2015-03 Mtn Ridge v.2.Compressed

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MARCH 2015

Main Office 303-387-1800

Fax 303-387-801

Attendance 303-387-1802

Athletics/Activities 303-387-1812

Bookkeeper 303-387-1808

Registrar 303-387-1820

Transportation 303-387-0415

Weather Hotline 303-387-7669

Twitter follow@mountainridgems

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A note from the principal . . .

4th quarter, here we come! Once again, another year is flying by. Eighth grade parents are getting ready to become high school parents, and 7th grade parents are getting ready to experience the joy of an 8th grader! What a great time for all of us!

For this months column, I struggled finding something to write about that would not simply repeat the other topics. I happened upon a quote by John F. Kennedy that sparked my inspiration. Let us think of education as the means of developing our greatest abilities, because in each of us there is a private hope and dream which, fulfilled, can be translated into benefit for everyone and greater strength for our nation. This quote, to me, epitomizes middle school. I believe that our job as middle school educators is to help students explore in order to begin to develop those hopes and dreams. This age is fun because they are often still tied to their childhood dreams of becoming a professional athlete or award winning actor, while beginning to realize that there is more out there and that some dreams may not be as realistic as they once thought. That does not mean that we squash those childhood dreams, however. Instead we get to encourage them to dream big and hope even bigger while exposing them to new learnings, explorations, and contents.

P A G E 2

Mountain Ridge Middle School

A note from the principal . . . continued

Imagine all of the amazing things that our students are going to accomplish as adults if we can foster their sense of creativity and exploration. Imagine how much of an impact their ability to make their hopes and dreams come true will have on all of us! I love that middle school is such a crucial time to invest in our future. I love seeing students curious and wondering each day as they come into school. They truly CAN do anything that they choose if we support their hopes and dreams. I love the potential and possibilities that walk into this building every day!


Counseling

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Mountain Ridge will join schools across Colorado on April 17 to participate in College Friday. Its a day designed to raise awareness about the importance of higher education for Colorados youth. Students and staff will be encouraged to wear their favorite college logo apparel and show their college spirit on College Friday.

The Counseling Department and Student Council will hold drawings for students and staff that wear college apparel. Its a fun day and great opportunity for parents to talk with their kids about their own college experience.

And its not just schools that support College Friday:

Visit any participating Qdoba on College Friday and receive free chips and 2 oz. queso for wearing your college gear. For a participating location near you, go to collegeincolorado.org and click on the College Friday logo.

Visit any participating Cold Stone Creamery from 3:00 PM 7:00 PM on College Friday and receive a $1 ice cream scoop with one mix-in for wearing your college gear. For a participating location near you, go to collegeincolorado.org and click on the College Friday logo.



General Announcements - TRAFFIC

P A G E 4

Morning

Traffic??

Cars, Buses, and SUVs -oh my!

We need your HELP!

Anyone who has experienced morning traffic here at MRMS knows it is far from being a picnic. In fact, the traffic issues seem to have multiplied as the school year has gone on. The combined efforts of MRMS and MVHS security have resulted in a traffic loop and drop-off system that really does work efficiently when everyone is following it. But even the most efficient system cannot handle the immense volume of traffic we have been experiencing. As a result, our buses are getting caught in the loop and are held up in the drop-off process. We are regularly experiencing waves of students arriving late, sometimes up to a couple of hundred students arriving up to 10 minutes late to the building.




P A G E 5

WE NEED HELP!!

Please consider the following suggestions to help make the morning a little easier: If your student can walk or ride the bus and is not, please

have him/her do that. We understand there are bad weather days or special projects due that make a car ride easier, but in general, cutting down on the sheer numbers of cars coming into the parking lot will help.

Consider carpooling. Most of the cars coming into the parking lot have just one rider. Carpooling is more efficient and the added benefit is parents dont have to face the drive every day!

Get in line earlier. Cars getting into the loop closer to 7 a.m. seem to move through more quickly and smoothly. Anyone getting into the line at 7:15 or later is almost guaranteed a long wait and a late student!

Do you have a high school student driving to school with a parking permit in the upper lot? Again, carpooling (if possible) can help. Students with other permits should use the far west parking entrance. And, again, getting into line closer to 7 a.m. than 7:30 is strongly recommended. (Yes, we DO realize we are talking about teenagers)

Avoid the traffic loop altogether and drop your student off in a safe neighborhood location so he/she can walk the rest of the way up to the building. (Again, yes, we DO realize we are talking about teenagers)

If you are driving in and dropping off, thank you for driving as FAR around the loop as you can before stopping to let students out. Remind them to exit on the sidewalk side of the car and to be ready to exit immediately when you are able to come to a safe stop.


