spring 2011 ver. 4

Spring 2011 Volume XXIII, No. 4 Peterson Middle School Newsletter

principal’s Message

Dear Families and Friends of Peterson Middle School,

March Madness has multiple meanings beyond college basketball and Spring; it’s a busy time of year

in schools all across the country as we’ve covered 75% of the school year and are preparing for the

“final quarter.” As in college basketball, our students are not just “playing” for their enjoyment, but

more importantly, for their future. Performance is key. Participation is a must. Failure is not an

option. Go Peterson Pirates!

We were happy to recently host our 19 Japanese Exchange students and teachers, however, with

the recent earthquake and tsunami in the Pacific Rim, it was a bit frightening for everyone. Luckily,

all of the students/teachers from Japan were able to contact their families and learn that

everything was “fine.” Kagoshima, Japan, is located 600 miles from the epicenter, directly south

west. Once again, as we’ve seen with our own local disasters, our Peterson community pulled together

and priorities were re-shuffled for the moment. A special “thank you” to Mr. and Mrs. Lucia, and

our Peterson Host Families for their outstanding efforts in helping out during this time.

In addition to Peterson’s foreign exchange program, there have been lots of events taking

place…from sporting events in basketball/tennis/soccer, to academic challenges in Math, Science,

Social Studies, and English, to fieldtrips at Santa Clara University and FHA Hero Competitions, to

High School Orientation. One of our new events we are excited to tell you about is th Peterson Health and Fitness Faire, taking place on March 24th in Peterson’s cafeteria (from 1:35-3:30pm).

Details are provided in this newsletter. Peterson’s annual Social Studies Faire and STAR Testing

are right around the corner…and we are already making preparations for next year’s student

schedules. New this year is the creation of the Peterson Electives DVD, filmed by Gary Alver from

Channel 26. Students in the 6th and 7th grade recently observed this DVD in order to select their

elective choice for the 2011-2012 school year. More information about how you can see this DVD is

included in this newsletter.

Spring 2011 Volume XXIII, No. 4

Published by Peterson Middle School PTA Santa Clara Unified Council Sixth District California PTA

Susan E. Harris, Principal Linda Pfeifer, PTA President Stacy Marshall, Editor

http://pms-scusd-ca.schoolloop.com/

http://pms-scusd-ca.schoolloop.com/


Even with all of the exciting things going on at Peterson, our district is still in state of financial

crisis. This year, our district survived with budget cuts of over 9 million dollars, however, we are

anticipating more for the upcoming school year, possibly 22 million dollars. Our students need all of

the support we can get, and I want to personally thank our PTA (and community) for the recent

donation of $10,000. With your help, we are able to purchase 10 new computers for the new library

building opening in April. Our students will thrive because of this donation!!

Please take a moment to read about all of our school’s current events, important parent involvement

and PTA news, exciting department updates, program updates, and student highlights! I thank you

for your continued support in making Peterson the best school around!

Yours truly,

Mrs. Harris

Have You Seen Peterson’s NEW Website! As we are slowly making the migration over to our new website (from

campusgrid.net to schoolloop.com), we are working to making information more

easily available.

Some of our new features included uploading the Peterson Course

Catalog (located under “Our School” in the top menu), which broadly highlights each of the courses

we cover here at Peterson. This course catalog was written by teachers and department chairs,

compiled by our counseling staff, and edited by the administration. Writing the course catalog was

productive for everyone in that it forced us to come together on providing a unified approach to the

content standards. Inside the 15-page catalog, courses from all CORE academic subject areas,

Physical Education, Electives, Special Education, Read 180 (intervention course), English Language

Learner courses, and Honors classes are covered. Also included is a “Math Pathways” flow chart to

give parents an idea of how math placement at Peterson will follow at the high school.

An additional new feature is on the Home Page, where students can fill out an Incident

Report [citing] Bullying, Theft, or Harassment problems. These reports can also be found on

Mr. Lucia’s webpage in the Staff Directory. Only Mr. Lucia reads these reports and he will follow up

with an investigation. We want our students (or friends, or parents) to feel safe in reporting issues

such as bullying, theft, or harassment – and this is a great way to do so. So far, it has helped one

Peterson student to date.

Teachers are webmasters for their individual pages in the “Staff Directory” under Our School, PTA has “rights” to their area under Community, and Coach Narcisso is in charge of the

Athletics content at the top menu. Ms. Piscionere has done a terrific job on her “Library” webpage

under Our School, providing helpful resources for students, such as how to write a bibliography – see

her Library Locker. Other teachers have done a fantastic job as well, and it takes time for change.

One exciting bit of news is that we are having students help set up the new website, and learning how

to become webmasters. Any questions, please contact Mrs. Harris (general content), Ms. Chapman

(webmaster for school-related/students), or Mrs. Morales (webmaster for office-related content).

Check the website out at:

https://pms-scusd-ca.schoolloop.com/

https://pms-scusd-ca.schoolloop.com/


BUDGET CRISIS IN SANTA CLARA UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT

With the uncertainty of the governor’s budget coming in June 2011 and the “Fair Share Reduction Proposal” received in early March, our district must financially prepare itself

for the worst case scenario. Unfortunately, “preparing for the worst” means the

potential cutting of programs – such as adult education, CTE, music, and afterschool

clubs, “pink-slipping” valuable employees – including counselors, librarians, teachers,

and administrators, and considering furlough days in the 2011-2012 school year.

Proposals for cutting the budget were announced in March at a recent board meeting.

This month was a difficult month for many people in our district, including the ones

making the decisions, because we all know how this will impact our students. As we

won’t know exactly how our budget will survive until we see what Governor Jerry

Brown will provide for education, we will be making decisions between now and August with students’

best interest at heart. We are all deeply distraught with this news.

