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A note from the principal . . .
September 2014
Main Office
303-387-1800
Fax
303-387-801
Attendance
303-387-1802
Athletics/Activities
303-387-1812
Bookkeeper
303-387-1808
Registrar
303-387-1820
Transportation
303-387-0415
Weather Hotline
303-387-7669
Twitter
follow@mountainridgems
Online Payments
dcsdk12.revetrak.net

Happy Fall!

Can you believe that we are to October already? These past six weeks
have flown by. We had a huge turnout for Student-led Conferences,
which was great to see. It goes to show what an involved and
dedicated parent community we have here at MRMS. Thank you!

As we quickly approach the end of the first quarter, hopefully your
students are settling into 7
th
or 8
th
grade. They should be feeling more
comfortable with their schedules, their teachers, and their
expectations. This is a great time of year to begin turning more
responsibility over to them as well. Here are a couple ways that this
could look. Have your student be the first point of contact to the
teachers. If your student has a question about their grades,
assignments, etc, have them be the first one to talk to or email the
teacher. If there continues to be an issue, then by all means, feel free
to take the reigns on that. This is a great first step for students to
begin owning their learning and self-advocating, both of which are life-
long skills. Another way to begin giving them more responsibility is to
set up a time when they have to check their grades on Infinite Campus
and explain them to you.

continued on next page

P A G E 2
Mountain Ridge Middle School
A note from the principal . . .
continued
I know often as parent, I would check the grades and ask my son about
them instead of him owning the process. This is a very intentional way
to keep you informed, open communication lines with your student,
and have them take ownership of their progress. I know, sometimes it
is just easier to do these things yourself, because at least you know
they will get done! J Now is a good time to start turning these pieces
over to your child and begin preparing them for their next steps.

Parenting a middle schooler is hard! Being a middle schooler is even
harder! Middle school is such a great time for students to try new
things, find out what they like and dont like, learn resiliency and learn
from their mistakes. The only way they can do that is if they are given
a safe place with support to spread their wings. This is a goal that we
have at MRMS. We want to give students the opportunities to try,
learn, and sometimes struggle; but we want to let them know that we
are here to help them every step of the way. For us, it is also that
continued release of responsibility from us to them. We believe that if
we give them a safety net, they will be more likely to push themselves
knowing that if they fail at whatever task, they will learn from it and
be able to move forward. This is such a crucial part of middle school!

With this support at home and at school, students are bound for
success! Thank you again for all you do for your kids and for sending
us students who are eager to learn and push forward. Please always
let us know if there is anything we can do to support you or your
student. Have a great fall!

Shannon Clarke, Principal

General Announcements

P A G E 3
continued on next page
Katherine Brown
If I haven't had the chance to meet you yet, my name is Katherine Brown,
and I am the Parent Liaison for DCSD. My goal is to engage and involve
parents by being a resource for them and helping them navigate DCSD.
You'll most likely find me at a SAC meeting getting to know the school.

Another part of my job is creating and overseeing DCSD Parent
University. Parent University will provide training, information and
resources to parents and caregivers that will help them in their
responsibility for influencing and directing children's lives. Parent
University will support and empower parents to become leaders and
advocates in their child's learning.

Trying to work through the struggles of parenting? Want to make sure
your kids are set up for success? As parents, we have a daunting task and
sometime it can feel as though we are novices on an overwhelming
mission. So, in order to help you feel encouraged and supported, Parent
University is now enrolling parents in classes on the DCSD website!

Simply go to https://www.dcsdk12.org/parent-university and check out
some of the course offerings for this semester, which include bullying
prevention, cybersafety, study skills, college prep, school finance and
many others. Also, if you have suggestions for classes, youll find an area
to submit your ideas for the following semester. We welcome your input
and participation! These courses are designed to be a resource for
parents, driven by parents!

