the mandeville messenger

Mandeville Middle Messenger March 2016

The Mandeville Messenger

What’s Going On?

2525 Soult Street Mandeville , LA 70448

MandevilleMiddle.stpsb.org

March 2016

Inside This Issue

Thanks to our Sponsors 2

Special Thanks 4

Classroom News 6

PTA President’s Letter 9

Help Our School 11

Upcoming Events 12

A Message from Our Principal, Ms. Mary Hart

.

Dear Parents and Students, It’s been another very busy year here at MMS, and it’s hard to believe that we are beginning the final quarter of the school year. Please encourage your children to keep giving it their all and to work to their full potential. I would like to extend a thank you to all of our PTA volunteers who help us on a daily basis. Without your assistance, MMS would not be the awesome school that it is. Moms and dads can always be found on our campus working in the classrooms, library and front office. Your involvement in our school is invaluable. We particularly want to thank all of the parent volunteers who helped to make Teacher Ap-preciation Week such a special event honoring our hard-working fac-ulty. Please refer to this newsletter for many exciting things that we have left to do this school year. Specific dates will be available, as always,

Follow me to Page 3


2

To Our Volunteers and Sponsors

WE THANK YOU!

Our volunteers and sponsors contribute to our school in countless ways. Volunteers help reinforce to kids that their education IS important. Sponsors make all the “extras” possible. You both reinforce the partnerships between MMS and the community.

Volunteers of the Month

February— Jill Savoy Ashley Prinzo Gail Owens March— Jill Savoy Amalia Fitz Gail Owens Brandi D’Angelo

Corporate Sponsors

Gold Sponsors: FMP Shipyard and Repair Florida Marine Transporters Silver Sponsors: Northshore Office Equipment Culinary Kids Bronze Sponsors: Pelican Storage TCBY/Mrs. Fields Edward Jones Investments—Danny Boudreaux Miller Orthodontics


3

on the MMS website. We would love for you to continue to be involved here at MMS.

I would like to congratulate our students who participated in the Parish Fitness Meet on Saturday, March 5 at Lakeshore High School. The Mandeville Middle School Team consisted of Emily Arnold, Claire Rush, Alex Avengo and Grant Cogan. The MMS Fitness Team finished in 1st place overall for the parish! The team also received 8 medals for the day. In the 50-yard dash – Emily won1st Place; in Curl-ups – Claire won 2nd place; in Sit and Reach – Claire and Emily won 3rd place; in Sit and Reach – Alex won 1st place; in Long Jump – Emily won 3rd place, in Pull-ups – Alex won1st place; and in the 600-yard run – Grant won 2nd place! Emily Arnold received 1st girl overall and will represent St. Tammany Parish at the State Competition at LSU on April 16th. Congratulations to the entire team and to Coaches Scott Gaines and Julie Champagne for a superior job! The trophy is proudly displayed in the school office. Our talented art students have also been the recipients of recent accolades, taking top honors in the Keep Mandeville Beautiful Anti-Litter Banner Contest. First place went to Anthony Bosco, with Alexandra Mata-moros receiving second place. Congratulations to these MMS 6

th Graders and to their teacher, Robyn

Kennedy. Laura Haggard, our Technology Resource Teacher, has been named an Educator of Distinction for the State of Louisiana! We are very proud of her and are fortunate to have her here at our school. She can always be found working with teachers and students, assisting them in various ways. Over the last two months our students have participated in Junior Achievement Days for 4th and 6th grades, PBIS Celebrations, Student of the Month breakfasts, Mozzarella with Mom, Parish Band and Chorus Festi-vals in which our students earned superior ratings, All District Honor Chorus, and Black History Month activi-ties, as well. These activities enhance the curriculum and provide learning opportunities for our students. The sixth graders are looking forward to upcoming events planned for them, including a visit to LMJH, Re-naissance Day, Junior High Day, 6th Grade Social and 6th Grade Picnic. LEAP testing will be held on April 25 – 29, 2016. I feel confident that our students are well prepared for these standardized tests. As a reminder to everyone, when you arrive at MMS, you must sign in the office and receive a nametag from the office. Your driver’s license will be required. Check-in is required for all events. If a person is not listed on the emergency card, that person will not be allowed to check out your child. Thank you for your coopera-tion, as this is for the safety of our students. Thanks to all of our parents who are dropping off children in a timely manner in the morning. The car line seems to be moving faster, with fewer students being tardy. Thanks so much for your cooperation! The im-provement is noticeable. If you have any comments or concerns, please do not hesitate to call me at 985-626-8778. Thanks for eve-rything you do for us and your children. Sincerely, Mary Hart, Principal

