THE VIEW Riversprings Middle School   November 2005

The school year is off to a great start!  The 2005-2006 academic school year is off on an adventurous learning journey!  The new sixth graders are getting into the swing of middle school life.  The seventh graders are out of the role of the baby bears and the eighth graders have made their gracious transition as the seniors of the school.

The RMS staff is also pleased to welcome some big bears on board for this year.  Big bear hugs go out to our new teachers:  Mrs. Wright - Language Arts 8th grade, Ms. Adams - 7th grade Language Arts, Dayna Bowden - ESE, and Mr. Smith - 7th grade.  We also welcome two new paraprofessionals, Leon Hillman and Shonja Metcalf.
 
Congratulations to Mollie Robinson, our teacher of the month!  Mollie is currently teaching Science and Social Studies in 8th grade.  She has been a great teacher at RMS for four years.  She is also the Assistant Volleyball Coach and Assistant Yearbook Coordinator.

Seasons come and seasons go!  This year we have had an eventful season in both football and volleyball.  Head coach Devon Miles successfully led our football team to a 5-3 season this year.  Coach Miles is truly proud of his team and pleased with the amount of progress and hard work each member contributed this year.  Not to be outdone, the volleyball team also had a great season.  Mollie Robinson and Amanda Butler both led the girls to a victorious year.  The lady bears finished the season 11-3 and placed 3rd in the Wakulla Middle School Tournament.  The RMS wrestling team has also been successful.  We have had three National Champion Wrestlers place 2nd, 3rd and 6th.  Along with the National Champion Wrestlers, we have also had four All-American Wrestlers and three Florida State Champions that placed 1st, 2nd and 3rd.
 
Upcoming sports include soccer and basketball.  The bears are looking forward to continued success with these sports as well as others throughout the year!
 
MUSIC!  MUSIC!  MUSIC!  On a different note our band and chorus programs are truly working hard this year.  Mrs. Leimer has done an awesome job working with this wonderful groups of students.  The band at RMS is off to a great start.  In August, we welcomed many new sixth grade students with new talent and new music to the band.  Several band students attended music camps over the summer.  They had a great time playing music with other band students from many different places.  The band has performed at all of the home football games, in addition to the game against WMS.  One student, Mario Rivieccio (trombone), represented RMS by auditioning for the Florida All-State Band.  He also auditioned for the All-District Band on November 17th.
 
The band students went on a field trip November 4th to observed the FSU Marching Chiefs at practice and then had dinner at Cici’s Pizza.  The students are hard at work preparing for their annual Winter Concert which will take place on December 8th.  In conjunction with the concert, the band will host a chili dinner that will serve as a fund raiser for the band.  For more information, please contact Mrs. Leimer at Riversprings Middle School.

RAH!  RAH!  RAH!  Cheerleaders bring us cheer.  Our cheerleaders cheered us on during football season and arranged all pep rallies.  Thanks for a fantastic job.  Keep that spirit up!

Another group to take notice of are the Wakulla County Parks and Recreation Intermediate Majorettes.  RMS enjoyed the distinction of having all the middle school majorettes at this level.  Their performance was quite impressive at the pep rally and RMS-WMS football game half-time.  Much appreciation to Mr. Walker for giving these young ladies the opportunity to perform.

Moving on to the academics...The sixth grade teams have transitioned our sixth graders into BABY BEARS.  The Manatee and Eagles teams have gotten their students into shape and they have adjusted well to middle school life.  The teams gave tours, issued locks and overall oriented the new baby bears to life at RMS.  
 
The Eagles team has been learning, learning and learning some more!  Mrs. Weber and her students recently participated in the VFW sponsored Patriotic Pen Essay Contest.  In math, they have been working diligently on factorization and fractions.  In the reading classes, they have been working on reading strategies, with special emphasis on mastering short, nonfiction reading passages.  The science classes with Mrs. Lassiter have been studying the structure, process and reproduction of cells.  In studying cells they were involved in viewing slides under the microscope.  Finally, in geography the Eagles have been studying the U.S. and Canada, and are just beginning to leave the shores of the U.S. on a trip to explore other regions of the world.

