Dec Jan 2015 bear facts - Montgomery County Public · PDF fileFebruary 11 Chick-Fil-A Spirit Night 5-8pm Tech Rd ... NAACP Council - Troy Horsley Staff Appreciation - Erin Jacobs,

Briggs Chaney Middle School * Bear Facts * December/January 2015 Page 1

GREETINGS! It’s hard to believe that the first marking period is behind us and the holidays are right around the corner. The PTSA will be holding our annual Scholas c Book Fair beginning Monday, December 8 through Friday, December 12. All students will visit the book fair with their English classes. Parents are welcome to come in throughout the week to shop or to help out. For more informa on, please contact Susan Quinn at [email protected]. The PTSA is also looking for volunteers to provide baked goods later this month when we host our annual Holiday Cookie Fest for staff. Our next mee ng will be on Tuesday, December 9th. We will have a business mee ng at 6:30 followed by a presenta on from the STEM Team. Students who a end will receive SSL Hours. All those in a endance will be able to enter their names into a raffle for Tar-get gi cards. You must be in a endance to win. If you haven’t yet joined the PTSA this year, there's s ll me to do so! Becoming a mem-ber will help you to stay connected to the Briggs Chaney community. All members re-ceive a Briggs Chaney Student Directory! Please consider dona ng to the Direct Appeal Campaign, which can be a tax deduc ble charitable contribu on for 2014. Your dona on to the PTSA will help fund programs such as Student Recogni on, Cultural Arts, and Staff Apprecia on. 100% of your dona-on goes to the PTSA.

As the Holiday season approaches, let your grocery shopping support the PTSA. If you haven't done so, please register your Safeway, Giant, and Shoprite grocery card and des-ignate BCMS. Register online at www.gian ood.com/aplus or Safeway and Shoprite at www.escrip.com. A er registra on, the school will earn cash every me you shop. Don't miss out! Please feel free to contact any of us with ques ons, sugges ons, or comments. Have a wonderful winter break. We look forward to seeing you in 2015! Regards, Susan Quinn PTSA President

From the PTSA President

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

From the Principal

2

Calendar of Events

3

6th Grade 5

7th Grade 6

8th Grade 8

Special Educa on

10

World Languages

11

School Info 12

PE/Health 9

Bear Brag 3

BR IGGS

CHANEY

M IDDLE SCHOOL

B E A R F A C T S

P T S A E X E C U T I V E B O A R D

President Susan Quinn Vice President Renee Chen Treasurer Rena Surana-Nirula Secretary Diane Tregoning

D E C E M B E R / J A N U A R Y 2 0 1 5


From the Principal Dear Briggs Chaney Middle School Families, It is hard to believe the first marking period is behind us and we are into our second grading period. The staff and administra on have many exci ng events planned for our students in recogni on of their hard work and diligence. In the first quarter of the new school year, our ineligibility rate has been the lowest it has been in three years. Montgomery County measures eligibility by a student maintaining a 2.0 grade average with no more than one failing grade. This accomplishment means our students are performing at a greater success rate. With that said, our stu-dent celebra ons took place the week of November 24 with the honor roll ice cream social during their lunch peri-ods, followed by our first Bear Bash of the year and concluding with our Straight “A” recep on. Congratula ons to those students and here’s looking forward to the second grading period and having more students par cipate in these wonderful ac vi es. On November 11th, Veterans Day, our Student Government Associa on celebrated our re red and ac ve-duty mili-tary with a flag ceremony and con nental breakfast to celebrate and thank our heroes for their service to our coun-try. Many of our veterans and staff members, who were former military, enjoyed the recogni on and camaraderie the SGA provided for them. On November 12th, our PTSA provided tes monies at the Board of Educa on mee ng. These tes monies are heard by the members of the Board on improvements that need to be made to our school, as well as concerns from the community. This is our PTSA in ac on! If you are not a member of the PTSA, please consider becoming one. These parents do an amazing job represen ng our school at events such as these. Also, please come to the PTSA mee ng held on the second Tuesday of the month here at Briggs Chaney in the Media Center. Our students par cipated in field trips in the month of November. Our 7th graders went to Summer’s Farm to expe-rience life on the farm and find their way out of a hay-bale maze. Our 8th grade students traveled to Ft. McHenry to experience where the Ba le of Bal more took place during the War of 1812. This ba le inspired Francis Sco Key to write our Na onal Anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner” marking its 200th anniversary. Our 6th grade classes visit-ed the Smithsonian Ins tu on with its many museums and awe-inspiring artworks and exhibits. And finally, our Specialty Art students visited Glenstone Art Gallery to view art at its finest. We had a wonderful month of off-campus teaching and learning. On December 10th and 17th, our Winter Concerts will take place. The students have worked very hard to give their very best performances. The first concert will comprise of 6th grade Orchestra, the 6th grade Band, the 6th grade Chorus and 7th grade Band. The second concert will include 8th grade Band, 7th and 8th grade Orchestra, and 7th and 8th grade Chorus. Please come and support the music program at Briggs Chaney Middle School and enjoy the perfor-mances from our talented students. December closes with our winter break—the “unofficial” half-way mark of the school year. Please take this me to rest, recharge, and enjoy family and friends during this me. January brings the Countywide Exams, which will close out the second marking period. Please make sure to check EdLine on a regular basis to see your child’s progress and any project deadlines throughout the marking period. If you need any assistance with EdLine, please contact Ms. Ramona Jus ce at Ramona_W_Jus [email protected]. Thank you for a great first marking period. I have every confidence our students will give 100% to do their very best…and at Briggs Chaney Middle School we