Continued from Page 1


4

MMS PTA would like to thank the following businesses for donating items during Teacher Appreciation Week:

Soileau Insurance Agency – Chet Soileau

Natural Disinfection Solutions

Abita Café

Mugshots Grill Covington

Stone Creek Club and Spa

Paisley Boutique

Dr. Gumbo

Cupcake Concept

LA Nails

Simply Chic Boutique

Avon Representative Diane Payne

Painting with a Twist

Jewelry by Valerie Crawford

Young Living

Breakthrough Fitness

Usual Suspects

Sugar Mommas Sweets

Salon Allure – Carrie Guardalabene

Artwork by Robyn Kennedy

Artwork by Mimi Fitz Art

Starbucks E Causeway Approach

Blue Harbor Car Wash


5

INVITATION TO ALL

6TH GRADE STUDENTS AND THEIR PARENTS:

Mark your calendars for Wednesday, April 20, 2016, (6:00-8:30pm) when

Fontainebleau Jr. High celebrates its 20th Annual Hurricane High-lights. This exciting night showcases the outstanding talents of our stu-

dents. This evening is much more than just a spring open house event. It is

truly an extravaganza that you should not miss. Our students look forward

to this evening in which they have the opportunity to showcase all of their

many talents. Best of all, each and every student has the chance to partici-

pate. This is a great opportunity to see everything that FJH has to offer.

Included in the evening’s festivities will be an Art show, a Literary show, a

Jazz Band Performance, a Coffee House with live entertainment, a Silent

Auction and much, much more!

THIS IS A FAMILY SPONSORED EVENT!

ALL CHILDREN MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY AN

ADULT!


6

A Message From 4th Grade

We have been working very hard in the fourth grade! In math, our classes are tackling multiple step constructive response questions that cover a vari-ety of concepts…including fractions! The science classes are discovering and experimenting with rocks and minerals found on Earth while other classes are learning about the water cycle and weather. In our ELA classes, we have just finished our non-fiction novel, Freedom Train by Dorothy Sterling! Many of us have enjoyed learning about the heroes of our past who have helped pave the way for the freedom we enjoy today! We have also been practicing our writing skills. Our social studies classes were enthused about diving deeper into how our government works. We have been studying the three branches and levels of government. As we work hard in all of our classes, we have enjoyed the creative moments that come with such engaging learning!

Mrs. Gammon’s science class engaging in research about rocks and minerals!

Friends in Mrs. Willis’s class engaging in class discussion about Benjamin Frank-

lin’s remarkable character traits.


7


We are close to the finish line, and the end of the year will be here before we know it! As we head into our final quarter, we look forward to the exciting things that are still to come. We will begin the 9 weeks in ELA exploring poetry. The students will focus on reading poetry for comprehen-sion, as well as, identifying theme and the structure of a poem. They will also begin reading their 4

th novel,

James and the Giant Peach. The novel will take the students on the journey of an orphan who befriends hu-man like bugs who live inside a giant peach. Students will also be starting their Written & Illustrated project. In Social Studies, students will continue our study of colonial life. We will explore the growth of the English colonies in North America in the 18

th century and how the development of political, social, and economic insti-

tutions led to the emergence of a distinct American culture. As we finish up fractions in math, we will be moving into geometry and measurement. Students will explore polygons, finding volume, and converting different units of measure. Students will wrap up the year in science by learning about Earth & Space sci-ence through fun and engaging investigations. As always, thank you for your continued support this school year!


