TYRRELL MIDDLE SCHOOL

NEWSLETTER

APRIL 2014

From the Desk of Mrs. Tansley, Principal

The end of the school year is quickly approaching. We are in full swing

with the new SBAC testing. Grade 8 students began their testing on

Monday, April 28th

. Our new computer lab and additional computers in

the media center have enabled us to accommodate this new testing format

with ease. It will take some time before we are totally up to speed with the

electronic format and curricular requirements of SBAC, but we are making

progress and will hopefully be ready for the full blown assessment next

spring. The curricular adjustments that we made this year should put

students where they need to be to begin the 2014/2015 school year in terms

of SBAC content.

The end of the year is a very busy time for everyone. Please refer to the

calendar on the wolcottps.org website. I try to keep this up to date with

Tyrrell events from the Grade 8 graduation ceremony to the Grade 7

Charm Day. If you have questions about anything on the calendar please

contact me. I will be happy to share information about all of the events

listed on the calendar.

Attendance is a vital component for academic success. As the end of the

year is approaching it is essential that students meet their attendance

requirements. Students cannot exceed fifteen days of absence unless there

was a long term serious illness that required a number of days out of

school.

Let’s hope we have a warm and sunny spring,

Mrs. Tansley, Principal

APRIL - MAY:

Save the Date:

4/22 – PTO Meeting 7PM

4/22 – Spring Sports Photos

4/23 – Grade 7 P.E. to NYC

4/24 – TMS to WHS –Ryan’s

Story

4/25 – Gr.6 Team Hot Dog Roast

4/28-30 – TMS SBAC Testing

4/28 – BOE Meeting @ WHS

7:30PM

5/1 – CPEC Meeting – Media

Center 7PM

5/2 – Fundraiser Pick-Up

5/6 – Gr.6 H Reading Wolcott

Food Pantry

5/9 – Reading Award – Hartford

5/10 – Gr.6 Cosmic Cultures

Pequot Museum

5/12 – BOE Meeting 7:30pm

5/13 – NJHS Rehearsal

5/14 – NJHS Ceremony – 6:30pm

5/14 – TMS Marine Science Day

5/15 – P.E. Gr.8 Bushnell Theater

5/20 – PTO Meeting – 7PM

5/20 – Progress Reports

5/21 – Spring Chorus Concert -

7PM

5/22 – Gr.6 Rock Cats Stadium

5/22 – P.E. Gr.8 NYC Phantom

5/26 – No School – Memorial Day

5/27 – BOE Meeting – 7:30pm

5/27-30 – Gr.8 Washington D.C.

Trip

5/30 – Gr.7 Class Charm Day

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Grade 6 Spring News

Save the Date: On Thursday, May 22, 2014, the 6th graders will be attending a

New Britain Rock Cats day game as part of a baseball curriculum unit. Permission slips are due back on Wednesday, May 30th.

Spring Cleaning and Effort Reminders:

This is a great time of year to refresh supplies: binders, pens, pencils, etc… Some students continue to come to class without anything to write with. Try to be one of the many students prepared every day! With warmer weather already here, the 6th grade teachers want to remind all students to try their best to stay focused, control their behavior, and put forth their best effort on their assignments. We would like to see a strong effort completing quality homework & ample studying for assessments.

Team Read Reminder:

Those students that achieve Hall of Fame status for the 3rd MP were treated to a hot dog roast in the outdoor picnic area on April 25th. The 4th MP Team Read Hall of Fame reward will include pizza and be held at Woodtick Recreation on June 19th. Be sure to have your child turn in their signed Team Read recording sheet after each book they read.

Happy Spring from the Diamond and Platinum Teachers!

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The students in Mrs. Uccello’s reading classes have been studying a unit on figurative language,

and since April is “Poetry Month” they decided to make it even more exciting! They let poetry leap

off the pages and into their real life experiences by studying figurative language in song! The

students spent weeks listening to music, watching music videos, screening and dissecting lyrics, and

making storyboards. They then completed the process of creating their own videos to demonstrate

their new found understanding of how figurative language is not just in poetry and books, but in the

music they listen to on a daily basis!

