Nathan Hale 3rd Q Newsletter -- 17/18: Home

Main Office

(402) 557-4200

Attendance

(402) 557-4202

Nurse

(402) 557-4215

Counselors

Sixth Grade

(402) 557-4211

Seventh and Eighth Grade

(402) 557-4210

The year is quickly coming to an end.  Eighth-grade students are excited about moving to high school.  Seventh-grade students and sixth-grade students are excited about "moving on up."  Elementary students are excited to transition to middle school though they are feeling a little anxious.

There are several ways in which you can assist your child with transitioning to a new school next fall.  Here are some suggestions.

* Have a conversation about what things concern your student about changing schools.

* Reassure your student that it is normal to be feeling a little anxious about the change.

* Let your student know that every other student is feeling very much the same way.

* Point out these 10 positive things about moving to middle school/high school.

1. Making new friends

2. Making a fresh start

3. Learning interesting new things

4. Becoming more responsible

5. Having new opportunities for after-school activities including sports and clubs

6. Finding out their interests, skills, and career goals

7. Preparing for high school/college

8. Meeting new teachers, counselors, and administrators

9. Developing talents and abilities

10. Becoming a young teen/adult

Here are some important ways you can keep your child academically strong over the summer.

* Make sure your student has a daily leisure reading plan of 30 minutes a day.

* Expose your student to new experiences.

* Ask your student questions about everyday experiences.

* Give your student plenty of exercise and fresh air.

* Make family plans for a picnic, ball game, concert, or other summer activities.

* Plan some day trips to the riverfront, zoo, museums, and other venues.

* Spend quality time with each of your children separately.

* Share you values with your children.

* Discuss your expectations for attendance, grades, and behavior in school.

* Have your student work on basic math facts and show your student how math is used in the everyday world.

* Assign regular chores to your student expecting them to be done in a timely manner.

* Teach good time management skills.  Practice scheduling after school hours in preparation for homework in the fall.  Have your student use an alarm clock.

* Teach your student the value of helping others.

 

Spring Concert:

The Nathan Hale Music Department would like to invite you to the Spring Concert on Tuesday, May 15th at 6:00 p.m. in the Nathan Hale gymnasium.  

The students in choral classes and instrumental ensembles have been working hard all semester to prepare for this program, and they are excited to present it to you!  Chorus and instrumental students are required to perform in the concert unless they have a valid reasons for missing which has been verified with their guardians.  Since music is performance-based, this concert is equivalent to their final assessment.  Students who do not perform in the concert will be asked to complete an alternative assignment in order to make up that summative assessment grade.

Recommended Concert Attire:

* Plain black pants.

* School appropriate black or white shirt (no tank tops or crop tops)

* If dresses/skirts are chosen to be worn, leggings or tights must be worn under skirts that are from the knee or shorter.  Dresses /skirts must be black and/or white.

* Shoes are up to best discretion, but no high heels should be worn (for safety of the students and sound during transitions).

Staying At School and Pizza:

Students are welcome to stay after school Tuesday (5/15) before the concert.  They must report to the music wing by 3:25 p.m., where there will be multiple options for students to occupy their time.  Pizza and water will be available to students who have paid their teacher before the day of the concert.

Prices for pizza (and a bottle of water) are as follows:

* 1 slice of pizza $2

* 2 slices of pizza $4

* 3 slices of pizza $6

Money must be paid to the student's music teacher by 3:25 p.m. on Monday, May 14th.

Students who are staying after school may not leave the school building for any purpose unless escorted by their guardian.

Arrival and Dismissal:

ALL STUDENTS SHOULD REPORT TO THEIR MUSIC CLASSROOM BY 5:30 P.M.

Students are expected to stay for the duration of the concert unless previously communicated with their teacher.  All students will be dismissed from their classrooms following the performance.

Please contact Ms. Boesch at jolene.boesch@ops.org, Ms. Haas at courtney.haas@ops.org, or Mr. Karpf at william.karpf@ops.org if you have any questions, clarifications, or concerns.  All three teachers thank you for your cooperation and are excited to perform for you!

