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THE MIDDLE VIEWTHE MIDDLE VIEWTHE MIDDLE VIEW
A PUBLICATION OF THE GARDEN CITY MIDDLE SCHOOL
A National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE FEBRUARY
February 2
Incoming 6th Grade Parent
Orientation
7:00 PM @ MS
World Language/Music
Fair
8PM @MS
February 14
Board of Education
Budget/Work Session
8:15 PM @ HS
February 15
PTA Meeting
7:30 PM @MS
February 16
SEPTA K-12
Informational Meeting
7:30 PM @HS Library
February 20-24
Winter Recess
No Classes
Maria Cafaro—Editor
A n E f f e c t i v e P r a c t i c e M e n t o r S c h o o l
E s s e n t i a l E l e m e n t s : S c h o o l s t o W a t c h
Volume 9 Issue 5 February 2012
“The Duke has decreed that the Castle is not cold." The gentleman's lips are almost blue from this lack of cold.
"And the Duke is right and correct in this as in all things."
― Christopher Peter Grey
Dear Parents,
When I tell people that I am a middle school principal, a common response is a look of sympathy.
When I try to explain the joys of this age-group – their innocence, idealism, a desire to help others, and
a strong sense of civic responsibility – I often get incredulous looks. However, with all earnestness,
rarely am I disturbed by the children. Instead, what does cause me frustration is the ongoing frontal
assault on public education and educators. Of course, there are school systems which need to be re-
formed. Even here in our school we are always seeking ways of making it work better for the children.
However, it is a grave injustice to our children when the State forces all teachers and principals to be
numerically rated on a 1-100 scale through unreliable and invalid assessments and rubrics, and concur-
rently caps the property tax levy at a maximum rate of 2%, or the rate of inflation if lower, without a
super-majority 60% community vote. Also, the State, in its rush to receive Race to the Top Funds
(which Garden City does not receive), is once again changing the curriculum by eliminating local con-
trol through adoption of National Common Core Standards. Incredibly, we still do not know all the
subjects which will have eventual State exams, how students’ scores in non-State-tested subjects will be
counted in teacher or principal evaluations, or how ―contact time‖ for push-in and co-teacher services
will be measured and counted. Moreover, the district’s monetary and personnel expenditures are enor-
mous just for the administration of the assessments, preparation materials, and for teacher and admin-
istrator training. Alternatively, these assessment-related expenditures would have been far better spent
on lower class sizes, students’ programs, or lower taxes.
As public servants, we work for the community. Therefore, our community members must know that
we will always do our very best with what we are given for the children in our care. I certainly do not
envy the extraordinarily difficult choices that our School Board must make in these challenging times.
Over the past several years our own middle school’s programs and personnel have already been sig-
nificantly pared down or eliminated – athletic programs, clubs, intramurals, student recreation pro-
grams, supplies, secretaries, cleaners, matron, audio-visual technician, computer aides, and teachers,
have all been greatly reduced. The Administrators’ Association negotiated to freeze their salaries last
year. Yet, even in these very difficult times, our parents should know that we all stand together to en-
sure that our children continue to get a first class education here in Garden City.
Best wishes,
Peter Osroff, Ed.D.
IMPORTANT REMINDERS
Spring Parent/Teacher Conferences
As in past years, appointments will be reserved for teachers or parents who need to address specific concerns.
You will be contacted if any of your child’s teachers feel the necessity to meet with you. Of course, any parent may also
request a conference by calling the main office at 478-3000. You will receive confirmation of the appointments by mail.
As always, if you have any immediate concerns, please feel free to contact your child’s teacher directly.
School Closing Information/Delayed Openings
In case of an emergency, you will receive a telephone call and/or email to your home, cell, and work numbers
and/or email address you have provided to the middle school. In order to guarantee delivery of messages, please keep
your contact information up-to-date.
Radio Stations
WCBS 880AM
WALK 1370 AM
WINS 1010 AM
WOR 710 AM
WBLI 106.1 FM
WHLI 1100 AM
Television Stations
News 12 Long Island
WABC 7
WNBC 4
WCBS 2
FOX 5
News Web Sites
www.1010wins.com
www.7online.com
www.news12.com
Board of Education Budget Meetings and Work Sessions
February 7 Work Session
February 14 Regular Meeting
February 28 Work Session
March 6 Work Session
March 20 Regular Meeting
April 3 Work Session
April 17 Regular Meeting
May 8 Public Hearing and Work Session
May 15 Budget Vote 6 a.m.—10 p.m. at the high school
All meetings will be held at the high school at 8:15 p.m.
