Principals’ Corner Tim Long—Principal Terry Stoertz—Assistant Principal Monthly Parent Newsletter
Volume 4 Issue 4 November/December 2013
Newtown Middle School Connections Through Responsibility, Respect and Relationships
GREETINGS
Hello Parents! It is hard to believe that December is upon us, but it is. This is a very ex-citing time of the year for all. No matter what or how you and your family celebrate the month of December, we wish all of our Newtown Middle School families a peaceful, happy and healthy season. November has been a very exciting time for us. Enjoy read-ing this month's offerings. We are so proud of our many exciting and worthwhile activi-ties and we look forward to many more memorable events in 2014. Timothy Long and Terry Stoertz
In this Issue November Review Internet safety No Shave November CARES Corner Upcoming Dates Faculty Guess Who Spotlight on New
Staff Word of the Month FAQ Sources of NMS
Pride
Holiday Collection
“Student Council and Newtown’s Music program
need your support in helping keep our local food
pantries stocked this holiday season. Please be
sure to bring your donations of non-perishable
food items to this year’s winter concerts. Collec-
tion boxes will be located in the school lob-
by. Happy Holidays from Newtown’s Student
Council.”
-Mr. Lebofsky
Important Dates
December 3 - End of the 2nd Arts Rotation December 13 - Interims December 13 - Team Phoenix Trip December 16 - Winter Concert I 7:30 PM December 17 - Winter Concert II 7:30 PM December 20 -Holiday Celebrations December 20 - Winter Break Begins January 2 - School Re-opens
Spotlight on New Staff
Our new staff member for the month is Mrs. Monica Assous. She is one of our new Instructional Assistants. Mrs. Assous and raised in Rome, Italy. She came to the USA for college, then got
married and moved with her husband to North Africa for three years. She came back and started her wonderful experience with special education. She spent 14 years as an Instructional Assistant in Autistic Support classrooms with the Bucks County IU. In her spare time, Mrs. Assous was busy being the Council Rock mom of 3 children. Now they are all grown. She has lived on 3 continents and speak 3 languages (very exciting!) --Now
she is excited and proud to be part of the Council Rock Community. Thank
you!
FAQ What does it mean if my child is told he is not eligible for a sport? As you are aware, we believe that involvement in sports is an excellent way for your child to expand his/her knowledge, expe-rience, social skills and teamwork outside of the classroom. How-ever, your child's academic progress is our priority. The state of Pennsylvania has a very specific standard for eligibility which reads as follows: PAII Rules state the following regarding eligibility: Academic and Curricular Requirements
You must pursue a full-time curriculum defined and
approved by your Principal.
You must be passing at least four full-credit sub-jects, or the equivalent, as of each Friday during a
grading period. If you fail to meet this requirement, you will lose your eligibility from the immediately following Sunday through the Saturday immediately
following the next Friday as of which you meet this
requirement.
You must have passed at least four full-credit sub-jects or the equivalent during the previous grading period, except that eligibility for the first grading
period is based on your final grades for the preced-ing school year. If you fail to meet this requirement,
you will lose your eligibility for at least 15 or 10 school days of the next grading period, beginning on the first day that report cards are issued. If your
school has four grading periods, you will be ineligi-ble for at least 15 school days; if your school has
six grading periods, you will be ineligible for at least
10 school days.(PIAA Website)
Cares Corner
There is a new group called Straight Talk about Cancer (STAC) that is facilitated by staff from Gilda's Club Delaware Valley. It is for students who have cancer in their lives. It is free to join the group. It will take place once a month for approximately an hour during the school day. It will be co-facilitated by Ms. Zila, our NMS CARES Coordinator. Infor-mation is available at www.gildasclubdelval.org or call 215-441-3290. Parents and guardians can call Ms. Zila at 215-944-2652 or e-mail at [email protected] if they are interested in having their child participate.
