From the Principal’s Desk Hello Parcells Community: Desserts with Dan: Come on up to the Parcells Media Center on Monday, February 1st to have desserts and discussion with the Parcells Principal, Mr. Dan Hartley. This informal event is a great way to learn about what is going on at Parcells,

ask the principal questions, share positive experiences, and voice concerns about our school. Parent Technology Boot Camp 2: Due to an overwhelming positive response following our first Parent Technology Night, we will be hosting another event on Monday, February 8th at 6:45pm. We invite all parents, guardians, and community members to the Parcells Media Center to learn about the different types of technology that students and teachers are using at school. Attendees will be able to attend 2 half hour sessions covering topics from Google Appli-cations to Classroom Technology Apps & Tools. Whether you attended Tech Boot Camp 1 or not, does not matter. There is always more to learn and we hope to see you all there! Class Registration: We are currently in the process of registering our students for their elective classes for the 2016 – 2017 school year. We have asked our students to discuss their elective selection with you and to have you sign their elective course selection sheet. If you have not seen/signed this sheet, please talk to your child about their elective course choices for the upcom-ing school year. Holiday Bazaar Thank You: The Parcells PTO again sponsored another successful Holiday Bazaar and Fun Night. As a result of their sponsorship of these events, Parcells receives approxi-mately $15,000 annually to support the school and after-school activities for students. PTO dona-tions are used to help pay for the numerous non-athletic after-school activities that we make avail-able for Parcells students. Planning for and hosting the annual Holiday Bazaar and Fun Night takes a good deal of work on the part of the many PTO members who volunteered. A sincere thank you goes out to all those who made these events successful and to the PTO for their contin-ued support of our school. 2nd quarter report cards: Second quarter ended on Thursday, January 28. Our students will receive report cards at the end of the day on Monday, February 8. Please ask your son or daugh-ter for his or her report card if you have not yet received it. As always, you may observe grades on an on-going basis using Pinnacle and/or you may view report cards for the year, attendance, and other information about your child by accessing Parent Connect. Both are available on the Parcells school web site, www.gpschools.org/parcells. Please contact your child’s teachers with any questions regarding grades. Mid-winter break: The Grosse Pointe School District will be closed for mid-winter break the week of February 15, 2016. Students will be dismissed at the regular time on Friday, February 12 and will return to school on Monday, February 22 at 9:05 AM. Congratulations Mrs. Peck: After a successful career spanning over 35 years, we wish Mrs. Deborah Peck well in her retirement. Mrs. Peck has been a positive influence over so many stu-dents during her time in the Grosse Pointe Public Schools, and she will be missed. We welcome back Mr. Chevalier, who will be covering Mrs. Peck’s classes for the remainder of the year. Traffic Drop Off and Pick Up: We wish to remind all parents about drop-off and pick-up traffic rules in front of the school on Mack Avenue and also in the back of the school off Sunningdale. First and Foremost, Please remember to be patient and courteous.

Mack Avenue:

Please do not turn into the lot from the middle lane of Mack Avenue to avoid waiting in the

long line. This is illegal.

Please do not fly past everyone waiting in line on the right curb, only to stop abruptly on the

left to allow your child to run in front of other cars to get into the school.

Do not cut in front of all cars waiting in line and squeeze in at the curb in between other cars.

Do not stop on Mack Ave to drop your child off.

Do not pull into the library lot to drop your child off and allow them to run across the lane in

front of moving vehicles.

No parking in the driving lanes to enter the school

Sunningdale:

The "No Left Turn" (northbound Sunningdale) and the "Right Lane Turn Only" (southbound

Sunningdale) signs are enforceable, meaning all drivers must obey the signs

Do not pull into the parking lot to cut through a lane, cutting through the lot and having your

children cross two lanes of traffic to enter the school

Children should be ready to exit vehicles on the passenger side only as soon as cars pull to

the unloading zone. If people are not quick, the line often extends past Mason on Vernier.

