Progress Reports Will Be Distributed on October 1rst

Middle school students will receive first nine-weeks progress reports on October 1, 2008. As always, you may check your child's academic progress on line via PowerSchool.

Homework Procedures

The administration and staff of California Middle School have well-defined homework procedures for students to follow at each grade level. To support this process, students not completing homework will receive minor school sanctions such as lunch detention and demerits. Teachers will also contact parents/guardians when a student does not adjust as a result of the aforementioned interventions. More severe consequences may include after-school detention, parent conferences with the grade level teams, and social probation (not permitted to attend dances, athletic events, etc.). Ms. Schmider manages a homework log system for students in need of developing consistent habits of completing assignments. She is available at 724-785-5800 ext. 2416.

Sarah Shashara Wins WPIAL AA Singles Tennis Gold

California Area High School freshmen tennis sensation Sarah Shashura won the WPIAL AA Girls Singles Tennis Championship on Friday. Shashura defeated Elise Held of Vincentian Academy 7-6 (7-0) 6-4 to capture the gold medal. Sarah is also an exceptional student in the classroom as she carries a 4.0 average. Great job Sarah, the California family is quite proud of you!

Sarah Shashura In WPIAL Championship Finals

California High School freshman girls tennis player Sarah Shashura will play Elise Held of Vincentian Academy on Friday for the WPIAL Class AA Girls Singles Championship at Shady Side Academy. Shashura defeated Beaver's Kimmy Borza in the semifinals, Logan Antill of Sewickly Academy in the quarterfinals and Tracy Gibson of South Park in the opening round of the playoffs. Good Luck Sarah and bring home the WPIAL Gold!

Thanks For Attending Open House

Middle school administration, teachers, and staff would like to thank all the parents and visitors for attending open house. We hope each teacher provided you with relevant information that pertains to your child's education. Also, we thank you for allowing our staff to share our technology with you. We hope to see you for a parent teacher conference on October 13th.

High School Musical Dates

Mr. Jackson has announced the high school musical will be held on March 4, 5, and 6, 2009.

Open House Tonight

The California Middle School Open House is this evening from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Parents will go "Back to School" beginning at 5:45 in the cafeteria. Please be prompt.

Middle School Athletics

The middle school football team defeated West Greene 26-0 yesterday at Rogersville, while our girls basketball team was defeating the West Greene girls team 28-19 here at California. Way to go teams!

After School Tutoring

TUTORING LETTERS WERE SENT HOME ON MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2008 TO THE ELIGIBLE STUDENTS. M REPRESENTS MATH AND R REPRESENTS READING. IF YOUR CHILD RECEIVES ELIGIBILITY FOR BOTH SUBJECTS, PLEASE CHOOSE TWO DAYS OF THE WEEK, IF POSSIBLE.

Team Approach to Teaching Today

If a outsider visited room 202 between 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. today, he/she may wonder what was going on in the classroom. Imagine four teachers, a teacher aide, two groups of students, and the principal in one classroom. In fact, it was an integrated lesson of science, language arts, and computers. Students worked on Mrs. Fabbri's science project involving animal research, Mrs. Winfield instructed students on writing about the topic, and Mr. Feick helped students with their presentations on wireless laptop computers. Mrs. Hrivnak assisted students with individual learning needs and Mrs. Wilson served as her aide. Finally, I videotaped much of the lesson for educational review with the teachers. The purpose of this setup was to increase student independent learning in both science and writing, integrate technology into lessons, and provide real-life applications content. The entire activity received an overwhelming seal of excellence! Great job student and staff.

Yearbooks Available at Open House

A limited number of yearbooks will be on sale at Middle School Open House on Thursday. The cost is $25.00. See Mr. Feick or Ms. Schmider.

District and school PSSA scores are available on line

The public can access district and school PSSA scores on-line at www.paayp.com. Use the county dropdown menu near the top left to reach Washington County and then to California Area School District.

Athletic Schedules Link

All athletic schedules can be accessed by copying the following link and pasting it on your search browser:

http://www.calsd.org/16421027175050557/blank/browse.asp?A=383&BMDRN=2000&BCOB=0&C=55908

Sarah Shashura Wins Section I-AA Girls Tennis Title

There is a new singles champion in Section 1-AA girls tennis and she'll be back for more next year.

Freshman Sarah Shashura of California shocked defending champion Samantha DeStefano of Greensburg Central Cathoilic, 6-0, 6-1, to win the title Friday.

Perhaps as impressive as her win is the fact that California doesn't have a girls tennis team anymore, so Shashura put in a lot of time in lonely practices to get ready for the event.

(Published by Mike Ciarochi in the Herald-Standard)

Great job Sarah!

OLSAT testing for 6th grade today

6th grade students are taking the OLSAT group ability test today. The Otis-Lennon School Ability Test (OLSAT), published by Harcourt Assessment, Inc. — a subsidiary of Pearson plc — is a test of abstract thinking and reasoning ability of children pre-K to 18. The Otis-Lennon is a group-administered (except preschool), multiple choice, taken with pencil and paper, measures verbal, quantitative, and spatial reasoning ability. The test yields verbal and nonverbal scores, from which a total score is derived, called a School Ability Index (SAI). The SAI is a normalized standard score with a mean of 100 and a standard deviation of 16. With the exception of pre-K, the test is administered in groups. OLSAT is not an IQ test.