Word of the Month
Discerning a. painful b. ability to steer c. clever, astute d. differing Last month's word Magnanimous means generous and forgiving. Example: The man was very magnanimous in his treatment of his friend after he realized that he had hurt his feelings.
FACULTY GUESS WHO
Last month's question:
Who was the faculty member who double majored in crimi-nal justice? Answer: Mrs. Demskis This month's question: Which faculty member had a chance to meet one of her all-time favorite human beings, Julie Andrews of Mary Poppins and Sound of Music fame?
Counselor’s Blog—On Self Esteem
For a number of years, parents have asked me to help in building their child’s self-esteem. My reply has always been that self-esteem is not a goal, but a by-product. It is the result we get when accomplish a goal that was particularly hard. It is what we learn from failures that are finally over-come. In our well-meaning efforts to smooth the way for our children, we often overlook the value of hard-won vic-tories. All of us who learned to ride a bike or rollerblade did so with a few scraped knees and skinned elbows. For all who worked hard to learn to play a musical instrument or work a quadratic equation were not instantly successful the first time they tried. But once we did it, we felt on top of the world. It is that feeling of genuine accomplishment that fosters self-esteem. It is hard work that develops our stam-ina and perseverance and that is what we need to work through the tough times, in algebra, on the athletic field and in life. We are now in the second marking period. If your child is unhappy with the first marking period report card, guide him or her to the resources here in school that can help them be more successful in the next three marking periods. Their teachers and counselors are here to help. We have RA period and clinic on Thursday after school that has been set aside to support our students. Help us help your child and watch as they become more confident to risk not always getting it right the first time. -Chris Kokas
Student of the Month
Here is a list of the October Students of the Month. Congratulation to:
Josee Li Fusion
Zach Saifer Fusion
Abby Kollar Phoenix
Nicholas Karpovitch Phoenix
Eric Woodhead Synergy
Sarah Matrocola Synergy
Molly Fitzgerald Quest
Austin Kauffman Quest
Sabrina Green Super Nova
Akash Shah Super Nova
Robbie Doroshow Infinity
Rachel Stillman Infinity
Samantha Zubler Arts
Dan Han Arts
Student Name Award Team
Hunter Keen Courtesy & Respect Fusion
Kyra Zlock Courtesy & Respect Fusion
Nick Desautelle Academic Improvement Fusion
Samantha Shapiro Academic Improvement Fusion
Noah Myers Effort Fusion
Maggie Healy Effort Fusion
Weston Cohen Cooperation Fusion
Emily Clark Cooperation Fusion
Robert Ranelli Courtesy & Respect Phoenix
Karen Kraft Courtesy & Respect Phoenix
Colin Nowmos Academic Improvement Phoenix
Jordan Galing Academic Improvement Phoenix
Adam Vinglas Effort Phoenix
Hope DiJulia Effort Phoenix
Nicholas Tangradi Cooperation Phoenix
Riley Murphy Cooperation Phoenix
Hanna McNinch Courtesy & Respect Synergy
James Curtis Courtesy & Respect Synergy
Max Cohen Academic Improvement Synergy
Devon Kelly Academic Improvement Synergy
Zach Birbeck Effort Synergy
Marie Larounis Effort Synergy
Christian Boltner Cooperation Synergy
Colleen Kearney Cooperation Synergy
Nick Ripans Courtesy & Respect Quest
Kelly Osterman Courtesy & Respect Quest
Austin Hitchcock Academic Improvement Quest
Anna Pizza Academic Improvement Quest
Shawn Mullen Effort Quest
Nicole Rafalovsky Effort Quest
Phil Stollsteimer Cooperation Quest
Jordyn Ramsay Cooperation Quest
Kevin Sullivan Courtesy & Respect Supernova
Lucy Pavlow Courtesy & Respect Supernova
Matt McGovern Academic Improvement Supernova
Rebecca Downing Academic Improvement Supernova
Patrick Higgins Effort Supernova
Nicole Gardner Effort Supernova
Andrew Tate Cooperation Supernova
Tia Farese Cooperation Supernova
Harry Wyatt Courtesy & Respect Infinity
Lily Blair Courtesy & Respect Infinity
Ethan Merckx Academic Improvement Infinity