PETERSON’S HEALTH AND FITNESS FAIRE

** Why this is important for YOU!!** Come and join us for a community event being hosted at Peterson Middle School

on Thursday, March 24, 2011. Our students will be on an “early-out” schedule,

being escorted to the cafeteria with their 6th period class at 1:35pm, to learn

all about the facets of healthy living. Students will visit booths set up on the

perimeter of the cafeteria, facilitated by various community groups, including

Kaiser Permanente, Full Circle Farm, and the Peterson Students and Staff. Students

can learn the truth about what advertising tells us about “healthy snacks”…but are truly high in

calories, sugar and fat. Inside the cafeteria will be health-related equipment, where students and

staff can measure their BMI (body mass index) and blood pressure, and learn about healthy ways of

living. Being that we live in a high stress environment here in Santa Clara/Sunnyvale/San Jose, it’s

easy to take the easy road and eat at fast food restaurants, skip the work out or doing exercise

(because there isn’t time or desire), or choose the sugars that taste better than the fibers…we can

all benefit from this health fair to improve our lifestyles. Come and taste interesting vegetables!

See how to build your own 4 x 4 foot garden space! The event will remain open until 3:30pm for

family and friends – you need to come too! Many thanks to Mrs. Fohner and Ms. Lawlor for

organizing this event for our students and for our community!!

VERY IMPORTANT! Attention Students and Parents! If you haven’t already done so, it is imperative that all students go

to their health provider to obtain the T-DAP BOOSTER. So far, 45% of Peterson students are

compliant with this policy, which means a majority of our students still need to get this shot. There

is a new law which requires students entering 7th-12th grade for the 2011-2012 school year to be

immunized with the Tdap booster. Our office staff will need to see proof that students have

received this shot before they will give you a registration packet. This is just as important as

providing “proof of residency” when doing registration. Please have this done as soon as possible, and

bring your documentation to the office for our records. We’ll be happy to make a copy for you.

Walgreens provides this service for $75.00. If you have any questions or concerns, or have

questions about health insurance, please contact our health office at 408-423-2821.

Remember…. NO T-DAP SHOT = NO STUDENT SCHEDULE


COMING SOON! PHONE BLASTS AND EMAIL BLASTS! With the introduction a software program called Global Connect, schools are able to phone home

“globally” using the internet – you’ve probably received Mrs. Harris’ phone blasts. The information

that is entered into Global Connect comes directly from student registration forms. Our office

staff recently went through all of the registration cards (from last August!) and entered parent

emails so that we can now use Global Connect to disseminate information via email. For this reason, it

is imperative that you fill out these registration forms each year with the one, most stable email

address, or let the school know when those email addresses change. Coming soon, we will do an E-

BLAST TEST to everyone, followed up by a phone blast (to ensure you got the E-Blast). Global

Connect also allows us to call/send information to only one grade level, to a certain class, to only one

gender, etc. We are happy to add/change your email/phone number if you know it’s changed since

August – and please do so by calling Mrs. Yoshida at 423-2806 or Mrs. Morales at 423-2810. Soon,

we will be sending important reminders and information via E-BLASTS and PHONE BLASTS!

Peterson’s Annual VARIETY SHOW – Thursday, March 31, 2011 @ 1:35-2:35pm Please come and check out the Peterson talent at this year’s Variety Show!! We

will be having an “all-school-assembly” schedule, with the student performance

(and maybe staff too!) at the end of our school day. Mrs. McCole has been helping

the students prepare, and the show promises to be awesome! Parents are invited to

attend – please check in and obtain a “Visitor’s Pass” from the office in P-1 at 1:15pm on that

Thursday.

CONSTRUCTION UPDATE We are very excited for the new Administration/Library Building’s grand opening, scheduled for the week of April 25, 2011. Peterson staff and Construction supervisors have continued to work closely together, planning for each phase as we work towards the end. Once the Library is situated, we will begin moving the Science teachers and Elective teachers to their temporary classrooms so that construction can begin (during the first week of May). The one elective that will not move until school is out is the Woods class (due to the nature of the program). Over the summer, construction crews will be working on all Science classrooms, Home Ec. classrooms, and the “shops” as we refer to the back wing of our school. We are hoping to stay on schedule in having those wings completed in October/November of 2011. Following that work will be Phase 4, the multi-purpose wing, including the music classrooms. Included in that phase will be the construction of the “canopies” that cover the walkways between the wings and out to the PE facilities as well as a new, digital marquee for the front of the school.

Inside the New Library – SE looking NW


REGISTRATION UPDATES NEEDED!

Moving?

Not Returning Next Year? If you are the parent/guardian of a current 6th or 7th grader and

know that you will not be attending Peterson next year, please give

our registrar, Mrs. Yoshida, a phone call at 408-423-2806 and let her know. This will assist in

figuring out student placements for next year.

Counseling Corner – 5th Grade Visits –Ms.

Villarreal will be visiting Braly, Laurelwood, and Ponderosa to share what life is like at the middle school.

Students will be invited to attend the 6th Grade Pirate Camp, taking place Tuesday, August 9th. Current

6th and 7th grade students will take the incoming students around campus, show them the ropes, and even

teach them how to open up a locker! Incoming parents will also be invited for a “Meet and Greet” session

with our PTA and administration. Be on the lookout for ways you can participate. Current 6th and 7th

grade students have had the chance to apply for English Honors (applications were passed out in their

English classes). Also, students will be taking math placement tests in order to guide the decision of math

placements for next year (you will see their math placement on their fall schedule). 8th Grade students

have registered for their upcoming courses at the high school. This all went quite well thanks to the

highly organized staff we have here at Peterson! STAR TESTING is coming up soon…please see the

attached page about STAR TESTING, the STAR RALLY on April 18th, and sample questions. Good luck Peterson!