Some of the projects will be put on our school website once they are completed. Please take the

time to watch them, appreciate the student’s hard work, dedication to learning, and enjoy some

good tunes!

After studying an informative unit on “Homelessness”, Mrs. Uccello’s honor students took a trip to

the Bristol Salvation Army (soup kitchen) to better comprehend this unfortunate dilemma first hand.

The students collected blankets, warm clothes, toiletries, games and stuffed animals to bring with

them to donate. While there, they helped sort food in the pantry, prepare the lunch, serve to the

individuals who arrived, and clean up at days end. It was a heartwarming as well as eye opening

experience for them all. It was a fantastic way to end the unit by connecting all they learned to real

life situations. As their teacher, I have to say I was proud of each and every one of them for their

efforts and compassion they showed to those less fortunate.

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This past month, Mrs. Rosa’s Language Arts classes have been busy analyzing poetry, especially

poems by Robert Frost and Carl Sandburg. We’ve been looking for figurative language such as

metaphors and personification, as well as theme, word choice, explicit and implicit meaning, and

speaker’s point of view. Additionally, we’ve been analyzing our favorite songs for figurative

language of all kinds and made our own presentations in the computer lab, highlighting these

figures of speech and poetic device to present to the class. We heard and analyzed songs from The

Beatles and Coldplay to Katy Perry and Adele.

We have also been in the computer labs on several occasions practicing for the SBAC (Common

Core) ELA test and performance task we will be taking in May.

Honors Reading classes just completed the novel, Number the Stars by Lois Lowry and had some

great discussions about how the characters deal with the Nazi occupation of their home country of

Denmark in the early 1940’s. They are beginning Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt in literature

circles and will be asked to think about if they had a chance to live forever, would they make that

choice and what the consequences would be.

Level 2 students are reading the novel, Holes by Louis Sachar in literature circles and will be

analyzing how the characters change throughout the course of the story and its many unraveling

events. All literature circles will require students to read, answer critical thinking questions, and

discuss the meaning of context vocabulary words in small groups. Some of the readings for these

novels were done at home as well.

Tyrrell held its annual 6th Grade Spelling Bee on April 8 in the TMS auditorium. 20

finalists participated in the 3rd

round of the spelling bee: Jade Brennan, Collin Casey,

Alexis Charette, Sarah Demasi, Elizabeth Diorio, Jillian Kiazim, Riley Martin,

Antonio Mathison, Ariana Nanfito, Victoria Panasci, Samuel Perrin, Daniel

Podzunas, Ariana Prete, Noah Ryan, Sophia Sarlo, Brianna Shea, Michaela Vaughn,

Brandon Wallas, Vincent Shang, and Madison Zynda.

Sophia Sarlo came in 1st place and Jillian Kiazim was runner-up.

Congratulations - great job!

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On April 11th the 7th grade participated in the 7th Annual Greek Day celebration!

Students experienced a fun-filled day composed of various activities designed to expose students to ancient Greek culture – the topic of study during the month of March. In the morning students will compete in structural engineering feats.

Students took part in an interactive presentation in the auditorium entitled “Chariot of the Sun” performed by Jeff Beniot. Following this performance, students participated in events modeled after the ancient Greek Olympics. In preparation for this event, the Marble and Granite teams arranged for shirts to be printed with the winning design created by Collin Lagasse. Each homeroom will be represented by a color and a symbol from Greek history.

During the closing ceremony the first, second and third place finishers for each event were awarded medals or certificates. Mrs. Werenko’s homeroom won bragging rights as this year’s Greek Day Champions!

In science, students are now focusing on one of the most complicated animals on Earth…the

human being. During our unit on the human body, students will explore various organ systems.

We started our unit by exploring the manner in which the human body is organized and the ways in

which the body tries to maintain constant internal body conditions. We then moved on to the

skeletal and muscular systems and how these two systems work together to allow our bodies to

move. Shortly we will be studying the digestive system and exploring how our bodies break down

the food we eat in order to gain energy and raw materials our cells need. Lastly, our focus will be

on the circulatory and respiratory systems and how these two systems work in unison to bring every

cell in our body all the substances they need on a daily basis.

