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Clarke Middle School PTO
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Clarke Newsletter
Principal: Anna Monaco • Assistant Principals: Jennifer Turner, Jonathan Wettstone
Jonas Clarke Middle School • 17 Stedman Road, Lexington, MA 02421 • 781.861.2450 • http://lexingtonma.org/clarkems
March
Explorer Team sponsored
Staff Breakfast
4 Shop Wilson Farm Day
12 11:45 dismissal - Prof.
Dev.
4-13 8th Gr. Costa Rica Trip
12 PTO meeting, 8:30am
18 Parent Information
Session: Adolescent Social
Changes of Drugs and
Alcohol 8:45am
24 MCAS - ELA Long Comp
25 Parent Information
Session: Technology
Enabled Learning at Clarke
8:45am
26 MCAS - ELA Session I
31 MCAS - ELA Session II
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April
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May
2
MCAS - ELA Long Comp
Make Up
3 No School, Holiday
7 Atlantis Team sponsored
Staff Breakfast
9 PTO meeting, 8:30am
14 9th Grade DC parent
Meeting, 7pm
20-24 No School - Vacation
27 School resumes
29-1 Washington DC Trip
(8th Grade)
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March/April 2015
PTO meeting, 8:30am
11:45am dismissal Prof. Dev.
Teacher/Staff Luncheon –
CAFE/KITCHEN
6th Grade Social, 3-5pm
7th Grade Social, GYM
6:30-8:30pm
*Follow us on Twitter @ClarkePrincipal
From the Principal
Anna Monaco, [email protected],
Dear Jonas Clarke Community,
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It has been an unbelievable few weeks with all this
snow and five snow days so far! On a positive note,
we have had lots of snowshoeing opportunities thanks
to the dedication of our amazing PE staff.
I hope that the winter break brought some rest and
relaxation (if you weren’t shoveling or contending with
leaks). Before we think spring, however, I want to look
back to January and thank all of you who showed up on a
cold Friday evening to support Clarke Night Out, sponsored by the
PTO. I would especially like to thank Stephanie Mitzenmacher, Coleen
McAdam and Kristen LaFond for the incredible leadership and
enthusiasm they displayed throughout the planning stages. Thank you
also, to ALL of the parents who helped coordinate the evening. I am
truly amazed at the outpouring of support for the Clarke community,
our staff, and students. Thanks to your support, we were able to fund
scholarship money for Washington DC, indoor and outdoor recess
equipment, kitchen materials for our life skills class, gift cards for
families in need, picture frames for a drama “wall of fame” and many
more innovative ideas and staff wishes for classrooms all around
Clarke.
We recognize that the weather this winter has made life difficult for all
of us in a variety of ways. I would like to thank you for your patience
in our parking lot and for trying to delay pick up of your child until
after 3 so that we may get the buses out quickly.
As we look ahead and start planning for the upcoming months, it is
hard to imagine that spring will ever arrive. Lucky for some (like our
8th graders traveling to Costa Rica in early March), warmer weather is
on the horizon. In the meantime, we are looking forward to the annual
Clarke ski trip during the first weekend of March. With over 150 7th
and 8th graders and 25 staff members on the trip, it is sure to be a
great time. We are certainly not concerned about not having enough
snow this year!
We are also in the final planning stages of our 8th grade trip to
Washington DC in April. This year, we have 260 8th grade students
going on the trip. Students should be turning their rooming request
forms in to the main office. Please note that we will have a mandatory
parent/student meeting on Tuesday, April 14 to go over timing, details
and logistics.
I would like to extend my congratulations to Alyson Brown and the
entire cast of The Chronicles of Jane. What a fantastic performance! I
was so impressed with the witty and entertaining show and also with
Continued … 1
the tremendous amount of hard work that Ms.
Brown and the students put into the preparations.
Thank you to all for contributing to one of the
things that make Clarke so special.
!
