Ellis G. Arnall Middle School
Home of the Knights
The Knightly News
700 Lora Smith Road, Newnan, Georgia 30265 - (770) 254-2765
www.cowetaschools.org/ams
February/March 2015
Authentic Engagement - Motivated Teachers - Successful Students
Principally speaking…
Dear Parents,
COWETA
As our first progress report in our second semester is
right around the corner, it is a great time for students
to reflect on their academic standing.
When we
issued report cards in January, we also provided
students a log-in for Infinite Campus. They are able to
log in and check their academic standing and if they
have any outstanding work that needs to be turned in
to their teacher.
Through personal conversations,
morning announcements and advisement sessions, we
have been discussing the importance of each nine
week period and sharing strategies that fellow students
have used to be successful.
Students should use his or her agenda EVERY day.
Being proactive and recording homework
assignments and testing dates will help your
student develop important time management skills.
A quote from Coach John Wooden, “Failing to prepare
is preparing to fail.”
Students should complete their class work and homework assignments AND turn it in on or before the
due date. Don’t put it off.
Ask someone to help review for a test or quiz. Quizlet
is a great way to study vocabulary.
Review their goals for maintaining or improving their
grades. Success can be found in steps 1-3 if done
consistently.
If you don’t understand something, talk to your teacher
and set up a tutoring session.
Our goal is for your students to be successful with
their short term and long term goals. Establishing the
habit of using these suggested strategies and student
portal is a great way to contribute to their success.
COUNTY’S
SCHOOL
RESOURCE
OFFICER
OF THE
YEAR!
S.R.O. Gordon
Congratulations to our School Resource Officer,
Corporal Donna Gordon, on being selected School
Resource Office of the Year for Coweta County by her
peers.
Please join us
in welcoming
Ms. Karyann
Rinkiewicz,
the newest
member of our
Arnall staff.
Ms. Rinkiewicz
teaches 7th
grade social
studies.
Dr. Jan Franks, Principal
Volume 20, Issue 3
The Knightly News
Page 2
GEOGRAPHY BEE
Congratulations to 8th grader, Billy Guilot, our
2015 Geography Bee Champion for A.M.S. Fellow
8th grader, Luis Rivera, was 1st runner up and 6th
grader, Beau Lewis, placed 3rd.
2015 Knight Life Yearbook
Order your yearbook from the link on the AMS
website or order online at www.jostens.com. If you
choose to order in person, you may bring your payment
to Ms. Leigh Ann Rhodes. Please include the name of the
student and homeroom teacher on the memo line of your
check. The basic price of the yearbook is $45.00.
Personalization/name stamping of yearbooks is extra and
ends February 13th. This deadline will not be
extended, and payment needs to be made before the
cover will be stamped.
Order early to guarantee your copy. When they’re
delivered in May, they will be sold on a first come
basis. We will not be able to order additional copies once
they sell out.
Thank you for your support of the 2015 AMS
yearbook, Knight Life!
Ms. Leigh Ann Rhodes
leighann.rhodes@cowetaschools.org
Congratulations to our Arnall Spelling Bee
champion 8th grader Tevyn Fudge (right) and to
first runner-up, 6th grader Ashna Patel (left). This
is Tevyn’s 3rd year as Arnall’s Spelling Bee champion.
He was also the 3rd runner up at the Coweta County
Spelling Bee at the Centre for Performing Arts on Jan.
12th!
COINS FOR CUPCAKES
Meals on Wheels of Coweta County invites the Arnall
Knights to take part in the Sixth Annual Coins for Cupcakes
Challenge during the month of February.
Our Arnall Ambassadors will be collecting donations
during lunch each day. The top homeroom will receive a
cupcake party.
Students, please remember to bring your coins to lunch each
day!
The middle school that collects the highest dollar value in
coins over a two-week period will win a trophy and a
cupcake party.
The overall winning middle school will receive a plaque and a
banner to hang in their school.
The Coins for Cupcakes event and the winning school and
classrooms will be featured in The Newnan-Times Herald.
Students will learn that helping others can be fun and
rewarding, and students, parents, and grandparents will have
the opportunity to help older adults who desperately need
home delivered meals. The waiting list for Meals on Wheels
grows longer each day – nearly one-third of the persons who
qualify for Meals on Wheels cannot be served because of lack
of money and volunteers. Please help the Council on Aging
serve these much needed meals by participating in Coins for
Cupcakes.
