May/June 2013

Dear Parents,

It is difficult to believe that the school year is almost over. As I am sure this is a feeling shared by staff and parents alike, it has been a wonderful, exhilarating year and yet, we are all very much looking forward to the summer months to recharge our batteries before next fall. While the end may be insight, we do still have a number of events planned prior to the close of school.

They include:

Important summer dates for incoming 6th graders:

8/20, 8/21 and 8/22                              6th Grade Locker Practice
8/26, 11:00 am                                     6th Grade Orientation

(More information will follow in our summer letter)

Mr. Matthew Mehler, our new JGMS Assistant Principal

It is with great excitement that I welcome Mr. Matthew Mehler to our JGMS community as our next Assistant Principal. Mr. Mehler has devoted the last 15 years to educating and working with middle school children. Currently, he serves as the middle school Social Studies Department Head in the Lexington Public Schools, a position he has held since 2001. Prior to working for the Lexington Public Schools, Matt taught in the Boston Public Schools and spent two years as a middle school teacher on Saipan. Matt holds a B.A. in Geography from the University of Delaware, a M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction from Northeastern University and is currently pursuing his doctorate at Northeastern.

Described by his current colleagues as a role model for inclusive leadership, a great listener and a creative problem-solver, Matt carries a wonderful reputation as an educational leader with a profound understanding of instruction and the needs of middle school children. As one colleague stated, "Matt is a natural at building relationships with kids and staff. He has seamlessly melded the cultures of two very different schools and has served as an exemplar for other department heads to follow". Another colleague stated, "Matt's best shines in difficult situations. He is a consummate professional with a great sense of humor. He is kind, intelligent, transparent, organized, sincere, and hardworking without any showboating. He collaboratively identifies needs through conversations with teachers and parents, asks questions, confronts issues head-on and is a clear, thoughtful communicator".

After an extensive search and vetting process, Mr. Mehler clearly rose to the top of a very competitive field of candidates. While his official start date is not until July 1st, Matt is already working with Peter Chapman and me. This collaboration will continue over the next few weeks and into the summer to ensure a smooth transition.

A Skill Center Cometh

Beginning next September, I am proud to announce that we will have a skill center at JGMS. This skill center will provide targeted instruction for students, who have been identified by teachers and staff as having a significant need in a particular skill or content area. While there will be a focus on Mathematics for the 2012-2013 school year, this emphasis will not be at the exclusion of other essential skills, such as writing. In short, we understand there are needs across the curriculum and while some students may struggle in just one, it is more common for students to be found struggling across the board. The center falls under the direct leadership of Deborah Sakelakos, the Director of Student Achievement, and will initially be staffed with one teacher and one teaching assistant. We are currently looking at creative ways to utilize National Honor Society tutors and are pursuing grants to potentially hire retired teachers and additional instructors.

Students, who have been identified through student achievement data, including, but not limited to MCAS scores, class grades, and teacher recommendations, will be scheduled into the skill center in lieu of an enrichment block and/or in lieu of an exploratory course. Much of this work will be completed over the summer and will continue on through next year. Please know that our desire is to identify students early in their struggles and transition students in and out of the skill center based on the individual child's needs. If a student is placed in the skill center for a semester, it is possible that the student may excel past the need for extra support and will be placed back in an exploratory class or enrichment for the second semester.

This program will continually evolve with the school's needs and I am very appreciative of everyone's support as we launch this new endeavor in September.

Principal's Accolades

Strong Performances by JGMS Students in MA Destination Imagination Competition at the Global Finals.

The Middle School team, The Mirror Monsters from JGMS took 3rd in Middle Level Twist-O-Rama. In their sixth appearance at the finals, they too first overall or weight held ratio with a score of 100.53 (lbs held/grams of structure with a total of 900 bonus pounds). This team was made up of: Jacob Bossi, Da-Jin Chu, Ben Oleksinski, Ethan Graf, Michael Richard and Eamon Garrity

The Middle School Team, the Technicolor Panda Stars from JGMS in their first appearance at Global Finals, took 30th out of over 1500 teams world-wide that competed in Middle level in the Zone. This is an excellent showing considering that the Middle Level in the Zone is widely regarded as the most technical challenge within the most competitive level. This team was made up of: Vinayak Sharma, Michael Chen, Calvin Thomas, Nikhil Malrani and Jared Rennich.

Congratulations to all participants!