Thanks,
Katherine Brown
Parent Liaison, DCSD

Whats happening in the MRMS library?
Have you visited the library wiki? If you want to get a look at what sort of
activities go on in the MRMS library, visit Hardwired for Stories (an online
perpetual work in progress that serves our schools staff and students).
Your student should know that the quickest way to get there is simply to
Google, Hardwired for Stories. Once there, feel free to snoop around
and explore the many different activities that have been created to
support our schools curriculum. Mr. Vincelettes favorites include; the
Houdini nonfiction adventure, the Library Murder Mystery, and the HFS
book exchange project.
Has your student mentioned using voicethread? Voicethread is an online
application that all of our students have accounts for. It provides
students with several tools for presenting information, (as in telling
stories digitally or demonstrating their learning). If your student is taking
a world language class here at MRMS, theres a good chance they have
already made their first voicethread. Please encourage your student to
tinker/play with this powerful tool. The more familiar with it they are,
the better. If students have questions about accessing their accounts
they should see Mr. Vincelette or Mrs. Meyer in the library.

General Announcements continued

P A G E 4

Notes From The Counseling Department

P A G E 5
continued on the next page
What are your kids on.
Middle school students use social media for a variety of purposes. Some
classrooms use social media to communicate and share information and it
can be a great tool for an innovative classroom. Many students connect
with friends online to make plans, play games or just check in with each
other. But when can social media be unhealthy for students? When does
social media create more problems for students?

Social media can be a difficult world for students to navigate. As a school,
we recognize the impact social media can have on the lives of our
students. To teach students how to be safe online, MRMS partners with
Douglas County Sheriff's Department to teach students the YES program.
The program teaches students how to be safe online and negative
consequences if social media is used inappropriately. And though students
learn about online safety, we continue to have numerous student conflicts
that stem from online social media sites. We want parents to have
resources so they can support and guide their student when using social
media. If you need help or information about online safety for children
and teens, check out the parent links below for help and support. If you
have specific questions or concerns about your students online activity,
please call our main office and ask to speak with an administrator or one
of the counselors. We are here to help our students learn how to be safe
online.

http://stopcyberbullying.org/prevention/parents_role.html

nternet-safety.yoursphere.com/2013/08/ask-fm-what-it-is-and-what-
parents-need-to-know/

https://support.twitter.com/articles/470968-families#

Parent Corner
The Gift of Struggle
One of the most important things we can do as
parents is help our children develop resiliency.
Resiliency is the quality that allows them to
bounce back from setbacks, to persevere in the
face of adversity, and to continue trying until
they succeed at a task. A colleague of ours
calls this the gift of struggle, and she contends, as do many others, that
this struggle is a vital part of our students development. Just as a
butterfly must struggle to leave its cocoon in order to develop its wings
for flight, human beings need to have opportunities to grapple with
challenges so we can learn how to conquer them rather than be
defeated by them.

So how do we set the stage for this gift of struggle? We can model
problem-solving rather than problem-avoidance. We can talk over
situations and choices with our kids, reviewing pros and cons of various
courses of action. We can talk to them in terms of what they might do
and why, when facing a tough situation. We can resist the impulse to
remove all obstacles from our childrens paths. And, most importantly,
we can step back and allow them to solve problems in a guided fashion,
with trusted adults on the sidelines for coaching.
Notes From The Counseling Department continued

P A G E 6

continue on the next page

P A G E 7
Wow! MRMS students are participating in tons of sports and activities!
Aside from winning the district championship, our students show their
resiliency, sportsmanship, and pride wherever we go. Thank you parents
and guardians who have supported and encouraged your students to get
involved and surround themselves with positive influences!

Congratulations to our cross country team and 8
th
girls volleyball team for
taking home the District Championship! Our 8
th
football team is hitting
hard and will finish their season on October 9
th
. Seventh grade volleyball
and seventh grade flag football started September 15 and will end their
season October 25
th
. Seventh and eighth grade wrestling will start right
after fall break on October 20
th
and end with a tournament on December
17
th
. If your student is still playing volleyball or flag football, and they
want to wrestle, please have them finish their season and then join the
wrestling team. Eighth grade girls basketball starts October 27
th
and ends
December 6
th
. Our Unified soccer team started off with a tie against Mesa
Middle School with more games to come. Unified Basketball will start in
December.

There are so many clubs for your students to get involved in, as well as
the possibility for your student to start their own club. I will do my best to
list what is going on now and in the near future: NJHS, Interact, BIONIC,
Student Council, Mountain Bike Club, Green Team, Gamma Nu, Movie
Club, Technology Student Association (TSA), Running Club, iCode, Jazz
Band, Mens Choir, Womens Choir, Advanced Choir, Thespian Troupe,
and World Affairs Challenge. Again, if your student has a passion, please
have them come see Mr. Hess to see how to get a club started.

