Fourth newletter peterson 4 29 15

Spring 2015, Volume XXX, No. 4 Published by Peterson Middle School PTSA - Santa Clara Unified Council - Sixth District California PTA Susan E. Harris, Principal - Leslie Kloes, PTSA President - Jeffrey Kay, Editor http://pms-scusd-ca.schoolloop.com/everychild.onevoice.

Principal’s Corner:

Dear Families and Friends of Peterson Middle School,

This time of year always brings me a sense of appreciation, as I watch our students show their own level of personal growth and maturity. This last quarter of school is when our Peterson Community truly "shines," and it always makes me proud to be your principal.

The Variety Show was awesome! I can’t believe how much talent we have here at Peterson! There was such great talent, that our ASB recently approved a new Glee Club so that students with singing talent have the opportunity to perform more often.

Auditions are taking place soon, and Mr. Asekomeh will Mrs. Harris be their advisor. I’d like to give a special SHOUT OUT to Ms. Janetta Coleman, who hosted and facilitated the first Autism Awareness Celebration on April 2nd. Across 4 middle schools, students and their families and friends came to watch our students “drum” using African drums and/or 5-gallon containers from OSH. Students harmonized various drum sounds, and were able to express their own rhythm making us all very proud! Kudos to Ms. Coleman! Other than that, our basketball and soccer championships were very exciting, tennis recently started having their matches, academic challenges are coming up with Social Studies and Science Fairs, SBAC testing is right around the corner…but we are all talking about SPRING BREAK! Take care, and I look forward to seeing you at Open House on April 30th!

Yours truly, Mrs. Harris

Peterson Middle School Open House Thursday, April 30, 2015

Everyone is cordially invited to attend Open House.

We especially welcome incoming 6th graders, new students and their families.

6:00–8:00pm PTSA Bake Sale (Quad) 6:00–8:30pm Scholastic Book Fair (Rm. A-4) 6:00–8:00pm Social Studies Faire (Small Gym) 6:30–6:45pm PTSA Honorary Service Awards (Multipurpose Room) 6:45–7:00pm Principal’s Welcome & School Update (Multipurpose Room) 7:00–7:20pm Incoming 6th Grade Parent Information 7:00–8:00pm Classrooms Open 1

Message from Mr. Masur on campus. These notifications help us make sure that bullied students don’t fall through the cracks. As a final thought remember a follower is Mr. Masur someone who allows bullying to continue. In contrast, a leader develops character by stopping the bullying. Let’s all build more character and put an end to this bullying!

School Safety and Security What is the difference between a “bystander” and an “upstander” when it comes to bullying? Read further to find out. A “bystander” is someone that does not speak up or act when they see acts of intolerance taking place. They just go about their business. On the other hand, an “upstander” is someone who takes action when they see an act of intolerance take place. Recently we had an incident where some students decided not to report an injustice when instead they should have informed a teacher or an administrator. Such comments as, “I didn’t want to snitch on my friends,” and, “I didn’t know what to do” were responses that students said. At Peterson we want to create a safe environment where we have both “bystanders” and “upstanders” making the correct choices when it comes to bullying. For example, both “bystanders” and “upstanders” can actually help their peers by spending time at school with bullied students. They can also help other students who are getting bullied by giving positive advice to these students, such as, “you need to tell an adult.” When students reinforce the positive behaviors of other students (tell an adult, be honest, not encouraging bad behavior by remaining silent…) we then have a safe community which is based on trust. We don’t want our students bullied and it is a good thing when we’re (the administration) made aware of problems

Communicating Safety People who feel safe often act in these ways: They’re relaxed.

They’re warm, open, and friendly.

They enjoy being creative.

They dream big and take healthy risks.

They’re confident and secure.

VTA’s 2015 Summer Blast Pass The 2015 Summer Blast Pass will be sold beginning May 16th!

Summer Blast Pass offers unlimited rides on VTA all summer long for only $75. That’s the same great price as last year and a savings of $60 off the regular price of three monthly youth passes! VTA’s SBP is a perfect way to get to summer jobs, the movies, the mall and all your favorite places.

For more information, contact

Navdeep Kaur at Navdeep.Kaur@vta.org or at (408) 321-5841.

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Important Information T-Dap Booster (Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis ) Attention Students and Parents! If you haven’t already done so, it is imperative that all 6th grade students go to their health provider to obtain the T-DAP BOOSTER. By law, it is required for students entering 7thgrade to be immunized with the T-Dap booster. Our office staff will need to see proof that students have received this shot before they will give you a registration packet. This is just as important as providing “proof of residency” when doing registration. Please have this done as soon as possible, and bring your documentation to the office for our records. We’ll be happy to make a copy for you. Walgreens provides this service for $75.00. If you have any questions or concerns, or have questions about health insurance, please contact our health office at 408-423-2821.

Remember….

NO T-DAP SHOT = NO STUDENT SCHEDULE

Scoliosis Screening Scoliosis is an abnormal side-to-side curvature of the spine that may cause deformity and pain if undiagnosed.

Most scoliosis goes undetected and does not cause any problems. Occasionally scoliosis is bad enough that bracing or surgery is indicated.Please make scoliosis screening part of your childs regular check-up exam. As of 8/6/2014, the California mandated scoliosis screening was suspended for the 2014-2015 school year in public schools. In previous years, school nurses screened all 7th grade girls & 8th grade boys annually.

This notice is to let you know that scoliosis screening will no longer be routinely conducted at school. The school nurses encourage you to have your son or daughter checked by your health care provider when they have their regular physical exam. If you are concerned and unable to access a health care provider, please contact the school nurse to request a scoliosis screening.

REGISTRATION UPDATES NEEDED! Moving?

Not Returning Next Year?

If you are the parent/guardian of a current 6th or 7th grader and know that you will not be attending Peterson next year, please give our registrar, Mrs. Delbecq, a phone call at 408-423-2806 and let her know. This will assist in figuring out student placements for next year.