Music Box Players Present Cinderella
The Garden City Middle School Music Box Players present Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella! Join us on
Friday, March 23 and Saturday, March 24 at 7:00 p.m. for a magical evening in which anything is possible.
The 2011-2012 production is directed by Mrs. Kristen Aguilo with Choral Director, Mrs. Nancy Menges; Techni-
cal Director, Mr. Kevin Pollit; and Assistant Director, Mr. Rich Hoffmann. Tickets will go on sale in early March. Con-
tact Mrs. Aguilo for more information.
IMPORTANT REMINDERS
Eighth Grade Art Reception—Change in Date
The eighth grade Art Reception has been changed from April 18 to April 23. The event will still be
held at the middle school at 7:00 p.m.
Sixth Grade Orientation and World Language and Music Fairs
The sixth grade orientation will begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday, February 2 in the auditorium. The World Lan-
guage and Music Fairs will be held on the same evening from 8 to 9 p.m. The World Language Fair will take place in
the cafeteria, and the Music Fair will be held in the music wing.
New York State English Language Arts Assessment
Students in grades 6,7,8 will be taking the New York State English Language ArtsAssessment beginning on
Tuesday, April 17. Students should be prepared with several sharpened no. 2 pencils on the days the exam is adminis-
tered.
Grade Tuesday, April 17 Wednesday, April 18 Thursday, April 19
6 Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
7 Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
8 Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
ERB Writing Assessment The WrAP is a nonfiction writing assessment program which will be given to seventh grade students on May 8
and 9, 2012. Students will clarify or define various points of view, positions or possible courses of action as viable solu-
tions to a problematic situation through supporting facts or arguments. This assessment is used to get a general sense of
our overall writing program’s effectiveness over multiple years and thus, helps us to target instruction in writing. Even
though we provide parents with a copy of their own child’s test results, the individual student’s results should not be
viewed as a valid or reliable measure of his/her performance level as the test was not designed for this purpose.
New York State Math Assessment
Students in grades 6,7,8 will be taking the New York State English Math Assessment beginning on Wednes-
day, April 25. Students should be prepared with several sharpened no. 2 pencils on the days the exam is administered.
Grade Wednesday, April 25 Thursday, April 26 Friday April 27
6 Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
7 Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
8 Book 1
Book 2
Book 3
Literature Circles
English teachers use literature circles as a collaborative and student-centered reading strategy aimed at allow-
ing students to form a deeper understanding of literature through structured discussion and extended written and ar-
tistic response. Literature circles are meant to give students the opportunity to feel challenged and engaged while hold-
ing them accountable for reading. Collaboration is at the heart of this approach. During a Literature Circle session, a
class is divided into reading groups, with each group consisting of four to five students. Each group then has the op-
portunity to select their own text from a list provided by the teacher. The students are then introduced to the ―roles‖
they must complete within the literature circle: Vocabulary Enricher, Literary Illuminator, Re-
sponder, Connector, and Summarizer. The teacher models the task for each of these roles and
allows students to practice the techniques before they are responsible for completing the tasks
on their own. After this introduction, students are ready to use the strategy independently,
rotating the roles within the group as they read the stories they have chosen. Not only do
Literature Circles raise the level of student engagement, peer collaboration, and reading com-
prehension, they also help students develop the skills they need to be successful readers
across the content areas.