“Expect the Best!” Sincerely, Tamitha Campbell, Ed.D. Principal Briggs Chaney Middle School @BCMS_Principal


DECEMBER December 8-12 Book Fair at BCMS December 9 PTSA Meeting – 6:30 p.m. – Media Ctr Learn about STEM programs at BCMS December 10 Winter Concert I 6/7 grade @7pm December 10-17 Art show December 11 Winter School Assembly 1 Interims available (Parent Portal) December 16 Greek Mythology Performance—6th

Gade Assembly December 16 NAACP Parent meeting– 6:30 p.m. – Media Ctr December 17 Winter Concert II 7/8 Grade @7pm December 18 Winter School Assembly II Grade Sheets Distributed December 24/25 Holiday - Christmas December 26 Winter Break - January 2

JANUARY January 5 Return to school January 5 W/L Oral Exams begin January 8 Countywide Exam REVIEW DAY January 9-15 Countywide Exams January 13 PTSA Meeting – 6:30 p.m. – Media Ctr

Get inside information on the PARC test from Dacia Roberts, BCMS Staff Devel-opment Teacher

January 16 Second marking period ends January 19 Holiday - Dr Martin Luther King, Jr day January 20 Professional day for teachers January 29 Report Cards Distributed

FEBRUARY February 2 Spelling Bee 9-10am Media Center February 10 PTSA Meeting – 6:30 p.m. – Media Ctr February 11 Chick-Fil-A Spirit Night 5-8pm Tech Rd February 12 Grade Sheets Distributed February 16 Holiday - President’s Day February 19 Talent Show “Around the World” 7/8

Grade Assembly February 20 Talent Show “Around the World” 6

Grade Assembly February 25 Outdoor Ed Info Night 7pm Cafeteria February 27 Early Release @12:10

Calendar of Events 2014-2015 Bear Brag

We know Bears are awesome, so here is our chance to show how we shine!

BCMS had a 7% increase in our Eligi-

bility Rate from last year. At the end

of the first quarter we had a 94.5 %

Eligibility Rate – Students must earn

2.0 grade point average and no more

than one E in previous quarter/

marking period. At end of 2013/14

school year, the Eligibility Rate was

87%. This rate is based on the num-

ber of students who earned a 2.0 GPA

or higher with no E grades.

Over 45% of the BCMS students

achieved Honor Roll and over 14% of

students earned straight A grades in

the 1st quarter! Honor Roll students

must have a B average during the

grading period with no more than one

C and no grade of less than a C.

Way to rock the books this quarter

Bears!

BCMS was awarded a grant en tled

“Bears, Books & Breakfast” so that all

students are provided breakfast prior

to their 1st period class while they

either read or watch student CNN

news. Thanks to this grant our Bears

enjoy a healthy meal, quiet me to

read and relax before they start their

day.