8


The sixth graders were busy with many exciting activities

during the third nine weeks.

In Language Arts, the students read the historical fiction

novel Across Five Aprils. They learned how studying the

Civil War helps us understand our culture today. This unit

focused on the causes and consequences of the American

Civil War as revealed through literature and information-

al text. The students enjoyed writing letters to President

Lincoln from the perspective of the main character, Jethro.

While studying Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome in Social Studies, the students engaged in

many activities that compared and contrasted the geography, daily life, government, leaders,

religion, technology, and economy of these ancient civilizations. Some of these activities in-

cluded decorating vases with images depicting these characteristics, constructing travel bro-

chures, and writing essays.

The students focused on pre-algebra during their Math clas-

ses. They have been busy writing and graphing linear equa-

tions. These are skills they will need as they move on to their

junior high math classes.

Finally, in Science, the students studied physics and Newton’s Laws of motion. Several clas-

ses put their physics knowledge and skills to work in various Egg Drop activities. One activity

used constructed devices that would protect an egg from breaking when dropped from the top

of the school building, and the other activity used constructed car-like vehicles for their eggs

to ride in and “crash” into the wall while keeping the eggs intact.

As our sixth graders are quickly moving into their final months at Mandeville Middle School,

they can reflect on the many exciting experiences of the past nine weeks.


9

A Message from Our PTA President Chrissy Bourlet

Our time at school is winding down for this year and we are counting the weeks before school lets

out for the summer, but we have just a few things we have to take care of first.

Our Art Fest Day will be on Friday, April 15th. Our students will experience music, art, and activ-

ities to help them learn more about different types of art. We will need many volunteers to make

this day a huge success. There is a lot of preparation work that needs to be done to help this day

flow smoothly, such as creating decorations, props, and gathering items needed for each station.

Each station that the children will be visiting needs volunteers. We will also have a hospitality

room for our volunteers who donate their time. If you can help out in any way, please contact Gail

Owens at [email protected] .

We just recently had a great Teacher Appreciation Week. A big thank you goes out to Jill Savoy

and Amalia Fitz for putting together a wonderful Teacher Appreciation Week for all of our teach-

ers and staff. Also, thanks to Jennifer Cardinal for making the delicious cookies and Teri Gates for

making goodie bags for our teachers and staff.

I have a few more ladies that I don’t want to forget to thank for all their hard work that they have

done all year long or are currently doing. Amber Pittman for doing this awesome newsletter, Bran-

di D’Angelo, Jill Vita and Robin Barr for doing the AR Cart every quarter, Stephanie Ruoss for

doing Bank Day every month, Gail Owens for doing Art Fest, Jennifer Cardinal and Beverly

Muller for doing the bulletin boards, Jennifer Cardinal for doing the labels, Sundi Fortenberry for

doing the food drive every month, Brigitte Martinez and Jill Vita for doing Honor Roll every nine

weeks, Staci Coffey for being the office and library volunteer coordinator for the whole year, Ash-

ley Prinzo for doing Student of the Month , and to all of the parents that step up and help when

they are needed. I really appreciate all of you!

This is the time of year that your PTA starts with its changing of the guard. We are now actively

looking for parent volunteers who would consider becoming one of our many committee board

members. MMS is a very fun PTA. We have several committee boards that are still open at this

time. Please keep in mind that the PTA board this year is mostly 6th grade parents, so we will be

moving on to other schools next year. Many of our board positions that are open can use more

than one person to help make it run smoothly. If you would like more information about what

each board position entails, you can contact me

and I will give you the information that you need.

Here is a list of board positions that we still need

volunteers for…

Bank Day, Grandparents Day, Bulletin Boards,

Book Fair Chair, Food Drive, Box Tops/Other La-

bels Chair, Hospitality, Membership Coordinator,

PTA contest, Office Volunteer Coordinator, Li-

brary Volunteer Coordinator, Room Mom Repre-

sentative, and Fundraising

mailto:[email protected]

https://www.facebook.com/jill.savoy

https://www.facebook.com/teri.b.gates


10

We also have openings on our executive board: * President/Co-President, * 1st Vice

President, *2nd Vice President, and *Treasurer

As we come to the end of the school year and to the end of my time as a parent with a

child at Mandeville Middle, I just wanted to say what an honor it has been to work with

such amazing people, from the parents to the staff! My executive board and PTA board

members have been made up of some of the smartest and most talented people I know

and I am so blessed to have had them working with me and for our children this year.