As always, I thank you for your continued support
of our community. Stay warm, and think spring!
“Adolescent Social Challenges of Drugs and Alcohol”
and on March 25th we will cover “Technology Enabled
Learning at Clarke”. Please join us at 8:45 am on those
mornings to hear more.!
We have many other events scheduled for the spring.
Please continue to check www.clarkepto.org for
updated PTO announcements, events and information.!
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Sincerely,
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Anna Monaco
Principal
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From the PTO Co-Presidents
Alison Arshad, [email protected]
Diane Abe, [email protected]
!Greetings from the Clarke PTO,!
We hope everyone has been keeping warm
during this very long and snowy winter. Fortunately,
there have been a number of PTO events to help keep
our minds off of the cold weather, and we look forward
to many more exciting events this spring.!
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In January, our annual Clarke Night Out was the best
attended to date! Parents, teachers, and staff filled the
lobby of the Aloft Hotel for Friday Night Lights: a
sports-themed evening of food, drink and games, as
well as successful auctions and a raffle. The evening
raised funds to benefit all Clarke students. Many
thanks to all of the parents, friends, teachers and staff
who attended, donated and bid. A very special thank
you to event coordinators Stephanie Mitzenmacher,
Kristin La Fond and Coleen McAdam!!
Also in January, the PTO organized a delicious
Teacher/Staff Appreciation Lunch. The staff was
incredibly grateful! Thank you to the huge number of
parents involved in making it a great success. From
cooking to donating to setting up to serving and to
cleaning up, we could not have hosted such a
wonderful luncheon without all of your help. Special
thanks to Lori Benjes, Syed Rizvi, Hua Chang and
Colleen Smith for leading the way. Additionally, the
monthly PTO hosted breakfasts continue to provide a
great start to the day at Clarke for the Teachers/Staff.
Thanks to the Adventurer and Endeavor Team parents
who put on the January and February breakfasts.!
Our Parent Information Sessions continued in
February with a forum for 8th grade parents regarding
successfully transitioning their 8th grade students to
the high school. Please mark your calendars for two
more sessions in March. On March 18 we will address
Greetings from the Gym
Ms. Williams, [email protected]
Clarke Wellness Dept. (781) 861-2450 x2080
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It has been a crazy winter…snow and
extreme cold... spending more time indoors
than one would like. I am sure weíre all ready for
longer days and milder temperatures. With so
many snow days and vacation, we are all trying to
get back into the swing of things. In PE class we
are just finishing up basketball and still working
out in the fitness center. Sixth graders have been
getting more acclimated to the fitness center,
learning machine and muscle identification, finding
target heart rates and how to safely and properly
use all the fitness equipment. Seventh graders
have started to track their strength and cardio
workouts and are beginning to show progression.
Eighth graders have been working on a SMART
goal project for the past month. This personal
fitness goal had to be Specific, Measurable,
Attainable, Relevant and Trackable. Students had
to create tracking sheets and work out three times
a week for four weeks and then write a reflection
paper on the experience. We are very pleased
with their commitment and efforts. We are so
fortunate to have such an awesome fitness center
where students can learn the benefits of lifetime
fitness. LEF many years ago originally funded our
fitness center endeavor and we are so thankful
they believed in our vision.
We are still hoping to get out and snowshoe
so please check Teacher Web for updates. After
wrapping up basketball, we will be moving on to
our volleyball unit as well as completing our final
FitnessGram tests (Sit and Reach Test for
flexibility and the Modified Pull-up Test, a measure
of upper body strength). Life is good!
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Art Department Honors
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Clarke Team News!