Thank you for all your support and making MRMS a positive and safe
environment where students can explore, take risks, have fun, pursue
their passion, and be apart of something special.

Athletics And Activities

P A G E 8
Athletics And Activities continued
Aladdin
By Daniel Schwartz

If youve stayed after school for the past
three weeks, you can hear the sound of over
one hundred kid singing memorable songs
from the newly written musical Aladdin Jr.
Thats right folks! This year, as most of you
should know, Aladdin Jr. is our Fall Musical.
The cast is amazing, including our leads. Our leads are: Nick Rogers as
Aladdin, Julia Driggs as Jasmine, Ian Spillman as Jafar and Evan Gibley as
the Genie.

Aladdin is about a poor boy on the streets of a great city known as Agra-
bah. The princess Jasmine is very reluctantly having to choose a prince to
marry. The whole ceremony gets interrupted after Aladdin steals a loaf of
bread from the city baker. He ends up getting arrested and thrown in a
cave because all the prisons are full. There he ends up meeting the Genie
who he asks to help him try and get Jasmine to fall in love with him. Alad-
din takes her on a magic carpet ride and they end up getting engaged.
Then Jafar stops the wedding and tries to marry Jasmine in order to gain
absolute power. Tune in to see what happens next
Make sure you buy the tickets while you can! The shows will be November
5th through 8th and can be purchased on Ms. McDaniels website or
www.headstrongtheatre.com


P A G E 9
Team 7-2 Are You Aware?
It has been a busy September for the students and teachers of Team 7-2.
Our community of learners is beginning to grow stronger as we get to
know each other and work together to get the year off to a great start.
We have had the opportunity to describe ourselves through our Who am
I? project writing about ourselves in Language Arts and Health and
creating Coats of Arms in Social Studies. We have described ourselves as
a community, taking information from a team-wide survey and designing t
-shirts in iLab that represent us as Team 7-2. Are you aware? WE ARE
TEAM 7-2!

Ask your student about:

P A G E 10
Team 7-2 continue
Upcoming Parent Involvement Opportunities.

On Thursday, October 9
th
we will hold
our Annual Road Rally event in the
Team 7-2 pod. We would love to have
10-12 parents join us to help facilitate
this exciting opportunities for students
to race around the globe. We plan to
set up around 9:00 a.m. and finish by
12:00 noon. No training or Road Rally
experience is required. If you would like
to participate, please contact deb.foxgliessman@dcsdk12.org.

We have begun to explore the natural landscape around our school with a
hike to High Point and by researching invertebrates. Early next quarter
we will travel off campus for our annual trip to our local invertebrate zoo,
otherwise known as the Butterfly Pavilion. Students will put into practice
their science skills of
observation and
investigation. They will
collect butterfly data
(flutter-bys and landings)
in order to test their
hypotheses related to
butterfly activity and color.
Parent volunteers are
needed for this field trip.
We will be traveling on
Oct. 27 and 28 (half of the
team each day). If you can
join us, please contact Alan Savage at alan.savage@dcsdk12.org. When
students return from the field trip, they will graph and evaluate their data
in order to discover patterns and evaluate the validity of their hypotheses.
To improve their overall understanding of invertebrates, students are
conducting in-depth research on and writing about a specific invertebrate
of their own choosing. Students will use their Social Studies knowledge to
locate and map their invertebrates habitat, an illustration to accompany
their research paper. They have uncovered some pretty cool facts about
these animals and why invertebrates (which account for 97% of the
Earths entire animal population, including humans) are so important to
the health of the planet. Ask you student!


P A G E 11
Team 7-2 continue
T-Shirt Design Project WE ARE TEAM 7-2!
In iLab, students worked in design teams to come up with a t-shirt design
that would represent who we are as a team. In each class, design teams
worked to incorporate the core beliefs and characteristics of our team
and our school in an effort to represent the Team 7-2 community in their
design. Each team prepared and gave a presentation explaining their
design in an attempt to persuade the voters that their design would be
the best choice. The students have made their selection and we expect to
receive the shirts by the beginning of 2
nd
Quarter. If you have not yet paid
for the shirt, you can visit your account on Infinite Campus where you will
find a t-shirt fee for $7.50. If you have already paid, thank you!