In writing, students have been working hard on their argument skills. We have been reading

about various topics and current events from multiple sources and debating in class about each

topic. Students have been reviewing the SBAC and how the skills we have learned in class are

tested online. Students have also learned about author’s perspective and bias looking at ways

authors show perspective in their writing. In class, students have been working on editing/revising

techniques using their own creative pieces.

Reading classes recently finished reading “Bargain” by A.B. Guthrie. With this short story,

students focused on analysis of a character based on evidence within the text. The characters of Al,

Mr. Baumer, and Slade provided a rich resource for exploring specific character traits based on how

an author develops a character. Students continue to self-select SSR books and read every day in

class. They keep track of what is happening and how they feel about the book with a chart and

codes. Finally, reading students have ventured into the realm of poetry. We started by looking at

song lyrics and talking about how they are actually poems put to music. “Wonderful” by Everclear

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provided the opportunity for students to recognize rhyme, repetition, and a story within lyrics. We

will focus on key elements of poetry and analysis of poems.

In April, students continued to work on their Geometry unit. Most recently students learned

how to apply the Pythagorean Theorem to right triangles which then allowed them to solve multi-

step problems. For many students, this was their first encounter with solving multi-step

equations. We discussed the processes involved and talked about the relationship between a

balance scale and an equation. “Whatever is done to one side must be done to the other.” Students

have also learned how to use the mathematical number “pi” to determine area and circumference of

circles and irregular figures. Most students will be concluding the school year with the study of

integers and simple equations while others will learn about linear equations and graphing lines.

In Social Studies, students have been studying ancient Greece, beginning with the

development of the first city-states, the Trojan War, and various Greek myth and legends. Students

also compared and contrasted the cultures of Athens and Sparta. In addition, students will be

studying the Persian Wars, the Golden Age of Athens, the empire of Alexander the Great and

participating in Greek Day. Students attended the performance of an authentic Greek storyteller

where Greek myths such as Pandora's Box are performed with the participation of the students.

Greek Day was a huge success and a big congrats goes out to Mrs. Werenko's homeroom for

winning the event! Students will be moving on to learning about The Roman Empire in our next

Chapter.

Social Studies

This month we have been studying the fundamental ideas of our Constitution. Students have had a

chance to explore the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and the process by which these issues are

addressed at the Constitutional Convention. We had the opportunity to “meet” some people from the past in

a role-playing activity and exposed ourselves to the many view about the best form of government and

whether or not people should be trusted to govern. In the coming weeks, students will detail the process of

how a bill becomes a law and how the Constitution is amended. We will also be preparing for our trip to

DC! It will be so exciting to see our government in action!

Language Arts

This month Pearl Team reading classes just began a unit of study on drama focusing on

Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice and how theater has changed since primitive times. Students also are

studying drama terms such as stage directions, monologue, soliloquy, aside, and props. They are working

very hard developing strategies and techniques to successfully read and respond to Shakespeare’s work The

Merchant of Venice. Writing classes are focusing on vocabulary, phrases, and verbals. In addition, we are

still working hard on perfecting our argumentative and expository writing. We look forward to continued

growth in all our students.

Science

8th grade science students on both Onyx and Pearl teams continue to expand their knowledge base in

physics as they finish the year with a variety of laboratory activities revolving around motion, forces and

work. Experimentation emphasizing speed, acceleration and the forces that contribute to them will be

Onyx

Team

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ongoing. Students will also be looking at how Newton’s Laws of Motion influence rockets and

satellites. Continuing to use their scientific processing and inquiry skills, students will look at the factors that

allow what, how and why matter is able to move the way it does and how it relates to us in our community

and the world.

Mathematics

Pre-Algebra students have been performing well with using the distributive property, and simplifying

expressions by combining like terms. We have also been working hard on developing our skills with solving

multi-step equations and equations with variables on both sides. Students are now demonstrating their ability

to translate word problems into equations and then applying their skills of solving equations. We will soon

begin our next unit of study on functions.

Algebra I students are in the middle of a unit of study on factoring. This is an essential skill that they

will use regularly in their future math courses of study. The students have been working hard and we will

continue to develop understandings of important Algebra I concepts including Quadratics in the fourth

quarter.

Our general mathematics class has been working with ratios and proportions and is currently

working on applying their understanding of proportions to similar figures. From hear we will be working on

the Distributive property and solving multi-step equations.