Health Office Summer Checklist For Sixth Thru Ninth Grade Students

Incoming Sixth-Grade Students

* Physical NOT needed.

* Dental exam is highly recommended.

* Vision exam is highly recommended.

* Asthma/Severe Allergy, Diabetic, Seizure Action Plans filled out by physician.

* Permissions for medications to be taken at school from physician and parent filled out.

Incoming Seventh-Grade Students

* Seventh-grade immunizations required.  Must have 1 dose of Tdap (must contain Pertussis booster).

* Physical dated after 3/1/18.

* Dental exam is highly recommended.

* Vision exam is highly recommended.

* Asthma/Severe Allergy, Diabetic, Seizure Action Plans filled out by physician.

* Permissions for medications to be taken at school from physician and parent filled out.

Incoming Eighth-Grade Students

* Catch up immunizations.

* Physical (only if participating in a sport) dated after 5/1/18.

* Dental exam is highly recommended.

* Vision exam is highly recommended.

* Asthma/Severe Allergy, Diabetic, Seizure Action Plans filled out by physician.

* Permissions for medications to be taken at school from physician and parent filled out.

Outgoing Ninth-Grade Students

* Catch up immunizations.

* Physical (only if participating in a sport) dated after 5/1/18.

* Dental exam is highly recommended.

* Vision exam is highly recommended.

* Asthma/Severe Allergy, Diabetic, Seizure Action Plans filled out by physician.

* Permissions for medication to be taken at school from physician and parent filled out.

 

 

Dear Patriot Community,

The school year is moving along quickly, and I am deeply thankful for the talent and energy of our students and staff members.  Our students have demonstrated that they can and will learn in order to achieve greater success in the future.  Our students have represented themselves in the classrooms, at plays, concerts, club events, and at sports competitions.  I commend them on their behaviors in school and in the community.  Because of our parents, students, and staff, Nathan Hale continues to be a tremendous place to learn.

Our eighth-grade students have been working with the high school counselors on which classes they will take in high school.  Seventh-grade and sixth-grade students have been registering for classes for next year.  Our counselors will be visiting elementary schools for registration of our sixth-grade students who will join us next year.  We are excited for all of our students as they prepare for the 2018 - 2019 academic school year.  

As a reminder, we will begin renovations in April and are excited about the updates for our school.  We will be sharing information about the three phases of renovations when the contractor approves them.  Also, we began NSCAS testing on March 21st.  Be sure and remind your child to get enough sleep the night before, listen closely to any instructions, read the test through before they begin working, and, of course, relax. 

As always, we are here to assist families with the academic and social needs of their children.  Feel free to contact us at 402-557-4200.  

I want to thank you for allowing us to educate and assist your young adults!

Darin Williams

Principal

Service Learning --  Ms. Benson and her students in Service Learning 6 spent third quarter learning what service learning standards are and creating businesses to help the community grow.  

Leadership --  Who is the POTUS with the most--est?  Let's ask the students in Ms. Benson's Leadership 7 classes.  During third quarter, they studied all the presidents of the United States, the states and their locations, and the abbreviations of the states.  The students in her Leadership 8 classes studied various leaders who have affected the United States from the 1700s to the 1920s.  

Social Justice --  It was "order in the court" for Ms. Benson and her eighth-grade Social Justice students during third quarter.  They studied different laws which affected the United States from the 1700s to the 1920s.  

ESL --  The Nathan Hale ESL students and Ms. Darling worked hard during third quarter learning about topic, main idea, and summarizing.  They also finished their ELPA tests and took a field trip to the University of Nebraska at Omaha.  During fourth quarter, they will be writing personal narratives.

Chorus --  Ms. Boesch and her students hit all the right notes during third quarter as they worked on sight-singing and concert prep.  The Spring Concert is on May 15th at 6:00 p.m.  These musicians don't want to toot their own horn, but they are ready and excited to perform for you.  Ms. Haas and her eighth-grade chorus students also worked on sight-singing and prepared for adjudication on April 6th at the TAC building.  They will take the feedback from the adjudication judges into their preparation for the Spring Concert on May 15th.  To be "concert" ready they will continue to work on tempo, dynamics, diction, and phrasing.  