STAR Rally – Are You Ready Peterson!! The Leadership class is getting the school pumped at our 3rd annual STAR testing assembly! Our

theme this year will be Hollywood Stars! We will dividing the assembly this year,

one for the 6th grade and another for 7th and 8th grade. At this rally, we will remind students of

some of the important strategies to help with test taking and give them some time to enjoy before

the tests begin.

END-OF-THE-YEAR GRADE LEVEL CELEBRATION – Friday, May 27th This year, we will be having Student Rec Day for the 6th and 7th graders on the

same day that our 8th graders go to Saratoga Springs. We will continue to have

the traditional STAFF vs. STUDENTS basketball game, open swimming pool, BBQ

lunch, activities and games, etc. – More information to follow! Parent volunteers

needed – help BBQ, or assist with the student activities!!!

8th

Grade Promotion - No Saving Seats @ Promotion Ceremony

For 8th grade families only, please make every effort to enter the gymnasium together as a

whole party, for those of you who are bringing extended family to the Promotion Ceremony.

Parents will not be allowed to save seats for additional family members. Extra tickets for

family members must be requested no later than May 20th – please call Mrs. Morales at 408-

423-2810 and your name will be added to our “extra ticket” list.


ELECTIVES DVD The teachers and students did an awesome job in producing the first-ever,

Electives DVD…and everyone can see the 25-minute video by going to

www.santaclarausd.org. Click on the link to Ch. 26 Videos on the left, select

“Peterson” in the drop down menu under School Events, and pick this title (there

are 2 other Peterson videos available as well - the Nature Center and the 2010 Winter Concert). It is recommended to start the video, and then place it on pause for a

while so that it streams through better. Then play and ENJOY! Our students and staff make us proud.

CULINARY ARTS UDPATE: Peterson students competed at the FHA HERO Competition region level in February at Menlo-Atherton

High School - in the Salad Preparation Event, Menu Planning & Table Display Event, Nutrition Education

Event and The Creed Recitation Event – placing 1st – 5th places in the Salad Prep event, 1st-3rd place in

Menu Planning, 1st place in Nutrition Education and Creed Recitation events. In April at the FHA-HERO

State Leadership Conference in Fresno, all 15 students will travel and attend an exciting 4-day

conference during which they will cheer on their classmates in competition, attend valuable workshops,

develop leadership skills and make new friends. Any of our Peterson “future chefs of America” have the

potential to bring home prize money and trophies to display proudly at our school. Good luck Heroes!!!

Peterson Advanced Culinary students visited the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco in March

and learned about what exciting programs the school has to offer. Several of them are very interested in

continuing with classes at the high school level. Meanwhile, we are excited about construction beginning

on our new kitchen classroom and look forward to moving into it next October/November.

Science Department Update: Eighth grade honors students completed and presented their Invention Projects. Their

creativity and hard work produced some wonderful inventions. Many projects will be on display

during Open House. Stop by and take a look in Rm. D-2!

The following students did a wonderful job at the Synopsis Silicon Valley Science and

Technology Championship (County Fair) last month: Gabriela Guillen, Joseph Kalb, Melanie Kent, Marcus Loe, Rachel Mandelstam, Neel Manthani, Aayushi Mathur, Jonathan Pham, Allie Pires, Heramb Tamhankar, Tanay Tandon, Tiffany Wang, Ashley Yount, John Cannon, Jasmine Liu, Nicole Martin, Priyal Patel, Arjun Ray, Kaylee Rosa, Angela Vivas, Shivali Baveja, Shashank Dholakia, Shashir Dholakia, Abdullah Mohammed, Abdullasamad Mohammed.

2011 Peterson Middle School Award Recipients:

6th Grade: Shivali Baveja, Shashank Dholakia, Shishir Dholakia

7th Grade: John Cannon, Joseph Kalb, Melanie Kent, Allie Pires

8th Grade: Tanay Tandon

6th

Grade team: Three of our teachers, Ms. McCole, Ms.

Tito, and Mr. Schomberg, are participating in The Big Read this year. Their unit has

started with the Iditarod: The Last Great Race, where students track mushers using real

time data and read Black Star, Bright Dawn by Scott O’Dell. The unit will continue

with Jack London’s Call of the Wild, where students will use their writing skills to

connect and respond to these two great books. Finally, we will have a surprise guest,

who will be coming in April, to bring some “realia” and personal experiences as a

culmination to the unit!

Congrats to all of our participants!

http://www.santaclarausd.org/


Triton Art Museum Exhibits Peterson Student Work The annual SCUSD Student Art Exhibit will be on display at the Triton Art Museum from March 28th-April

24th, 2011. Student Art Exhibit Family Day is April 2nd from 10:00am – 2:00pm. SCUSD students and families

will gather at the Triton Art Museum to honor and recognize some of the fantastic works of art going on in

classrooms around the school district. Peterson student exhibits were particularly popular as Mrs. Branch,

Peterson’s fabulous art teacher, submitted both 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional artwork – from not only our

Art students, but from various classrooms at Peterson. Additionally, several students participated in the

annual Sister Cities of Santa Clara Valley art contest this month. This year's theme was "Shaping Your

Community for a Greener Future," with students submitting some very ingenious designs. In addition to

county shows and contests, students from 6-8th grade will be exhibiting art work in Peterson's Variety Show!

It's a wonderful way for all students to showcase their creative masterpieces.

