Owensboro Catholic Middle School Newsletter

November 2008

ocs Dear OCMS Families:

As we approach the time of year when we turn our attention to thanking God for all of the blessings in our lives, I would like to focus on all of the wonderful things happening at OCMS.

Thanks to God for this great gift of Catholic education for our children. So many sacrifice to make sure we can continue to teach our faith each year. Thanks to all of our pastors, parishioners, parents, faculty and staff that so generously support this important mission of the Catholic Church.

Thanks to parents for sharing your children with us at OCMS. They are some of the most respectful, hardworking, and generous young ladies and gentlemen of this age that I have encountered. Proof of their hard work is proudly displayed in the hallways and evident in the EXPLORE scores, AR points, and the number of students on the 1st quarter Honor Roll. When interacting with students in the hallways, lunchroom, before and after school, I am amazed at their good manners and respect in complying with requests and/or instructions. Observing students taking care of one another when another student drops their lunch tray in the cafeteria or books in the hallway by helping to pick up or clean up the mess, is heartwarming. Seeing those smiling faces each morning as they enter the building makes my day.

Thanks for your support as parents. The positive feedback, offers of help in the office or with the fundraiser, the support felt as changes are being made by the quiet acceptance of parents in the community has not gone unnoticed or unappreciated. The support of the PTO officers has been phenomenal. Without their help we couldn’t accomplish all that we do.

Thanks for our faculty and staff as they continue to sacrifice so much for the mission of Catholic education for all of the students you send to us. They have proven time and again this year that they are a team and that they care deeply about your children. No matter what has been asked of them, they have given from their hearts and I have seen nothing but hearts full of love thus far.

Thanks to all of our students, parents, PTO officers, faculty and staff for helping us to achieve our school goal of $13,000 with our fall fundraiser. Our OCMS team effort helped raise the money that will be used to purchase a canopy to protect our students from the weather as they enter and leave the building each day. Those that sold 20 items or more or if their family made the requested donation, enjoyed a Dippin’ Dots Ice Cream party on Friday, 11/7. During that same party, the top homeroom sellers got to reach into the cash cube to grab as much money as their hand can hold. Those who sold 10 items or more or if their family made the requested donation, will dance to the beat of a DJ party on Monday, 11/24. Hunter Jones will be “Principal for a Day” on Friday, 11/14. He and a few of his friends will enjoy lunch out with me and I will enjoy a day as a student in his classes while he runs the school. I especially look forward to playing the drums in his band class!

Thanks to the faculty that have coached, supervised, and sponsored all of our students in after school activities. The number of students here after school working on achieving high goals in service to the school and community (choir, yearbook, newspaper), academics (academic team, KYA/KUNA, drama club, BETA club, tutoring) and athletics (football, basketball, and other sports) is amazing.

Thanks to Ken Rasp, Wayne Payne, Jane Craig, Keith Osborne, Karen Gross and the OCS Education Council and school system for their continued efforts at improving the building and sharing the good news about the accomplishments of the OCMS student body. The changes taking place are evidence that they feel the middle school IS important!

Thanks to our ‘Queenpin’, Lily McDivitt, for keeping us all in line. Without her we would most likely be spinning out of control.

Thanks to our cafeteria staff for the delicious lunches they serve us each day with patience and love. We could not achieve all that we do without sustenance for our bodies.

Thanks be to God for all of the blessings He has bestowed upon us. Please continue to pray for us as we continue to work towards the goal of making OCMS the best middle school in every possible way for our children!

May you and your families have a blessed Thanksgiving!
God bless,
Ann Flaherty, Principal

ACADEMIC DEAN’S CORNER
Janice Clark, Academic Dean

GREAT NEWS! The EXPLORE test results are in! Our eighth graders have performed well! Their scores far surpass the national norm groups, and the composite scores have continued to climb over the past three years! Great job, students and faculty! (Watch for these results on the “In the Loop” site).

