WOODSTOCK MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWS February 2016: Vol. 3 of 4

Annie, Jr. to be performed March 18 and 19 Submitted by: Mr. Brock

Auditions have taken place and we’re off and running with rehearsals after school every Tuesday and Thursday for the musical, A nnie, Jr. The cast of 47 students is busy learning lines, songs, and choreography in preparation for a March 18th opening at the Hyde Cultural Center. Based on the popular comic strip and adapted from the Tony Award-winning Best Musical, A nnie Jr. features everyone’s favorite little redhead in her very first adventure. With equal measures of determination and positivity, little orphan Annie charms everyone's hearts despite a next-to-nothing start in 1930’s New York City. Annie is determined to find her parents who abandoned her years ago on the doorstep of an orphanage run by the cruel Miss Hannigan. Annie eventually foils Miss Hannigan's evil schemes, finding a new home and family in billionaire Oliver Warbucks, his personal secretary Grace Farrell, and a lovable mutt named Sandy. The cast includes Christine Faist as Annie, Colby Groves as Warbucks, Megan Gohn as Miss Hannigan, Emily Ross as Grace Farrell, Vincent Tocci as Rooster, Sydney Couture as Lily¸ Ava Edwards as Molly, Jasmine Williams as Pepper, Emma Millix as July, Sarah Lucas as Duffy, Isabella Miller as Tessie, Alexis Danila as Kate, Thomas Musumeci as Drake, Evan Gianfriddo as FDR and Dominick Tocci as the dog, Sandy. The cast of orphans, servants, and other characters is rounded out by many other students in the 5th through 8th grades here at WMS. Mark your calendars now and don’t miss the entertaining musical, A nnie Jr., coming this spring.

It’s Almost Time For

Girl Power is a nine week program for 5th-8th grade girls, designed to promote positive self-esteem through physical activity and running. Each session is centered on a topic related to making healthy choices and personal wellness. In addition we focus on a warm-up activity and running circuits. The Girl Power program is completely funded through the Jog with Judy foundation. There is no cost to families for this program. Girl Power will be meeting on Wednesdays and Fridays, starting March 2nd and end with the 5K run on May 7th. The program will be led by parent-volunteer Kirsten Rigney and mentors from Hyde. If you have any questions about the program, please contact Angela Stringer at 860-963-6575 ext 3.

11th Annual Jog with Judy 5-K Road Race

Save the Date! 11th Annual Jog with Judy 5-K Road Race Saturday, May 7, 2016 Race starts at 10: 00 A.M. sharp at the American Legion Post 111 22 Stonebridge Road

Fire Prevention Poster Contest Submitted by: Mr. Gamache

This year’s Fire Prevention Poster Contest, sponsored by the State Fire Marshalls and officials, was a difficult one to judge. There were many amazing 5th grade posters to choose from. Each year we choose only one 5th grade poster from th WMS, and one 4 grade poster from WES to take place in the contest at the county level. In the past, we have had many of our students’ posters win at the county level. Those students then go on to the state level, and the winners get to attend a dinner in March. We are pleased to announce Shannon Cunniff as this year’s WMS winner!! Please congratulate Shannon on a job well done!!

STUDENTS OF THE MONTH— DECEMBER, 2015 The following eight students have been selected Students of the Month for the month of December: Core Academic: Grade 5 Carah Bruce, Grade 6 Skylar Dodge, Grade 7 Travis Jewell, Grade 8 Gabrielle Barnes Encore Academic: Grade 5 Ethan Ekman, Grade 6 Tegan Perry, Grade 7 Sloane Downing, Grade 8 Daniel Suitum

STUDENTS OF THE MONTH— JANUARY, 2016 The following eight students have been selected Students of the Month for the month of January: Core Academic: Grade 5 Shannon Cunniff, Grade 6 Hamilton Barnes, Grade 7 Connor Quinn, Grade 8 Joshua Lavitt Encore Academic: Grade 5 Kara-Lynn Hebert, Gr ade 6 Sydney Schuler, Gr ade 7 Amanda Bond, Gr ade 8 Zachary Atwood