ACP --  Do you know which historical group of airmen were called the Redtails?  Dr. Snell and his students do!  During third quarter, they learned about the history of the Tuskegee Airmen.  During fourth quarter, one of their activities will be growing flowers.

Boy's Physical Education --  Mr. Hansen had the seventh-grade and eighth-grade boys in shape and learning about a variety of sports during third quarter.  They learned about bowling, badminton, fitness, soccer, and scooter hockey.  During fourth quarter, they will investigate kickball, wiffle ball, handball, and fitness.

Girl's Physical Education -- The students in Ms. Kowal's classes were able to participate in curling, a new to Nathan Hale P.E. activity.  The students tried out their skills at curling while the Winter Olympics were happening in South Korea.  Before curling, the students played badminton and finished third quarter with team handball and fitness.  

Instrumental Music --  Mr. Karpf and his instrumental students worked hard on new music during third quarter.  They prepared for and participated in adjudication in March and are "jazzed" to give a great performance at the Spring Concert on May 15th.  The concert will begin at 6:00 in Nathan Hale's gymnasium.  Allegro! Allegro!  Things were happening fast and furious in sixth-grade strings class.  Ms. Haas had her musicians busily preparing for the Spring Concert.  They discussed bow direction, slurs, ties, dynamics, and phrasing.  They are very excited to play through their songs from beginning to end!  Percussion students and Ms. Haas continue to work on fundamentals, playing techniques, and drumline cadences.  Every Friday, they worked to maintain a steady beat through drum circles -- where students improvise their own rhythms to the beat selected by the teacher.

General Music/Music Survey -- The students in Ms. Haas' classes took a journey through musical genres.  They will be comparing and contrasting different styles like classical, jazz, opera, and musical theater.  They will also create their own posters to represent genres in the history of rock and roll.  

 

Math --  Whew!  Ms. Quedensley, Ms. Violett, Ms. Patton, and their Math 6 students were busy during third quarter.  They worked on multiplying and dividing fractions, and they worked with integers, coordinate planes, exponents, and expressions.  During fourth quarter, they will work on area, volume, mean, median, mode, and range.  The students in Ms. Violett's Advanced Math 6 classes worked on algebra (expressions, equations, and inequalities) during third quarter.  They will give geometry (area, volume, surface area, shapes, and net) a try during fourth quarter.  Ms. Ross and her mathematicians finished up graphing coordinates, positive and negative numbers, and absolute value during third quarter.  They will make a "power move" to exponents during fourth quarter. During third quarter, the students in Ms. Johnson's math classes completed a unit on the number system and began the unit on algebra.  In this unit they worked on expressions and equations.  

Science -- There was a lot of energy in sixth-grade science during third quarter.  Ms. Eltouny had her science students investigating energy types, energy conservation, electricity, circuits, magnetism, electromagnetism, electromagnetic fields, and factors that affect electromagnetic fields.  Mr. Novotny's classes focused on energy, as well.  They studied thermal energy, heat, temperature, Ohm's Law, series circuits, and parallel circuits.  During fourth quarter, the sixth-grade science curriculum will highlight plants, animals, populations, water pollution, and change over time.  

Language Arts --  During third quarter, Ms. Harvey, Ms. Worthy, Ms. Hodge, Ms. Moore, and Ms. Workman focused on the theme "Making Your Voice Heard."  Their students read selections from their textbook within this theme, and they read the novel One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia.  During fourth quarter, the theme will be "Decisions That Matter."  

Social Studies --  Ms. Wolf and her students traveled through time and around the world during third quarter.  They studied the Roman Empire, the daily life in Rome, Medieval Europe, and African kingdoms.  The will continue their work with African kingdoms during fourth quarter. Eh tu, Ms. Johnson?  Third quarter was a lot of fun for Ms. Johnson and her students as they also explored Ancient Rome and Medieval times.  