Thank you to all of the parents and students who attended Student-Led
Conferences on September 24
th
and 25
th
. It is always so wonderful to
watch students strut their stuff for their parents and to engage in
meaningful conversation about learning.

P A G E 12
Team 7-4 One Of The Top 6 Teams At MRMS
We have had an amazing first quarter with our students. We have had
two change agents of the month to honor, a critical thinking contest to
design a team t-shirt, and a challenging maze to work through to prac-
tice collaboration and communication skills.

Our Change Agent of
the Month for August
was
Liam McChesney.
Liam has a positive
attitude and energetic
towards everything he
approaches. He is kind
to all he interacts with
and always makes a
connections to his
learning. We are so
excited to have Liam be
our first Change Agent
for team 74.
Our Change Agent of the
Month for September is
Kariss Cash.
Karriss improves any group
she is a part of. She brings
out the best in other
students and demonstrates
exceptional leadership
skills. She is good at
compromising, listening to
others, and collaborating
with whomever she
works. We are honored to
have her on our team and
as our change agent for
September.

P A G E 13
Team 7-4 continued
Students worked in collaborative groups to design a team t-shirt for Team
74 Change Agents. Here is the winning design. Please check revtrak to
make sure you have purchased one, we are ordering them next week.

Finally, our students went to the Corn Maze on Wednesday, September
23rd to work on their critical thinking, collaboration, and communication
skills while mapping the unknown. They did an excellent job and we are
excited about the learning that took place.

We are looking forward to our next quarter and watching our Change
Agents grow. Thank you for sharing them with us.
Team 74

P A G E 14
Team 8-1
Team 8-1 welcomes you! We are so excited about how this year has
started. We had a beginning of the year activity that was absolutely
through the roof. Students demonstrated a great deal of enthusiasm
during the spirited small group competition. Team building and a sense
of pride in work was felt throughout the day. As Mrs. Earl said, We work
hard, but we play hard too!

Our theme this year is, How will you lead?

Language Arts
In August we started our new novels and went into all the elements of a
novel. We also discussed goal setting and what we could work on as
individuals throughout the year to be more prepared for 9th grade.
Students are beginning their second round of books, and we will be
making sure that students have evidence within their writing to support
their main points. Here is a list of books that we have read this year so
far in various classes: Sleeping Freshman Never Lie, The Disreputable
History of F.L.B., Touching Spirit Bear, The Acorn People, Stargirl, Life of
Pi, and Nothing But The Truth.

Math/Algebra
Currently students are discovering patterns in tables, graphs, and
equations. We are learning how to be excellent tablemates and
collaborate with our peers. It is ok to fail while we are learning as long as
we are learning from our mistakes! Everyone can do algebra!!! In the
next few weeks, we will be participating in a video challenge project that
will allow students to collaborate with other students around the world
to reach a solution to a challenging math problem.

Science
Students have been exploring Newtons Laws of motion and different
types of forces. We are currently exploring how surface area and weight
affect friction. Later in the month, we will be exploring buoyant forces,
electromagnetic forces and elastic forces.

STEM
Students have been learning the basics of programming and
robotics. They will continue to work on these basic programs for the
next few weeks and then switch from one topic to the other. The goal of
robotics and programming is problem solving. Students are faced with
challenges that they will need to collaborate on in order to solve a
problem.

P A G E 15
Team 8-1 continued
Physical Education/Health
In health, we are discussing the internal and external influences in our
lives. Social media, family, friends, sports, food, TV, video games,
magazines, books...etc. are all contributors to how we mold our
lives. We will also take a look at cyberbullying and what the law says
about it. Officer Walton, from the Y.E.S.S. Program, will share the facts
about how social media has changed the way we think, act and live. Its
gonna be a great unit!

US History
What a great start to a new year! Students are exploring how European
claims overlapped, leading to the French and Indian War and creating a
huge financial deficit that the British Crown demanded the new colonies
pay.

Who will win the war and will the new colonies stand up to the Crown
over this issue of taxation without representation? Only time will tell...