SPOTLIGHT ON
The ENGLISH department
Student Choice
One way that teachers differentiate instruction is through offering students choices on assessment. For exam-
ple one of the quarterly benchmark assessments, ―Description of a Place,‖ provides students the opportunity to choose
a specific literary scene as well as a character perspective from which to write. Providing these options to the students
appeals to their strengths and preferences in order to foster success. In addition, teachers also scaffold the writing proc-
ess to differentiate the instruction. For example, when introducing the assignment to the students, teachers present a
student to model the appropriate format and content. Next, students are provided with different colored highlighters to
identify the various components of the sample. Once the students select their scene and character perspective, they be-
gin the ―pre-writing‖ phase of the process. In order to guide the students, teachers provide them with a graphic organ-
izer that assists them in eliciting details that appeal to the five senses of the reader. After creating a draft of their writ-
ing, the class begins the revision process. Teachers continue to guide students by modeling how to correct a sample as-
signment on the SmartBoard with attention to the difference between revising and editing. When teachers are confident
that the students are ready to revise their work, students go through the revision process on their own and then again
with their peers. They are paired up to revise and edit each other’s work. The product will be placed in their writing
folders to mark the growth of each individual student. The aforementioned steps appeal to various learning styles and
also provides students with numerous opportunities to create the best work possible.
Instruction can be Differentiated in Many Ways
Differentiated Instruction is happening in English Language Arts’ classrooms in many ways. For example,
teachers send out a parent survey to gather student information regarding their interests. They later use this informa-
tion to tailor their units. In addition, teachers assess each student’s reading ability and then assign
individual reading skill books to meet the student’s needs. Teachers also assess the students in multiple
ways including tests, book projects, and class participation. A variety of materials are utilized when
instructing the students in grammar, writing, and reading. Lastly, giving choices with regard to par-
ticular assignments is something teachers offer frequently. For example, students are allowed to choose
which spelling activities to do each week, topics for journal writing, and topics for poetry writing.
SPOTLIGHT ON
The ENGLISH department
Using R.A.F.T. Assignments to Differentiate in the English Classroom
English teachers also use R.A.F.T. assignments as a way of differentiating writing in-
struction. Writing is an essential element in the English curriculum and instruction comes in
many formats. By using a R.A.F.T. writing assignment, the teacher is giving the student free-
dom to choose from a select group of writing prompts. R.A.F.T. is an acronym for: Role-
which gives the student freedom to choose from a select group of characters and write from
that character’s point of view; Audience- which gives the student the freedom to choose for
whom the writing assignment is geared towards; Format- which allows the student a selection
of writing styles in which to choose from for their writing piece; and Topic- which allows the student to choose what
the main idea of their writing piece will be. This type of assignment not only allows the teacher to differentiate writing,
but empowers and motivates students by giving them ownership of their work. Overall, R.A.F.T. writing assignments
are used to differentiate instruction, but they are also a great tool for teachers to assess a student’s level of mastery in
literature and writing.
The Dead Poets’ Society
The Dead Poets Society, the middle school’s literary magazine club, is proud to announce the results from the
NCTE’s Program to Recognize Excellence in Student Literary Magazines for the 2010-2011 school year. Out of 391 mid-
dle and high school applicants, our magazine won the highest award! This distinction is a very high honor, and the
members of last year’s club and its advisor, eighth grade English teacher, Ms. Zafiropoulos, are extremely proud for
having received this prestigious award. Members of last year’s club include: Elizabeth Butler, Kevin Castellano, Collier
Curran, Jillian Dane, Peyton Flynn, Peter Levchuck, Alessia Merritts, and Madeline Roberti.
The NCTE (National Council of Teachers of English) created this program to encourage students, teachers, and
schools to strive for excellence in writing, as well as active school-wide participation in the production of a literary
magazine. Evaluations of the literary magazines are based on the following criteria: literary content, quality, variety,
and editing/proofreading, as well as graphic design and artistic quality. Magazines must be ranked as superior in all
categories in order to be nominated for the highest award.
―Escape‖ served as the theme that was threaded throughout last year’s magazine. Students defined the mean-
ing of the word as well as the many ways they choose to escape from their daily lives as middle school students. In ad-
dition to their poems, short stories, vignettes, and narrative pieces, students also created a special feature in the maga-
zine. This section served as a tribute to all the victims of the world from past and present, who seek nothing more than
to escape from lives of poverty, pain, and suffering. Pieces in the special feature were written from the voices of both
survivors and victims of the Holocaust, the earthquake in Haiti, and the tsunami and
earthquake that struck Japan just last winter. The collection of their work is truly a hu-
manitarian commentary on the plight so many have been forced to endure, as well as
the resiliency of the human spirit.