The seventh grade teams have also started the 2005 year off right.  More experience and more wisdom make these seventh graders very awesome.  The Otters and Ospreys are making their preparation slowly, but surely, for their transition to be the leaders of the next school year.
 
Students on the Otters Team in Mr. Madden’s classes have recently studied the properties of matter.  Lab groups carried out investigations dealing with the physical and chemical properties, as well as density and the movement of molecules in solids, liquids and gases.  The classes are also working on research projects in which they will follow the scientific method to develop and carry out experiments of their choice.  After forming a hypothesis and testing it, the students will use their data to make a conclusion.  This project will culminate with classroom presentations and the school science fair on December 8th.
 
In eighth grade we have a first!  Two teams instead of one!  The Hawks and Bobcats have started their journey to prepare for the next level of education – High school!  The teams are doing math, writing, reading and everything possible to succeed on this year’s FCAT Test.  Keep working 8th graders!

RMS is proud to announce the addition of the Spanish Club to the list of extra curricular opportunities available to its students.  The class is taught by Pati Reyes, a 7th grade student who was born in Honduras.  She teaches the class on Tuesdays after school in Mrs. Boege’s room from 2:30-3:30 p.m.  A few spaces are still open for interested students.  Anyone interested in joining the club needs to get a permission slip from Mrs. Boege and then start coming on Tuesdays.  Students MUST have their own transportation arranged to pick them up no later than 3:30 p.m. as there is no supervision available after that time.  
 
Mrs. Harris, our guidance counselor, has been coordinating a club called the Jr. Optimist Club.  It’s parent organization is the Coastal Optimist Club of Wakulla.  The Jr. Optimist Clubs in the Middle School meet during exploratory time and complete fund-raisers and service projects for the community.  Some of the fund-raisers and service projects may differ between the three schools.  Wakulla Middle is collecting soup labels and box tops to raise money for families in need.  RMS is going to become part of the Diaper Drop which provides diapers to needy families in Wakulla County.  RMS will also be working on helping families in need around Thanksgiving and Christmas in various service projects.
RMS has approximately 20 students involved in the Jr. Optimist Club and WMS has approximately 11.  The High School has not indicated a final number of students at this time.  Pictures and articles featuring the clubs at RMS and WMS were published in the Wakulla News.

In Unified Arts, the students are learning a diverse variety of skills.  In art Mrs. Sutton has been working on a variety of projects.  The 8th graders have been creating interpretive fish paper Mache masks with ceramics.  The 7th graders are studying the styles of art and famous artists.  The 6th grade classes have been introduced to miscellaneous art.
Mr. Rossow’s Technology classes have been doing many different, exciting projects.  The sixth grade is learning about Microsoft PowerPoint and practicing their typing skills.  The seventh grade is learning about the many uses of Adobe Photoshop.  The eighth grade is learning to better utilize the Internet and to making their own web pages.  There are also teams of students in charge of creating and improving the school website.
 
Mrs. Sullivan and the Home Economics department are off to a great start.  All grade levels are incorporating the new food pyramid, now called “My Pyramid,” in classes.  The emphasis is on a balance of the food groups, accuracy of portions, increasing the amount of vegetables and fruits and ensuring young people add physical activity and water to their daily routine.  Other topics included in the curriculum are money management, interior design, communication and relationships, and (of course!) cooking, sewing and handwork.
The 8th grade class focused on entrepreneurship and are developing a deli business and selling food to the other Unified Arts classes.  The challenge is in the preparation and timing!  Cooking a breakfast burrito for many is slightly different than when cooking for themselves at home!  They quickly learn the importance of teamwork and being well organized.  For the world famous fall event (in our Riversprings world) which is the RMS vs. WMS football games, the 8th graders are helping to make the pre-game football dinner for the team, cheerleaders and staff.  Mmmm...lasagna!
 
Seventh graders developed a bedroom interior design competition, excellent board games that focus on Home Economics related topics and some delicious (on paper) meals that met the food pyramid guidelines.  They are exceptional working in teams and love competitions!  Sewing footballs and stuffed animal kits are favorite activities, too. In 6th grade nutrition is also emphasized, as is accurate measuring of ingredients and learning how to plan and cook with a group.  The students practice basic sewing and make monogrammed CD cases, discuss money management, babysitting skills, kitchen safety and begin exploring careers.  Most students seem to truly enjoy the camaraderie of their classmates and the hands-on environment.  Best of all is they are learning skills for life!
 
