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Simpson Middle School

J. L. Simpson Middle School 490 Evergreen Mill Road Leesburg, VA 20175

Principal: Mr. Runfola

Assistant Principals: Ms. Smith Ms. Todd

Dean:

Michele Loiselle

Guidance Counselors: 6th Grade Ms. Jeane 7th Grade Ms. McKean 8th Grade Ms. Nameth

School Resource Officer: Matt Bennett

Contact Information

Main Office (571) 252-2840 Absentee Line (571) 252-2842 Cafeteria (571) 252-2843 Fax (703) 771-6643 School Hours: 8:40 AM– 3:28 PM

www.lcps.org/jlsms

In this Month’s Issue:

Note from the Principal 2 Calendar of Upcoming Events 3 PTO President’s Letter 4 PTO Calendar of Events 5 Counselor’s Corner 6 School News 8 News from the Clinic 12 Honor Roll Ice Cream 13

Dec. 2014

Dear Parents and Students: I hope all of you had an enjoyable Thanksgiving with family and friends! Our annual 8th grade Career Day on November 14th was a wonderful activity. It was organized by guidance counselor, Eveanne McKean and teaching assistant, Laura Herring. The PTO helped support Career day with thank you gifts for all of the speakers who generously gave up their time to share the passion and profession with our students. Thank you to everyone involved! For Veteran’s Day, we took time in various ways to make this a teachable moment for students. We encourage our community to wear red, white and blue. There was a special morning Veteran's Day announcement by our students. Our students wrote thank you letters to veterans recognizing family and friends. These letters decorated the hallways throughout the building. Some letters were given to VA hospitals, the Naval Academy in Annapolis, and had been delivered to several VFW and American Legion Posts in our area. Our history teachers and other teachers did Veteran's Day activities in the classrooms. At 11:00 am, Mr. Rocheck, a teacher and veteran from Simpson, did a special reading about the Treaty of Versailles which was followed by Kayla Ballve playing taps for all to hear. Everyone did a fantastic job helping us focus and learn more about Veteran’s Day and honoring those who have served. Thanks to all the parents and volunteers who visited the school during American Education Week. The 8th grade band started us off with an excellent concert and this annual tradition is one I truly enjoy. Great job to the students and Mrs. Paquette for all your hard work! It was great to see so many of you spend time with your child in the classroom. Also, thank you for the many compliments shared with me throughout the week about what we do each and every day. The faculty & staff very much appreciated the food treats provided during this week by the PTO, thank you! Your cooperation in completing the Federal Impact Aide form is appreciated too. Finally, many parents and students joined the administrative team for Spanish Speaking Parents Night. This was a great opportunity to build a stronger spirit of understanding, cooperation, and openness as we work together to help our kids succeed. The November coat drive, hat, glove and scarf drive was a BIG success with hundreds of donations. Way to go Mustangs! In December, our SCA is sponsoring a toy drive and our efforts will certainly help families during the holiday season. December will be filled with concerts and special activities as well. Progress reports / interims will be coming home December 10 for those parents who aren’t using CLARITY. Please continue to check the school calendar before planning trips and vacations. Students continue to report that catching up is challenging and regular attendance does make a difference. I’m sure there is a lot of excitement about the upcoming winter break and New Year. During this time, students are encouraged to bring home notebooks and spend some time reviewing class notes and graded assignments in the absence of homework. A little time each day can really help bridge the time away from direct instruction. Also, insist your child bring home their PE uniform. As we bring in the New Year, I hope we can all find comfort in knowing we all belong to a caring community dedicated to student success. If your family is in need of assistance, please contact me or any member of the administrative team and we will do our best to support you. Sincerely, Chad Runfola Principal

Dec. 2014 Note from the Principal Pg. 2

Dec. 3 Art Night 6:30 PM Dec. 6 PTO Dodgeball Tournament (8th Graders) Dec. 6 All County Orchestra Auditions Dec. 9 Chorus Concert 6th, 7th & 8th at LCHS 7PM Dec. 10 Interims go home Dec. 10 7th Grade Band and 8th Grade Jazz Concert 7PM Dec. 15 8th Grade Band & Guitar Concert 7PM Dec. 18 6th Grade Assembly 9:20AM, 7th Grade Assembly 2:20 PM Dec.19 8th Grade Assembly 9AM Dec. 22 Winter Break Begins Jan. 5 Classes resume Jan. 9 Simpson Geography Bee Finals 2PM in Library Jan. 12 PTO meeting 7PM Jan. 13 Strings Concert 7PM Jan. 19 Student Holiday-No School Jan. 20 Semester Exams Begin Jan. 23 End of 2nd Quarter/Semester 1 Jan. 26 Student Holiday/Teacher Workday Jan. 27 Quarter 3/ 2nd Semester begins (A day)

Dec. 2014 Calendar of Upcoming Events Pg. 3

Hello Simpson Families,

Thank you to everyone who supported our Hat Drive for Ellie’s Hats! We are grateful that we are able to donate so many hats in Mathias’ honor. I hope everyone had an enjoyable Thanksgiving with their family! December is a short month due to Winter Break, but there is still a lot going on. So, please be sure to check our calendar of events. We have also posted the January and February events so you can plan ahead and mark your calendar.