Clarke’s Visual Art department is happy to
announce this year’s winners of the Boston Globe
Scholastic Art Awards. Our congratulations to the
following talented and hard working students for
their achievement:
Atlantis 6
Mr. Rogers, Atlantis Team Leader
[email protected]
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Amy Hu- Gold Key
Rebecca Kielar- Silver Key
Claire McElwee- Honorable Mention & Silver Key
Claire Shiple- Silver Key
Alexa Wardwell- Honorable Mention
Janabel Xia- Silver Key
Erik Zou- 3 Honorable Mention, a Silver Key, & 3
Gold Keys
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The Scholastic Art Awards began in 1923 and is
considered the most prestigious youth art contest
in the country. Notable past winners include Tom
Otterness, Andy Warhol, and Richard Avedon.
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World Language Week March 9-13
Ching Lai, Parent Coordinator
[email protected]
Join in the fun as we celebrate the wonderful
variety of languages and cultures represented at
our school! To help prepare for the week, students
have been coming on Wednesday after school to
to decorate T shirts, make posters, and create
decorations for the cafeteria. Any student is also
encouraged to submit entries to the state-wide
poster and essay contest and / or to create a
video in any language for the Clarke World
Language Film Festival (see bulletin board outside
room 301 for guidelines - due Monday, March 2).
Activities for the week include a spirt day, a
surprise musical performance and a fantastic
community event - the Clarke International
Potluck and World Language Week award
ceremony! This will be on THURSDAY, MARCH 12
from 5:30-7:30 pm. Bring a dish from any
country, enjoy the food and company, and get a
chance to view the posters, essay and video
entries! If anyone is interested in helping out with
this event, please contact Ms. Lai, listed above.
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Atlantis Team students passed along their wisdom
by answering questions about common 6th grade
student issues. The following are some examples
of their work.
Dear Ati-Vice,
Sometimes I need help with my homework, and
there’s no Homework Club or someone at home
who can help me. What should I do?
-Needs Homework Help
Dear Needs Homework Help,
You can ask your friends to come over and you
guys can do your homework together. If your
friends can’t come over, you could just call
each other on the phone.
Dear Ati-Vice,
Whenever I have fourth lunch, I always get there
late and there’s no food left. What should I do to
get there faster? -Hungry Student
Dear Hungry Student,
Try bringing your binders down to lunch and
don’t stop at your locker. Also, don’t get into
any conversations until you are in line.
Dear Ati-Vice,
There has been a mean rumor going around
about my friend. How do I stop it? -Best Buddy
Dear Best Buddy,
I would suggest that you find the starter of the
rumor. Tell them that your friend doesn’t like
it. Remember Rachel’s Challenge: spread
positive gossip about your friend and that
might help. If it really gets beyond your reach,
talk to your guidance counselor.
Thanks Atlantis Team!
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French students celebrate Mardi Gras
with some after-school crepes, crafts and more
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Clarke Team News!
Quest 6
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Ms. Richmond, Quest Team Leader
[email protected]
In Quest English, we will soon be starting our
Informational Writing unit. While studying
different types of nonfiction writing, students will
be working in groups to create their own
newspaper. This project will give students a
chance to become reporters and write authentic,
relevant articles about their community. Students
will be encouraged to conduct interviews, survey
their peers, and attend local and school events to
assist in their reporting.
What's up with this weather? Why is it so
cold and where's all this snow coming from? In
science we've been exploring weather and
climate and I think we have enough pieces of the
puzzle now to try and explain what's been going
on. It's complicated but we'll figure it out... at
least some of it. The Sun's energy, air pressure,
winds, the ocean and its currents, the continents,
the ice caps all work together to create climate
and weather. We've been having fun making
models for studying how it all works.
Mesopotamia is the current ancient
civilization the students are studying. This week
they will begin researching about Mesopotamian
food supply, government, labor specialization,
social structure, and culture. There will be two
parts to this assignment: an individual paper and
a group poster and presentation.
Quest math students recently finished up a
unit on 2-dimensional geometry. Currently they
are learning how to compute with decimals and
percents. Next, they'll dive into something more
abstract... variables, patterns, and solving
equations!
