January/February 2015
Franklin Fast Facts
A quarterly newsletter to parents from Benjamin Franklin Middle School
ISTEP Testing
The first round of ISTEP testing is scheduled for March 2-11.
Students will be testing in the morning during that week. If at all
possible, please avoid scheduling any appointments during that time
so your child will be present for testing. The second round of ISTEP
testing will be April 27-May 15. If you have questions, please
contact your child’s guidance counselor.
Report Cards
As was communicated earlier this school year, report cards are no
longer being printed and sent home with the students. Parents should
login to their RDS account to view their child’s report card.
News from the Sixth Grade Team
Math – Ratio, Proportion, Surface Area and Volume Formulas,
Geometry
Math I – Surface Area and Volume Formulas, Geometry,
Measurement
Social Studies – Middle Ages and the Renaissance
Science – Earth, Moon, Sun, and Solar System
Literature – Poetry, Touching Spirit Bear by Ben Mikaelsen
Grammar – Adjectives, Adverbs, Modifiers, Research Paper
Language Arts I - Poetry, Touching Spirit Bear, Parts of Speech,
Research Paper, Presentations, Poetry Program
Advisory – Star Program will celebrate by going to The Cinemark in
Valparaiso on February 6, 2015. Ask your child if he or she has
earned enough “responsibility points” to participate.
Medieval Day – February 12, 2015. Your child will be bringing a
letter home about this interdisciplinary day.
News from the Seventh Grade Team
Math: Currently working on slope. Will be moving into ratios,
proportions and percents.
LA: Drama, parts of speech and nonfiction
CA: Payton and Jones are doing vocabulary and nonfiction. Byrne is
doing advertising, persuasive and descriptive writing.
Science: Working on rocks, minerals, plate tectonics, earthquakes
and volcanoes.
Social Studies: Studying ancient and modern China!
Spanish: ¡Hola todos! 7th grade Spanish recently finished
discussions regarding the unique holiday season in Spanish-speaking
countries. They are continuing along with school related vocabulary
with a focus on being college bound! Students will be taking their
placement test right before Spring break to determine whether or not
continuing Spanish in 8th grade is in their best interest. More
information to come on that!
German: currently working on their "Grimm’s vs. Disney" Fairy tale
comparison projects and gearing up for the annual Ski Trip to Swiss
Valley, Michigan (We hope the weather will cooperate.)
French: Students will be starting lesson 7 and starting to plan Mardi
Gras booths
News from the Eighth Grade Team
German: creating their family trees as they learn the vocabulary for
familial relationships and possessive pronouns and gearing up for the
annual Ski Trip to Swiss Valley, Michigan (We hope the weather will
cooperate.)
Science: we are currently studying Chapter 7: Weather.
Biology: we are finishing up the Genetics unit by putting together
presentations about different types of genetic disorders.
LA: students will continue to read a variety of fiction and nonfiction
texts, practicing reading comprehension, and skills such as
recognizing the author's purpose, craft and structure. Students will
practice writing to address prompts, using strategies to support their
ideas with textual evidence.
CA: students will practice grammar, vocabulary and non-fiction
reading comprehension skills. Students will also create a Welcome
to Valparaiso brochure by integrating technology.
Honors Literature: classes are beginning their research papers, as
well as reading And Then There Were None.
Pre-Algebra Math: classes have been working on story problems
recently. The unit after story problems is graphing which is very
significant in Algebra preparation.
Algebra: classes will be making the decision whether to take Algebra
for credit, this decision must be made by January 30th. Classes are
finishing the chapter concentrating on fractional operations with
polynomials. Next up will be ratio and proportion with polynomials.
U.S. History: During the third grading period we will be studying
the Constitution as it is applied in our lives today. At the conclusion
of that unit, we will begin to examine the Federalist Era, the
presidencies of Washington and John Adams. The students will see
the conclusion of David McCullough’s award-winning HBO series
John Adams and begin to look at the nation's expansion to become a
continental nation.
VHS Scheduling for 8th graders
The 8th graders will be meeting with the VHS Guidance Counselors
regarding scheduling and placement for the freshman year of high
school. There will be an in depth discussion by teachers in each class
and students will receive placement recommendations from their
current teachers in the coming weeks. A parent meeting has been
scheduled at VHS on January 29 at 6 PM in the auditorium.
News from Allied Arts and PE/Health
Allied Arts is halfway through their third rotation. This rotation will
end on February 12th and will not appear on a report card until the
end of the 3rd nine weeks. If you have questions about the
curriculum for your students current or future allied arts class you can
refer back to the October Franklin Facts, check RDS, or contact their
current teacher.
Testing for the 6th & 7th graders seeking placement in Honors Art
classes next year will be held in March.
Student Council
Student Council hosted Ben Franklin's first ever talent show on
January13th. Our very talented performers were Chloe George, Alec
Zrodlowski, Hunter Howard & Abby Rochford duet (tied for 3rd
place), Sydney Grenier, Natalie Harty, Julia Fezatt, Maddy Grenier,
Tiffany Pepe, Max Bailey(2nd place), Lillian Rogers, Anna
Hathaway (tied for 3rd place), and Kameron Love (1st place). Stage
hands were Kelsey Minko, Connor Gregg and Eli Bezotte. Lights
and sound were done by Josh Zatorski. Our judges were Ms. Raupp,
Mr. Yeager, and Alex Clanton. Thanks to the hard work and
dedication by all involved we were able to present a fabulous show.
Student Council will be selling Valentine's Candy Grams before
school starting February 2nd. Candy Grams cost $1.50 each and will
be delivered during lunch on February 12th. Students are able to
purchase candy grams for themselves and their friends.
The Blues Project
Throughout February, 8th grade social studies classes celebrate Black
History month by studying the Blues. By examining the blues, there
comes a better understanding of the perspective of African
Americans, the trials they faced, the persecution they endured, and
January/February 2015
the art that came from it all. This year's Blues Project tells the story
of how the blues made the journey from the Mississippi Delta to
Chicago, how the music changed when it got there, and how it helps
us understand the plight of African Americans in the "Windy City."
Once our classroom unit is complete, we'll present our Blues Project
in concert form. We’ve invited students from all grades, some
alumni, staff, professional musicians, and other community members
to help us play the songs we’ve been studying and share our
experience with you. Come out to the VHS auditorium on Saturday,
March 14th to enjoy the fruits of our labor. Tickets can be purchased
at the door for $5 each. Check the Blues Project website
at thebluesproject.weebly.com for all the details.
Science Olympiad
The Science Olympiad team members will compete this weekend in
the Valparaiso University Invitational tournament. BFMS will be
split into two teams to get more kids involved. In the coming weeks
they will be preparing for the regional competition to be held at St.
Joseph College on February 14.
Academic Superbowl
Academic Superbowl will kick off with a callout meeting at the
end of January. All interested students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade are
welcome to join one (or several) of four teams - English, Science,
Math, and/or Social Studies. This year, all students will study the
topic “The Grandeur That Was Rome” through the lens of these
subject areas. Team members will compete at an Invitational and
Regional competition in April and May respectively. Please stay
tuned to the announcements for further information, or contact Mrs.
Fisher, Mrs. Gioia, Mrs. Strauss, or Mrs. Sattler for more
information.
Information is also posted on the BFMS Academic Teams website
[http://bfmsacademicteams.weebly.com/index.html] and on the
Indiana Association of School Principals website
[http://www.iasp.org/dsp/academic/super/].
BFMS Blood Drive
BFMS will be hosting an American Red Cross blood drive on March
9th from 3-7 PM in the auditorium.
BFMS Athletics Discount Card
The discount cards are here and good through December 31, 2015.
We have some great vendors this year! They are $10 and you can
easily make the money back from the card discounts. Contact the
school office if interested. All proceeds go to support BFMS
Athletics.
Ben Franklin Parent Ambassadors
The Ben Franklin Parent Ambassadors meet once a month in the
media center at BFMS. The purpose of the monthly meetings is to
keep parents informed of upcoming events, initiatives and
happenings at Ben Franklin. This meeting is open to all interested
parents and is on the second Thursday of the month from 7:15-7:45
AM. Principal Chris Fields is your host and is often joined by other
BF staff. We encourage interested parents to then share information
from the meetings with other parents, neighbors, and the community
at large. We look forward to your attendance. The next meeting is
Thursday, February 12. A schedule of upcoming meetings and past
agendas can be found on the school website.
Important dates:
January 29
February 14
February 12
February 13-16
February 21
March 2-11
March 12
March 9
March 14
March 20
March 23-27
April 3
April 17
April 9
April 27-May 15
May 14
May 15
May 25
May 26
May 28-29
June 4
June 9
8th Grade Parent Night @VHS 6 PM
Science Olympiad Regional @St. Joe College
BFMS Parent Ambassadors 7:15-7:45 AM
Midwinter Break/President’s Day NO SCHOOL
Mardi gras 6-8 PM
ISTEP+ Testing in AM
BFMS Parent Ambassadors 7:15-7:45 AM
Blood Drive BFMS Auditorium 3-7 PM
Blues Project @VHS Auditorium 7 PM
End of 3rd Grading Period
Spring Break NO SCHOOL
3rd Nine Weeks Report Cards available on RDS
SNOW MAKE UP DAY SCHOOL IN SESSION
BFMS Parent Ambassadors 7:15-7:45 AM
ISTEP+ Testing
BFMS Parent Ambassadors 7:15-7:45 AM
NO SCHOOL SNOW MAKE UP DAY
Memorial Day NO SCHOOL
Biology ECA
Algebra ECA
Last Day for Students
4th Nine Weeks Report Cards available on RDS