February 2014

CORKRAN MIDDLE

Anne Arundel County Public Schools

ADMINISTRATION Jolyn Davis, Principal GRADE 8: Mrs. Smith GRADE 7: Mr. Voegtlin GRADE 6: A—K—Mrs. Smith L—Z—Mr. Voegtlin

DATES TO REMEMBER:

Corkran Middle School in collaboration with families and the community, promotes

a positive academic environment where all students are celebrated and supported

as they meet and exceed high academic standards to prepare them to become re-

sponsible citizens in a constantly transforming society.

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: MESSAGE FROM THE

Corkran Middle School Families,

It is hard to believe we are already starting the second semester of the 2013-2014 school year! Now is the perfect opportunity to remind your children of the importance of re-flecting on their grades and seeking assistance from their teachers and counselors as needed. We have many opportunities for students to receive additional help. Please do not hesitate to call your child’s grade level counselor if you have any concerns regarding their report card.

During the month of February, you can expect to receive course selection cards for the 2014-2015 school year. The teachers are cur-rently collaborating to recommend placement levels for students based on data they have reviewed. Counselors will be visiting students during their Social Studies classes to assist them in selecting encore courses for next year. Please be sure to carefully review and sign the course selection card. If you have questions regarding the recommend level for core cours-es, please contact your child’s teachers or counselor.

MSA testing will take place on March 4, 5, 11, and 12. Please make every effort to en-sure your child is well-rested and prepared for these assessments. It is also extremely im-portant that they arrive to school on time on each of these days. Please reference the test-ing tips provided by our counselors in this news-letter.

As always, I appreciate your ongoing support and partnership.

Sincerely,

Jolyn Davis, Principal

Page

1 Principal’s Message

4 Health Room

6 Counselors Corner

11-14 Team News

16 Clubs & Activities

17 PTSA Membership Form

Cardinal P.R.I.D.E. Pledge

I am a Proud Cardinal because I

am:

Professional Profesional

Respectful

Respetuoso

Independent Independiente

Determined

Determinado

Engaged Comprometido

February

Black History Month

6—Report Card distribution

6—PTSA Meeting 6:00 p.m.

6—Family Literacy Night 6 p.m.

12—Professional Development 2 hour early dismissal

17—Presidents Day—schools closed for students & teachers

22—AACPS Spelling Bee

March

4-5—Math MSA Testing

11-12—Reading MSA

6—PTSA Meeting 6:30 p.m.

7—Interims sent home

9—Daylight Savings begins

25-26—MSA Science/Grade 8

April

3—3rd Marking Period ends

4—4th Marking Period begins

7-11—Volunteer Appreciation

11—Report Card Distribution

14-22—Easter/Spring Break Schools Closed for Students

Follow us on Twitter:

Twitter.com/CorkranMSAACPS

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PARENT CONNECT

Parents and guardians please remember, you can access student attendance, as-

signment scores, current course grades, and class schedules. This is an easy-to-use

tool for communicating student progress that will allow you to take an even more ac-

tive role in your child’s education.

Complete the registration form available online at AACPS.org and return it to the school. You will

be required to appear at the school to verify your identify. You may access Parent Connect 24

hours a day, seven days a week, after you have registered and received your password and user

ID. You may access Parent Connect from any computer with internet access through

www.aacps.org. Please be aware that the site may be down from time to time for maintenance.

PTSA News

As a reminder, our regularly scheduled meetings are the first Thursday of

every month in the Media Center. We hope to see you there. If you have any

concerns or ideas, please consider attending a meeting. If you are unable at

attend we can be reached by leaving a message with the Corkran office staff

at (410)222-6493 or via e-mail at CorkranPTSA@gmail.com. Our February

Meeting will be held on February 6th at 6:00 p.m. Please join us!

