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APRIL 23, 2010
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Issue No. 7
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2120 S. Ventura
Springfield, Missouri 65804
417-523-2400
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UPCOMING EVENTS:
April 27 - Track Meet @ JFK - 3:15
April 28 - Mid 4th Quarter
May 5 - Track Meet - Kickapoo - 3:15 (A&B only)
May 11 - Orchestra Spring concert & awards- Pershing gym - 7:00
May 12 - Track Meet - All-City @ JFK - 1:00 field, 1:15 track
May 13 - Spring Cook Out - 3 - 4 pm
May 14 - 7th & 8th grade All-City Orchestra Festival @ Evangel and SDC trip
May 18 - Band Spring Concert - Pershing gym-
6:00 - 6th grade
7:15 - 7th & 8th grades
May 19 - Retirement Reception for Mr. Corn - Pershing Library - 3 - 5 pm
May 20 - 7th grade Band contest @ Evangel
May 21 - 8th grade Band contest @ Evangel
May 21 - 6th grade Orchestra Festival @ Drury
May 22 - 8th grade party - Chesterfield Family Center - 8 - 11 p.m.
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Greetings!
I was sitting at a track meet last week when a parent
tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Hey, Martha, just 30 and a half days of
school left...in case you're counting." I
had to chuckle-my own daughters are on summer countdown, too. I am sure your kids as well. The rest of the school year truly will fly
by.
I have to say a huge thank you to Shannon Nagy, Denise
Overton, and Holly Lambert for coordinating MAP test snacks. Thanks, also, to ALL of you who
donated!!!!! We ended up exceeding our
goal, but we were pretty nervous for awhile!
Once again, the Pershing families really came through. We were able to provide a healthy snack for
EVERY child on EVERY day of testing...with nearly 700 students, that's quite a
feat! Shannon did a little quick math
and figured that nearly $1,000 was spent on snacks. Thank you, thank you, thank you! The teachers have indicated that the snacks
really helped with the stressful MAP testing period, and I am so proud, once
again, of the efforts of Pershing volunteers.
Speaking of wonderful Pershing volunteers, there are a
number of 8th grade parents who will be leaving the school forever
this year. I started to list them by
name, but I got nervous that I would leave someone out. Suffice it to say, as this group of awesome 8th
graders leaves Pershing and heads for high school, we are saying good bye to a
number of former PTSA presidents, vice presidents, secretaries, treasurers, and
chairs of hospitality, 8th grade party, staff appreciation, Orientation,
and so much more. The contributions of
these parents have been huge; they will be missed. Thank you to all 8th grade parents
for your service to Pershing.
I want to take this chance to say a special thank you to
Alice Lunn, Kendra Rogers, Natalie Cauldwell and Shannon Nagy for being the
most amazing PTSA officers' board I could ever imagine. Alice, as Treasurer, you have managed the
PTSA finances beautifully. You have been
on top of every deadline-a cautious and dedicated steward of our money. I am so grateful for your wise advice, your
thoughtful insights, and your ability to manage a budget...just ask anyone who
knows me, that's not my strong suit!
Kendra, I cannot tell you how grateful I am that you agreed to serve as
secretary this year. Your advice and
friendship mean more to me than I can ever express. Thanks to Dave, too, for I know he played a small
part in the incredible minutes you provided each and every month. Dr. Cauldwell-what a treat to get to do this
with you again! When your name was
announced as Pershing's new principal, no one cheered louder than I. Thank you for your faith in PTSA and your
dedication to the kids of Pershing. We
are so lucky to have you as our principal!!!
Finally, to Shannon, what a blessing and joy it has been to get to know
you this year. You are an amazing mom
and an amazing leader. You have taken on
so much this year, and I will always be appreciative. I am delighted to turn the Pershing PTSA over
to your very capable hands. Finally,
thank you to all of the committee chairs and volunteers who have worked so hard
this year. Pershing PTSA is a real team
effort!
I want to tell you about two upcoming events-our PTSA
end-of-year luncheon on May 7th at 11:30 am at Twin Oaks Country
Club. Please join us! The cost is just $14 a person. Next, please encourage your kids to attend
our Spring Cook-out, a new event. It will be held on Thursday, May 13th,
from 3-4 at Pershing. The $3 ticket your
child purchases will include a hotdog, chips, soda, and music. We also hope to have the ice cream truck
there (for an additional charge.) This
will be a fun way to wrap up the school year, celebrate the end of the Track
season, and give the kids a chance to relax and eat! Tickets will be on sale at lunch the week of
the event and also at the door.
I am ALWAYS proud to tell people that my daughters
attend/attended Pershing. Thank you to
the teachers, staff, administrators, and parents who make this the BEST middle
school in Springfield.
