February 2014

RMS Wolves
ALL STUDENTS WILL GRADUATE FROM ROME HIGH SCHOOL PREPARED FOR COLLEGE OR WORK

From the Principal

Dear Parents:

RMS Wolves

Greg Christian gchristian@rcs.rome.ga.us Greg Christian

This edition of the newsletter is coming to you late because of the missed days due to the weather. I cant remember a school year where we missed so much instructional time due to weather!

From the Principal

All of the Rome City School principals are sending home a letter today to inform you of the plan to make up some of the missed instructional time. Thank you in advance for your patience and understanding as we move forward with this school year.

As you know, we have had a vacancy in gchristian@rcs.rome.ga.us th the 7 grade assistant principal position since the start of the second semester. Mr. Jason Self will take over on Friday February 21, 2014 as the interim assistant principal. Mr. Self has been a Rome City School student, a teacher here for twelve years, and he has administrative certification from Berry College. I believe that he will do an excellent job as the assistant principal. Thank you again for your continued support of Rome Middle School. Greg Christian Principal

Inside
Counselors Corner!!!9 Magellan Highlights.......... 2 Media Center ..................... 8 Nautilus ............................. 3 Pathfinder .......................... 5 Seawolf .............................. 4 Spelling Bee Update ........ 2 Sports Report !!!!!..8 Stardust ............................. 7 Voyager ............................. 6

Attention Parents and Guardians:

page

Over the past few weeks, weve had quite a bit of inclement weather. Fortunately, Rome City Schools was able to get the word out quickly and effectively. There are multiple ways you can keep in touch with RMS. Exciting news! We are now on Facebook! Go to https://www.facebook.com/romemiddle and like our page. This social media tool will be used to share news with members of the learning community. You can sign up for blast notifications by texting @romeparent to

(404) 445-1263, or sending an email to romeparent@mail.remind101.com. Finally, Rome Middle School also has a Twitter. Follow us @RomeMiddle. News as well as upcoming events will be announced using these resources as well as the RMS website.

Spelling Bee Update

Congratulations to 7th grader, John Knauss, for winning the district spelling bee and bringing the RCS Spelling Bee Champions banner to RMS!

Magellan Team Highlights

Parents:
Cold and flu season is here! If you can, please donate these items to our team (your child can bring items to his or her HOMEROOM teacher): Clorox wipes Boxes of tissue Hand sanitizer Georgia Studies (Ms. Deese) In Georgia Studies, Magellan students are studying World War II. They are learning about Georgias contributions to the war effort and discussing key Georgians during that time period. After the World War II unit, the students will begin studying the Civil Rights movement and Modern Georgia. That is a big unit of study for us with a good bit of information to learn! The students are also preparing for the CRCT doing weekly reviews. Every Thursday, students will review a set of old material and take a grade over it. They will also have CRCT prep questions a few times a week during the first 10 minutes of class. We are going to get excellent scores in April! Language Arts and Literature (Ms. Caldwell and Ms. Wilkins) The Holocaust is the featured subject of study in both Language Arts and Literature. Students have been reading both fiction and non-fiction material based on this critical but sad chapter in world history. In the Literature classes, the students are finishing the book Surviving Hitler. The students have worked really hard on this unit! Next, the students will read Six Million Paperclips, the true story of a small-town school that built their own Holocaust museum. Students are working together to find different themes represented in the non-fiction books they are reading about the Holocaust. Soon, the students will begin the performance task, and they will present a multimedia presentation to the class based on a theme they have chosen. The students will also have an opportunity to write to the Holocaust survivor that they are reading about, Mr. Jack Mandelbaum.

One letter is already in the mail! In the Language Arts classes, the students are finishing reading about the most famous victim of the Holocaust: Anne Frank. The students read a book entitled 10 Days: Anne Frank. This book chronicles 10 critical days in the life of Anne Frank (between May 1940 and March 1945), and it shows a parallel between her life and events happening in history during this time period. Students recorded the events of those 10 days onto an organizer. Then, in the spirit of Anne Frank, students will pick one day from the ten and write a diary entry from the point of view of a person other than Anne Frank (i.e. Margot Frank, concentration camp victim, Otto Frank). The students will share their diary entries during Authors Chair.
Math (Ms. Ray) In Math on Magellan, the students are learning about linear equations. They are learning how to find slope from graphs, tables, and form points. The students are also learning how to write equations in slope-intercept form. This is knowledge they will carry over to the high school. Physical Science (Mrs. Bollwerk) Students in Mrs. Bollwerks Physical Science classes are wrapping up their investigations of friction, inertia, force, velocity, and how to determine the work involved in balanced and unbalanced forces. The next unit will focus on simple machines. Students will study examples of each, how they work, how they make work easier, and how they can work together to form more complex machines.