School Openings & Delays

Changes to school schedules caused by inclement weather or other emergency conditions are an-

nounced through the Blackboard Connect (formerly Connect-ED) automated notification system;

posted on the school system’s website (www.aacps.org), Facebook page (www.facebook.com/

aacps), and Twitter page (@AACountySchools); and broadcast on major area radio and television

stations, including AACPS-TV (Channel 96 on Comcast and Broadstripe, and Channel 36 on Veri-

zon). In addition, announcements are posted (and you may sign up for e-mail alerts) on the website

School’s Out (www.schoolsout.com). If you do not get a call, please notify the school office, as we

may not have your correct phone number.

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Literacy Lounge

We are excited to introduce our school wide reading program called Tickets to Reading Rewards. This is a wonder-

ful program sponsored by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. Our students win prizes for every

five books that they read! A coach from one of the nearby colleges will be coming to speak, and we will receive

free basketball tickets to a college game, so please encourage your child to read, read, read!

Building vocabulary is very important for reading comprehension. Our teachers are incorporating vocabulary in-

struction in all content areas. You can help your child by playing word games such as Scrabble, Scrabble Jr.,

Upwords, Boggle, Boggle Jr., and Banana-grams, and encouraging your child to read.

While your child reads you can help support our school wide literacy goal of using text to support claims by talking

to your child about their reading and having them give you examples in their answers. Have fun talking to your

child about their books!

The 26th annual Anne Arundel Spelling Bee will be held on February 22 at the Anne Arundel County Board of Edu-

cation building and we are proud to announce…

Michael Hoffman (6th grade) won the school spelling bee and will be representing Corkran at the

county bee!

Emmaneuella Afebuame (8th grade) was the runner up during the school spelling bee and is the

alternate for the county bee!

Our school wide reading program, Tickets to Reading Rewards, is underway. So far we have been able to give

away string bags for reading five books, and medals for reading 10 books. We are reading to give away water

bottles! Way to read Corkran Middle!

Not only do we have readers and spellers at Corkran, but we have aspiring authors as well. The following students’ writing was chosen to be read and judged at the county wide Young Authors’ Contest:

Poetry Entries- Short Story Entries- Alejandro Rodriguez-Perez (6th grade) Dylan Barclay (6th Grade) Sophia Silwal (7

th grade) Ryan Civil (7th Grade)

Reading is Delicious! Thursday, February 6 we will host a family literacy night in conjunction with the school book

fair. This will be a night to browse the book fair, win books, enjoy a coffee bar with cake and sweet treats, and participate in activities with your child.

Chick-fil-A Night

Our next Chick-fil-A fundraiser is Monday, February 10th from 5-9. We truly appreciate all of you

who come out to show support for our school! Looking ahead, we will also have a Chick-fil-A Night

on Monday, April 7th. Please mark your calendars.

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School Cameras

Corkran Middle School is equipped with a video camera system. It covers selected interior and

exterior public portions of the building and grounds. It is monitored constantly, especially dur-

ing emergency situations. During certain events, when the safety or security of students may be in question, au-

thorized personnel from local, state, or federal police or fire emergency units may be given access to view images

projected on the camera system. If you have any questions about the system, you should call the Supervisor of

School Security at 410-222-5083

Safety First—Security Procedures

Parents are always welcome to visit our school, but we ask that you enter and report directly to the

main office to allow our secretaries to greet and assist you. When you arrive in the office, a photo

id will be required for the AACPS security process.

The main entrance to Corkran is by the flag pole. When you are coming to Corkran, please enter by the flag pole.

The side entrance by the parking lot is only for HANDICAPPED guests. We realize this may be an inconvenience

for our guests, however, this practice is in place to ensure the safety of all students. When you arrive, please

press the buzzer. You will be asked the nature of your business. Please make sure you have your photo ID with

you. If you do not have your photo ID and your photo is not already in the system, you will not be allowed to go

any farther than the main office. Also, if you send someone to pick up your child, please make sure you have put

their name on the emergency contact form. We will not release your child to someone you have not designated

on the emergency card. Once again, this is to ensure the safety of all students. Thank you for your cooperation

and support to ensure a safe and secure school.