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Voyager 6
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Ms. Quirk, Voyager Team Leader
[email protected]
Voyager English students have just completed an
historical fiction novel titled Trouble Don’t Last.
The protagonists in this book are escaping along
the Underground Railroad in the years just prior to
the Civil War. In addition to learning about this
time period in US history, we looked in depth at
characterization, selecting evidence from the text
to prove our ideas and began to tease out themes
in the story. We learned about punctuating
dialogue and selected two characters from the
novel to have a conversation of our own creation
Voyager Dialogue Jacket Project Samples
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Clarke Team News!
in the Dialogue Jacket Project.
We are looking forward to our upcoming unit on
informational reading and writing and the
selection of a biography/autobiography this week.
It is a bittersweet time for the Ancient
Civilization students on Team Voyager. While we
are sad to leave behind our examination of the
Natufians and early farmers, we are eager to learn
about the early river civilizations in the Fertile
Crescent. The students look forward to learning
about the early civilization of Sumer, the first
written language, and the always crowd-pleasing
Hammurabi’s Code. Best of all, the students also
have a mini research paper as their final project of
this upcoming unit. I know that all the students
are looking forward to putting the research skills
they learned during their early human project
back to work on a new and interesting topic!
Voyager science class had a wonderful
time last month exploring the habitability of
Earth-like planets. We have now moved onto the
topic of weather and climate. The students are
currently looking at the impact of the sun's energy
as it heats the Earth. Students are exploring how
different parts of Earth heat differently on a global
scale as well as smaller scales. Students watched
the paper column rise while on fire, the soda can
get crushed due to air pressure, and the
convection current form in a tank of water. The
students are now engaging in a lab to explore
heating differences at the beach and how this
causes the winds to change. Our exploration of
the impact of heating the Earth will continue with
the water cycle and climate change.
Voyager Math We continue on our journey
through the CMP3 Units. We have finished
Covering and Surrounding, which maintained a
focus on geometry and we are almost through
Decimal Ops. This quarter we have focused on
“relational equity”, a term used by my math
heroine, Jo Boaler. She uses this term to describe
relationships among students in classes where
they learn to listen and respect each members
thinking. In essence, this prepares students to be
successful in life. Additionally, as students spend
time listening and defending different perspectives
their learning deepens. Jo Boaler offers some
great suggestions for Math Apps for students
which can be found on her website http://
youcubed.stanford.edu/category/teaching-ideas/
growing-mindset/. Our next unit will be Variables
and Expressions. Remember that you can always
access information about each unit through the
CMP3 website http://mymathuniverse.com/cmp3 .
Even without a username and password (each
student does have one), you can access videos,
the unit outline and games.
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Explorer 7
Mr. Waldek, Explorer Team Leader
[email protected]
!
In English class after many days of research,
drafting, peer editing and revising, students have
finished writing and creating The Secret Room
Book. Despite the snow days we were able to
spend time doing a mini author-study about
Langston Hughes in celebration of Black History
Month. When we return from February Vacation,
we will begin to study point of view in literature by
reading The Giver!
Explorer science students are delving into
the how’s and why’s of genetics and beginning to
understand how genes interact to produce the
traits that we see. To help their understandings
students worked with “Crazy Creatures”, a hands
on activity that let them see how dominant and
recessive genes pair up and give these creatures
their “Crazy Traits.”
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Left: Explorer Green science students and their
crazy creatures. Right: a family of crazy creatures
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Clarke Team News!
This past January has been all about Africa in
Quest’s World Geography! We started off by
listening to a piece from NPR on different private
school options to make connections about school
life in Africa and school life in Lexington. We
moved on to studying the physical features in
Africa and climate issues that the continent is
facing. We talked about reasons for European
imperialism in Africa and are now talking about
the long-term affects of imperialism. We will end
our Africa unit with a group presentation project in
which groups will have to convince an American
corporation that their African country is the best
one in which to develop a branch of their
company.