TAKING THE LATE BUS IS EASY! In order to take advantage of the late bus which leaves Woodstock Middle School at 3:30 p.m., students must pick up a permission form in the main office. Parents then select one of six designated bus stops (or write in a stop if their residence is along the main route). Please note, the Late Bus follows a different route than the regular school buses. The permission slip must be returned to the office and a bus pass will be issued to the student. The Woodstock Middle School Late Bus is available Monday through Thursday during the school year. The drop off time for each bus stop is hard to predict as the number of students taking the bus on any given day varies. Parents are encouraged to be at the bus stop by 3:40 p.m. If you have any questions about the late bus, please feel free to call the Middle School Office.

National Geographic Bee Submitted by: Mrs. Litschauer On January 29th, ten students from grades 5-8 participated in the school-wide National Geographic Bee. The students were: Grade 5: Bodie Defocy and Liam Wilcox; Grade 6: John Armstrong and Dean Lawrence; Grade 7: Ethan Bove, Zachary Brody, and Samuel Massey; Gr ade 8: Benjamin Green, Nicholas Majewski, and Aidan McDowell. These students were selected due to their success in the preliminary rounds, which were held in grade level Social Studies classes. Students in the school bee answered dozens of questions in a double-elimination round until two students remained for the final round. Finalists Liam Wilcox and Samuel Massey faced off, each writing an answer to three questions. In the end, Samuel Massey emerged the grand champion. Congratulations to all the grade-level finalists, and especially to Liam and Samuel, who demonstrated both excellent sportsmanship and outstanding skills in geography. Samuel took the National Geographic Qualifying Test to see if he will move on to the State level. We wish him good luck! A special thank you to the Woodstock Education Foundation for supporting this program!

PUBLIC SPEAKING COMPETITION RESULTS Submitted by: Mrs. O’Hara Public Speaking Coordinator   

It was a great pleasure to see our students perform on Wednesday, February 3, at Woodstock Middle  School. Our team of 68 students, directed by Dena Cocozza O'Hara and aided by Michelle  Couture, performed very well at their second home meet. We are so proud of the effort these young  people have put into their pieces. We have a consistent mix of students competing from grades 5-8. The  students prepared pieces in one of six categories: Impromptu, Storytelling, Poetry, Persuasive,  Expository, and Dramatic and Humorous. Students have two to four minutes to present their essays or  poems to a panel of judges. Storytelling is allowed up to 5 minutes and must be memorized.  They are judged on their poise, content, appearance, consistency and voice inflection. It is with great  pride that we announce the participants and their awards:  

Storytelling: Isabella Miller (1st), Thomas Musumeci (2nd), Owen Ritzau (3rd), Mary Morin (4th)  Dramatic & Humorous: Maxwell Auker (1st), Lennon Favreau & Gabrielle Couture (2nd), Sarah Tavares & Molly O'Connor (3r d), Bailey Davignon & Nicholas Webster (4th), Jillian Marcotte Impromptu: John Armstrong (1st), Ethan Bove (2nd), Elijah Saine (3rd), Robert Saraidarian (4th), Reed Magnan, Christopher Rossi Persuasive: Alyssa Patel (1st), Vivien Mark (2nd), Emma Millix (3rd), Abdullah Zameer, Lily Pierce, Lucas Reardon, Salwa Naveed  Poetry: Riley Chapuis (1st), Kaily LaChapelle (2nd), Emma Hovestadt & Sydney Couture (3r d), Tegan Perry (4th), Rockwell Valentine, Samuel Massey, Emma Auker & Guerin Favreau.  Expository: Dylan Mayo & Fiona Rigney (1st), Ella Musumeci & Magnolia Hart (2nd), Paige & Ethan Campbell (3r d), Vincent Tocci & Dylan Chamberlin (4th), Anthony Listro & Patrick Webster.  We thank our judges from the community: Carlee & Michael Drummer, Myra Anderson, Thomas Doherty & WPS Superintendent Viktor Toth.  We thank our student-judges from Hyde who volunteered their time as well: Sean C., Andrew F., Sarah D, Wren P., Ryan S., Alexis B., Tracy H., Altug, and Caramia.  A great big thank you for our student-judges from Woodstock Academy: Carly Deluca, Nathalie Bessette, Emily Lengyel, Zach Ramos, Jack Kelly, Jacqueline Lowe, Sienna Jesserun, Chris Claprood, Caity Bavosi. Also from Woodstock Academy: Mr. Aaron Patterson & Ms. Sara Dziedzic.  

