And in other news...
DIY school organization
By Audrianna McCormick
Sick and tired of walking the halls of school with ripped up binders, big books, and pens/pencils everywhere? Don’t stress it! There are lots of items you can buy to help out with all of that clutter you have! Don’t have the money? That’s fine too! There are tons of DIY’S you can do to in order to walk happily down the hallway without all your stuff weighing you down! First, you need to buy yourself a Class Case. A Class Case is a large plastic container that can hold your school stuff. It has six sections of wide space to fit pens/pencils, tape, glue, Post-Its. It is large enough to hold a large box of crayons. The case also has a small handle that you can hold and carry around with you. This case is an absolute time saver. You can find this unique case at many craft stores, such as, Target, Michaels, Deals, or the mall. If you don’t have money to spend don’t worry. There are tons of cheap DIY’S you can do. Here’s a great way to make your own pencil case. All you need is a reseal-able plastic bag and a hole punch. Punch holes in the bag vertically. Place into your binder and fill with pencils. Voila! You now have an easier way to carry all those writing supplies.
Here is how to make a DIY container for large or bulky school supplies. Save a used coffee container can and the lid. Peel off the label. Place items inside and close the lid. That’s it! Now, you have a handy container to place inside your locker. Last of all, a DIY dry erase board. First, find or free cycle a glass picture frame. Next, place a blank sheet of paper or wrapping paper inside. Write on the glass with a dry erase marker. Use a tissue to wipe it clean. Now you can write notes, thoughts and assignments on your very own homemade board!
Sick and tired of walking the halls of school with ripped up binders, big books, and pens/pencils everywhere? Don’t stress it! There are lots of items you can buy to help out with all of that clutter you have! Don’t have the money? That’s fine too! There are tons of DIY’S you can do to in order to walk happily down the hallway without all your stuff weighing you down! First, you need to buy yourself a Class Case. A Class Case is a large plastic container that can hold your school stuff. It has six sections of wide space to fit pens/pencils, tape, glue, Post-Its. It is large enough to hold a large box of crayons. The case also has a small handle that you can hold and carry around with you. This case is an absolute time saver. You can find this unique case at many craft stores, such as, Target, Michaels, Deals, or the mall. If you don’t have money to spend don’t worry. There are tons of cheap DIY’S you can do. Here’s a great way to make your own pencil case. All you need is a reseal-able plastic bag and a hole punch. Punch holes in the bag vertically. Place into your binder and fill with pencils. Voila! You now have an easier way to carry all those writing supplies.
Here is how to make a DIY container for large or bulky school supplies. Save a used coffee container can and the lid. Peel off the label. Place items inside and close the lid. That’s it! Now, you have a handy container to place inside your locker. Last of all, a DIY dry erase board. First, find or free cycle a glass picture frame. Next, place a blank sheet of paper or wrapping paper inside. Write on the glass with a dry erase marker. Use a tissue to wipe it clean. Now you can write notes, thoughts and assignments on your very own homemade board!
The "Q and A" on the Southern Regionals
By Annie Patel
Do you know what Southern Regional's are? Well if you don’t know what it is, read on to find out! The Southern Regional's is a program where students compete against other instrumental players to play the best music. I recently interviewed Mrs. Kwiczor.
Q:How many people are participating in Southern Regional's this year?
A: Several people made it in and returned the form.
Q: Why is this activity important?
A: It challenges students that are advanced players. They get a chance to represent their schools at the state level.
Q: Why do you think this activity exists?
A: It is created by teachers for students. Students can learn challenging music. They audition and the top students get into either the jazz, band, orchestra, or chorus. It is hard to make it in.
Q: Can anyone do Southern Regional's and why?
A: Only advanced players. They look at the music and decide if they want to do it.
Q: What gratification do students get from this competition?
A: They get a challenge along with a private lesson from me every week.
Q: What songs do they play and how many years did Washington participate in this program?
A: The songs they play at the competition are leveled songs based on the challenge they need. Washington participated for at least 10 years.
Q: Do you have any other information you want to share?
A: Auditions were held at WMS. The date was Saturday, December 6th, 2014. The kids that make it in Southern Regional's perform in March. The only person that got into Southern Regional's from WMS was Nick Camera.” Congratulations to Nick on his achievement! Good try to all of those who tried out, we hope to see an even bigger turnout next year!
