BAMS NEWS
March 2019
A MESSAGE FROM PRINCIPAL LYMAN
WCAX ran an article and video news clip featuring our middle school students and the work organized by social studies teacher Joe Rivers in collaboration with the Brattleboro Historical Society. The feature is regarding our weekly radio show about Brattleboro history. Check it out here: https://www.wcax.com/content/news/Brattleboro-student-historians-shine-light-on-towns-past-506566471.html
All students have recently participated in the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). This is done every 2 years and students complete the survey during physical education classes. Data helps us to plan on how to support our students. This was the first time it was done electronically so we hope to receive results sooner than in the past.
On March 7, 8th-grade students participated in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) testing. I was incredibly impressed with their effort and cooperation. They worked very hard and the testing went very smoothly. Students reported the test was engaging due to the interactive nature of the assessment.
BAMS will be hosting a guest presenter on the 12th during the day. His name is Shaun Derik and he is a nationally recognized motivational speaker. The assembly is co-sponsored by the Deerfield Valley Community Partnership.
In addition to the assembly on the 12th, BAMS and BUHS will be hosting the District Music Festival. The day will culminate in an evening concert at 6PM in the high school gymnasium.
Mark your calendars! On April 4, we will host an open house from 5:30 to 6:30 PM to showcase our exploratory program, incoming 7th grade families and current 7th and 8th grade families are invited. In addition, we will host a parent information session beginning at 6:30 PM for all incoming 7th grade families. We hope to see many of you there.
March 22 and March 25 are early release days so we can host student-led conferences for all of our students. If you have not scheduled your conference, please go directly to the BAMS website by clicking here and finding the link for your team. Thank you!
I would like to thank and congratulate all of the winter sports teams for an outstanding season! The teams were well coached and the players played hard throughout the season. I would like to recognize the boys and girls teams that competed in the MAU tournament before the break. Coach Pulito and Brewer's team took home 1st place! A trophy is in the office. Congratulations! My background before becoming a principal was as a middle and high school physical education teacher, athletic director and coach. I certainly value the countless educational lessons learned through the hard work and commitment required to be a member of the team. Thank you for transporting your child, attending the games, cheering them on, and the countless other things you do to support your student-athlete. We are looking forward to a great spring season!
From this issue on, BAMS will include the families of next year’s incoming 7th graders in our newsletters in order to help orient you to the exciting world of BAMS. You can also check us out on our website, bams.wsesu.org.
TEAM DRACO NEWS
Science
The Draco Science lab has been the site of activities designed to expose some properties and behaviors of fluids. After completing portfolios and making group presentations our attention will be on the connections between these properties and pressure.
English
Many Draco English students are close to finishing the grammar unit on parts of speech, parts of a sentence, and sentence types. As they finish, they will begin the next unit on the elements of fiction in groups of at least three to allow for literary discussions.
Social Studies
Draco Social Studies has been working on world maps and focusing on major physical features and countries in various regions of the world. We are also organizing slideshow presentations for the upcoming student-led conferences on March 22 and 25. Additionally, we have added weekly current event presentations to our routines as we work towards public speaking skills.
We have also incorporated into our core classroom a portion of the radio/podcast collaboration we have had with the Brattleboro Historical Society and WTSA. Our research for “This Week in Brattleboro History” radio shows and podcasts is done during Skills Block time, as is our Facebook photo scanning and Reformer article editing, but the recording of the radio shows/podcasts has been moved to core social studies classes. All students have the opportunity to participate in some way with our collaborations with local media outlets.
Math
Draco Math has been studying proportional relationships. Students are using the "horseshoe" method to solve proportion problems to find missing side lengths, percents, and unit rates. Ask your student to explain the horseshoe method for solving proportions!
TEAM LEO NEWS
Science
Students will be starting their unit of study focusing on chemical change. We will be revisiting molecules, and how they change during chemical reactions as well as investigating chemical reactions and learning the difference between physical and chemical change. Students will experience many challenging problem solving activities as well as exciting demonstrations.
English
We are in the process of finishing up The Giver, and will be watching the movie during the first week of March. Our goal will be to compare the book and movie, and answer the question: Does the movie effectively portray the central message of the book via setting, character, and plot? Students will get to watch the movie as a whole team in the MPR.
We will be moving on to the epic of Gilgamesh to align with the unit on Mesopotamia in Social Studies, and learning what makes someone an epic hero.
Social Studies
We have started our introduction to the Ancient World. Students learned about the invention of farming, called the Neolithic Revolution, and the ways it changed society. We are now learning about Mesopotamia, known as the “Cradle of Civilization”. Students will complete presentations about various aspects of the Mesopotamian Civilization. We will also look at Hammurabi’s Code. Hammurabi’s Code it the first code of law we have evidence of in writing. He is commonly known for the idea of “eye for an eye.”
Math
Students have wrapped up the “Stretching and Shrinking” unit regarding similarity and scale figures. Our current unit, Comparing and Scaling, extends the previous unit understandings. We have engaged in activity and discussion about ratios, equivalency, and proportionality. Students continue to make progress dealing with real-world style problems. Students are additionally responsible for determining unit-rates, rate tables, accurate graphing, and determining the equations of proportional relationships.
Team News
Leo went ice skating at the Living Memorial Park on February 28th. Below are some photos that were captured. Enjoy!
TEAM TAURUS NEWS
Science
Taurus science just finished studying cell organelles, and made some clear connections between organelle functions and every day systems we are familiar with. We have been looking at the complex cellular functions the occur through the cell membrane that allow cells to make energy. After students will begin studying human body systems, their functions and how they work together as a system.
English
We finished working on Fairy Tales in mid-January and have moved on to reading The Outsiders. Students are reading the novel and working on vocabulary using the Frayer Model. This vocabulary building strategy asks students to determine the word's definition, the part of speech it belongs to, examples of the word, and non-examples of the word. Students are also doing comprehension questions in their small groups. We will most likely be done with the novel by the end of March.
Social Studies
In Social Studies, we have been focusing on the time period of the American Revolution and the important documents created at that time, including the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution (especially the Bill of Rights). These documents are important to know and understand as U.S. citizens. After learning about and discussing several amendments in the Bill of Rights, Captain Carignan from the Brattleboro police department came into our classes and spoke about the rights that students have in and out of school. We were also fortunate to have guest speakers from Fort Ticonderoga come to our class and speak about the life and times of Continental soldiers. Over the course of the semester we are planning to focus more on civics, including levels of government (federalism) and the three branches of government. Other topics we plan to cover before the end of the year are enslavement, Industrial Revolution, and the Civil War and Reconstruction. If you or someone you know is interested and available to come speak to our classes about a topic we plan to cover, please contact Ms. Koplinka-Loehr at akoplinka@wsesu.org (or Mr. Davenport for Team Canis students).
Math
In Mathematics students have been studying and applying exponential functions. We have studied plant invasion using data showing exponential growth. We analyzed the data by graphing and writing an equation to predict future amounts.
We analyzed exponential decay by studying data of cooling water and other real-world applications.
Currently, we are studying transformations. We have begun by drawing an image over a line of reflection using protractors and rulers. Its been interesting to make an image with the level of precision expected in 8th grade.
TEAM CANIS MAJOR
Team News
A big congratulations to Mr. Dichard and Mr. Davenport in becoming first time parents. Shane Dichard was born January 31st and Gabriel Davenport arrived February 27th. We presented each of them with a jar of advice about being a parent from our students. We wish them all the best!
Science
In science, Canis Major students are out of this world! In our universe unit, we are examining earth’s place in the universe. By exploring our solar system, stars and galaxies, we will better understand the size and scale of objects in our universe. We will also examine the role of gravity on the motion of objects and the cyclic patterns of lunar phases, eclipses and seasons. Our skill focus in this unit will be to develop, use and evaluate models and improve our ability to analyze and interpret data.
English
In English language arts, we are wrapping up our study of poetry. Through this unit, students were able to have a better understanding of how to properly read and annotate a poem along with how to identify and write a variety of literary devices such as allusion, metaphor, and onomatopoeia. We will be moving into a text study of the novel The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton which will allow us to discuss thematic topics such as community, stereotypes, and identity.
Social Studies
In Social Studies, we are focusing on the time period of the American Revolution and the important documents created at that time, including the Declaration of Independence, Constitution, and Bill of Rights. These documents are important to know and understand as U.S. citizens. After reading and discussing each, Captain Carignan from the Brattleboro PD came into our class and spoke about individual rights. We were also fortunate to have guest speakers from Fort Ticonderoga come to our class and speak about the life and times of a Continental soldier.
Math
In math, students are using everything they have learned about transformation symmetry to draw and examine symmetrical designs using reflection, rotation, and translation. They are creating these shapes on both a blank page, as well as a coordinate grid. We are spending a lot of time with two very new content areas for 8th graders: using algebraic concepts and skills within geometry and speaking and writing with proper geometric vocabulary and notation. In addition to symmetrical or congruent shapes, we are reviewing the concepts from 7th grade around similar figures, using dialation.
MARCH IS DESIGNATED YOUTH ART MONTH
March is designated Youth Art Month. In its honor, BAMS has a panel of student work displayed in the window of the Shoe Tree on Main Street. The next time you are downtown, make a point of checking it out and enjoying the art.
NOTES FROM THE LIBRARY- Ms. Linney
Ms. Linney’s skills block class is looking at Math in the real world. Here is a photo of Mr. Dichard, the BAMS P.E. teacher with his new baby quilt that the Leo students made.
His new baby also got a pillow. Next up is cooking!!
The American Library Association recently handed out awards for youth media. These awards include the Newbery medal for excellence in children’s literature, the Printz award for the best young adult materials, and other awards for diversity in literature. All of the winners are available through the BAMS/BUHS Library and the full list can be accessed here.
If you are a parent or guardian of a BAMS student, check out the National
Online Safety website and their wonderful parent guides.
Here is the Snapchat guide:
BAMS MATHCOUNTS TEAM
The BAMS MathCounts team finished first in the Southeast Regional Competition last month.
Team members David Berkson-Harvey, Trevor Gray, Thomas Hyde and Evie Kiehl earned an opportunity to participate in the VT State Competition on March 9th. Joining them to represent BAMS at the state level competition will be Eben Wagner, who finished first overall at the regional competition, Abby Carleton and Priya Kitzmiller. Best wishes to all of the students!
SCREEN AGERS IS COMING TO BAMS
Join us for a special screening of SCREEN AGERS, Growing Up In The Digital Age on Wednesday, March 27th at 6:30 pm here at BAMS. More information is available here.
BAMS WEBSITE AND FACEBOOK PAGE
Please friend us on Facebook or check out our website to keep up with the latest news at BAMS. Any changes to events scheduled at BAMS, sporting events, extra curricular activities or last minute changes of any kind will be posted on our Facebook page and the BAMS website. You can find us on Facebook here and our BAMS website here.
IMPORTANT DATES
To view the BAMS calendar, click here.
Monday, March 11- BEAMS Session IV Begins
Tuesday, March 12- 6 pm, All District Band Night, BUHS Gymnasium
Friday, March 15- 7:30-8:25 am, BAMS Jazz Band Rehearsal
Monday, March 18- 10-11 am, Vermont Foodbank Drop @ The BUHS Student Parking Lot
Monday, March 18- 7-8 pm, BUHS #6 Board Meeting, Cusick Conference Room
Friday, March 22- 7:30-8:25 am, BAMS Jazz Band Rehearsal
Friday, March 22- 12:30 pm, Early Release
Friday, March 22- 1-4 pm, Student Led Conferences
Monday, March 25- 12:30 pm, Early Release
Monday, March 25- 1-4 pm, Student Lead Conferences
Wednesday, March 27- 6:30 pm, Special Screening of the Movie: Screenagers-Growing Up In The Digital Age, BAMS MPR
Friday, March 29- 7:30-8:25 am, BAMS Jazz Band Rehearsal
Friday, March 29- 8-9 am, BAMS Community Connections- Coffee Morning, BAMS lobby
Monday, April 1- 10-11 am, Vermont Foodbank Drop @ The BUHS Student Parking Lot
Monday, April 1- 7-8 pm, BUHS #6 Board Meeting, Cusick Conference Room
Thursday, April 4- 5:30-6:30 pm, UFO Open House, BAMS
Thursday, April 4- 6:30-7:30 pm, BAMS Orientation Night for Incoming 7th graders, BAMS MPR
Friday, April 5- 7:30-8:25 am, BAMS Jazz Band Rehearsal
Friday, April 12- Third Quarter Ends
Friday, April 12- 7:30-8:25 am, BAMS Jazz Band Rehearsal
Monday, April 15-19- Spring Recess
Monday, April 15- 10-11 am, Vermont Foodbank Drop @ The BUHS Student Parking Lot
Monday, April 15- 7-8 pm, BUHS #6 Board Meeting, Cusick Conference Room