You Be The Chemist Challenge

Congratulations to Zamir Merchant for being this year's Massachusetts state champion! He will represent JGMS and Massachusetts in the national You Be the Chemist Challenge in Philadelphia in June. Congratulations should also be given to Savannah En for second place, Gus Weidey for third place and Da-Jin Chu for fourth place. Great job, Zamir, Savannah, Gus and Da-Jin (and Ms. Ferri)!

Safe Homes

Sign Up For Bedford's SAFE HOMES

The Safe Homes program is a support network for Bedford parents with children in grades 6-12 who are concerned about alcohol and drug use at pre-teen and teen parties and gatherings.

Through Safe Homes, we are encouraging parents of Bedford middle school and high school students to make a pledge that they will provide a safe environment for youth when they have parties or gatherings in their homes - safe from alcohol, drugs, firearms and other hazardous items.

The names of those who make the pledge will be included in the Safe Homes Directory - including the grade level of their children, address and telephone number. The Directory is mailed only to those who have made the pledge. If you made the pledge last year, your name will remain in the directory, with an update to your childrens' grade levels, unless you request that it be removed.

If you have not already done so, you are encouraged to join the Safe Homes Program and make it clear that you are committed to providing a safe environment for teen parties and gatherings.

You can sign up online for Safe Homes by going to our website www.bedfordma.gov/youth. Go to the Prevention Services link and click on the box that says Sign Up Online. You can also download the Safe Homes flyer and pledge form and mail it to Bedford Youth & Family Services, Town Center, 12 Mudge Way, Bedford, MA 01730

Let's join together to keep all our youth healthy and safe.

For more information or questions about the Safe Homes Program please call Jessica Wildfong, Prevention Services Coordinator at 781-275-7727 ext. 262.

Library News

Battle of the Books

Photos of our 6th graders decorate the halls showing them designing posters, donning hats, creating raps and dressing up as characters from the novels. They've all been reading lots and lots of books. Some students have actually read all 10 books from the list in about two months! During the program a total of 1,023 books were checked out of the library by our 6th graders.

Students participated in classroom battles to determine who would compete in the final battle between the yellow and orange teams that was held in the library on May 30th.
All remaining 6th graders watched the event in classrooms via the school's Intranet.

When the contest came to an end, Read O in Tuxedoes from 6-10 had triumphed. Robert Pare, Mason Schalick, Aidan Engelt, Andy Xu, Ryan Richard, and Niko Manning earned the pizza party for their learning group to happen during their lunch block on June 6th.

Tim Green, the author of Football Genius, one of the books on our reading list, visited JGMS on April 25th. This was Tim's 3rd visit to our school and he remains popular with all. He is a fierce advocate for reading and delivers his message in a dramatic way. Tim is a former pro football player for the Atlanta Falcons and popular author of both children and adult books.

Global Literature Circles with Web 2.0

7th graders selected one book from a list of eight titles as part of Global Lit. They watched tantalizing book trailers created with Animoto, discussed essential questions inMoodle, created posters with Popplet, and skyped with authors from around the world.

Global Literature Circles with Web 2.0 is an initiative to get kids to think globally. Students engage in their own learning by assuming varied roles that promote reading, writing, and listening skills. Reading multicultural fiction, students allow books to throw open undiscovered worlds. Using technology that speaks to toady's digital natives, we connect the two parts.

8th Grade Essays and Speeches

Ms Stephen and Ms Bemis directed students to utilize Gale Opposing Viewpoints in Context from Infotrc Databases to research information for persuasive speeches.

Summer Reading 2013

You'll find the recommended summer reading list for 2013 on the JGMS website.

Summer Reading Program 2013

Students who wish to participate in Fall Conversation Café, and participate in a September book discussion should read Wonder by R. J. Palaccio if an incoming 6th graders or Colin Fischer by Ashley Edward Miller & Zack Stentz for 7th and 8th graders.

When students return in the fall, they will gather in the library and share ideas.

PS.
Bedford has been a wonderful community.
I've enjoyed working and learning from colleagues and students during the past 19 years.
As I look back over my long tenure here at JGMS, I will have many marvelous memories to take with me as I begin retirement.
Thank you.

Joan Collins
Teacher/Librarian

From the Health Office

Reminder: please send in a physical for your 6th grade student if you haven't done so. I will need them for the immunization report due in September.

Plan ahead for fall sports. A physical is required for participation, and is valid for 13 months.

Students who require medications, including inhalers and epipens, must submit new forms at the beginning of each school year. Forms are available in the health office and will be mailed out in June to students currently taking meds. These forms should be completed by the physician and the parent, and returned to the nurse with the medication the first week of school.