Keep up the great work!


PTSA Committees

Membership - Troy Horsley

Directory - Janet Beaton, Toni Judd

NAACP Council - Troy Horsley

Staff Appreciation - Erin Jacobs, Lori Sciannella

Parent/Teacher Liaison - Cheryl Minus

Pizza Sales - Susan Quinn

NEC Cluster Rep - Cheryl Minus

Cultural Arts - Debbie West

Newsletter - Janet Beaton

Audit - Jim Belke, Chris Kirk, Rob Tregoning

Briggschaney.net Moderator - Erin Jacobs

Book Fair - Susan Quinn

Awards Ceremony Reception - Diane Tregoning

MCCPTA Rep – Troy Horsley

Nominating Committee - VACANT

8th Grade Dinner Dance - Sabrina Breedlove, Hollie Taylor

8th Grade Promotion Reception - Tracy Chu, Karen O'Brien, Hollie Taylor, Diane Tregoning

Briggs Chaney PTSA needs your volunteer help. No amount of time is too small. There are many one-time op-portunities and some jobs can be done from home dur-ing day or evening hours. Please contact one of the committee chairs or Renee Chen, PTSA Vice-President to volunteer !

Holiday Cookie Fest ! In keeping with a much-loved Briggs Chaney tradi-on, the PTSA will be providing a lovely table of sweet

treats for our teachers and staff on Wednesday, Decem-ber 17, 2014. We are in need of dona ons of cookies and other dessert items. Our staff looks forward to this special event every year and they always enjoy the wide variety of goodies that our parents provide. Please con-sider helping out! Please sign up through this link: www.SignUpGenius.com/go/30E0944ADAB2CAA8-holiday2

or contact Erin Jacobs at [email protected] if you are able to donate baked goods (either homemade or store-bought is fine!) or if you would be willing to help with set-up or clean-up. Food should be dropped off in the staff lounge by 8:30 a.m. on December 17. Please mark any non-disposable serving dishes with your name and pick up from the teacher's lounge by Friday, December 19th.

Let's show our apprecia on for all the hard work the BCMS does for our children. Thanks for helping us to make the Cookie Fest a special event! Sincerely, Erin Jacobs and Lori Scianella Staff Apprecia on Co-Chairs

Did you know its not too late to join the Briggs Chaney PTSA? Let your

voice be heard and join today!


Pathfinders and Trailblazers

It’s hard to believe we are in the

second marking period already. A special thanks to all of the parents who par ci-pated in our Open House in October and the November conferences. We feel that the communica on between home and school is very important. If you have any ques ons as the year progresses please contact us so clarifica ons can be made. Please con nue to monitor your child’s agenda and check Edline especially if your child is absent. The 6th graders had a great me on their field trip to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History on November 21st. Thank you to the par-ents who have volunteered to chaper-one!

C 2.0 Math 6

In C2.0 Math 6 students are learning how to divide frac ons. Students will be re-quired to use models to divide frac ons( frac on by whole number, whole num-ber by frac on and frac on by frac on). C 2.0 Math students will develop an un-derstanding of frac on division that leads to the use of the standard algorithm. In addi on, students will reason about the inverse rela onship between division and mul plica on of frac ons. Finally, stu-dents will create and solve word prob-lems involving division of frac ons by frac ons using visual frac on models and equa ons to represent the problem. Please access Edline for parent resources regarding the concepts students are learning in C 2.0 Math 6.

IM‐6

In Unit 2, Real Number systems, stu-dents will add, subtract, mul ply and divide ra onal numbers (decimals, frac-ons and integers). Students will also

explore irra onal numbers when the study the rela onship between powers

and roots. The unit wraps up with an ex-plora on of propor onality. Students will do rate of change, commission, sales tax and interest problems.

English

The sixth grade English classes have just completed Unit One, Founda ons. They are now ready for Adventures which is the theme for Unit Two. In November, the students will learn about the ele-ments of Adventures, and also, study poetry. The students will expand their vocabulary with selected words from the novels they will read, along with PARCC terms. Students will also get to know the commonly confused homonyms. Further-more, they will prac ce and review liter-ary terms such as plot, characteriza on, conflict, imagery, and hyperbole.