Applied Academics/Resource Class
Students have been working on specific skill sets aligned with the goals
and objectives on their IEPs. In addition, students are receiving
homework support for their core classes and conferencing with me
regarding their grades and any missing work. Students have also been
working on progress monitoring and organizational skills. I co-teach
language arts, math, science, social studies and STEM in order to offer
students additional support in their core classes. I have really enjoyed
getting to work with the students on this team this year. They are hard
working and enthusiastic.

GREEN TEAM
We are looking for students that want to make a difference in their
school and community. The Green Team meets once a week. The
changes we create can help earn several thousand dollars for our
school! Lets be a green school!

Social Studies
In social studies, students are studying the Declaration of Independence
and the causes of the Revolutionary War. Students continue to examine
the question, Why do people rebel? as well as getting ready to
experience the war through the eyes of an eighth grader.

Science
Currently, students are studying thunderstorms and atmosphere. See the
website for home discussion questions!

Language Arts
To piggy-back off of Dalbys thematic question of rebellion, students are
completing the the novel, Nothing but the Truth, by Avi, and headed into
robotics (paired with STEM) to examine the pros and cons of a
technologically-based society.

STEM
Half of the students are working on robotics and the other half are
working on energy.

Math
8th grade math is working on solving equations
Algebra is making connections between representations of linear
functions
Geometry is learning about angles with parallel and perpendicular lines

Upcoming field trip
On Friday, October 3
rd
, Team 83 will be traveling to Cherokee Ranch. The
purpose of the trip is to build positive relationships with students and
expose them to some of the outdoor learning they will experience in the
spring, when we revisit the ranch. We are going to hike in groups of 30-33
students. Each group will have parent volunteers and a teacher leader.

We plan to drop students at different locations around the ranch. Each
group will then hike to the castle. Kids will share pictures and experiences
from each of the different hikes and discuss what they have seen. We will
load the buses at the castle and be back at school by 1:00 p.m. (start of
electives).

We are all excited about this adventure and would love for you to come
along!

P A G E 16
Team 8-3

P A G E 17
Team 8-4 News
All The News Thats Swagworthy!
Pod 84 From a Student Perspective

Whats new in 8th Grade?
Contributions by A. Neta and C. Raisor, edited by Team 84
Students have changed drastically already, from
appearances, to how things appear to them (their
point of view). Mathematics has changed from
re-viewing straight into 8th, and 9th grade math.
Ms. Van has a game where we put what we have
learned to the test, literally; the program we use is
Kahoot. Another class that has changed is Physical
Education. Core 4 students state that they havent
lost a single game to the other pods. The gym
teachers have a game day every Friday. In social
studies, Mr. Klinkerman is trying fun new ways to
take notes, and read the chapters. For one
worksheet, we did a competition: each group takes
notes to answer questions, and if the answers are
right, you get to shoot a miniature basketball at a
miniature hoop. Also, every Friday, in language arts
we take our test and have time to work on our
writing and reading.

Everything seems to be new and exciting, and our students are engaged
and off to a good start. Here are some updates on the team so far:

STEM
Students in Ms. Peters STEM class have been learning to program NXT Lego
Mindstorm robots with various challenges such as Forward and Accelerate,
Curves, Square, and Parking Bay. The real challenge was developing a
unique pattern that incorporated the following elements . . .

P A G E 18
Team 8-4 continued
Students utilized many of their problem solving and resiliency skills while
programming their robots into creative designs like roller coasters,
flowers, turtles, any many other designs. Robotics Level 1 was a fun way
to learn about collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical
thinking. Kudos to all the kids on their end of the unit project, My
Pattern!

Social Studies
This September, we have been learning about colonial life and causes of
the Revolutionary War. In addition to lots of reading, discussion and note
-taking, students created stories as if they were living in one of the
original thirteen colonies. Recently, we have been investigating events
that led to the Revolution, all while playing a little basketball. Just this
week, we held a colonial town hall meeting with the likes of King George
III, Sam Adams, Ben Franklin and Mercy Otis Warren. Be sure to ask your
child if they would have remained loyal to Britain or would have revolted
and become a Patriot. Over the next month, we will be learning about the
the Revolutionary War, the Declaration of Independence, and our
Constitution.