The unloading zone extends from the powerhouse area to the loading dock curbs, leaving a

wide area for traffic to pull further ahead to drop off and move quickly around the perimeter of the lot alleviating backups.

Parking in the lot in order to drop off and pick up your student is NOT allowed.

Thank you for your cooperation in observing these rules and keeping our students safe.

Sincerely, Mr. Hartley

P a r c e l l s N e w s l e t t e r February 2016 http://gpschools.schoolwires.net/gpparcells

Greetings from the Vice Principal

Message from Mrs. McNally

Happy New Year Panther Families!

Can you believe that January has already passed? We hope that everyone had a restful holiday

break as we begin to plan for the start of 3rd quarter/2nd semester.

I would like to take a moment to thank everyone for their support while I have been helping to

fill in for Mrs. Redlin. While it is hard to be away from the classroom, I really do love working

with our students in a different capacity. I very much appreciate having Mrs. Roman step into

my classroom. She has made this transition so easy and has been doing a great job!

ACE We will begin the 3rd quarter on a clean slate. Please continue to ensure your student is com-

pleting their work on-time. One of the best things you can do for your child is to check their

completed work daily. Each student was given an agenda notebook at the beginning of the

year to keep track of their assignments/projects/tests in each class. Does your child use this tool

every day? If not, now is a great time to start.

Please keep in mind the following:

All late assignments (ACE assignments) must be turned into the ACE room-NOT the teach-

er. This will keep you from receiving calls about assignments that may have already been

turned in .

ACE is available to students Monday through Thursday until 4:15.

Please continue to use the Pinnacle gradebook, online homework calendar, and your child’s

agenda notebook to ensure assignments are being completed.

Brand New Start With the beginning of the new semester, many students are starting new classes. Whether this

is the case or not, please check in with your student with regards to restocking supplies

(pencils, pens, notebooks, folders, dividers, etc…) I would also highly encourage you to take a

look into their backpack, binders, and folders. Many students are hanging on to items they no

longer need. We suggest keeping a box at home where older items can be placed and easily re-

trieved, if needed.

The Counselors’ Corner

February 2016

Registration Information- Counselors will be meeting with students during their Math classes in the com-puter lab for online registration.

February 2nd

and 3rd

- 8th graders in Mr. Ciaravino and Mrs. Duffey’s classes

February 4th and 5

th- 7

th graders during Mrs. Krier, Mrs. Wozniak, Mrs. McNally’s classes

February 9th and 10

th- 6

th graders during Mrs. McNally and Ms. McKinney’s classes

February 23rd

WEB Lesson- During advisory, WEB leaders will lead their 6th grade advisories with an or-

ganization lesson.

6th

Grade Reading Intervention Lessons- Mrs. Palffy and Mrs. Radant will be visiting Mr. McDonald and Mrs. Kifer’s 6

th grade reading classes once a week during 3

rd quarter. We will be teaching goal setting, study

skills, and organization techniques in order to prepare our students for 7th grade and beyond.

Strong Girls Group- Ms. Miller and Mrs. Palffy meet Thursdays 3:25-4:40 in Room 111 to have fun, team-build, do community service and get outside in the fresh air. Our 2016 meetings will resume February 25

th

and are open to all middle school girls who want to sign up.

Board of Education Meeting- Parcells Counselors will be recognized on Monday February 8th at the BOE

meeting for being awarded the American School Counseling Association’s Recognized ASCA Model Pro-gram (RAMP) award.

To find out more, check out the Counseling website and join us on Facebook (Parcells Middle School Counsel-ing Office) and Twitter (@ParcellsCounsel) to be the first to hear what’s new in the counseling offices.

Please feel free to contact your student’s counselor with any questions or concerns!

Kimberly Radant (A-K) Carla Palffy (L-Z) (313) 432-4618 (313) 432-4620 Kimberly.Radant@gpschools.org Carla.Palffy@gpschools.org

Parcells Middle School Receives RAMP Designation

ALEXANDRIA, VA. – Parcells Middle School will receive the Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP) designation during a special ceremony at the American School Counselor Association’s annual conference in New Orleans, La. The schools will be honored on July 11 for making an exemplary commitment to comprehensive school counseling programs.

