Sept. 11--25 Magazine Drive
Sept. 26 Fun Friday/ Dance

Oct. 1 Mid-Term Grades Close
Oct. 3 Picture Day
Oct. 6 Mid-Term Progress Reports
Oct. 13 No School: Columbus Day

Nov. 3 Term 1 Grades Close
Nov. 4 No School: Elections and Teachers’ Prof. Devel. Day
Nov. 6 Half-day:parent / teacher conferences
Nov. 7 Half-day:parent/teacher conferences
Nov. 10 Term 1 Report Cards Issued
Nov. 11 No School: Veterans’ Day
Nov. 26 Half-day: Thanksgiving Break
Nov. 27 No School: Thanksgiving
Nov. 28 No School: Thanksgiving Break

Dec. 3 Half-day: Prof. Devel.
Dec. 9 Mid-Term Grades Close
Dec. 15 Progress Reports Issued
Dec. 24--Jan. 2 No School: Winter Break

Mrs. Ahearn and Mrs. McDermott met with the Title I staff from the elementary schools and have been analyzing student data. They are working within 5th and 6th grade math and language arts classes . If you have any questions or concerns about the Title I program at W.B.M.S., please contact either Mrs. McDermott (voice mail #106) or Mrs. Ahearn (voice mail #146), and we will return your call as soon as possible.
Mrs. Kara McElhone, our district’s Title I parent/school liason, has scheduled an impressive series of visiting author talks. The first will be on October 22nd at Pepin School (6:30 p.m). Norton Juster, author of The Phantom Tollbooth,will be the guest speaker.

There have been many changes at W.B.M.S, so be prepared for a few surprises when you are trying to locate a specific team area or classroom! All 5th and 6th grade teams are now located in the East Unit, and all 7th and 8th grade teams are in the South Unit. In addition, all science teachers have classrooms in the science lab areas in their units. Some special education, exploratory , and support teachers are also in new locations within the school.

The school schedule has changed as well. Math Academy, the P.E./ Reading Block, and the R.O.C.K. Block instructional periods have been added. Teachers will be talking with you about how these classes will be run and how they will be graded, and they’ll be happy to answer your questions.

If you have an opportunity, please visit the Peacemakers’ Room, which is within the library/ media area in the center of the school. Over the summer, volunteer students and teachers created a beautiful Peacemakers’ Table which will be used for peer mediations and other functions.

We are very proud to announce that W.B.M.S. has been awarded a 21st Century Afterschool Grant which will offer homework help and enrichment opportunities for all W.B.M.S. students. The program will be starting within the next couple of weeks. Hours will be from 2:35 until 5:00 p.m. For more information, contact Mrs. Gerry Raucher, the program coordinator, at 527-6466 or she may be reached at 414-896-4421.

This year we have a few new teachers at White Brook. Mr. Kevin Burke is the new math teacher on the Cougars 7/8 team, and Ms. Kate Bust is the new social studies teacher on the Dolphins 7/8 team. The new special education teacher on the Bears 7/8 team is Ms. Renee Cantwell , and Ms. Alice Silveira is the new special education teacher on the Dolphins 5/6 team. Ms. Karen Allen is in charge of the B.E.S.T. program, which is one of our programs for students with special needs. Ms. Antonietta Mango, our world language teacher, has returned from her leave, and Ms. Sarah Kelleher-Mochak has returned to W.B.M.S. to work with Mrs. Lowell in coordinating services for students with special needs. Two of our faculty members have new teaching assignments. Mr. Jason Runnals is our Alternative Program teacher, and Mrs. Abigail Vanasse is the technology specialist for our school.

Our school’s breakfast program runs from 8:05 until 8:20 a.m. If your child gets free lunch, the same goes for breakfast. If your child gets reduced lunch, breakfast costs $0.30. The full price for a breakfast is $1.00 and includes milk.

A few years ago, members of the White Brook Middle School Council, which includes teachers, parents, and administrators, met to discuss the idea of creating a home-school compact. What emerged was the first four sections of the current compact attached to this newsletter. Teachers discussed the compacts with their classes, and students began to show an increased awareness of how many people in their lives had a positive and profound influence on their education. A couple of years later, students themselves asked to have another section, “Compact for Friends, Relatives, and Other Community Members”, added to the original compact.

If you have a chance to read this compact with your child, you will discover that he or she is very aware of the responsibilities of a middle school student, and your child can discuss these with a great deal of perception and insight. In addition, you may be surprised to discover that your child is very aware and very appreciative of all the people who have helped and who are helping him or her prepare for the responsibilities of adulthood. Over the years, we have read heartwarming comments from students who have expressed their gratitude for friends, relatives, coaches, volunteers, and other community members who have had a positive and enriching influence on their lives.

Copies of the W.B.M.S. Compact are always available from Mrs. Youmell in the main office, or from homeroom and Title I teachers. Signed compacts may be turned in to the homeroom teachers or to the Title I teachers. All compacts are stored in the Title I office.

I understand how important education is, and I know that I share responsibility for my success. I agree to try to do the following
to the best of my ability:
1. Work cooperatively with other students and adults and respect their rights,
2. Take responsibility for my behavior and accept the consequences,
3. Follow the rules in the school handbook, and
4. Help create a safe, positive, and healthy environment in my school,
my home, and my community.

