ADMINISTRATIVE ANNOUNCEMENTS:
End of Term 3 is TODAY, April 4, 2019!
Term 3 Report Cards will be issued on Tuesday, April 16, 2019.
WEEKLY ATTENDANCE: Urbana Middle School has an attendance goal of 96%. Good attendance leads to success and increases graduation rates!
DID YOU KNOW?
Mar 27
Mar 28
Mar 29
Apr 1
Apr 2
Grade 6
96.2%
95.6%
95.02%
92.5%
96.57%
Grade 7
97.07%
96.01%
94.6%
96.5%
95.48%
Grade 8
96.7%
92.08%
95.3%
93.7%
Total
94.7%
95%
94.4%
UMS MUSIC - Both the UMS 7th and 8th Grade Bands participated in the FCPS Band Adjudication Festival this week, earning excellent scores overall. Both groups excelled in sight reading and were very professional on stage and as audience members. Way to go, band!
The UMS 7th and 8th Grade Orchestra performed at the FCPS Orchestra Adjudication on Thursday, March 28 at Catoctin HS. The Orchestra did extremely well scoring a Superior Rating overall. Not only that, but they earned perfect scores from 3 of the 4 judges. This entitles them to participate in the Maryland State Orchestra Festival in early May.
RESCHEDULED PARENT UNIVERSITY Session 1 has been rescheduled for Tuesday, April 9, 2019 from 9 AM-2:15 PM. Apr 9 Parent University.
UMS BOOK FAIR was a HUGE success! Thanks to all that came out to support our Media Center. With the profits we will be purchasing items to support literacy here at UMS!
MIDDLE SCHOOL SHADOW DAY: FCPS invites middle school students interested in the visual and/or performing arts to visit the FCPS Academy for the Fine Arts (AFA) on: Middle School Shadow Day Wednesday, April 17, 7:30-10 AM Gov. Thomas Johnson High School - The AFA is a half-day immersive arts program with advanced art, dance, drama, and music classes. The AFA prepares students for college, offers some college credit classes, and challenges students to stretch their artistic potential through individual and collaborative experiences. For more information: www.fcpsartsacademy.org Register for the Shadow Day: https://www.fcpsartsacademy.org/visit-the-afa.html Please direct any further questions to: jonathan.kurtz@fcps.org
TRANSPORTATION DELAY BOARD: If you were not aware, our FCPS Transportation Department uses an online TRANSPORTATION DELAY BOARD to communicate to our communities when a bus is running 10 or more minutes late. Transportation information may be accessed on the FCPS website at this link: https://apps.fcps.org/transdelay/
LEARNING LUNCHES & ORGANIZED RECESS GAMES: At our recent PTSA meeting, it was proposed that UMS will begin scheduling learning lunches (presentations) on various topics of interest to our students during their lunch shifts. Additionally, we would like to have parent volunteers lead organized sports & activities during the recess portions of each lunch shift.
Lunch shifts: Grade 6 from 11:09 - 11:39 (Recess 11:23 - 11:39) Grade 7 from 11:59 - 12:29 (Recess 12:15 - 12:29) Grade 8 from 12:50 - 1:20 (Recess 1:05 - 1:20)
https://forms.gle/L1T13CyCDfX4th1T8
THE UMS CAFETERIA CONTINUES to NEED YOU - The Food & Nutrition Services Department of FCPS is currently recruiting for an open position in the cafeteria of Urbana Middle School. The search is for a non-benefitted Food Service Worker and is approximately 3 hours per school day. If you have interest in this position, please contact Susan Schwerer, Staffing Coordinator, at 301-644-5067 or susan.schwerer@fcps.org
You may also apply for Job #4645 through this link: https://www.applitrack.com/fcps/OnlineApp/default.aspx?Category=Support+Staff
LINGANORE-OAKDALE-URBANA REDISTRICTING STUDY was launched in January. Enrollment growth at FCPS has led to the need for more schools. To help the Board of Education (BOE) balance enrollment and determine attendance areas for the new schools, FCPS has launched a redistricting study that involves our school as one of 18 in the Linganore-Oakdale-Urbana (LOU) study area.