The RAMP designation, awarded to schools that align with the criteria set in the ASCA National Model, recognizes schools that are committed to delivering a comprehensive, data-driven school counseling program and an exemplary educational environment. More than 600 schools have been designated as RAMP since the program’s inception.

Jill Cook, ASCA assistant director and RAMP coordinator, said this year’s recipients are to be commended for their dedi-cation to serving all students and demonstrating how effective school counseling programs can make a difference in stu-dents’ lives.

“This year’s RAMP honorees have shown their commitment to students and the school counseling profession,” Cook said. “This designation distinguishes these schools and encourages school counselors nationwide to continue to strive for excellence.”

“This is awarded to schools that align with the criteria set forth in the ASCA National Model, recognizing schools that are committed to delivering a comprehensive, data driven, school counseling program and an exemplary educational envi-ronment,” stated Principal Hartley. “Parcells Middle School joins an elite group of Michigan schools. As of December 2015, only 3 schools in the state of Michigan have earned this designation. Sincere congratulations are extended to Car-la Palffy, Jenny Sherman, and Kim Radant for all their hard work!”. Grosse Pointe middle school counselors secured a grant from the Grosse Pointe Foundation for Public Education, and Parcells Counselors, Mrs. Palffy and Mrs. Sherman spent the past three years working to facilitate the realignment to the national model. Throughout this time, counselors established and continue to meet semiannually with an Advisory Council, made up of stakeholders throughout the com-munity-at-large - including counselors, teachers, students, parents, GP school board, GP Administration, and community leaders. The application for the RAMP designation was submitted in August 2015, after presenting the final application to the Grosse Pointe School Board. Mrs. Palffy shared, “This alignment has been a three year process, culminating with this national recognition. As school counselors, we ask ourselves daily, “How are students different as a result of the school counseling program?” and this drives every aspect of our profession. While we celebrate the RAMP designation today, our greatest achievement is having incorporated the ASCA national model for 21st century learning for our stu-dents today and tomorrow.”

From the English Department

We are very excited to announce our students’ first experience with Shakespeare in their 8th grade honors English classrooms. Although many students may have read or seen Shakespeare’s work elsewhere, this month they will be reading, analyzing, and performing it with their classmates for the first time. While we inde-pendently (and silently) read much of Shakespeare’s work today, its original purpose was to be read aloud and performed for an audience. The tragic consequence, therefore, is that we miss much of the dialogue’s humor. Considering the difficulty of Shakespearean language, it is vital to remember that William Shake-speare chose to write plays in order to please the masses of Elizabethan England, as well as its queen. Most of his plays, both comedy and tragedy alike, were written to bring enjoyment to the common people, not just the nobility. And although the language is challenging, even at times archaic by today’s standards, the plot lines of many of Shakespeare’s stories are uncomplicated and still very enjoyable. Many Shakespearean plots are based on history and folklore that would have been exceedingly familiar to Elizabethan audiences. In order to enjoy our Shakespearean unit, please encourage your readers to approach it with an open mind and a can-do attitude. Although first encounters with Shakespearean language may seem like a puzzle, I have no doubt that with class discussions, performances, and language study we will solve the puzzle togeth-er making future readings of Shakespeare less trying and more enjoyable for all students. Thank you for your continued support!

Spelling Bee News

On the morning of Tuesday, January 12th, the Parcells Spelling Bee took place in the auditorium. Thirty-seven sixth, seventh, and eighth graders competed for twenty-two rounds to see who would be crowned champion. The spellers battled all morning and past noon until finally, just before 1:00, eighth-grader Brett Abke spelled “tyranny” to become the school champion. The school runner-up and sixth-grade winner was Lucy Turrini; the seventh-grade winner was a tie between Brittni Braswell and Luca Varanelli. All of the spellers did a tremendous job and should be proud of their efforts and accomplishments. Brett will now pre-pare for the Regional Bee on March 13th, where he will compete for the chance to go to Washington, D.C., to compete in the National Spelling Bee. Best of luck, Brett!