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Message from the Counseling Group 2015-2016 SCHEDULES – Electives, Honors, and More!

April and May are busy months, especially as we begin to plan for next year. Sixth and seventh grade students will start looking at their elective choices, as well as begin signing up for classes. Parents, please note: students who are not performing at proficient levels in English and/or Math may be required to take an academic support class in lieu of an elective class in 2015-2016. This practice at all of our middle schools has been helpful for our students as they build their academic confidence in areas they need help in. It also helps prepare them for high school and beyond. Students will need to turn in their Electives form to his/her counselor by Wednesday, April 22nd. In early May, our counselors will be taking 6th Grade Exploratory classes and 7th Grade Social Studies classes through a new scheduling process, scheduling students using the recently purchased CHROMEBOOKS (thank you SSC and PTSA). MORE INFO TO COME. Additionally, the Honors Application process has started for Science and for English and is done during the school day. More information is on our website.

-------Kelly Kirk Counselor – 8th Grade & 6th Grade (M-Z) Peterson Middle School 408-423-2803

Peterson’s Academic Vocabulary Common Definitions for All Subjects After analyzing close to 60 words, Peterson teachers decided which words were important for students to understand deeply, as they relate not only to the new Common Core State Standards, but also to the new SBAC assessment and cross-curricular projects that enhance student learning. For staff, it was important to discuss ways to support use of these words, repeat them multiple times in our classrooms, on morning announcements, to ultimately assist our English Learners’ understanding of the terms, our students with disabilities, and our underperforming readers/writers at Peterson.

For the remainder of the school year, we will feature one word weekly in morning announcements and in classroom discussions.

Analyze: To separate into smaller parts and examine for meaning (week of April 6) Apply: To put to use (week of April 20) Claim: A statement that may be called into question (week of April 27) Evaluate: To judge or determine the worth or value of something (week of May 4) Evidence: Supporting data; proof (week of May 11) Explain: To make clear or understandable (Week of May 18) Identify: To name, label, or recognize (week of May 25) Interpret: To show meaning by using your own words Model: A demonstration or example Simplify: To make easier to understand Summarize: To state briefly without losing meaning

Please try to use these words at home with your family, in everyday life (i.e. driving around town, interpreting the meaning of signs, understanding political cartoons, watching the Food Network, etc.)

The opportunities for sharing discussion and learning are endless!

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Message from the Counseling Group Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments (SBAC) at Peterson Peterson’s test window is April 20 - May 15. Students will be tested in their English and Math classes. Different grade levels will be tested during different weeks; the kids will not be tested every day! It is important that your student attends school as much as possible during this month to avoid having to make up a test. Please try to schedule doctor & dental appointments after the school day.

Students will be on a modified bell schedule Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday; see Bell Schedule under Our School on Peterson’s website. Periods 1 through 6; there will be no SSR during the test window. Wednesday will be regular Wednesday bell schedule.

NOTE: We will not have Early Out Thursday on May 5 as originally scheduled in order to accommodate our SBAC testing. May 5 will be a regular school day ending at 2:35pm. May 21 is now an Early Out Thursday.

SBAC and Accountability Updates: The State Board of Education approved the California Department of Education proposal to waive API Accountability provisions based on this year’s Smarter Balanced Summative Assessment. This makes it official that school/district scores this year will NOT be used for state ranking or further state sanctions. We will still receive score reports for students. The district will receive individual paper score reports to be mailed out to families likely in July or August. The SBEapproved score report examples can be found here: http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/ag/ag/ yr15/documents/mar15item03a1.pdf The State Board also approved State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson and Board President Michael Kirst to submit a waiver/application to the federal Department of Education (ED) with a similar proposal/waiver for federal flexibility with regard to AYP. That application will be submitted to ED by March 31, 2015.

Please see the SBAC Parent Information Presentation in the Parent Resource Locker on SchoolLoop. Parents may find this helpful to understand the increased rigor and expected achievement levels of students based on analysis of last year’s field test results (from 21 states and the US Virgin Islands).

If you have questions about Peterson’s SBAC implementation this spring, please contact counselor Kristen Clark Garcia (kclark@scusd.net or 408-423-2811).

Summer School 2015 Good news – Santa Clara Unified School District will be hosting summer school programs. All middle school students recommended for summer school will be invited through the mail in April/May (you'll receive something in the mail from either our counselors or the school district). Summer school will focus on math skills for middle school students, support for our Migrant Education Program (K-12), extended year support for our students with disabilities, high school credit recovery, and the Bridge to Algebra or Bridge to Geometry programs. Peterson will not be the host site for summer school, but rather at Wilcox High School. Your child's counselor will have more information.

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Asset of the Month Service to Others Asset #9: Young people serve in the community one hour or more per week.

THE IMPORTANCE OF SERVICE TO OTHERS Community service, volunteering, and service learning do more than allow youth to help the community—these activities also provide youth with the positive experiences, relationships, and connections that help them thrive. Research shows that the developmental asset of service to others results in higher academic performance, increased self-esteem, reduced incidence of depression, better problem-solving skills, and increased community involvement as an adult. One reason that youth may not serve is the perception that their assistance isn’t welcomed—a Gallup poll found that adolescents were four times more likely to volunteer and help out in the community if they were asked, but only half of a national sample of youth reported that adults asked them to help out. Youth gain the greatest benefit from service programs that enable them to “do” instead of observe; to work with supportive adults; to demonstrate responsibility, to explore their own interests and ideas, and to reflect on the meaning of their activities. The following discussion topics can help young people recognize the value of service to others and identify new kinds of service opportunities: 

Ask a young person to complete this sentence: “One way I’d like to change the world is…”



What are some needs or problems that you see and are concerned about in the community?



What do you think can solve these issues? What can you do to get the ball rolling?



If you had to commit one year after high school to performing service in your own community, elsewhere in the United States, or abroad, where would you go and what would you choose to do?