Please call with any questions.

Have a wonderful, and safe vacation.

Carol Eaton, RN 781-275-3165

8th Grade News

Now that the MCAS testing is finally over, our attention is now focused on our end of the year activities as the school year comes quickly to a close.

We would like to take this opportunity to honor the 197 members of the 8th grade class and offer our warmest wishes for a well-deserved summer vacation and a smooth transition to the high school. Finally, we thank you for your ongoing support and kind gestures throughout this academic year.

Academic Recognition Night

During this annual recognition assembly, we paused and paid tribute to individual academic accomplishments whether it be for an impressive academic record over three successive years or by achieving a perfect attendance record. We also acknowledge individual performance within the various academic and unified arts disciplines. On May 21st, 2013, one hundred members of the eighth grade class, by invitation, received recognition for their outstanding work.

Special thanks goes to Mrs.Stephen and Ms. Bemis for organizing the evening.

Washington D.C. Trip

This year's Washington D.C. trip proved to be one of our best, as 182 members of the class enjoyed the various sites in and around our nations' capitol. The students were well behaved and represented JGMS with class and dignity. A great time was had by all!

A special thank you to our chaperones, Mr. Casey, Mr. Nagle, Mr. Glynn, Officer Waite, Mr. Georgopoulos, Mr. Norling, Mrs. Stephen, Ms. Bemis, Mrs. Daley, Mrs. Berinato, Ms. Copenhaver, and Mrs. Marchesini, our parent nurse for making this trip possible.

We would also like to recognize Green Team students Mary Manning, Vinnie Dee and Grey Team students Nicole Kennedy and Zack Stevens for being selected by their teachers to represent JGMS at a wreath laying ceremony held at Arlington National Cemetery at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers.

Key End of the Year Dates:

Monday, June 10th                         8th grade visit to Bedford High School
Wednesday, June 19th                  Moving On-Ceremony (Held at BHS) and Dance (Held at JGMS)
Thursday June 20th                       Canobie Lake Trip
Friday, June 21st                           Last Day of School!

7th Grade News

All of the Navy and Purple teachers have enjoyed teaching your children this year and we know they have worked hard this year in all of their classes. We also thank you for all of the support you give your children every day in helping them to be such great students and citizens of JGMS. We will celebrate the year with a fun field trip to Kimball Farms in Westford on Tuesday June 18th. Permission slips and information about the trip have been sent home and will be due back on Monday June 3rd.

Transition Day at JGMS will be on June 10th. The 7th grade students will learn what team they will be on for 8th grade and also get a chance to meet the 8th grade teachers.

Here is how the school year is ending in each of the content classes:

Social Studies

In Social Studies students have finished learning about Ancient Greece, with a focus on the early Minoan and Mycenaean civilizations and the beginning of city-states. Students began by learning about the geography of Greece around the Aegean Sea. They have learned about the different types of government that led to the democracy of Athens and the culture of ancient Greece, as well as a comparison of two city-states, Athens and Sparta. Students in Mr. McGonagle's and Ms. Hammer's classes combined to research and present information about the culture and contributions of Ancient Greece. Students have begun the last unit of the year, Ancient Rome, looking at how Rome was started, the early government systems of Rome, and the rise of Julius Caesar as dictator. The unit will culminate with an essay focusing on how Ancient Rome continues to influence Western Civilization today.

Science

Students have completed their Genetics unit learning about genes, DNA, mutations on chromosomes, and have looked into some genetic disorders on the 23 human chromosomes. We are now learning about Charles Darwin's Voyage around the world in the 1800's and the Galapagos Islands where he formulated his ideas about how species form. Next unit is classifying organisms and we end the year with a short survey on the 11 Human Body Systems.

English

Our unit that includes defining utopia through reading Lois Lowry's The Giver has been very successful. 7th Graders have been extremely insightful during class discussions. Students will expand their knowledge of Ancient Greece in our final unit, Greek Mythology. Students will read the novel Quicksilver by Stephanie Spinner. This novel presents an overview of Greek mythology that is well-written, fun and fast-paced. In addition, students chose from a myriad of book projects for the end of the year final project. Students have shown amazing growth in writing skills and interpretive reading this year. We look forward to ending on a positive note.