Emergency Drills

During each school year, various drills are conducted at every school to ensure that staff and students are pre-pared in the event of an emergency. These drills include monthly fire/evacuation drills.

In addition, five drills with scenarios developed by the school system’s Office of School Security and based upon various possible emergency scenarios are done each year. These include, but are not limited to: evacuation for natural gas emergencies; shelter for tornado and earthquake; shelter for outside hazardous materials release; lockout for danger outside of the school building, reverse evacuation back into the school for students and staff outside; and lockdown for a person with a weapon inside of the school.

These drills are discussed with staff prior to the drill, evaluated once the drill is complete. In some cases, the drills may be discussed with students before they take place.

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.Health Room Corner

EMERGENCY FORMS

Each year it is necessary to contact parents because of an emergency situation arising in school. We depend on having

emergency information on file to enable us to contact parents/guardians in a most timely fashion. If your information

changes at any time throughout the year, please be sure to contact our Guidance Department. Thank you for your

prompt attention to this item.

MEDICATION FORMS

Students who need to take medication in school are required to have a Request to Administer Medication in School form

on file in our Health Room. This includes any over-the-counter medications such as cough drops, Tylenol, aspirin, etc. A

physician must complete this form. Forms may be obtained in our main office or Health Room.

Parents: Please remember to send in absence excuse notes with your children when they return to

school after an illness. Notes are to be given to Homeroom teachers.

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Counselors Corner

Out of Area Transfers

The out-of-area transfer process opens on March 1, 2014 and extends through May 1, 2014. All applica-

tions submitted after May 1st must be sent directly to Central Office for action. Applications must be

completed with appropriate documentation attached and signed by the parent/guardian. Incomplete ap-

plications will be returned.

Parents can check the out-of-area information available on the AACPS website for additional information.

This link will take them to the site: http://www.aacps.org/outofarea/.

Introduction

The School Counselors have been continuing to work with all 6th, 7

th, and 8

th grade students here at

Corkran. Mr. Kahn (6th Grade Counselor), Ms. Holmes (7

th Grade Counselor), and Ms. Sandberg (8

th

Grade Counselor) continue to work collaboratively with students, parents, teachers, and administrators to ensure academic success for all of our students. We are available to discuss any academic, personal/social, or career questions or concerns and can be reached at (410)222-6495 or via email (mkahn@aacps.org, kmholmes@aacps.org, ksandberg@aacps.org). We would like to remind parents that calling or emailing in advance to schedule an appointment is the best way to guarantee that we can spend adequate time discussing your child’s needs with you.

School Supplies

The School Counseling Department still has many school supplies available for any families in need. We are happy to provide binders, pens/pencils, folders, dividers, combination locks etc. for all students. If there are any supplies that your child requires for a successful remainder of the school year, please call your grade level school counselor or direct the student to come to the School Counseling Office.

3rd

Marking Period Academic Success

As we move into the third Marking Period, we want to take this opportunity to remind students and par-ents of some important strategies for academic success. We highly encourage you to speak with your child’s teachers about any concerns or questions you have regarding your child’s grades. In addition, please encourage your children to use their agenda books for organization, communication with teach-ers, and monitoring homework completion. Take time to speak with your child on a daily basis about his/her academic strengths and weaknesses, and review classwork, homework, and tests. Setting aside a designated time and place each night to complete a homework routine can be very helpful. In addition, encourage your child to seek out extra help. All teachers are available for after-school help on Tuesdays, and some may have additional availability after school and during lunches if students ask.

If you do not have access to ParentConnect, please contact the school to gain access. Parents must have a valid email address to use this service. It is a great way to keep track of grades throughout the marking period and provide reminders and assistance to your students!

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Test-Taking Tips

With the MSA tests quickly approaching, we would like to share test-taking tips that students can use now and in all classroom testing situations. It is extremely important that all students are pre-sent on MSA testing days in March. Make sure that your child gets at least eight hours of sleep the night before the test. Set a back-up alarm to help your child wake up on time on the day of the test. He or she should eat a healthy breakfast and allow plenty of time to get to school.