Enjoy your summer...hope your countdown has begun!
Martha
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THANK YOU PERSHING PARENTS.....
for donating over 3,000 snacks for Pershing students during MAP testing!!
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FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Dear Pershing Families, What a big relief to have MAP
testing over with. I am happy to report
that our students took the test seriously and worked extremely hard. Thank you to our students for giving their
best efforts. The Pershing staff
appreciates you!! The Census Bureau has placed
some signage on Pershing property as a part of an effort to encourage high
levels of participation from Springfield residents in the 2010 Census. Please take the time to return the questions
that the Census Bureau sent to your household last month. An accurate and thorough census count
directly impacts school funding. Census
information is used to distribute more than $400 billion in federal funds to
local, state, and tribal governments each year.
In addition, census information is critical when determining locations
for medical services, improving schools, building roads, expanding public
transportation, and creating accurate maps for emergency responders. Even allocation of vital supplies, such as
influenza vaccines, is provided to local communities based on census counts. To keep costs low and help
the City of Springfield achieve a high mail-back response rate, everyone is
encouraged to mail back the form (postage-free) as soon as possible after
receiving the form. Census Bureau
workers will not need to visit households to collect the information if the
mail-back form is completed and returned by mail. As the year is winding down I
would just like to take the opportunity to let you know how much I have enjoyed
my first year at Pershing. I have
thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the Pershing students and their
families. Special thanks to this year's
PTSA executive board: Martha Crise, Shannon Nagy, Kendra Rogers, and Alice
Lunn. I have felt tremendous support through their leadership and am eternally
grateful. I am so excited to come to
work each day and to be a part of the Pershing School Community each day. It is a pleasure to serve you. Regards, Dr. Natalie Cauldwell
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Congratulations to the Star Generals for April!
The following students were chosen as Students of the
Month for their outstanding work and attitude in the classroom.
 Travelers Team - Allyson Smith
Voyagers Team - Jenna Sorensen
E-Corps Team - Brett Bell
PRIDE Team - Ben Grosser
Green Team - Megan Scott
Screaming
Eagles Team - Colton Abrams-Radford
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 FROM THE NURSE'S OFFICEDear
Parent/Guardian, Please
pick up your child's remaining medication in the health office between the
hours of 7:30 and 3:15 Monday-Friday.
All medications, prescription or over-the-counter, will be discarded on
the last day of school at 2:45 if they have not been picked up by an
adult. Please remember that students are
not allowed to carry their medication to and from school. NO medication will be released to a child to
transport home. Thank
you,
Melissa
Kite RN Rachel
Haynes RN 523-2430
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ACADEMIC RECOVERY NOTES
The Academic
Recovery class has been working diligently and achieving many goals set at the
beginning of the year. We've been using planners to help get more
organized. We've developed a system of organizing our notes for class and
homework, so things do not get misplaced. Percent of homework turned in
and attendance rates for the class are very high. Our test scores
improved from the beginning of the year to the middle of the year and we are
excited to see how they have improved since the January computer testing.
MAP Testing
has ended and it was a great time. One student was even overheard saying
"I love MAP Testing! I don't know why, but I do!" True Story!!!
Thanks to a
donation from Pete Herschend and Howard Fisk our class is able to attend World
Fest at Silver Dollar City on May 6th. Check the classroom
website and Pershing Facebook page for photos!
"With the
end of the year drawing near I just have to say what a great group of students
this has been and a great staff to work with. This is my first year at
Pershing and I hope to spend many more years here. I cannot wait to teach
summer school and meet my students for the 2010-2011 school year."
Mr. Sumner
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Summer
School Program at Pershing Middle School
Are
you in fifth grade*? Do you
like reading, games & movies? If so, Sumner school, I mean Mr.
Sumner's Summer School Class may be for you!
We're
going to be reading some of
the books which have been made into major motion pictures. We'll then
get
to pop some popcorn and watch the movie. We'll discuss what the
directors
left out or added and how we think we could have made the movie better!
Also
during the class we'll be
playing some math games as well as learning how to set up and use a
blog.
If
you are interested stop by room 230 and pick up a
registration form!
*class
is
open to current 5th and 6th grade students
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TRAVELERS NEWS
To help you keep track of what is going on with
the Travelers team be sure to visit
our website at:
Travelers Team
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Voyagers
Spring has sprung, along
with the MAP test! Thank you for all of
your support during MAP testing!
