FAIRFIELD MIDDLE SCHOOL

Engineering in Science

By. Mrs. Blakely

Students in Ms. Blakely's 7th

grade Science class have been

constructing ramps. Their goal

was to create a structure in

which a wiffle golf ball will roll

down at the slowest possible rate

without stopping. Teams were

given limited materials and only

two weeks in which to build their

structure. The winning ramp had

an average time of 19.83 sec-

onds. The second place ramp had

an average time of 18.03 sec-

onds. All teams did a great job

and really used their problem

solving skills to create some fan-

tastic structures!

Happy Holidays!

We hope everyone has a terrific break with family and friends. Wishing everyone safe travels. We would like to highlight that we start back up January 4th.

Classroom Events

Women Tributes

By: Mrs. Kaska

From Queen Elizabeth I to Eleanor Roosevelt. From Gabby Douglas to

Wilma Rudolph. Sacagawea to Amelia Earhart. Harriett Tubman to Rosa

Parks. Eighth graders have spent the last three and a half weeks re-

searching and writing about influential women of history. From books to

online database sources, students gleaned facts and interesting infor-

mation about a woman of their choice for the first two weeks.

We discussed how even though women have made important contributions,

they are notoriously absent from many history books. We raised the is-

sue of obstacles these women have faced (and in some cases continue to

face) ranging from the simple fact they are women to race to physical or

mental handicaps to social status or poverty, to name only a few.

Students were assigned the task of determining what made the woman

they researched remarkable or memorable, and what important contribu-

tions they made to society. They had to think critically when they sorted

through information to determine what was important and what was not,

and sometimes make sense of conflicting "facts". Finally they were asked

to consider how today's world might be different if the woman they re-

searched had never lived.

After two weeks of research, students were charged with the task of

sorting through their information, organizing it in a logical way, and put-

ting the facts -- and their own reactions to the facts -- into their own

words by writing a paper. Using an online database called Noodletools,

students were required to create a Works Cited List for all books and

articles they used for their research. Papers were due November 19. As

I type this article, I have graded about 40 of the papers, and I must say

that, for the most part, I am impressed. I encourage you all to ask to

read your child's work. I think you will enjoy it, and it might spark some

interesting discussion!

Newsletter December 2016

Veteran’s Day Videos

By: Mr. Copeland

Students in Mr. Copeland's 6th Grade Social Studies class had the

opportunity to learn about Veterans Day and to create Veterans Day

Tribute/Thank You videos. Students had the option of creating an

iMovie or using other video creating tools offered. The students had

to find Veterans Day & patriotic related images to include in their

movie as well as music that would fit their theme. To give it a per-

sonal touch, students were encouraged to include pictures of family

members into their videos. The project went very well and the stu-

dents did an amazing job on their videos. Our goal was to create

an awareness of Veterans Day and the need to pay tribute and give

thanks to those who have served in the Armed Forces.

If you would like to watch a few of the videos use the following link

that will direct you to the story on our homepage.http://goo.gl/

u6Ek0M The students also have access to their own videos in their

Google Drive and on Canvas.

Like Terms

By: Lisa Greenig

How do you explain combining

like terms, while keeping it fun?

Students in Mrs. Greenig's

class were able to do just that

recently. Each student was

given a bag of candy with the

only direction being, "Sort your

items." There were several

ways students chose to sort

their items. Some sorted by

colors. Some sorted by candy

type and then a subcategory of

colors. Some sorted by wrap-

pers or no wrappers. This lead

to some great classroom dis-

cussion about organizing and

sorting by different characteris-

tics. Students concluded that

Hershey Kisses are similar, but

the color foil made them differ-

ent. If one was allergic to al-

monds, it would not be a good

thing to eat the candy in the

gold foil. They were then able

to transfer this knowledge to

algebra variables of x and x

square. While they appear sim-

ilar, they are very different. In-

stead of fearing algebra, stu-

dents are now eager to take

the next step.

Mr. Copeland’s class

PTO

October was Appreciate your Principal month – and to celebrate our tremendous and remarkable leadership the PTO surprised Mrs. Atwood and Mr. Jones with gifts. We appreciate everything you do for FMS Mrs. Atwood and Mr. Jones!

Our annual Trojan head window/driveway painting fundraiser was a success! Thank you to all the businesses and individuals who support us every year!

The FMS Facebook page is up and running – check us out FMS PTO!

PTO continued

We have had incredible sales during September, October and November from the healthy vending machine with all the sporting events and practices at FMS!

Please notice we’ve added some new items in the machine this year. Students and staff alike appreciate this healthy convenience. The money raised from the machine goes to fund requests for FMS teachers.

Shout out to the Service Club and the Book Club for helping with fall sports conces-sions! Great job! We had a great time at the 5th grade dance October 9th and the 6-7-8th grade dance September

25! Thank you to the Student Council and parent volunteers for helping with this dance!

Mark your calendars: Please join us for our monthly meetings – second Wednesday of the month at 5:00pm in the FMS library. Next Meeting December 9, 2015. Officers are Sherri Mineart, Cynthia Post, Janelle Epperson and Stacy Jeffrey.

Stay tuned for these fun activ-ities –

Friday January 8th 5th grade from 7-9pm

Friday February 12th 6-7-8 grade from 7-9pm.

Please enter on the west side of the building. Cost is $5 to enter and snacks/beverages will be available to purchase. Dances

sponsored by the FMS PTO

and the FMS Student Council.

Student of the Month

November Students of the Month

Ellie Stever has been selected for the 5th grade Student of the Month for November. She is a hard worker who puts forth her best effort in all her work. She is a great participant in the classroom, and I can always count on her to be doing the right thing. There is no doubt Ellie will be very suc-cessful in the future with anything she chooses to pursue. Keep working hard!