When helping your child prepare for classroom tests, keep the following study tips for your

child in mind:

It is best to review the material each night when it's still fresh in your memory.

Don't try to do all of your studying the night before the test. Instead space out your studying, review class materials at least several times a week, focusing on one topic at a time.

Find a comfortable and quiet place to study with good lighting and little distractions (try avoid-ing your own bed; it is very tempting to just lie down and take a nap).

Start out by studying the most important information.

Learn the general concepts first. Don't worry about learning the details until you have learned the main ideas.

Take notes and write down a summary of the important ideas as you read through your study material.

Take short breaks frequently. Your memory retains the information that you study at the begin-ning and the end better than what you study in the middle.

Space out your studying, you'll learn more by studying a little every day instead of waiting to cram at the last minute. By studying every day, the material will stay in your long-term memory but if you try to study at the last moment, the material will only reside in your short-term memory that you'll easily forget.

Make sure that you understand the material well, don't just read through the material and try to memorize everything.

If you choose to study in a group, only study with others who are serious about the test.

Test yourself or have someone test you on the material to find out what your weak and strong areas are. You can use the review questions at the end of each chapter, practice tests that the teacher may give out or other pertinent materials.

Listening to relaxing music such as classical or jazz on a low volume can relieve some of the boredom of studying.

Don't study later than the time you usually go to sleep, you may fall asleep or be tempted to go to sleep, instead try studying in the afternoon or early evening. If you are a morning person try studying in the morning.

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In addition, the following study tips are designed to help parents guide their children in test

preparation:

Make sure that your child does all their homework and reading assignments, this will help make sure your child is prepared for the test.

Encourage your child to space out their studying and homework assignments so that they won't be forced to cram on the night before the test.

If you are anxious about your child's test, it's ok but try to keep cool around your child, you don't want them to get anxious about their tests too.

Encourage your child to do well but don't pressure him/her. You may stress him/her out. It is im-portant for your child to stay relaxed for the test.

Keep a positive attitude about tests.

Provide a quiet, well lighted area with little distractions to help your child study efficiently.

Mark down test days on your calendar so you and your child are both aware of testing dates.

Make sure that your child gets enough sleep on the night before the test.

Ensure that your child eats a healthy breakfast and avoid heavy foods that may make him/her groggy and avoid high sugar foods that may make him/her hyper.

Make sure that your child gets up early enough so that he/she will be on time to school.

Let your child relax for a few hours before bedtime, since it can be stressful for a child to study all night.

Praise/reward your child when they do well on a test or for their hard work preparing for a test.

Review the test with your child after they have taken it and go over any mistakes they have made and make sure that they understand what they did wrong and how they can improve for the next test.

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Magnet Programs

Attention all 8th grade students and parents who are interested in Magnet Programs! The deadline

to submit an on-time application for the BMAH, IB, PVA, or STEM Magnet program was noon on December 4, 2013. The Magnet Office is continuing to review all on-time Magnet Applica-tions for current 8th graders. These students will be notified of their eligibility via e-mail by

the end of January.

If you did not submit an application but are interested in one of these programs, you can still submit a Late Application that will be considered in the Spring after all eligible on-time applicants have been offered seats in a Magnet Program. All students who submitted Magnet Applications after the deadline will be notified after Spring Break. The application must be completed online at www.aacps.org. Any questions or concerns should be directed to Ms. Sandberg.

All applications for CAT-N are due by April 1st. CAT-N offers a variety of programs that provide stu-

dents with work readiness skills. Programs such as welding, carpentry, graphic design, cosmetolo-gy, culinary arts, motorcycle repair, and the academy of health professions represent the wide rang-es of career opportunities available at CAT-N. These programs provide incredible opportunities for students to receive training that will allow them to enter the world of work immediately after high school, or provide a solid foundation for additional post-secondary education. More information can be found at http://www.aacps.org/aacps/CATN/index.html.