From the Science Department Parcells Scientists are Competitive! Four Parcells sixth grade teams have entered the Toshiba Exploravision contest. These students studied regular classroom material about the moon and passed a pretest; they then spent the past month completing projects on future technology: sonar goggles, better prosthetics, solar-powered planes, and better diesel en-gines. We’re hoping for some winners in March! Preparations for Science Olympiad are also in full swing. The team will compete on March 12th at Thurston High School in Redford. Participants represent grades 7 and 8 and will compete in various events covering many science and engineering disciplines. And on the chemistry front, many students in grades 6-8 are studying for the upcoming “You be the Chemist” qualifying test. The top three finishers will represent Parcells at the Wayne County regional competition on March 9th. Look for our science student competition results in the spring!

From the Science Department

Washington DC 8th Grade Trip

Great news about the 8th Grade Washington DC trip! The travel agency has reopened the registration peri-od. That means from now until Feb. 19, you can register your child for the trip and pay no late fees or addi-tional charges! This is shaping up to be our biggest and best trip ever! The trip this year will take place May 4 – 6, 2016. We will fly to DC and spend 3 fabulous days and 2 fun-filled nights in our Nation’s Capital, where our students will see first-hand all the things they have learned about in their Social Studies class this year. This time honored Parcells tradition grows more and more popular each year. We already have 110 students enrolled! If you missed out on the early registration, don’t worry. We are still accepting open registrations through Feb. 19. After Feb. 19, registration will be contingent upon availability of space on the airlines, hotel rooms and motor coaches, and late fees will be applied. Please keep in mind that you do not have to pay in full at the time of registration. You merely need to place a deposit, and then you can make arrangements to pay off the balance over the course of the school year. Ad-ditionally, WorldStrides offers fundraising op-portunities to help offset the cost of the trip. To register, go to: www.worldstrides.com/signup or call 800-468-5899. Please refer-ence Trip ID#114685. It is my sincere hope that all 8th graders will be able to experience this wonderful trip with their teachers and their peers. If you would like more information, please visit the Wash-ington DC link on the Parcells Webpage. If you have any questions, please don’t hesi-tate to contact me at debra.duffey@gpschools.org Sincerely, Mrs. Duffey DC Trip Coordinator

Greetings from the Choir Room! All choirs are currently preparing for their participation in next month’s district choral festival. While we do not know what our official times are, please read on for information regarding choral festival. As soon as we know our performance times, your singer will bring home a permission slip. Date – Monday, March 14 Location – Dakota High School, Macomb, MI (near the corner of 21 Mile & Heydenreich) Times – TBD! Transportation – yellow school bus! We will need MANY parents to chaperone this event. The more eyes to help supervise students, the bet-

ter! What to wear:

6th grade – dressy combination of black, white, and/or gray with a “splash” of bright color (like a bright headband or tie, etc.)

7th grade – dressy black outfit (same outfit that was worn in November concert with the orchestra) 8th grade – choir dresses and tuxes

On another note, information regarding the 7th and 8th grade trip to Cedar Point in May has been sent home (multiple times, for some students!). Please make sure to sign the form and send in a $50 deposit as soon as possible. The final payment will need to be made next month. The students know how important it is to have every singer participate in this fun and educational day. As always, feel free to email me with any questions or concerns at leslie.saroli@gpschools.org. Thank you, Mrs. Leslie Saroli Leslie.saroli@gpschools.org

Gym Shorts (GYM SHORTS #6)

Athletic News and Information

7th and 8th Girls Basketball has begun their tryout process. Wrestling has also begun.

Please check the athletic website for dates of games/meets.

