd Quarter, 2018-2019

SOCIAL STUDIES

7th Grade Social Studies invites you to come fly away with us to Afr ica and Asia. Students star ted the 3rd quarter reading The Long Walk to Water and learned about water scarcity and unequal educational opportunities in Africa. Students finished the Africa unit and are now learning about South-ern and Eastern Asia. We look forward to taking some virtual fieldtrips to Asia before the semester is over. Global Connections Book Club has finished the 2nd book in the Breadwinner Trilogy and has started the 3rd book. The club looks forward to choosing a service project to complete before the end of the school year. During the third quarter sixth grade students learned about the ge-

ography, histo-ry, government and economics of Austral-ia. There was a major emphasis on economic standards and we explore the concept of en-trepreneurship in detail. In do-ing so students were able to prepare for their PBL that

they will be presenting in the form of Shark Tank. Sixth grade stu-dents completed their first DBQ project and responded to the fol-lowing question. “Should School Be Allowed to Limit Student’s Online Speech”? During the process student analyzed primary and secondary source documents. The documents served as documentation to respond to the DBQ question. The documents served as textual evidence for students to respond to the DBQ question. Students were tasked with writing a five-paragraph essay in which they persuaded the school district to consider the policy they wrote about. We will end the quarter by learning about the geography of Canada. We look forward to having a wonderful quarter four. 8th graders are working diligently to master content mater ials in reference to Georgia ’s history post Civil War. We are especially proud of our participants and competition winners for Operation HOPE Business in a Box entrepre-neurial program.

SCIENCE

During the 3rd quarter in Physical Science, 8th grade students fin-

ished exploring the concept of Force and Motion by engaging in various tasks and activities centered

on the game of Tug-of-War. Stu-dents were able to use this real-world game by collecting data to

use to analyze and interpret graphs that describe the position and motion of objects. Students were also able to construct explanations using Newton’s laws of Motion to describe how balanced and unbalanced forces affect the motion of objects.

March, 2019 Page 3

In order to earn promotion to the next grade level, the student must meet all of the following criteria:

(1)Pass math, English/language arts and one additional core subject for the year or demonstrate minimum proficiency on the appropriate state-adopted assessment in math, English/language arts and one additional core subject.

(2) Earn a combined overall passing average for all scheduled courses for the year; and

(3) Demonstrate an appropriate level of reading comprehension as measured by Lexile score.

What is Your Lexile Goal?6th 7th

At Grade Level/Proficient 925 - 1070 970 - 1120

Above Grade Level1075 – and above

1125 – and above

8th

1010 - 1185

1190 – and above

Why is this Important?• You will experience control and confidence.• You will be able to comprehend text. • You will build vocabulary.• You will respond to text. • You will improve independent reading.

Panther Press, 3rd Quarter, 2018-2019 March, 2019

NEWS from ESOL & WORLD LANGUAGES This quarter the ESOL and World Languages Department had the privilege of working with teacher candidates from Kennesaw State University. The university students were able to observe lessons taught by Mrs. Gug-lielmi, Mrs. Ammerman, and Mrs. Lyles, as well as meet with the teachers individually to discuss the challeng-es and rewards of teaching modern languages. The primary focus of the ESOL classes this quarter was preparation for/completion of the ACCESS test. The ACCESS test evaluates the students’ linguistic skills in all four domains: listening, reading, writing, and speaking. Students completed keyboarding lessons in addition to online test practice. Students also engaged in novel studies. The sixth grade read The Three Musketeers, by Alexandre Dumas; the seventh grade com-pleted Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens, and began the Prince and the Pauper, by Mark Twain; and the eighth grade read Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley. Vive le francais! Students in the French class have completed their presentations on francophone artists, and are now working on developing reading comprehension in French by reading a variety of selections from Li-sons Comme Ca! The students have increased their vocabulary to include descriptive adjectives, terms for members of the family, possessive adjectives, and a variety of verbs. In addition, French students created Sways using Microsoft Office 365 to demonstrate command of the conjugation of ER verbs and to express like/dislike. Allons-y! Viva el mundo hispanico! The Spanish class has learned about the differences in usage of the verbs ser and estar, the use of the verb estar and the participle, and the use of direct object pronouns. The students complet-

ed a performance task on the life of Sylvester Stallone, a performance task with the verb gustar, and are now creating hotel brochures in Spanish. Continuamos!

CTAE Congratulations to the following students for their excellent participation in the Cobb Regional Technology Competition in January. Micah Toliver—Robotics, EV 3 D4, Advanced on to State Level

Jayden Robinson—Robotics Baxter Keib—Robotics Josiah Carter—3 D Design and Printing, 3rd Place

CHORUS Our 6th grade chorus traveled to 6 loca-tions to spread holiday cheer and sing carols to our Partners in Education on December 18th. 7th grade chorus trav-eled to SunTrust Park to do the same on December 13th!