Alyssa Coates Academic Improvement Infinity
Christopher Lenge Effort Infinity
Nichole Khusid Effort Infinity
Justin Muhlbauer Cooperation Infinity
Jessie Gottlieb Cooperation Infinity
Jeff Zhao Courtesy & Respect Arts
Riley Murphy Courtesy & Respect Arts
Nick Nucero Academic Improvement Arts
Sanjai Pittman Academic Improvement Arts
Phil Stollsteimer Effort Arts
Marissa Haynes Effort Arts
Michael Welde Cooperation Arts
Madison Moore Cooperation Arts
SOURCE OF NMS PRIDE
Friday, November 15, Newtown Middle School
honored 54 of our students for extraordinary
demonstration of the following characteristics in
the first marking period: Cooperation, Effort, Ac-
ademic Improvement, Courtesy and Respect
These are attributes that we consider the em-bodiment of our Mission Statement of RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY and RELATIONSHIPS. These wonderful students were treated to a brief ceremony followed by a delicious breakfast with musical accompaniment in the background.
November 11 We had a Veteran's Day Celebration Assembly where the Thursday Guard from the Washington Crossing Veteran's Cemetery did a mock run-through of their Veteran's Burial Ceremony. Mr. Benson, a proud NMS Veteran acted as Master of Ceremonies, explaining the process. Melvin Benson Sr., his father, and a veteran himself, was actually a member of the guard. As usual, your children were a great audience demon-strating respect and caring throughout.
November 14
INTERNET SAFETY
This issue is one of major importance and timeliness for all of us. Keeping
our children safe is always a priority. We are a team in this fight and we
need to work together, with authorities and with you, the parents to help
our children navigate these waters safely, while taking advantage of the
boundless information and connections that are out there.
Cerena Coughlin FBI, a special agent from the FBI, visited us last Thursday.
She was here at NMS to speak to our 7th and 8th graders and then returned
in the evening to have a similar, but more adult-oriented conversation
with CRSD parents. She is an excellent speaker who was received kindly
and attentively by our students. This link will bring you to some of the ma-
jor points discussed in her presentation:
Dangers of peer-to-peer software…Instagram, Ask.fm, Twitter, etc.
Private moment can have one billion hits…”Charlie Bit My Finger” on
YouTube
Digital natives vs. digital immigrants…comparison of adults, who were
not brought up with technology, to our children, who have never
known a world without it.
Internet is good and bad.
Safety is the priority.
Think before you post.
“Most horrible excuse for a human being” can see a photo online
No matter how high privacy settings are, your information can still be
seen
People can pose as children.
Ask yourself, why would an adult want to talk with a child?
Never give personal info on line.
Google Street View is used to determine where you live – this all
someone needs to do to find your child.
GPS imbedding automatic in I Phone
Internet is a media machine – not free – bases everything on advertis-
ing
Be wary of taking self-photos of any kind
Be wary of the webcam on laptops or desktops – tape over aperture
Beware of adults who are too friendly
If you would not say it in person, why would you say it online?
ASK.fm – dangerous place to be
Online world just as real as your own
Do not share passwords
Never cool to be mean
Respect others the way you want to be respected
Secure Wireless at home
Google yourself
How would you feel about your Mom seeing this?
Safety 1st
Keep your private life private
Telling isn’t tattling
Support each other
November 22 Lose the Whiskers! As we are sure you aware, many of the NMS male faculty members participated in "No Shave Novem-ber," as a fund-raising activity to fight prostate can-cer. Our scruffy guys had the opportunity to have their beards trimmed and decorated before head-ing home to shave them off on Friday, November 22. The students and teachers had a great time while raising money for a very worthwhile cause.