ACTIVITIES FOR FAMILIES  At mealtime, share your recent community service activities with your family. This discussion demonstrates that your family values  

service, enables you to role-model community service, and opens a discussion about ways to help in the community.

Serving others doesn’t always mean taking on a big commitment—it can be as simple as picking up litter in the park, helping an elderly neighbor unload their groceries, or bringing a meal to a sick neighbor.

Have a family meeting to consider the idea of a family service project, and make sure that everyone participates regardless of their age.

Have everyone list their volunteer activities to see if others are interested in helping, and talk about additional causes that each member would like to support.

FOR ALL ADULTS  Create youth-oriented volunteer opportunities that are diverse in the amount of time, energy, and expertise required. To make sure

  

that youth get the most out of the experience, provide adequate training and make sure that the youth understand how their efforts will make a difference.

When seeking volunteers, don’t just reach out to the high-achieving youth in leadership programs! Young people from all backgrounds deserve the opportunity to experience the benefits of service.

Be sure to affirm and recognize the efforts of all the youth who serve.

AT SCHOOL OR IN YOUTH PROGRAMS  Service learning programs that link educational or program objectives with opportunities to address real-world issues are a proven

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strategy for increasing developmental assets. Start a service club for youth! Work with the group to identify a list of causes that they care about (e.g., animals, education, environment, creating safe places for youth to hang out, health care, disaster relief, homelessness, peace, etc.) and identify ways that they can help. Help the youth research the need, define goals, create a plan (being sure to consider the potential needs and feelings of the recipients), and implement their service ideas. Be sure to guide the youth in reflecting on their experience at the end of the project.

You can also create service opportunities for youth within the school or program itself. Work as a group to list needs that youth have observed at the site, like picking up litter or refereeing games for younger children, and ask youth to choose which needs they’d like to address. If their choices require the permission of other staff members, have the youth choose a team of representatives to present their offer to the person in charge, and coach them on how to make their presentation.

This article was provided courtesy of Project Cornerstone.

For more information, visit www.projectcornerstone.org.

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Peachjar eflyers Dear SCUSD families, Santa Clara Unified School District is launching a new electronic flyer communication tool called “Peachjar.” To view school- and district-approved eflyers, simply click the Peachjar button on your school’s website homepage. The button should begin appearing on your school's website over the next week or so. This “green” initiative will save our schools tons of paper and reduce copy costs by thousands of dollars. On top of that, posting school flyers in this electronic backpack removes a significant administrative burden from teachers, office staff, and volunteers.

No action is required on your part. If the district has your email address on file in our student information system, you will receive a welcome email from our service provider (Peachjar) that includes a username and password. This is provided to give you the opportunity to manage your account and flyer delivery preferences. You do not need to login to receive or view school eflyers. If you do not receive a welcome email within the next week, contact your school office to update your email address on file.

To ensure smooth delivery of this communication, we suggest you add “school@peachjar.com” to your email contacts. When you receive your first eflyer, be sure to click “always display images.”

This system is used exclusively for distribution of school- and district-approved flyers. Your email address will not be shared or used for any other purpose. Thank you for supporting our efforts to ensure parents are well informed about school and district programs, activities, and events.

ASB Update Greetings Peterson Community!

Spring has sprung, and our school is full of activity!

Our Pennies for Patients drive, which raises money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, started on March 6 and wrapped up on Friday, March 27. After 3 weeks of fundraising competition between classes, the winners were announced: First place went to Ms. Henderson's 3rd period class, who raised a whopping $692.98! Ms. Heidig’s class earned second, with $519.01. Both classes get a party for their efforts. In all, our school raised $4,372.56!!

Great job pirates!

Some of our recent and upcoming ASB/Leadership events include our annual Variety Show, the All-School Dance, Spring Grams, and Teacher Appreciation Week.

This year's Variety Show was presented to our student body on March 20, 2015. We had a lot of student participation and a variety of talents, such as juggling, dancing, jump roping, singing, horse vaulting (video), ice skating (video), rubik's cube club highlights, and much more. The audience loved watching the amazing acts!

We had an All-School Dance on March 27th. The theme was “Starry Night”. There were tons of food, awesome music,great prizes and killer dance moves on the dance floor! For concessions we sold 252 donut holes. Within the first half an hour of the dance, we sold out! Over 100 students came from all grades, making new friends! We thank Derek Kassem, a Leadership Student, for making this dance the best experience ever.

Spring Grams are here! Beginning March 31st through the week prior to Spring Break, students can send a Spring Gram to one of their friends, teachers, or staff at Peterson. Leadership is offering cool toys, candy, and so many other items that students can buy. You can send a bag full of goodies to your friends or to yourself. They will be delivered before Spring Break!

Finally, Teacher Appreciation Week is quickly approaching from May 4-8! We will be giving out cards, small gifts, decorating their classroom doors, and holding a teacher breakfast to express our thanks.

We hope to end the year strong! Go Pirates!

Jackie Ng, ASB President 7

Events Peterson 2014-2015 Yearbooks If you are interested in ordering your Peterson Yearbook, pick up an order form from the office or download the form from the School website. Price is $35.00 per yearbook. You have until May 22 to reserve your 2014-2015 Peterson Yearbook.

Dear Parents, It is almost spring and the smell of books is in the air. Time to get ready for Peterson's Spring Scholastic Book Fair. We will be open April 27th thru May 1st at lunch and after school. Also, we will be open the evening of April 30th during Open House.

I am hoping to find volunteers to help during the fair. No experience is required. We only need one or two people per shift, but we are open all week, so if you can help, please do! The shifts are: Mon. 27th, Tues. 28th, Thurs. 30th, and Fri. 1st 11:10 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

or

2:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m

or

1:30 p.m.-2:15 p.m.

Wed, 29th 11:15 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Also greatly needed is help the night of Open House, Thurs. April 30th. That is our busiest time.