Science --  During third quarter, Mrs. Swain and her students studied heredity, genes, and DNA.  They also began investigating the layers of Earth's atmosphere.  During fourth quarter, they will continue to study Earth's systems and Earth in space.  Mr. Clerc's scientists also studied the components of Earth's atmosphere.  They, too, will boldly go into curriculum about Earth and space science during fourth quarter.  Mr. Clerc's Physical Science 8 students studied the components of energy during third quarter.

Math -- Mr. Jensen and his Pre-Algebra students got into shape during third quarter -- and by shape, I do mean triangles!  They finished working with the Pythagorean Theorem, triangles, and transformations.  During fourth quarter, they will work with congruence and similarity, as well as, volume and surface area.  Mr. Stark and his Math 7 mathematicians worked on expressions and one-step equations.  They finished the quarter with two-step equations.  During fourth quarter, their attention will turn to graphing and statistics.  Ms. Carver, Ms. McNeil and their Math 7 students completed two units during third quarter.  They worked hard simplifying algebraic expressions.  Their state math test will happen after Spring Break and their final MAP test is scheduled for the first part of May.  According to Ms. Carver, many students have shown growth in their MAP scores in math.  She is very proud of all of her students!  

Social Studies --  Where in the world are Mr. Garcia and his students?  During third quarter, they were in South Asia and East Asia looking at the unique dynasties of China.  During fourth quarter, they will pack up and move to Russia where they will complete a research project.  

Language Arts --  Mr. Samson, Ms. Bridgeford, and their readers and writers in seventh grade worked on identifying main ideas and supporting details in nonfiction text during third quarter.  During fourth quarter, they will complete a GLE project where they will research a risk taker and write an essay defending whether or not this person's actions were worth the risk.  They also will read the novel The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton.  Stay gold, seventh grade!  Holy Moley Batman! Mrs. Foley and her seventh-grade students were industrious during third quarter.  For third quarter, they researched a person who took a risk such as an explorer, pioneer, or innovator.  They studied the Big 6+ research process, and wrote an argumentative essay about whether the risks their person took were worth it or not.  In addition, these students continued to hone their writing skills with the sentence of the week strategy, and they listened to a speech by President Kennedy about whether the United States should explore space.

Reading -- During third quarter, the students in Mr. Samson's Reading 7 classes worked on questioning and summarizing.  The students in his Reading 8 classes practiced the skills they will need for independent projects.  During fourth quarter, both groups will be creating independent book projects.  During third quarter, Ms. Vaiskunas' reading classes practiced different reading strategies while learning about figurative language and poetry.  Her students in 21st Century Literacy classes read a novel in free verse, and her Reading Skills classes read poems in various styles. 

Computer Applications --  Is there an app for awesome?  Ms. Voss and her sixth-grade students worked on mastering PowerPoint and determining credible research facts during third quarter.  Her seventh-grade and eighth-grade students learned bout company policy and revenue.  

Art -- Creativity is contagious!  Pass it on.  Ms. Groth and her students couldn't agree with Albert Einstein more.  During third quarter, her sixth-grade students worked on Islamic mosaics.  Her seventh-grade students worked on identity portraits, and her eighth-grade students worked on one-point perspective.  Even the students in her ELT caught the "creative bug" and made masks.  

 

Reading --  During third quarter, Mr. Irvin's reading students focused on comprehension and vocabulary skills.  During fourth quarter, they will work on the elements of literacy.  

Boy's Physical Education --  Mr. Clayburn and his sixth-grade athletes worked on badminton, workout stations, and volleyball during third quarter.  They will focus on soccer, football, weight training, and hockey during fourth quarter.  GOOOOOOAAAALLLL!

Social Studies --  During third quarter, Mr. Bedore and his students investigated the causes and the fighting of the American Civil War.  During fourth quarter, they will study Reconstruction, Industrialization, Immigration, and Urbanization.  