Science

We are currently finishing up our Alterna-ve Energy Unit and a er that, sixth grad-

ers will be working on the Trout Habitat unit in science. This unit focuses on eco-systems. Students will inves gate factors that influence the size and stability of popula ons. They will also examine or-ganisms’ unique adapta ons that help them to survive in their habitats. Stu-dents will discover the variety of organ-isms on the planet and learn how they are classified. The project for this quarter involves designing a trout habitat that will help increase the popula on of rainbow trout.

World Studies

This marking period we are studying the origins of democracy and gov-ernment in ancient Greece and Rome in world studies. Students will learn about the important role of ci zenship and the role that ci zens and government have in working together for the common good. The rights and responsibili es of ci zens is explored as well as learning how social conflict and protest leads to changes in a poli cal system.

Reading

Reading classes will be working with Greek mythology this marking peri-od. This unit will correspond with the Social Studies unit on Greece. Throughout the second marking period, the classes will con nue to u lize reading strategies, as well as acquiring new strategies. Some clas-ses just finished working on a book report centered on fantasy. This report was due November 24th. There will be no book report as-signed in December. The January report for these classes will be to read a science fic on book. Other classes are working on exploring new genre with a focus on reading a biography and an anthology of poet-ry. This is due January 9th. Stu-dents should con nue to be con-sistent with their nightly reading in order to complete the Independent Reading assignments.

6th Grade T E A M T A L K


Grizzlies and Kodiaks

We are amazed that quarter 1 is already finished. The school has a zero-zero campaign meaning that it is our goal for the students to have zero missing as-signments. Students will receive their grade report mul ple mes during the quarter so they know which assignments they need to make up. Students should also be accessing Edline every night to view notes and check grades. The 7th grade teachers are commi ed to helping each student be successful and lunch labs are a great opportunity for students to make up work, come in for review, or check in with the teacher. Students must advocate for themselves and ask for a pass. The pass also allows them to skip ahead in the lunch line! We are very proud of our 7th graders because they had the lowest percent of ineligibility for the school. Keep up the great work!

Conferences were held November 10th and 11th. If you were unable to come for a conference, conferences can always be scheduled. If you did come in for a con-ference, please know that the teachers are always available to discuss your child’s progress. The school’s phone number is (301)-989-6000.

English/Advanced Reading Seventh Grade English ended Unit 1: Iden ty with a bang! We are now excit-ed to start Unit 2: A Sense of Place to reinforce what was taught in Iden ty but to also go deeper with our learning. A Sense of Place challenges us to under-stand that the places we inhabit become part of our iden ty and how we relate to various new places depends on our previous experiences. We will also read literary text that will cause us to analyze techniques that writers use to transport us as readers to places we have never visited in reality. Furthermore, we will con nue developing our skills in argu-menta ve wri ng to make stronger re-bu als to our claims.

World Studies In World Studies we are currently study-ing Africa and the Principles of Cul-ture. Geography is emphasized as we locate the major physical features of Afri-ca. We then plot climate data on climato-graphs as we compare and contrast the five geographic regions of the con -nent. Cultural diffusion, the theme of the unit, is evident throughout the history of Africa during the Middle Ages. Vocabu-lary is also stressed in this unit. We con-clude by examining several case studies of present-day African na ons.

Science Students will be studying the Chemistry of Life during our second unit of study. Students will learn that elements combine to form the building blocks nec-essary for growth and development. We will see that the food they eat is broken down into nutrients that contain the raw materials and energy the body needs. Finally, students will relate struc-ture and func on of body systems to nu-tri onal requirements and disease pre-ven on. Our project for this unit is to create a menu that provides the neces-sary nutrients to support life. The culmi-na ng ac vity for this project is a frog dissec on during exam week.

Inves ga ons in Mathema cs In the Inves ga ons in Math (IM) course, the students are working in Unit 2, which is the Real Numbers Unit. They will explore mathema cal proper-es, inves gate opera ons with ra on-

al numbers, and learn and apply rules for exponents with similar bases. All of this unit is done WITH NO CALCULA-TOR. Students will also use scien fic nota on to solve problems, and apply propor onal reasoning to real life situa-ons.

