The Colophon
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The Colophon Volume 42, No. 3 October 2017 A Publication of Memorial Park Middle School Wow, here we are, already past the halfway point in the first quarter! It’s hard to believe that the school year is in full- swing. Before we get too far along, I want to take time to officially introduce myself to those of you I have not yet had the chance to meet. I am Jake Wyss (pronounced Wees), and I am the new sixth grade assistant principal. I am excit- ed to be a part of the Memorial Park team! Most recently, I was the middle school athletic director for Southwest Al- len County Schools. Prior to that role, I was an elementary teacher for 11 years. I am a graduate of Wayne High School; while there, I competed in football, basketball, volleyball and track. After high school, I went on to play foot- ball and earn my bachelor’s degree from the University of Indianapolis. My wife of eight years, Lauren, and I have a daughter named Addy; she will turn four in December. Entering middle school can be a challenge for some students; it is often their first taste of independence. No longer do they spend all day in the same classroom with the same teacher; gone are the days of lining up single-file or two-by- two and being escorted down the hall by a teacher. Selecting their own classes, waking up earlier to catch the bus, and deciding which teams/clubs/groups to join are all stressful parts of the transition to sixth grade. Oftentimes, when a child enters middle school, it is a new experience for the parents, as well. For all of these reasons, I am here. My goal is to ease the transition for students and parents into the middle school setting. I am a resource for the sixth grade students and their families. When questions inevitably arise about procedures and practices I am the contact person for them. I work closely with the sixth grade teachers to help ensure that our stu- dents are equipped with the tools they need to be successful in middle school, which will ultimately lead to positive experiences in high school and beyond. At Memorial Park, we work proactively to build relationships with the stu- dents to help deepen the educational process. When students know that they are cared for within the building, they can devote more of their focus to their own learning. As part of that relationship-building approach, I try to get into the classrooms as often as I can to observe the work going on. I am a daily presence in the sixth grade lunch block, which gives me the opportunity to connect with the students on a level outside of the academic setting. I like to learn what their interests are—what types of books they read, movies they watch, games they play, and activities/teams/ clubs with which they are involved—so that we can find some common ground between us. As students enter middle school, we know that it is an exciting and stressful time (for students and parents!). We also understand that, as young adults, students are going to make mistakes. I am here to help students own up to those mistakes, learn from them and move forward so that the same mistake is not made again. The teachers, administra- tors, parents, and students are all part of a team working toward the same goal: we want the students to be success- ful. I am here to help keep the team on the same page; I am someone to talk to for the student, the teacher, and the parents. Open lines of communication are integral for the success of relationships among these teammates. When you see me at events, please stop by and say “hello”. I enjoy connecting names to faces, as well as parents to kids. I can’t promise I will remember everyone after the first time we meet, but I’ll try! I am excited to be a part of the Memorial Park community, and I am looking forward to a great year with the students and staff! Jake Wyss, 6th grade assistant principal A PUBLICATION OF MEMORIAL PARK MIDDLE SCHOOL THE COLOPHON PAGE 2 October Happenings: Around the halls... 4th: Mr. Maack reports that the jazz bands have begun work with getting Big Noise on its melodious way. Work has started on getting ready for the Cross Country vs. Kekionga and Towles @ Bloomington Jazz Festival. MPMS 11th: Mr. Gibson’s class celebrated Constitution Day a day late - on Monday, September 18th. Students looked at what the Constitution is and its im- Cross Country vs. Lane @ Lane portance. They discussed the three branches of government and their roles. Then they participated in an activity where they assumed the roles 12th: of each branch of the government. Finally they looked at the 27 amend- ments that have been made to the Constitution. Constitution Day– a day End of 1st quarter to celebrate! 13th: The art department is prepping students for the annual PTA Reflections No school– fall break contest. The theme this year is “Within Reach”. Mckenzie Hunter, Zion Ogunsin and Ramiro Toledo will be entering the persuasive posters they 20th: made in Advanced Art. Other students are working on projects inde- pendently to enter. 7th and 8th graders in Miss Clark’s class are working Report cards sent home hard on perspective. 6th graders are wrapping up their Day of the Dead paintings. They will be starting on perspective soon, as well. Functional 25th: skills students have started working on a Vincent Van Gogh art unit that will be on display soon!. Art club is hard at work making sugar skulls and Picture retakes during lunch mods other decorations for their Day of the Dead display. The 6th grade skulls 26th: will be on display. Festival of Trees will also be starting soon. This year’s theme is “Chihuly”. Fall Play 6pm In Communication Technology, students completed research, developed five talking points and practiced software skills and used the design princi- 27th: ples to create an informative brief. They will present their information using Power Point to their peers. The Memorial Park video studio is up Fall Play 6pm and running. MPMS daily announcements are broadcast on You tube eve- ry morning. Check out the channel! Several short films and performances 31st: are located there for your viewing enjoyment. Students are writing script for talk shows that support LA standards in dialogue and are learning how Halloween* to produce their talk show in the studio. *Reminder that students may NOT wear cos- Sixth graders in Technology Education are engaged in using the Informed Design Process to create board games. As they walk through the eight tumes to school on Halloween. steps they are challenged to create something from nothing. Using com- puter software to develop rules and game graphics is also part of the pro- ject. Students will be conducting surveys to see how well the game idea is received. Students in Ms. Keeslar’s 7-8th grade art classes are shading their per- spective hallway drawings. They will be moving to ink wash and 2-point perspective next. Advanced 7th grade students finished constructing their journals and are now designing their own steampunk hats, which they will have to wear for their class critique. 6th graders are studying Vincent Van Gogh and his various painting techniques, as well as his contributions to scientists’ understandings of turbulent flow. A PUBLICATION OF MEMORIAL PARK MIDDLE SCHOOL THE COLOPHON PAGE 3 Student from Ecuador comes to visit Mrs. Ragon’s students had a delightful treat when Diego Ricardo Fuentes Constante, a young man (15 years old) from Guayaquil, Ecuador, was a guest speaker in a Spanish class. Diego spoke of the climate, regions, government, population (demographics), currency, etc. of Ecuador. Students asked Diego about the differences between middle school back in Ecuador and MPMS. He said classes were larger (as big as 48 students) in Ecuador. Teachers move from class to class, students do not move. They have a couple minutes between teachers to go to the bathroom. In Ecuador, students have more homework. During recess, students may buy food and non-alcoholic beverages in a bar on school property. The bar does not serve junk food or alcohol. Students asked about a typical food in Ecuador, and they were shocked to find out that guinea pigs are a delicacy. “They asked many other questions, and Diego was super accommodating. The students and I were delighted to have him in our classroom,” said Mrs. Ragon. New club formed A new after-school activity is now enriching students’ lives. It’s the Book Club, and its sponsor is Mrs. Clark. Scheduled to meet on Wednesdays on an every other week schedule, its purpose is to explore different ac- tion genres. The first book for the readers is a zombie thriller, titled “The Forest of Hands and Teeth,” by Carrie Ryan. Science Team well underway The 7th grade national science contest team is gathering ideas for its project. It has already met with Dr. Robert Gillespie at IPFW. Dr. Gillespie is considered to be the surface water expert in our area. Two years ago he mentored our regional finalist team whose experiment attempted to solve Lake Erie's algae problem. The team has also met with Dr. Michael Bechill at University of Saint Francis, who suggested the project cho- sen. two years ago. The team members are Fiona Gochtovtt-Stine, Grace Gillie, Audrey Woodruff and Han- nah Offhaus.