Bullying Survey

As a reminder, parents are invited to join us in creating a safe and welcoming learning environment in our school by participating in the 2013-14 School Year Bullying Survey. All students will be taking the survey during social studies classes. The survey will be available online through the end of Feb-ruary. You can find it at http://survey.aacps.org or on the Anne Arundel County Public Schools web-site at http://www.aacps.org/survey/bully_survey.asp Your insight and support will help our school identify areas of concern and address them. You are an important partner in this effort and we value your input. As always, thanks for your support! Your passcode is cXfG823

Course Selection Forms

Parents are reminded that they will see course selection forms coming home in February. Please get these back to your child’s school counselor as soon as possible! Feel free to contact us with any questions.

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6th Grade Penguins

The Penguins Team would also like to

congratulate the following students of

the month!

Aldina Nuhanovic, Bryce Mitchell,

Shawn Cribbs, Suleyma Torres, Genesis Moon,

Randy George, and Vicky Castillo.

6th Grade Eagles

Students of the Month

November December

Math Malachai Smith Angelo Luciano

Sci Alex Fisher Faith Jeffrey

LA Jayla Hendersoon Dylan Barclay

SS Emily Simmons Alejandro Perez

7th Grade Ravenclaws

Students of the Month:

December January

LA Charnasia Starling Dakota Castle

Math Devin Helton Morgan Duly

Sci Hyun Kim Rebecca Sank

SS Sendy Alvarenga Esther Lim Park

7th Grade Mockingjays

Students of the Month

December January

LA Nemone Bolding Taylor Smith

Math Myleiah Smith Marqus Rostek

Sci Elisha Seitz Tah’Wuan Jennings

Michael Tucker

SS Chris Terebuch Tamera Robertson

8th Grade Falcons

Students of the Month:

Science Maggie Gray

LA Savanna Branham

Colin Heath

SS Kaylene Rockey

Math Sebastian Phillips

Christian Villatoro

8th Grade Hawks

Students of the Month

Science Arrow Jordan

LA Jacob Hora

SS Rafi Emtiag

Math Kira Miller

News from Interdisciplinary Teams

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RAVENclaws and Mockingjay

7th grade teams

The Ravenclaw team of teachers

Miss Gulden (team leader) - Science kgulden@aacps.org; Ms. Henry - Social Studies jhenry@aacps.org; Mrs. Jarrell -

Language Arts jjblanco@aacps.org; Mrs. Williams - Math bewilliams@aacps.org; Mrs. Archer- Special Education—

Social Studies earcher@aacps.org; Mr. Miller- Special Education—Math jmiller@aacps.org; Mr. Reiger- Special Educa-

tion—Language Arts jreiger@aacps.org; Ms. Berish- Special Education—Science kberish@aaccps.org

The Mockingjay team of teachers

Mrs. Chandapulta (team leader)- Science aahuja@aacps.org; Mr. Palazzo- Social Studies spalazzo@aacps.org;

Mrs. Calabrese- Language Arts dcalabrese@aacps.org; Mrs. McCray- Math bmccray@aacps.org

The Glen Burnie Business Advisory Board’s Students of the Month were:

Mockingjay’s—Keysla Rodriques Marques

Ravenclaw’s—Dakota Castle

Third Marking Period Reminders: *SUPPLIES Please make sure that your student has the necessary supplies for classes. Many students are coming to classes with-out pencils, paper, and even their binders. Please speak with your child about the importance of having the necessary supplies for each class. Team Instructional Focuses: Working as a team we, the teachers and you, the parents/guardians can help our students be successful. How can you help your child grow in these areas? Building strong vocabularies

Make sure your child is reading at home every day. Ask your child if there are any key words that he/she has learned that day and for the meaning. Play charades with your child. Have the child act out a word and you and or your family try to guess the word, than

switch roles. It is a great way to spend time together while everyone can learn. Quizlet.com- a free registration gets the basic account where students can interact with different vocabulary from all

subjects and levels and even create their own sets of flash cards. Determining the best evidence to support a claim

Ask your child questions about what they are reading. Asking why something happened or why did the character react a certain way makes the child use what they have read to justify the answer. Make sure they give you information from the text to support the answer.