Language Arts
Students in LA8 just finished their Rambling Autobiographies and shared
with their classes. This crazy assignment allows each writer to represent
his or her life so far as an emotional rollercoaster of events and
memories. After sharing their pieces, the classes have a special bond that
will allow them to support and trust one another as a writing community.
In the next few weeks, these students will connect with Social Studies as
they study the question, Why do people rebel? through historical
fiction set in the Revolutionary War era. In the Advanced classes, students
are currently tackling the theme of Foundations-Disequilibrium-Change
90 Point Turn (left or right)
180 GENTLY CURVING turn
Forward
Backwards
Visible Acceleration
A 360 spin
A sound
A display on the LCD
screen
A programming loop

P A G E 19
Team 8-4 continued
through various novels. Each week, small groups hold discussions on their
thoughts and questions following the assigned reading. In October, the
Advanced classes will tackle the Rambling Autobiography project.

Math
Students in Algebra are applying real-world concepts to mathematical
structures. Following their studies on the Pythagorean Theorem and the
Wheel of Pythagoras, students are jumping into solving inequalities
through an analysis of quarterback passing statistics. In Math 8, students
are working on transformations, reflections, rotations and dilations.

PE
For PE, our focus has been on establishing the overarching philosophies
of our physical education program for 8th graders. We want to develop a
lifestyle of fitness and an understanding of transferrable skills/
concepts. Students started the year by working through the Fitness Gram
testing. Once they set their baselines for the fitness data, students wrote
goals and progress plan to reach those goals by post test time this spring.

Students have also been involved in a variety of activities and competitive
games. The purpose of these games has been to emphasize teamwork,
strategy and communication. Students have had to critically think and
cooperate with one another in order to be successful. We have also
discussed with students the idea of resiliency and trial and error when it
comes to playing games and working with others.

Moving forward, we will be continuing to build our level of fitness and
working through barriers that may exist around running and cardio
training. We will also be developing the idea of transferable skills and
looking to demonstrate our knowledge and abilities in multiple sports and
activities.

Health
In health class, we have been working through on Introduction to 8th
grade Health. Students evaluated various areas of their health and
identified places of growth. We discussed and practiced the process of
decision making. Students worked on real life, relatable situations, in
which the process improved the outcome of the situation. We will be
referencing and using this process multiple times throughout the year as
we continue to focus on making healthy, appropriate decisions.


P A G E 20
Team 8-4 continued
Recently, we have been looking at the concept of influences and how
people may be influenced by things like the media. Students analyzed TV
and print advertisements looking at what makes commercials effective
and how they have the power to change behavior. Student were then
assigned the task of creating their own commercials with the purpose of
influencing others health. Students have an opportunity to be creative,
collaborative and think critically about influencing decision making and
behaviors.

In the coming weeks, students will learn about effective communication,
perception and how being intentional in various situations can help you
develop a healthy lifestyle. We will take those concepts and ideas from
the first unit and move forward with a focus on violence prevention. In
this unit, we will address what violence is and how it influences us along
with bullying and dating violence

Science
Students in science class are learning how to work in collaborative study
teams--having round table study sessions, leading large group
discussions, studying for quizzes together, holding each other
accountable, and learning to rely on each other to build a strong
foundation for their future success. We have begun playing Classcraft--a
great tool for helping create an environment which encourages student
engagement and rewards positive contributions to class. Students helped
create the norms the game is built upon, and they decided the rewards
and consequences which would be given when certain events occur in
class. Ask your students to show you what Classcraft looks like!

Our study of force and motion is culminating on Friday October 3
rd
, with a
symposium-style presentation of the students paper roller coasters.
Parents will be our guests that day, to provide an authentic audience for
students to present their work. Next month we will begin a unit in
collaboration with language arts in which students will choose a product
claim to put to the test in a carefully designed scientific investigation.
The results of that experiment will be shared with the company or a
magazine or other audience in a professionally formatted business letter.
Through this experience, students will develop critical thinking through
analyzing bias, manipulating variables, and interpreting data in addition
to critiquing media messages.

Stay tuned

October 1st, Wizard of
Oz Field Trip to MVHS

October 2nd, Team 84
Talk (Parents @ noon)

October 3rd, Roller
Coaster Symposium

The World Language department is eager
to kick off our second year with our online
textbooks. This series allows students to
really incorporate 21
st
Century Skills
through activities that promote
collaboration, communication, creativity
and critical thinking skills. Students will be
provided with a current curriculum, that is
comprised of interpersonal, interpretive and presentational activities that
align with Colorado State GVCs (Standards). 7
th
grade students will have
access to an online textbook, supplemental practice and assessments,
while 8
th
graders will continue to maintain their eportfolios from last year.