Attendance continues to be important, and we appreciate everything
you're doing to keep your kids motivated and ready for school each day! We have a lot of exciting things planned as
we move forward in our last quarter of 6th Grade. Mid-quarter falls in the last week of April,
and toward the middle of May, we will have our last round of online
assessments. As Spring Fever sets in,
it's more important than ever to keep checking those student planners and our
website for daily assignments. Remember,
3rd and 4th Quarter grades are averaged together to
create the 2nd Semester grade.
Spring
is also a good time to replenish school supplies! A lot of our students are in need of pencils,
paper, and new folders. Also, ask your
child about Voyager Points! Hopefully,
the things they need to do to keep them will carry over into your home as well!
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E-CORPS
Check out what's going on with the E-Corps Team here:
E-Corps Team
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PRIDE TEAMCheck out what's going on with the Pride Team here:
Pride Team
Pride teachers are running low on Clorox Disinfecting Wipes. If you'd like to make a donation, please send some with your child to school. Thank you very much!
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GREEN TEAM
We can hardly believe this school year is almost over! We have had a super year and want to thank
all of our students, their families, and our PTSA for the support we have
consistently received.
Since our MAP testing has been completed, we are now taking
our Edmin Performance tests in mathematics, communication arts, and reading.
Our Wilson's
Creek Battlefield field trip was fantastic!
This field trip is especially meaningful because Ms. Adams's current curriculum
is about the Civil War.
Mr. Apperson's math students will be studying Algebra,
proportions, and probability topics over the remainder of the school year.
In Algebra, students are studying polynomials and quadratic
equations. The Algebra End-of-Course
exam is May 12, 2010. It is important
for all Algebra students to do well on this district-wide exam as it will be a part
of students' final grade.
The Meteorology projects turned our really well in Mrs.
Walker's classes! Mrs. Walker was pleased
with all the hard work students demonstrated.
Students will be starting an astronomy unit soon. Also, students are especially excited and
looking forward to shooting off the rockets they build from kits towards the
end of the school year.
Mrs. Oelschlaeger's classes are reading The Adventures of Tom Sawyer in addition
to working on an in-depth study of Mark Twain.
We would like to encourage all 8th grade parents
to attend the Awards Assembly on Wednesday, June 2nd at 8:15 a.m. We hope to see you there.
We
hope you all enjoy the summer and wish all of our students the best in high
school.
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 Screaming Eagles Team News
Communication Arts - Mrs. Brown
The
rest of the school year in Eighth Grade Communication Arts class we will be continuing
our study of Mark Twain and his famous book, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. For more information about this unit
please check my website at http://springfieldpublicschoolsmo.org/pershing/middle/8thgrade/screaming-eagles/lbrown/
Thanks
for sharing your children with me. They
have been great to have in class. I hope
you have an enjoyable and relaxing summer!
Strategic Reading - Mrs. Brown
Fourth quarter in Strategic Reading
will be spent applying the comprehension strategies that we have learned to a
novel that will be read as a class. Students
will also continue to read a novel of their choice and write a response to
their reading every two weeks.
All of my students seem to have made
reading become more of a habit. I have seen
great strides in their ability to read a book from beginning to end, and at the
same time they appear to be enjoying their reading. This is quite an improvement. Many of my students told me that they did not
enjoy reading and had not completed a book in several years! Hopefully a life-long habit has been
formed! Please encourage them to
continue to read this summer!
Thanks
for giving me the opportunity to share in the education of your child!
Science - Mr. Davis
Students in Mr. Davis' science classes
will be finishing the year with an astronomy unit that includes building and
launching model rockets. Sometimes, science class is a blast!!
History - Mr. Baker
The Screaming Eagles will finish the
year with a Civil War test that will incorporate material from chapters 14 -
18. This is a two day final. Please make sure your child is at
school on the testing dates or makes arrangements to take the test prior to
planned absences. Thank you for a great year. Good luck in high
school.
Math & Algebra - Mrs.
Dorris
This is a reminder that Algebra
students going on to Geometry next year will be taking the End-of-Course Exam
for Algebra I on Wednesday, May 12, beginning right after homeroom. Please plan
to be here that day and reschedule any appointments for later in the afternoon.
The test should be concluded by noon. This grade will be 10% of the course
grade per district policy. Algebra students will be studying a unit on
factoring polynomials starting the week of April 27.
Math 8 students are studying an
algebra unit on graphing linear equations, followed by a unit on proportions
and similarity.
All students will be preparing for a
final with a teaching project to review concepts covered on the final exam.
It has been a real pleasure to get
to know our eighth graders this year and to have them in our classes. We wish
them all the best as they enter high school. Carpé diem-seize the day! Take
responsibility, work hard, and enjoy success!
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Music Departments
BAND
MUSIC/CHOIR
Our
Spring concert/awards ceremony will be Tuesday May 11th in the Pershing Gym.