Have your student show you the notes that they took in any of the classes and have he/she explain what the notes are about. This helps to encourage going back into the notes to find the information.

Afterschool help: Please have your child take advantage of the afterschool help that is available on Tuesdays afterschool.

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8th Grade Hawks & Falcons Teams

The 8th Grade team would like to celebrate our latest students of the month. Maggie Gray, Savanna Branham, Colin

Heath, Jacob Hora, Maverick Harris, Kaylene Rockey, Emtiag Rafi, Sebastian Phillips, Kira Miller, and Christian Villato-ro. These students exemplify what it means to be a Corkran Cardinal and we are very proud of them.

In the coming months we will be working to design a service learning project that is relevant to not only our students, but the community as a whole. As we move further into the process we will be sending information home with each and every student. When that information comes home, if anyone is interested in lending a hand with the service learning project please let us know.

Finally, as we move closer and closer to MSA please take time to study and practice skills from your Language Arts, Math, and Science classes. These classes can be used to help place students into their resepective High School courses and we know you can do a great job on each and every test you take.

Let's have a great 2nd Semester,

The 8th Grade Team

6th Grade Eagles Team

The 6th grade Eagles have transitioned nicely into middle school and continue to make great progress each

day! Ms. Gresham, Mrs. Klinedinst, Ms. Smith and Mrs. Kearns are very proud of all of the hard work students have put forth

in the first semester. Many students have even been earning POSITIVE referrals for demonstrating Cardinal P.R.I.D.E. En-

courage your child to do their best, so they too can earn a positive referral.

We truly appreciate all of the support we have received and we look forward to continuing to work with each of you

to make your child’s 6th grade year successful. As we begin the new semester, please ensure that your children still have

the supplies they need to be successful. Specifically, check with your child to make sure they still are coming to school pre-

pared each day with pencils and any notebooks they need. In addition, please continue to encourage your child to use their

agenda book to record important homework assignments and reminders each and every day.

The Eagles would like to congratulate the following students who earned academic honors as Students of the Month

or were recognized by the Glen Burnie Business Advisory Board: Glen Burnie Business Advisory Students of the Month:

November- Joshua Johnson December- Daniel Herrin

6th Grade Penguins Team

The Penguins Team is proud for all their students who are working hard to improve their grades ! Mrs. Beaumont, Ms. Wat-son, Mrs. Bridges, Ms. Straub, Mrs. Juhnke and Ms. Ragan are excited to see so much growth. The Penguins teachers will be hosting a party for students who showed improvement from their interim reports to report card! Students will be tracking their grades and setting goals for improvement. When they show improvement in three or more classes (or stay an A.) they will get invited to the end of the Marking Period Party!

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News from the Media Center

The Corkran spring Book Fair will be held from Feb. 4th – 10

th, 2014. Many new titles will be available – the newest Dia-

ry of a Wimpy Kid book, Allegiant, Pretty Little Liars are just a few. This year the Book Fair will be open on Feb. 6th dur-

ing the evening during Corkran’s Literacy Night –(Reading Is Delicious),; so parents, please stop by!

In conjunction with the Literacy Committee, the Media Center would like to thank the participants of Book Bistro, a cel-

ebration of literature in the Media Center on Wednesdays at lunch. Keep a look out for a new theme in the spring!

The Media Center congratulates the latest Readers of the Month! Well done, Evy Kreunen (for December) and Kyle

Marsh (for January)! Will YOU be the next Reader of the Month?

In December, the Media Center and Technology Education participated in the Hour of Code (Dec. 9-15). Students

were exposed to computer programming to support STEM initiatives!

