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tallion press whatever it takes south middle school may 2011 the crooked house or 18 nervous gumshoes on saturday april 30 south s drama club performed the crooked house or 18 nervous gumshoes the club operates under the direction of mrs bloniarz and mrs wilhelm photo contributed students and parents the westest 2 is finally at hand this is a standardized test in which students knowledge is measured in language arts math science and social studies for students to do well there are many test taking strategies for middle school scholars here are just a few 1 read directions take a minute to read the test instructions this will keep you from making simple mistakes and guarantee that you won t have to waste time going back and redoing any work 2 take your time try to keep a good pace but never rush through a question make sure you understand what is being asked then make sure you think clearly about your answer if multiple choice eliminate two answers and then pick the best 3 stay focused and relax keep your mind on the test but don t tighten up try to stay loose and cool so you can move through the questions one by one if you feel yourself clenching take several deep breaths and then get right back to the test south class excels in community service mr jamie knotts takes a hands-on approach to his job mr knotts teaches six very inspiring students ranging from grades 6-8 including crystal barefoot alicia copenhaver michael ejimofor taryk poole keiara powell-robinson and brittany wilburn the amount of community service these young people provide for adults as well as other children in our school is incredibly praiseworthy currently the students have undertaken a project to plant and maintain 20 new trees on our school s property mr knotts secured these trees as one of only seven teachers awarded a grant from the mountaineer treeways program through the state division of forestry this is just the latest aspect of the students responsibilities in a community and school beautification project which has included much more gardening and landscaping on top of that the students plant transplant and grow tomatoes peppers and marigolds to be donated south students plant trees on the school s hillside by way of the mountaineer treeways program photo contributed to others as all the while they water and maintain the plants in the school s atrium on another environmental front the students have taken the responsibility of shredding the school s confidential materials this along with delivering daily newspapers in education to classrooms gives the class an continued p 4 continued p 4

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2 uncovering the itchy truth about rashes question what is red and itchy but can also be bumpy lumpy or scaly answer if you said a rash you re right types of rashes a rash can also be called dermatitis which is swelling puffiness or irritation of the skin it can be red dry scaly and itchy rashes also can include lumps bumps blisters and even pimples most people have had a rash or two but some rashes especially combined with a fever can be signs of serious illnesses hives also called urticaria also can be serious because they can be a sign of an allergic reaction and the person may need immediate medical attention hives which are reddish or pale swellings appear on a person s body when a chemical called histamine is released in response to an allergen the trigger could be a certain food medicine or bug bite a virus also can cause hives here are some other common types of rashes eczema also called atopic dermatitis is a common rash for kids eczema can cause dry chapped bumpy areas around the elbows and knees or more serious cases of red scaly and swollen skin all over the body irritant contact dermatitis is caused by contact with something irritating such as a chemical soap or detergent it can be red swollen and itchy even sunburn can be a kind of irritant dermatitis because it s red and might itch while it s healing allergic contact dermatitis is a rash caused by contact with an allergen an allergen is something you are allergic to such as rubber hair dye or nickel a metal found in some jewelry urushiol an oil or resin contained in poison ivy oak and sumac also can cause this kind of rash what to do if you get a rash some rashes form right away and others can take several days to occur when a rash appears you usually know it because it will start to bother you if you develop a rash tell a parent or another adult as soon as you can for instance you might want to see the school nurse if you are at school try not to scratch if you do the rash may take longer to heal and you ll be more likely to develop an infection or scar a visit to the doctor is a good idea if you have a medications will be disposed if not picked up by a parent on friday june 3 2011 all medications oral medications dermal medications inhalers epi pens nebulizers etc will need to be picked up from school no medications will be sent home with students arrangements should be made to leave emergency medications epi pens inhalers benadryl seizure medications adhd medications etc at school until the end of the day on friday june 3 2011 in case of an emergency all medications not picked up by the end of the day on june 3 2011 will be disposed of as per wvde state policy -beth roberts bsn school nurse rash although all rashes may look alike to you a skin doctor called a dermatologist knows the difference and knowing which kind of rash you have can help the dermatologist choose the best treatment to heal your rash for eczema the doctor may suggest special moisturizers called emollients emollients retain the water in your skin keeping it soft and smooth while soothing the itchy feeling for poison ivy the doctor may recommend cool showers and calamine lotion in more severe cases a liquid or pill medicine called an antihistamine might be needed it decreases itching and redness for rashes that are caused by an allergen including hives the doctor will probably want more information he or she will want to find out which food substance medicine or insect caused your rash or hives the doctor might recommend a medical test to determine which allergens are causing you trouble it s important to find this out because the best way to prevent rashes and hives caused by allergens is to avoid the problem food substance medicine or bug for more information go to www.kidshealth.org.