The Reading classes are continuing the drama unit with William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of

Venice. Throughout this unit, students will be learning about the history of theater, Shakespeare’s

life, times, language and theater, along with specific drama terms that they will need to know in

high school. In Writing, students are continuing their vocabulary acquisition and learning new

grammar and usage rules.

With the completion of the science CMT’s, Onyx team students can take a step back and be proud

of what they have accomplished this year so far! They have worked very hard in preparation for the

test and will continue to expand their knowledge base in physics. Currently in the “Motion and

Force” segment of the year, students are looking forward to the many labs that emphasize speed,

acceleration and the forces that contribute to them. Continuing to use their scientific processing

skills, students will discover the factors that allow what, how and why matter is able to move the

way it does and how it relates to us in the world.

This month the Onyx team social studies classes will be focusing on our Constitution unit. Students

are gaining a better understanding of the importance of the Constitution in American society and

will analyze the fundamentals of our United States government. In addition, they will be focusing

on the effects of the Bill of Rights on their individual freedoms. The students will also be creating

new amendments that they feel would benefit modern society. Once the Constitution unit is

complete, we will be discussing the effects of westward expansion and the growth of industry on

U.S. history.

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Pre-Algebra students have been working on percentages, so the next time you go out for dinner ask

them to calculate the tip! We have also been working on solving equations to help get ready for

Algebra.

Our Algebra classes have been working on simplifying radicals…we love to say radical!

Congratulations to the Onyx Team’s March student of the month Amber Belval.

Keep up the great work!

The following students received Onyx Team Conduct Credits for the month of

March:

Matt DiBrino, Madison Faulds, Mike Fraser,

Bella Lago, Justin Thibeau

Project Explore News

Project Explore students in grades 6,7 and 8 are breathing a sigh of relief now that the national

SIGMA Math League challenge has ended. This competition presented challenging and sometimes

frustrating math problems aimed at fostering higher order thinking skills in solving real-world math

problems. After five difficult heats, we can now congratulate our TMS winners:

Gr. 6 - 1st Place - Joshua Leonetti 2nd Place - Vincent Zheng

Gr. 7 - 1st Place - Matthew Iasevoli 2nd Place - Karissa Andro

Gr. 8 - 1st Place - Alex Hale 2nd Place - Joshua Lavallee

The 2014 Stock Market Game also proved to be a nail-biter right down to the last day’s closing

bell. The eighth grade investors analyzed daily economic reports and company profiles, and agonized

over which stocks to buy and sell - and when. Student assets fluctuated over the course of four weeks as

students tried to best one another’s earnings. On the last day of trading, Makayla Iarrapino cashed out as

this year’s Wall Street Tycoon with a total gain of $30,020.83!!

Look for news of the 2014 American Scholastic Achievement League Challenge in the next

newsletter. Results will be in by the first week of May!

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FEBRUARY BOX TOP WINNER

HOME ROOM 210 – MS. TROVATO

MARCH BOX TOP WINNER

HOME ROOM 312 – MRS. RUTLEDGE

PHYSICAL EDUCATION: MRS. KRUSEWSKI

All 6th

, 7th

, and 8th

grade students are participating in a flag football unit during the month of May.

Students will practice fundamental skills including throwing and catching. Students will learn basic

position play and strategic game play leading up to small sided 7 vs 7 games.

MUSIC: MRS. JONES

On April 4th

and 5th

, The Tyrrell Drama club presented Alice in Wonderland Jr. 65 students were in

the cast and crew. Both shows sold out, and the students did a wonderful job.

The chorus and band students are busy preparing for their concerts. They have been working on

repertoire from various genres, from medieval music to pop songs! The chorus concert is on May

21st at 7:00 pm, and the band concert is on June 4

th at 7:00 pm. We hope to see you there!

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May is Better Hearing and Speech Month

Did you know that May is “Better Hearing and Speech Month”?

Each May, “Better Hearing and Speech Month” provides an

opportunity to raise awareness about communication disorders and

the role of speech-language pathologists in providing life-long

treatment. The WPS Speech-Language Department has created a

page on the Wolcott Public School website that provides an

explanation of our role in the education of our students and has

several links to some valuable parent resources. Please take a look

and see what we’re all about!