Dumo Dube has been selected to receive the Student of the Month Award for November for 5th grade. Dumo is constantly looking for a challenge within the classroom, and he doesn't forget about his classmates in his quest for knowledge. Always willing to lend a hand, Dumo leads by ex-ample. His smile and insight are greatly appreciated, and we will miss him when he travels to Africa. Congratulations, Dumo, and enjoy your learning experience!

The sixth grade team is pleased to honor Rose Landon-Hahn as the No-vember Student of the Month. Rose is a hard-working student who is will-ing to ask for help when she needs it. Her teachers appreciate the effort Rose puts forth each day. She exemplifies Trojan PRIDE on a daily basis. Congratulations, Rose, and keep up the good work!

The Sixth Grade Team would like to congratulate Gage Van Veen for be-ing selected the November Student of the Month. Gage shows his Trojan PRIDE both in and out of the classroom. He comes prepared for class on daily basis, is respectful of his classmates, and has a positive attitude to-wards learning. Gage is an avid reader and has a great work ethic. Con-gratulations, Gage, and keep up the wonderful work!

Raisa Fernandes has been selected by the 7th grade team as November Student of the Month. Raisa is a very hard worker, and consistently dis-plays a positive attitude and high level of focus. She’s very kind to others, and always shows respect. Raisa asks for assistance when needed and always puts forth her very best effort. Way to go, Raisa!

The 7th grade team is pleased to announce that Dagan Burnett has been selected as November Student of the Month. Dagan is an engaged learn-er in class, and is able to make positive choices even when it is diffi-cult. He is willing to take on a challenge in class, and is very dedicated to his work. Congratulations, Dagan!

Brady Lovell is the 8th grade team’s choice for November Student of the Month. Always reliable, Brady turns in timely, consistently quality work. Having a positive attitude is another one of Brady's great strengths. He is helpful, courteous, and kind, and a wonderful addition to the classroom. We are proud of Brady and his hard work ethic and con-gratulate him on this honor.

Emily McAvan demonstrates Trojan PRIDE daily. She is a positive leader

who is willing to help her classmates and always has a smile on her face!

She is involved in numerous school activities and demonstrates excellent

time management and organizational skills. Emily is a joy to have in

class. For these reasons and others, the 8th grade team is proud to rec-

ognize her. Congratulations Emily, you rock!

November Principal Awards

Paris Thommen is being honored with a Principal's Award for the month of November. She has been showing

lots of effort in her work lately as well as working hard to improve herself at division strategies even though she

knows it's a struggle for her. She even asked for extra homework to help her improve her knowledge at home.

She takes her learning seriously and is very motivated to learn and work hard.

Dylan Beasley is being awarded the Principal's Award for the month of November. Dylan has a quiet demeanor

but has begun to open up to the new environment and all of his classmates. His work ethic shows through in eve-

rything - from long division to writing and even history. Dylan is motivated to continue learning and does so

with a smile. Keep it up, Dylan!

The 6th grade team is pleased to award a principal’s award to Santiago Garcia Andrade for the month of Novem-

ber. Santiago has had a positive attitude towards learning and sharing everyday during the month of November.

It has been great to see him energetic and working hard in the classroom, trying and wanting to overcome the

language barrier. Santiago’s has been awesome. Congratulations and keep it up, Santiago!

The 6th grade team is pleased to award a principal’s award to Lillie Sage for the month of November. Lillie has

made a fantastic transition to school over the last month. Her teachers have observed her positive attitude to-

wards learning, working, and sharing during the month of November. It has been great to see her happy and

smiling in the classroom. Congratulations and keep it up, Lillie!

Brooke Sanderson has shown great improvement. She is taking ownership for her learning and has a very posi-

tive attitude.

Payton Cline is always respectful and has a positive attitude. He works hard and we can depend on him to com-

plete his work on time. He is not afraid to ask for help when he needs it. He is willing to come in early or re-do

work to improve his scores. He has a great sense of humor and his teachers enjoy having him in class.

8th Grade team wants to recognize Jacob Fitzgerald with a principal's award. We want him to know that we are

pleased with his recent boost in attendance and recognize the effort he's making to stay on top of assignments,

frequently asking teachers if he has missing work and making arrangements to come in early or stay late when

needed. We are also pleased to see him involved with the wrestling team. We are proud of these recent improve-

ments, Jacob. Keep it up!!!!!

FMS Band Winter Concert

The 6th, 7th, and 8th grade bands will perform on Monday, December 21 at 7:PM in the FMS Cafetorium. Stu-dents should plan to arrive at 6:30 PM for warm-up and tuning. Attire for the concert is black pants (or skirt), black shoes, and white shirt. Although the school supply list says long-sleeved button-down shirts, for this event, it can be short or long-sleeved, or even a white sweater. Students may add a tie or scarf for extra cred-

There is an admission fee of $2 for the concert. Activity passes are honored, and donations are accepted. Gate receipts are used for contest entry fees, purchase of jazz band and extra curricular group music, small purchases for the band department like books or equipment, and as our band department grows, some addi-

All three bands will be performing a mix of traditional band literature and holiday favorites. The 8th grade band will feature some soloists in "All Is Calm", an arrangement of the familiar carol, "Silent Night". Also on the pro-gram will be the newest ensemble for the FMS bands, "Bucket Band", bringing rhythmic "trash" (garbage cans, lids, and buckets) to the stage. It will be an enjoyable evening, and an opportunity to witness the improvement

Questions about the event? Contact Ms. Mary Andersen: mary.andersen@fairfieldsfuture.org