Algebra

In the next two months we will con n-ue our 2nd unit. Unit two focuses on linear and exponen al rela onships in two variables, beginning with develop-ing a solid understanding of func ons. In earlier grades, students have defined, evaluated, and compared func ons, and used them to model rela onships between quan es. In this unit, stu-dents learn func on nota on and de-velop the concepts of domain and range. They move beyond viewing func-ons as processes that take inputs and

yield outputs and start viewing func-ons as objects in their own right. They

explore many examples of func ons, including sequences. Students interpret arithme c sequences as linear func ons and geometric sequences as exponen-al func ons. Students interpret func-ons given graphically, numerically,

symbolically, and verbally, translate between representa ons, and under-stand the limita ons of various repre-senta ons. Work includes func ons that can be described or approximated by formulas as well as those that can-not. When func ons describe rela on-ships between quan es arising from a context, students reason with the units in which those quan es are measured. Embedded in this study of func ons, students achieve fluency wri ng, inter-pre ng, and transla ng between vari-

7th GRADE T E A M T A L K

(Continued on page 7)


ous forms of linear equa ons and ine-quali es in two variables, and use them to solve problems. Overarching the en-re unit is the comparison of linear and

exponen al func ons, dis nguishing between addi ve and mul plica ve change.

Students will take the semester exam some me during the tes ng window of January 12 -16, 2015. We will be talking about good strategies to use when stud-ying for a test of this magnitude. They will receive a study packet to complete in order to help them get ready for this assessment.

If you have any ques ons about the prepara on that should be taking place, do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher.

Math 7

We have completed unit 1 on data anal-ysis and are a third of the way into unit 2. Thus far we have covered scien fic nota on, exponents, perfect squares & square roots. S ll to come for unit 2 are performing opera ons with posi ve and nega ve integers, absolute value, prop-er es, wri ng and using mathema cal expressions and equa ons. Unit 2 is an important area to learn well as it is es-sen al to gaining a strong founda on for algebra. We will be covering unit 2 through the end of the second quarter.

Unit 2 has three county forma ves and a county summa ve that may not be re-taken. We have already taken the first

forma ve for unit 2. I gave the students grade sheets on Thursday, 11/13/14. They may retake any assessment except the county forma ve. There is a form and work to do before they are permi ed to take the retake for any assessment. Please see it under the news sec on on edline.

Students may get extra help before school and a er school. Be certain to check on each teacher’s availability. Extra help is also available during lunch lab. All students need to pay a en on during instruc on, do their work respec ully & responsibly, and put in real effort when studying for assessments.

If you like, ask your student to share with you their wri ng response to “One Grain of Rice” to see how we made connec ons to mathema cs and a growth mind set. You can also come by school and see their work displayed in the hallways.

Enjoy winter as it approaches and when you can talk about mathema cs with you children. Watch the videos on edline. Check your student’s homework assign-ment and grades on edline. Thank you for any support you give your child to help them be successful in school. We thank you for your con nued support and if you have any ques ons, please call or email the appropriate teacher or team leader. Mrs. Connors is the Kodiak team leader and Ms. Putman is the leader for the Grizzlies.

7th GRADE, continued T E A M T A L K

WE LOVE BOOKS!!

We are looking for volunteers to help with our annual Scholastic Book Fair.

Monday, December 8 through Fri-day, December 12

The book fair is one of our major fundraisers, so please consider volun-teering for any amount of time that

you can spare.

If you are interested in volunteer-ing, please contact

Susan Quinn at [email protected].

BEAR FACTS SUBMISSION INFORMATION

This PTSA newsletter is published bi-

monthly during the school year.

The following are the submission dead-lines for 2014-2015.

February/March…

Friday, January 16, 2015

April/May/June… Friday, March 20, 2014

Articles for Bear Facts may be emailed

to Janet Beaton at [email protected]

Kudos to Dr. Campbell and the BCMS health room staff for work-ing hard to achieve a 100% compliance rate for 7th grade immuniza-tions!