Our month starts off with the 9th Annual Simpson 8th Grade Dodgeball Tournament on Saturday, December 6th from 6:00 – 9:00pm at Loudoun County High School. This is one of our Simpson traditions that students look forward to, and this year is no exception. This year, prizes will be awarded for Championship Team, Best Team Name, and Best Team Uniform. A huge thank you to Brian Dean for organizing this exciting event! To make this event happen, it will take many volunteers. If you are able to help by volunteering at this event, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Sonya Connors, at volunteers@simpsonpto.org.

On December 17th, our Staff Appreciation Committee has planned a Cookie Exchange for the Simpson

Staff and we need bakers! We would like to invite all members of the Simpson community to be part of this event. We are looking for parents at each grade level who can donate 2- 3 dozen cookies on December 17th so our staff members can have some sweet treats for the last few days of school before winter break. If you are able to bake cookies for our staff, please contact our Staff Appreciation Chairman, Kate Warren, at kateandtywarren@gmail.com.

In December, we will hold auditions for the 5th Annual Simpson’s Got Talent Show, which will take

place on Friday, January 9th. Thank you to Kari Pace for volunteering to chair this event! If you are interested in co-chairing the event, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator, Sonya Connors, at volunteers@simpsonpto.org. Auditions for Simpson’s Got Talent will be held on Tuesday, December 16th. (If a second day is needed, auditions will also be held on Wednesday, December 17th.) We can’t wait to see this year’s group of talented Simpson students and what they have planned for us! For questions, or if you can volunteer to help with this event, please contact Kari Pace at kari_pace@yahoo.com.

As always, if you would like to volunteer in any capacity, please contact our Volunteer Coordinator,

Sonya Connors, at volunteers@simpsonpto.org. We would love to have your help! We don’t have a December PTO meeting, but please join us at our January PTO meeting on

Monday, January 12th at 7:00pm in the Simpson Library. Happy holidays to all of our Simpson families and staff! Kim D. Berkey PTO President president@simpsonpto.org

Dec. 2014 PTO President’s Letter Pg. 4

PTO Calendar of Events December 3 – Market Day Pick-up (5:15-6:15pm in the Cafeteria)

December 6 – 8th Grade Dodgeball (7:00pm at LCHS) December 16 – Simpson’s Got Talent Auditions December 17 – Cookie Exchange for Simpson Staff January 9 – Simpson’s Got Talent (7:00pm) January 12 – PTO Meeting (7pm in the Simpson Library) January 14 – Market Day Pick-up (5:15-6:15pm in the Cafeteria)

February 9 – PTO Meeting (7:00pm) February 11 – Market Day Pick-up (5:15-6:15pm) February 20 – Simpson Night at Ashburn Ice House (7:40-9:10pm)

Dec. 2014 PTO Calendar of Events Pg. 5

We hope all families have a safe holiday break. Career Day The School Counseling Department would like to thank all the guest speakers who participated in career day in November. The day was a huge success. We would also like to thank all the volunteers that helped on that day. In addition, a big thank you goes to Mrs. Laura Herring for all her hard work. The students really enjoyed the day. Guidance Topic Specific groups are happening in all grade levels.

AOS ADMISSIONS DEADLINES 2014-2015

Mid-December 2014: Students will receive PSAT Score Report LCPS students receive score reports through middle school

counselor, Private/Homeschooled students receive score reports via USPS.

Monday January 5, 2015:

Finalists will be notified no later than this date and will be invited to complete Part II of the AOS Application and a

writing prompt.

All Part I applicants will receive a decision letter no later than this date.

Saturday January 17th, 2015, at 9:00 a.m.: Writing Prompt for all Finalists

Writing prompt will be required for all finalists. Inclement weather date: Saturday January 31st, 2015, at 9:00 a.m.

Friday February 6th, 2015, at 11:59 p.m.:

DEADLINE: Absolute deadline to submit Part Two of the AOS application for the

2014-15 admission process. No applications will be accepted after this date.

Dec. 2014 Counselor’s Corner Pg. 6

Friday March 27th, 2015:

Decision letters postmarked to applicants.

Tuesday April 7th, 2015 at 7:00 p.m.:

Accepted Student Meeting

Friday, April 10th, 2015, at 4:00 p.m.

