Monthly Archives: February 2016

February 11, 2016

Nutrition & Wellness

Ms.Dysinger- Family & Consumer Science- Nutrition & Wellness

Students in Ms. Dysinger’s 6thGrade Nutrition & Wellness classes practice their introductory measuring and healthy food preparation skills. They learn that a healthy lifestyle is an integral and necessary life skill. They prepare breakfast foods such as muffins, smoothies, and pancakes etc. To enhance their learning, all FCS students have the opportunity to measure and prepare food at home for their families.

In the 7th Grade Nutrition & Wellness class, students further their measuring and food preparation skills by preparing healthy baked good items such as Gingerbread, Apple Crisp and Whole Wheat Pizza. They become educated shopping consumers traveling through the FCS supermarket selecting healthy foods and reading food labels. They learn the gimmicks of being an informed consumer and learn to spend their money wisely.

In the 8th Grade Nutrition & Wellness class, students travel the world preparing dishes with an International flair. Pasta, Crepes, and Latkes are among a few of the items that are prepared in class. . The students also participate in a Heritage Project that integrates their family’s cultural heritage with a food and PowerPoint presentation.

February 11, 2016

Yearbook Team

The Yearbook Team is Recording Student Life at Moran

The 2015-2016 yearbook staff was so large this year, we had to separate into two sections, one for 6th graders and one for 7th and 8th graders. Our managing editor Frankie Carbone has been busy taking photographs with one of our new yearbook cameras. He has also been supervising and leading the various tasks involved in making a yearbook. Our photography editors Ali Villano and Katia Vanterpool have been very busy reviewing and uploading photographs. All three Editors have taken on the responsibilities of designing pages as well as mentoring our newest staff members.
The whole yearbook team has been working hard to meet their first deadline of February 29th. Photographers have been completing multiple assignments photographing Moran staff, winter sports, school activities and the Moran community. Meanwhile, the design staff has been hard at work designing pages, writing captions, brainstorming for 8th grade superlatives and documenting Moran’s 2015-2016 memories. Remember, everyone can be part of making our yearbook. Got a great Photo? Get it in the yearbook with ReplayIt.com

February 11, 2016

Health Education

Scott Robinson Health Education grades 6-8

6th graders: The sixth grade classes are engaged in learning the effects of tobacco use on the body. They are learning not only about the effects of cigarettes, chewing tobacco and cigars, but the effects of electronic cigarettes. Electronic cigarettes were developed to aid smokers in quitting the habit, but their use among the youth population has increased dramatically over the past few years. Students are provided with reliable information, and given the opportunity to reflect on their personal values and beliefs, which will shape their decisions in the future.

7th grade: The seventh grade classes are engaged in learning about the importance of healthy relationships. Topics include communication, cooperative activities (the alaskan pipeline) developing a healthy body image, and the signs and symptoms of depression. Seventh graders are encouraged to start to “find their own voice” and are given opportunities to reflect on the person they are now, and who they want to be.

8th grade: The eighth grade classes are engaged in learning about drug use prevention. The main focus in this unit is to find a “Natural High”, which is any activity artform, or sport that a person loves to do and makes them feel good. It does not involve drugs or alcohol. Students are at a pivotal point in their lives, the influences from others, friends, family and the media can have a lasting impact on the future adult they will become. Students are learning factual information about the effects of drugs like alcohol, tobacco/electronic cigarettes, and marijuana. Students are encouraged to identify what their own values are in relation to substance abuse.

February 11, 2016

Family & Consumer Science

Mrs. Kania’s 6th grade Family and Consumer Science classes are busy learning the necessary tools for hand and machine sewing. Knowing how to sew on a button is a life skill all students will accomplish as well as becoming comfortable with some basic stitches. Working at the sewing machine is always fun. Students will study the parts and operation for safe use. Mastering straight evenly spaced seams will ensure a strong, neat and attractive webbed handle tote bag. Many students can be seen using their colorful projects around the building.