Social Justice --  Ms. Skradski and her eighth-grade students in Social Justice spent third quarter studying the historical injustices during World War II.  They will create strategies to bring about positive change in a community during fourth quarter.

Science -- How does the world and the objects on it move?  That is what students studied during third quarter in science.  From understanding what motion is to Newton's Laws, Mr. Elder's scientists learned how to describe and analyze the motion of an object.  Parents be sure to ask your student what happened in science today -- as they will continue to complete many related labs.  

Math --  Mr. Matthews and his students were right on track during third quarter as they worked with right triangles and the Pythagorean Theorem.  They also used transformations to manipulate polygons.  During fourth quarter, they will work with 3D shapes.  Mrs. Peter's algebra students graphed lines and inequalities, and they wrote equations for lines.  During fourth quarter, they will focus on systems of equations and polynomials.  

Careers --  Ms. King's classes were very fortunate to be visited by various representatives from many career clusters.  They had the pleasure of meeting individuals from local politics, science, medicine, sports, disease investigation, law, education, and many more.  It was an eye-opening experience for these sixth-grade students.  They were able to realize exactly what educational planning they needed to focus on to reach their career goals.  Ms. King and her students extend a thank you to Mr. Wilkison for scheduling these career visitations.

Service Learning -- Ms. King's classes had the opportunity during third quarter to visit with various community organizations to explore the meaning of service learning.  They had the pleasure of meeting representatives from the City of Omaha Division of Human Rights and Relations, the Omaha Public Library, the Nebraska Special Olympics, the Radio Talking Book Service, the Salvation Army, the Youth Emergency Services, among many others.  It was an enlightening experience for these students while also enhancing their understanding of serving their community.  Ms. King and her students extend a thank you to Mr. Wilkison for helping toe schedule these visits from community service organizations.

Spanish -- Hola!  Mrs. Peters and her students conjugated verbs during third quarter so that they could talk about present-tense actions.  During fourth quarter, they will talk about (in Spanish, of course) school and plans for high school.  

Language Arts -- Ms. Carlson's and Ms. Lee's eighth-grade classes worked their way through readings from their Collections unit called "The Move Toward Freedom." The readings included Frederick Douglass, The Drummer Boy of Shiloh, and O' Captain! My Captain!  The students also delved deeper into figurative language skills such as identifying and using metaphors, as well as, understanding the author's mood in writing.  

Please take advantage of the school health clinics this summer!  Get your physicals, immunizations, and Medical Action Plans!

Call a SBHC today to schedule your child's appointment!

Indian Hill Elementary -- 3121 U Street

402-933-4968

Spring Lake Magnet Elementary -- 4215 S. 20th Street

402-932-7014

Liberty Elementary -- 2021 St. Mary's Avenue

402-505-8180

Kellom Elementary -- 1311 N. 24th Street

402-505-5451

Belvedere Elementary -- 3775 Curtis Avenue

402-932-1232

King Science Magnet -- 3720 Florence Boulevard

402-502-5644

Northwest High School -- 8204 Crown Point Avenue

402-916-5964

Bryan High School -- 4700 Giles Road

402-991-3904

Nathan Hale's P.T.S.C. (Parents, Teachers, Students, and Community) will have a meeting on Tuesday, April 17th at 6:00 p.m. in the Nathan Hale library.  

Contact Tye Wise, P.T.S.C. president, at twise141@gmail.com or Anna Peters, teacher liasion, at annampeters@ops.org for more information.

During third quarter, Mrs. Ridgley had the Patriots on their toes -- as a variety of students from all grade levels demonstrated their intelligence and creativity by participating in competitions and special activities.

The Honors Special Projects classes participated in Socratic Seminars about Dr. King's work.  They chose personally meaningful social issues to research, searched for solutions, and presented their findings to class.

The Quiz Bowl team did an excellent job of representing Nathan Hale at the Grace University Quiz Bowl tournament.

Eighth-grade students with excellent attendance and grades participated in the Outward Bound leadership training and rock-wall experience.