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3 may has arrived it is time to spring into action now that it is springtime it is time to spring into action the period of time from the start of spring to the end of the school year often brings with it more outdoor activities and extracurricular plans as a result students may become tempted to spend more time thinking about being outside and their plans than their studies as enticing as it may seem to let the mind wander losing focus can have a negative effect on learning in fact research shows that a break in learning can result in a considerable loss of retention of material equivalent to about a month s worth of knowledge cooper 2003 in the research the largest break in learning the summer months is defined as may through august because students tend to start losing focus in may malach rutter 2003 students must work to maintain knowledge from school year to school year so that when it is time to return to school precious time is not spent re-learning all the forgotten material it is also the work of the student to keep up with work and not get lost in the thoughts of outside activities here are some steps to help keep learning to the end of the school year and through the summer show up attending school is the single most effective way to learn keep your attendance up all year keep your head in the game pay attention in class right up to the very last day teachers instruct on very important topics up to the last day and students must keep up with school work and be attentive that way material won t need to be relearned have school on the brain review over the summer break don t let all that important material slip out of your head once the school year ends look over any materials that you have and keep up with the lessons learned the previous year read read read reading is an easy and fun way to maintain knowledge like any other muscle the brain needs exercise to stay strong so keep a book handy and give your brain a work-out ask teachers for activities that might help improve your problem areas if there are concepts that you struggled with during the school year ask your teacher what you can do to help become stronger in that area use the internet the internet offers a plethora of websites to help keep your mind working if you have access try to look over some math help or reading help websites it is the job of the student to learn and it isn t always an easy job by trying to keep on top of work it makes learning easier and more efficient students of character the following students were nominated as students of character during the second semester for caring lauren berry vincent cutlip emily dalton anthony davies bridget godfrey alicia goss rebecca hastings adam hileman morgan kashon devan perdue kyle poland heidi uphold autumn vernon for trustworthiness breanna boggess katie clemmer james davenport christina hastings sierra hunley jd ironfield tyler kisling tim kooser shawna lalka emmy lowe jacob pocius eric starliper for fairness ellie shellman paige vanaman tyler joseph anthony lugo karrie sypolt noah flannigan sam britton sara newbraugh brandi stump bailey mcdonald morgan hornsby seventh graders dissecting frogs sixth off to mountainlair our seventh-grade science classes are finishing up their studies in animal body systems and will soon be undertaking the task of frog dissection animal dissection will allow our students to view how the muscles organs and tissues work together and relate to one another it will be a unique experience for the students as they explore and learn from a once-living organism on average students retain 90 percent of what they physically perform and only 10 percent of what they see and hear thus this activity will be a fun tactile learning experience sixth grade off to mountainlair sixth graders will enjoy their final pbs reward with an outing to the mountainlair at wvu the mountainlair houses a 16-lane bowling center 14 billiards tables with cosmic bowling video arcade ping pong tables televisions as well as food and refreshments our sixth graders also filled the gym on may 3 to participate in first lady obama s dance program dc over eighth-grade dance up next after a fantastic trip to the nation s capital eighth graders are working hard at westest preparation the trip included stops at three museums the holocaust museum the museum of natural history and the museum of american history the students visited the imax theater for a virtual tour of the grand canyon the white house national capital building and many patriotic monuments on june 4 our eighth graders will experience one of their final south middle school memories together as they enjoy the eighth-grade dance we wish them well in their future high school endeavors!

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4 thank you to eyecare one on behalf of our softball players and coaches south middle school would like to thank eyecare one for their generous donation to our softball program your generosity is greatly appreciated outh calendar of events may 5 may 16 may 19 may 20 may 24 may 24 grade 6 band concert 7 .m westest ii grade 7-8 band concert 7 p.m band assembly jazz band concert 7 p.m lsic meeting 7 p.m choir/strings concert 7 p.m drama play for grades 6 8 drama play for grade 7 majorette tryouts at south 5 p.m memorial day ­ no school ose day eighth-grade dance learning on an island adventure students from south middle school s tag program recently took a trip to the marine science consortium on wallops island va with teacher ms jaworski pictured above ms jaworski poses with her students in front of a lighthouse photo contributed may 25 may 26 may 27 may 27 may 30 principal s pen from p 1 questions 4 have a positive attitude don t worry if you have a little stress almost everyone feels this it s there because you want to do your best and get a good grade the key is to accept it and to tell your self it is ok to feel stress but i am going to do my best as a parent of a teenager you too can help your child be a little less stressed during the week research shows that students who eat a nutritious breakfast and receive a good night s sleep have better performance on tests monitor your child s sleeping and eating habits parental involvement in encouraging good study skills communication with your child s teacher and making school a priority are ways to help your child prepare for standardized tests be supportive without creating anxiety for your child students should be at school on time and appointments should be made for after school hours attendance is always a top priority especially this week thank you for your cooperation may 31 june 4 serving others from p 1 other opportunity for completing one of their many school-wide recycling projects in the past they have also recycled cellular phones further these community-minded children have painted large pieces of artwork not only for decorating our school but also the bartlett house ronald mcdonald house steppingstones health south rehab hospital and heritage point nursing care home other decorations are hand-crafted by the students and used to decorate the community s very special people s dance a gathering of special needs adults and young people from the morgantown area in addition the students have baked and given away cinnamon cakes completed sorting and colating projects for several teachers and counselors collected daily attendance for school and cooked an annual holiday dinner for approximately 60 community members these students are very worthy of recognition and we appreciate having them in our building!

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