The club would like to thank all of the students who contributed to last year’s
magazine, as well as the administrators and staff for their support in creating such a suc-
cessful publication. The middle school is looking forward to the publication of this
year’s magazine, which is under the supervision of Kristen Aguilo and will be made
available to students this spring. Students are encouraged to join the club or submit their
writing to Mrs. Aguilo for publication.
IN & AROUND
G c m s
Math Olympiads
The second meet of Math Olympiads was held on Tuesday, December 13, 2011. The school score (total of the top
10) for our sixth grade Olympians was 45 out of a possible 50. The average score this month was 2.48. Last month it
was 2.00. We performed a bit better on this contest.
Four students scored a perfect 5: Julia Choi, Brandon Gong, John Murphy, and Michelle Parente. Thirteen
students had only one incorrect. We did a super job on this contest!
CUMULATIVE TOTALS
The total school score after two meets (November and December) is 88 points (of a possible 100). Listed here
are the scores for the students who have the highest cumulative scores:
NAME TEACHER MEET 1 MEET 2 TOTAL
Julia Choi Hakes 5 5 10
Brandon Gong Orrego 5 5 10
John Murphy Nardone 4 5 9
Catherine Schick Nardone 5 4 9
Colin Fischer Hakes 4 4 8
John Mignone Orrego 4 4 8
Colby Nolan Orrego 4 4 8
Making a Difference!
Students in the Anti-Bullying Club have been busy making an anti-bullying music video. Approximately 50
students have been participating in this special project. The group has been split into teams of children who have each
been given a different "bullying" song to choreograph. There are a total of eight different song clips being utilized in
the activity. Songs include: ―We're all in this Together,‖ ―Firework,‖ ―Born this Way,‖ ―We Weren't Born to Follow,‖
and more. The club hopes to share their video with the entire school in the spring. If you are interested in joining ABC,
please see Ms. Greenwald in room 151. Meetings are held every Monday from 3:20 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Ms. Biondi’s Art Corner The Fine Arts Department of Garden City Middle School would like to announce that six
middle school students six middle school students have been selected as the winners for the Visual
Arts division of the PTA Reflections ―Diversity‖ Contest. This was a difficult decision for the PTA board of Reflec-
tions based on the thirty student entries.
The first place winner is Kiera Guarino, from Mrs. Biondi’s sixth grade art class. Kiera has also been se-
lected as the Garden City District wide winner with possibility of National placement. In second place is Jessica Pe-
done; third place, Catherine Schick; and honorable mentions: DarioHernandez-Arroyo, Joseph Ostapow, and Sara
Couture.
Congratulations to all the winners and students who submitted work for the visual arts PTA 2011 Reflec-
tions Contest! We are very proud of all the participating students artistic achievements here at Garden City Middle
School.
The Garden City Middle School Library
Recommendations by Library/Media Specialist: Mr. Daniels
The GCMS Library opens at 7:30 am
The Great Wall of Lucy Wu by Wendy Wan-Long Shang Nothing goes according to plan for sixth-grader Lucy Wu. Lucy Wu, aspiring basketball star and interior designer, is on the verge of having the best year of her life. She's ready to rule the school as a sixth grader and take over the bedroom she has always shared with her sister. In an instant, though, her plans are shattered when she finds out that Yi Po, her beloved grandmother's sis-ter, is coming to visit for several months and is staying in Lucy's room. Lucy's vi-sion of a perfect year begins to crumble, and in its place come an unwelcome roommate, foiled birthday plans, and Chinese school with the awful Talent Chang.
Warp Speed by Lisa Yee Entering seventh grade is no big deal for Marley Sandelski—same old boring classes, same old boring life. The only thing he has to look forward to is the up-coming Star Trek convention. But when he inadvertently draws the attention of Digger Ronster, the biggest bully in school, his life has officially moved from bor-ing to far too dramatic . . . from invisible to center stage.
Hero by Mike Lupica Zach Harriman knew that his dad was something of a hero, a man trusted by the president to solve international crises at a moment's notice. Suddenly people are telling him he has powers - people who know much more about his father than Zach ever did. But there are the Bads, who appear out of nowhere and attack him and his best friend. One thing is clear: Zach can do things ordinary people cannot. Like fend off grown men as though he possesses the strength of a hundred. Like sense when evil is about to strike. And evil is about to strike in a very big way. Zach Harriman is his father's son, and he, too, is a hero.