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HOMER MIDDLE SCHOOL DECEMBER 2011

http://homermiddleschool.blogs.kpbsd.k12.ak.us/wpmu/ (907)235-5700 / Fax 235-2513

12/2 Girls/Boys Basketball @ Soldotna

12/6 Basketball 1st Round Boroughs

12/10 Girls/Boys Basketball Finals @ Soldotna

12/13 HMS Site Council Mtg.-CANCELLED

12/13 HMS Winter Concert @ HHS, 7 pm

12/16 End of Quarter-NO SCHOOL

District In Service*

12/17 Through 1/2/12 – Winter Break -

1/2 NO SCHOOL

1/3 Wrestling, Volleyball & Cross

Country Ski begin!

1/25 Spelling Bee – NEW DATE, 12:15 pm

Click this link to see Husky news and

information – Newsletters, Site Council

minutes, Sport Schedules and updates, School

Menus, and MUCH MORE!

http://homermiddleschool.blogs.kpbsd.k12.ak.us/wpmu/

This REPLACES OUR EDLINE HOMEPAGE. You will also be able to access this link through the Power School Daily Bulletin.

Our Band and Choir students will perform their

Winter Concert at the Homer High School Mariner

Theater December 13th at 7 pm. Band and Choir

students need to be at HHS in their performance

attire by 6:30. We hope to see you there!

The holidays bring many opportunities for

parents and family members to spend quality

time together. It also allows for extra time

outside of the school for students to get caught

up on work that may have slipped through “the

cracks”. I encourage each parent or guardian to

continue to use Power School to check on

student grades, attendance and our Daily

Bulletin.

Power School is one way Homer Middle School

reaches out to you to communicate what is

happening on a daily basis in classes and

activities. It is a great tool for teachers to share

their classroom information and grades with

parents and students. In fact, if you log on and

click on any teacher’s current quarter grade for

your student, you will be able to see all the

current assignments and your child’s progress.

Of note is the NT designation. While the NT

has a number value, it actually means that the

assignment has “Not been Turned in”.

On another important note, we are making

progress toward bringing the school curriculum

into complete compliance in health and physical

education. This progress will change the

schedule for 7th

grade students for the second

semester. It will include continuing P.E. for one

more quarter and adding health instruction for

one quarter.

Wishing you a safe and happy holiday season,

David Larson, Principal

*Our In Service on Dec 16th

will deal with

our School Site Development Plan along with

school goals and curriculum.

H u s k y H i g h l i g h t s

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Article submitted by

8th Grader Elise Webber

The geography bee at Homer Middle School

was a lot of fun for all the students who

participated. We started by meeting in the

library for the preliminary round on Wednesday,

November 16th

. The highest performing students

from the preliminary round went on to compete

in the final round on Thursday the 17th, which

was followed by a pizza lunch for all the

spectators and competitors. I’d like to

congratulate our champion, Aurora Waclawski,

our runner up, Lilli Johnson, and everyone that

turned out for the event. Being one of the

participants, I know that this wasn’t easy, but

was still a great experience. Of course, a little

pizza at the end never hurt anyone either.

Geography Bee Runner-Up Lilli Johnson, left

and Winner, Aurora Waclawski

Have you ever wished you could see into your

student’s classes and know current grades,

attendance and up-coming assignments? Power

School allows you to do just that! If you haven’t yet

activated your parent Power School account, call or

stop by the office and we will give you your

activation code.

All 8th Graders will be taking PE after Winter Break! Please send in the $20 fee to cover the

cost of their PE uniform. Thank you!

Article submitted by Alicia Steiner,

Student Council, 7th Grade Representative

It’s been a busy fall the Husky Student Council.

Our biggest accomplishment was the fall

activity night, which was a great success. It was

a fun event for all the kids who participated. We

couldn’t have pulled it off without the support

of our amazing parent chaperones. Thanks to

each of you and we hope you’ll chaperone

again.

We have been working to get our school store

ready, and we opened it for the first time on

November 17th

. Our plan is to have the store

open every Tuesday and Thursday for about ten

minutes immediately following the end of

school. The school store sells a variety of school

supplies as well as chips.

Student Council has also been working with

Homer High School student Adi Davis, who

received a grant to purchase a composter for our

lunch room. Adi has purchased the composter,

and she and members of the student council

have given a presentation to the students on

what food scraps can be put in it.

Our Share the Spirit Committee recently

finished up a mini food drive to help the Food

Pantry provide holiday necessities to local

families. Now this committee will be focusing

on organizing our Angel Tree. We are proud to

announce that Homer Middle School will be

adopting families again this Christmas. Stay

tuned for news about how you can visit our

Angel Tree and help us give our adopted

families a very merry Christmas.

See photos from the fall activity night on the

last page of the newsletter!

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A Healthy Start to the Day

Eating breakfast is an important part of powering-up

your body for the day. Eating a balanced breakfast

can help keep your family alert, improve mood and

reduce mid-morning food cravings.

Ten Tips for a Healthier Breakfast:

Oatmeal in an Instant

Instant oatmeal is great on a cold morning and

contains fiber and vitamins. Choose oatmeal that

isn’t already pre-sweetened. Sweeten it with raisins

or fresh fruit.