Don’t forget we are offering afterschool help in the Media Center on Thursdays this year, so if you need more help

please don’t hesitate to use our resources.

Special thanks to Barnes and Noble for donating display items! We appreciate your support.

Did you know? January is "Get Book Fit" Month! Reading helps to get your mind in shape, so take 15 minutes a day

to curl up with a good book.

Encore Students of the Month

Encore Student of the Month for the Month of December:

1) Ryan Smith Chorus 2) Samuel Oyeniyen AVID 3) Isabelle Smith: Art 4) Sarah Antonous :Spanish

5) Stephen Frank: French 6) Isaac Clarke: French 7) Colin Heath: Teach ED 8) Logan Leasure: AVID

9) Phelan Moran: AVID 10) Quanshae Bailey:AVID 11) Vicky Costillo: FACS 12) Tamera Robin-

son:FACS 13) Jaya Dews: Project Runway

Physical Education News

Mrs. Snyder, Mr. Roberts, and Mr. Gulden would like to remind Physical Education students and their parents of the fol-lowing:

All students need the official uniform for Physical Education and Team Approach to Sports. This is a Corkran T-shirt and black shorts, yoga pants or sweat pants. We are currently waiting for our reorder of size XS, Small, and Medium shirts. In the meantime students may wear a plain T-shirt with their shorts.

Students who are wearing jeans, boots, flip flops, slip on shoes or other inappropriate clothing may not be per-mitted to participate for their safety and the safety of others.

Students are reminded that while participating in outside activities that leaving their assigned area for any rea-son without teacher permission is not only a student safety issue but a violation of school policy. Students should remain with their teacher until the class returns to the building.

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“PARCC-ing” Lot News

The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) is a group of states that have come together to develop high-quality student assessments linked to new, more rigorous English language arts (ELA)/literacy and math standards.

PARCC assessments will be different from assessments your child has taken in the past. For exam-ple, the PARCC assessments:

Are built on a computer system that is easy for students to learn and use. Ask students to read real-life text and solve meaningful problems based on high-quality class-

room work. Provide useful information about student’s academic achievement. Show whether students are on track for success in college or a career. Include features that help all students do their best, and expand access for students with disa-

bilities, English learners, and English learners with disabilities by providing a range of ac-commodations.

Seventh grade ELA/Literacy example: Based on the information in the text “Biography of Amelia Earhart,” write an essay that summarizes

and explains the challenges Earhart faced throughout her life. Remember to use textual evidence to support your ideas 6th Grade Math Example

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Clubs & Activities

Art Club and National Junior Art Honor Society: Mrs. Filipovich

Happy New Year! This year will be a happy one thinking of all the fun and exciting activities that we will be taking part in. First though, I would like to commend all the art club members who did a great job creating and designing snowflakes, snowmen, and candy canes for the winter concert. They were a great visual to compliment the amazing music talent that was on display. National Junior Art Honor So-ciety members had a great team icebreaker by designing their very own tie-dye t-shirts. It was a great time for all and the shirts look great. Throughout the year we will be sporting the shirts on designated days to celebrate the arts and its members. Also, NJAHS members have spent some time brainstorming and designing the future mural for the front of the school. We have finalized a de-sign and beginning February the art club members along with NJAHS members will begin to tackle painting. Also, on the menu is an upcoming field trip on March 28th to the American Visionary Art Mu-seum in Baltimore. Members (both art and NJAHS) will have the opportunity to see some spectacular artistic talent from around the world. For our community service project this year, we will be creating Pinwheels for Peace and will donate them to local nursing homes and centers to spread some fun and joy. More to come in the SPRING!

Also, Student art exhibit at the North County Library from February 1st - February 27th. In collaboration with Marley Middle School, student work will be on display in the Meeting Room. Please stop by the branch to check out the amazing talent and hardwork of students this year.

SGA

What: Send a candy treat to friends, teachers, or loved ones.

Cost: $1

When: Candy Grams will be sold at lunches on February 10, 11, and 12.

