PRESTON MIDDLE SCHOOL

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1 PRESTON MIDDLE SCHOOL 4901 Corbett Dr Fort Collins, CO Office: Attendance Line: Principal Amy Schmer Assistant Principal Bill Saint Assistant Principal Lindsey Matkin Dean of Students Kyle Healy From the Principal Preston Families, OCTOBER 2018 Happy October! Just this week, I saw a countdown of all the holidays left in I thought to myself, where has 2018 gone? When I think about our school year so far, I am blown away at how much learning has already occured. When I enter any classroom, the students are excited to share with me what they are currently learning, how that learning connects to what they have already learned, and where they are headed. This is the time of the year that both teachers and students are hitting their 1st semester groove. First Quarter will end on October 19th. At Preston Middle School, we will not print report cards at the end of any quarter, as all the information can be found on ParentVue. The end of 1st quarter brings a small amount of change for all of our students. Our 6th grade students will end their 1st quarter elective and will begin their 2nd quarter elective. The 7th and 8th grade students will only have new 6th Purple and Teal classes. Again, I would like to thank our Preston Parent Organization for partnering with our admin team to support our Direct Dollars Donation. We have hit the $10,000 mark and would like to make that last push for the $15,000 goal. continued on next page Advertising in this newsletter does not imply endorsement by Poudre School District.

2 From the Principal continued Thank you to the families that have already donated. We will have a donation box out and available to drop your donation into during the parent teacher conference nights. Each and every year, I am thankful for the supportive community that I get to represent each and every day. I hope you have a wonderful fall and enjoy our Colorado fall colors. Amy Schmer Principal Upcoming Important Dates October 10/16 Parent Teacher Conferences (A-L) 3:30 pm -7:30 pm 10/18 Parent Teacher Conferences (M-Z) 3:30 pm -7:30 pm 10/19 No School 10/26 Activity Night Gym/Cafeteria 2

3 Fall 2018 Parent Teacher Conferences Our teachers are excited to meet with their students families. This year the conferences are on Tuesday, October 16th and Thursday, October 18th from at 3:30-7:30pm. We have assigned last names to certain days, Tuesday families with last names A-L and Thursday families with last names M-Z, however if that does not work for your family, please feel free to come when it is convenient. The Preston conferences are a drop in style and the conference will be a 5 minute conference. If more time is needed, the teacher and family will find another time to meet. We will not be providing student schedules, but we will have maps as you enter the building to show locations of where teachers can be found. The Book Fair will be arriving at Preston's Media Center the week of October The Fair will be open before and after school, during lunch periods, as well as during parent/teacher conferences on the 16th and 18th. If you can't make it to the Fair or want something not in stock at the Fair, you can shop online from October Check out this link for more details: Preston Book Fair. Don't forget that books make great gifts, and all purchases benefit our school! If you'd like to volunteer, please Patty Wyrick at pattywyrick@gmail.com. Thank you! 3

4 Want to GIVE back to Preston? When you shop at Office Depot 5% goes back to Preston for qualifying purchases What s happening in Mrs. Benton s 6th grade Science class? Students have been getting smarter in regards to ecology. We have been growing Mung beans to learn about the effect the addition of Biochar to top soil has on plant biomass. Students have set up a worm composting bin to see decomposers in action. And finally, families donated ant farms which have given us the opportunity to watch a species in action. It has been great getting to know our new pumas and learning about ecological concepts together. 4

5 Preston Outing Club Preston s Outing club is looking forward to Mountain biking on Saturday, October 13. All ability levels are welcome to join us. We will be meeting at the Lory visitor center in the afternoon. Full Moon Hike Preston families, come join the Outing Club for a full moon hike on October 25. We will be hiking to the top of Horsetooth Rock. Summer Whitewater Rafting Trip The Outing club is looking for twenty current 7 th and 8 th grade students who would like to go on a three day whitewater rafting trip this June. Students will be rafting the Upper Colorado river. ***Permission slips and more information can be found in the main office for each of these adventures. If you have any questions please Chrissy Benton at cbenton@psdschools.org 5

