Middle School art teacher Brian Maione’s eighth-grade students have created some beautiful lanterns, and with some tea lights, they will glow brightly! We bet these can become some beautiful gifts!
In recognition of Asian Lunar New Year, Victoria Ingrassia’s eighth-grade FACS students completed their delicious Chinese dumplings assignment! On Monday, they wrapped a specially seasoned and marinated chicken filling in a thin layer of dough. Yesterday, students boiled the dumplings and fried them in a wok for a tasty treat! Truth be told: These dumplings were just as good, if not better, than what you'd get with a takeout order! Ask them to make this at home!
•The history of Chinese dumplings, or jiaozi, dates back to the Han Dynasty (206 BC–220 AD). They originated in northern China as a staple food for the Han people.
•Dumplings are a symbol of wealth and prosperity.
•Dumplings are often eaten during special occasions, such as Chinese New Year.
•The word jiaozi sounds similar to an expression that means "transition from old to new."
Students in Jennifer Pagnanella's eighth-grade ELA class are learning about Vietnamese culture while reading Thanhha Lai’s “Inside Out and Back Again.” This Newbery Honor award winning book is a coming-of-age novel told in verse and is about a child's-eye view of her Vietnamese family and its immigration to America during the Vietnam War.
As part of this, students spent time reading about Vietnam, its people, culture and geographical features, taking time to also understand the holiday of Tết, (or Tet Nguyen Dan, which is Vietnam's Lunar New Year. It's a major public holiday that celebrates the start of spring and the new year) as well as the Asian Lunar New Year.
Students designed traditional dragon masks and worked on maps of Vietnam. Throughout the remainder of the unit, students will study aspects of the Vietnam War, examine several first-hand accounts of refugees fleeing the war-torn country for a better life and the beauty of literature written in poetic form.
In Jill Stramiello’s seventh-grade computer/innovation lab, students have been focusing on applying the design process to a variety of STEM challenges. For this recent project, they were tasked with designing a 3D puzzle system using scrap hardwood cubes to create a challenging, yet solvable, puzzle featuring 27 linking cubes, for middle school students…all while minimizing environmental impact. They all did a great and creative job, creating puzzles featuring different levels of difficulty!
Part of the assignment was to gather data to calculate a puzzle solution time and to use that data to create an advertisement which would encourage a fictitious toy company to buy their product for the marketplace. What better way to acquire data than to ask for assistance in the data gathering process from: Principal Michael Larsen, Main Office Secretary Ann Friedle, Teacher Jessica Dickman as well as Superintendent Brian Monahan, Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction Christian Ranaudo and Assistant Superintendent for Human Resources Michael Giardina. They all gladly served as puzzle solvers, with students timing the completion of the puzzles they were given to solve!
Truth be told: Some of the puzzle testers were very challenged with completing the more difficult puzzles! See more photos on the district's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MinisinkValleyCSD/posts/pfbid0EkjVfsnGNKYgEKP9BJcJrn5bA1nuqg7u52hb7vg3jWhSB1qDsqVfmHwk4TMNC8hJl?__cft__[0]=AZUR4sWRcRtTbUpL9JMIY6UBgLeowz_sRiewXitoJ__Jhgc3D0isZOVKqy267W2_wsA4m6QXCD4JJIdQS5NOug2_8HuS7fKYDbBM-Q-Dm6iWYAQsOkR2g68hqHJoTLnpfl55NFtRNdMKqd9P1-oABU5hyP_SxiQtkPkXhFcZy2Y8JpDV-EP9bDnhqsm6RNFqCSc&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R
Did you know the Middle School has a Ski Club?
Advisors Michele Semco and JoAnn Westby took some students to Mountain Creek several days back for a wonderful late afternoon and evening gathering on the slopes!
Great sporting experiences come in many different ways! This past weekend, the Girls Modified Basketball team had an incredible time attending a SUNY Orange basketball game during Alumni Night!
What made this event even more special was knowing that Modified Coach Kelsie Doller played on that very court! Seeing her connection to the program showed the girls where they are now, to where hard work and dedication can take them.
The girls loved watching the SUNY Orange players in action and were amazed to see them doing many of the same warm-ups and plays they’ve been practicing. It was a great reminder that the fundamentals they’re learning now are essential at every level of basketball.
To top it all off, the team had the chance to meet the SUNY Orange women’s basketball coach, who encouraged and inspired them even more!
Middle School art teacher Brian Maione’s eighth-grade students are working on abstract sculpture pieces during their art class! Their pieces have been made using wire, wood and nylon. Soon, they’ll be using Mod Podge to give their work a hardened shell so that they can paint and make cool and funky patterns on them. So creative!
More lessons tied to and awareness of the life and legacy of The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. are visible in the middle school, via these school displays!
In the library, a display created by teacher Kelsey Doller and her students following their viewing of a slideshow about Dr. King and his six principles of nonviolence features small paper cutouts to look like themselves and reflect their individuality.
The other display was created using artwork that Corinne Yanis' Skills classes, Stephanie Gage's English classes and several sixth-grade students created after viewing a slideshow about those same principles. The portrait of Dr. King was drawn by eighth- grader Isabella Kaminski.
“We're all in this together!”
The Middle School Drama Club has been working hard in rehearsals to be ready for its March 6 and 7 production of Disney's High School Musical Jr!
Thank you to High School students Audrey Guido and Makayla Collins, who are are working with Middle School students to learn choreography! We appreciate you! Watch for more information soon!
Do you know or remember what PEMDAS means? Sixth-graders do!
Take a peek at Jeffrey Malara’s sixth-graders, who are practicing applying this acronym to their math work! They’re really good at this, too!
PEMDAS stands for "Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication, Division, Addition, Subtraction," which is an acronym used to remember the order of operations when solving math problems with multiple operations. It means you perform calculations inside parentheses first, then exponents, then multiplication and division from left to right, and finally addition and subtraction from left to right.
The Order of Operations is a set of rules for solving math equations and expressions with multiple operations. This set of rules ensures that all math equations are solved in the same way.
What's better than hot soup on a cold, cold day?
Victoria Ingrassia's Middle School FACS students have spent this first week back at school prepping ingredients to make four different types of fresh, homemade soups. Today, Jan. 10, was their Soup Day, where students had a chance to enjoy what they prepared during class!
PLUS: Ms. Ingrassia invited the Middle School faculty to stop by for a delicious cup or bowl of the soup of their choice! Simply delicious! Well-done to all the students, who are learning important life skills --- you have to be able to cook!
Reminder! Minisink Valley has partnered with Paper, an online tutoring service, to provide students in Grades 6 through 12 with the ability to access live tutors seven days a week, 24 hours a day. High School students and family members have unlimited access to trained tutors so every student can ask questions, work through problems and grow their confidence at no cost to families. Learn more: https://www.minisink.com/page/paper-online-tutoring-for-grades-6-12
Basketball is always a fun physical education activity! Check out these eighth-graders perfecting their shooting skills. Maybe there's some future NBA/WNBA players in this group!
Before the break, the Middle School’s Minisink Motivates Club traveled to Otisville Elementary for their annual reading of the "Weird" series by Erin Frankel to second-grade classrooms. Middle schoolers read a story from the series and then completed an activity with students.
For the third consecutive year, middle school students and elementary school students had a great time interacting with one another and completing the activity. This is wonderful example of inter-school cooperation and relationships!
Allyson Kingly’s/Megan Clark's and Bridget O’Mara-Green’s seventh-grade math students had some holiday fun by completing a review equation holiday project. Students had to solve one or two equations, find the corresponding answers, and connect those red or green stripes of paper in order to create a holiday chain! Take a peek!
Victoria Ingrassia’s eighth-grade FACS students are blending seasonality with baking! Take a look at their spectacular gingerbread cookies! YUM! (Sorry, there’s no leftovers!)
Gingerbread dates back to ancient Egypt and Greece, where it was used for ceremonies. Honeycakes were found in pharaoh's tombs, and honey was considered a gift from the gods.
•In the 11th century, Crusaders brought ginger back from the Middle East, which led to the development of gingerbread in Europe.
The name "gingerbread" originally referred to preserved ginger.
The spices used in gingerbread changed over time as their popularity and availability varied.
n the 18th century, recipes began to include butter and cream, which led to gingerbread cookies that resemble what we know today.
MIDDLE SCHOOL SEVENTH-GRADE FAMILIES:
Did you know there’s four NEW New York State investigations for Middle School seventh-grade science students? Our seventh-graders recently completed the first one called “All Mixed Up.” Take a peek and see more photos on the district's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/MinisinkValleyCSD/
The investigation takes several days and includes two packets of information, directions, data tables for observations and questions. “All Mixed Up” focuses on the separation of mixtures using knowledge of the material’s physical properties.
Depending on the unknown mixture they are given, students must use their observations of size, color, magnetism, state of matter and other properties to determine the best way to separate the items in the unknown mixture.
Students then used magnets, filters and filter paper, tweezers, a sieve, water (and evaporation), and other means to write their own procedure and then proceed to separate their mixtures.
This lab allows students to focus on properties of matter, practice separation techniques, encourages students to foster critical thinking and scientific inquiry skills while being a key component of New York State middle school science assessment aligning with state learning standards for matter and its properties.
Jessica Dickman’s and Katie Blydenburgh’s seventh-grade ELA students recently watched a TED Talk by Salva Dut, which was the inspiration to, and what half Sue Park’s “A Long Walk to Water” novel is focused on. Students read her book in class.
Students worked partners to identify advantages of watching Dut’s motivational speech focusing on perseverance, hope and faith along with his mantra “keep walking” no matter how difficult the challenges are in one’s life. These are important life lessons for everyone!
A TED Talk is a short, recorded presentation that aims to educate and inform audiences on a wide range of topics. TED stands for “Technology, Entertainment, and Design” and TED talks are presented by a variety of experts.
The main theme of Sue Park's "A Long Walk to Water" is the power of resilience and survival in the face of extreme hardship, particularly highlighting the struggle for access to clean water and the impact of war on individuals and communities, particularly though the stories of Salva and Nya, who live in the Sudan.
Thank you to everyone who participated in today's "Operation GIVEBACK" at the Middle School! Take a peek at some of the fun work done by students who made holiday cards for veterans, scarves for the Middletown Warming Station, pine cone bird feeders and ornaments for a local nursing home! Your kindness makes a HUGE difference in the lives of others!
Eighth-graders are increasing their culinary skills in every FACS class! They’ve learned how to make homemade tortillas, then use them to make quesadillas! ¡Cocinar puede ser muy divertido y enseña importantes habilidades para la vida!
A tortilla is a thin, circular unleavened flatbread from Mesoamerica originally made from maize hominy meal, and now also from wheat flour. The word tortilla is derived from the Spanish word “torta,” meaning "cake," plus the diminutive “-illa”; so the word means "little cake" in Spanish.
Quesadillas can be traced back to Mexico when it was made only with a tortilla and cheese. The exact origin of the quesadilla is unknown, but it is believed to have originated in the northern regions of Mexico, particularly in the state of Sonora. The word “quesadilla” comes from the Spanish word “queso,” which means cheese. What makes a quesadilla a quesadilla is the use of a tortilla and cheese. But Over time, the quesadilla evolved to include a variety of fillings, including meats, beans, and vegetables.