Math

7th Grade Pre-Algebra students are working on their box projects which will be due in early June. They just completed a unit on Probability which culminated with a fun "Deal or No Deal" game. We will finish the year with the unit on Algebra. This unit will help prepare your child for next year's Pre-Algebra or Algebra course. We will conclude this unit with a test in the middle of June. 7th Grade Math also recently completed a unit on Probability. The unit included "Deal or No Deal", "Skunk", and "Release the Prisoners." Be sure to ask your child about these fun games. They will be covering an introduction to Algebra in June with a test in the middle of June.

Did you know?
Kids Lose One to Three Months of Learning
According to a findings in a study by Dr. Harris Cooper, professor of psychology at the University of Missouri-Columbia, when students return to school after a long summer vacation, they've lost one to three months worth of learning!
Kids Lose Most in Math
The decline is more detrimental for math than it is for reading. "All students lose math skills," says Cooper. It may be because community and home environments give kids more opportunities to practice reading than math.
What You Can Do
"Parents can help their kids retain educational skills," says Cooper. Before the end of the school year, your child will be given an IXL user ID and password. Your child can practice problems over the summer so that they don't lose the valuable material that they learned this year. Even 20 minutes of IXL practice a day (4-5 times per week) will give your child a head-start in his/her next year's math class. For students who are moving from 7th Grade Math to Algebra, this practice will be even more important as they will be given IXL units to practice which will fill in any gaps that they may have from not taking the full Pre-Algebra course.

6th Grade News

General Announcements:

Student of the Month:
Congratulations to Connor Stephen for earning the distinction of April's Student of the Month on the Orange Team. Connor is an extremely hard working student who brings great enthusiasm to class. His sense of humor and friendly manner is an asset to every environment he enters. Congratulations to Connor!

The Yellow Team would like to congratulate Madison Cohen on earning April's Student of the Month award. Madi's dedication to her school work and positive attitude among classmates is to be admired. We would also like to congratulate Omar Karim Al-Adhami on earning the Student of the Month award for May. Omar's hard work and effort are to be admired by his peers. We applaud both Omar and Madison for their effort and tenacity. Congratulations, to both!

School Newspaper: Please check out the latest issue of our school newspaper, The John Glenn Journal. It is posted on the JGMS website and is chock full of interesting articles.

Curriculum Updates:

Math: In math, the Yellow Team is happy to have successfully completed the Grade 6 MCAS Math test. We are finishing up our Units on Geometry and Measurement and will be previewing Integers in preparation for next year.

English: In English, the Yellow Team is wrapping up the year with our short story unit. We have read some famous short stories, and, now, students have begun to develop the components of their own short stories. Students choose their own topics and genres in this unit, so the final products range from realistic interpersonal narratives to werewolf/zombie thrillers. This makes for a gripping grand finale to the year! It has been a great year in English, and I wish everyone good luck in 7th grade

In English, Orange Team students recently finished reading The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis. We now understand how to look for subtext while reading and know that authors often include ideas they would like for us to think about beyond the obvious storyline. We are shifting gears to begin our poetry unit. In this unit we will be reading poetry as well as creating our own poetry mini-anthology. We are looking forward to digging deep into our creative reserves to share our thoughts about the world around us in poetic form!

Social Studies: Do you know the story of the Afghan Girl? Your students do! Ask them to share it with you.

We are examining the different regions of Asia with a focus on specific countries in each region. As we looked at the Afghanistan we learned about the struggle of the Afghan people and how one famous photograph brought International attention to their plight.

World religions have been an important focus for us this term. So far students have studied Islam, Judaism, Christianity and Hinduism. We will finish the year by learning about Buddhism.

SOS (Student Owned Strategies): Literature Circles concluded prior to April vacation. Students engaged in small group discussions about the characters, plot, and setting(s) of the novel they read. Each group demonstrated their understanding of the content by producing a culminating project.

The Battle of the Books program was a great success! Many students read quite a few, if not all ten, of the books. Students took part in classroom trivia "battles" on May 23rd. One team from each L.G. went on the final "battle" where ten teams competed. Congratulations, "Reading in Tuxedos," from the Yellow Team!

The Extended Book Project will take us to mid-June and then all 6th grade students will participate in end-of-the-year activities.

Science: With the Chemistry unit behind us, we have begun our investigation into Physics. We spent a lot of time discussing motion and how to describe how an objected moves. This led us into using some basic algebraic equations to calculate speed, velocity, and acceleration. We then used our knowledge of motion and speed to explore Position-Time Graphs. A highlight of the unit thus far was the visit from four MIT students who study astronauts' space suits. They spent the day with the students, sharing how their physics knowledge helps them in the research they do.