Smoothie madness

Blend frozen fruit (bananas and berries are great),

low-fat or fat-free milk, and 100% fruit-juice for a

quick, tasty breakfast smoothie with lots of nutrients.

Go 100% whole grain

100% whole-grain, fiber-containing cereals served

with low- or fat-free milk are a healthier alternative

to sugary cereals. Whole-wheat muffins with

smashed banana are easy and tasty as well.

Eggxactly!

Boil, scramble, or poach eggs and serve on whole-

wheat toast - they're packed with nutrition and, in

appropriate portions, are great for kids.

Toaster Treats

Frozen whole-grain waffles take almost no time to

make. Top them with berries, low-sugar apple sauce

or sliced bananas instead of syrup.

Go Nutty!

Spreading peanut or almond butter on whole-grain

toast is a great to get both protein and fiber.

Go Fruity

A fresh fruit cut up with a dollop of low-fat or fat-

free yogurt is a great way to start the day. Apples

contain fiber and bananas contain potassium.

Try All-Fruit Spreads

Instead of butter or margarine on toast, try all-fruit

spreads, fruit butters, or even sliced bananas or

strawberries.

Bagel Classics

Try a whole-wheat or sunflower seed bagel with

low-fat cream cheese or peanut butter.

Breakfast On-the-Go

Don't have time to eat breakfast at home? Keep

whole-grain mini bagels on-hand or muffins, nuts

and dried and fresh fruits that can be taken in the car

(apple slices and bananas are also easy and not too

messy!).

Did you know?

People who eat breakfast are significantly

less likely to be obese and diabetic than

those who usually don’t .

Children who eat breakfast are more likely

to have better concentration, problem-

solving skills and hand-eye coordination..

The State of Minnesota Breakfast Study

showed that "students who ate breakfasts

before starting school had a general increase

in math grades and reading scores, increased

student attention, reduced nurse visits, and

improved student behaviors.

Unfortunately, many breakfast foods contain

a lot of sugar and have been stripped of their

natural nutrients. Try to avoid frosted and

chocolate cereals, donuts, white bread and

high-sugar breakfast bars. Instead of sugary

juices, provide your children with 100%

fruit juices or fat-free or low-fat milk. Eating

only sugary foods may cause your child to

have erratic energy levels. Eating a balanced

breakfast will help get them going and

sustain their energy until lunch time.

A healthy breakfast does not have to take a lot of

time. Stick to the basics and serve simple foods that

are nutritious and quick in the morning. For ideas,

follow our ten tips for nourishing ways to kick-start

the day.

For more information

and great ideas, check out: Alliance for a Healthier Generation www.healthiergeneration.org

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From Ms. Blanding’s class…

7th graders become teachers! The 6th period 7th grade science class got a chance to share their learning with the 4th grade students in Mrs. Maslow’s class from West Homer Elementary. The 7th graders taught how to use dichotomous keys to identify plants, how to distinguish different plant characteristics like woody vs. herbaceous, and simple and compound leaves. 7th graders also shared their plant web pages while 4th graders took notes on opposite and alternate branching patterns found in woody plants. The 4th graders also worked with 7th grade students to match up their own pressed plants with those in 7th grade plant collections, identifying their plants, finding the scientific name, and listing identifying characteristics so they could make their own plant collections. The 7th graders were excellent teachers and the 4th graders were eager learners. Great job everyone!

Cole Sallee helps Evan see the characteristics

needed to identify Alder.

Eryn Gillam helps Raychel get good notes on the

difference between alternate and opposite branching.

Kenzington Cortez and Kannen Cabana teach about simple and compound leaves to Liam and Evan.

Shayla Jolley and Karina Roach help Audnia and Olivia see the difference between Elder and Alder.

Once in a hundred years…

From Ms. Blanding’s class!

Ms. Blanding’s students take note

of the date and time on 11/11/11.

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We have SNOW!!

I hope you all have fun over break and

get out in it while it lasts. Please don’t

forget that part of dressing

appropriately for the cold and activity

includes the helmet for skiing, sledding,

snowboarding, and skating (hockey).

According to the U.S. Consumer Product

Safety Commission, ski helmets could

prevent or reduce the effects of 50

percent of the head injuries suffered by

children under 15 while skiing or

snowboarding.

All snow machine drivers and passengers

should be wearing helmets designed for

high-speed motor sports - a bike helmet

isn't sufficient for a machine that can go

up to 90 miles per hour.

It can be tough to get your child to wear

a helmet. Here are some tips:

Never allow your child to ride

without wearing a helmet.

Start the helmet habit early with

your child’s first wheels.

Set a good example by wearing

your own helmet when you ride, ski,

sled or snowmobile.

Point out athletes who use helmets.

Downhill skiers and baseball,

football and hockey players wear

them.

Let your child choose the helmet

he or she wants – as long as it fits,

of course.

Praise your child for wearing a

helmet.

Good luck and Have fun!

Nurse Janette

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HMS Activity Night…

Students participate in the HMS Geography Bee!

Husky Basketball!