All Students will Graduate From Rome High School Prepared for College or Work

Nautilus Team News

Geography: Mr. Freeman
Weve concluded our study of India and have been reading the book Homeless Bird. In this book, the main character Koli is very good at quilting and makes a quilt as part of her dowry. In the quilt, she embroiders scenes of important events and people in her life. Building on this idea, we will be constructing a class quilt (paper) with scenes that contain things important to each students life. The individual panels will be assembled into a classroom quilt and displayed in the classroom.

Literature: Ms. Cooper

This month, Nautilus students will be finishing our reading of Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. We are learning how to properly cite textual evidence in our Responses to Literature. We are gearing up for our Final Performance Task for our unit which will be a formal Constructed Response related to the possible themes in our novel.

Wolves of the Week

January 17: Emma Kate Cowan January 31: Dhamar Verdel February 8: Montrell Millsap

Mathematics: Ms. White

Nautilus

With the arrival of March the approach of CRCT testing is imminent. In the upcoming weeks we will be working on unit 6, which covers probability, and heading straight into our CRCT review. Students will be made English Language Arts: aware of last years CRCT score, their Ms. Stuart progress for the year, and asked to set a This month in Language Arts, we will goal they would like to meet when taking be working on our Freedom Walkers their CRCT for 7th grade mathematics. This unit. This text examines the true should give them motivation and something events leading up to and following the real to work towards. Montgomery Bus Boycott in Montgomery, Alabama during the Science: Ms. Massey 1950s and 1960s. Students will respond to the following questions in The recent winter weather has provided a essay form as we work our way great example for our next unit: Ecology. through the informational piece We will be studying the ways in which the Freedom Walkers by Russell non-living and living parts of our Freedman: Was the Montgomery Bus environment interact. Well also dive into Boycott in Alabama as an effective the different levels of organization that and good way to bring about change scientists classify life into and completing in the laws concerning segregation in the unit with a review of the cycles of the South? Was using nonviolent matter. We will briefly cover the oxygen protesting more or less effective than and nitrogen cycles. To conclude our unit violence in bringing about positive well spend a few weeks studying the change? Was the boycott a struggle different biomes of the world. After our between Rosa Parks and the bus Ecology unit well be ramping up for the company, or was it a struggle for the CRCT and investigating the mysteries of greater good? the human body. It continues to be a pleasure serving and teaching your children every day!

All Students will Graduate From Rome High School Prepared for College or Work

Seawolf Team Highlights

In literature we are continuing to read Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor. This is set in Depression-era Mississippi and addresses issues of racial inequality and racism. It's an excellent book for teaching many elements of literature, since Mrs. Taylor has filled her story with rich characterizations, intelligent vocabulary, abundant figurative language, dialogue with dialect, numerous life lessons and themes, as well as entertaining and dramatic events. As we read in class, we are discussing these elements along the way and are emphasizing vocabulary with activities and tests. The students are also writing responses dealing with the other literary aspects.
In life science, we are beginning a new unit on ecology. Your child will be learning how everything in the ecosystem is

Congratulations to Abby Davis, Abby Corona, and T. J. Dupree for being selected as Seawolves of the Week.

essay form as we work our way through the informational piece Freedom Walkers by Russell Freedman: Was the Montgomery!Bus Boycott in Alabama as an effective and good way to bring about change in the laws concerning segregation in the South? Was using nonviolent protesting more or less effective than violence in bringing about positive change? Was the boycott a struggle between Rosa Parks and the bus company, or was it a struggle for the greater good? In social studies, we have been reading the book Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan. This book is an excellent addition to our unit on India as the setting is modern day India in a rural area. Many of the customs and rituals that we had already studied about India are woven into the story. Students also learned about the plight of widows in India. We will begin our unit on Africa this week with the focus on the following countries: Egypt, Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya, South Africa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Nigeria.

related. This unit will consist of many outdoor activities (weather permitting), hands on demonstrations, group work and will culminate in a group project that will count as two test grades. Some of the topics your child will learn more about include: food chains, food webs, energy pyramids, symbiotic relationships, the cycles of matter and biomes.