We will be open 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

If you can work one, two or all three hours that would be great. We need at least 4 people at all times during that shift.

If you are interested in helping, please let me know by e-mail or phone. Hope to see you there, if not as a volunteer, then as a shopper!

Amy Kent Book Fair Chairperson kentfun@comcast.net 408-245-4104

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Department News TRITON MUSEUM OF ART Selected student artwork was on display at the Triton Museum Art during the month of March. Students pieces were part of a show that is an annual collaboration between the museum and the schools of Santa Clara Unified School District.

The show ran through April 12th. The Triton Museum of Art is located in Santa Clara and admission is free!

Students who participated include: Christian Hinz, Alyson Ostachuk, Phuong Thao Nguyen, Honesty Eddens, Molly Reagan, Shreevastain Arunkumar, Osiel Vidal-Sanchez, Luna Conrad, Elise Corwin, Annie Tong, Angelyn Nguyen, Angela Smith, Ashley Wen, Dana Lee, Haley Coronado, Ysabell Wain, Susie Gantulga, Dana Lee, Deena Pederson, Jay Feng, Laura Kerharo, Tara Chouudry, Levy Cutar, Savya Challa and Travis Soares.

BEGINNING AND CLAY ARTS Beginning students are finishing up Huichol Indian Yarn Paintings that were displayed in the library,.The students did a great job, they’re amazing! Students will be moving on to their next projects which include a study in color as they create color wheel and color scheme paintings.

Clay Arts students are very busy as they finish up projects. Natural Scene Structures and coordinating tiles are the first to be finished and along with their Mimbre bowls will be exhibited in the office throughout the remainder of the school year. Please stop by when youre on campus to take a look.

UPCOMING EVENTS & A CALL FOR ARTWORK Peterson Middle School will be taking place in the annual Saratoga Rotary Art Show held at West Valley College show on May 2-3 2015. Mrs. Branch is looking for artwork that can be exhibited. Students may submit art work that is twodimensional (either canvas or paper) to Mrs. Branch. Stay tuned for more information.

LOOKING FORWARD It’s that time of year again for students to make selections for elective choices for sixth and seventh graders. Students have a plethora of amazing classes to select from including Beginning Art and Clay Arts. In Beginning Art students will introduced to the seven core elements in creating a beautiful work of art, and will work in 2-D and 3-D with a variety of materials including paper-mache, oil pastel, paint, wire, colored pencils and more. Clay Arts is the Intermediate class for students who want to further expand their art skill in 3-D form. Students will be working exclusively with clay using handbuilding techniques to create personal works of art. For more info please see Mrs. Branch in E-2.

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Department News 6th. grade Ms. Teng's classes are exploring hydroponics, weather and climate.

Ms. Henderson's class is studying heat and hydroponics.

7th. grade Ms. Fohner's classes are studying Earth's history, origins of life and evolution.

Mr. Asekomeh's classes are learning about genetics.

8th. graders are exploring physics. Lot's of hands on activities that include data collecting and analysis.

In terms of Newton's Law of Inertia, students now have a deeper understanding of the importance of wearing seat belts. Our next unit is Astronomy where we will go to the galaxy and beyond!

Students in Basic Science are learning about motion.

They are conducting speed experiments and collecting and graphing results. Students are doing good work every Monday at Full Circle Farm.

Lessons include learning about soil, roots, leaves and composting. Students are always welcomed by the chickens and crowed at by the roosters.

Social Studies Fair The Social Studies Department is gearing up for our annual Social Studies Fair. Students have turned in their entry forms and are putting the finishing touches on their research projects. Please join us at Open House to enjoy the fantastic work of our students. The Social Studies Fair projects will be on display in the gym during Open House. If you have an entry in the fair, please be sure to take your project home at the end of Open House. Looking forward to seeing everyone there.

English Department News Got Honors?

English Honors classes are for those students who love reading and writing, embrace the challenge of word analogies and intense vocabulary study, and don’t mind doing lots of work at home! There is a summer project to be completed as well, prior to next school year.

For those students wanting to participate in the English Honors program here at Peterson, the application process will begin in April, in your English class. Anyone interested can fill out the application in class and turn it in to your teacher. Results will be announced at the end of the school year.

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Department News English Department News Examples of Student Work ~ The Amazing Border collie Woof! Woof! Woof? There is only one dog in the world who does everything a person would like. This dog is the border collie. Border collies are the most popular dogs today. They were bred for working on ranches and farms to herd sheep and cows. A lot of people love dogs and want them to be happy, and "A happy dog, makes a happy human." Border collies are amazing.

Border collies are wonderful dogs. They make great family pets. For example, they are very protective of family members. When someone knocks on the door, they will bark to let us know someone is there. Border collies love to play. They can play soccer by dribbling the ball with their paws, and they can play basketball by jumping up and passing the ball to the other players. They love to get wet with water guns. They are also very lovable.

They cuddle up with their owners at bedtime. Because they are pack animals, they always love to be around you.

Border collies are easily trained. They can learn how to sit in a day. Also, they can be house trained within a few weeks. Border collies can quickly learn to walk next to their owners. They are very energetic dogs. For example, they love to play outside for long periods of time. Border collies are always willing to go for walks everyday.

Border collies can change your life forever. I have a Border collie. His name is Murphy. He's about 10 months old. He is very energetic and loves to play around and go for walks. He loves sports. He plays a lot of soccer with me and loves to have fun when I spray him with a water gun. A family would be very happy with a border collie. They make great pets.

Kaitlin Foehr How Healthy Is Your " Health"Food?

Food is something you think about. You talk about it, you plan it, and you really can't live without it. But...

Do you keep track of the calories running rampant on your burger, milkshake, and fries? What if I told you that your food does much more than satisfy your hunger? What if I told you that some foods can increase your health and wellness and calm you down, but that others can drop your metabolism like bowling ball off of a hot air balloon? Healthy food is very overrated. A multitude of foods advertised as "healthy", more often than not, are the complete opposite. Of course, some foods are healthy, but sadly, that's usually not the case. Chances are, your socalled "health food", isn't as healthy as you think it is.