The 6th grade and String Sensations will perform at 7:00 PM and the 7th and 8th
will perform at 7:30. Please plan to be
at this very special event!
Our
contests are coming up...here are the dates:
Friday
May 14th: 7th and 8th will participate
in the All-City Orchestra Festival at Evangel.
Our performance time is 8:45 AM in the chapel. After this we will go to Silver Dollar City
as a reward for all their hard work.
Chaperones are still needed.
Please call 523-2482 to reserve a spot!
Friday
May 21st: The 6th grade will participate
in the 6th Grade Orchestra Festival at Drury.
Our performance time is 11:30 AM.
We will then go to Incredible Pizza and return to school about
2:15. Chaperones are still needed for
this as well.
String Sensations
auditions will begin the week of May 17th.
Music will be available beginning the week of May 10th. Any 6th or 7th grader in orchestra may
audition. Please watch the website for
details!
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ATTENTION CLASS OF 2014
This year there
is
a brand new summer school class being offered for ½ credit at Glendale.
Any future Falcon that will be a 9th grader in the fall is
welcome
and encouraged to register. It will be held June 7-18 from 8:00-2:30
with
a 30 minute lunch break. This class will help you adjust to your new
high
school world; academically, socially and physically. We will be
learning
what teachers expect as well as becoming familiar with our new building,
taking
a field trip and becoming comfortable with ourselves and one another.
Learn about all the opportunities available in high school; clubs,
activities,
athletics... Your future is full of possibilities. Come join us this
summer so we
can help you soar~~~~~FLIGHT 14
See your middle school
counselor or call Mrs. White (523-8963) at Glendale for details and your
registration form.
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VOICES FROM THE MIDDLE
The following Pershing Middle School
students' writing or artwork has been selected to be published in Voices from the Middle. This is a book that is published yearly
by middle school students and will be sold at Barnes and Noble beginning on May
22. These Pershing published writers
and artists, along with other middle school students from the Springfield district, are invited to take
part in the book signing from
2-4 p.m. on this date. If you see these students, be sure to
congratulate them on this outstanding accomplishment!
Her Smile by
Remington Barbo Art by
Maggie Mack The
Thrills and Chills of Middle School by Cassidy Garling Art by
Sydney Young School by
Alex Delnevo Art by
Jake VanWeelden The
Simple Answer by Ben Reinbold Hope by
Blake Doran True
Beauty by Melanie Ewy It Starts
Today by Courtney Reese Art by
Keala Good Volleyball
by Aleena Yaktine Daddy's
Tears by Jessie Rogers Art by
Anne Marie Schudy
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Spring Cook Out
Thursday, May 13th
3-4 pm, at Pershing
All 6th, 7th, and 8th grade
students are invited to come and CELEBRATE the end of a great school year and a
great Track season.
Tickets are $3 and can be purchased at lunch the week of the
event...or at the door.
Your ticket includes a hot dog, chips, soda, and fun
music.
An ice cream truck will also be present...ice cream can be
purchased separately.
Don't Miss Out!
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Please join us as we celebrate
over 32 years in education
at a Retirement Reception for
SCOTT CORN
Wednesday, May 19
3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Pershing Library
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8th Grade Party
Saturday, May 22
8:00 p.m. - 11 p.m.
Chesterfield Family Community Center
2511 W. Republic Road
$3.00
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MAY/JUNE CAFETERIA MONITOR SCHEDULE
MAY:
3 - Caren Scott/Steve Knight
4 - Kathy Steinberg/Michele Osborn
5 - Caren Scott/Terri McNeil
6 - Teri Sewell/Cindy Timson
7 - Paula Ledgerwood/Debbie Larsen
10 - Denise Overton/Leslie Mullins
11 - Peg LePage/Rhonda McGinnis
12 - Debra Hardy/Eric Szewesyk
13 - Michelle Cook/Leslie Leigh
14 - Lynne Lee/Sarah Lewis
17 - Traci Ellis/Gary/Shandy Miller
18 - Kim Rutherford/Shannon Nagy
19 - Tonya Drees/Kim Reese
20 - Terri Sewell/Cindy Timson
21 - Lynne Lee/Sarah Lewis
24 - Denise Overton/Leslie Mullins
25 - Peg LePage/Rhonda McGinnis
26 - Debra Hardy/Erik Szewesyk
27 - Michelle Cook/Leslie Leigh
28 - Paula Ledgerwood/Debbie Larsen
JUNE:
1 - Kathy Steinberg/Michele Osborn
2 - Caren Scott/Terri McNeil
If you are unable to work your scheduled day, please find a substitute.
THANK YOU VOLUNTEERS!!
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