The Knightly News
Page 3
DIVERSITY PROGRAM
DIVERSITY:
A CENTURY OF LIFE, HISTORY & CULTURE
Since February, 2002, Arnall Middle School has
been proud to present its Annual Diversity
Program; this year’s theme is “Diversity:
A
Century of Life, History, & Culture”. The program
is held during African American History Month
each year and is scheduled for Friday, February
27, at 8:45 a.m., in the school’s gymnasium. The
goal of the Diversity Program is to provide an
opportunity to reflect and celebrate our cultural
uniqueness, but more importantly, recognize how
we connect, one with the other, no matter the
cultural differences.
Students from all grade levels and various
cultures will participate in the program. We are
honored that the Arnall Middle School Chorus
under the direction of Robin White, will be a
feature.
We will hear from a phenomenal
speaker, Christian Lawson, a 9th grader at Atlanta
Adventist Academy who has met challenges in his
life, however, perseveres.
A reception for our participants and guests,
prepared by parents and staff, will be held
immediately following the program.
Please join the Arnall Middle School family as we
celebrate our diversity!
ARNALL’S GOT TALENT
Congratulations to ALL of the performers in
the talent show held on January 26 at the
Centre for Performing and Visual Arts. You
did a spectacular job!
Pictured above are the winners of the 2015
Arnall’s Got Talent Show.
Left to Right:
1st place – Sophie Han for her
vocal solo of Girl on Fire by Alicia Keys
2nd place – Jalen Friday for his vocal solo of
When I Was Your Man by Bruno Mars
3rd place – Jeff Sangster & Andrew Gaillard
for their instrumental medley of AC/DC
songs.
Valentine’s Day Message
“We all should know that diversity makes for a rich tapestry,
and we must understand that all the threads of the tapestry are
equal in value no matter what their color.”-Maya Angelou
GEORGIA ALL-STATE BAND
Congratulations to 8th graders, Allie Byrd and
Sam Pfliger and 7th grader, Paul Park. These
three outstanding students will perform and
represent Arnall Middle School in Athens, GA for
the 2015 Georgia All-State Band on February 26-28.
We sincerely hope that you will
celebrate
Valentine’s Day on
Saturday, February 14th. Please do
not send floral, candy, toy or balloon
deliveries to the school on Friday the
13th. We will not make any deliveries
to the students during the school day.
Students are not allowed to transport
glass vases or helium balloons on the
buses.
Page 4
The Knightly News
February
2
2-6
2
2
2
2
3
4
4
4
4
5
5
5
5
6-7
6-7
6
9
9
9
9
10
10
10
10
10
10
10
11
11
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
13
13
8th grade yearbook ad deadline
Severe Weather Preparedness Week
Academic Bowl competition @ Carrollton Jr. High
Drama Club, 3:30-5:00
Basketball—Evans @ Arnall, 4:45
Jr. Law Enforcement Academy, 6:30-8:00
Chorus Discount Card Kick-off
Select Chorus, 3:30-4:45
Basketball—Arnall @ SRMS, 4:45
Northgate cheerleader parent meeting, 6:30
7th percussion rehearsal only, 3:30-4:30
Scoliosis screening for 6th & 8th graders
7th band brass & bass clarinets rehearsal, 3:30-4:30
Art Club, 3:30-4:30
6th grade Honor Chorus, 3:30-4:45
6th district Honor Band at Flat Rock M.S.
6th Statewide Honor Chorus at UGA Tifton Campus
Basketball - Madras @ Arnall, 4:45
8th percussion rehearsal, 3:30-4:30
Drama Club, 3:30-5:00
Basketball - girls tournament at SRMS
Basketball - boys tournament at Madras
Heartbeat Club, 3:30-4:30
All-State Chorus hotel balance due, $140
Chorus Discount Card turn in date
Beta Club, 3:30-4:30
8th grade full band rehearsal, 3:30-5:00
Basketball - girls basketball semi-finals @ SRMS
Basketball - boys basketball semi-finals @ SRMS
Select Chorus, 3:30-4:45
7th grade percussion rehearsal, 3:30-4:30
Progress reports issued
7th full band rehearsal, 3:30-5:00
Arnall Ambassadors, 3:30-4:45
Knight Writers, 3:30-4:30
Art Club, 3:30-4:30
Basketball championship games
Jr. Law Enforcement Academy, 6:30-8:00 p.m.