The Pentathlon team was busy exploring the theme of Africa and competing in the Regional tournaments.

The Book Blasters team won the Best Use of Technology trophy in the OPS Book Blaster tournament.

The Destination Imagination team went to Regionals and qualified for the State competition in April.

Nathan Hale's Student Council worked with UNO freshman Leadership students to make Valentine's Day cards for residents at the Immanuel Hospital assisted living center. 

Do you like to play basketball, play badminton, MIXFIT dance, or bowl? Join us for Nathan Hale's Family Sports Night on Thursday, April 5th from 5:30 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. at Nathan Hale Middle School.  UNO and Creighton basketball players will help hoop it up!  The great thing about the night is everything is FREE!  Attendees get a chance to receive a gift card and a pedometer!  Pizza and healthy snacks will be provided.  Attendees also can visit a variety of community wellness sponsors.  Adults must accompany their children.  Athletic apparel must be worn with proper shoes.  Check out the flyer about the Sports Night on the Nathan Hale webpage.  See you there! 

Nathan Hale's drama team, led by Ms. Workman, stole the show on March 6th when they presented the play "Bad Auditions by Bad Actors" by Ian McWethy.  A cast of talented thespians brought down the house with hilarious antics as a harried director of a community theater tried to cast the parts for Romeo and Juliet.  Parting was such sweet sorrow!

Wrestling

The wrestling team had an amazing year.  Nathan Hale had six wrestlers (out of nine) place in the top four in the city.  Of those medal winners, the Patriots had one city champion and three runner ups!  Nathan Hale placed fifth out of twelve total teams.  Coach Elder and Coach Matthews were very proud of their athletes.  

Girls Basketball

The Nathan Hale girls basketball team had a fantastic season.  According to Coach Wolf, this group of girls had a ton of talent and drive!  The team had fabulous eighth-grade leaders who helped set a very high standard for the group.  Because of their leadership, the Patriots were one game away from the championship bracket.  Unfortunately, a one point overtime loss to McMillan put the Patriots in the middle bracket -- where we were competing for fifth in the district. 

In the tournament, the Patriots found themselves facing McMillan again.  The girls started down by seven to start the game, but they fought hard to come back.  The game went into DOUBLE overtime!  Unfortunately, the team struggled with free throws down the stretch and lost by two.  The team then went on to defeat Marrs for seventh place in the district.

The girls finished the season 6 - 6 which is a huge improvement from last year!  They grew so much as people, teammates, and players Coach Wolf and Coach Lesley loved this group of girls and are very proud of them.  They can't wait to see what the future holds for these athletes!

Boys Swimming

Nathan Hale had three athletes participate in boys swimming.  The Patriot team was small but mighty!  The boys worked diligently, always gave their best effort, and worked to improve their times.  Coach Clarke was proud of their accomplishments.

Congratulations to the Dallas Cowboys in Ms. Moore's homeroom.  These students read so well during SSR that they were the champions of Nathan Hale's Super Bowl of Reading competition.  

Mr. Novotny and his Tennessee Titans came in second place.  

The New England Patriots in Mrs. Quedenseley's homeroom, the Los Angeles Rams in Ms. Skradski's homeroom, and the Buffalo Bills in Ms. Lee's homeroom earned prizes, as well.  

Students are currently reading their way through a March Madness (Read LIke Crazy) Tournament.  Stay tuned for the results! 

Find us.  Like us.  Follow us for updates.  You can "like" Nathan Hale Middle School or @ NathanHaleMS.

What do you think?  This is the second year (seventh edition) of Nathan Hale's digital newsletter.  We would like to know what your thoughts are about receiving it in a digital format.  Please email your comments and feedback to Mrs. Tetschner @ angela.tetschner@ops.org.  Thank you.

Omaha Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, disability, age, genetic information, citizenship status, or economic status in its programs, activities, and employment and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups.  The following individual has been designated to address inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies: Superintendent of Schools, 3215 Cumming Street, Omaha, NE 68131 (402-557-2001).