We are also excited to announce a new member of our World Language
family, Kelly Britton. Kelly is teaching Spanish 1A and 1B, taking over for
Judi Welch, who retired in May. Last year, Kelly taught on team 71 and
we were lucky enough to snatch her away. She is very excited to be
teaching Spanish this year. Kelly lived in Spain as an exchange student in
her college years and loves the language and culture. Other members of
the team include Cathie Knutson (Spanish 1A and 1B), Jeff Shroyer
(Spanish 1B and World Cultures) and Andrea Beckett (French).

Our summer 8
th
grade trip to France and Spain was amazing. In Spain,
students had the opportunity to visit places like Barcelona, Pamplona and
San Sebastin. Kids had a great time recreating the Running of the Bulls
(Pamplona) and enjoyed some beach time (San Sebastin). France was
beautiful! Students enjoyed the major sites: the Eiffel Tower, Notre
Dame, the Louvre, Versailles and Montmartre. We also toured the Loire
Valley, home to many historical chateaus of
French kings and queens and had the great
experience of cooking with true French
chefs at a cooking school in Tours. What an
incredible opportunityStay tuned for
upcoming educational travel opportunities!

P A G E 21
World Language

P A G E 22
Electives continued

Multimedia II

Multimedia 2 is a year-long class new to Mountain Ridge this year.
Multimedia I (the semester long course) still exists, however Multimedia 2
is designed to take students further into the realm of movie making.
Above and beyond the semester class, students will be learning more
about movie making philosophies, scene composition, scheduling,
scouting, special effects, broadcast journalism basics, ethics, and a whole
lot more. Students will be learning these skills through the creation of a
full-length movie and streaming news broadcasts throughout the school.
Students are also beginning to maintain our new Youtube channels for
RaMedia productions and RNN, Ram News Network. Students have taken
on incredible leadership roles in this class, and will be volunteering to help
tape and produce videos at our schools live events such as concerts,
plays, and other performances.

Our new movie, 21 Ridge Street, is well underway in the pre-production
stage, We have a completed screenplay and shot list, and will have it cast
before fall break. We are hoping to start production by the end of
October and finish principal photography by the end of November. After
that, we will enter post-production with editing, special effects, publicity,
and soundtrack production. We already have our premiere night
scheduled for Friday, May 15th, at 7pm at Mountain Ridge (subject to
change), complete with a semi-formal red carpet event!

Art
Day of the Dead (Spanish: Da de Muertos) is a Mexican holiday observed
throughout Mexico and around the world in other cultures. The holiday
focuses on gatherings of family and friends to remember friends and
family members who have died. The celebration takes place on October
31, November 1 and November 2, in connection with the triduum of
Allhallowtide: All Hallows' Eve, Hallowmas, and All Souls' Day.

Traditions
connected with the holiday include building private altars called
ofrendas, honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the
favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with
these as gifts. Loved ones also leave possessions of the deceased.

MRMS art students sketched their own sugar skulls and used
professional watercolors and masking fluid for the background. The
Unryu Paper, which literally means, "Cloud Dragon Paper," is made by
adding long swirling fibers to a basic kozo pulp.

P A G E 23
Electives
Speech
Speech is a fun and interactive elective at Mountain Ridge Middle School.
The purpose is to overcome your fear of public speaking. If this is not a
concern of yours, and you like public speaking, this is a great class to take.
If you are really shy, this class helps you come out of your shell. If talking
is one of your favorite hobbies, this class is for you! It helps you with pub-
lic speaking and gives you lots of practice. The class provides ways to talk
with friends and learn to talk in front of large audiences. This class will
help you in life because someday, you are going to need to give a speech
and youll look back and say good thing I took Speech in middle school.

Ms. McDaniel is one of the best elective teachers that Mountain Ridge
has. She is a great person. She is funny and nice, and she played rugby in
college. How can you not think that is cool? She is fun to be around. She
makes hilarious jokes and loves to interact with her students. She is not
totally strict. She lets you have some freedom, and her classroom is al-
ways a blast!

P A G E 24
Electives continued

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