Lots of food these days are labeled "healthy". Even more spout slogans such as: 'Low Calorie', 'No Sugar', 'Zero Fat', and 'Organic!'. Think on this for a moment. Does 'low calorie' REALLY mean low fat? Does 'no sugar' mean no high-fructose corn syrup? Does 'zero fat' mean no calories? And finally, if something was grown with no pesticides, does that automatically make it healthy? The bottom line? Most health foods aren't as good for you as you imagine. Have you ever questioned why your Snapple Lemon Iced Tea tasted so sweet? Just check the nutrition information on the back of the bottle, and you will discover that the seemingly harmless drink packs in just as much sugar as six original Fudgesicles! Even though that Snapple had a fruit in the name, it probably does not contribute to a fruit and vegetable rich diet, which could slash your overall cancer risk in half!

Did you know that teas- even herbal- can be bad for you? Its true! And you would be amazed at what horrible junk comes out of vending machines. Did you know that a pack of M&M's have ten whopping grams of fat? Did you realize that a Snickers bar contains fourteen? This proves that candy is absolutely terrible for you, regardless of how delicious it is.

As you've learned from this project, sometimes 'healthy' just isn't healthy. Before the research I've done on this project, I had never realized how unhealthy a Double-Double from In N Out Burger was... Until I read "Eat This, Not That". This project really helped me get to know how many calories and grams of fat I should have in a day, and how it will effect me in the future. All of the books I used, such as "The Complete Idiots Guide to Eating Smart", by Joy Bauer, "Vegetables Rock", by Stephanie Pierson, and "Eat This, Not That, a Supermarket Survival Guide", and "Eat This, Not That 2011" by David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding, helped me create this article and helped me learn about health myself. Again, you shouldn't trust health foods before you look at the nutrition facts.

Mia Brozyna 11

Department News English Department News Examples of Student Work ~ Skateboarding, Or More Like Flying?

Feel the wind soaring by you as you race sown the hill with your friends. That is skateboarding. Skateboarding started way back around the 1950's. Over time in the 1960's an estimate of 50 MILLION skateboards were sold in just America. Skateboarding is easy and adventurous for everyone.

Skateboarding is different for everyone. There are two foot stands when skateboarding. One is goofy; where your right foot is forward. The other one is regular footed; when your left foot is forward. Try both and decide which one feels normal for you. Next is safety. Safety include helmet, knee pads, elbow pads. Before attempting any tricks learn to ride and turn first. After learning to ride and turn some good trick to learn are Ollies, 180 Ollies, Pop Shove It, Kickflips, and Manuals.

Skateboarding is easy to learn with practice, but as twice as fun. I can personally say so since I skateboard almost everyday.

Maria Nelly Belmont Life or Murder Crime is all lies but Murder is a mystery. Not just police but also investigators. Investigator collect evidence and clues to solve the mystery. When a murder happens in your house you will have to investigate, you will have to have the skills to find out the facts. "Clues only leads to the Answers..."

Crimes of all types blight the lives of their victims, leaving behind misery, destruction, and loss. For the misery you will need to know the conflict. For the destruction you will need to find out the weapon, and the loss you will have to investigate with some knowledge. Some clues to help would be between 30 mins and 3 hours after death, the muscles begin to stiffen, in a process called rigor mortis. Within mins of death, a thin film forms over the eyeballs become soft as the pressure is in the air. Any cuts or marks on the body tells that a weapon was involved.

Only can clues lead you to the conflict that will be needing the skills that helps you. Don't use evidence can't find anything. If i was an investigator i would love to solve these murder mystery's.

Juhi Bhatia The Background of Your Jamming Sessions The music you listen to, the music you make are all influenced by the past. Rock music is powerful, exciting, wild, and loud. When people listen to rock music, their heart races and somehow life seems better when you hear your favorite band. Rock musicians are always influenced with the people from the past, and the music evolves over time.

Rock erupted in the 1950's and continued to change. Rock and roll first originated in Africa. The people there made music with complex drumming styles and mesmerizing beats. When rock was starting out, Elvis Presley was the first person to get big in the industry. He introduced rock and roll to the world. Elvis was a gifted performer, synthesizer, and popularizer. "Before Elvis, there was nothing." -John Lennon (18) But the best time in rock history would probably be the 1960's. The 1960's was also the start of the "British Invasion". It began with The Beatles, who shattered the dreariness of the music business and made a name for themselves. Some other British bands included The Who, The Kinks, and The Rolling Stones.

After the 1960's, more genres of rock music evolved and they started to be televised. In the 1970's, punk rock, heavy metal, and progressive rock were popular. Punk rock had guitars that were out of tune and there were no melodies to their songs. Heavy metal had amplifiers up to ten. For bands like Pink Floyd who played progressive rock, added a bit of classical music with keyboards sounding like violins and horns. As we got into the 80's, MTV, Music Television, started putting rock bands on their show. Then came the 90's which included grunge and Britpop. Bands like Nirvana played grunge rock. While bands like Blur and Radiohead played Britpop, catchy songs.

The past continues to influence new musicians. My dad taught me that. He also always played rock music in the car, giving me the love for the music. I've gotten the chance to hear all the different rock styles and the bands that express my emotions and thoughts.

Yasmin Epir 12

After School Sports Update Girls Basketball championship announcement: On Tuesday, March 24, the 6/7 grade Girls Basketball Team won back to back championships with a victory over Cabrillo, 30 to 13! The game started off close, with some good back and forth action between the first place Pirates and the second place Cougars.

After a 9 to 6 lead, our girls went on a tear to outscore the opponent 21 to 7 for the remainder of the game. Una Jovanovic stepped up with a big performance for the second game in a row, this time with 12 points and 4 assists! Halia Yee played with a passion and finished with 7 points, 5 steals, and 4 beautiful assists!

