Dear Pershing Families,

I am happy to report that Pershing is off to a GREAT start this school year.  Our students have settled into their Middle School schedules and routines with ease.  The changes we have made to our morning drop off procedures have helped immensely!  Thank you parents for your patience when dropping students off at school and when picking them up in the afternoons.  I have been asked by our bus drivers to remind you that 1) you may not park in the bus lane in the mornings when dropping off students.  (Busses are typically gone by 7:50 a.m.) and 2) in the afternoons you will most likely be blocked in by the busses if you park in the lot by the school offices.  Busses usually start arriving at Pershing around 2:15.  If you do find yourself blocked in you will not be able to leave until after the busses depart at around 2:55.

We are very close to providing parents access to your students on-line grade reporting.  Within the next few days you should receive an Alert Now message from me stating that your login IDs and pass codes are available for pickup.  We will have a table set up at Open House on 9-23-10 where you will be able to pick up this information if you cannot drop by the school before then.  Please wait until you get the Alert Now message before coming to school to get your student's login information.

A goal that I have for our Pershing Middle School students is for them to be involved.  Research shows that students who get involved and participate in school functions are more likely to both successfully complete school and ENJOY school.  Throughout this school year there will be a variety of activities in which your student can participate.  We will have a tailgate party at our first home football game on Sept. 16^th, there will be a sixth grade mixer in a few weeks, as well as a 7^th and 8^th grade dance.  Flyers are not an effective way for us to communicate so information regarding these events and many other upcoming events can be found on our web page, our Face book page, a Pershing Pipeline e-blast, or an Alert Now message will be sent.

Finally, thank you for all of the support you provide to Pershing.  Please consider joining the PTSA and making a donation to the Capital Campaign.  With the promise of PTSA support, Pershing has been able to add a multi-media presentation system in our cafeteria.  We are using this system EVERY day to provide important announcements to our students.  Thank you PTSA and thank you parents for your contributions. 

Regards,

Dr. Natalie Cauldwell

R.E.A.D. stands for Reading for Enjoyment And Discovery.  Mrs. Burt's students began the year with some comprehension and strategy lessons.  They will also be forming Book Clubs, and starting Independent Reading Conferences.  Please ask your child to share with you about the book he or she is reading.  Parents are encouraged to help their children remember to read at least thirty minutes a night.  Parents and students may also check Mrs. Burt's website R.E.A.D. Website for more details about what is happening in R.E.A.D.

VOYAGERS TEAM

The new school year is always such an exciting time with new routines, responsibilities, and relationships. The dust is beginning to settle as we're all getting accustomed to the middle school way of life, and we have a few tips to keep things running smoothly on our team. 

·        Encourage good study habits by checking your child's assignment guide each night.  You should be seeing homework assignments in Math and Communication Arts (aka English), and study guides for Science and Social Studies.  We urge students to always do assignments on the night they are assigned, rather than the night before they are due.  You should also be seeing your child studying for weekly spelling and vocabulary tests in Reading class. 

·        Thank you for keeping up with our long list of school supplies!  Students need to bring a free reading book to every class, as well as pencil, paper, and folders for each class.  Staying organized and being prepared is the best way to succeed in 6^th grade. 

·        Check assignments and team news on the Voyager website!   

Voyagers Website

·        This year, students will be able to access their math, science, and literature books online!  Passwords and user names will be sent home soon.

·        We appreciate all of our parent volunteers!  If you are interested in volunteering in any way, be sure to pick up a volunteer form from us at Open House.

GREEN TEAM

The Green Team teachers would like to welcome all of you to the new school year.  We are looking forward to working with you to make your child's year a very meaningful and positive experience.  The teachers for the Green Team are Ms. Adams (Social Studies), Mr. Apperson (Algebra and Math), Mrs. Oelschlaeger (Communication Arts), and Mrs. Walker (Science).

     At the beginning of the school year, your child received a syllabus from each Green Team teacher and a copy of the "Green Team Policies".  Please review this information with your child.

Academically, Green Team students are preparing to study the French and Indian War in Ms. Adams's Social Studies classes.  Ms. Adams will take her Civics class students to pick-up trash along Lone Pine near Pershing occasionally throughout the year as a part of our Green Team's long-standing commitment to the Adopt-A-Street program.  Students must have a signed permission slip to participate in this activity.  Most of our students enjoy stopping at McDonald's on the way back to Pershing.

Mr. Apperson is working with both classes on solving problems and applying algebraic concepts to solving those problems.  He has the Holt Textbook PowerPoint notes on his webpage to help math students with notes and reviews.  The Unit Assignment sheets are also available which provide information for homework, quizzes, tests, and projects.

Mrs. Oelschlaeger's classes have completed the District's Edperformance testing and the District's Writing Assessment test.  Students will be writing poetry, creating heart collages, and reading short stories.

Mrs. Walker's classes will start the year studying the scientific process as well as applying the processes in labs.  Students will also be learning the basics of measurement and will begin working in labs with measurement tools to collect data and draw conclusions.  She encourages her students to stay organized and keep their science assignments to study for the tests.  Mrs. Walker continues to be very involved with cheerleading, pep club, and Science Olympiad.

     Realizing this is an extremely busy time of year, you might want to note the following dates.  Open House will be held Thursday, September 23^rd from 6-8 p.m.  We hope you will be able to attend.  Parent/Teacher conferences will be held during the first week of November.  Please contact Mrs. Oelschlaeger at 523-2508 or coelschlaeger@spsmail.org to schedule a meeting.  However, we are always available to discuss any questions or concerns you may have.  The Green Team's conference time is from 1:30-2:30 p.m.

     The main focus for us on the Green Team is the individual student.  Please help us make this the best educational year of your child's life.  We thank our PTSA and other Pershing community members for the support we continue to receive.  We sincerely appreciate everything you do.

PERSHING OPEN HOUSE
SEPTEMBER 23


5:30 - 7:00 Dinner
6:00 - 8:00 Meet the Teacher

Dinner - Cost $5.00
Pizza from McSalty's on Battlefield
Pasta Bar from Pasta Express
Salad
Roll
Brownie
Soda/Water

• Basket Raffle of awesome winnings
• Clothing Sales - get there EARLY
• PTSA Membership Drive
• Capital Campaign

ATTENTION PARENTS, FACULTY AND STUDENTS:

JOIN PERSHING PTSA...

Those who join will automatically be entered to win great prizes........I-Tunes cards, Springfield 8 Movie passes, Walmart gift cards, etc.  

The first 2 winners of the PTSA Membership Drive - Tanya Drees $25.00 American Express and Kendra Rodgers $25.00 Barnes & Noble Gift Cards! Congrats!

Every membership is included in drawings- Parents, Students, Faculty and Business Memberships - more drawings ahead so join now to be included. $5.00 Individual Memberships and $10.00 Corporate contact: ldunn@ymhgammon.com

Back by Demand for the 5th Year - Pershing Capital Campaign!

We hope to make the 5^th year of our Capital Campaign our biggest ever!  We have a very important project this year that will be beneficial to all the students and faculty of Pershing!  Our project this year is a new media communications unit located in the cafeteria.  It is a mounted projection unit and retractable screen.  This unit will be used for multiple purposes.  Every lunch hour students will be able to see all the announcements, meetings and events at Pershing, along with being able to watch pictures of what has been happening at Pershing.  It will also be used for Pershing staff meetings and other events that aren't easily located in other areas of the school. 

So, PLEASE CONTRIBUTE TODAY and help us reach our goal!