Page 5 Panther Press, 3rd Quarter, 2018-2019

ART @ FLOYD NEWS Special thanks to the Lions’ Club Peace Poster Contest Winners who were celebrated on Feb. 4 at

an awards ceremony. Please congratulate 1st Place: Joshua Tattershall 2nd Place: Rachel Odister 3rd Place: Navaeh Nabors

4th Place: Lilee Ogle

Please visit the Mable House Art Gallery, 5239 Floyd Road, Mableton, to see the amazing

work of Floyd Students through April 2. 770-819-3285. Hours: Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, 10:00-8:30 PM and Saturdays, 10:00-2:00 PM.

LANGUAGE ARTS 6th Grade Public Service Announcements Sixth grade E.L.A. students brought attention to major issues in Latin America by creating Public Service An-nouncements (P.S.A) to inform others about air pollution in Mexico City and deforestation in Brazil. Students

presented to a variety of students, teachers, county officials and administrators. In addition, students used various modes to present their findings (PowerPoint video, Sway and Trifold boards). Mrs. Chaney taught students how to identify reliable sources on the Internet and how to use Cobb Digital Library to locate pros and cons of a variety of

topics. We have been excited to see how faithfully they have been using the ‘Website Evaluation’ book-mark created by Ms. Chaney. The countdown is now on for the ‘PBL Shark Tank’. Students will be pre-senting their Water Filtration System to a panel of judges. Who will win 6th Grade’s PBL Shark Tank? We are excited to find out!

Panther Press, 3rd Quarter 2018-19

Floyd Middle invites all parents to be ac-tively engaged in the education of our stu-dents. We welcome your participation through support organizations such as PTSA, Floyd Foundation, School Council, as well as your frequent interaction with teachers and staff.

How can PTSA help YOU help YOUR child? Greetings to Floyd MS and a special welcome to our new parents and students. We’re off to a great start to support-ing Floyd’s initiatives and overall school curriculum by way of communications and engagement.. We look forward to working together, making a difference, one child at a time. Stay connected with us and find out how you can get involved.

Contact us: Our website www.floydmiddleptsa.com

Email us at floydptsa@gmail.com

Page 7

Students of the Month

December Jalen Braddock Crista Crocker

James Ent Michael Figueroa Amsi Hernandez

Jinairiz Louis Maurice Palomino Londyn Pittman Kortlyn Riley

January Javier Andana

Miriam Atoyegbe Zayna Basile

Renardo Davis Arianna Gonzales

Brian Sanchez Fernando Ortiz-Tamayo Cesar Solorzano-Torres

Jennifer Villa

February Corey Baron

Sincere Brooks-Davis Ja’Kiriya Campbell Marleigh Cherichel

Alyson Early Kayden Jeter

Jose Ortuno-Valasquez Jeremai Ramirez Alejandro Reyes

School Council Parent Representatives

Tikki Bester Barbara Carrington Simona Goodwin Stephanie Kirksey

Teacher Representatives

Lynnyetta Baker Kenneth Colston Oneisha Young

Business Partner

Steve Taylor, McDonalds Principal

Teresa Hargrett

MATH

Eighth grade students have been working hard on many concepts this year – anything from geometry to number sense! In Unit 5, we explored slope and writing the equation of a line. In Unit 6, we learned about scatterplots and two way tables. In Unit 7 we are learning all about systems of linear equations. Please be sure to visit our blogs and complete as many practice problems on IXL as possible so that you can all be successful math students!

During quarter three our focus in seventh grade has been gaining inferences from sample populations in multi-ple forms such as dot plots, box and whisker plots, and tables. We have learned how to calculate probability of simple and compound events to determine total number of outcomes vs to number of favorable outcomes. In

quarter four our focus will be Geometry. We will learn how basic facts and theorems of angles, triangles, and circles can be used to solve for unknowns in real world context. We will talk about surface area and volume of prisms and the two dimensional cross sections of 3D images.

As third quarter of school comes to an end, please be mindful of preparing for your Milestone assessment in

May. Students should be spending a little extra time daily studying each day. Great student resources have been made available to use for review such as IXL, interactive notebooks, as well as math workbooks. Also, check with your teachers to verify their schedules for tutoring times. Please stay focused. We can all do well

this year sixth grade!

Congratulations to all our National Geography Bee Finalists.

Christa Crocker—Winner Kortlyn Riley—Runner Up

Jennifer Villa & Jeremia Legget—Tied for 3rd Place

From the Title III Parent Liaison, Ms. Sandra Weston ESOL/Title III has been having workshops on how to understand discipline better and communicate with teenagers with Dr. Lina Munoz. We also had Ms. Monserrat Mota come and talk to us about how to “Discipline justly and clearly”. We have these Spanish speaking workshops most every Thursday at 10 a.m. if you want to join us. ESOL / Título III ha estado realizando talleres sobre cómo comprender mejor la disciplina y comunicar-se con adolescentes con la Dra. Lina Muñoz. También tuvimos a la Sra. Monserrat Mota y nos habló sobre có-

mo

Panther Press, 3rd Quarter, 2018-2019

Page 9

From the Teacher-Librarian

FLOYD STUDENTS ARE RESEARCHING, and PRODUCING!! Here are just a few recent high-lights.