NAME TITLE MEDIA

Eliana Alexander “Disco Fever” Sculpture

Teresa (Sam) Pham “Calaca of my Cousin Sculpture

Natasha Agharker “Cartwheels in the Park” Sculpture

Josiah Kuersten “The Fisherman” Sculpture

Jill LaFetra “Lord of the Cacti” Sculpture

Calista Huynh “Pumpkin Picker” Sculpture

Vy Pham “My Fabulous Cousin” Sculpture

Letitia Chow “Forest” Sculpture

Brandon Shih “Surfboarder” Sculpture

Shyla Jensen “Lost Dog” Yarn

Kylie Robertson “Sisters” Yarn

Sehee Yoon “The Medalist” Yarn

Lokahi Joy “Savior” Yarn

Hannah Robinson “The Gymnast” Yarn

Kylie Mansur “Dreams” Yarn

Prabh Kaur “Silent, but Fun” Yarn

Julia Bagger “The Climber” Yarn

Halleah Ghamrawi “Instrumental Water” Oil Pastel

Peter Scolaro Adinkra Tempera Print

Jill LaFetra Adinkra Tempera Print

Christopher Pence Adinkra Tempera Print

Erika Gonzalez Adinkra Tempera Print

Halleah Ghamrawi “War Veterans” Tempera, tissue

Sean French “An Homage to Jackson Pollack” Tempera

Svea Oakes “Splatter” Tempera

Mona Sayed “Splattered Colors” Tempera

Abby Wheaton “Splash Bash” Tempera

Aoife Faul “Radically different in one way, but same in others”

Oil Pastel

Karolyn Hernandez “Dream of It” Acrylic

Word Masters Challenge! Perfect Scores! In the month of February, students in most 6th, 7th, and 8th grade English and English Honors classes competed

in this year’s second, nation-wide, analogy contest. We are proud to recognize the following students who had a

perfect score of 20 in February: 6th Grade: 7th Grade: 8th Grade

Avinash Rao Fardeen Sayed Sheryl Ratnam

Ashley Yount

Dean Yuan

TRITON ART

MUSEUM

ARTISTS

2011


MARCH MADNESS AND MATHCOUNTS/Math Olympiad – AFTERSCHOOL CLUB

We had a great MATHCOUNTS competition in February. Special thanks to parent volunteers Latha

(Kamala's mom), Adam (Joy's dad), Freeman (Sheryl's dad) and Mangesh (Heramb's dad) in helping out

with evaluations and supervision of the competition.

6th Grade Top Scorers 7th Grade Top Scorers 8th Grade Top Scorers ================= ================= ================= 1. Kereme Celik (92) 1. Yash Wani (75) 1. Akriti Singh (120) 2. Poojita Dasika (72) 2. Lucas Matsumoto (7) 2. Abhishek Mangla (114) 3. Wesley Tong (71) 3. Arjun Ray (69) 3. Archit Dasika (101) 4. Dean Yuan (69)

FOUR TOP SCORERS WHO ADVANCE TO THE CHAPTER COMPETITION ============================================================== 1. Akriti Singh [ 8th Grade ] 2. Abhishek Mangla [ 8th Grade ] 3. Archit Dasika [ 8th Grade ] 4. Kereme Celik [ 6th Grade ]

Peterson MathCounts Club also sent a 5-person team to

the Harker Math Invitational last March 5th

including school competition winners Abhishek Mangla,

Archit Dasika and Akriti Singh. Joining them was

Duncan Marshall and Yash Vanvari. No awards to boast

of, but certainly helps us in being better aware of what

is out there and what it takes to win.

This club will be available during next academic year. Look for flyers to come out during the month of

September with specific details. This club is usually in high demand and if there are more applicants than

available seats then a Math contest may be held to select most deserving students. Thanks again to Mr.

Kumar and Mrs. Kwiatkowski for their support in challenging the young minds of our avid math students.

Congrats to all of our students for taking part in this extracurricular program! More information about

MATHCOUNTS and Math Olympiad programs can be found at their respective websites

at http://mathcounts.org/ and http://moems.org/

Middle School Summer School 2011 –

For Our Current 6th, 7th, and 8th Graders

For those students who received a summer school application in the mail (early April), it is important to

return those to our office in P-10 to be “date-stamped” so that your child has the best chance of

attending. Only 50 “select” students from Peterson will be registered to attend summer school – being

held at Don Callejon School (Rivermark area). Even though we’d like to offer summer school to more

students, our school district cannot financially afford to do so.

**Peterson Middle School will be hosting high school students for summer school. Congratulations to Mr.

Lucia as he will be the High School Summer School Principal!**

Fundraiser for Japan

After our Peterson experience with our exchange students from Kamimura School, our students feel connected in a

particular way with the people of Japan. Keep your eyes open for our Peterson Raffle that we will run in April.

Our teachers are poised to donate middle school age-friendly gifts of $5.00 or greater that we will raffle off. We ask you to consider offering a kid-friendly item that they may want to win in a raffle. All proceeds will go to a relief agency that they choose on Raffle Day. Exact date to be determined.

http://mathcounts.org/

http://moems.org/


Important Dates:

March 31 Abstract Due

April 4 Project Set-Up

April 5 Judging

April 7 Open House Viewing

April 8 Project Pick-Up

AZTECS!

Arts

TEAM PIRATES – RELAY FOR LIFE – MAY 14, 15TH

A group of teachers/ staff will be participating for our second year in the American

Cancer Society’s Relay for Life in Santa Clara. TEAM PIRATES will be

walking to promote cancer awareness (probably a true issue for many sea-faring

pirates) as well as to help find a cure for cancer. Many of the Peterson staff and Peterson

family members have been affected by cancer and this is our opportunity to do something to help

promote change. If you’d like to come on out and support us, we’ll be walking around Townsend Field

(near Buchser Middle School) from 10am (May 14th) to 10am (May 15th). We’d love to have our

students out there with us! If you’d like to financially support our cause, please stop by our office!

Social Studies Faire 2011 DATES: April 4th through April 7th (Open House)

LOCATION: Small Gym at Peterson Middle School

Once again Peterson is getting ready for its annual Social

Studies Faire. The Faire has been a very successful contest

over the past seventeen years at Peterson, as well as in our

district. Although this event focuses on history, students

find themselves drawing on all of their academic disciplines

in order to participate.

Students who participate in the Faire choose one of the Social Studies standards from their grade level.

They make a 3-D project and write a one-page abstract of their historical research,

as well as a detailed bibliography. They also submit a student construction

process form describing the process of making their project. Student projects

and abstracts are then judged objectively by volunteer teachers and

administrators from our district. This is a wonderful opportunity for students

to show their creativity, develop a sense of scholarly aptitude, and sharpen

their research skills.

Be sure to stop by during Open House (April 7th) to view the projects. If you

are interested in volunteering at Open House, or during the week of the Faire,

please contact me! [email protected]. See you at the Faire! Written by: Sheila Martin

8th Grade Social Studies Project Our eighth graders will complete a community service requirement. It is our goal that we as a school will foster the growth of our students and prepare them for high school by:

Meeting a recognized need in the community

Achieving curricular objectives through service-learning

Reflecting throughout the service-learning experience

Developing student responsibility

Establishing community partnerships

Equipping students with the knowledge and skills needed for service

Community Service teaches our students to grow in empathy as well as responsibility towards others, especially those who are struggling with life's challenges. Inherent in the notion of community service are the ideals of optimism and empowerment: the world can change for the better, and when empowered to effect that change, our students can and will make a difference."

~ Mr. Hanel, 8th Grade Social Studies


Math March Madness Peterson students participated in the annual Math Contest (sponsored by the California Math League).

Schools from all over the country participate in this very challenging test made up of 35 questions. Top

students from each grade combine their scores for a “Team” score.

Our 6th grade team is made up of Pryam Mohanty (who had the highest score of

30), Stuart Scolaro, Mark Guevara, Kerem Celik, Rafael Adricula, and Poojita

Dasika. Our 7th grade team is made up of Dean Yuan (who had the highest score

of 31), Duncan Marshall, Kellen Liu, Johathan Pham, and Neel Manthani. Our 8th

grade team is made up of Jonchee Kao (who had the highest score of 31), Philip

Wang, Ryan Vosper, Keven Wang, Akriti Singh, Sheryl Ratnam, Kyle Phan, and

Abhishek Mangla.

Congratulations to our team winners! Results will be announced in about a month—we’re very proud of

our fantastic mathematicians!

~ Written by Kathleen Twomey, 7th & 8th Grade Math & AVID teacher

Hey Peterson!

The students in Peterson's Leadership class go on working in committees to plan activities for this semester.

The Pennies for Patients fundraiser has been going on since the kickoff rally. Money goes to help research and

treatment for people with Leukemia.

Friday Activities keep on making Fridays more fun. A special activity was prepared for the inclusion of the Japanese exchange students.

Spirit Week is from April 4 - April 8 with a different theme every day. It is a week for students to show their school spirit.

We are continuing to prepare for the STAR Rally coming up in mid April right before STAR testing.

The advertisement committee is doing a great job making posters and flyers to promote activities.

The School Beautification Committee is considering planting flowers and painting trashcans to beautify our school.

Students from Leadership are going to the PTSA meetings. ASB officers and representatives continue to attend meetings twice a month to discuss the goings on at Peterson and reports

are taken back to 5th period classes.

The student store is still open every Tuesday and Thursday at lunch. It recently opened after school on those same days.

Goodie bags were put together for the Japanese exchange students.

ASB is working on organizing an after school movie night sometime in May. Details remain to be decided.

The ASB officers went to a meeting at Santa Clara High with other middle school and high school leaders and the superintendent. We gave a report about what events and activities were happening at Peterson.

ASB will be helping out at open house. Thank you for your support of Peterson's Leadership and ASB! ~ Alina Kwiatkowski

AHOY PETERSON PIRATES! Over the course of the 3rd quarter, our Leadership class has been doing quite a lot of activities! Pennies for Patients started on March 14, 2011 and will run for a 3 weeks time. If each student donates at least $4.00, we will reach and even surpass our school goal of $3,000. Students will be able to use their iPods/MP3’s legally for a dollar or two on March 22nd.

For the Kamimura Japanese Exchange visit, Leadership Students planned lunch time activities for them to participate in. In our recent rally, Pennies for Patients, we got almost all of the Kamimura Students to participate in our Coin Relay Race. For their last day here, Leadership Students wished them well with goodies along with a Pirates Flag.

STAR Rally is just around the corner. Our organizers for the Rally have been working hard on and off campus. We have planned to have 2 rallies this year: one for the 6th grade and another for the 7th/8th grade.

The Fundraising Committee has been working with our PTSA members in order to make Open House this year an unforgettable one. We will help sell food from Taco Bravo and assist with the Bake Sale. PTSA is a huge part in leadership, and without them, we won’t have the funds to make our events possible.

Leadership has been on a wild ride this semester, and it will still continue until the month of May. We would like to thank each and every one of your support to this year’s Leadership Class. Thank you. - Written by Arvin Anadon


Dear Parents or Guardians:

This spring, your student will take part in the Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) Program. All students in grades two through eleven will take the California Standards Tests (CSTs). Students in grades two through eleven will be assessed in

English-Language Arts and Mathematics. Students in eighth grade will also be assessed in Science and History-Social Science. These tests measure how well students are achieving California content standards for all subjects tested. The

results of the STAR Program tests provide valuable information about the academic achievement of all students. It is really important that students try their best on

these tests.

Special education students with disabilities that prevent them from achieving grade-level standards on the CSTs, with or without accommodations, will take the California Modified Assessment (CMA). Participation is based on each student’s

individualized education program (IEP) and may be subject specific. The CMA is based on California content standards for the subjects tested. Students with significant cognitive disabilities, who are unable to take the CSTs or CMA, will take

the California Alternate Performance Assessment (CAPA). The CAPA is based on California content standards for the subjects tested.

Test results for the CST Survey will be sent to each student’s home address in one STAR Student Report within 20 days after the school district has received the

reports (approximately July/August of 2011). The CAPA and/or CMA results will each be sent in a separate report. Individual results are confidential and will be shared only with parents or guardians and the student’s teacher(s). Please keep

these reports for use when talking to teacher(s) about ways to support your student’s learning.

