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DECEMBER 13, 2010
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2120 S. Ventura
Springfield, Missouri 65804
417-523-2400
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UPCOMING EVENTS:
Dec 14 - BAND Winter Concert - 7th, 8th, and Jazz Band - 7:00
Dec 15 - Boys Basketball vs Carver - 3:00 -
7th @ Carver
8th @ Pershing
Dec 16 - CHORUS Winter Concert - 7:00
Dec 20 - Boys Basketball vs Jarrett - 3:00 -
7th @ Pershing
8th @ Jarrett
Dec 23 - Jan 3 -
Winter vacation
Jan (dates determined later)-
2nd ANNUAL JEANS DRIVE for SPS Clothing Bank
Jan 4 - Classes resume
Jan 5 - Boys Basketball vs Hickory Hills - 3:00 -
7th @ Pershing
8th @ Hickory Hills
Jan 10 - Book Club - 3:00 - 4:00 - library
Jan 12 - Boys Basketball vs Study - 3:00 -
7th @ Pershing
8th @ Study
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Greetings!
Can it be December already? Each year seems to go by faster than the previous year, especially when things are running so smoothly. Thank you to all who have contributed time to the PTSA this year. We have some great volunteers!
Thank you to everyone who has donated to the Fund Drive. I am amazed by the bountiful gifts provided by Pershing families. We are HALFWAY to our goal and will continue to take donations throughout the year.
A special thank you to Pershing staff and teachers who joined PTSA. Congratulations to the four winners in our latest drawing:
Laurie Allen - 2 Hollywood Theater tickets
Brenda Abbott - 2 Blockbuster movie rentals
Katie Scholz - Ozark Mountain Gymnastics birthday party
Lisa Brown - Panera gift card
Unfortunately, Pershing PTSA will not be providing a student directory this year. With the change in the SPS registration program, the primary numbers for the directory are hard to determine. We want to err on the side of caution and not include a number that should not be printed. In addition, with many using cell phones and giving up their home phones, it is difficult to know which number to provide. Therefore, Pershing PTSA will furnish a separate form next year that is directory specific. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
Sincerely,
Shannon Nagy
PTSA President
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FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Dear Pershing Families,
Happy December!! I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving break. We passed the mid-second quarter point on December 1. Parents should get online to access their students grades as you will not receive a hard copy from the school. Some teachers will send home reports but it is not required. However, I have asked teachers to send parents of students receiving a "D" or an "F" in their class a report. If you have any questions about your student's performance please email his/her teacher. You may request a conference at any point in the school year.
Our student council recently hosted a very successful "Winter Wonderland" dance and fun night for 7th and 8th grade students. We had a great turnout. Ms. Ryan, stucco sponsor, and her board of students should be very proud. Putting together this event was time consuming and a lot of hard work. I appreciate all of our students who showed their support by attending the event.
I hope all parents are aware of our 5-Star General program. Every student begins the school year as a 5-Star General. Students maintain their 5-Star status by being outstanding students at Pershing. This includes following all classroom and school rules, turning in class work and being an excellent citizen. Prior to Thanksgiving break all 5-Star Generals were treated to a Krispy Crème donut. Over 500 students have maintained their 5-Star General status. Check with your student to see if he/she is a 5-Star General. Students who have "lost a star" may earn it back if they maintain good work habits and follow all rules for 6 weeks. Randomly throughout the year our 5-Star Generals will be recognized in small and fun ways. We believe this will encourage our students to be the best they can be.
I hope that you have a great winter break. Best wishes for a safe and fun-filled holiday season.
Regards,
Dr. Natalie Cauldwell
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 Congratulations to the Star Generals for the month of December! The following students were chosen as Students of the Month
for their outstanding work and attitude in the classroom.
Travelers Team- Caleb Furnas
Voyagers Team- Morgan Fahrlander
E-Corps Team- Brock Peters
PRIDE Team- Erin Wong
Green Team- Ethan Nance
Screaming Eagles Team- Gideon Walker
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Music Departments
BAND
MUSIC/CHOIR
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 BAND NOTES
The 7th and 8th grade bands will have their Winter Concert on December 14. It begins at 7:00 p.m. The students will need to arrive at school at 6:30, unless they can help set up at 6:15. The students need to be dressed up--no jeans, hoodies, etc. The concert will be about 45 minutes, and the students are expected to stay until it is over. Please do not ask to take them as soon as they finish playing.
The 6th grade will not have their first concert until Tuesday, January 25 at 7:00. They will also need to be dressed up. I will send more details home when it gets closer. I am very excited about how well they are doing in class--I hope you can see improvement at home!
