VOLLEYBALL FUN!
Heather Cardena's and Dan Gallo's Middle School physical education students' volleyball matchups are a lot of fun! It's a great physical education unit because volleyball develops key physical skills like coordination, agility, and strength through full-body movements like jumping or diving.
PLUS: There's also other important life skills like teamwork, communication and strategic thinking involved. Volleyball is a fun, adaptable, and often low-contact sport, making it accessible for many students.
Who doesn't love a good Burrito Bowl?
Support the High School's Step Dance Team and dine at Chipotle in Middletown! Details are below!
PLAY BALL! Support the PTO and have a great time at a New York Yankees game at this fun PTO fundraiser!
New York Yankees vs. Miami Marlins!
--- Saturday, April 4
--- 7:05 p.m. at Yankee Stadium
--- Tickets: $45 each for Terrace Level seating
--- Online ticket sales close March 1
--- Tickets will be delivered digitally to the email address provided.
--- Transportation is NOT provided.
Purchase tickets here: https://minisink-pto-yankee-game.square.site/
KUDOS to members of the Middle School’s Newspaper Club for celebrating the wonderful and very important work of the school’s Buildings & Grounds team yesterday, Jan. 15, which was club’s designated Custodial Appreciation Day.
“Everywhere you go, you see a custodian helping to keep this school clean,” student reporter Kaitlyn Wagner wrote in the club’s December edition of its newspaper. “These staff members stay late every night to clean up your messes. It must be hard work cleaning this entire building year round.”
In an interview with Kaitlyn, custodian Zach Kohler told her: “I enjoy helping out the school when I clean, it reminds me how much people care when they recognize my work here.”
To recognize the middle school’s Buildings & Grounds staff, the club presented them with personalized t-shirts and a special lunch, paid for by the Student Government and prepared by Victoria Ingrassia’s FACS students. A morning announcement also reminded the school community about just how important the role of Buildings & Grounds is to the school’s daily operations. (We’ll add it’s important in every district building and this team does a fantastic job!)
We hear lunch was delicious: Pulled pork with delicious sides and a variety of homemade pies! THANK YOU TO EVERYONE!
Odyssey of the Mind season is in full swing! The Middle School and Otisville Elementary teams will proudly represent the district at the Region 5 tournament on Feb. 28. It’s not that far off!
Coach Madison Wyman’s Middle School team will be presenting a response to Problem 1: “Off the Rails.” (We’re not showing all they’re doing to protect the integrity of their creative work!)
For this problem, team become conductors and engineers as they continue to design, build and operate a train vehicle.
As the train travels the course it will have a new car attached at each stop.
Along the route, it will encounter challenges that make the train travel in different ways.
After all of its cargo is picked up, the items will be unloaded and assembled into a work of art.
The performance will also include the use of Arm & Hammer Baking Soda, a humorous conductor character and a villain character that tries to prevent the train from getting to its destination.
This requires a tremendous amount of “out-of-the-box” thinking and these students are clearly capable and up for the task!
Middle school students often build catapults in technology class because it’s a hands-on way to teach several important skills and concepts at once! They’re learning engineering basics and physics concepts as well as important problem solving, creativity and critical thinking skills. Students also have hands-on engagement building something. There’s even a history component to their work as well, because students have learned how simple machines were used and what their functions were before modern technology.
WE LOVE IT when our business community colleagues visit us and meet with students!
Thank you to Shoprite of Wallkill Store Manager Chelsea Stanton and Nina Fuentes, who handles human resources for the store, for visiting Victoria Ingrassia’s eighth-grade FACS class yesterday, Jan. 6.
Their store is one of 32 Shoprite stores in Orange, Sullivan and Dutchess counties in addition to Pennsylvania.
Among many topics, Ms. Stanton spoke to students about the store’s 24 hour operations; the various departments and what they do; overall food safety and how that’s safeguarded; product availability and the ordering process (Halloween candy and school supplies have already been ordered for this year); special promotions (the annual “Can-Can Sale” -- Shoprite's biggest sale of the year --- is taking place now); working with local, regional and national vendors; a grocery store’s work environment; and even its Bowl and Basket private label (Wise makes Bowl and Basket potato chips).
Ms. Fuentes spoke to students about staffing and job availability; how to apply and prepare for a job and job interview, as students will very soon be nearing the age where they can get their working papers and get a part-time job. She also offered interview tips for success.
Their presentation supported and supplemented class discussions about general food business operations and food safety, and more! It was a great opportunity for students to see firsthand how the varied FACS topics discussed in class actually do have a real-world application.
PLUS: Everyone was gifted a Shoprite reusable goodie bag featuring a variety of Bowl and Basket snacks and other treats!
The “MakeMusic Cloud” catalog is an online library of music content available within the MakeMusic Cloud platform — a web-based music learning and practice system used by music teachers, students, performers, and hobbyists. It allows students to play along with band music, method books, and have music available to support solos. Another great part of this software is that students can record into the program and it gives instantaneous feedback on how to improve.
At the Middle School, the “MakeMusic Cloud” catalog includes many of its Concert pieces, Method Books, NYSSMA solos, and other solos/chamber pieces of interest. Students have access to music digitally, so if they forgot their sheet music at school, they can still get to it on their devices at home.
“It’s also a great motivator for home practice and leveling up within the program,” said Music Teacher Laura Hulle. “There’s also a music composing and sight reading section that both the teachers and students have access to, allowing everyone to write original music and be able to listen back to what it sounds like. Sight reading helps our students prepare for auditions. Being able to see a piece of music and perform it correctly the first time is a great skill to have. This is really helping our band students be creative and improve upon their abilities as musicians.”
They used graham crackers, vanilla icing, and fruit roll-ups to model different plate boundaries, recording their observations on whiteboards. What a delicious way to explore (and later eat) how Earth’s plates interact!
Graham crackers, icing and roll ups are used to demonstrate plate tectonics because they make the idea easy to see and understand. Graham crackers represent Earth’s tectonic plates and icing represents the soft layer underneath the plates (the mantle). Students can push, pull, or slide the crackers to show how plates move and this helps them to see and feel how mountains, earthquakes, and volcanoes form.
Plate tectonics is the slow movement of large pieces of Earth’s crust that can cause earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountains. It also shows how the Earth changes over time, helps to understand natural disasters so safer environments can be created and connects to other science topics like rocks and landforms.
What made it even more memorable was that after the show, the director, cast, and crew members took some time to participate in a "talk back" with students, who asked all kinds of questions and were given an understanding of the skill, athleticism, and the vocal training necessary to garner professional roles.
The children who were cast in the show were also in middle school, and everyone connected and commiserated that they had to make up school work when they weren't at school for a performance...or a field trip!
“The students worked hard and earned this field trip,” said Drama Club Advisor Teresia Parker, who thanked the parent/staff/faculty chaperones, middle school administration, Transportation and Food Services teams for their support. “I'm so very proud of this club. These students are exceptional.”
DELICIOUS! Victoria Ingrassia's Middle School FACS students have been busy, busy, busy making gingerbread cookies (AND FUDGE!) from scratch! From making the dough, to rolling it out, to cutting out shapes, baking and decorating today, it was the perfect seasonal cooking/baking opportunity!
Gingerbread cookies trace their origins to ancient Greece and Egypt, where ginger was used in ceremonial breads. In medieval Europe, gingerbread became popular after returning crusaders brought spices back from the East, and it was often shaped and decorated for festivals and fairs. By the 16th century, Queen Elizabeth I of England helped popularize gingerbread cookies by having them molded into figures resembling visiting dignitaries. Over time, gingerbread spread across Europe and America, becoming a beloved holiday tradition.
The Middle School's Grades 6-7-8 Dance, held this past Friday, was a festive time for all! Over 400 students attended; perhaps your student was among them? Check out some of the snappy, seasonal attire worn by many!
THANK YOU to everyone who had a role in its success, particularly Middle School Technology teachers Rich Budd and Jonathan Clemmons, who ran two photo booths and a photo area so students could snap pictures with their friends!
BRAVO to the students and staff who participated in the Middle School's Operation Giveback yesterday, Dec. 11!
Scarves were made for local veterans organizations; Christmas tree ornaments were made for nursing home residents; bird feeder garlands, made up Cheerios and berries, were made for their bird friends at home; and bags for use for future breakfast bag use for the local warming station in Middletown were created.
And as a special treat for their very kind work and thoughtfulness, everyone got to decorate (and, of course, eat) fresh, homemade gingerbread cookies baked by FACS teacher Victoria Ingrassia.!
KINDNESS MATTERS! Thank you to all who participated and to those who organized this gathering.
Yes, we know teams can’t “redshirt” themselves.... but we did it anyway for the 2025 Special Olympics New York Polar Bear Plunge. Next year, we will be back!
We’re grateful to officials from Special Olympics New York’s Hudson Valley chapter who visited us this past Friday, Dec. 5, to present us with the 2024 Cool School Challenge Trophy (we raised $4,022) and brought celebratory pizza for anyone from the 2024 team who was able to attend. They gratefully recognized the efforts of the 2024 team and are completely energized to work with us to get an awesome team in place for 2026.
However, the trophy didn’t stay in our possession very long. It’s now in the safekeeping of our friends at the nearby Chester School District, the Cool School Challenge winner for the 2025 plunge at The Rez in Highland Mills. Congratulations, Chester, but you better watch out: We’re coming after you in 2026 to reclaim our title!
Kudos to members of the Middle School Student Government for making breakfast bags for the Marilyn Pierce GMIC Warming Station in Middletown. The bags were filled with muffins, granola bars, clementines and a juice box. These caring students hope they will provide some healthy morning nourishment to those who stayed overnight because they had nowhere to go and needed to get out of the cold weather. WELL-DONE, everyone!
As part of their work, students were faced with the challenge of creating a bow and arrow with limited resources. They had to create the technology while making sure it functioned. Each group created its own variation of a bow and arrow and tested it by trying to knock down cups.
The group with the best results would be most likely to survive during the Paleolithic Period, which is the earliest and longest phase of human prehistory, lasting from about 2.6 million years ago to roughly 10,000 BCE.
Bows and arrows were important in the Paleolithic Period because they made hunting more efficient and safer. Hunters could then attack from a distance, reducing the risk of injury or death. Hunting success also increased because of the ability to aim and strike animals quickly, which meant more reliable food supplies and better survival for groups. Arrows were perfect for catching animals that were hard to catch with spears. Bow and arrows were not only lightweight and portable, they also represented a major innovation, which also demonstrated growing intelligence, planning, tool-making skill, and the understanding of physics.
MIDDLE SCHOOL FAMILIES:
MAKE A DIFFERENCE! Be sure to sign up your student for the Middle School's Operation Giveback afternoon, to be held Thursday, Dec. 11 after school. Registration deadline is Monday, Dec. 8!
Laura Hulle's 7th and 8th grade band students and Danielle MacKenzie's 6th grade band students are putting the finishing touches on their music for the upcoming Middle School Winter Concert on Dec. 8...one week from tonight! The bands have been practicing using the circle rehearsal format.
A band circle rehearsal is a non-traditional setup where a band sits in a circle to improve listening skills, musical independence, and communication. This method changes the usual dynamic by breaking up standard sections, forcing members to listen to a wider variety of instruments and their neighbors, and creating a more interactive and focused rehearsal. It is especially useful for developing musical independence and is often used for workshops or as a creative exercise.
Be sure your calendars are marked for this upcoming, wonderful musical evening!