7th grade classes are studying Parenting and using “Egg Babies” for simulation. Parental responsibilities, cost of raising a child the first year, the importance of play/toys, preventing child abuse and The Period of Purple Crying are the many topics we discuss. A unit on Finance is also covered. Students learn the difference between credit cards and debit cards, how to borrow the C.C.’s money for free and protecting one’s own personal identity. Income, expenses, interest, savings, layaway plan, and warranty are some of the many terms this unit exposes the students to. Setting up a budget is always challenging.

8th grade Interior Decorating classes are learning about Elements and Principles of Design and how they pertain to decorating a room. Color, color,color is so important in this field and we will be reviewing/studying complementary, neutral, analogous and monochromatic colors schemes. Drawing floor plans to scale and deciding where to put the various requirements is always fun and creative. Arranging furniture for a workable traffic pattern can be challenging. Using one’s math skills and the formula for area is necessary when calculating the amount of paint to purchase for a given room. Students will also create a Design Board, which is used to sell their decorating ideas to a potential customer. The last project is to make a French memo board for holding photos or memorabilia without tacks.

February 10, 2016

Technology Education

Mr. Morosky
Mechanical Drawing, Structural Design, Transportation and Alternative Energy

It’s always great beginning a new quarter in Technology Education. My 6th grade Mechanical Drawing students have settled into their homes for the term and are quickly seeing how different the Encore classes can be. Our main focus has been on reading rulers and getting proper measurements, but very soon we will be moving towards the different types of lines and beginning our first drawings!

The 7th grade Structural Design students have just begun planning and construction of their bridge designs, making a rough prototype out of K’Nex building materials before starting their final design out of Balsa wood. A constant source of inspiration has been the K’Nex Big Ball Factory, which drives home the use of triangles in their truss designs.

The 8th Grade Transportation and Alternative Energy students have settled into their LEGO kits, creating simple machines and then applying that knowledge to create vehicles to meet a certain challenge. Our last competition had multiple vehicles travel over 40 feet off a 6 foot ramp!
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February 10, 2016

Moran Anime Club

The Moran Anime Club started in October of 2015 and has seen a rise in popularity since, now with over 40 registered students! We started the year by watching Himouto! Umaru-chan. The series follows Umaru Doma, a high school girl who lives with her older brother Taihei. At school, Umaru appears to be the ideal student with good looks, top grades, and a lot of talent. Once she gets home, however, she reverts into a layabout who spends her time lying around, playing video games, and constantly depending on her older brother, much to his dismay. Needless to say she is living the life that every middle school and high school student could hope to live!

The second series we watched was School-Live!, which follows Yuki, a cheerful schoolgirl who, along with her friends Kurumi, Yūri, and Miki, is a member of their High School’s School Living Club. As Yuki seeks out fun school activities every day while living at school, the other girls work to keep her safe, because in reality, they are the sole survivors of their school after a zombie outbreak overruns the city. This series took a bunch of your typical anime tropes and turned them on their heads, never quite knowing where it was going to end up. I think if you were to ask any club member this series quickly became their favorite.

The Anime Club is currently hosting a member only contest to try and create a theme song for the club, based on a lengthy discussion about opening themes in Anime and what make them so important and catchy. Along with this contest, we are also beginning Cowboy Bebop, a classic series that is known for its music and space cowboy themes.
Mr. Morosky

February 10, 2016

Club Orgullo

Orgullo, Moran Middle School’s Club for Hispanic American Students and Friends

Club Orgullo, also known as Club “O”, is Moran Middle School’s club for Hispanic American students and friends. Club Orgullo meets approximately twice a month to socialize and plan different school and community activities. Sixth grade World Language teacher, Megan Perez, is advisor to the club. Last November, Club Orgullo hosted a Day of the Dead party – all Moran students were welcome and we enjoyed a good turnout. In December, Club O sponsored a bake sale at the winter concert to raise money for the Heifer Organization. We raised enough funds to buy a goat and a flock of chicks! In January, we met in Mrs. Dysinger’s kitchen to bake a Rosca de Reyes (Mexican King Cake) and enjoy the traditional Mexican drink atole. Now Club Orgullo is planning projects for the spring, especially a Multicultural Dinner Night for Thursday, March 29th from 5:30-7:30. All Moran students and their families will be welcome to attend Multicultural Night. We are looking forward to Mariachi performers from SCOW joining us for the evening. Dinner will be pot luck and our hope is that families bring a dish related to their cultural heritage or just one that they enjoy!