The 2011 STAR Program testing and makeup dates for our school district are listed below:

School District Testing Dates

2011 STAR Program Tests

April 18 – 29, 2011

California Standards Tests (CSTs) (ALL 6th-8th grade)

California Alternate Performance Assessment (CAPA) (Special Education

only)

California Modified Assessment (CMA) (Special Education only)

Contact Alice Moberg at 408-423-2811, [email protected], or Kelly Villarreal at 408-423-2812, [email protected], if you have questions about STAR

Testing. Thank you for your support!

Sincerely, Alice Moberg, Counselor, Peterson STAR Coordinator

KellyVillarreal, Counselor, Peterson STAR Support

mailto:[email protected]



Star Testing Information

Score Ranges by Subject/Grade and Category English–

Language Arts Grade

Far Below Basic

Below Basic Basic

Proficient

Advanced

6 150–267 268–299 300–349 350–393 394–600

7 150–262 263–299 300–349 350–400 401–600

8 150–265 266–299 300–349 350–394 395–600

Mathematics Grade or Course

Far Below Basic

Below Basic Basic

Proficient

Advanced

6 150–252 253–299 300–349 350–414 415–600

7 150–256 257–299 300–349 350–413 414–600

General Mathematics 150–256 257–299 300–349 350–413 414–600

Algebra I 150–252 253–299 300–349 350–427 428–600

Geometry 150–246 247–299 300–349 350–417 418–600

Sample Questions from different categories, grade levels, and proficiencies

MATH ELA

What value of x makes the equation below true?

A 2

B 18

C 66

D 126

It takes a machine 12 minutes to fill 200

bottles of soda. At this rate, how many minutes will it take the machine to fill 500 bottles of soda?

A 25 minutes

B 28 minutes

C 30 minutes

D 40 minutes

Andy’s average driving speed for a 4-hour trip

was 45 miles per hour. During the first 3 hours he drove 40 miles per hour. What was his average speed for the last hour of his trip?

A 50 miles per hour

B 60 miles per hour

C 65 miles per hour

D 70 miles per hour

Read this sentence.

―Come on, Christopher!‖ Laura cried as Christopher continued to scrutinize the menu. ―You’ve been looking at the menu all day—just pick something!‖

To scrutinize means A to study carefully. B to read with difficulty. C to skim quickly. D to read carelessly.

The biggest earthquake on record is one thathappened in 1964 in the city of Anchorage,Alaska.

What is the correct way to write the underlinedwords? A in the City Of Anchorage, Alaska B in the City of Anchorage, Alaska

C in The City of Anchorage, Alaska D Leave as is.

Read this sentence.

At dinnertime Abuelita said, ―It’s time to put the horses back into the __________.‖

Which Spanish word meaning “enclosure” can be used to complete the sentence? A bronco B corral C rodeo D lasso

More questions can be found at: http://starsamplequestions.org

http://starsamplequestions.org/


Peterson Middle School Open House

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Everyone is cordially invited to attend Open House.

We especially welcome incoming 6th graders, new students and their families.

5:15pm – 6:30pm Taco Bravo Dinner (Cafeteria/Multi-purpose Room) Preorder your dinner by March 30

6:00pm – 8:00pm PTA Bake Sale (Quad)

6:00pm – 8:30pm Scholastic Book Fair (A-4)

6:00pm – 8:00pm Social Studies Faire (Gym)

6:30pm – 6:45pm PTA General Association Meeting (Cafeteria)

6:45pm – 7:00pm Principal’s Welcome & School Update (Cafeteria)

7:00pm – 7:20pm Incoming 6th Grade Parent Information (Cafeteria)

7:00pm – 8:00pm Classrooms Open

----------Return this form & payment to Peterson PTA by March 30 to order your Taco Bravo Dinner----------------

TACO BRAVO DINNER ORDER FORM Quantity Price Total

Meal #1 Beef Taco, Beef Enchilada, Beans, Salsa, Water $6

Meal #2 Beef Taco, Beans, Salad, Water $5

Meal #1A Vegetarian Taco, Enchilada, Beans, Salad, Water $6

Meal #2A Vegetarian Taco, Beans, Salad, Water $5

Individual Beef Taco $2

Individual Vegetarian Taco $2

Individual Bottle Water $1

TOTALS

Student Name: ____________________ Per. 1 Teacher: ___________________

Phone #: ___________________

Email: ___________________

Cash enclosed

Check # _____

enclosed

Make Checks Payable to Peterson PTA

You will receive email confirmation of your order.


Peterson PTA President’s Note Dear Peterson Parents, Something very exciting happened at a Peterson PTA exec board meeting last fall: we decided to become a PTSA (Parent~Teacher~STUDENT Association). The simple process of updating our bylaws allowed us to formally recognize the important role students play in our organization. Leadership and ASB students faithfully attend our monthly PTA meetings, enthusiastically help us with various events, and provide invaluable feedback and input – and this has been the norm for many years. The California State PTA formally changed our name to Peterson Middle School PTSA on February 1, 2011. It’s been difficult to contain our enthusiasm for our new name (see Arvin’s article), but this change and others won’t take effect until the General Association adopts our bylaws updates at the GA meeting on April 7. Our new name will always remind us of what it’s all about and why our organization exists: our students, our children, our future. Please join us at the GA meeting for this historic vote! Best regards, Linda Pfeifer, Peterson PTA President

Report of the Nominating Committee

Marian A. Peterson Middle School PTA

February 28, 2011

The Nominating Committee met on Monday, February 28, 2011 to consider all eligible candidates for

the 2011-2012 term of office. On behalf of the Nominating Committee, I present the following slate of

officers for the Association's consideration. Elections will be April 7, 2011 during the Open House

General Association meeting.