Remember that all students must be passing 4 of their 6 classes to be eligible and if

they are sent to ACE (homework help) they must keep up their coursework as they are

STUDENT ATHLETES. The student will be asked to get that homework done before

they can go to practice.

PLEASE NOTE IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE, A STUDENT MUST HAVE A CURRENT PHYSICAL TO

PLAY. FORMS ARE IN THE MAIN OFFICE OR GET ONE FROM MRS. GULICK.

Swimming will begin on Feb 29, 2016. Please check the calendar for our informational

meeting. This is for 6th, 7th and 8th graders. This season lasts a month and has a club

fee of $50.

6th grade Basketball will begin on April 5, 2016. Please check the calendar for our infor-

mational meeting. This season lasts the month of April and has a club fee of $50.

Track will begin on April 5, 2016 for 7th and 8th graders. Please check the cal-

endar for our informational meeting. This will last until middle of May and has an

athletic fee of $90.

PLEASE NOTE IF A STUDENT PAID AN ATHLETIC FEE OR CLUB FEE,

THEIR OTHER SEASONS ARE FREE!!

Thank you to our student athletes that have participated so far and have shown

GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP both on and off the court.

Beth Gulick

Athletic Coordinator

Life Skills News- It’s hard to believe that our school year is already half over! I wanted to welcome all new students to Foods and Exploratory Life Skills classes for second semester. Foods classes will begin with a quick unit on Kitch-en Safety. We will also discuss measuring, and kitchen tools. Students should plan to get started cooking right away, and should plan to cook 2-3 days per week each week. Follow Parcells Life Skills on Pinterest and I will follow you back, this is a neat way to share recipes! You can also follow Parcells Foods on Insta-gram to see student creations. Exploratory Life Skills for 6th graders will begin the semester with a unit on babysitting. We will discuss basic child care and infant care, and will emphasize the importance of shutting off the devices and playing with kids! Watch for a letter outlining our Egg Baby babysit-ting project in early February. All Life Skills students should know that we are dangerously low on soap, hand soap and dish soap. Donations will earn students cou-pons for “extra portions” to be redeemed in class. The less we have to buy, the more money we have for cooking! Life Skills club will begin Monday 2/1 and will run through early April, always on Monday’s. If your student wasn’t able to fit Life Skills into their schedule, please have them check out our club! It’s a great experience and lots of fun .

Student Council- Upcoming meetings: 2/4 & 2/25 The second quarter Student Council reward dance is coming up Friday, 2/26. In order to be eligible to attend, students must not have received any 4’s or 5’s on their report cards and they must not have had any Options Room visits or office referrals for 2nd Q. Tickets will be sold the week of February 22nd after school in the main lobby only. Tickets are $5 in advance, or may be purchased for $7 at the door. Gold card holders get free admission, but they must still have a ticket. We ask students to dress nicely, and incorporate our “Glow Out” theme. Please see Miss Sobotka or Mr. McDonald with any questions!

From The Art Department Parcells students won four Scholastic Art Awards this year!

-Jackie Listman: Gold Key for Fashion

-Jaden Bland: Silver Key for Digital Art

-Presley Power: Silver Key for Animation and Honorable Mention for Digital Art

https://youtu.be/bbGHnvKMs2c

Their art will be on display in Feb./March at the College for Creative Studies and they will attend a ceremony at the Detroit Institute of Arts to receive a certificate. Jack-ie’s dress got the highest award for her age level and will go on to be judged at the National level! Proud of them! Amber Mades Art Educator Parcells Middle School Grosse Pointe Public Schools @ParcellsArt

PTO Corner

Father Vice President: We are still in need of a Father Vice President for the PTO. This position’s only du-ties are to coordinate the volunteers for the parking lot at the Holiday Bazaar, and attend monthly meetings. School Clinic: We always need clinic volunteers for morning or afternoon shifts. (You do not have to be a medical professional.) Please contact the Clinic Coordinator, Sheri Favenyesi at 704-830-7033 for any ques-tions. To sign up for the clinic, click on the monthly links below for signupgenius.com. Clinic Sign Up Link: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0c4aada92ca2fc1-march2 Teacher Conference Luncheon: Below is the link for parents to sign up to help out with the Fall Staff Appreciation Lunch. http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0e45a8ae28a2fd0-fall Kroger Community Rewards and Target REDcard Program: Please also consider signing up for the Kroger Community Rewards Program and the Target REDcard program. Both are free programs which real-ly benefit the school. Click on “Kroger and Target Fundraisers” on the Parcells website to learn more.