(Continued from page 6)


Algebra

In the next two months we will con nue our 2nd unit. Unit two focuses on linear and exponen al rela onships in two variables, beginning with developing a solid understanding of func ons. In ear-lier grades, students have defined, eval-uated, and compared func ons, and used them to model rela onships be-tween quan es. In this unit, students learn func on nota on and develop the concepts of domain and range. They move beyond viewing func ons as pro-cesses that take inputs and yield outputs and start viewing func ons as objects in their own right. They explore many ex-amples of func ons, including sequenc-es. Students interpret arithme c se-quences as linear func ons and geomet-ric sequences as exponen al func ons. Students interpret func ons given graphically, numerically, symbolically, and verbally, translate between repre-senta ons, and understand the limita-ons of various representa ons. Work

includes func ons that can be described or approximated by formulas as well as those that cannot. When func ons de-scribe rela onships between quan es arising from a context, students reason with the units in which those quan es are measured. Embedded in this study of func ons, students achieve fluency wri ng, interpre ng, and transla ng between various forms of linear equa-ons and inequali es in two variables,

and use them to solve problems. Over-arching the en re unit is the comparison of linear and exponen al func ons, dis-nguishing between addi ve and mul -

plica ve change.

Students will take the semester exam some me during the tes ng window of January 12 -16, 2015. We will be talking about good strategies to use when stud-ying for a test of this magnitude. They will receive a study packet to complete in order to help them get ready for this assessment.

If you have any ques ons about the prep-ara on that should be taking place, do not hesitate to contact your child’s teach-er.

Honors Geometry

December will find students working in Unit 2: Similarity, Right Triangles, and

Trigonometry. Students apply their earli-er experience with dila ons and propor-onal reasoning to build a formal under-

standing of similarity. They iden fy crite-ria for similarity of triangles, use similari-ty to solve problems, and apply similarity in right triangles to understand right tri-angle trigonometry, with par cular a en-on to special right triangles and the Py-

thagorean theorem. Students also inves-gate the Laws of Sines and Cosines in

order to find missing measures of general (not necessarily right) triangles. They are able to dis nguish whether three given measures (angles or sides) define 0, 1, 2, or infinitely many triangles.

Students will take the semester exam during the week of January 12 -16, 2015. We will be talking about good strategies to use when studying for a test of this magnitude. In early December, they will receive a study packet to complete in order to help them get ready for this as-sessment.

If you have any ques ons about the prep-ara on that should be taking place, do not hesitate to contact Mr. Jackson.

Inves ga ons in Earth Space Systems Our 8th Grade students are finishing up classroom presenta ons related to the first Request for Proposal Assignment on Green Homes across the globe. The com-pleted project counts as a Summa ve Assessment Grade. We are moving into Unit 2 which is Astronomy. Students will inves gate the role of forces in the for-ma on and opera on of the universe and the role and interac on of revolu on,

8th GRADE T E A M T A L K

rota on and gravity on the Sun-Earth-Moon system. Your 8th grader should retain their notes and study guides from both Unit 1 and Unit 2 in order to pre-pare for the midterm assessment which will be administered in January. The children will receive study guides for the mid-term directly a er the Thanksgiving break. As always please con nue to email the 8th grade teachers with your ques ons. We want our children to do well in Science this school year and we are commi ed to helping our students grow in the area of scien fic thinking and real world applica on.

English 8

The students now half way through Eng-lish 8A: Wri ng and Language. The fo-cus as the quarter starts is theme. Stu-dents have been iden fying theme in a variety of texts to prepare for their wri ng assignments. We start off with wri ng a fic onal narra ve based on a theme. The second major wri ng for this quarter has the students complete an argumenta ve wri ng that involves taking a posi on on a community is-sue. In addi on to teaching students how to construct a sound argument, this assignment also teaches students how to iden fy and use a reliable source to strengthen their argument. The last wri ng assignment will be an explanato-ry wri ng; students will write the steps for a complex process. Please be sure to check EdLine for the latest assignments and class handouts!

(Continued on page 9)


Happy Winter!!

Our Briggs Chaney P.E. /Health Staff would like to welcome back our returning “Bears” as well as say “Hello” to our “New Bears “…Welcome Aboard J !!