President-Ruchita Shah

1st VP-Chairman of Volunteers-Hieu Lee

2nd VP-Chairman of Honorary Service-Tracy Vosper

Secretary-Kristin Farnham

Treasurer-Lisa Kassem

Auditor-Debbie Cole

Historian-Robin Downey

Respectfully submitted, Kristin Farnham, Chairperson

Nominating Committee Members: Kristin Farnham, Susan Harris, Hieu Lee, Lisa Kassem, Ruchita Shah, Jolene Soares.

Please join us!

Peterson PTA General Association Meeting

Thursday, April 7, 2011 6:30pm ~ Cafeteria

According to our bylaws, Peterson PTA holds three general association meetings annually to review our program and progress with our membership. Please join us for this short meeting before the Open House.

Peterson PTA General Association Meeting Agenda

Call to Order Opening / Introductions Review/approve minutes from February 17, 2011 meeting Financial Reports Treasurer Report New Business 2011/2012 Officer Election Bylaws Update Adoption

o Name change to Peterson Middle School Parent-Teacher-Student Association (PTSA)

o Address change (from Rosalia Way to Rosalia Avenue) o Dues $7 o Change role of Second Vice President to Ways & Means o Add Third Vice President, Chairman of Membership o Executive Board Meetings move to Thursdays o General Association Meetings move to Third Thursday of August,

January and March 2010/11 PTA Honorary Service Awards Adjournment


Spring Book Fair It is almost Spring and the smell of books is in the air. It’s time for Peterson's Spring Scholastic

Book Fair. We will be open April 4th thru 8th at lunch and after school. Also, we will be open the

evening of April 7th during Open House. I am hoping to find volunteers to help during the fair.

No experience is required. We only need one or two people per shift, but we are open all week, so

if you can help, please do! The shifts are:

Mon. 4th, Tues. 5th, Thurs. 7th, and Fri. 8th Wed, 6th

11:10 a.m.-1:00 p.m. or 11:15a.m.-1:00p.m. or

2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m 1:30p.m. – 2:15p.m.

Also greatly needed is help the night of Open House, Thurs. April 7th. That is our

busiest time. We will be open 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. If you can work one, two or all three

hours that would be great. We need at least 4 people at all times during that shift.

If you are interested in helping please let me know by e-mail or phone. Hope to see you there, if

not as a volunteer, then as a shopper!

~ Amy Kent, Book Fair Chairperson, 408-245-4104 or [email protected]

PTA Teacher and Staff Appreciation Luncheon A special week is fast approaching for PTA: Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week:

May 2-6! This is a time where parents host a luncheon for our amazing teachers

and staff who do so much for our kids. The luncheon takes place on Friday, May

6th. A fun theme of multicultural cuisine has been planned to showcase and

celebrate all of the cultural diversity at our school. Bring your favorite dish, sweet

or savory, and let's treat our teachers to a multicultural feast! ~ Lisa Kassem

Contact: [email protected] or 985-5806 if you'd like to help.

Thanks so much for your support,

PTA Bake Sale: We need your "dough"nations! The PTA is hosting our bi-annual bake sale in the multi-purpose room at Open

House on April 7th beginning at 6:00 p.m., and we need donations! 100% of

the proceeds will go directly to the Peterson PTA, which will use the funds

to benefit the school. Please contact Cris Otonari at [email protected] or

(408) 736-4995 for more information on how to sign up to bring items or to

volunteer during the sale. I am looking for about 3-4 people to help set up,

tear down, and sell at the table. Individually wrapped items can be dropped off at the office

before 3pm on April 7th or brought to the table between 5:30 – 6:00 p.m. Suggested items

include banana and pumpkin breads, brownies or other bars, cookies, and muffins.

Thank you in advance for your support! ~ Cris Otonari, Bake Sale Chair

Computer Lab/Technology Update: Status Update

In August, 2010, Peterson PTA took on an ambitious goal to help the school

update a computer lab at an estimated cost of $38,000. One catalog fundraiser,

numerous direct and corporate match donations later, PTA and parents have donated

approximately $23,800 in cash and new equipment to Peterson. WOW! $12,000 in school

site council funds were added to complete the lab. A new 38-seat, 3 printer lab will be

established in the administration/library building opening in April. The old Mac lab will be

packed away and possibly given new life in the fall. PTA anticipates contributing more money

to technology on campus before the end of the year. Thank you to all parents, students,

community and corporate sponsors who are supporting our kids through this fundraiser.



Extracurricular Programs Update

Community Service Club The Peterson Community Service Club just completed a very successful clothing drive for The Bill Wilson Center. Prior to starting the drive we contacted Bill Wilson to see what their greatest need was in terms of clothing. We received many gently-used clothes and $404.00 in donations! Se Hee Yoon, Vicente Lovelace, and Noreen Hasan accompanied Mrs. Twomey to Target to purchase additional clothing items.

Special thanks go to Mrs. Johnson and her English classes and Ms. Lawlor and her homeroom class for their out-of-this-world donations. :-)

In total, we are able to donate:

20 Pair of sweatpants

14 T-shirts

9 Sweatshirts

25 Sweat jackets

142 pairs of socks

4 pair of shorts

Countless boxer shorts/skivvies/undies (all new, from Target)

We are really proud of the way the students came together for the good of others! ~ Written by Mrs. Twomey

Science Club The Science Club held the MINI CATAPULTS competition on Friday 2/18. The competition was intense.

In first place we had two teams:

Insert Your Name Here

Chemical Reaction

In second place we had:

The Hungarians

The Café

The Scientists

In third place we had five teams:

• Random Tuna • The Team • Avadakedavara • The Science Club • The Bobs

Now that the mini catapult project is over, we can stop ducking as Styrofoam balls fly through the air. Straw gliders are next. ~ Written by Mr. Asekomeh

WOODS CLUB IS HAMMERING AWAY Alas Woods Club has had our last meeting. Time has gone so fast. I want to

thank the kids for all the hard work and make sure their projects get home!