In its earliest stages, the LOU redistricting study was launched in January to help the BOE determine attendance areas and feeder patterns for:
Family and community participation are essential in the LOU redistricting process, particularly in helping the BOE determine which factors should weigh most heavily in the redistricting plan:
By sharing what factors matter most to you, you’ll help shape the options. Using all feedback, the CropperGIS consultant and FCPS staff will develop a range of possible options. Then they’ll come back to the community for refinements to help create and identify a few of the best choices that the Superintendent will propose in September for BOE review. Your participation is vital. At every stage, FCPS seeks to hear your views, concerns and ideas. Community engagement is more than sharing information; it’s also bringing the community together to share your ideas and unique perspectives. The BOE will make its decision in November 2019 to enable bus routing and staffing to begin in time for Sugarloaf Elementary’s opening to its attendance area in 2020 when Urbana Elementary re-opens.
Please visit www.fcps.org/louredistrict to learn more and see the timeline and calendar of meetings plus links to videos and special Facebook and Twitter accounts: https://www.facebook.com/LOURedistrict/ and https://twitter.com/LOURedistrict/. And share your views at the meetings, via social media and email to LOURedistrict@fcps.org.
DO NOT MISS OUT SEEING THE UMS SPRING MUSICAL - Performances of our annual musical are here and will be over before you know it! "Law and Order: C-Rhyme & Pun-ishment" rehearsals are winding down and our student-performers are ready to entertain you! Mark your calendars NOW for the upcoming productions as you do NOT want to miss the FUN!
Interpreter Requests for an ASL Interpreter or a Foreign Language Interpreter for any school event, parent conference, 504 Meeting or IEP Meeting, may be made by contacting Tammy Mitnick at tamera.mitnick@fcps.org or 240-566-9290. Requests should be made at least 10 days prior to the event.
Our UMS newsletter is published monthly on the 1st Thursday of each month. For time sensitive information, we will continue to send FOF Notices. The monthly newsletter will also include a calendar of UMS events. All of our newsletters and notices are archived on our UMS website. Our next newsletter will be published on May 2, 2019
Urbana Middle school in conjunction with the PTSA would like to convene a School Climate Committee for School Year 2019 – 2020.
One of the visions of this committee will be to form a Rachel’s Challenge chapter or a Kindness Club with similar goals and mission. Rachel Joy Scott was the first person killed in the Columbine High School shooting on April 20, 1999. But that was only the beginning of the story. After her death, many students that Rachel reached out to shared stories with the Scotts about the profound impact her simple acts of kindness had on their lives; even preventing one young man for taking his own life. They soon realized the transformational effect of Rachel’s story and started the non-profit organization that is Rachel's Challenge today.
In the nineteen years since we lost twelve innocent lives, including Rachel's, her legacy has touched 25 million people, and is the foundation for creating programs that promote a positive climate in K-12 schools. Her vision to start a chain reaction of kindness and compassion is the basis for our mission: Making schools safer, more connected places where bullying and violence are replaced with kindness and respect; and where learning and teaching are awakened to their fullest. For more information, please visit the following link: https://rachelschallenge.org/about-us
We are currently gathering information regarding resources and costs involved to create a new chapter at UMS. If you would like to be a member of this committee, please complete the form link. https://forms.gle/11UpyXZu96i3oHSP7
We appreciate your interest and willingness to serve on this committee. We will be scheduling meetings to determine next steps and planning how we will kick off this initiative to our community and students beginning this summer.
*Please join us at our next PTSA General Meeting, Tuesday, May 21 @ 7 PM in the UMS Media Center. This is an extremely important meeting as the new Executive Board will be voted in and the summer calendar set!
For details about events, volunteering, daily morning announcements, and fundraisers, please visit www.umsptsa.org
http://education.fcps.org/ums/
3511 Pontius Court Ijamsville, MD 21754 240-566-9200 Fax 240-566-9201