The test has twenty-one subtests, organized into five areas, and an equal number of verbal and non-verbal items is included at each area. The five areas are:

Verbal comprehension
Verbal reasoning
Pictorial reasoning
Figural reasoning
Quantitative reasoning

If you have any questions concerning this test, please contact Ms. Schmider at 724-785-5800 ext. 2416.

Middle School Pictures

Middle school pictures will be taken on September 30, 2008 in the cafeteria. Make-ups will be scheduled at a later date.

Highest Math PSSA Score

Congratulations to Devan Peterman for scoring the highest on the PSSA Math test in middle school last year. Great job Devan!

4-Sight Tests Are Completed

The middle school completed 4-Sight testing today except for a few makeups. The students were very diligent in their efforts and seemingly have a strong willingness to succeed on the exams. Nice job middle school students and staff.

7 on 7 Flag Football and Powder Puff Football Leagues Formed

If you hear you child talking about playing football at school and you are not a football enthusiast, don't be alarmed; he or she may be participating in the lunch recess 7 on 7 Touch Football League for boys or the Powder Puff League for girls. The rosters are filled and the games will begin on Monday, September 22, 2008. This intramural program is for purely for fun and hopefully creates a little healthy competition for all participants. Additionally, the exercise is good for our children. Some time this fall, a team of teachers may challenge a student team!

Open House Forms

Students were given "Back to School" registration forms for parents today. Please complete the requested information and return it to school by Monday, September 22, 2008. The information will assist the middle school staff with making Open House a successful evening. Thank you in advance for your cooperation. We look forward to seeing you in class on the 25th!

4-Sight Tests

The middle school students are taking 4-Sight tests today and everything is going well after a few "technical glitches" this morning. The tests are providing teachers with information about student achievement that will drive instruction for the next nine weeks. Please be advised that students may not perform as well on early-year 4-Sight tests because they have not been exposed to tested material. Our goal for our students is to demonstrate progress throughout the school year and hopefully meet Adequate Yearly Progress on the PSSA exams.

Athletic Schedules

Middle school athletic schedules are available on-line by clicking on the Athletics button on the district home page. Next, click on the Athletics Schedule button on the left side of the page.

Girls Basketball Wins

The Middle School girls basketball team defeated Jefferson Morgan on Monday. They resume play tomorrow at home against Mapletown. Good job girls!

4-Sight Testing

All middle school students will participate in the 4-Sight testing program on Wednesday and Thursday this week. The purpose of the tests is to identify areas of academic needs for students during the first quarter of the school year. Teachers will plan instruction and curriculum from the testing outcomes in Reading and Mathematics.

Yearbooks Distributed

The yearbooks were distributed today to all students who purchased the yearbooks in advance. A limited number of yearbooks are still available for $25.00. See Ms. Schmider or Mrs. Matty.

Back to School Dance a Success!

The Back to School Dance was attended by many of our students and the feedback was great! Jonny D played all the latest hits and some older music as well. The students were well-behaved and all are looking forward to the Fall Festival dance next month.

Highest Math Achiever

Congratulations to Sarah Shashura for having the highest achievement on the PSSA Math test in middle school during the 2007-08 school year!

Reading Achievers

Congratulations to Autumn Stinnett, Annie Zheng, Skyler Boehm, Victoria Terry and Tiffany Kent for their highest achievement on the PSSA Reading Exam!!

Middle School Football News

The middle school football game scheduled on September 17 with Geibel has been cancelled.

CYFA to be Recognized

All students participating in CYFA organization will be recognized at halftime of the California High School game against Geibel on September 19, 2008. Admission will be free to all CYFA students attending the game in team apparel.

Middle School Open House is September 25th

The California Middle School Open House is September 25th from 6:00 to 8:00. Parents are invited to the 2nd annual "Back to School" night. The goal is to inform parents about what happens in individual classrooms throughout the school year.

California Middle School wins fourth consecutive Keystone Award

The California Middle School has won the Keystone Award for the fourth consecutive year! The award is presented annually by the Pennsylvania Department of Education to schools meeting Adequate Yearly Progress. Hats off to the middle school staff and students for winning this prestigious award again.

Year Book Sale

The California Middle School 2007-08 Yearbooks will be on sale beginning September 16, 2008. Advanced purchased yearbooks will also be distributed on that date.

Magazine Sale

The California Middle School only is holding the third annual magazine sale through Friday, September 12, 2008. Please contact a middle school student to order your favorite magazine today!

Individual PSSA results for Reading, Math, and Writing will be sent home today.

Middle School school students PSSA results will be sent home today and include Math and Reading for all grades and Writing for 6th grade.

Middle School Dance

The California Middle School Back To School dance is Friday, September 12, 2008 from 7:00 to 9:30 p.m. in the cafeteria. Admission is $5.00.