THANK YOU! Without your support, we cannot maintain this wonderful program. The Woodstock Middle school students thank you for your dedication to the importance of the Public Speaking Program.  CONGRATULATIONS PUBLIC SPEAKING TEAM! Our third competition will be held on March 30,  2016 at 8:30 a.m. at Woodstock Middle School. The date of our final competition to be held at  Woodstock Middle School is May 4 , 2016 at 8:30 a.m.  

Thank you to the Woodstock Education Foundation for consistently sponsoring our program year to  year, the WMS teachers & Mr. Gamache.

SMARTER BALANCED ASSESSMENT

Once again students will be participating in the Smarter Balanced testing on computers. The Science CMT for grades 5 & 8 will be a traditional pencil and paper test. Grades 5 and 8 Science CMT testing will be on Tuesday, March 22 from 7:50-9:10 a.m. Grades 7 and 8 Smarter Balanced testing will be on May 16, 18, 19, 20, 23, 24 & 25 (during Math & English classes) Grade 5 and 6 Smarter Balanced testing will be on May 26, 27, 31, June 1, 2, 3 & 6. (during Math & LA classes) **We are encouraging parents to try and avoid scheduling vacation or appointments during these testing days.** There will be no time changes to our daily schedule this year during testing. This will allow classes that are not being tested to continue with their regular schedules. If there are any questions or concerns regarding the Smarter Balanced schedule, please contact Mrs. Sullivan in the school office at 860-963-6575 or at [email protected]. Please note that these dates are also listed on our school website calendar.

News from the Woodstock Education Foundation The Woodstock Education Foundation will be sponsoring the upcoming Woodstock Middle School Youth Night and Dance on Friday, February 26th. Proceeds from ticket and snack sales will benefit educational enrichment programs for all students. We appreciate your support! The WEF is proud to have provided the following grants that help to enrich the curriculum at WMS. In December, 7th grade students took a trip to the Hanover Theater to view a wonderful performance of A Christmas Carol. In addition, Historic New England visited 7th graders during social studies classes to present a two day interactive workshop on the Constitutional Convention. All WMS students recently tested their knowledge of geography by participating in the National Geographic School Bee. Congratulations to Samuel Massey for winning the Geography Bee competition for the second year in a row! Throughout the year, math students in 6th and 7th grade have been participating in Math Olympiads. WMS students also competed in Math Counts at the United States Coast Guard Academy. Congratulations to Ethan Bove, Nathan Craig, Grayson Walley and Justin Marcotte who will be advancing to the state finals in Mar ch! Public Speaking is continuing strong with 68 students participating in each presentation. There are 4 competitions during the school year and the next competition will be held on March 30. Drama Club has been hard at work preparing for the upcoming school musical A nnie, Jr. This exciting show will be performed on March 18th and 19th. Thank you to the teachers who help make all these amazing programs possible! The Woodstock Education Foundation depends upon revenues raised through several initiatives to fund enrichment programs. The WEF graciously accepts donations throughout the year and money raised from your donations goes directly to our students. One of these initiatives is the Brick Paver fundraiser. The WEF Brick Pavers are available for sale year round. These beautiful granite pavers are located in the garden walkway near the front entrance to WMS, and can be engraved in honor of your child or a special teacher. An engraved paver is a wonderful and permanent way to commemorate your child's years at WMS. Order forms can be found in the office or online at WoodstockEducationFoundation.org. For additional information, please contact Mrs. Fleck at [email protected].