The 7th and 8th grade students who did not audition or did not make honor band have at least one (and in some cases three) concert reviews due to me by December 22. They have a calendar of events and a format for their reviews. I hope they have made you aware of this requirement--they have known about it since September. The concert they are playing in does not count as concert attendance. They need to attend and take notes during a different concert. If you have any questions about this, please ask your student (they know) and if they can't answer you, email me. Thank you for your support of your students and our bands, and please, as always, if you have any questions, email me at esauer@spsmail.org. Have a great holiday!
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SCREAMING EAGLES NEWS
Please send in food, gifts, cleaning supplies, toiletries, and money for the holiday sharing basket. We have adopted a family with a single mother and two daughters, ages 4 and 12. Please be generous as this is the only assistance this family will receive this Christmas. A letter with more information was sent home Friday with students. Or, please check out Mrs. Dorris' website for more information. Parents of students receiving a D or F in any class were mailed a mid-term grade report with a letter last Friday. If you have any questions or desire a conference, please contact Mrs. Dorris at 523-2504 or mdorris@spsmail.org. Mrs. Brown's English classes will continue their study of the Holocaust and the play, The Diary of Anne Frank. They will also be studying adjectives and adverbs. Please visit Mrs. Brown's website for an update on due dates. Mrs. Brown's Strategic Reading classes will begin a new unit of study on nonfiction reading. Reading Response #6 will be done on a nonfiction book that the students have read. Screaming Eagles History students will be working on the early administrations under the United States Constitution. Students in Mr. Davis' science classes are working in a chemistry unit, studying the periodic table in the kick-off chapter. They will be giving class presentations on an element of their choice for the next two weeks or so. Algebra students are beginning Chapter 6 on Inequalities, and Math students are starting Chapter 5 on Geometry. The Math Portfolio project is due January 6 and 7, but it may be turned in any time before those dates. Please check Mrs. Dorris' website for instructions on the project and the current chapter's assignment sheet.
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GREEN TEAM
The Green Team and Screaming Eagles teams plan to collect food items, toys, clothing, toiletry items, and gift card donations for our Christmas Basket. We hope to have a lot of support with this endeavor as the Christmas Basket will be the only gift our selected family receives. If you are in a position to contribute this year, please remind your child to bring the items to school.
Academically, Ms. Adams plans to continue studying the U. S. Constitution and putting the Constitution into effect with our first presidents. Mr. Apperson's math students will work on Geometry concepts, and the Algebra students will be solving and graphing inequalities. Mrs. Oelschlaeger's classes will complete the The Diary of Anne Frank major unit of study. Mrs. Walker's students have finished their atom projects and are getting into the Interactions of Matter textbook.
Although we welcome the holidays, we realize the holiday season can be quite hectic. We request that our Green Team families continue to be involved in the educational process. Consequently, if there is anything we can do to help your child have a positive and successful eighth grade year, please contact us. The Green Team hopes all of our families are blessed by
the season and have a Happy New Year!
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8th Grade Tech and Health
Graham Cracker Cottage Project and Contest
On Dec. 16th and 17th, Tech students will be working on the Graham Cracker Cottage Project.
Each student will need to bring a bag of candy to
share, a package of graham crackers
(you don't have to bring the entire box)
and a can of white frosting.
Examples of edible products to use:
*candies: M&M's, gum drops, mints, red hots, etc
*nuts, seeds, beans
*cereal, pretzels, cookies, animal crackers
*marshmallows
*spices, coconut, cake decorating edible items
We will have a contest between all the classes for first, second, and third place. The top two cottages from each Tech class will be displayed in the Tech Lab on Monday, Dec. 20th, and the winners will be announced Tuesday, Dec. 21st. The winning houses will be taken home at the end of the day on Tuesday, December 21st. Please let us know ahead of time if you are going to have trouble getting the supplies.
All supplies should be brought to the Tech Lab in a labeled grocery bag by Wednesday, Dec. 15th. This is a fun and seasonal project that lets students practice design and construction skills. We hope you will all participate. Students not participating will be given an assignment to be completed in the library.
Mrs. Wilks & Mr. McAninch
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REFLECTIONS CONTEST WINNERS
Congratulations to the Pershing Middle School Reflections
contest winners.
Literature:
Kristin Kraeger
Daren Colbert
Meredith Spargo
Visual Arts:
Barbara Chen
Sarah Teague
Sun Jung
Photography:
Sarah Wells
Carrie Jones
Bailey Clark
Musical Composition:
Sam Parrish
Bella Salerno
Film Production:
Noah Smith
Jay Bowman
Brock Cantrell
These entries will advance to the MO PTA's contest. They will also be entered in the Springfield Council of PTA's contest. The SCPTA's Reflections Showcase will be held Sun, Jan 9, at the Battlefield Mall. All entries are displayed 1-4 and an awards ceremony will take place at 3:00.
Good luck, Pershing students!!
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