Middle School News & Schedule

Dear Middle School Families,

On Thursday, May 3rd Samantha W. ‘19 enjoyed her day as Head of Middle School for the Day, as part of a McLean Celebration/Auction item. Samantha proclaimed a Free Dress for the entire Middle School on Thursday, May 10, which the entire faculty and student population relished. We thank Samantha and her parents for their support to our McLean community! Also as part of the McLean Celebration/Auction item, Rachel E. ‘18 proclaimed Wednesday, May 16 as a Free Dress Day for Grade 6 only. The entire Grade 6 class is already very excited about its Free Dress Day. Our gratitude goes to Rachel and her parents for their contribution to the McLean community.

On Thursday, May 10, the Co-ed 7/8 Track & Field team competed in the PVAC Championships at Bishop McNamara Catholic High School. The boys placed 3rd overall. There were several outstanding performances on both teams. Gideon C. ‘16 won gold medal in the discus (60’5”), Garrett R. ‘16 won bronze in the 400. JD C. ‘16 won bronze in the 110 hurdles and a silver medal in the shot put (29’8’). Taylor F. ‘17 won bronze in the 100 hurdles. The highlight of the meet was the boys 4x100 team: Renato V-V. ‘16, Garrett R. ‘16, Jordan L. ‘16, and Gideon C. ‘16, winning gold. Marshall L. ‘17 finished 8th overall in the 800 with a season’s best time (5:55). Natalie G. ‘16 finished 5th in the 100 and 6th in the 200. Both earned points for their team. The girls 4x100 team, Kate B. ‘17, Susan P. ‘17, Taylor F. ‘17, Natalie G. ‘16 finished 4th overall. We salute our McLean athletes who competed strong and with determination during this event and throughout the season. The coaches are very proud of them for their accomplishments and growth.

On Wednesday May 9, grade 8 students started a Self-Defense Course taught by Adam S. The course will consist of 3 sessions and it will be conducted during their PE class time. Mr. S. has been training in the Martial Arts for over 20 years and holds the rank of 4th Degree Black Belt in Moo Duk Kwan Tang Soo Do and Shudokan Karate. Adam has been an instructor at Kim Studio in Rockville since 2003, teaching children as young as 4 and as old as 60. He also assists with martial arts and self-defense classes offered at American University. Most importantly, Adam is a proud McLean parent of Noa ‘17 and Josh ‘19. This is his second year working with our Middle School and we thank him for sharing his martial arts talent with our students.

On Thursday, May 10, the final presentation of Grade 6 Parent Math Speaker Program took place. Jacqueline Starkes (Logan D. ‘18) joined us to discuss the use of math in Project Management. Following an overview of the responsibilities of a project manager and how some of those responsibilities utilize math, she designed a mini-project for a team of students in order to demonstrate the importance of communication and cooperation in managing a project. A team of nine students were given the specifications, including budget, for a block building; each student was given a specific job and then the clock started. Grade 6 learned the lesson that too many cooks spoil the broth as the team constructed a building which met only two of the design requirements. However, all had a fun-filled learning experience, discovering valuable life lessons!

The First Middle School Career Day will take place on Monday, May 14 for our 6th, 7th and 8th grade students. Students who see a connection between what they learn in school and career development, are better able to evaluate and understand future careers and take more responsibility for their learning. We are very appreciative to the 21 speakers that will be presenting an array of careers. They include: veterinarians, nuclear physicist, restaurant owner, senior designer for PBS, CPA, building construction, newscaster, sports writer, research psychologist, food stylist, physicians, marketing for major companies and many more! Students will be researching their personal style and matching it with possible career choices prior to career day to get them thinking about their interests and preferences. Now is a great time to be engaging your child is conversations about what they envision doing for a career and even talking about how you chose your career; was it a passion you knew about as a student or did you fall into it? How does it match, or not, with your learning style and environmental preferences? The students will be selecting 6 sessions to attend from the 21 options, be sure to ask about the exciting presentations following our Career Day. The grade 7 geography class is holding a bake sale on Wednesday May 16 to raise funds to support BeadforLife a nonprofit organization working “to eradicate extreme poverty by creating bridges of understanding between impoverished Africans.” Women in Uganda, displaced by war, recycle paper and turn them into colorful beads, and harvest shea nuts, pressing them into shea butter for cosmetics and soap. Please send money with your kids so they can help us with this great cause.

A Parent Coffee for Rising Grade 9 Parents will be held on Wednesday, May 16 at 8:30 am, hosted by the Head of Upper School, Josephine Diemond. Ms. Diemond has begun the course selection discussion with your rising ninth grader for the 2012-2013 academic year. Come and meet her and bring any questions you may have.

For its third year,McLean’s Got Talent! is coming on Thursday, May 24. Auditions have been completed and rehearsals will be held after school in the next two weeks. Please put the date on your calendar because all Middle School students, families and friends are invited to come see the hidden talents that the Middle School students have to offer. You are invited to join in the fun and enjoy the show!

Please consider participating in McLean’s Girl Scout Troop 3310 Elementary-level Summer Reading Book Drive now through Friday, May 16! This effort allows deserving students to continue reading, even when school is not in session. Last year over 150 kids from a local public school were provided with 3-4 books each; the collection amounted to around 700 books. About 350 books have been collected so far. If you want to donate, please drop them off at the bin near McLean’s front office or outside Frankie Engelking’s office. If you have questions the book drive or the Troop, feel free to contact Ellison Onsi at onsi4@yahoo.com or Jacqueline Starkes jws@usp.org or any of the McLean’s Girl Scouts in grades 6-8.