Do you know what Southern Regional's are? Well if you don’t know what it is, read on to find out! The Southern Regional's is a program where students compete against other instrumental players to play the best music. I recently interviewed Mrs. Kwiczor.
Q:How many people are participating in Southern Regional's this year?
A: Several people made it in and returned the form.
Q: Why is this activity important?
A: It challenges students that are advanced players. They get a chance to represent their schools at the state level.
Q: Why do you think this activity exists?
A: It is created by teachers for students. Students can learn challenging music. They audition and the top students get into either the jazz, band, orchestra, or chorus. It is hard to make it in.
Q: Can anyone do Southern Regional's and why?
A: Only advanced players. They look at the music and decide if they want to do it.
Q: What gratification do students get from this competition?
A: They get a challenge along with a private lesson from me every week.
Q: What songs do they play and how many years did Washington participate in this program?
A: The songs they play at the competition are leveled songs based on the challenge they need. Washington participated for at least 10 years.
Q: Do you have any other information you want to share?
A: Auditions were held at WMS. The date was Saturday, December 6th, 2014. The kids that make it in Southern Regional's perform in March. The only person that got into Southern Regional's from WMS was Nick Camera.” Congratulations to Nick on his achievement! Good try to all of those who tried out, we hope to see an even bigger turnout next year!
When Autism speaks, its time to listen
By Aryana Agli
Did you know there is a class for kids with autism here at Washington Middle School? If you didn’t know already there is a class upstairs in rooms 5A and 5B. The teacher of the class is Ms. DiGiacomo along with four helpers. The class includes eight students, who are all boys. In the class these boys are taught functional living skills to help them achieve goals for their future. The class takes many field trips so they can get used to society and for society to get used to people with disabilities. Some of the boys even get to go into gym, cooking, and science classes with the 8th and 7th graders.
Autism was first diagnosed in 1943 by a child psychiatrist named Leo Kanner. He announced this discovery of 11 cases of the new mental disorder. He noted that it was different than other known conditions. It soon became known as Autism. Autism affects 1 in 68 children and 1 in 42 boys. Ways to define Autism are the neurological disorders that severely weaken social, commutative, and learning functions. Typical behaviors include hand flapping, body rocking and, in some cases, aggression and self-injury.
The Autism spectrum is for people with exceptional abilities. These abilities can include visual skills, music skills and academic skills. About 40% of people with Autism have average or above average intellectual capabilities. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a group of developmental disabilities. There isn’t just one way the ASD will affect someone. The Autism spectrum fits each person’s developmental needs. Depending on the person’s needs there are individual groups in the Autism spectrum for them.
The eighth annual World Autism Awareness was held on April 2, 2015. Every year, autism organizations around the world celebrate the day with fundraisers and autism recognition events. Here at Washington there was a bake sale at “Bread and Broth” to raise awareness for autism. About $300 was raised at the bake sale. The money raised will be used for field trips out into the community and for learning supplies in the classroom.
Did you know there is a class for kids with autism here at Washington Middle School? If you didn’t know already there is a class upstairs in rooms 5A and 5B. The teacher of the class is Ms. DiGiacomo along with four helpers. The class includes eight students, who are all boys. In the class these boys are taught functional living skills to help them achieve goals for their future. The class takes many field trips so they can get used to society and for society to get used to people with disabilities. Some of the boys even get to go into gym, cooking, and science classes with the 8th and 7th graders.
Autism was first diagnosed in 1943 by a child psychiatrist named Leo Kanner. He announced this discovery of 11 cases of the new mental disorder. He noted that it was different than other known conditions. It soon became known as Autism. Autism affects 1 in 68 children and 1 in 42 boys. Ways to define Autism are the neurological disorders that severely weaken social, commutative, and learning functions. Typical behaviors include hand flapping, body rocking and, in some cases, aggression and self-injury.
The Autism spectrum is for people with exceptional abilities. These abilities can include visual skills, music skills and academic skills. About 40% of people with Autism have average or above average intellectual capabilities. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a group of developmental disabilities. There isn’t just one way the ASD will affect someone. The Autism spectrum fits each person’s developmental needs. Depending on the person’s needs there are individual groups in the Autism spectrum for them.
The eighth annual World Autism Awareness was held on April 2, 2015. Every year, autism organizations around the world celebrate the day with fundraisers and autism recognition events. Here at Washington there was a bake sale at “Bread and Broth” to raise awareness for autism. About $300 was raised at the bake sale. The money raised will be used for field trips out into the community and for learning supplies in the classroom.