Maison Yee played tenacious defense as usual, and scored 5 points. These Lady Pirates finished the season on a dominant win streak. After a close first game victory, the girls outscored their opponents by an average of 37-14 over nine games. Coach Gillmore is extremely proud of the girls, not only for going undefeated and winning a championship, but for their character, heart, and integrity they displayed in doing so. We endured our share of ups and downs, but when it came time to play ball, we just played great team, hustle basketball at a very high level. Coach Gillmore also knows this is a super special team that will go down in the Peterson history books as the best 6/7 grade team ever! The other teammates that make up this amazing team are: Amanda McDowell, Haniya Ahmed, Catalina Rao, Belen Morgan, Verna Malo, Urvi Bajaj, Samantha Meng, Olivia Corwin, and Natalie Getz! Incredible season, ladies! Coach will miss the fun times, practices, even the pow-wows, but most of all the smiles, laughs, and memories we all shared throughout the season. Congrats on a perfect 10 win undefeated season! You girls deserve it... Goooooo Pirates!!!!!!

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After School Sports Update 8th grade ATHLETICS almost go the year with a perfect record……..

The 8th grade Girls Volleyball team went undefeated and won the championship. The 8 th grade Boys Basketball team went undefeated and won the championship. The 8th grade Girls Basketball team went into the championship game with a record of 9-0, and this year’s 8th grade teams had a perfect record of 25 wins with zero losses. After breezing through the season outscoring their opponents 424 to 248, they lost a heart-breaker in the Championship 42 to 45. I want to give props and congrats to Don Callejon who won a well deserved championship. Callejon played extremely hard and showed tremendous heart in their victory and first ever championship in the Santa Clara Valley Middle School Athletic League. We can’t go back in a time machine and change things, but we do have a choice about how we come back and prepare to win again. The greatest accomplishment is not in never failing, but in rising after you fall.

Coach Narcisso wants his team to know he will miss seeing those great smiles and laughs everyday at practice, and he is extremely proud of his team. They are great kids and he wouldn’t trade them for any team around.

We win as a team, and we lose as a team. The girls averaged 42 points per game while giving up 25. Rachel Ratnum averaged 15.9 points per game. Adriana Martinez led the league in rebounding while averaging 8 points and 5 assists. Captain Elise Corwin was our leader, point guard, and averaged 11.9 points per game. The Nguyen tandem of Erin and Katherine rounded out this talented starting five. Other members were Emali Teputepu, Angelica Luna, Mia Malvini, Kelly Thai, Cleo Chou, Aarohi Unadkat, and Sahithi Karumudi. It has been a fabulous year athletically for Peterson. We are currently in Tennis and Track and Field season. We had 132 kids sign up for Track and Field this week, and look forward to dominating the Track Meets as usual. May 13 at Santa Clara High is our first meet followed by Wilcox meet on May 20.Your kid should have got a season schedule at the meeting. There will no practice over the April vacation. Enjoy your time off and thanks again for making Peterson Sports so successful!

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After School Sports Update Peterson Boys Soccer team The boys soccer team was a great group of kids. They all are very talented players who played their hearts out until the final whistle every game. They had a great season, their hard work made it all the way to the championships. Congrats on a great season and good luck to the players moving on to play in high school.

Peterson Tennis Team Starts Strongly!

The Peterson Tennis Team is in full swing after selecting 34 players from the 80 students who tried out for the squad at the end of February. Players have been practicing hard, led by team captains, Joseph Pham and Pretham Srinivasan, and coached by Lisa Johnson, Kent Marshall, and Bonnie Curtin.

The team opened the season on March 30th with an exciting 6-3 win over Blach Middle School, and followed with an 8-1 victory over the Miller Mustangs. The season goes through theend of May, and the team hopes to bring home another trophy after winning two consecutive championships in 2013 and 2014.

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Club News March Students of the Month 6th Grade: Special accolades for 6th Grade Science Yu Ann Youn, Amar Singh, Jack Aby, Shefali Gupta, Allen Loomis, Sayan Sisodiya, Ava Salazar, Jenna Houle, Patrick Scott, Roberto Cotlear 7th Grade Morgane Gaucher, Yuna Endo, Verna Malo, Yesenia Sanchez, Miguel Rocha 8th Grade Joseph Pham, Izaac Zuniga, Gabriella Khanitsky, Asahi Sato, Jennifer Fraga Macias

GAINS PROGRAM UPDATE The GAINS (Girls Achieving In Non-traditional Subjects) group has had some very good speakers for our last two meetings. In March, we heard from Ms. Nita Kaushal who went to Leland High School and then majored in Electrical Engineering at Stanford University. After several years in the high tech industry, she has started her own company to help women with managerial and leadership skills like negotiation and interview skills. We hope to bring her training workshop to a larger GAINS event.

In April, Ms. Aaron Aguas-Rao, who is a mother of both a Peterson and Wilcox student, was our guest speaker. Ms. Aguas-Rao went to UCLA and then to law school, as she shared at Peterson's Career Day last October. Her career has mostly been spent with non-profits in the family law field, but she recently joined the Norther California Innocence Project as their Case Manager. She reviews over one thousand cases per year of people claiming to be innocent of crimes they were convicted of committing. She demonstrated how the Project uses scientific evidence to exonerate those with whom they choose to work. Her presentation was very interesting--she even used the word heterozygous!

The final meeting for GAINS will be the End of the Year Celebration on Monday, April 27th from 6:00 to 7:30pm in the Peterson Cafeteria. Senior scholarship winners will be announced and we will have a speaker from Symantec (who provides the scholarship funds). Girls should please RSVP to Ms. Ash or Mrs. Fohner if they are not able to attend.

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Club News Science Club held their catapult competition. Each team made a small, rubber band powered catapult, played with it for a while to get the hang of things, and then we competed for accuracy and distance.