Physical Educa on

All students will take approximately three units of study each quarter in P.E. Each unit of study lasts approximately (3) weeks. Each student will also be tested on Baseline “Fitnessgram” Tests(7). The seven tests that students perform will be the mile run, pacer test, curl- ups, push-ups, sit and reach, trunk li and shoulder stretch. These tests are designed to test individuals in the five fitness components… Cardio-respiratory (aerobic endurance), Flexibility, Muscular Endur-ance, Muscular Strength …. All of these plus, gene cs, diet, rest and exercise will impact the fi h component, which is Body Composi on. Each student will take the test three mes during the year…. Baseline, Mid-term, and Final Test.

We will also offer instruc on in our “Invasion/Net games” P.E. units which consist of team sports such as Football, Soccer, Team Handball, Street Hockey, Lacrosse and Pickleball. Each student will receive instruc on in (2) of these units, along with the Fitnessgram Unit… which all students will take .

PE staff will also be suppor ng our students through the implementa on of our PARCC training classes. PE staff will take all students into the computer labs and instruct students on the “naviga on of the toolbar and test ques ons”,so as to prepare them for the upcoming PARCC Test this spring/summer.

Health Educa on

All students will receive one quarter/nine weeks of instruc on in Health Educa on. The health course is made up of seven content areas which are, Mental Health, Alcohol, Tobacco and Other

Drugs (ATOD), Nutri on and Fitness, Safety and Injury Preven on, Personal and Consumer Health and our last two units of study (which require a parent consent form) Family Life and Human Sexuality, and Disease Preven on and Control. Cur-rently students are in the Mental Health unit in all grade levels. All health Educa-on students will have to have their FLHS/DPC permission Forms signed and re-

turned to their respec ve Health educa on teacher prior to receiving instruc on in those (2) content areas. Students who “ Opt–Out” of either of the FLHS or DPC units, will receive instruc on in an alterna ve lessons unit. REMINDER: These two units will be taught at the end of the quarter(Mid-January).

Intramurals/Athle cs

All students are invited to par cipate in our a er school intramural program. Each student must complete and return a parent permission form to the staffer who is sponsoring the ac vity. Several other intramural ac vi es will be offered through-out the school year. All students should listen for school announcements (a.m./ p.m.) regarding when, what, and where the next intramural ac vity is to be offered.

The athle c program is made up of 7th and 8th grade Boys/Girls…… Cross Country, So ball, Basketball and Soccer. We will hold try-outs for Basketball teams(G/B)and our rosters will be set in a couple of weeks. Our basketball coaches are Coach Broderick(B) and Coach Connors(G) for this season. We look for to an outstanding season for both our Boys and Girls teams here at Briggs Chaney !

Our Intramural and Athle c Coordinator is Mr. Alex Evangelista. For more infor-ma on concerning our programs, you may contact Mr. Evangelista at 301-989-6000

Again, Welcome Back and we look forward to another “OUTSTANDING“ year here at the “BEAR DEN“ GRRRRR J !!

Sincerely, Briggs Chaney P.E /Health Department

U.S. History

During the month of December the stu-dents will rebound from the Revolu on-ary War and take a look at the Ar cles of Confedera on. They will find that there is some room for improvement. Ul mately we will find ourselves faced with the task of developing the Cons -tu on for which we are governed by today.

Parents, please be mindful that all 8th grade students will take a semester ex-am in January. The exam will cover all topics studied in the first and second marking period. Student will receive a study guide immediately following win-ter break but should be brushing up on previously taught materials every even-ing!

8th Grade Con’t T E A M T A L K

PE/Health Education (Continued from page 8)

2014 –2015 Basketball Schedule

All Games start at 3pm

Thursday, December 11, 2014 vs. Loiderman Boys’ Away Girls’ Home Wednesday, December 17, 2014 vs. Banneker Boys’ Home Girls’ Away Wednesday, January 7, 2015 vs. Wood Boys’ Away Girls’ Home Wednesday, January 21, 2015 vs. Parkland Boys’ Away Girls’ Home Tuesday, January 27, 2015 vs. Argyle Boys’ Home Girls’ Away Tuesday, February 3, 2015 vs. Rosa Parks Boys’ Home Girls’ Away


Departments & Programs Special Education

A R O U N D T H E S C H O O L

The first quarter of the school year flew by, but at the same me the warm weather of summer seems long ago. The novelty of the new school year has dissipated and the students and staff are well into their school rou nes. The Special Educa on case managers just recently finished up-da ng the progress on each of their student's IEP goals a er receiving feedback from the teach-ers. You should have received these updates in the mail. If you did not receive them or if a er reviewing the progress noted on the goal pages you have ques ons, please feel free to contact your child's case manager.