In math we are currently working on Unit 5, our geometry unit. In this unit we have already studied cross-sections of three-dimensional figures. Right now we are studying the formulas for the area and circumference of a circle and This month in language arts, we will using them to solve problems. We will be working on our Freedom Walkers unit. This text examines the true events also be solving real-world and mathematical problems involving area, leading up to and following the volume, and surface area of two- and Montgomery Bus Boycott in three-dimensional objects composed of Montgomery, Alabama during the triangles, quadrilaterals, polygons, 1950s and 1960s. Students will cubes, and right prisms. Remember respond to the following questions in that we have tutoring Monday mornings!

All Students will Graduate From Rome High School Prepared for College or Work

Pathfinder
Literature Since our return in January, we have been reading Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor. Most days, students read character parts, allowing them to become absorbed in the characters. We have been practicing constructed responses which will help them with the final Performance Task for this unit. This will be a response about one of the eight possible themes for the book. The students have a paper that lists those possible themes, so they can think about them as we read the book. Science Pathfinder just finished the unit on Natural Selection and Evolution. Students did an excellent job exploring the process of change. Science students are now moving on to Ecology. In this unit, students will explore how all relationships are connected, by both living and non-living things. Students are given the opportunity to discover types of dependence in any given environment. Math Pathfinder has begun a new unit on geometry. Students will be exploring many properties concerning various polygons and figures. Concepts will include cross-sections of three dimensional figures, characteristics of different angle types, as well as topics such as area, surface area, and volume. Our Unit 5 Test is scheduled for March 4, 2014. Please encourage your child to study throughout the unit and attend tutoring when needed. World Geography We are concluding our examination of Asia by reading Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan. It is the amazing story of thirteen year-old Koly and her journey of courage and hope through
All Students will Graduate From Rome High School Prepared for College or Work

traditional India. Our next region of study is the continent of Africa. We will begin our introduction with analysis of Africa's diverse geography, wide range of climates, and significant features. Get ready for our continued travels around this amazing planet. Language Arts This month in Language Arts, we will be working on our Freedom Walkers unit. This text examines the true events leading up to and following the Montgomery Bus Boycott in Montgomery, Alabama during the 1950's and 1960's. Students will respond to the following questions in essay form as we work our way through the informational piece Freedom Walkers by Russell Freedman: Was the Montgomery Bus Boycott in Alabama an effective and good way to bring about change in the laws concerning segregation in the South? Was using nonviolent protesting more or less effective than violence in bringing about positive change? Was the boycott a struggle between Rosa Parks and the bus company or was it a struggle for the greater good? We will also be continuing our work with sentence structure, clauses and their functions in sentences and comma usage. It is very important that all work is completed on time and to the best of each students ability.

Voyager Team News

Voyager is glad to be back on track from all of the snow! Before we know it, your children will be heading off to high school. High school registration is around the corner. Be on the lookout for more information about this coming soon. In Mrs. Goyas literature class, we are finishing up the book Surviving Hitler and finishing our unit on the Holocaust. We will begin working on our performance tasks next week. The students will be making Prezis and presenting them in front of the class. They are allowed to work on these presentations at home. Prezi is a web-based program that can be accessed anywhere that there is an internet connection. Mrs. Goya is still tutoring on Friday mornings from 8:00- 8:30. Students who come to tutoring get help on vocabulary instruction for the week. The students in Mrs. Williams class just finished reading 10 Days Anne Frank by David Colbert. The book describes the 10 most significant days in the life of Anne Frank who lived 5,748 days. As the students read, they kept a chart/timeline on each of the 10 days. The students will choose one of the ten days that they think is the most portentous and write a narrative diary or journal entry from the point of view of someone other than Anne Frank describing the events of that day. The Voyager Georgia Studies classes have completed their study of World War I and the Great Depression. Students read oral histories describing what life was like in Georgia during the Great Depression. Our next unit will cover Georgia during World War II. Students will learn about Georgia's contribution to the war effort and explore the impact the conflict had on our state. In math, students are exploring linear equations and how they can be represented in graphs, tables, and context problems. Students are developing an understanding of how to find the slope and y-intercept of a line just by analyzing an equation written in slope intercept form. Through solving context problems like how fast a skier descends down a snow covered slope and how much each additional topping on a pizza actually cost, students are gaining an in depth understanding of how slope is present in their everyday life! In Mrs. Pecks science class they have just completed a timeline on a minority scientist of their choice to celebrate Black History Month. Next we will be covering simple machines and waves. Mrs. Peck still conducts tutoring on Tuesday mornings at 8:00.

