Sixth grade language arts students on Team Evolution and Team Vista celebrated the life of a person they admire in their participation of the Living Memoirs Project. In this study, students developed their reading, research, and writing skills. After gathering information, in a multi-media approach, students then created several artifacts to demonstrate the important legacy this person left to the world. Written artifacts included a diary entry, news article, and obituary, while the visual pieces ranged from a meaningful epitaph to a commemorative stamp. Students arranged creative displays to memorialize their person in a Hall of Fame in Monroe Township Middle School's PAC.

 

This week, Mrs. Williams' 7th & 8th Grade Art Students and the MTMS Builder's Club, under the direction of Ms. Montgomery and Ms. Murphy, started creating ceramic bowls as part of the Empty Bowls community service project.  Next week, a group of students will be visiting the Monroe Township Senior Center to talk about the project with the Senior Citizens.  Later in the year, the ceramic bowls that the students created will be auctioned off, and the proceeds will be donated to local food banks and organizations. (SEE PICTURE)

 

Students in Ms. Montgomery's and Ms. Murphy's classes as well as the Builders Club are being challenged to put down their phones for the month of March!  When they are home, participating students are directing their phone to the website: https://tap.unicefusa.org/.  Once there they click the link and put their phone down and help UNICEF provide clean water for children around the world!  This event runs through the entire month of March and students can participate as many times as they wish!  How long can you go without touching your phone?  So far Jonah Dias holds the record at 14 hours, 46 minutes and 32 seconds!  Can you beat his time? Take the challenge and find out!

 

Selected MTMS Chorus and Percussion students participated in the CJMEA Intermediate Region Choir and Percussion Ensemble concert this past Sunday.  Conductors Brian Schkeeper and Kale Thompson lead the two choral ensembles.  Peter Saleh led the Percussion Ensemble.  Two of our 8th grade students, Sean Park and Lahari Gumidyala received awards for participating in their respective CJMEA ensembles for three years.  Jahnvi Seshadri soloed with the SSA Ensemble.  Shannon Leff and Kaitlynn Russell performed the National Anthem at the beginning of the concert. (SEE PICTURE)

 

Mrs. Hawxhurst's 7th Grade Classes exploring SHUTTER SPEED using their new Canon Rebel Cameras. They are being taught Shutter Speed, ISO & Aperture.  These three variables come into play when exposing a photograph.  In this lesson using our new Canon Rebel Cameras I taught the students all about Shutter Speed.  The cameras shutter function is simply to block light from getting into the camera, unless a photo is being taken, and then to allow light in only for as long as needed to achieve a correct exposure.  A fast shutter speed freezes the action.  A long shutter speed can make flowing water look fluffy and white.  A VERY long exposure on a tripod at night can capture very dim scenes, even stars in the night sky.  The lesson here was to achieve a VERY fast shutter to freeze the subjects in midair while they jumped.  The students had to experiment with a fast moving subject (students jumping).  They had to photograph at different shutter speeds from slow to fast to see the affects. (SEE PICTURE)

 

On behalf of the NJ Department of Community Affairs and Division of Fire Safety, the Middle School art students participated in the annual New Jersey Fire Prevention poster contest, visually depicting the theme "Hear the Beep Where You Sleep."  Best of luck to the fifty participants from MTMS who submitted a poster!