8th Grade Team Presenting to the PMSA

The 8th grade team of teachers and Mr. Huffman will present "Flexible Scheduling" at the Pennsylvania Middle School Association Conference in Harrisburg on Monday. Mrs. Lightner, Mrs. Krofina, Mrs. Fabbri and Mrs. Winfield will speak on the best practices of scheduling here at California Middle School.

Middle School Girls Volleyball Results

On Tuesday, February 24th, California played Avella. Our seventh graders played two very good games and won. Our eighth grade girls lost in a three game set. The first game they played very well and won, but lost the next two including the final by a score of10-15. The girls play at Jefferson Morgan on Thursday. Good Luck!

Thanks to Emily Wilson for submitting the game results.

Schedule For Make-Up Days

April 9 and 14 have been scheduled as make-up days for the January 27 and 28 snow days. There will be a two-hour early dismissal on April 9, 2009.

Optimist Club Awards

California Optimist Club officers presented Student of the Month and Great Strides awards to the winners on Friday, February 13, 2009. Thanks to Galvie Gardner and Jennifer Yeardie for their commitment to the program. See the March issue of the California Focus for a picture of the students and Mr. Gardner. Congratulations to all the students!

PSSA TEST PREPARATION

Agree with them, disagree with them, think they are overemphasized, and many other opinions of the PSSA tests have been made by many. The fact is we need to prepare to take the high stakes PSSA exam next month and middle school teachers are busy preparing students to do well. Early indicators point to another successful year for our students and hopefully well-planned preparation by all will continue our strong performance on the test.

Students of the Month

The California Middle School Student of the Month for January is Emily Sabo and the Great Strides winner is Jonathon Abbott. Congratulations Emily and Jonathon!

Volleyball Results

The California Trojans girls volleyball team traveled to Carmichaels on Thursday night.
The 7th grade team got a victory by winning two of three matches. Way to go girls! Team captains are Felicity Macosta and Stephanie DiPiazza. The 8th grade team came up short and lost two straight matches. The 8th grade captains are Emily Sabo, Danielle McBurnie and MacKenzie Granato. The next game is Tuesday, February 17 at home against Chartiers Houston. Fans are encouraged to come out and support the Lady Trojans volleyball teams.

PowerSchool

PowerSchool is now fully operational.

8th Grade Boys Metro Top Seed

The 8th grade boys Metro USA team has earned the top seed in the post-season tournament. The Trojans will face the winner of the play-in bracket at 6:00 p.m. on February 20, 2009 at the Monongahela Education Center. More information can be obtained at http://www.eteamz.com/metrousa/index.cfm. In addition, the 7th grade boys will open post season play at Keystone Oaks on February 22, 2009 at 7:00 p.m. when they take on Upper Saint Clair. The 7th grade boys received the number seven seed in their division.

PowerSchool

Please be advised that PowerSchool is not working properly at this time. Our technology coordinator, Mr. Smith is away at a training and should be back on Thursday. He will address the problem at that time. Thank you for your patience.

Bullying

Please be advised that any form of bullying including verbal and physical will not be tolerated at school. Students are encouraged to tell an adult at school or have their parents call to report bullying incidents.

6th Grade Pep Talk

The 6th grade listened to a motivation discussion today that emphasized student becoming more committed to academic excellence. Students were encouraged to use "I will..." statements.

Cal Metro Boys Results

The California Metro teams split a pair of games at home on Sunday with the 8th grade boys defeating Peters Township 61-31 and the 7th grade boys team losing to Mount Lebanon 34-32. Leading scorers for the 8th grade team were Brian Fisher (18), Tanner Huffman (16), Mike McKula (13) and Jon Granato (12). The 8th grade team captured the regular season division championship with a 10-1 record and is expecting the number one seed in the post-season tournament held at Ringgold. The 7th grade team finished at 4-5-1 and will play in the post-season tournament hosted by Keystone Oaks. For more information, visit the Metro USA website at http://www.eteamz.com/metrousa/.

California Middle School Boys Basketball Banquet

The California Middle School boys basketball team will be honored at Lagerheads Restaurant on Sunday, February 22, 2009 at 6:30 p.m.

8th Grade Metro Defeats Bethel Park A

The 8th grade boys defeated Bethel Park A in the USA Metro league on Saturday night 64-52. Brian Fisher (24) and Tanner Huffman (20) led the scoring for the 9-1 Trojans.

Friday the 13th Knockout

The middle school will hold a basketball "knockout" contest on February 13, 2009 during lunch and ANCHORS. A half court contest will also be available for students to enter. Proceeds benefit student activities.

8th Grade Metro Drops First

The 8th grade boys Metro basketball team lost to Upper Saint Clair 64-53 on Wednesday in a non-section game. Tanner Huffman (17), Brian Fisher (16), and Mike McKula (12) scored in double figures for the Trojans. The team is 8-1 overall in Metro play and return to action Sunday at home against Peters Township with a noon tipoff.

Report Cards Issued

Report cards were issued to middle school students on Wednesday, February 4, 2009.

PSSA Writing Exam for 8th Grade

8th grade students will take the PSSA Writing test from February 10-12, 2009. The teachers are continuing to prepare students for this high-stakes test.

Report Cards Delayed

Report cards due for issue on February 3, 2009 were delayed until the 4th due to technical difficulties with PowerSchool.

Boys Basketball Defeats Chartiers Houston

The middle school boys basketball team defeated Chartiers Houston 58-29 to end the 2008-09 school season. Brian Fisher (21) and Tanner Huffman (16) led the Trojans in scoring. Congratulations to the boys for a great season!