In math, the upcoming units are “Rate of Change”
and 2D/3D Geometry. In addition, all seventh
grade students will be participating in an Hour of
Code (a program which aims to inspire students to
have an interest in computer programming).
Mark your calendars: Important dates in math.
Tuesday, 3/3 – Mid Year Exam
5/5 and 5/6 – Math MCAS (Students will
need a scientific calculator for 5/6).
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**Please note that graphing calculators cannot be
used on MCAS.
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Mark your Adventurer math calendars:
Tuesday, March 3 - Mid-Year Exam
May 5 and May 6 - Math MCAS (Students will
need a scientific calculator for May 6th) Please
note: graphing calculators cannot be used on the
MCAS.
In science, Adventurer students have learned
about DNA, and constructed fantastic 3-D DNA
models! We are using our knowledge of DNA and
meiosis as we study genetics. Did you know that
you have DNA in your body from when you were a
baby? Did you know the way that you fold your
hands is genetic? We are working through Punnett
squares and figuring out possible genotypes and
phenotypes of the offspring. A culmination of this
unit will be to build an organism using the "Crazy
Traits" kits. After we complete our study of
genetics, we will use that information to look at
evolution, or changes in organisms over time. On
Feb. 12 Adventurer team, along with other
seventh and eighth graders, were excited to hear
from the Aquanaut, Liz Magee. (See separate
article at the end of newsletter for more details).
Adventure on!
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Adventurer 7
Ms. Moll, Adventurer Team Leader
[email protected]
!
In English, Adventurer students are reading their
individually chosen journey stories. While reading,
they are identifying the invitation, the treasure,
the enemy, the challenges, the helpers and
guides, and the transformation. They know these
six elements well and are beginning to see them
everywhere in stories. So, the next time you and
your family read a book, see a play, or watch a
movie, ask your child if it's a journey story. If so,
have him or her identify each of the elements; it'll
add an interesting layer of analysis.
In geography the good ship USS Adventurer
leaves Africa and steams north by northwest to
the Middle East. We'll explore the land of oil and
monotheistic religions. Don't forget your
sunscreen, water bottle and prayer rug. Assalamu alaykum!
In math, the upcoming units are Rate of
Change and 2D/3D Geometry. In addition, all
seventh grade students will be participating in an
Hour of Code (a program which aims to inspire
students to have an interest in computer
programming).
Adventurer Team DNA Models
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Clarke Team News!
Endeavor 7
Ms. Alexander, Endeavor Team Leader
[email protected]
Endeavor English students did an amazing job
with the final products for their Secret Room Book
essay! All student work will be proudly displayed
in the IMC along with projects from Adventure and
Explorer teams. Now that the essay is behind us,
students are balancing a new class novel (Stargirl
by Jerry Spinelli) with MCAS preparation. All
seventh graders will have a chance to create
poems in class that reflect major themes within
our class novel. Additionally, the entire seventh
grade will experience a simulated long
composition practice within the next few weeks. At
home, students will continue to track progress
with their Choice Book selections and polish their
short answer open response skills. Prior to
February vacation, Endeavor team students were
able to "speed date" with a variety of book titles
from the IMC. Students were able to preview
several text types that they might not ordinarily
have given much attention to independent of this
activity. Readers were engages and eagerly
anticipated finding their ideal book-mate!
In math, the upcoming units are Rate of
Change and 2D/3D Geometry. In addition, all
seventh grade students will be participating in an
Hour of Code (a program which aims to inspire
students to have an interest in computer
programming).
Tuesday, March 3 - Mid-Year Exam
May 5 and May 6 - Math MCAS (Students will need
a scientific calculator for May 6th) Please note:
graphing calculators cannot be used on the MCAS.
Science students on Endeavor team are
wrapping up their study of genetics. We began
learning about the works of scientist and monk,
Gregor Mendel, and how his experiments with pea
plants formed the foundation of genetics.