For next year, I am going to have to see how the temporary shop is, before I

make a commitment for woods club next year. I am hoping that I will have

enough space, but I am not sure until I get into the new space.

I have some wonderful skateboards leaving, but I am amazed at the work that Allie Pires put

into her wall rack. It looks amazing! Way to go Allie and all the rest of the kids from the club.

Thanks for all the fun! ~ Mr. J


Save the date!

EARTH DAY FAIR April 17th 10am-3pm. Come and celebrate with food, community

& eco-friendly organizations, kid’s activities, and demos. For more

information visit: www.fullcirclesunnyvale.org

Peterson Boys’ Hoops Finish as 10-0 Champs!

The MADNESS Continues!

Our 8th Grade Boys Basketball team won its 4

th CHAMPIONSHIP in the last 5 years! They defeated

Buchser 45-39. That’s how we do it at Peterson…we win CHAMPIONSHIPS like HOTCAKES! Coach

Narcisso is honored that we dedicated our whole season to Mr. Galos who is battling cancer. We

broke all our huddles all year yelling “GALOS,” and he was always on our mind and in our hearts.

Captains Ryan Brice and Julian Jones led the team all season long. Jones scored 16 points in the

final game, making 12 of 14 free throws. Brice stopped Buchser’s main scorer in the 2nd

half and held

him to zero points while leading the leagues in scoring an average of 14 points per game. Chad Go

played his usual awesome game scoring 7 while playing super defense. Vinay Naray and James

“YAO” Zheng each scored 5 and had several huge rebounds. Ben Ngaleo played hard off the bench

and was a key reason for our success. Other members of the championship team were: Harsh Singh,

Kevin Chow, Soni Tuileila, Amrith Mylvara, Tommy Giang, and Yosef Mandere. The team

went undefeated this season with a perfect record of 10 and 0 while averaging 49 points per game, and

giving up 30. Coach Narcisso is SO PROUD of his boys, and that we accomplished this all together!

All 12 players were a huge part of this season. One of the reasons he loves coaching is the pleasure he

get seeing you all so happy and excited when that final buzzer goes off! Remember this moment

forever, and this Championship forever, but more importantly, remember how good it felt

accomplishing something we set out to do over two months ago. All of the hard work, dedication,

loyalty, integrity, heart, and the respect you had for your coach, teammates, and the game paid off.

Greatness lasts forever!

Greetings from Full Circle Farm! Our FARMSTAND altered it's hours just for Peterson families. We are now open WED 1:30-6pm, FRI

1:30-6pm, and SUN 11:30-3pm. If you come with your student ID, you can buy $5 of produce and get 1 more dollar for free!

We have started our AFTER SCHOOL CLUB. Peterson students join for free. Come after school to enjoy the garden- seed, transplant, harvest, create, and more. Every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday after school until 3:30pm.

Come visit the farm on a FARM FRIDAY TOUR, every Friday at 3pm, or during Open House on Thursday, April 7th.

We hope to see you on the farm soon! – Ashlie Feffer, Education & Outreach Manager

2010-2011 YEARBOOK ORDER FORM Name of student: _____________________________________________________________

Contact #: ____________________________________________________________________

6th Period Teacher: ______________________________ Room Number: ____________

Cost of Yearbook: $35.00 x Qty: ____________ = $_______________________

ORDERS DUE MAY 20th

http://www.fullcirclesunnyvale.org/?page_id=2468





Earn Cash for Our School

Calendar Events March 24 – School-wide Health Fair (pg. 7) March 31 – Variety Show April 1 – Staff Development Day – No School April 4-8 – Spring Spirit Week April 7 – Early Out Thursday; Open House; Book Fair;

Social Studies Fair; Bake Sale#, PTA GA Meeting April 8 – 8

th Grade Panoramic Picture

April 11-15 – Spring Break – No School April 18 – STAR Rally April 19 – 29 – STAR Testing April 19 – Track & Field Practice Starts May 2-6 – Staff Appreciation Week (Luncheon on Friday#) ** May 6 – All Grades Dance May 12 – Early Out Thursday, Spring Concert May 13 – Concert Assembly May 20 – ASB Elections, Yearbook Orders Due May 26 – Academic Awards Night ** May 27 – Student Rec Day (6

th/7

th Grade); 8

th Grade

Saratoga Springs Trip May 30 – Memorial Day – No School ** June 2 – 8

th Grade Promotional Dance

June 3 – Last Day of School! ** Volunteers needed for this event # Donations needed for this event

Deadline for articles for the Summer newsletter: Friday, May 6, 2011

Please send to: [email protected]

Peterson Middle School

1380 Rosalia Ave. Sunnyvale, CA 94087-3763

Peterson Students Of The Month

This year is the second year of the Peterson Student of

the Month program. Each month we celebrate 4-5

students from each grade level. Students are chosen by

teachers and are recognized for improvement in

academics, teamwork, cooperation, and for simply being

great kids. The students receive a SOTM wrist band and

have their picture taken which is posted in the display

window outside the cafeteria for everyone to see!

Congratulations to our February SOTMs:

6th

Grade:

Selina Feng

Elias

Gallegos

Kaelyn

McCauley

Elizabeth

Morales

7th

Grade:

Donavan

Castro-Roxas

Eunhye Cho

Karen Salas

Matthew

Sorich

Hannah

Villalpando

8th

Grade:

Travis

Burchert

Victoria

Fierro

Brenda

Garcia

Joyti Kaur

Akriti Singh

~ Mrs. Villarreal


spring 2011 ver. 4

Documents

peterson community

peterson pirates

peterson host families

upcoming school year

peterson electives dvd

th peterson health

new events

high school orientation