We will conclude our unit (and the year!) with a brief look at Newton's Three Laws of Motion. We will be building balloon powered cars and participating in an egg drop in the last few weeks of school.

Spanish News

Spanish 6
This spring students have made big progress in Spanish grammar. We finished unit 2 lesson 1of Avancemos 1a. As students finish 6th grade, they are mastering many new concepts. They are able to write a paragraph describing themselves, a friend or a relative. They can also say what they like or do not like to do as well as what they have to do. They can describe their schedules, school subjects, and classroom activities and they can describe frequency of events. Our 6th grade students should be proud of all their accomplishments in Spanish and feel confident for the next academic year.

Spanish 7
In grade 7 Spanish we are finishing our unit based in Puerto Rico with a chapter on weather, the seasons, and the rainforest. It includes saying how people are feeling using tener idioms, numerous weather expressions and seasonal clothing, and saying what is happening now. This spring the students also completed a four-paragraph letter with many details about a typical day and activities they like to do.

Spanish 8
In 8th grade Spanish we are currently focusing on the preterite tense to describe past activities. We are studying the preterite of both regular and irregular verbs. We also are learning to use superlatives in Spanish to talk about extremes. Our cultural context continues to be Spain and we continue to study various traditional foods of Spanish cuisine, such as tapas and paella valenciana.

French News

In French 6 we are finishing up our ER verbs as we complete lecon 7. We are currently working on Voki's (animated characters) using alot of the vocabulary and grammar we have studied this year. Please ask your students to show you their three characters! We have also been studying various mneumonic devices such as rhymes and songs that help us recall information.

In French 7 we are finishing up lecon 17 which covers primarily clothing vocabulary and verbs such as to wear and to buy. We just ha a fashion show last Friday where groups presented their collections in French with models and a runway! The students did a great job!

In French 8 we are finishing up with the past tense (passé composé) and now looking at reflexive verbs in the present and past tenses. Students will be narrating and acting out daily activities and routines in class using these new verbs. We have finished our last of three French films "Au Revoir Les Enfants" for the year much to the disappointment of the students.

Tech Ed News

In the 7th grade, students have been working on technical drawings. In the technical drawing unit of instruction, students are working on orthographic projection drawings. While working on a number of sketching problems, students continue to develop skills to communicate designs in the language of engineers.

In the 8th grade, students have been working on a board game design challenge. While working in small groups, students design, build, and test a prototype board game. Currently, students are building a prototype game. When students have completed the prototype game, the product will be played by the designers in order to test the project.

Best wishes for a restful and fun summer.

Mr. Ruscito

Art News

As the Art Department wraps up another successful year, we'd like to thank the parents who have been amazing supporters of the arts in the Bedford Public Schools. While many schools have had to chip away at their arts programming, Bedford remains fast and steady in holding on to art, music, and theater for our children. Time and again studies show how deeply important the arts are for learning and developing critical and creative thinkers. We are proud to be doing our part, here in the JGMS art department!

New for next year will be a change in the name of our elective offerings. We are excited at the possibilities our "Explorations in Visual Art" will be able to offer. Stay tuned for more detailed information about these electives and rest assured that additional enrichment opportunities in the arts is a wonderful thing for your children!

All students who have taken art classes will be bringing home art projects in the upcoming final days. Please ask your son or daughter to show you what they have been doing in art, and to explain some of the processes to you. This reinforces the work we do here, and you might learn something new as well! Paintings, block printing, collage, murals, etc, etc, all coming home! Themes relating to contemporary artists, Pop Art, computer graphics, ceramics, all coming home! We encourage all students to bring their artwork home, of course, but not all work actually makes it there! Hopefully, you will see some of their finest!

Have a great summer, buy a sketchbook, draw the things and people around you, visit a museum, and remember that art is everywhere! Enjoy!

Candy Banks
Paul Harrington
JGMS Visual Arts

Music News

Sixth grade music classes are finishing up their units on guitar and piano, and turning in their final projects on music history. In seventh grade, theater arts students are presenting their monoloques from dramatic and comic movies, which have been very entertaining. There's a lot of talent at JGMS!

Teachers and students in the performing ensembles have been gearing up for their final concerts this month. The Band and Orchestra students will be performing on Wednesday, June 5th, at 7 pm in the JGMS Auditorium. Students should wear regular black and white concert dress, and arrive at the time designated by their directors, Mrs. O'Toole, Mr. Felker and Mr. Maffa. Joining the 6th grade groups and 7th/8th combined groups will be Evan Grunwald's Guitar Ensemble and Mrs. Budka's Jazz Band. It's going to be a great concert - come on down!