PTO Meetings: PTO Meetings are open to all parents and are a great way to get involved in your child’s school. They are generally held on the 3rd Monday of the month at 7:00, but some meetings are different due to holiday schedules or conflicts. Please check the school calendar for dates, or send an email to ekin.jeanette@gmail.com for a schedule of meetings.

Parcells is an Evergreen School

Follow us on:

Your Grosse Pointe Public Library

The Grosse Pointe Public School System is grateful for its many community partnerships. To ensure we remain good neighbors with our partners in the Grosse Pointe Library System, we would like to take this opportunity to remind pa-trons of rules that will help us all utilize this community resource to its fullest potential. Just as in school, there are guidelines for behavior and supervision at our local libraries. The library has a document entitled “Guidelines on Behavior” that will be enforced. It is available for review at the Youth Desk, but here are a few highlights we would appreciate your help in maintaining: Visiting the Library

We encourage all patrons to work together in order to ensure a safe, positive learning environment.

Loitering outside the library, or excessive entrance and exit, is disruptive to this environment which is de-signed to support study, reading and other quiet activities.

Please remember the Woods branch parking lot off Mack Avenue is locked during drop-off (7:30-8:30 a.m.) and pick-up time (2:45-3:30 p.m.) for the safety of our children.

Our libraries, particularly the Woods branch, are busiest from 3:15-5:30 p.m., so it may be helpful for oth-er patrons to visit at non peak hours.

Children under the age of 9 cannot be left unattended. Guardians or caregivers must be age 13 or above themselves to watch younger students in the library. The library staff is not responsible for supervision of your children. Childcare is available for a fee through the GPPSS Kids Club and details can be found at www.gpschools.org or by calling 313-432-3067.

Computer Use

Students need a valid library card or knowledge of their card number to use computers.

Livetutor.com is available free of charge from 3-10 p.m. every day of the week.

Computer use is limited to 30 minutes to ensure equitable access.

Only one student is allowed to sit at a computer.

No food or drinks are allowed at the computer.

Students may bring their own earphones to use with computers; the library does not provide these.

Printing is available from youth computers for a small fee (10¢ per black and white page, $1 for color). Working Together

An expired library card or excessive fees may prevent patrons from using the computers or borrowing materials.

Any patron, including students, with a pattern of disruptive behavior will be banned from the library.

To keep track of library usage in those busy times, student patrons will be asked to sign in for program-ming or quiet study using their library card.

Please remember, this is our community library. Working together, parents, students, community members, and li-brary and school personnel will maintain a positive library environment and experience for all.

From Special Education

The Special Education department is looking for a donation of a washer and electric dryer. We aren’t picky! Any working machine will do. We will provide a tax donation form to the donor. Please contact Gina McEveney 313-432-5534 to make arrangements.

As a reminder our school will is participating in the Labels for Education® and Box Tops for Education pro-gram.. Through the program we can collect UPCs and beverage/sauce caps from participating products to earn points that can be redeemed for FREE educational merchandise! It’s easy to help – simply save UPCs and beverage/sauce caps and box tops from participating products and drop them off in the school office. If you have any questions, or would like to help with our Labels for Education collection drive, please contact me at 313-432-5534 or via email at gina.mceveney@gpschools.org.

Thank you for your support. Together with the Labels for Education program – we can build a better school for our children. Sincerely, Gina McEveney Box Top Coordinator

From the School Social Worker and School Psychologist: