PRINCIPAL’S CORNER
I would like to start this
month’s newsletter by thanking Mr.
and Mrs. Nichols and Village Mobile
for their sponsorship of Boynton
Middle School with Exxon Mobil
Corporation who so kindly gave us a
donation of $500 to help support our
after school programs. Their support
of our programs over the years has
helped us to provide a wide variety of
after school programs to our students.
Their continued support is much
appreciated!
It is never too early for parents
to start planning for their child’s
college years. Preparing for college is
about much more than class schedules
and books. Often, more time is spent
in financial aid offices than in tutoring
sessions. College costs are sky high,
and money is tight, especially in
today’s economy. For help with
planning for college costs, consider
going to web sites such as:
BankingQuestions.com . This site
offers tips for parents and students
preparing for college.
Parents and students should
start by taking a careful look at which
colleges seem to fit in with their
future plans. Which schools have the
best programs and which schools are
affordable.
Parents and students need to
establish a clear plan for raising the
funds for the school(s) of their
choice. This will probably entail a
combination of savings, scholarships
and loans. Experts point out that the
earlier you start planning and saving
for your child’s college education, the
easier it will be when the time comes
for them to start college.
The staff at Boynton Middle
School has been working hard to
improve student attendance. In order
to educate our students, they need to
be in school as much as possible. The
number of absences and tardies is a
bit higher than we would like. We are
monitoring this closely. We recently
mailed letters home to the parents of
children who have been absent or
tardy more than normal.
Learning Outside
Of School
After studying all week, your middle
grader is tired of learning, right? Wrong!
Your child may be tired of sitting in class,
but he’s still eager to learn. Your child’s
interest in all sorts of things doesn’t end
at school. Here’s how several parents
keep their kids learning on the weekends.
Sunday comics
“My son Rob is always saying witty things.
When I suggested he write down his oneliners, he turned his jokes into an essay
called ‘The Rob Report.’ Talk about funny!
I encouraged him to submit it to our
community newspaper. The staff liked it
so much, they’ve asked him to write
another article for next Sunday’s edition.”
Saturdays at the shop
“Ask my daughter Jenny to write a poem,
and she chews her lip. But fixing cars is
something she enjoys. Every weekend her
dad teaches her how to repair engines at
his shop. As he puts it, ‘Sonnets may
frustrate her, but sockets make her
happy!’”
Tough talk
Kids sometimes ask their parents how
they behaved as children. Questions like
“Did you use drugs?” may signal your
child’s curiosity about risky behaviors.
Consider a response such as “Why do you
ask?” to encourage your middle grader to
discuss what’s on her mind.
The average middle grader spends about
17 hours a week online and 14 hours
watching television. But most kids devote
only six hours a week to reading for
pleasure. Suggest that your child cut
down on Web and TV time and read a
magazine or listen to music instead
5th Grade News
Ms. Pope's fifth grade reading classes
have been enjoying the adventure and
details in the book: Chasing Lincoln's
Killer by James L. Swanson. There has
been a lot of discussion about why
someone would want to hurt a president as
well as discussions about the Confederacy
and slavery.
The students have a required amount of
reading that they should do as homework
each night Monday through Friday. This
amount is different for each student and
depends on the book they have chosen and
their reading rate. Weekends should be
used to catch up.
In class, students are writing letters to
me about how they are reacting to and
analyzing the books they are reading.
They are also writing book reviews about
books they have finished. The students'
ideas and analysis of books have really
expanded since the beginning of the year.
We Are Collecting
Box Tops
Please send in your Labels from Campbell’s
products, and Tyson Chicken products.
Help us through the Box tops For Education
program. They all add up!
6th Grade News
Social Studies- We have traveled across
the ocean to the Middle East and North
Africa. Students are learning why the
world's attention is focused on this
region.
Reading- We are currently working on
reading fluency and memorizing a 40 line
poem by Ogden Nash entitled
"Adventures of Isabel". Our other focus
is a historical fiction about civil rights.
Science-As amateur geologists, we are
studying rocks and minerals. We will be
looking at soil samples collected from our
homes. (before the snow fell!)
Teach Kids How to
Stand Up to a Bully
It's not just "kid stuff" that your
child will have to live with. The effects of
bullying and teasing can cause depression
and anger that can last for years. Schools
are well aware of this and are establishing
programs and policies to prevent or
respond to the problem. But parents need
to be involved too.
The behavior is most common in sixth- to
eighth-graders. Bullies often target kids
who are shy and sensitive, but also pick
those who are smarter than they are or
different in some way. Or they choose a
victim for no reason.
If the abuse is physical, resulting in torn
clothes or bruises, and it occurred on
school property or at a school activity;
parents should contact the school
immediately. If the abuse is verbal,
parents can help solve the problem and
increase children's self-confidence.
Teach them to:
LA- We are anxiously awaiting our replies
from the Great American Mail Race.
Currently, we are studying various
sentence structures. Students will soon
be creating their own characters which
will be used in several assignments.
Math- Mrs. White has just received a
Promethean Board! She is working very
hard learning all that can be done. Her
students are a huge help!
Avoid the bully. Take a different route to
class or ask for a change in the location of
your locker. Ask to sit at the front of the
bus or the class.
Stand tall. Just acting brave can be
enough to make a bully lose interest. Feel
good about yourself. Exercise so you look
and feel more fit. Wear clean clothes.
Ignore him or her. Walk away and pretend
not to hear the teasing. Bullies want a big
reaction to their meanness, so give no
reaction at all.
Practice a few responses. When they
insult you, say, "That's not cool," or if
they say your hair is red or you are fat,
say, "Thanks for pointing that out. I
didn't know it before!" Or say "No, stop
it!"
Don't show that you're afraid, angry, or
upset. That's what they want.
Get involved in a club or an organization
that interests you. Find a friend.
a broken bone heals? The
skeletal/muscular system has been the
focus of study, and we will be moving
on to circulatory/respiratory systems
soon as well as digestive/excretory,
learning how all the systems are
interrelated and keep the body
functioning. If your students share
what they are learning with you, you
can look forward to some “fun facts”!
Electronic bullying can be
especially hurtful because it follows the
child home. If insults are anonymous,
parents can contact the Internet provider
to identify the bully. Often he or she will
stop if identified. If the child knows who
the bully is and the bullying doesn't stop,
change the child's email address. Give the
new one out only to trusted friends.
7th Grade Language Art has been
analyzing the different components of a
newspaper as part of their information
writing unit. The students will then
create their own newspaper using one of
the Microsoft Office newspaper
templates. The papers will include an
original news article after completing
research on their topic, games, an advice
column and or letter to the editor.
7th Grade News
The 7th grade Math classes have been
working on a unit exploring
transformations we had a fun time
translating, rotating and reflecting
geometric shapes on the coordinate plane.
Our current adventure is learning about
significant digits and applying geometrical
Over the next few weeks the 7th grade
civics class will be introduced to their new
unit on The Legal System. The unit will be
taught by our new student teacher Mr.
Gregg French from Keene State College.
There will be many different components
to this unit which rage from the
differences between civil and criminal law
as well as how our court systems function.
Mr. French will be with us until mid-May
and the seventh grade teachers as well as
students are very excited to be working
with him.
Has your 7th grade student been
reciting the names of the bones to
you, or explaining the wonders of how
formulas in real life situations. We will be
using conversion units while solving
formulas for perimeter, area and volume.
We will be investigating the wonderful
number Pi! National Pi day is March 14th
and we will be doing activities to
celebrate.
Grade 7 readers have recently completed
the novel Nothing but the Truth by Avi.
It is a story about telling the "whole
truth and nothing but the truth" and the
consequences that occur when the truth
is distorted.
We read the novel orally in class so that
each student got a chance to read one of
the parts in the novel. We focused on
characterization, inference, predictions,
vocabulary and situational irony. The
students enjoyed reading the novel but
were a bit upset with the conclusion. Ask
them about it.
We are currently working on Study and
Test Taking Skills with hopes that with
more practice in these areas, grades and
understanding of material will improve.
We are all waiting and hoping for Spring
to arrive soon!
Do Your Homework on
Helping Kids with Theirs
When you have school-aged children,
homework is a fact of life. But it doesn't
have to be unpleasant. Do your part to
help your child get the most from his or
her homework with this advice:
 Show your interest. Ask children
about their homework assignments.
Talk about why they're important
and what the child can learn from
them. You need to show that
homework is important and
worthwhile.
 Establish a routine. Set aside
regular time for homework--right
after dinner, perhaps. This helps
the child get into the habit of
beginning on time.
 Eliminate distractions. Turn off
the TV and radio, and provide
adequate space where your child
can work without being bothered
by siblings, parents making dinner,
etc.
 Help your child prioritize. Time
management is essential. Your child
should keep a notebook or log all of
his or her assignments so none are
forgotten. Advise children to
identify which assignments will be
most difficult and time-consuming
so they can start on those when
they're fresh.
 Offer help--within limits. Don't do
their homework for them. If they
get stuck, ask questions and guide
them through the difficulties so
they're doing the work themselves.
Otherwise they won't learn the
subject--or responsibility for doing
their own work.
 Praise their efforts. Getting the
right answer is important, but so is
supporting the process. Praise
them for working hard and not
giving up when they're tired or
frustrated.
 Give them a break. Let children
take short breaks if they start to
get too frustrated with a
particular assignment. You don't
want a complete meltdown over an
arithmetic problem.
 Work with the teacher. Stay in
contact with your children's
teachers so you know what their
expectations are--for the child and
for you as a parent.
We have started the Jackson Era unit
with a challenging assignment on the
Monroe Doctrine. Students are reading
the document the United States issued to
European nations and will explain how
advances in transportation, communication
and weapons made foreign policy change
over the past 200 years.
8th Grade News
The 8th grade has recently modified the
use of their seminar time at the end of
the day. Three days a week this time is
used for students to receive additional
help in classes, work on make-up work and
absent work, and finish assignments. On
Wednesdays, the 8th grade team is
teaching various writing and study skills,
the results of which have been seen on
various assessments! Keep up the good
work!
Mrs. Pogorzelski’s Social Studies classes
have just completed a unit on the
Jefferson Era. Students were asked to
rank the first four presidents,
Washington, Adams, Jefferson and
Madison, in order from the best president
to the worst, based on their
accomplishments during their
presidencies.
Mrs. Farwell’s Reading class is previewing
what student’s will be learning about in
Science through the New York Times Best
Seller George’s Secret Key to the
Universe, by Lucy and Stephen Hawking.
This book discusses the solar system,
mass, earth, comets, and matter in an
interesting and fun way. As different
topics are discussed,
Mrs. Farwell will be incorporating video
clips to reinforce the subject matter.
In Mrs. Ryan's Language classes, the
students are finishing a photo journalism
story and then moving on to business and
careers. In this unit, they will use
Microsoft publisher and create resumes
and then send business letters to local
companies. The letters are to show
case their commercial voices to praise a
company, or to offer suggestions on ways
to better their product or company for
the young adult sector.
They will also participate in mock, face to
face interviews with a human resource
director from the New Ipswich
community.
In Spanish, students are reviewing
information about likes/dislikes,
adjectives, and activities from before
vacation with grammar activities and a
short dialog skit. The students are also
working on a research project about
"paises hispanohablantes" (Spanishspeaking countries).
They are working in groups to gather
information about a country of their
choice, including geography,
demographics, history, tourism, food, and
cultural traditions. Their presentations
will be March 12th and 13th. The students
are very enthusiastic about the project.
Real Friendships Need
Face-to-Face or
Voice-to-Voice Contact
By the time you communicate with your 50
to 100 friends on social websites, there
seems to be little opportunity to visit or
telephone anyone else.
In the United States and across the
world, actual friends are being replaced
by acquaintances. Electronic contacts are
replacing the joy and satisfaction of
human contact.
Television, two-career families, suburban
sprawl, and personal values mean that
fewer people belong to organizations,
clubs, or churches.
In his book, Bowling Alone, Robert Putnam
says we have a growing deficit of "social
capital." He equates his own experience to
bowling, which he once did with teams and
organizations. Now people often bowl
alone.
In the United Kingdom, the Mental Health
Foundation has published The Lonely
Society. It says about half of Brits
believe they are living in a lonelier society.
One in three would like to be closer to
family, but social trends are driving them
apart.
Today, the average American has only two
close friends, and a quarter of Americans
say they don't have any.
Shallow friendships prevail, like those
with pals on the Internet. Sociologists say
they are very worried about the decline in
social connections in the United States. A
connection with another person may be
only a click away, but cultivating a
friendship takes more.
Mental health authorities say there is a
secret to close friendship: Put down the
device and engage the person. Spend some
face-to-face time with a friend even if
you "should" be doing something else. At
least talk in person on the telephone.
CHESS CLUB
We have all heard the expression “Music
is the universal language.” I have always
felt that there is another universal
language – chess.
It is commonly believed to have
originated in India some 1,500 years ago.
From there it spread to Persia and the
rest of the world, including Europe, where
it developed into the game that is played
in virtually every country in the world
today.
It’s no wonder, as there are so many
things we can learn from playing and
studying the game. We learn patience,
concentration, pattern recognition,
managing time and resources, planning
ahead, how to turn obstacles into
opportunities, and how to develop and
execute good ideas.
But if you walk by the library on a
Tuesday afterschool, you would never
guess that we are learning all of these
things, because, frankly, it looks like we’re
just having too much fun! If you would
like to join us, we still have room for a
few more students. Please contact the
main office if you are interested!
Mr. Rogers and the Boynton Chess Club
NURSE’S NOTES
Thank you to all the parents who
responded so quickly and positively to
make sure that current information on
immunizations for their children is on
file with the School Nurse. Many of
the current records also came with
current physical exams which are also
very helpful and useful for your
children. Please contact me if you
would like a copy of these for your
home records.
Our immunization clinic went very well
and our students were wonderful.
Cindy Watts, RN from the NH
Department of
Communicable
Diseases and the
student nurses
from St. Anselm’s
College were very
impressed with
their attitudes
and behavior.
Please be sure to get a copy of
current immunization records and
physical exams for the School Nurse
each time your children have updates
on this with their doctors.
Again, thank you for being so prompt
and helpful. It is greatly appreciated.
Kathy Chase
BMS RN