Student’s Signature: Date:
______________________________ ____________________

My decision to take an active role in my child’s education is essential to
his/ her achievement. Therefore, I agree to carry out the following
to the best of my ability:
1. Provide my child with a safe and healthy home environment,
2. Encourage my child to value education by supporting his/ her efforts
to complete homework assignments and class work at school,
3. Support attendance, academic, and discipline policies
in the school handbook, and
4. Maintain communication with the school community.

Signatures and Dates:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I understand the important role I play in the education of every student. Therefore, I will carry out the following to the best of my ability:
1. Provide a safe,positive, and healthy environment,
2. Provide quality instruction to help prepare students for participation
in our global society,
3. Respect and cooperate with students, other staff, and parents, and
4. Communicate with families regarding students’ progress.
Signatures and Dates:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
(Note: The Home-School Compact continues on the reverse side of this page..................................)

Home-School Compact ‘08--’09, continued

I understand that collaboration between home and school is crucial
to every student’s success. Therefore, I agree to carry out the following
to the best of my ability:

1. Provide every student with a safe learning environment,
2. Administer discipline in a fair and reasonable manner, and
3. Communicate with families and other members of the school community regarding student progress.

Signatures and Dates:

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Although I may not be a member of the school community, I have
an influence on the development of the children of this community. Therefore, I agree to carry out the following to the best of my ability:

1. Promote respect, communication, and cooperation within our community,
2. Provide encouragement to the children of our community, and
3. Help create a community that values lifelong learning.

Signatures and Dates:
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

To the Student:
Please return your completed Home-School Compact to your homeroom teacher.

To the Homeroom Teacher: Please put the compacts you receive in a Title I teacher’s mailbox, and she/he will make sure they are placed on file. Note:
All home-school compacts will be stored in the W.B.M.S. Title I Office.

Whether you’re gathering around the table for macaroni and cheese or a four course meal, don’t underestimate the power behind the simple act of taking time to eat dinner with your kids regularly. The stories and laughs that you share during dinnertime help you stay connected to your kids. Did you know that the more often children and teens eat dinner with their families, the less likely they are to smoke, drink, or use illegal drugs? They are also more likely to do better at school. That’s the reason SPIFFY (The Strategic Planning Initiative for Families and Youth) supports Family Day--A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children. Family Day is celebrated on the fourth Monday in September--the 22nd in 2008.

SPIFFY encourages all members to celebrate Family Day by eating dinner together on September 22nd and every day. This year Look Park is collaborating with SPIFFY by waiving the entrance and picnic site fee for families who want to enjoy their dinner at Look Park on the 22nd between 4--7 p.m. Thanks to District Attorney Elizabeth D. Scheibel, there will be free hot dogs, hamburgers, and ice cream for up to 200 people, and the train will run for free between 4:30 --5:30 p.m. There will be giveaways too!

Use dinnertime to talk with your kids. Turn off the TV and don’t answer the phone. Involve the entire family in planning and cooking meals. If your schedules make it impossible to eat dinner together, try having breakfast together.

Research from The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (which created Family Day in 2001) consistently shows that frequent family dinners make a difference in teens’ lives. Compared to teens who have five to seven family dinners in a typical week, teens who dine with their families fewer than three nights in a typical week are two times more likely to have tried marijuana, more than twice as likely to have tried cigarettes, and one and a half times likelier to have tried alcohol. According to CASA’s report The Importance of Family Dinners III,, frequent family dinners are associated with higher academic performance. Teens who have dinner with their families five to seven times in a typical week are likelier to get mostly A’s and B’s in school compared to teens who dine with their families fewer than three times per week. Academic performance is associated with substance abuse risk: teens who report receiving grades of C or lower are at twice the risk of substance abuse as those who report receiving all A’s or A’s and B’s.

For more information about the national Family Day Event, please visit www.CASAFamilyDay.org. For more information about local events or to rsvp for dinner at the park, call Ruth at the DA’s office at (413) 586-9225.

The more often children and teens eat dinner with their families, the less likely they are to smoke, drink or use drugs. Compared to kids who have fewer than three family dinners per week, children and teens who have frequent family dinners are:

1. At 70 percent lower risk for substance abuse
2. Half as likely to try cigarettes
3. Half as likely to be daily cigarette smokers
4. Half as likely to try marijuana
5. One third less likely to try alcohol
6. Half as likely to get drunk monthly
7. Likelier to get better grades in school
8. Less likely to have friends who drink alcohol and use marijuana
9. Likelier to have parents who take responsibility for teen drug use
10. Almost 40 percent likelier to say future drug use will never happen

*Source: The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University's report The Importance of Family Dinners III.

ROCK Block is a new and exciting academic class that all grades are experiencing. The acronym ROCK stands for "R" research, "O" organization,
"C" community / communication, and "K" knowledge.

Many teachers met over the summer to create a vision of what this new opportunity for learning and enrichment should look like. A need was recognized for skill building in various academic areas. Out of this need, classes with specific focus in an academic area are in place, with grades for all classes. For the first marking period, ten-day rotations were established. The timeliness of the presidential election led to a rotation on the election process. Every student will participate in a study skills unit. Check in with your child to review the new booklet on study habits! Also, each rotation will include a writing class with the first being a unit on letter writing. Counselors are spending time in the classroom during ROCK Block working on transitions, team-building and character education.

As the year progresses, your child will experience many diverse topics and acquire skills to enrich his or her learning. We encourage you to check in with your child about ROCK Block. It's what's new!