Alanson Middle School Monthly Newsletter

November 1st, 2013

What Else is
Happening at
Alanson Middle School?

What’s Happening in the Classroom?

Mrs. Woodbeck
English Events:
6th graders just finished reading Jason’s Gold. We have learned about the region of the gold rush, the cities of Dyea and Skagway, and some of the people that lived during that time. Culminating activities include a movie similar to the story, a book report, and polishing a research paper they started at the beginning of the novel.
7th graders finished reading Old Yeller and are working on projects related to the book. Next we will be doing some editing of their narrative writing and then going on to the next book.
8th graders finished reading a novel called The Outsiders. They are working on collage boards depicting life in the 1960’s. They will present these boards to the sixth and seventh grade students. They will receive extra points during the presentation of they dress in period attire. The boards will then be placed on display in the library for a couple of weeks.
Mrs. Morse
Social Studies Events:
Social Studies 8 recently concluded a unit on "The 13 Colonies" and has now been working on "Crisis in the Colonies." Students have studied these topics using their book, notes, webquests, and several "Read-Aloud Plays" about the early colonies which is brining a good cross-curricular aspect to this class.
Mrs. Liederbach
Math Events:
6th graders have learned the meaning of absolute value and how to use the distributive property. They have been introduced to the concept of exponents and have been working on simplifying expressions using the correct order of operations. You may hear your child recite the phrase “Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally” to help them remember the correct order.
7th graders have been working on recognizing directly proportional relationships in table, graph, and equation form. They are using ratio and rate reasoning to solve many problems including which Orange Juice mixture is the orangiest! It is exciting to see the growth in their math skills!
The 8th graders have discovered how a translation, reflection, or rotation affects the coordinates of a point. They have also been working with dilations to see how the scale factor creates either a reduction or an enlargement. They will soon be moving on to the Pythagorean Theorem.
Social Studies Events:
6th graders have been studying the Earth’s human geography. They have looked at population growth, distribution, and movement. They are also learning about the unique characteristics, traditions, and beliefs that make up a culture. They will soon examine the Earth’s limited natural resources and the effect of humans on the environment.
Mrs. Cheshire
Science Events:
6th graders have finished learning about the different types of rocks and the rock cycle. This included observations of rocks and a rock cycle sugar simulation. Next, they discovered how scientists relatively date rock layers and what fossils can tell us about Earth’s history. We examined local fossils, proving to us that Michigan was once covered by a shallow sea about 350 million years ago.
7th graders have just finished up the weather patterns unit. They learned about global wind belts and local winds. They can now identify clouds and observed clouds and recorded their observations in a cloud journal. In addition, students now understanding the formation and many types of precipitation. Next, we will be discussing air masses and pressure zones that cause severe weather like hurricanes, tornadoes, and snow storms.
8th graders have discovered Earth’s geologic history and how geologists learn and understand rock layers and fossils. The created outstanding Road Maps of life on earth, built 3D models of rock disturbances, used chocolate chips to understand radioactive decay and half-life, and discovered what bones belonged to what dinosaur in a webquest! We will soon begin the Plate Tectonic unit.
Social Studies Event:
7th graders have been learning about the history of Africa from the beginning of man to Europe’s “Scramble for Africa”. They have read articles, observed interactive migration maps, examined illustrations, read a play about the slave Equiano, and created a flipbook.

Conferences
The first trimester will end November 22nd. Parent-teacher conferences will be Thursday, December 5th.
Viking of the Month
Congratulation to the following students!
6th grade– Riley McNeil
7th grade– Kylie Lewis
8th grade– Haley Pemberton
AMS Leadership Team
The leadership team has met a few times and have begun creating a calendar of events. Our students are to “Be A Super Hero” by bringing in change through November to donate to the Salvation Army to help local families just in time for Christmas,
Little Traverse Recycling Center
On September 26th all the Alanson Middle School students took a field trip to the Little Traverse Recycling Center to learn how they can help be more environmentally friendly. Thank you to all the parent volunteers!
Orienteering at Ransom Nature Preserve
The 7th and 8th grade students learned how to navigate with compasses on a fun-filled field trip to the Ransom Nature Preserve hosted by the Little Traverse Conservancy. Thank you to all the parent volunteers!
Raven Hill
All AMS students will be going to Raven Hill for an indoor and outdoor science and history exploration on Friday, November 8th. Please contact Mrs. Cheshire if you are interested in being a chaperone.
Vikingfest
Alanson Vikingfest is coming! Friday, November 8th from 5:30– 7:30. All proceeds will go to the PTO.
Donations Please!!
This seems to be the season for colds and we are going through Kleenex quickly. If possible please donate a box to the Middle School. Thank you.

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Selecting pictures or graphics is an important part of adding content to your newsletter.
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Inside Story Headline

This story can fit 150-200 words.
One benefit of using your newsletter as a promotional tool is that you can reuse content from other marketing materials, such as press releases, market studies, and reports.
While your main goal of distributing a newsletter might be to sell your product or service, the key to a successful newsletter is making it useful to your readers.
A great way to add useful content to your newsletter is to develop and write your own articles, or include a calendar of upcoming events or a special offer that promotes a new product.
You can also research articles or find “filler” articles by accessing the World Wide Web. You can write about a variety of topics but try to keep your articles short.
Much of the content you put in your newsletter can also be used for your Web site. Microsoft Publisher offers a simple way to convert your newsletter to a Web publication. So, when you’re finished writing your newsletter, convert it to a Web site and post it.

Caption describing picture or graphic.

Inside Story Headline

This story can fit 100-150 words.
The subject matter that appears in newsletters is virtually endless. You can include stories that focus on current technologies or innovations in your field.
You may also want to note business or economic trends, or make predictions for your customers or clients.
If the newsletter is distributed internally, you might comment upon new procedures or improvements to the business. Sales figures or earnings will show how your business is growing.
Some newsletters include a column that is updated every issue, for instance, an advice column, a book review, a letter from the president, or an editorial. You can also profile new employees or top customers or vendors.

“To catch the reader's attention, place an interesting sentence or quote from the story here.”

Inside Story Headline

This story can fit 75-125 words.
Selecting pictures or graphics is an important part of adding content to your newsletter.
Think about your article and ask yourself if the picture supports or enhances the message you’re trying to convey. Avoid selecting images that appear to be out of context.
Microsoft Publisher includes thousands of clip art images from which you can choose and import into your newsletter. There are also several tools you can use to draw shapes and symbols.
Once you have chosen an image, place it close to the article. Be sure to place the caption of the image near the image.

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Volume 1, Issue 1

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Alanson Public Schools

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