Welcome to Team Apollo!

We hope you are as excited as we are about the upcoming school year! We are greatly looking forward to getting reacquainted with our eighth graders, and to building new relationships with our seventh grade team members. These connections will help us to foster a strong and supportive team community.

In the spirit of that community, this letter contains important information that will explain some of our team norms. These expectations are meant to honor a productive and respectful learning environment. We encourage you to discuss these norms with your student/parent/guardian.

Food and Drink
We encourage students to bring healthy snacks and drinks to class. Research has shown that healthy snacking during the school day improves student learning. Please do not send junk food, soda, or energy drinks

Cell Phones and Electronics
Cell phones and electronics can be a source of distraction in the classroom. For this reason, we ask that students keep their cell phones and electronics off and put away. Teachers will grant permission for the use of these devices when appropriate. Inappropriate use of electronics will result in confiscation. If you need to reach your child, please call the school at 893-3230. Likewise, if your child needs to reach you during the day, he or she will have access to a school phone.

Homework
Please check this Apollo Team Blog, where we will post all assignments and other important messages.

Home-School Communication
We believe that home-school partnership is vital in supporting your child's success. Your student’s advisory teacher will serve as the primary contact for team-wide issues. Celebrations and concerns expressed by the Advisory teacher are shared by all teachers on the team. In situations specific to one class, that classroom teacher will contact you directly. Of course, we encourage you to keep in contact with us.

We anticipate that this school year will be a successful one for your student! As always, please do not hesitate to contact us with your contributions or concerns via telephone or email. Here’s to a great school year ahead!

The Teachers of Team Apollo

THANK YOU!

Dear Apollo Students, Parents, and Teachers,

Before you leave to enjoy your summer, I wanted to thank all of you for such a wonderful student teaching experience. Every one of you has taught me something and made a difference in my life. I truly cannot thank you enough for being so welcoming and supportive during my time at Milton. You are a wonderful group of people.

Those of you becoming 9th graders today, CONGRATS! Good luck in High School!! I know you all will do great things! Remember to do your best and have fun!

Those of you moving on to 8th grade, keep working hard and making your Apollo teachers proud! I know you will make next year a great one!

Have an awesome summer! Hopefully I will see all of you again one day. It has been a true pleasure working with each and every one of you!

Keep up the great work! I will never forget the great time I had a Milton!

Thank you again!

-Miss. Licari

FUTURIST CONVENTION THIS FRIDAY

Apollo students have been working diligently as Futurists these past few weeks. In our Futurology unit, students have become experts in the study of trends of the past and present, as they develop a prediction for an object or idea twenty years into the future. Students have applied prior learning from each of their core classes in this grand finale of the school year.

We cordially invite you to our Futurist Convention, on Friday June 11 from 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM in the school cafeteria, where students will present their visions of the future!

If you are able to attend, please RSVP (ncaswell@mtsd-vt.org) so we have a sense of how many guests to expect.

We'll see you in the future!

Science

Students and parents are highly encouraged to log onto powerschool to find out student grades and what assignments they may owe. Students should meet with me to make up any missing work before the end of the marking quarter. I will accept assignments up until Thursday 6/10. This week, I will contact parents/guardians of students who have D's/F's in science class. As always, if you have any questions, please contact me at rdecicco@mtsd-vt.org or 893-3230 x322.

5/28 7th grade field trip

Please be advised that our 7th grade field trip to Quarry Hill has been changed to the Sandbar. Quarry Hill experienced some damage from yesterday's thunderstorm and their pool is out of service. Our trip to the Sandbar will be the same amount of money or less as the trip to Quarry Hill. So, there will be no additional costs associated with the switch. Students will return in time for dismissal tomorrow. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at 893-3230 X322 or rdecicco@mtsd-vt.org. We appreciate your flexibility and hope that tomorrow's trip will be a success.

Community service

A special thanks to all 7th graders who contributed meaningfully to their community today! Milton Parks and Recreation were very thankful for the service that we provided! Thanks again.