Submitted by: Mrs. Fleck, Yearbook Coordinator

Don’t be left out in the COLD!!! Order your 2015-2016 WMS Yearbook today!! The Yearbook Team has been hard at work clicking away, making memories, one page at a time. April 1st is the deadline for ordering a yearbook. There are two ways to order your yearbook this year: Online through Coffee Pond Photography, www.coffeepond.com as follows: Click on "Place an Order" - Select "Yearbooks" - and put in the Password: wildcats. Paper order forms may be picked up in the office and returned with checks made payable to: Woodstock Public Schools. NO CASH Please. Please fill out one order form per book ordered and turn in the check and form to the WMS office. Either way you choose to order, the price of the yearbook is $20. If you want to have your name on your yearbook you will need to order online. There is an additional fee for this. Ordering information was sent home in January. If you have any questions, please email Mrs. Fleck at [email protected].

WE NEED YOUR Baby/Kid photos along with 2 other photos of your choosing for your ¼ page! Shoutout forms are available in the office! Thank you!!!

PTO MARCH NEWS Submitted by: Erin Abrams

The PTO runs on a solid core of amazing parents. I would like to thank all of these parents whether they are chairing an event or volunteering at one. Every effort contributes to the overall success of the PTO, enabling it to fund great programs for our students and school staff. As many of our core volunteers are phasing out, the PTO is in need of new volunteers to continue its success. We are looking for volunteers to chair the following positions:

 Vice President: ability to organize projects and volunteers - approximately 3-5 hours a month.  WMS Book Fair Coordinator: coordinate with Scholastic and manage volunteers during the twice-yearly book fair.

 Spring Fundraiser Coordinator: organize with Yankee Candle, submit orders, and oversee delivery.  Teacher Appreciation Coordinator: Organize events and volunteers to celebrate our incredible school staff during Teacher Appreciation Week. The past chairs are dedicated to making sure their replacements will have all the information they need to feel confident in the position. PLEASE consider volunteering for one of these roles. Email [email protected] for more info.

Upcoming Events: Yankee Candle Shop early for Mother's Day or choose from some great fragrances for your home to welcome in spring. This fundraiser is a staple in providing funds to our schools. Orders due on March 10th - pick up is April 6th at WES.

Basket Bash Thank you to the teachers for coordinating classroom and basket themes and thank you to all parents who have donated. In addition to the class collections, we have some great donations from businesses such as gift certificates to local restaurants, health classes, and even entire baskets. We are looking forward to this event on March 11th from 6-7pm in the WES gym. Drawings begin at 7:00 p.m. and you must be present to win.

Bag2Schools Start saving and packing up sturdy plastic bags for donations - the more we collect, the more we get in funds. Collect clothes, shoes, bags, curtains, sheets, blankets, stuffed animals, and all textiles. Collection dates are just in time for Earth Day on April 25-26th - a great way to have your child involved in recycling, repurposing and reusing!!

DATES TO REMEMBER Thursday, February 25th

Friday, April 8th Parent Conferences No School

Friday, February 26th

Board of Education Meeting Time: 7:00 p.m. Location: WMS Music Room

Board of Education Meeting Time: 7:00 p.m. Location: WMS Music Room

Youth Night For Grades 5 and 6 Time: 2:30-4:30 p.m. Location: Gym/Cafeteria and Dance for Grades 7 and 8 Time: 7:00-9:00 p.m. Location: Cafeteria (Sponsored by WEF)

Friday, March 18th

WMS Production of Annie, Jr. Time: 7:00 p.m. Location: Hyde School Auditorium

Saturday, March 19th

WMS Production of Annie, Jr. Time: 1:00 p.m. Location: Hyde School Auditorium

Thursday, April 28th

Friday, April 29th

Youth Night For Grades 5 and 6 Time: 2:30-4:30 p.m. Location: Gym/Cafeteria and Dance for Grades 7 and 8 Time: 7:00-9:00 p.m. Location: Cafeteria (Sponsored by 5th Grade Team)

April 18th-22nd Spring Vacation No School

Thursday, March 24th Professional Development Day No School Thursday, March 23rd

Board of Education Meeting Time: 7:00 p.m. Location: WMS Music Room

Friday, March 25th Good Friday No School

You may also view upcoming events on the Woodstock Middle School calendar located on our website: www.woodstockschools.net