The Candy Grams will be delivered to homerooms on February 14. Proceeds will go to your student

government to plan fun activities for the rest of the school year. You must know the homeroom of the

person you are sending the candy gram to when you purchase it. If you have any questions please talk

to your SGA homeroom representative

Glen Burnie High School Spring Craft Fair

Glen Burnie High School will be holding their Spring Craft Fair on Saturday, March 15th from 9-3

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Corkran PTSA Membership Form

2013/2014 School Year Dear Parents, The Corkran Middle School Parent Teacher Student Association (Corkran PTSA) is a great way to stay informed and involved in your child(ren)’s education! Please consider joining us! We meet on the first Thursday of each month, from 6:30pm – 7:30pm in the school media center, unless otherwise noted. Our goal is to support CMS in the education of our children. You can contact any PTSA Board Member at any time via email: CorkranPTSA@gmail.com. Emails are checked frequently and will be routed to the appropriate recipient(s) promptly. To keep up to date we also have a Facebook group. It is listed as Corkran Middle School PTSA and the link is https://www.facebook.com/groups/242178269172936/.

YOUR SUPPORT MAKES OUR SCHOOL SUCCESSFUL!

Laurie Dietrich President

2012-2013 PTSA BOARD MEMBERS: PRESIDENT: Laurie Dietrich 1

st VICE PRESIDENT: Suzy Shepherd

2nd

VICE PRESIDENT: Jackie O’Dell SECRETARY: open TREASURER: Brenda Knight

2013-2014 PTSA REGISTRATION

******Please complete and return this form along with $5.00 per member for dues to your

child's homeroom teacher****** (Please make checks payable to: Corkran PTSA)

Parent's Name(s): ____________________________________________________ Home phone #________________________________ Cell phone #______________________________ Email: ______________________________ __ Member's Name(s) Student Y/N Homeroom Teacher Yes / No Yes / No

# of members times $5 dues = Amount Due

X $5 = $

for PTSA Board use only: Paid/Date:____________ Cash: ____________ Check#/Date: ____________

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ANNE ARUNDEL COUNTY COUNCIL OF PTAs

The Anne Arundel County Council of PTAs (AACCPTA) is seeking volunteers from local PTAs to assist in some of the func-tions of the Council.

Each year, AACCPTA awards two scholarships to graduation seniors attending any of the county public high schools. There is a need for volunteers to assist in judging the applications.

Additionally, the Council sponsors the annual Founders Day volunteer Appreciation Dinner, to which all local PTAs are encour-aged to send representatives. Volunteers are needed to judge various nominations, as well as to help with logistics and set-up for the dinner (May 2, 2014).

Finally, the Council is seeking volunteers to serve on its Nominating committee as well as candidates interested in one of the AACCPTA officer or board positions.

If interested or seeking further information, contact Pam Bukowski, AACCPTA president at pbukowski@aacps.org

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North County Library will be hosting

Vampire Academy Release Party! Excited for the new Vampire Academy movie? Test your guardian skills with games and trivia on Wednesday, February 12 at 3PM. For teens.

African Stories in the Americas with Baba Jamal Koram! Master storyteller Baba Jamal Koram returns to the library to share African stories in honor of Black History Month on Thursday, February 20 at 7 PM.

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Did you know....

The Anne Arundel County Public Library offers online databases that can assist students

of all ages.

Learning Express Library

This site offers learning aids including math,

reading comprehension, social studies and

writing improvement exercises, as well as

college preparation practice exams. Students

can create a login and save their work.

(Also available in Spanish.)

Testing and Education Reference Center

This site includes GED, SAT and AP practice

exams as well as a scholarship and college

search and a resume builder.

HelpNow by Brainfuse

Applying to college or for a job? Let the Brainfuse tutors proof your essay or resume and

offer constructive criticism.

For access, go to www.aacpl.net. These databases can be found in the Testing and Career

Preparation section under Research and Learn. Need a computer or Internet access?

They’re waiting for you at your local library!

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