MMS Summer Reading

June 2015

Greetings students and families of Milton Middle School,

As one year winds down, we are already gearing up for the next; can you believe it? Without rushing things, we do want to let you know about the summer reading expectations. We are excited to announce that we will be reading 2015-2016 Dorothy Canfield Fisher (DCF) selection, No Summit out of Sight by Jordan Romero. Students will be given a copy of the book by 6/15; this copy will be theirs to keep and annotate. With its connections to exploration and larger message about persisting, this title is a great fit with our upcoming curriculum. Students should bring in their copies, having already read them, on the first day of school. If your child is unable to receive his or her copy by this Monday, it will be available to pick up from the elementary school throughout the summer.

In addition to reading this title, we are expecting all students to continue their independent reading. Vermont's reading standards challenge students to read one book every two weeks.  Many students love to plunge in and read over the summer with all that free time.  Others need some structure, encouragement, and strategic planning -- plan regular time for reading, read with your child, listen to books on tape or digital recordings, read books then watch the movies, take trips to the library. In fact, the Milton Public Library is offering some fabulous summer programming under the theme Unmask. We have included a list of all of this year’s DCF titles on the back of this letter. Please visit the websites listed below for more information about the books, including recommended ages and descriptions. Additionally, the folks at the Milton Public Library are helpful resources for book recommendations. Families, this could be a wonderful opportunity for you to enjoy some excellent young adult literature, while supporting your child with his/her reading expectations.

When we return in August, in addition to school-wide celebrations of the book No Summit out of Sight, each house will have its own way of discussing and working with the books.There is also a chance that our school will be invited to participate with the Vermont Public Radio program Dorothy’s List. Keep track of those questions and talking points!

So, find a nice sunny spot, curl up, and get lost in some fabulous literature. If you have any questions, please direct them to the appropriate humanities teachers.

Happy Reading!

The MMS Humanities Team

For an annotated list of the 2015-2016 DCF titles:

http://libraries.vermont.gov/sites/libraries/files/CBEC/BookAwards/DCF/DCFMasterlist15-16.pdf

For a list of books with high interest, background building, current trends for all the students in grades 5th-8th.

http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/284.Middle_School_Book_List

Trimester 3 Progress Reports

Hello families, Students received their progress reports for the third trimester on Friday 5/8. Please be sure to check with your child to review his or her science, math, and humanities reports. As always, feel free to contact individual teachers if you would like more information. Thanks!

Power to the People Celebration on T.V.

Milton Middle School Power to the People Celebration is on LCATV.

Portfolio Conferences April 15 & 16

Dear Families,

The days are getting longer and the snow is melting. Spring is in the air, and it’s time for Student Portfolio Conferences! Your child has done much learning and growing over these past months. We invite you to a Portfolio Conference, where your child will present work from each class that he or she has thoughtfully selected to demonstrate learning and growth.

These conferences are important to your child, and represent many hours of preparation. The portfolio process helps students build life-long skills including: organization skills, self-evaluative skills, and communication skills. Most importantly, the portfolio process helps your child take more ownership of his or her learning and be more accountable for his or her academic progress. Children benefit greatly from having meaningful conversations about their learning with important adults in their lives. Thank you for the important role you play in this process!

Please visit http://bit.ly/housecconferences7 to indicate your preferred conference time. Any caring adult is welcome - parents, adult siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors. If no adult is able to attend at one of the times offered, we will gladly make arrangements for you to conference with your child at another time. Conferences will take place in the Middle/Elementary School Library.

We look forward to seeing you!

The Teachers of House C

Power to the People! Celebration

On Thursday 4/2 from 5:30pm-7:30pm at the high school, Milton Middle School students will celebrate the culmination of their learning during the Power to the People unit. Students have been engaged in an examination of the historical struggle for all Americans to gain their full civil rights. We have followed the struggle for equality of African Americans, women, and gay Americans, paying particular attention to the current state of these struggles. The students have worked on their literacy skills in the areas of research, informational and reflective writing, as well as speaking and listening. The learning has been synthesized in the form of an artistic representation of a group's struggle and/or the changemakers who have worked to secure civil rights for all. Please join us in the celebration and attend what is sure to be a powerful and enlightening evening.

Field Trip

Hi folks,

This is a reminder that House C will be going on a field trip to Cairns Arena on 3/11. Please have your child return his/her permission slip by this Thursday (3/5).

If you have any questions, please let us know.

Thanks!

Science Fair on TV!

Check out this great feature on LCATV. You'll find some House C students featured in the last 15 minutes!

Introducing...

Hello folks,

We are lucky to have two UVM interns joining House C Humanities this semester.

Holly Murphy is a senior at UVM double majoring in Secondary Education and English. She is from a coastal town on the North Shore of Boston, Massachusetts. When she’s not in school, Holly is working at the UVM Davis Center as the Technical Assistant Lead, cooking, playing video games, or playing Dungeons and Dragons with her friends at Champlain College. Holly is an avid reader, writer, and singer.  Her favorite book is A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. Ms. Murphy had a previous placement in South Burlington with 7-12th graders, worked with Winooski high school students after school for a year at the Winooski Teen Center. She also has over 10 years of experience working both on and off stage at local and school theaters in Massachusetts with a range of ages. She also rides with the Champlain Equestrian Club when time permits.

Shannon McCullen is currently a senior at UVM and a double major of secondary education and political science with a minor in French.  She hails from Essex Junction, Vermont.  At UVM, she is involved with the Catamount Pep Band where she is a section leader for the flutes and clarinet.  She also is involved with the Cooperative Christian Ministry. Outside of school, she is active in the Boy Scouts with Troop 624 and Crew 6689.  She is looking forward to working with all of our students.

These two have been busy over the past month getting to know our students and planning engaging instruction in language arts and social studies.

Progress Reports

Hello families,

Students received their progress reports for the second trimester on Friday 1/30 (those involved in the play will receive them today). Please be sure to check with your child to review his or her science, math, and humanities reports. As always, feel free to contact individual teachers if you would like more information.

Thanks!

Write On!

Hello!

This Monday (2/2) will mark the first day of Write On - a time and place for students to work on and hone their writing. I (your loyal writing interventionist) will be on hand to support and assist with any writing needs - whether it's student assignments (informational text/science fair procedures/summaries/et cetera) or their own personal story/novel/epic poem/rap/et cetera. My hope is that the room will also serve as a relatively quiet place where people who just want to come write can also do so. Any student is welcome to bring what they'd like to work on.

Write On will be held Mondays through Thursdays, from 2:30 to 3:00 in room 224. If you have any questions, please let me know!

Best:
James Moore.
Writing Interventionist.