Throughout our exploration of genetics we
researched the laws of dominant and recessive
genes and how they control our traits such as eye
color, ear lobe attachment, and hair texture. Be
sure to ask your child about the genetics of
tongue rolling and perhaps you and your family
can determine what genes you all have for this
trait! Our exploration of the causes and effects of
mutations will be a nice introduction to our
evolution unit next week.
In World Geography on Team Endeavor,
we just completed the Africa unit. One of the
highlights in this unit was examining the lives of
adolescents in societies other than our own. The
students recognized some similarities and were
quite insightful in noticing the differences in
experiences. We will have another opportunity to
compare and contrast lives of adolescents during
our Southeast Asia unit later in the year when we
read the book Inside Out and Back Again by
Thanhha Lai. Currently, we are studying the
Middle East and examining this essential question:
“What significant factors precipitate change in this
region?” After the Middle East, we will travel to
East and Southeast Asia, South Asia, Oceania, and
finish off the year in Latin America.
To see daily updates on what we do in class and
for a variety of other information regarding
Endeavor World Geography, visit my website that
can be accessed through Teacher Web next to
World Geography or by using this link: http://
lps.lexingtonma.org/Page/4371.
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Apollo 8
Ms. Gagnon, Apollo Team Leader
[email protected]
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Apollo students, like the rest of Massachusetts,
eagerly await the springtime after our snowiest
February-to-date! We usually like to break
records, but not in terms of snow accumulation!
Nevertheless, we were able to “weather the
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Clarke Team News!
storm” through snow days, delays and other
anticipated breaks from school. We now look
forward to longer days and warmer months.
With high school course selection and our midterm
test behind us, in science, Apollo students are
moving into the most exciting part of our
chemistry unit—Chemical Reactions! Most
students love to do the labs and see what will
happen. After students use clues to identify
whether a substance underwent a chemical
change or merely a physical change, we challenge
them to apply learning from their bonding unit to
try to figure out what reaction might have
occurred. On the skills side, this is a great part of
the year for trying out or cementing strategies
that will help students be successful in high
school. If students have been consistently
successful, can they achieve the same outcome
with less time? If your student has not felt
successful this year in science, please encourage
them to try something new—ask me for help
(bring a friend along!) or work with a friend. It is
never too late!
Apollo History students have been
attentively learning about our Constitution as well
as furthering their understanding of the structure
and functioning of their governments. We have
been researching, analyzing and discussing the
profound affect, which our federal, state and local
governments have on our daily lives. Furthermore,
learning of historical Supreme Court cases and the
Bill of Rights have inspired many thoughtful
debates across all classes. As we move toward
concluding our Civics unit, all 8th grade students
from both middle schools. Diamond and Clarke,
have been called to participate in our third annual
“Mock Town Meeting” on Monday, March 16th,
2015. In addition, student will finalize our Civics
studies by researching current issues relating to
our governments’ actions and write letters to
appropriate government officials in their effort of
expressing their viewpoints on any chosen issue.
In English class, we continue our study of
the Holocaust and Anne Frank’s Diary of a Young
Girl. To supplement this study, we recently
experienced the annual “Apollo Movie Night” when
we observed a nighttime showing of The Boy in
the Striped Pajamas, a powerful depiction of one
family’s fate in German-occupied Poland. The
movie, followed by a talkback, allowed us to
uncover some of the atrocities of this time period
and the realities of the Holocaust in a supported
atmosphere. Next week, we will begin acting out
the Goodrich & Hackett play Diary of Anne Frank.
Using our knowledge of Anne’s actual diary to
compare the two texts.
In Mr. Frost’s math class, students are
using various line equations to graph and solve
problems.
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Challenge 8
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Ms. Kaw, Challenge Team Leader
[email protected]
In English, Challenge students are reading The
Diary of Anne Frank (the play based on Anne
Frank's actual diary) and examining the choices
authors make when retelling. They are looking at
the ways in which authors emphasize or diminish
certain aspects of a story, and considering the
reasons why authors make these changes. As
spring arrives, we will be reading To Kill a
Mockingbird and considering differing perspectives
on people, places, and events.