General Announcements - SCHOOL TARDIES

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Over the years, there have been significant improvements to our traffic flow and process. The double turn lane into our schools was put in a few years ago and has been tremendously helpful. Our security guards are well-versed in moving traffic efficiently. Thank you for recognizing their effortsthey love your smiles, waves and good humor in the morning!

We appreciate your efforts in helping us run a smooth traffic pattern and in trying to reduce the volume of vehicles coming in each morning. Our goal is to get students in safely and quickly and to get our school started on time!

Its incredibly important that your child arrives at school on time. If a student is late in the morning he/she MUST REPORT TO THE ATTENDANCE OFFICE. At that time the student will be given a pass to class. All tardies to school are unexcused unless the student brings a doctors note. Adhering to this policy will prepare your child for high school as well. Mountain Vista has the same policy.

P A G E 7


Athletics

The 7th grade boys basketball tournament is Saturday, April 11 at Rock Canyon High School. The boys have had a successful season and are playing with a lot of grit! Thank you to all the parents and coaches for their dedication!

Seventh and 8th grade boys and girls track starts April 13. The season ending tournament is May 15 at Sports Authority Stadium in Parker. This is our last sport of the year and it provides opportunities for every kind of athlete. Traditionally, we have almost 200 students come out for track. This is a great opportunity to

connect with friends and stay engaged through the end of the school year. If you are new to the sport of track these are the events: 1 mile, 800 meter, 400m, 200 m, 100m, 4X100m relay, 4X medley relay, 4 X400m relay, 100 m hurdles, long jump, triple jump, high jump, discus, and shot put.


Activities - ICode

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WE NEED YOU! Come and learn from your fellow students how to create an app for your phone or ipod. Yes, you too can learn these simple steps through xcode, starlab and other programs.

Please sign up on the MRMS website to register for 4th quarter. The cost is $30 just like all other clubs. We meet Monday through Thursday in the Tech Lab from 6:50 7:25 a.m.

So, dont delay! Come join iCode and bring a friend or two! (or 50)

If you have any questions please see Ms. Personett in the Tech Ed Lab.

P A G E 9


Team 7-1

Full Steam Ahead

Team 71 has not missed a beat this month. After a rousing success at International Towne, students dove right into their Capstone Project in iLab. This project capitalizes on everything students have learned this year regarding systems thinking and how it relates to creative problem solving. In order for students to successfully complete the Capstone, they must work collaboratively in a group to surface a problem, research to peel back the layers of the problem and ultimately narrow the issue in order to innovate and test a solution. Students are working on everything from aquaponics to designing a braking system for longboards. Students walk away with the understanding that, An answer is a questions way of asking a new question.

And then there was Pi Day

Students on 71 also experienced Pi Day in a variety of unique ways. First they walked up to Pi/High Point to calculate the circumference of a pie shaped compass located at the top of the trail. After completing the activity and resting up a bit, they headed back to Mountain Ridge. If they had used their GPSs and calculated correctly, the trip ended in exactly 3.14 miles where there were a multitude of pies just waiting to be consumed by hungry seventh graders. Check out the pictures!

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Team 7-2

4th quarter, here we come! Believe it or not, your child is getting close to being an 8th grader. Can you believe that so much of the year has passed already? Testing for PARCC went well and we were so lucky to have most of the school test prior to our team, so most of the kinks were already worked out. Our students worked very hard during testing and the team is so proud to be able to say that. We had a successful PARCC breakfast every morning of bagels, cream cheese, breakfast bars, casseroles from parents. Jill Jenkins was an incredibly helpful parent who made breakfast possible.

Pi

Day took place on Thursday the 12th after testing. Students went through 5 rotations of activities which included drawing Pi Puns with Ms. Wilde, a game of Pi Kahoots with Ms. G-H, Sir Cumference stories with Ms. Foxy-G, Determining Pi with Ms. Krumreich, and Pi raps and Pi poems with Ms. Willis and Mr. Savage. After the rotations, the team held a contest to see who could remember the most digits of Pi to win a t-shirt, and then there was a Pi(e) eating contest! Lastly, the team enjoyed a slice of pie (or 2) before lunch.

P A G E 11


Team 7-4

We are so excited to have Reece Kelly represent our pod for the February Change agent. He always gives 100% in everything he does. He is extremely empathetic, kind, sincere, and he works well with everyone he encounters. He is extremely secure and has the ability to laugh at himself when things do go quite right. He is always finding ways to improve and helps those improve around him as well. We are so happy to have Reese on our team.