7th Community Service

Dear Parent/Guardian of a 7th grader,

On Thursday (5/27) of this week, 7th grade students will perform community service at Middle Road park. Students will clean the park grounds, dig holes for fence posts, and other low-impact jobs for Milton's Parks and Recreation Department. Students should dress appropriately for the day (clothing that can get dirty, a light t-shirt, no sandals/flip flops, etc...) and are encouraged to bring water, a snack and sunblock to prevent sunburning. All students are expected to participate at a level that they are comfortable with. There's a variety of jobs to accommodate the needs/desires of all of our students.

Our service is weather-dependent! There is a chance of rain for Thursday's forecast. If it rains, then we will NOT perform community service at the park. We may perform service around the school and/or other alternative activities on school grounds. Either way, students will be back in time for lunch and dismissal at the end of the day. Our team enjoyed performing service for the park last year. This year should also be a hit!

If you have any questions or reservations, feel free to contact me at:

rdecicco@mtsd-vt.org

893-3230 X322

Health Alert

There are 2 reported cases of the chicken pox in the middle school. If your son or daughter is not feeling well and has spots/blisters that itch, please keep them home! This is especially important as 8th grade students get ready for Boston and 7th graders for Quarry Hill. For more information on chicken pox, please click the following link

5.19 Maths

Tests
7th and 8th grade classes will be writing tests on Thursday. 7th grade test will be on linear relationships in tables, graphs, words and equations. 8th grade test will be on equivalent expressions and solving multi-step equations.

5/19 science

8th graders completed the science NECAP today. I'd like to thank each student individually for all their hard work throughout the school year and for trying their best on the test. While there is always more work that can be done, I think that our scores will reflect our hard work and effort! Thanks again!

Friendly reminder: The genetics report is due on Friday 5/21 for 7th graders!

Summer Opportunity

Check out the Teen Congress 2010 brochure.

5.18 Maths

8th Grade
Thank you for all your hard work on the NECAP test today!

7th Grade
Students turned in their Math Reflections 2 and 4 today, and practiced working with slope and y-intercept in equations, graphs, tables and word problems.

5.17 Maths

8th Grade
Students are solidifying their mastery of solving linear equations. Depending on readiness, students are either practicing solving linear equations on a labsheet, or extending their learning to quadratic equations in Problems 3.3 and 3.4.
*there will be a unit test on Thursday*

7th Grade
Students are summarizing their understanding of linear relationships in Math Reflections 2(#1) and 4(#1, 2). The Math Reflections assignment is due at the beginning of class on Tuesday.

5/17 Science

This is a big week for students in Apollo science. On Tuesday and Wednesday, 8th grade students will take the science NECAP. The test covers what students have learned in 6th, 7th & 8th grade. Students should get plenty of rest the night before and should try to have a small breakfast in the morning. As always, students are encouraged to try their best!

Depending on the grade level, the genetics report is due at different times. For 8th grade, the report is due on Tuesday 5/18. For 7th grade, the report is due this Friday 5/21.

8th Grade Celebration

8th grade students and their families are reminded of the 8th grade celebration on June 11 at 6:00pm in the auditorium. Dance to follow.

5.14 Maths

8th Grade
Due to a modified schedule today, 8th grade students did not have math class.

7th Grade
Students began to summarize their understanding of linear relationships and y=mx+b in the following Mathematical Reflections assignment: #1 page 45, #1 and 2 page 89. #1 page 45 should be completed before class on Monday.

5.13 Humanities

Finish Western settler profile for Monday, May 17th. Be sure to answer all the questions required before designing your project. Your classmates should be able to answer the questions required about your settler from your presentation.

5/12 Science

At this point, students should have a thesis statement and ideas for supporting paragraphs. If not, they must complete that for homework. For those students who have this part completed, they can start writing out their report. Report is due Monday 5/17 at the beginning of class.

5.12 Maths

8th Grade

Students went over 3ACE problem 1 as a class. Students began problem 3.2. The following practice is assigned:

8-1: Label pieces of the "Tile and Beyond" equation.

8-2: Finish 3.2 A 1 & 2

7th Grade

Students finished problem 4.2 and began reviewing linear relationships. The following practice is assigned: 4ACE # 8-12

5.11 Maths

8th Grade
Students continue to practice solving equations and combining expressions to solve problems. All students must have completed 4ACE #1 before class on Wednesday.

7th Grade
Students are learning how to find the slope of a line from the rise and run of a linear graph or table in Problem 4.2. Students must have completed Labsheet 4.2 before class on Wednesday.