The staff and teachers at Mandeville Middle are truly amazing and work very hard eve-

ry day to make sure our children have a safe and enhanced learning environment. We

are truly lucky that our children attend this amazing school! And to all of our amazing

parents, whether it is sending in Box Tops or spending hours a week at school volun-

teering, you show your children that school is important. When you make it important

to you, they make it important to them! So, thank you!

I can personally say that in my three years of being a mom here, it tears at my heart-

strings to know that I am leaving such a great place. As the PTA President, it warms

my heart every time I see your children in the halls and they give me a big smile. I will

truly miss this school.

Sincerely,

Chrissy Bourlet

President MMS PTA


11

This year we will be emphasizing FREE money. This is money that companies are willing to donate to our school:

Boxtops - Please keep sending them in and go to www.boxtopsforeducation.com. You can enter our school for a contest and you can shop and earn e-boxtops for our school!

Community Coffee - Our school receives $.10/point Please visit http://

www.communitycoffee.com/docs/default-source/cash-for-schools/ccc_cfs-faqs.pdf for more information.

Campbell’s labels for education - Clip and turn in these barcodes so our school can earn free

items. For a complete list of participating products, go to http://www.labelsforeducation.com/Earn-Points/Participating-Products

More information and collection sheets will be sent home with your child.

Don’t forget you can join our MMS PTA Facebook page or if you would like to receive emails about different PTA activities going on at school throughout the year, you can send your email address to [email protected] and I will add you to the PTA email list. You can also visit our wonderful school’s website at www.mandevillemiddle.stpsb.org. Sincerely, Chrissy Bourlet President MTE PTA

How You Can Help Our School

http://www.boxtopsforeducation.com

http://www.communitycoffee.com/docs/default-source/cash-for-schools/ccc_cfs-faqs.pdf

http://www.communitycoffee.com/docs/default-source/cash-for-schools/ccc_cfs-faqs.pdf

http://www.labelsforeducation.com/Earn-Points/Participating-Products

mailto:[email protected]


12

Dates to Remember:

March 25-April 4 Spring Break April 4 - 8th Scholastic Book Fair April 5 Literacy Night 6-7:30 April 10 - 15th MMS Food Drive April 25 - 29th LEAP Testing May 8 -14th LAST MMS Food Drive

MMS is proud of all the students who made the Honor Roll!! Thanks to JUST CHILLIN’ TOO for providing cou-pons for the students for making the 3rd Quarter Honor Roll. Congratulations and great job to all of the Honor Roll recipients!

MMS-Samaritan Center Food Drive Thanks to all who participated in our March food drive for the Samaritan Center Food Bank in Mandeville! MMS collected 955 items in March. So far this year our school has collected 7,230 items! WOW!!! We have helped over 85 fami-lies so far! We are only 2,770 items short of our goal of 10,000 items. If every student could give 3 items for each of our last two food drives, we will easily make our goal. The classes that collected the most for each grade for March are: March 4th—Ms. Rhodes 5th – Mr. Pittman 6

th – Mr. Hartman

A special shout out to Ms. Simpson’s class of 10 students for bringing in 78 items! WOW! The Samaritan Center gratefully accepts any non-perishable food items you are willing to give but right now are especially in need of the following: canned vegetables, hot cereal, 100% juice, PB&J, canned meat, shelf milk, rice, canned/dry beans, canned spaghetti, spaghetti sauce, and personal hygiene items (deodorant, shampoo, bar soap, tooth brushes/paste, toilet paper, and laundry de-tergent). Please give what you can -- this month and every month!


13


14

2360 Fifth Street

Mandeville, LA 70448

985-629-2082


15


16

the mandeville messenger

Documents