Accepted students must inform the AOS office of their decision to attend the AOS no later than Friday April 10th, 2015

at 4:00 p.m.

AFTER Friday April 10th, 2015: Based on space available wait listed students will be notified of a final decision.

Important Dates for the 2014-15 Thomas Jefferson Process: Admissions

TJ Website – click here

Winter Round – 2014

Applications available online

Saturday, December 6- Test Day

Saturday, December 13 -Inclement weather date for Testing

Tuesday, December 16- Inclement weather date for Accommodations/Make-up Testing

Winter Round - 2015

Friday, January 16- Semifinalist Notification – posted on Portal or Mailed

Saturday, January 24 -Essay/SIS Administration Day

Tuesday, February 3- Accommodations/Make-Up Essay/SIS

Thursday, February 5- Inclement Weather date Accommodations/Make-up Essay/SIS

Dec. 2014 Counselor’s Corner Cont. Pg. 7

All-County Chorus: Congrats to the following students who performed

in the 2014 6th Grade All-County Chorus on Saturday, November 8 (Picture attached): Nicholas Crump Lia Marie Johnson Benjamin Kitchen Dylan Schwarting Ally Snyder Emily Taylor Jua Varsalona Jenna Walker

All-County Chorus was made up of approximately 150 6th grade students representing every middle school in Loudoun County. This year’s group performed at Seneca Ridge Middle School and was directed by Joey Parish.

Dec. 2014 School News Pg.8

Social Studies classes will be conducting the Geography Bee throughout the next month. Students will begin to learn about immigration and how an increase of immigrants during the 19th century changed America. Towards the middle/end of the month, students will be learning about the Progressive era and how change was demanded, like the women's right to vote and prohibition. Happy Holidays!

All-District Chorus: Congrats to the following students who were selected via audition on November 4 to perform in the 2015 All-District Chorus:

SAB Group Soprano

Emma Sleeman Melanie Vieyra

Alto

Gabriela Lopez Birdie Stockton

Baritone

Adam Buchen Derrick Pough Michael Tozer

Caleb Washington

SSA Group Soprano 1

Emily Kilbourne

The students were selected from a pool of approximately 380 7th and 8th grade students from throughout the VA District 16 area to participate in the All-District choirs. The event will take place the weekend of February 21-22, 2015, with a performance to be held at Woodgrove High School.

We want to give a special thanks to the Chick-fil-A of Leesburg for being a proud sponsor of our PBIS program and for the donation to the student leadership luncheon as well!

Dec. 2014 School News Cont. Pg.9

Sharon Bendekovic Melissa Colvin Betsy Huie Claire Crook Kathy Goodhart Kate Warren Karen Pantas Elena Mussari-Fugate Danitza O’Leary Lisa Hamilton Angela Lierni Missy Warner Dorena Toomer Kelly McKnight Beth Habte Jenny Kau Farah El-Zein Anna Toth Megan Curtin Caroline Schaefer Laurie Williams Lori Berry Lis Occhialino Lisa Martin Katharine Whitacre Sonya Connors

Library News!

A big THANK YOU to Sonya Connors for helping to organize all the wonderful volunteers that worked at our fall Scholastic Book Fair. These volunteers help to make this book fair a huge success for

the whole Simpson community.

To:

BOOKS! BOOKS! BOOKS! Some of our students are starting to accumulate overdue books. PLEASE encourage your child to return books that they have finished reading to the library. Students are allowed to put “holds” on books that they want to read, but are checked out. A lot of our “holds” are on our more popular books. We would love to get these overdue books back ASAP so other students have the opportunity to read and enjoy the books.

Book Club News – Simpson’s Battle of the Books, Book Club members had some very interesting discussions while reading, Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper. This book was Loudoun’s 1 Book, 1 Community book and what an awesome choice! Try to set some time aside to read and enjoy this book ~ the story and the main character, Melody will stay with you for a long time! Next on our reading list is Lincoln’s Grave Robbers by Steve Sheinkin. This quick read is a true crime thriller – the first book for teens to tell the nearly unknown tale of the brazen attempt to steal Abraham Lincoln’s body! Book Club members will be reading this book over the winter break.

Dec. 2014 School News Cont. Pg.10

We hope you all had a wonderful, relaxing Thanksgiving. We looking forward to the next few weeks and all the excitement that comes along with the holiday season! Have a great month reading! Maureen Kennedy and Devon Yorkshire

Dec. 2014 School News Cont. Pg.11

SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program—formerly known as Food Stamps) enables eligible families to shop at their local farmer’s market to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables OR plants that would produce their own fruits and vegetables. The year round farmer’s markets would match the money spent. If $20 dollars was spent, the SNAP program would provide $20 extra to spend.

Dec. 2014 News from the Clinic Pg.12

Dec. 2014 Honor Roll Ice Cream Pg.13