For accuracy, we scored 3 points for the center, 2 points inside a 3 foot circle, and 1 point for a 5 foot circle. One team, Corey the Crazy Catapult, was dead on with 9 points for first place. Every shot they fired hit the center. That is hard to beat. Jenna Howle, Arushi Patel, Areeba Rashid, Khushi Shah, and Sarah Williams were unbeatable. Not far from that mark at 7 points, team Me with Nathan Seelinger, got second place. Two teams got third place with 6 points, a very good score. Illuminati had Casey Aslan, Collin Dylan, Skanda Fnu, Aaron O'Brien, and Amar Singh. The Dream Team had Claire Dong, Aya Furuta, Unnati Singh, and Yu-Won Youn.

For distance, well, it was all about the distance. First place at 12 feet was a tie. The Dishcow had Roberto Cotlear, Ansh Pandey, and Chris Schreiber. Illuminati had Casey Aslan, Collin Dylan, Skanda Fnu, Aaron O'Brien, and Amar Singh. Second place, at 10 feet, goes to MK-Ultra with Jack Fukuda, Stefan Laborde, and Aagam Shah. Just behind them at 9 feet for third place was Corey the Crazy Catapult with Jenna Howle, Arushi Patel, Areeba Rashid, Khushi Shah, and Sarah Williams.

Through the years we've learned something about the teams that are most accurate with catapults, crossbows, and trebuchets -- 6th grade girls hit their mark!

Science teachers at work

JUNIOR INTERACT CLUB - LETS GET CRAFTY! Our Junior Interact Club, under the guidance of our high school liaison Aditi Pandey, has been hard at work on our community service projects. Ella Thomas and Sanjana Yerramaneni are our 7th and 8th grade officer and have been instrumental in our success as a fledging organization this year. Our last project culminated with a donation of almost 500 origami cranes to local pediatric wards to lift the spirits and provide good luck to children hospitalized by severe illness or disease. For our most recent project, students made bookmarks: for each bookmark made, the Bezos Family Foundation donated one dollar to Save the Children's Literacy Boost program in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Peterson students have made over 600 bookmarks already, and we have just received an extension till June to make more. Wendy Harris and Kathleen Twomey couldn't be more proud of our awesome students! ~ Submitted by Kathleen Twomey 7th Grade Math Teacher 8th Grade AVID Coordinator

Students of the Opportunity Class located in E3, who have taken on the stewardship of the Monarch Butterfly. Read about their contribution in the Nature Area News on the next page!

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Nature Area News

By Bryan Osborne & Nancy Fohner

NATURE CENTER - FEELS LIKE SUMMER! It may be spring, but the Nature Area is in summer mode.

Most of the soil has a very low moisture content, but the south facing slopes are bone dry. With only two main rain events during the entire rainy season, the southern slopes never had a chance to absorb any soil moisture. Once the storms cleared the Bay Area, the winter sunlight evaporated the little surface water that had penetrated the south sloped substrate. Two south facing slopes in the Nature Area never had any seed germination. The soil was too dry. As a result, the residential Beechy Ground Squirrel population will spend more time grazing on the green grass south of the facility.

While in the open grass grazing, more ground squirrels will fall victim to the four species of hawks that hunt the Nature Area year around.

Spring is the busiest time of the year for Mrs. Fohner’s Nature Area Guides.

Often, two classes will arrive on the same day. The visiting students are divided into smaller groups with three or four Nature Area Guides assigned to each station and more Guides to take the groups through the 7 biomes. With clipboards and pencils in hand, the visiting classes are expected to visit all the lab stations and complete their work before they leave the study facility. The Nature Area Guides have been doing an excellent job communicating the wonders of the Nature Area and the Native American use of plants. The hardest part of the field trip is to keep the visiting students on task and answering questions while another student shrieks and points to a Great Blue Heron that has just bolted out from the Cattails, or another to a Pacific Pond Turtle that has come out to sun on one of the

floating logs. For many of the visiting students, seeing a twoinch Monarch caterpillar crunch through a leaf of Narrow Leaved Milkweed is entralling. The students just stare in awe as one leaf after another is consumed by the camouflaged eating machines. If the female Monarch Butterfly lays too many eggs on one plant or several female Monarchs lay eggs on the same plant, the caterpillars can eat themselves out of house and home. Though Milkweed is a rapidly growing plant, there are times we have to relocate the ravenous larva to another Milkweed plant.

Every year, we try to increase the number Milkweed plants growing in the study facility. For the first time, the Opportunity Class located in E3 has taken on the stewardship of the Monarch Butterfly. Using seeds generated from last years Narrow Leafed Milkweed, the students stratified the seeds, in other words refrigerated the seeds for six weeks, and planted the seeds in one gallon plastic pots. After two weeks, most of the seeds germinated. With continued attention, the students should be able to plant foot tall Milkweed in an area currently devoid of the needed Monarch caterpillar food. The added plants will be able to support eggs and the resulting caterpillars from the returning Monarchs in August and September.

So far this spring, students have found three recently hatched baby turtles that were in search of the aquatic habitat. Often, the female turtles will dig their nesting chambers hundreds of feet from the closest body of water. The nesting chamber soil must not be too hard, too dry, or too cool. The young turtles that show up now have over-wintered in their nesting chambers and are emerging as the soil temperatures increases.

Eggs that are deposited this spring, will climb out of their nest in August or September. The newly hatched turtles are about the size of a quarter, a good mouthful for the large-mouth bass in the deep ponds. If we can find the new turtles, we put them into the bogs until they have doubled in size before we put them out into the deep ponds. If you find any baby turtles, please bring them to the Nature Area.

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PTSA News From the PTSA President: Dear Peterson Families, At the General Association meeting in March, we authorized another $10,000 donation to support technology at Peterson Middle School, bringing our total donations to $20,000! Thank you, Peterson community, for your incredible generosity and for jumping through the necessary hoops to secure matching funds from your employers. This year’s Direct Donation Campaign was our best yet and we exceeded our fundraising goal by $3,000!