On Tuesday, June 4th, the Chorus students will present an evening of vocal music, at 7:30 pm in the JGMS auditorium. Note the delayed start time, due to the annual traffic challenges in Bedford Center during and after the Prom Stroll. All are welcome, and the auditorium is air-conditioned! Contact Mrs. Budka, Mr. Felker or Ms. Faulstich with any questions.

Members of the 8th grade Chorus will be singing a selection from their repertoire during their Moving On ceremony on June 19th.

The final opportunity for all to share their performing arts talents is at the annual last-day-of-school variety show. Students interested in performing should sign up with Mrs. Budka in the music room. There are no formal rehearsals for this event, but time is offered after school to use the stage and audio equipment to prepare. Assistance can be arranged for those who would like to put a group together to sing, dance or share an interesting talent. See Mrs. Budka or Mr. Harrington for more details.

Notes from the Gifted and Talented and Differentiated Instruction Program

MathCounts News
Congratulations to all MathCounts students at JGMS and all students who joined us in solving problems for the Collaborative Problem Solving Contest! We scored 22nd this year and were once again the top middle school in the country! Our performance is particularly impressive as our competition is largely high school students (including Bedford High School students, who placed 2nd this year!) Also, this year the Lowell Sun picked up the story!

The Collaborative Problem Solving Contest is our final and favorite competition of the year. This competition consists of 15 problems, most with multiple parts. Each problem is worth 12 points, divided equally among the parts. The problems tend to be very puzzle-like, and can sometimes incorporate mathematics beyond what we are capable of doing. This year included problems that involved placing mirrors, vampires, ghosts, and humans in rooms to follow a set of logical rules, solving a self-referential quiz, finding paths through flower gardens, and creating our own math competition. A lot of these are tough, but possible for any student to begin to play with. The pure logic skills and determination of some of our students was truly amazing.

Students at JGMS work together on the CPSC over the course of a week. In the end, we submit one solution sheet as a school. This year, students in MathCounts and many other students collaborated to solve the problems. Many even stayed after school for two hours on the Friday before break to finish off our answers!

N.E.R.D.S
The last Neglected Empires Redirect Distinct Significance meeting was on card games. We had a great time exploring new card games and trying to figure out strategies. The next (and final) meeting will be Tuesday, June 18th. We will be watching Get Smart (the original television show). My apologies to parents who may spend the entire summer hearing "would you believe..." and "missed it by that much!" For those students who need a little convincing, Get Smart was intended as a spoof that combined Inspector Clouseau and James Bond – and it was created in part by Mel Brooks. If they don't know about Mel Brooks, then, again, I apologize to parents for opening that can of worms. Sorry about that, Chief.

Advanced Math Pull-Out Classes
The 6th grade advanced math class has been working on geometry. They will be finishing off their unit and moving on to probability soon. 7th graders are working on lines and graphs of lines, with an algebra focus. They will investigate how linear equations are set up and how they relate to graphs, then explore some aspect of linear equations in a project. Many students seem interested in how to express a linear equation for a three dimensional coordinate plane. 8th grade students tackled some challenging quadratics problems in May, have just finished a unit on radical expressions and equations, including trigonometric ratios, and are now being doing rational functions.

National Language Arts League
Many 6th and 7th grade students competed in the National Language Arts League, a competition that asks questions on spelling, vocabulary, grammar, reading comprehension, and more. These competitions are particularly challenging – I typically do not get them all correct! The 7th grade did particularly well this year – we scored 2nd in the nation! Our top scorer, Michael Vaughan, was also a national top scorer. Our 6th graders did almost as well, scoring 6th nationally! We are immensely proud of how well our students do on this competition.

Spelling Bee
The JGMS Spelling Bee will take place after school on June 13th. Anyone is welcome to come watch. The students are selected to participate through a classroom qualification round. Approximately 60 students are then invited to spell in the final Bee. The Bee will be in the auditorium; we hope to see you there!

Out of School Resources
Summer HSSP at MIT: http://esp.mit.edu/learn/HSSP/index.html
Summer HSSP is an incredibly inexpensive opportunity to learn about really interesting things not typically offered at other summer programs. Registration opens June 16th, and programming runs on Sunday from July 7th to August 18th. This is not a summer camp, but it is a great way to add some exciting learning to the summer.