8th Grade Explore Test Results - Taken in October 2008 EXPLORE (grade 8) is the entry point into ACT’s Educational Planning and Assessment System (EPAS). EPAS also features PLAN (grade 10) and ACT (grade 11/12). EXPLORE combines curriculum-based tests in English, mathematics, reading, and science with career exploration, instructional support, and evaluation components. The content of these tests is closely tied to that of the PLAN and the ACT.

The EXPLORE program was developed by ACT to help eighth graders develop a high school course plan that prepares them to achieve their post-high school goals. The EXPLORE tests are normed for eighth grade students.

The eighth grade students took the EXPLORE tests on October 7th. The results are now in. I will be discussing the EXPLORE testing program at the November 11th PTO meeting (7:00 pm). Also, I will be visiting all eighth grade homerooms to explain the results to them. They will then be taking the test results and the interpretive guide home the same day of the classroom visit. Following is a schedule of the classroom visits. Please check to see what day YOUR child will be expected to bring this home and ask for it on that day.

Homeroom Date
Cheshire Monday, 11/17
J. Payne Tuesday, 11/18
Renshaw Wednesday, 11/19
Walter Friday, 11/21
Rhodes Monday, 11/24

“This work of giving their children moral and spiritual formation sanctifies parents who are thus blessed with a deeper, renewed faith.” Pope John Paul, II

STUDENTS OF THE MONTH

Each month, two 7th grade and two 8th grade students are chosen by the faculty as students of the month.

The criteria used for this recognition includes: good behavior and attitude, respect for teachers and fellow students, good work ethic, and a willingness to put forth effort to accomplish a goal.

The students are featured in the community section of the newspaper. We would like to applaud the students who have been recognized so far this year:

September 2008
7th Grade – Rebecca Gross and Cory Burdette
8th Grade – Haley Ingram and Ben Wathen

October 2008
7th Grade – Jared Tucker and Joelle Boarman
8th Grade – Emily Whitehouse and Stefan Swift

DAILY ANNOUNCEMENTS

Owensboro Catholic Middle School sends out DAILY E-MAIL announcements and information. If you are interested in receiving daily e-mail information and have not signed up to receive them, please go to the OCS website and sign up under the “Newsletter” section and sign up.

SPECIAL PROGRAM FOR PARENTS

Mrs. McCormick and Mrs. Clark will collaborate on a special program for our parents at the November PTO meeting. Mrs. Clark will give information on the Explore testing. The results of the Explore test, which all grade 8 students have taken, will be explained. Mrs. McCormick will present information on high school registration and diploma levels. This information is important for both seventh and eighth grade students’ future in their freshman year. Students are recommended for ninth grade classes by their eighth grade teachers in January. How students choose to work in middle school will have a definite bearing on what type of schedule they will have in high school.
Mrs. McCormick has visited the eighth grade classes to prepare the students for high school pre-registration in January. Students were given the information they will need in order to pre-register for the classes required and the level of diploma they want to work toward. This information will be available for parents at the PTO meeting.

ACADEMIC TEAM

The academic team is in full swing. We have scrimmages scheduled for the month of November. In addition, practice for written assessment testing will begin Nov. 24. We are also preparing for the Fall 2008 Knowledge Master Open. This international competition using specially programmed computer disks will be held December 3.

Practice times for quick recall, knowledge master, written assessment and FPS vary, so students need to listen to announcements for dates and times. It is not too late to join the academic team.

With your help the Book Fair was a success! We received $242.00 in donations for our “One for Books.” This means we were able to purchase 33 books for our library and Scholastic purchased 242 books for 3 national non-profit organizations that help children. We sold enough merchandise to earn a profit of $607.00 This money will be used to purchase new books and AR tests.

We say thank you for all those parents who sent money with their children so they could purchase a book. A special thank you to the mothers who volunteered their time to help make this a successful Book Fair.