World Language News March was World Language Month at Tyrrell Middle School and, in observance, students were able to

participate in several events. For two Mondays and two Fridays in March students had the opportunity to

answer trivia questions that were read during the morning announcements. One winner was chosen for each

day and received a prize. Students submitted a poster or collage depicting this year’s theme: World

Languages: Common Core to Communication and were entered into a contest for iTunes and Barnes &

Noble gift cards. And the winners are…

Poster Contest 1st Place – Raven Cody 2nd Place - Wenting Zheng 3rd Place - Taylor Crutchfield Collage Contest 1st Place - Julia Williams 2nd Place - Anthony Ligi 3rd Place - Michael Santopietro

To culminate World Language Month, a Food Fair was held on April 2 in the

cafeteria after school. Some countries represented were Spain, Italy, France,

Albania, Greece, Portugal, Ireland, and many others. Thanks to students and

parents for participating in this delicious, cultural event.

In 6th grade Spanish classes, students completed a unit on families, including

learning about describing possession and relationships. They also compared

and contrasted our families with families from Mexico. Students created their

own “Famous Families” and presented them to the class.

In 7th grade Spanish classes, students learned how to describe themselves and others through the use of the

verb ser and adjectives. They designed Jardines de la conjugación (conjugation gardens) to practice

conjugating regular –AR verbs.

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In 8th grade Spanish 2 classes, students finished a mini unit on fruits and batidos or smoothies. Students

made their own colorful, specialty drink giving it a creative name. They also enjoyed tasting different juices

as part of a dialogue assessment. We are now beginning our new unit on food! Students will discover and

learn about authentic Ecuadorian and Latin American food and how to order a meal in a restaurant. This is

an exciting chapter!

In 6th grade French classes, students learned how to identify various family members. They will complete a

project in which they have to use either their real family, or create an imaginary one, and give information in

French about the different members of that family. Students will soon begin on a unit about animals. They

will learn vocabulary related to animals and how to describe them, as well how the animal sounds are

translated in French. Students will listen to various French songs about animals such as Alouette and learn

the English translation to those songs.

In 7th grade French classes, students have learned how to conjugate the irregular verb avoir. They have been

using this verb, along with telling time, to express their likes/dislikes, and to talk about their class schedules.

They will soon be using what they have learned to create their ideal school schedule completely in French.

In 8th grade French, students have recently learned how to express what their hobbies and interests are. They

have also been learning about the use of adverbs and contractions in French, as well as the various ways to

ask a question. Students have also reviewed the months, seasons, and weather. As part of this unit, they have

been looking at current weather maps of France, learning how to read them and to convert Celsius

temperatures into Fahrenheit and vice versa. They will soon begin a unit on Paris and food.

DIAMOND TEAM PLATINUM TEAM

HAYLEY FORREST

GRACE STEARNS

GRANITE TEAM MARBLE TEAM

MATTHEW IASEVOLI

JACOB CONNER

PEARL TEAM ONYX TEAM

ALEN BOSNIC

BRENDAN MANZOLLI

JOYAS (GEMS) TEAM

JUSTIN PAWLAK LEJLA LICINA FIONA SI LIU

SILVER TEAM

KAILYN LAWLOR ALI MARINGOLA WENTING ZHENG

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DIAMOND TEAM PLATINUM TEAM

EJRON ZULAI

NOAH RYAN

GRANITE TEAM MARBLE TEAM

JULIANNA SCOTT

ADRIANA BIRD

PEARL TEAM ONYX TEAM

ANA CAKA

AMBER BELVAL

JOYAS (GEMS) TEAM

MEGAN HENDRICKSON ALYSON GAROFALO ALYSSA GORMAN

SILVER TEAM

LUCIANO GUERRERA ALEX CONROY JUSTIN OLIVEIRA

C O U N S E L O R S O

R

N

E

R

Tyrrell students have been busy preparing for the upcoming SBAC testing which will

take place at the end of April to the beginning of May.