7th grade AC science students researched the arguments for and against Genetically Modified Foods. After participating in a philosophical chair debate, they wrote position papers taking a stand in this debate of real world importance.

7th grade science used the iPads, manipulatives, and online tools to MASTER their standards on genetics. Ask them to explain Punnett squares and phenotypes and heterozygous genotypes, OH, MY! They know it ALL!

6th grade ELA classes hosted visitors from the Floyd community for the presentations on Latin America’s environmental issues. They did an outstanding job. Students demonstrated their mastery in locating authoritative sources, conducting targeted research, paraphrasing their findings, and Most of All, they ROCKED their presentations demonstrating their mastery of the content and their poise in speaking to small groups. FLOYD STUDENTS ARE READING!!

Floyd students have read over 8,500 library books so far this year.

We celebrate our Top Readers for 3rd quarter

1. Angelique Cobb 2. Londyn Pittman 3. Avery Sunday 4. William Bell and 5. Renato Ve-ga

For Grade Level Circulation… 6th grade leads the way again with most books checked out… with 8th in second place having a slight lead over 7th grade!

The library has cataloged an order of over 400 new books so far this year and more are on the way! Come check them out!!

DID YOU KNOW?! Reading contributes significantly to the development of empathy. As we share the experiences in the lives of characters in the books we read, it helps us understand the fears, dreams, and joys of others.

CURRENT FAVORITE AUTHOR QUOTE:

Neil Gaiman, “Fiction gives us empathy: it puts us inside the minds of other people, gives us the

gifts of seeing the world through their eyes. Fiction is a lie that tells us true things, over and over.”

REMEMBER, SUPPORT OUR LIBRARY! PLEASE SAVE BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION!  Today’s Readers; Tomorrow’s Leaders.  Peace, Love, and Books!  Mrs. Chaney

2019 MIDDLE SCHOOL SUMMER CREDIT RECOVERY PROGRAM

Location: -Cobb Horizon High School 1560 Joyner Avenue, Marietta, 30060 Cost: $350 per class – Math or ELA Only

CREATED WITH STUDENTS IN MIND!

10 Days...Monday through Thursday 8:00 am to 2:30 pm

Math or ELA Only

Blended model: Software and direct instruction

June 12: First day of class is mandatory for every student

June 12: Mandatory Parent Meeting at 8:00 am

Daily attendance is mandatory

Visit www.cobbk12.org/summerprograms for more information

Questions? Contact summerschool.info@cobbk12.org

May 1 – June 10 Online registration

(registration closes at midnight on June 10)

June 10 Cash payment and registration assistance

Cobb Horizon HS 8-10 am, 12-2 pm, 5-7 pm

June 12 – June 27

Classes Monday - Thursday

Attention all 6th Grade Students!!

¡Atención a todos los estudiantes de 6to grado!

Proof of these vaccines are required to enter 7th grade for the 2019-2020 school

year. Please bring your updated GA form 3231 to the school.

Panther Press, 3rd Quarter, 2018-2019 Page 12

From the Principal

Dear Floyd Family,

Third nine weeks are behind us and we are moving quickly through this year. Consid-

ering the pace, please join us in ensuring your child is on track for promo-

tion. Academic success and total well-being are within reach for every Floyd

Middle School Student! As a parent/guardian, please engage in the following actions

to help students have the best year ever!!

Know your child's bus number and driver.

Know your child's homeroom teacher.

Know all of your child's teachers and subjects they teach. Check their

blogs for class information at http://www.cobbk12.org/Floyd/ and click on Faculty/Staff at the top

menu.

Ensure your child attends school daily.

Require your child to engage in a set study hour each day.

Require students complete all class work and homework including instrument and voice practice.

Discuss class topics with students. Require your child to use the language of the standards.

Monitor your child's grades on Synergy weekly.

Reduce or deny time on social media. Monitor your child's online activity and ensure when they are

using devices for learning that they are practicing positive digital citizenship. This means that they

are making good decisions to be respectful of self and others as well as practicing safety for self

and others.

Ensure your child engages in physical activity on a daily basis and eat nutritious meals.

Encourage students to eat breakfast and lunch at school daily.

Talk with your students about making good decisions to behave on the way to or from school and

while at school all day.

Reinforce our emphasis on being Respectful, Responsible, and Safe 24/7!

Dr. Teresa W. Hargrett Floyd Middle School Principal http://www.cobbk12.org/Floyd/ http://teresahargrettblog.wordpress.com/ https://twitter.com/TeresaHargrett Floyd’s Mission: Perform with Excellence Floyd’s Vision: A community engaged in real-life, innovative experiences preparing our students to be college and career-ready. Collective Commitments: Floyd Students, Staff, and Parents Promise to Be Respectful, Responsible, and Safe

Focus on Learning with Active Participation

Collaborate as a team to increase achievement.