Pajama Day for Special Olympics—$1.00
Last day for yearbook name-stamping
16-20 Mid-winter break
23 8th band percussion rehearsal, 3:30-4:30
23 Drama Club, 3:30-5:00
23 Academic Bowl, 3:30-4:30
23 Special Ed. Parent Workshop at Central/Werz, 5:30-6:30
24 Academic Bowl, 7:15-8:00 a.m.
24 Chorus discount card sales turn in day
24 Heartbeat Club, 3:30-4:30
24 8th grade full band rehearsal, 3:30-5:00
25 Select Chorus, 3:30-4:45
26-28 All-State Band trip to Athens
26 7th & 8th combined choruses rehearsal, 3:30-4:45
26 Knight Writers, 3:30-4:30
26 Northgate Parent Night, 6:15 p.m.
27 Diversity Program, 8:45 a.m.
27 Track & Field—1st day of tryouts
28 Science Olympiad Region Tournament at Northgate
MARCH
2
2
2
3
3
3
4
5-7
5
5
6
7
7
8
9
10
10
10
10
10
11
11
11
12
12
12
12
12
13
16
16
16
17
17
18
18
19
20
23-27
23
23
23
24
24
24
24
25
25
26
26
31
8th percussion rehearsal, 3:30-4:30
Academic Bowl practice, 3:30-4:30
Drama Club, 3:30-5:00
Chorus pre-festival @ Centre, 6:30-9:00
Academic Bowl championship at ECMS
8th grade full band rehearsal, 3:30-5:00
7th grade percussion rehearsal, 3:30-4:30
All-State Chorus to Athens
Art Club, 3:30-4:30
7th grade full band, 3:30-5:00
Collegiate Hat Day for Coins for Cupcakes, $1.00
7th grade full band rhearsal, 10:00-12 noon
8th grade full band rehearsal, 1:00-3:00
Daylight Saving Time begins
7th grade full band rehearsal, 3:30-5:00
School Council meeting, 7:30 a.m.
9 weeks exams - ELA
8th grade full band rehearsal, 3:30-5:00
Heartbeat Club, 3:30-4:30
Beta Club, 3:30-4:30
9 weeks exams - science
7th Band - large performance eval., 10:30 @ Centre
Select Chorus, 3:30-4:45
9 weeks exams - math
8th Band - large performance eval., 10:30 @ Centre
6th grade chorus rehearsal, 3:30-4:45
Knight Writers, 3:30-4:30
Track meet at ECMS
9 weeks exams - SS
9 weeks exams - connections
Drama Club, 3:30-5:00
Special Ed. parent workshop, 5:30 p.m. @ Central/Werz
FEA, 3:30-4:30
Track meet at ECMS, 4:30
Select Chorus, 3:30-4:45
7th & 8th grade chorus combined rehearsal, 3:30-4:45
Art Club, 3:30-4:30
Spring Dance, 4:00-6:00
Book Fair
Spring Pictures
Drama Club, 3:30-5:00
Georgia Milestone parent info meeting, 4:30 & 6:00 pm
Report cards issued
Georgia Milestone parent info meeting, 8:30, 10:30,
12:30, 2:30 & 4:30
Heartbeat Club, 3:30-4:30
Grovenstein field events at ECMS, 4:30
Select Chorus, 3:30-4:45
Grovenstein running events at ECMS, 4:30
Arnall Ambassadors, 3:30-4:45
Knight Writers, 3:30-4:30
Track meet at ECMS, 4:30
Looking ahead to April and May…
Spring Break …………………... April 6-10
Georgia Milestone Testing…..April 20-24
8th Grade Semi-Formal ……...May 1
Honors Day ………………….. …..May 14
8th GA Milestone Re-test……..May 20-21
Page 5
The Knightly News
Science Fair
Winners from our
First Name
Last Name
Place
Category list
Mya
Mollner
1st
Animal Sciences
Science Fair on
January 8th
Our first place
winners attended the
Coweta Co. Science
and Engineering Fair
on January 30th at the
Centre.