Mark your calendars and agendas! Yes, it that time of the year. Final Exams for grades 7 and 8 will be administered on Friday, June 1 and Monday, June 4. These exams are meant to prepare students for future standardized testing and Upper School, as well as assess their content knowledge in the subject. The following is the exam schedule:

FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE
JUNE 2012

Date	Time	Grade 7	Grade 8
Friday, June 1	8:30-10:00	Math	English
Friday, June 1	10:30-12:00		Science
		Grade 7 Dismissal 11:00 AM	Grade 8 Dismissal 12:00 PM
Monday, June 4	8:30-10:00	English	Math
Monday, June 4	12:30-3:15	MAKE-UP EXAMS	MAKE-UP EXAMS
		Grade 7 & 8 Dismissal 11:00 AM

Study Guides will be distributed by Friday, May 27 and review of material will occur primarily during the week of May 29 until the start of the final exams. Study guides and finals are approved and reviewed by the respective department chairs. We will follow the same routines as we did during the winter exams.

During final exam days, students should arrive to school by 8:15 am in uniform. On Friday, June 1, when grade 7 has only one exam, students will be dismissed as early as 11:00 am - not before; grade 8 has two exams on Friday, and will be dismissed at 12:00 noon. After exams on Monday, June 4, students will rehearse for our Closing Ceremony. Both grades 7 and 8 students will be dismissed at 11:00 am. On Tuesday, June 5 when we hold our Fourth Quarter Awards Ceremony which starts at 11:00 am, all grades 5-8 students will be dismissed at noon.

The early dismissals after the exams on Friday and Monday are optional (Tuesday is not optional). You may pick up your child following our dismissal procedure: using a single line, please line-up your vehicles 30 feet beyond the main school entrance -students will be coming out to meet you from the Middle School side door. Faculty with class lists and walkie-talkies will be checking off students going home with their respective parent or guardian. We will send students out to the cars in the order as you are lined-up.

Students unable to go home early during exam days will be able to stay in school until the regular dismissal hour at 3:15 pm. A study room will be available, providing students with a quiet environment and the opportunity to confer with their teachers if they need to, and a non-study room where students can read, listen to music, watch a movie, or just relax. Both rooms will be supervised by a PE teacher. The subject area teachers will be available in their rooms until the regular dismissal time of 3:15 pm.

Grade 5 students are preparing for the Celebrate America! Wax Museum. The students are busy researching the lives of our nation’s heroes and heroines from colonial times to the present. Students will write biographies and prepare speeches describing the lives, accomplishments, and contributions of many famous Americans. The speeches will be delivered during the Wax Museum on Friday, June 1. As part of the project, students are required to dress as their heroes and heroines. The costumes should reflect the types of clothing typically worn by these famous Americans. Costumes should be simple and comfortable. Trips to the local costume shop are strongly discouraged. Students should bring the bag with their costumes to school on Friday, May 25 for storage in the classroom.

Forms for the spring Experiential Education Trips in conjunction with Calleva Outdoor Adventures for grades 5 through 7, will go home on Monday, May 14 and are posted on the website under Middle School by clicking on Calleva http://www.mcleanschool.org/parents/2673/. Forms must be returned to the Middle School Office with your consent signatures by Friday May 25.

Please take note of some of our Middle School End-of-the-Year Activities in the schedule below!

To all the Middle School Mothers, Happy Mother’s Day! Enjoy your weekend,

Judy Townsend
Head of Middle School
240.395.0676
jtownsend@mcleanschool.org
www.mcleanschool.org

WEEKLY SCHEDULE
SUNDAY, MAY 13
——-

MONDAY, MAY 14
K-8 Pizza Lunch (last one)
Career Day

TUESDAY, MAY 15
6:30PM Grades 7 & 8 Spring Concert

WEDNESDAY, MAY 16
8:30AM Coffee for Rising Grade 9 Parents
5:30PM New Family Picnic

THURSDAY, MAY 17
——-

FRIDAY, MAY 18
8:30AM Spring Sports Awards

SATURDAY, MAY 19
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GOOD THINGS TO KNOW
Reminder: Unless you have special permission, we ask that you not drive your child to school during drop off and pick-up time. Unloading and loading buses means lots of big and little kids, who sometimes do not pay attention to cars and traffic. If you do come to campus — at any time of the day — please be extra vigilant. Thanks for your attention to these safety issues.

LOOKING AHEAD
Monday, May 21	8:30AM Grade 5 Cosmic Adventure Indoor Planetarium
Thursday, May 24	9:00AM Grades 5 & 6 Spring Concert 7:00PM Middle School Talent Show
Friday, May 25	Grades 5 & 6 Water Day 9:00AM Grade 7 Field Trip to the National Zoo
Monday, May 28	NO SCHOOL — Memorial Day
Friday, June 1	9:00AM Grade 5 Wax Museum Grades 7-11 Exams 11:00AM Grade 7 DISMISSAL (optional) 12:00PM Grade 8 DISMISSAL (optional) 3:20 Club & Study Hall End
Monday, June 4	Semester 2 & Quarter 4 End Grades 7-11 Exams 11:00AM Grade 7 DISMISSAL (optional)
Tuesday, June 5	Grades 7-11 Exams 11:00AM Grades 5-8 Quarter Awards Assembly K-12 Lunch Program Ends 12:00PM Grades 5-8 DISMISSAL (not optional) 6:30PM Grade 8 Dinner
Wednesday, June 6	Grades 5-7 Experiential Education Grade 8 Hershey Park Trip
Thursday, June 7	Grades 5-8 Closing Ceremony
Friday, June 8	10:00AM Graduation
Friday, June 15	Annual Fund Ends
Monday, June 18	SummerEdge Begins

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