In Challenge Team US History and Civics
classes, students continue to study the United
States Federal Government, the Massachusetts
Government and the Town of Lexington
Government. Studies have included the structure
and set up of our governments, the roles and
repsonsibilities of varying officials and the
inauguration of a new U.S. Congress and a new
Massachusetts Governor. In addition, students
particpated in a Town of Lexington Lexington Mock
Town Meeting with guidance and support of both
teachers and Lexington Town Meeting Members.
Math 1 has wrapped up an exploration of
both linear and exponential functions and is
beginning to explore systems of equations and
inequalities. This includes graphing, substitution,
elimination, and lots of word problems about
mantis shrimp! Math 1A is diving into linear
functions, exploring rate of change, slopeintercept form, and parallel and perpendicular
lines.
Challenge team science students have
been studying chemical bonding to understand
how the 110+ elements on the periodic table
make up everything in our universe. They are now
starting to explore how scientists know when a
new substance is formed. Students are conducting
experiments and looking for clues of a chemical
reaction
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Clarke Team News!
Clarke Team News!
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Discovery 8
Aquanaut Liz Magee Assembly
Mr. Vincent, Discovery Team Leader
[email protected]
Written by Carolyn Sheild, 7th Grade Science Teacher
The Discovery Team is up to its usual impressive
accomplishments. In English we have been
working on good old-fashioned grammar but in
new-fangled, electronic ways. Students are
learning about verbals especially. We are using the
"questions answered by parts of speech approach"
to grammar. We are also entering into our
Memorials and Memorializing Unit, learning about
the Holocaust and the psychological concept of
projection as it is shown in literature and life.
MCAS season is upon us, too, so we are increasing
our focus on essay structure. We just finished our
Clarke essay contest at the end of our
Argumentative Analysis unit. This was a lot of fun,
and students are helping us determine especially
effective essays.
Mr. Owens’ Math 1A classes are currently in the
middle of a unit focusing on Linear Functions. We
will be exploring various properties of linear
functions and how changing the equation of a line
affects the slope and y-intercept of the graph. We
will explore real life situations involving linear
relationships and discover how to use graphs and
equations to model those situations.
Mr. Owens' Math 1 classes are starting a
unit on Systems of Equations. We will be exploring
various methods for solving systems of equations
including the graphing, substitution, and
elimination methods. We will also be looking at
systems of inequalities and how to solve them
both with and without a graphing calculator.
US History classes have recently wrapped
up studying civics and government. Students
became adept at understanding who participates
at each level of government (federal, state, and
local), and the various powers that individuals and
groups possess. They have read the US
Constitution, analyzed various current events
issues, and delved into the ins and outs of
government structure and responsibility. Suffice it
to say, Clarke’s 8th grade students now know
more that the majority of Americans about their
rights, responsibilities, and the people and
processes that are meant to enforce them.
In Science, students are beginning to
study physical and chemical changes as well as
chemical reactions. After that short unit we will be
rounding out chemistry with a real life application
of skills and concepts related to elements,
compounds and mixtures as students search for
Patches, the kidnapped Burlington Mall Mascot.
!
Students and staff were fortunate to have
Aquanaut Liz Magee speak at Clarke on February
12. She gave two assemblies, one to eighth
graders, and another to seventh graders, sharing
information about her underwater adventures with
about 570 students. During her presentations, Liz
spoke about living and researching underwater for
two weeks as part of Mission 31, which took place
in the Aquarius habitat off the coast of Florida for
a month during the summer of 2014.