I would like to encourage all parents to u lize their Edline account on a consistent basis. For those parents who are unfamiliar with Edline, it is an online source in which teachers post daily homework, upcoming tests or projects, and other helpful hints for your children. Addi onally, parents and students can view grades and current progress in each class. This prevents any "surprises" when it comes to interims and report cards. If you have not received informa on on how to access Edline, please contact your child's case manager so they can provide the infor-ma on for you. I would also like to encourage all parents to talk with your student about what their IEP accommoda ons are and when they use them in school. Keeping these lines of communica on open between parent, child, and school is so im-portant in monitoring ongoing progress.

Finally, Interims were completed on November 26 and teachers in all classes will be sending out progress sheets on 12/18. Please look for these academic updates and talk to your child about his/her progress. Please contact your child’s case manager if you have concerns about academic progress.

The PTSA Directories are at the copiers being published and will be dis-tributed to PTSA members by December 20th!

Its not too late to join!

Join on-line at h p://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/briggschaneyms/ptsa/

Ques ons? email Troy, our membership chair at [email protected]

Thank you sixth grade parents for volunteering your time to join us on our field trip to the National History Museum on 21 November. Here are just a few of the pictures our parents took:


Departments & Programs A R O U N D T H E S C H O O L

Foreign Language Department Spanish 1AB are finishing a scrapbook project which they will present to their peers. I am looking forward to learning more about them. We will be starting our next unit next week. We have touched on a lot of information about school throughout the year already so the chapter of School should make for an in-teresting and fun topic for them.

Spanish 1A has been working on activities they like & don’t like to do. We will be moving onto personal descriptions with adjectives. We are looking forward to a project about activities & descriptions after Thanksgiving break.

Spanish 1B learned about family members, the verb ser and tener. They will be presenting their family album projects to the class. We will finish up family and begin learning about the verb estar and prepositions in the theme of Home and Rooms.

Spanish 2AB students are working on the topic of Daily Routines & Chores. They are learning reflexive verbs for their daily routine and will learn about commands with their chores. Students will give an oral presentation about both topics at the end of November. December we will do Community and Shopping. After winter break we will have our County Assessments.

Spanish 3AB students are beginning the unit on Bienestar (well-being). They will be learning a new grammar point: The subjunctive. They will have an oral and written presentation for this unit. December will be a fun unit as we will be learning about Amistad (friendships); students will be working on the subjunctive and reinforcing past grammar point.

French 1A students enjoyed the Family unit, where they created a beautiful family tree and an adjective posters. They are beginning to learn about the topic of At school and will be creating 3D models of lockers to learn their vocabulary and adjectives. .

French 1B students enjoyed the topic of Pastimes, where they learned adverbs and the near future. We will be moving into the Food topic where students will create menus and have a traditional French breakfast.

***All students in Spanish & French 1AB, Spanish & French 2AB, and Spanish 3AB will be preparing for the MCPS County Semester Exam in January. Study guides will be given to each student one week prior to their semester exam in January. More specific details will be provided in January.

Srta./Mlle Amador, Sra. Bernardi, Srta. Kahng, M.Stevenson


Home of the Bears!!

1901 Rainbow Drive

Silver spring, MD 20905

Phone: 301-989-6000

Fax: 301-989-6020

Guidance: 301-989-6010

Health Room: 301-989-6026

www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/

briggschaneyms/

Briggs Chaney

Middle School

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Documents

Dec Jan 2015 bear facts - Montgomery County Public · PDF fileFebruary 11 Chick-Fil-A Spirit Night 5-8pm Tech Rd ... NAACP Council - Troy Horsley Staff Appreciation - Erin Jacobs,