February 10, 2016

Grade 6 World Language

In Sixth Grade World Language in January French and Spanish students designed with a partner(s) either a board game, an “app,” or a card game to practice the vocabulary we are currently studying. French students have been studying numbers 30-100 and “useful phrases”. Spanish students have been studying food vocabulary as well as “useful phrases.” They worked on the games for two days; then students had the choice of taking their work home to complete if necessary. Finished games were submitted for extra credit points on the next quiz.
Megan Perez

February 10, 2016

Team Eagles Update

1) The Moran Student Government is collecting usable Winter clothing of any size. The clothes will be taken to Master’s Manna and be distributed to those in need throughout Wallingford. So please check the closets and the back of the drawers for usable sweatshirts, hats, gloves, pants, jackets or any Winter or warm clothing items. Students can just bring them to school and place them in the team donation box. The clothing drive lasts until February 12th.

2) Throughout the year students have had many opportunities to participate in community service projects. Students have sponsored a poor child in Ethiopia, written letters to U.S. service personnel, made get well cards for children in the hospital, brought in food for a food drive and now a Winter clothing drive. I just wanted to take a moment and say how proud I am of the students who chose to participate and to thank them and their families for supporting these worthy endeavors!

3) Don’t forget…The Team Expo will be February 18th from 2:45pm to 3:45pm! The expo is not any additional work for students, rather a time for them to show off something they have learned and to be praised for their efforts. Today was supposed to be the last day for students to return a permission slip allowing them to participate in the event. Since today is a snow day, students may return their slip on Monday. If they lost their permission slip, students can create their own slip as long as it has the following: The date and time of the Expo, a short note indicating parental permission to stay, a parent signature and a sentence indicating if they will go home with a parent or take the late bus home after the event. All the teachers hope every student chooses to receive the praise they deserve and participates in the event and we hope to welcome every parent and the entire Wallingford community to see how great these students really are!

4) In Social Studies students are learning about the three main religions of the Middle East and how they have affected the history of the area. Students will have a quiz on Tuesday. The quiz is based on the notes students received this week.

5) In Spanish, students are continuing their studies of the irregular verb “estar,” prepositional phrases and “classroom objects.” The next weekly assessment will be on Feb. 11. Following students will start preparing for their mid-year performance task on Feb. 16 & 17. Students will receive information on the task on the 11th.
https://quizlet.com/107207969/realidades-1-capitulo-2b-estar-flash-cards/
https://quizlet.com/107207597/realidades-1-capitulo-2b-flash-cards/

6) Next week in ELA class, students will begin a Performance Task. Students will be writing an argumentative news article about the impact of social media on teens and pre-teens

7) Parents are strongly encouraged to review the team calendar to keep updated on due dates and team and school events. Also, please feel free to contact a team teacher whenever a question or concern arises.

8) Finally, I want to thank all the parents who sent me replies to emails to support part of my teacher evaluation. That part of my evaluation is over and you no longer have to send a reply (always feel free if you have a question or comment!) Again, you don’t need to send a reply and thank you for your past help and support.

I hope everyone stays safe and enjoys the beautiful Winter weather!

Mr. Schweighoffer

February 8, 2016

Parent Coffee

Dear Parents and Guardians,
We invite you to join us for coffee and community on Friday, February 12th from 8-9am in our Library Media Center. Our theme is lifelong learning and will focus on the transition to high school, among other topics. Please feel free to bring your questions and constructive feedback. Younger children are welcome. We hope to see you on Friday!
Sincerely,
Moran Administration

Saludos, Familias de Moran,
Los invitamos reunirnos por café y comunidad este viernes, el 12 de febrero en la biblioteca de Moran. El tema de la reunión es el aprendizaje de toda la vida y tendrá enfoque en la transición del middle school al high school. Favor de traer sus preguntas y recomendaciones. Los niños menores son bienvenidos. ¡Ojalá que los veamos el viernes!
Sinceramente,
La administración de Moran