Mission 31, led by Fabien Cousteau, was
conducted to raise awareness of ocean issues, and
to honor the 50th anniversary of the legacy of
Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Fabien’s grandfather
Jacques led a first of its kind 30-day mission living
and working underwater back in 1963. Liz Magee
was chosen to participate in Mission 31 due to her
extensive SCUBA diving experience and expertise,
having logged more than 1000 research dives.
She is currently the Diving Safety Officer for
Northeastern University, and the coordinator of
the Three Seas Program.
During her presentations at Clarke, Liz
shared slides and videos from Mission 31,
explaining their research goals and methods. She
showed how corals and sponges were studied to
look at the impacts of climate change and
pollution. Liz also discussed how divers could
collect about two years worth of data in just a
month since they were “saturated,” staying at
depth so they could dive up to five hours at a
time, and sometimes nine hours a day. One
personal highlight for Liz was spending 20 minutes
with a 360-pound goliath grouper, Sylvia, and
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Clarke Team News!
having the fish “boom” at her before
swimming off.
Following each talk, Liz answered several
questions from students. What was the most
interesting creature you saw? What type of
training did you do to prepare for this
mission? What is your next goal? Students
left the auditorium inspired and more informed
about ocean research and current issues.
!
When asked what they thought of the
presentation, students replied:
“It interested and inspired me…kind of made me
want to do it [live and do research underwater]…it
looked cool!”
“Her talk gave me a different perspective
on the way we view the ocean.”
“It made me want to take better care of
our oceans.”
“This made me more open minded about
what scientists do, and where they can work…not
just on land, but underwater, too.”
!
This assembly was a great opportunity for
students to hear from a prominent researcher
active in her field, and further encouraged the
development of our budding scientists. Thank you
to the Clarke PTO for their support of this speaker.
!
A short video summary of Liz’s Mission 31
experience can be found at this link:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/earth/2-weeksunder-the-sea.html
!
Social Challenges of Drugs
and Alcohol : Keeping Kids
Safe
!
Wednesday March 18, 8:45AM
Clarke Cafeteria
!Middle school is an important time of education and
exploration that lays the groundwork for high school
and beyond. Social pressures also begin to
challenge parents and students alike. How can
parents talk with their middle school children about
social pressures including drugs and alcohol? Join Lexington resident Dr. Henry David Abraham ,
co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize author
of What’s A Parent to Do? Straight Talk on Drugs
and Alcohol to discuss this important topic . He will
be joined by Lexington Public School Drug
Prevention Specialist Julie Fenn and
Clarke Social Worker Stacy Glickman.
Technology-Enabled
Learning at Clarke
!
Wednesday March 25, 8:45AM
Clarke Cafeteria !So much is going on technology–wise at Clarke. Administrators, teachers and librarians continue to
explore new options to help students learn in a
technology-rich and dynamic environment. Come
to this session to learn what has been piloted, what
is being implemented and how your children will
benefit from the technology focus of Clarke this
year and beyond.
This panel will consist of Principal Anna Monaco,
Clarke Librarian Carolyn Kelly, Clarke teacher and IT
specialist Eddie Davey and Clarke teachers who
have embraced new technology to enhance middle
school learning. !
Box Tops for Education™ at Clarke
Sheila Callahan, Box Tops Coordinator,
[email protected]
!
!!
I'm thrilled to be the Box Tops for Education™
coordinator for Clarke Middle School. Clipping Box
Tops is an easy way for you to help Clarke earn
cash. I'm here to make our school's Box Tops for
Education™ program a huge success this year. To
help our school, just look for pink Box Tops on
products, clip them, and send them to school with
your kids. They can drop them in the Box Tops
collection box located in the front office.
!
For more information on the Box Tops for
Education™ program, including a list of
participating products and our school's progress,
visit www.BTFE.com. Be sure to become a
member to receive coupon offers and recipes, and
to learn about extra ways for our school to earn.
!
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to
contact me at [email protected]. Thanks
for your help!
Submission Deadline for
May-June Newsletter:
April. 27, Monday
Please submit articles to:
[email protected]
!
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