In PE we are getting physically fit.  The students have completed their physical fitness tests for the new school year.  The students have also been square dancing and they are now working on Tennis.  Coach Knight, Coach Anderson and Coach Hillman are making sure RMS is fit and trim!

The new Read 180 class is on the up and up and heading towards success.  Mrs. Cotton and her crew are reading novels, reading stories and Cooking to Learn.  They have been reading the novel “The Cay,” by Theodore Taylor both in 7th and 8th grade.  As a culminating project they made a time-line of the book and had a Cay party – on a student designed island, with foods from the Caribbean.  The 6th grade classes recently read “Watson’s Go to Birmingham,” by Christopher Paul Curtis.  The students also made a time-line to sequence the events in the story.  They also studied natural disasters, since it is hurricane season.  Occasionally, we participate in Cooking to Learn, a class cooking project in which the students may utilize the cooking skills and incorporate them into reading, such as sequencing and following directions.  The students and Mrs. Cotton have adjusted well to the new and exciting program.

Two six weeks have already passed and the Student Council has gotten off to a good start.  The football concessions have kept us very busy and thanks to quite a few dedicated teachers and students we did very well!
 
October 25-27 was Spirit Week and the Student Council was very active in this.  The first theme was Crazy Hat Day. Tthe winner for this event was David Poppell - 7th grade.  The teachers who won were Mrs. Thaxton and Mr. Taylor.  The next day was Favorite Animal Day, with the winner being Haley Holmes - 7th grade.  Teachers who won this prize were Mrs. Boege and Mrs. Thaxton.  Spirit Day student winner was Skyler Taff - 7th grade.  The teachers who won were Mrs. Boege and Mr. Linville.  The winning Spirit Day entryway was won by Mrs. Peterson.  During Pep Rally everyone received their prizes, but also recognized were those students who showed good citizenship and leadership in their grades, “They were Spotted” doing a good job:  6th grade - Kristie Hodges, 7th grade - Jessie Landholt and 8th grade - Caleb Fisher.
 
The first dance of the year was held October 28th in the gym.  It was decorated by Student Council and Junior Optimist members, as well as other students.  A giant spider web enhanced the dance area, with a disco spider at center web.  Leaf garlands and other decorations also added to the festivities.  Our first ever Maze was a success, with students having to hunt for items located in the maze.  Students had to locate spider eggs, giant finger bones, a mummy’s heart, Davy Jones’ sock, roll the pumpkin, and find the Monkey’s eyeball.  It was a gooey mess and fun for everyone.  The winners for the Maze were Cowen Kilpatrick, Skyler Taff, Eva Colona and Kayla Creel.  They each won $5 gift certificates from McDonalds as well as the Movie Gallery, thanks to Mrs. Tammy Brannon’s generous efforts.  We even had a Dance Contest winner and a Best Mask winner, Hunter Chapman.  Finally, thank you to the ones who were in the cafeteria for Movie Time.  Your efforts helped as well.
 
With all the efforts of a very dedicated staff and students, the student body were able to raise $1,000 for the American Red Cross.  We are proud of each and every one for their whole-hearted efforts in raising this money.  Special thanks go to Coach Knight for letting us use the girl's locker room and for the use of the gym by both her and Coach Anderson.  Thanks also to the Janitorial Staff for all their efforts.  Thank you Mrs. Harris & Junior Optimist Club.  Also, thank you to the teachers who helped in the many different areas.  And special thanks to Mrs. Boege, Mr. Steel, Mr. Linville and Mrs. Harris for your efforts in making the Maze a success!  A very, very special thank you to Mrs. Sutton and her Art Classes for making the “never ending bones” and the wonderful Monkey Head.  It was awesome!  Thank you Mrs. Butler and Mrs. Kinney for stepping up to bat when needed, you are great!  I hope everyone had a good time.

All in all the bears are rearing to go!!  We are really having a great time this year!  We at RMS are really trying to make learning fun!

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