6 Supporting your 6th Grade Student with Homework Do your kids ever say I don t have any homework. Try asking these questions: Did you complete your weekly Reading Plus assignments? Show me the check marks on your dashboard! Have you done 20 minutes of reading today? Do you have all of your Khan Academy assignments completed? Do you have any Big Ideas Math homework? Did you finish your Math s Mate or Ztaab? What are you working on in science right now? Did you study for your weekly quiz? When was the last time you used Quizlet to practice science vocabulary? Can we look at your unit plan together? What are you working on in social studies right now? Did you check Edmodo to see if there are any new posts? In English, what type of writing are you doing? What independent reading have you been doing? Tell me about the book. Do you love it? How many books have you read this year? What is your goal? Do you have a Word Parts quiz coming up? Have you studied your word table yet? Can I quiz you? continued on next page 6

7 Supporting your 6th Grade Student with Homework What are you doing in your elective classes right now (music, art, tech, world language)? Do you have any presentations or projects coming up that you need to work on? Do they ever say I don't know how to log on to that website. Try saying this: Have you looked at your password tracker that is taped in the front of your planner? Most of your passwords are there. Go to the Preston Middle School website Students tab. There are lots of links to websites you might need there. Would You Like to Share Your STEM Related Career? Would you like to share your STEM related career with our current sixth grade students? We are looking for parent volunteers to share their passion and expertise with our students. If this opportunity interests you please continue reading and fill out the Google Form. What would the time-frame look like as a presenter? Share your career for minutes- What advice would you give yourself if you were in middle school? Talk with students about the path you took to get to your current position, share the joys and challenges of your job, explain your daily responsibilities. 10 minutes- questions and/or hands on demonstration, visuals or hands -on activities increase student engagement If you have any questions please Chrissy Benton: cbenton@psdschools.org 7

8 Dear Preston families, The Preston Social Studies department is excited to remind you that we will again be hosting a Veterans Day Celebration this year. On Friday, November 9 th, festivities will begin at 7AM and wrap up by 9AM. We d love to include as many veterans and active duty service men and women as possible! If your family has a personal connection to someone who is active-duty or a veteran, please have your student speak to his/her Geography or History teacher. Or contact Lynn Campion at lcampion@psdschools.org for more information. Whether it is a family member, a neighbor, or family friend, please let us know as soon as possible so we can extend the invitation to the celebration. Thanks, Preston Social Studies Department 8

9 Love And Logic Parenting Group Parenting during the middle school years can be a challenge! Preston offers a drop-in parenting group that can support you in day to day parenting decisions, or with tougher questions and concerns. Join us for an informational evening on November 8 th from 6:45-8:15 in the Preston Media Center. The basics of Love and Logic Parenting will be presented, and it is a good way to see if this style of parenting might resonate with you. You do not need to attend the evening session in order to join us for the Love and Logic Parenting Group that meets regularly in the conference room of the Preston front office. See the schedule of drop-in-style meetings dates below. Please contact Jill Simpson at jsimpson@psdschools.org with any questions. October 26 11:00 am-12:00 November 9 7:45 am-8:45 November 30 11:00 am-12:00 December 14 7:45 am-8: th and 8 th Grade Boys Basketball Tryouts and the first day of practice is Monday October 22, "cuts" will be made no later than the 3rd day. Full refunds will be issued to ALL players not making the team. Pre-season informational meetings for STUDENTS will be held on October 17. Coach Brown will host a meeting after school for both 7th and 8th grade athletes. Coach Larson will also host pre-season informational meeting on October 17, after football practice, for both 7th and 8th grade athletes who are still playing football. All students attending these meetings should have already registered for basketball on SportEngine and paid their athletic fee. Please see Preston Office to confirm your registration / athletic fee and to pick up a Blue Card prior to the meeting and tryouts. The season timeline is October 22 - December 13.

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