Trenton
McDaniel
2nd
Animal Sciences
Tia
Ingram
3rd
Animal Sciences
Ethan
Jordan
HM
Animal Sciences
Erin
Denton
HM
Animal Sciences
Amelia
Hennum
1st
Behavioral & Social Sciences
Carly
Krauth
2nd
Behavioral & Social Sciences
Zaire
Simmons
3rd
Behavioral & Social Sciences
Garrett
Liles
HM
Behavioral & Social Sciences
Courtney
Carrington
HM
Behavioral & Social Sciences
Saqita
Noor
HM
Behavioral & Social Sciences
Michael
Roth
1st
Biochemistry
Hannah
Ross
1st
Biochemistry
Maya
Wright
2nd
Biochemistry
Madison
Arsenault
2nd
Biochemistry
Tyler
Wolfe
1st
Cellular and Molecular Biology
Keelan
Grooms
2nd
Cellular and Molecular Biology
Hudson
Bryan
3rd
Cellular and Molecular Biology
Javon
Smith
3rd
Cellular and Molecular Biology
Skylar
Sheha
HM
Cellular and Molecular Biology
Ashna
Patel
1st
Chemistry
Elise
Harris
2nd
Chemistry
Taylor
Caprio
3rd
Chemistry
Julia
Hauser
HM
Chemistry
Sam
Waldron
1st
Engineering: Electrical & Mechanical
Liam
Dailey
2nd
Engineering: Electrical & Mechanical
Elmer
Berganza
3rd
Engineering: Electrical & Mechanical
Tevyn
Fudge
1st
Engineering: Materials & Bioengineering
Ethan
Bryant
1st
Engineering: Materials & Bioengineering
David
Balboa
3rd
Engineering: Materials & Bioengineering
Drew
Carson
3rd
Engineering: Materials & Bioengineering
Catherine
Ahn
HM
Engineering: Materials & Bioengineering
Hannah
Helm
1st
Environmental Management
Malcolm
Jordan
1st
Environmental Sciences
Paul
Park
2nd
Environmental Sciences
Nytasja
Sanders
3rd
Environmental Sciences
Jordan
Gardenour
3rd
Environmental Sciences
Jalen
Whisby
HM
Environmental Sciences
Austin
Reed
HM
Environmental Sciences
SPRING DANCE
Please allow your
students to stay after
school
for
the
Spring Dance on
March
20
from
4 : 0 0 - 6 : 0 0 .
Students planning to
attend must stay after
school and purchase
tickets between 3:30
and 4:00. They may
not leave and return.
Admission is $5.00
and concessions are
available
for
a
minimal charge.
Spring
Pictures
March 23rd
Continued on page 6
Page 6
The Knightly News
GEORGIA PARENT SURVEY
Science Fair Winners continued from page 5
The Georgia Parent Survey for the
2014-2015 school year is available
for parents to take online. The
survey will be open through
February 27, 2015.
First Name Last Name
Place
Category List
Emma
Elizabeth
Samia
ace
Trustin
Ballew
Seitz
Akbar
Pruitt
Brown
1st
1st
2nd
3rd
1st
Medicine & Health Sciences
Medicine & Health Sciences
Medicine & Health Sciences
Medicine & Health Sciences
Microbiology
Katie
Alexis
Ashlee
Gyeongtae
Birch
Matthew
Revoir
Estrada
Guy
Moon
Robinson
Allen
2nd
3rd
1st
2nd
2nd
3rd
Microbiology
Microbiology
Physics & Astronomy
Physics & Astronomy
Physics & Astronomy
Physics & Astronomy
Elyse
Madison
Jake
Lindsay
Mavery
Behrens
Maiden
Bronzi
Eggen
Grattan
1st
2nd
1st
1st
2nd
Plant Sciences
Plant Sciences
Computer Science
Earth and Planetary Sciences
Earth and Planetary Sciences
All Coweta parents are invited to
participate. You can complete the
survey for your child’s school using a
personal computer, smartphone or
iPad. The survey includes 20
questions about your child’s school,
and should take no more than 5 to 10
minutes to complete.
The survey can be found on the
Georgia Department of Education’s
website, at http://apps.gadoe.org/
schoolclimate/parents.nsf/
Survey.xsp.
For greater
convenience, go to the Coweta
County School System’s website at
www.cowetaschools.org, and click on
the Georgia Parent Survey link.
Ready for Cell Phones, Social Media, etc.: At What Age?
At what age should our kids be allowed to have their own cell phones? When is it appropriate for them to begin using
social media?
The overly simplistic answer:
Not before their early to middle teenage years.
Few kids have the maturity to handle the pressures of these privileges prior to adolescence. “Maturity” is the key word.
Since the stakes are so high, I encourage parents to take the following survey to see whether their kids might be ready.
Rate your answers from 1 to 5 for all the statements below. Total your score at the end.
1---------------2---------------3---------------4---------------5
Not at all
Absolutely
1. My child is respectful and fun to be around most of the time.
2. My child typically makes good decisions when he or she isn’t being watched.
3. My child takes responsibility for his or her poor decisions without blaming others.
4. My child believes that using technology is a privilege…not an entitlement or “right.”
5. My child understands that not everybody online is their “friend.”
6. My child completes chores and other responsibilities without needing to be nagged.
7. My child isn’t hooked on drama or gossip.
8. When I ask my child to turn off the TV, video game, etc. they do so without arguing.
9. My child handles conflict, teasing and other social trials without “falling apart.”
10. My child understands the risks of sharing too much information online.
Obviously, the higher the score, the more confident you can be that your child possesses the basic maturity required to
handle technology responsibly. If in doubt, err on the side of caution.
Thanks for reading! Our goal is to help as many families as possible.
by Dr. Charles Fay (www.loveandlogic.com)