Although the school year is far from over, your PTSA has been hard at work planning for next year. At the General Association meeting, we unanimously elected the slate proposed by our Nominating Committee. These officers will be installed in May and our chairs will be appointed at that time. We are fortunate to have an outstanding (and almost complete) incoming board. However, we are in need of one volunteer to serve as the Newsletter Assistant. Please contact incoming president Sonja Tillman at sonjatillman@yahoo.com if you are interested or would like more information about this position.

Leslie Kloes

2015-15 Peterson Middle School PTSA Executive Board Elected Officers President

Name Sonja Tillman

st

Leslie Cannon

nd

Kelly Rolls

rd

3 VP / Membership

Jill Lipari

Secretary

Lyja Levas

Treasurer

Luann Wang

Auditor

Leslie Kloes

Historian

Amanda Laughlin

1 VP / Volunteers 2 VP / Ways & Means

Appointed Officers/Chairs Parliamentarian Honorary Service Awards Reflections Back to School Luncheon Holiday Luncheon Staff/Teacher Appreciation Luncheon Book Fairs Bake Sales Hospitality/SCUPTA Scholarship Basket Ice Cream Social Donuts with Dads Newsletter Editor Newsletter Assistant Parent Education Shop & Earn Coordinator Box Tops for Education

Name Ruchita Shah Kim Vu Christine Penland/Tracy Lay Adriana Smith/Kate Anderson Linda Gentry/Amy Edwards Pam Burkhardt/Marilynne Klinkrodt Amy Kent Suzy Gokel/Shannon Milne Kamal Singh Becky Marinshaw/Barbara Fritschen Michael Corwin/Chari Perera Jeff Kay

OPEN Jolene Soares Colleen Yamada Christine Nerb

A heartfelt thank you goes out to the men and women who have committed to serving our school community as PTSA board members next year.

Most sincerely, Leslie Kloes President 19

PTSA News PTSA Reflections Reflections Results Are In! "The world would be a better place if..."

California State PTA has announced the state wide Reflections winners for the 2014-2015, let's hear a huge cheer for the Sixth District PTA students being honored!

Award of Merit Film Production- Middle School, Claire Dong, Peterson Middle School PTSA (Santa Clara Council) Visual Arts -Primary, Emilie Chambon, Ruskin Elementary PTA (North Valley Council) Photography-Intermediate, Joshua Dang, Ruskin Elementary PTA (North Valley Council) In addition, the following students will have their work displayed at convention: Visual Arts-High School, Samiha S. Dawalbhakta, Evergreen Valley High School PTSA (Evergreen Council) Visual Arts-Middle School, Aya Furuta, Peterson Middle School PTSA (Santa Clara Council) Photography-Middle School, Mehek Kapur, Joaquin Miller Middle School PTA (CFS Council) Photography-High School, Mark Guevara, Santa Clara High School PTSA (Santa Clara Council) Reflections Program Theme for 2015-2016 "Let Your Imagination Fly" Peterson PTSA direct donation Update Thank you to the Peterson community for your generosity! So far we have almost reached our goal of $17,000!! It’s not too late to donate and don’t forget to check if your company contributes matching funds.

The funds are already being used to purchase new technology for the classrooms. purchase a new sound system for the P.E. Department!

Hopefully we can also

The PTSA will be soliciting funds through the 2014 -2015 school year. If you would like to contribute, forms are available in the office or you can contact Kelly Rolls at ksrolls@comcast.net.

Sincerely, Kelly Rolls

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NON PROFIT ORG. U. S. POSTAGE PAID

Peterson Middle School 1380 Rosalia Ave. Sunnyvale, CA 94087-3763

Santa Clara, Calif.

PERMIT NO. 124

Change Service Requested

May 14 ~ Spring Concert, 7:00pm - 8:30pm, Cafeteria

Important Dates:

May 19 ~ Concert Assembly (A/B Schedule)

April 20 - May 15 SBAC Testing at Peterson

May 18-22 ~ Spring Spirit Week

April 24 ~ Tennis Matches vs. Sunnyvale Middle School @

May 20 ~ Track Meet @ Wilcox High School, 3:30pm -

Peterson, 3:30pm

6:00pm

April 27 ~ Tennis Matches vs. Kennedy Middle School @

May 22 ~ Yearbook Orders, 8th Grade Trip to Saratoga

Peterson, 3:30pm

Springs Permission Forms & Donations Due

April 27-May 1 PTSA Book Fair/Social Studies Faire

May 21 ~ Early Out Thursday (1:35pm dismissal)

April 28 ~ SSC Online Survey (See Website)

May 21 ~ Academic Awards Night, 7:00pm - 8:15pm,

April 29 ~ Tennis Matches vs. Fisher Middle School @

Main Gym

Peterson, 3:30pm

May 25 ~ Memorial Day – No School

April 30 ~ Early Out Thursday (1:35pm dismissal), Open House (7-8pm) May 4-8 ~ Teacher Appreciation Week

May 29 ~ ASB Elections, Staff vs. Student Basketball Game, 8th Grade Trip to Saratoga Springs

May 6 ~ Tennis Matches vs. Redwood Middle School @ June 2 ~ Perfect Attendance Awards (SSR)

Peterson, 3:30pm May 8 ~ 8th Grade Panoramic Picture

June 4 ~ 8th Grade Promotional Dance, 6:00pm - 9:00pm,

May 11 ~ Tennis Matches vs. Egan Middle School @ Peterson,

Cafeteria

3:30pm

June 5 ~ Last Day of School (10:25am dismissal), End of

May 13 ~ Track Meet @ Santa Clara High School, 3:30pm -

4th Quarter, 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony (11am)

6:00pm

June 12 ~ Report cards mailed home 21