In preparation for the Ryan’s Story program and to get in the spring spirit, students

helped to decorate the cafeteria. A blast or color and nature were added to the walls and

students reflected on the value of life by creating clouds to hang as well. On April 24, 2014

John Halligan, father of the late Ryan Halligan, delivered an inspirational and powerful

message about bullying to the Tyrrell Middle School student body and faculty. Please ask

your child about this program! In addition students viewed the documentary on Zach Sobiech,

a high school aged young man who died from a rare form of cancer. His story and the ways in

which he lived his final days of life was beyond courageous and admirable. To learn further

about these two young men, click on the links below.

Ryan’s Story- http://www.ryanpatrickhalligan.org/

Zach Sobiech- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9NjKgV65fpo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLhUS_QjcZY

Applications for the 2014 State Youth Employment Program have come in and are available in

guidance. All applicants must be 14 by June 30, 2014. In order for applicants to be approved

for this program, students must meet the requirements for income eligibility or receive special

education services. For further information, follow the link below. Applications must be

turned in to the school guidance department by MAY 10, 2014.

http://www.nrwib.org/filestorage/746/wtby_SYEP_App_and_Instructions_2014.pdf

Elizabeth Buzzelli Meghan Azzara

Tyrrell School Counselor Tyrrell School Counselor

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TYRRELL RESPECT

The following students earned respect bracelets at school during the month of

March.

Grade 6

Emily Veronesi Justin Swanson Izzy Simpson Hayley Romaniello

Adrien McNeil Camryn Brissette Justin Swanson Alex Fishbein

Madison Daddona Hannah Francisco Andy Chancio Rachel Collins

Jon Sokolowski Brandon Wallas Jacob Prete Taylor Pattek

Grace Sterns Alicia Vilar Roberta Munro Cody McDonald

Rose Bannon-Woods Alec Blaszczyk David Dostaler Connor Holderbach

Alexis Charette Leah Coelho Vincent Malena Joe Mancini

Jillian Kiazim Kailyn Lawlor Noah Ryan Michael Santopietro

Emily Muccino Christian Platt Rob Rubbo Vincent Zheng

Nick Scaglione Brianna Shea Christopher LeBeau Jake Paolino

Madison Zynda Jade Brennan Andja Demiray Kaylee Egan

Antonio Mathison Navab Naseri Sebby Nanfito Logan Lussier

Jillian Lanese Madison Berthold Brooke Tracey Erin Hughes

Tom Marciano Blerta Schpati Mike Mazas Erion Zulali

Abby Sullivan Shannon Burby Patrick Stempert

Grade 7

Jeremy Melenciano Alex Desaulniers Lejla Cirikovic Maya Chance

Grade 8

John Maldonado Bella Lago Hannah Reynolds Alex Martinez

Arber Nasufi Amber Belval John Maldonado Layna Outler

Justin Rockhill David Lofgren

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PTO PTO MEETING DATES:

PTO PTO meetings will be held in the TMS Large

Group Room on the third Tuesday of the

Month at 7PM beginning in September.

September 17, 2013 in Auditorium

October 22, 2013

November 19, 2013

December 17, 2013

January 21, 2014

February 18, 2014

March 18, 2014

April 22, 2014

May 20, 2014

June 17, 2014

Boar BOARD Of EDUCATION MEETINGS

All Board of Education meetings will

be held on the second & fourth

Mondays of the month. All meetings

begin at 7:30pm.

September 9th

@ WHS

September 23

@ WHS

October 15th

@ WHS

October 28th

@ WHS

November 12th

@ WHS

December 9th

@ WHS

January 13th

@ Alcott

February 10th

@ Frisbie

February 24th

@ Tyrrell

March 10th

@ Wakelee

March 24th

@ WHS

April 7th & 28th

@ WHS

May 12th

& 27th

@ WHS

June 9th

& 23 @ WHS

PROMOTION POLICY Please note that the following promotion policy is in effect:

A student may fail no more than (1) major subject (reading, writing, mathematics, science,

social studies, world language) per academic year. Furthermore, a student may fail no more

than one (1) enrichment subject (art, band, chorus, family & consumer science, music,

physical education, technology education, etc.). An 8th

–grade student must pass reading,

writing, and mathematics to be promoted to the high school (5123a). The final decision for

promotion will rest with the principal who will make his/her decision (5123).