All Students will Graduate From Rome High School Prepared for College or Work

Stardust
Stardust is looking forward to having a great third nine weeks in the 8th grade!
In literature, students are reading the book Surviving Hitler. With the completion of this book, students will be learning how to create multimedia presentations as a culminating activity reflecting their knowledge and understanding of the Holocaust and Jack Mandlebaum's survival experience. These projects will revolve around a central quote and theme from the book. Students will be expected to present their projects to the class professionally. As students create their own commemorative project, they will read about a class in Tennessee who took years to develop a memorial for the Holocaust after learning about it in school. Students will read 6 Million Paperclips and view the documentary. This will be the finale of the Holocaust unit. Students in Ms. Chapman's eighth grade mathematics classes are continuing their exploration through Unit #5. Thus far, students are able to calculate the Rate of Change (or Slope) as well as the Unit Rate when given mathematical representations such as a line graphed on a coordinate plane, a situation modeled with a table, and ideas relayed through context (word problems). Students can also conclude whether the given information forms a linear model. We are now beginning to discover how to find the Rate of Change and Unit Rate from a given equation using what is known as Slope-Intercept Form. Once students are able to master this final concept in Unit #5, they will then be assessed over the material. Within the next few weeks we will begin working through Unit #6, which involves Data Analysis standards.

In Mrs. Ray's class we are finishing 10 Days in the Life of Anne Frank and will begin the narrative journal entry. Mythology and CRCT review will begin soon. Students in Ms. Carles science classes have been learning about the forces that cause objects to move the way they do. Classes have done labs demonstrating the factors that affect the amount of inertia and friction as objects move. We're now discussing velocity and acceleration. Students are learning how to read and create graphs showing an objects' speed, distance, and time. Students in Mrs. Beavers' class are working on World War I and will continue our discussion through World War II. We will be looking at Georgia's role in both of these wars, as well as extending our class discussions to involve civil rights and government as we move forward towards the end of the third nine weeks.

All Students will Graduate From Rome High School Prepared for College or Work

Media Center Message

February is Black History Month. The RMS media center has a number of great books to choose from to remember the Civil Rights Movement. Students should consider reading titles such as The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine, No Crystal Stair by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, Let America be America Again, by Langston Hughes or any book from our wide selection of novels and novellas by author Mildred D. Taylor. The library continues to add new books to the collection each day! In addition to new print books, the RMS media center 500+ electronic books. For e-book access, students can log in to Mackin Via (www.mackinvia.com) using their SRI number and password. If you wish to browse our e-books or have other children who would benefit from our online collection, we are happy to share the generic login with you if you call (706) 235-4695 or e-mail tquilici@rcs.rome.ga.us. Please be mindful that licensing restrictions prohibit sharing login information with students at other schools. I look forward to working with your children! Theresa Quilici Media Specialist

Sports Report: Baseball

Baseball season is now underway! Although the weather has not been too cooperative, weve begun practices and the first game is only about two weeks away. Coach Freeman and Coach Woodrow are working to get the teams ready for the season. Please support your student-athlete and Rome Middle School Baseball. You can follow us this season on our Facebook page, Rome Middle Baseball, for the latest news about your teams.

All Students will Graduate From Rome High School Prepared for College or Work

Counselors Corner
It is time for our 8th graders to register for classes in the fall at Rome High School! This is an exciting time for our students and parents. I hope all of you had an opportunity to attend RHSs Showcase Night where many of our students and parents heard about RHS and all it has to offer. You can also visit the RHS website for all registration information. Your child will be coming home with a registration packet with all the information on course offerings at RHS. Please review this with your child and assist them in their selections. Our teachers at RMS have already made their recommendations for your child on Powerschool. In your packet, you will receive step by step instructions needed to complete the on-line registration process. Important Dates to Remember: Registration packets distributed to RMS students: February 25th Powerschool Registration Parent Portal opens: February 25th Signed forms due to Homeroom teacher and Portal closes: March 4th Confirmation of Registration sent home: March 13th Should you have any questions after reviewing the packet of information your child brings home, please feel free to contact me via email (kcumming@rcs.rome.ga.us) and I will be happy to help.

All Students will Graduate From Rome High School Prepared for College or Work