We are excited to announce Jenna Fitzsimmons as our Change Agent for March. She is our little Mary Poppins, practically perfect in every way. She is a unique individual who strives to do her best everyday. She continues to grow and better herself with every situation she encounters. She gets along well with her peers, strives to help others grow and improve, and has the ability to turn any situation into a positive experience. We are so grateful to have Jenna on our team.

FEBRUARY

Reece

Kelly

MARCH

Jenna

Fritzsim

mons

P A G E 12


Team 8-1

This month Team 81 teachers were interviewed to get their perspective on how things are going on their team.

What is the best thing about being a teacher on your team?

The team- We are 81!

Interpretation: Just like the students said last month. The team is united and there for each other.

What have your students done that makes you the most proud of them?

Applying things they have learned in one class to another. Our students have shown great resiliency. They are risk takers and consistently think outside of the box.

What can parents do to help their student finish the year strong?

Please get them to school. We want them here as much as possible. Help us hold students accountable for working hard and being a positive student. Stress the point to finish strong and how much that says about a persons character.

What else would you like to say to the students and parents on your team?

This is not the end of your academic career. Good habits now, will create a successful high school student later. Continue to think outside the box, Understand that this is not the end of the students academic career. Keep calm and finish strong.

P A G E 13


Team 8-3

Can you believe that we are already so close to the end of the year? The fourth quarter is always so busy around here. Students will be working hard until the very end of the year, while having fun, of course! Many of team 83s traditions happen during the last quarter, including our field trip to Cherokee Ranch, Pi Day, another interdisciplinary unit, and finals for all classes. As we get closer to each of these, we will include additional information during the weekly email. Cherokee Ranch will take place during the week of May 11 and the following week will most likely be the interdisciplinary unit, which brings us to the last week of school. Crazy! This month was incredible for our team. We are so proud of the amazing efforts of all of our students during PARCC testing. The best part about middle school is how much the students begin to questions why we do the things that we do. Even with so many questions and fear of something new, they took on the challenge and worked diligently and purposefully during PARCC. Also, we would like to thank our parents for sending in treats for testing. It was amazing how much food we received, and the students truly appreciated having a snack ready to feed their brains. Dont forget our next PIN meeting on Tuesday, April 14. We will be sharing information for Pi Day, Cherokee, and the final interdisciplinary unit. When we return from spring break, many of the classes will begin new units of study. Continue to ask your child what is going on in all of their classes.

Team 83 Pi Day Pics

P A G E 14


Team 8-4 News

All The News Thats Swagworthy!

This month Team 84 teachers were interviewed to get their perspective on how things are going on their team.

What is the best thing about being a teacher on your team?

We are all flexible and willing to work together to do cool things for kids.

What have your students done that makes you the most proud of them?

They have really stepped up to the plate on some difficult challenges in every class and have learned to approach situations that do not have immediate solutions with optimism, enthusiasm and creativity. They are resilient and are not discouraged by initial setbacks.

What can parents do to help their student finish the year strong?

Allow children to take responsibility for their own work, time management, grades, etc. Hold the expectations high, and continue to provide rewards or consequences as needed, but try to let them make their own daily choices. They need a chance to practice independent study skills, but still need just a little bit of guidance.

What else would you like to say to the students and parents on your team?

Thank you for all your support and making this an amazing year so far!

P A G E 15


ElectivesePUB

ePub/Creative Writing:

What happens when you pour blots of paint onto paper, conjure clever ideas, then create a beginning, middle and end to write a story in 20 minutes? FICTION IN A FLASH. We have over 100 stories floating around MRMS.

Want an outlet to pour your ideas and think of things in different ways? This is your place...no matter how strong--or not, your writing skills are.

This class can be taken as a 7th grader and again as an 8th grader as we're always thinking of new things/ways to write.

Yearbook:

IT'S IN... IT'S IN... Our MRMS yearbook is complete and sent to print. The hard work and dedication of this student staff has been rewarding.

Still want to purchase a yearbook? Contact Margene Greeno, our bookkeeper, and she will hook you up!

Yearbook is a yearlong elective with room for 30 students. This year we've already had over 100 applicants! If this is something you're interested in but doesn't quite make it into your elective choices for next year, make sure to stop by to meet the yearbook adviser, Ms. Kate Morgan and she will keep you in mind for 8th grade. A good journalist is not afraid to make him/herself heard!

P A G E 16


ElectivesART

MRMS Art students designed their own fabrics using pen and ink, watercolors and acrylic paints. Students planned the space, created the designs and filled in with color. After learning how to thread a sewing needle, students sewed the pillows closed after filling with polyfill stuffing.

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ElectivesART continued

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2015-03 Mtn Ridge v.2.Compressed