MSP Spring School Newsletter

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June 15:  8th Grade Dinner/Dance at MSP
5:00 to 6:00 pm - family reception
6:00 to 9:00 pm - dinner and dance for 8th graders 
Click here to see flyer about the event

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Inter-district Choral Experience (ICE) Annual Festival
May, 2012

Recently, The Middle School of Plainville's auditioned choir "The Downbeats" attended the Interdistrict Choral Experience (ICE) annual festival held this year at McGee Middle School in Berlin, CT.  As part of the festival, the students attended a workshop with Yale's acapella ensemble "The Allycats".  In addition to this workshop, students worked with the auditioned ensembles from Chippens Hill Middle School in Bristol and McGee Middle School in Berlin.  "The ICE festival is a great opportunity for our students to learn from and listen to a college acapella choir.  It also gives them an opportunity to listen to and sing with groups from other schools." said Todd Helming, director at MSP.  "Our students learn a lot about music and performance from this experience and also are able to learn from other student their age from other towns.  This is an experience that they remember for many years!"  The afternoon ended with a public concert where each chorus performed solo selections and then the ensembles were combined for three final pieces.  After the students performed, the Yale Alleycats closed the day with an amazing 30 minute performance showcasing their variety of musical numbers and talents.

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Geneticist Presents to 8th Grade Science Students
April, 2012

Genetic Counselor, Jennifer Stroop, pictured left, from the UCONN Health Center, spent a recent morning with about 45 eighth grade students discussing all aspects of the field of genetics.  She talked about her own career path and the path of discovery that led her to her current position working with cancer patients and their families at the Health Center.  She discussed current research and discoveries, as well as the history of the study of genetics.  She highlighted some of the major discoveries made in the field of genetics and the important role that women scientists played and continue to play in making these discoveries and advances.  She also stressed the importance of being curious and questioning individuals with important roles to play in the advancement of scientific discoveries. 

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Middle School Students Continue Walk To School Effort To Support Healthy Plainville
April, 2012

On April 26 was another "Walk to School Day" for the students of the Middle School. The monthly walks are part of the "Healthy Plainville" initiative. Students who typically take the bus to school were dropped off at a designated location to walk the half mile route to school that morning. Students were chaperoned by school faculty members, administrators, and members of the Healthy Plainville Coalition who accompanied them on the walk. It was a beautiful morning for a walk!

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Science Career Day at MSP
April, 2012

The 7th grade students at the Middle School of Plainville had their annual Science and Medical Career day on April 5th, 2012. The goal of this day was to give students a perspective into medical and science careers and hopefully increase interest in these professions, especially among the female student population. 

The students took part in presentations given by an epidemiologist, endocrinologist, obstetrician, perioperative nurse, engineer, microbiologist, allergy nurse, respiratory therapist, combat medics, nurse investigator, and medical student. This special day was sponsored by the Petit Family foundation and one of the highlights of this day was Dr. Petit's presentation about his career as an endocrinologist.

The students were fortunate have had these community members donate their time and share their career experiences with them. Many students were very excited to meet these professionals and had worked diligently in preparation for their arrival. A special thanks to 7^th grade science teachers, Christina Konovalov and Christina Corvello, for organizing the event.

                  Click on the test-tube for more photos of the day.

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5th Annual Students vs. Staff Charity Basketball Event
March, 2012

On Friday, March 30th, The Middle School of Plainville held its 5th Annual Students vs. Staff Charity Basketball Event.  This year the Middle School of Plainville's selected charity was the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  This charity was chosen in honor of Joseph Spagna, beloved technology education teacher at MSP, who passed away this past summer.   During the first four years of this event, students contributed a total amount of $5,000.  This year alone, students and staff contributed a whopping $5,000 in only a two week period.  The game ended in a victory for the students 60-55.  The students won in overtime with the final shot being a half court buzzer-beater 3-point swish.  Special thanks to Greg Warnat, 8th grade math teacher, for once again organizing and promoting the event. This event is wonderful for student and staff morale and gives them all an opportunity to make a contribution to the greater community.

Click on the basketball below for more pictures of the event

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Kevin Johnson Portrays Jordan Freeman, African-American Patriot from Connecticut and Participant in the American Revolution
February, 2012

In honor of Black History Month, MSP invited Kevin Johnson (pictured left) to the school on Monday, February 13, with his exciting depiction of Jordan Freeman, who fought during the Revolutionary War in the Battle of Fort Griswold in Groton, CT. Kevin Johnson, a researcher and re-enactor from the Connecticut State Library, will portray Jordan Freeman, an African-American servant of Col. William Ledyard in the Revolutionary War. Mr. Johnson presented his portrayal to the 7th grade classes who have been studying the American Revolution as part of the social studies curriculum.

Jordan Freeman was an actual person, a native of Old Lyme. Although he did not enlist himself, he witnessed key events of the war for independence while with Col. Ledyard. Historians estimate the number of black soldiers in this war to have been about 5,000 men, serving in militias, seagoing services, and support activities, including nearly 500 from Connecticut. Some enlisted because they felt it was their duty; others enlisted because they were offered their freedom in return for satisfactory completion of a set period of service. Mr. Johnson has based his presentation on extensive research in the collections of the Connecticut State Library and the Museum of Connecticut History in Hartford.

ADL Step-Up and Bystander to Ally Programs Come to MSP
January, 2012

The Step-Up assembly and class follow-up session helped students develop a common language for discussing issues of diversity, prejudice and name-calling.  Students increased their awareness of the dynamics of name-calling; bullying behavior and the different roles people play. During the assembly, the students saw the video "Let’s Get Real," where middle and high school students talk about their experiences with name calling, bullying behavior and intervening in the bullying process to become allies of others. 

The ADL will be back again later in January to train student leaders in their "Bystander to Ally" program. The objectives of the Bystander to Ally program are for students to: understand the role of being an ally to others; learn skills to be an effective ally at MSP; develop a plan to share their skills with others at MSP; and to develop a plan to enhance the school climate at MSP

Looking In Theatre Group Visits MSP

December, 2011

The Looking In Theatre Group, a program of the Capitol Region Education Council (CREC) is lead by Director Jonathan Gilman (seen on right with actors answering audience questions) and was established in 1978. The theater group is composed of teens from the greater Hartford area who present dramatic skits dealing with important social,

November, 2011

It was a record setting fall for the Middle School, as both the boys' and girls' MSP soccer teams went undefeated this year.  To honor that accomplishment, Mr. Bruce Billouin, parent of one of the players, donated special celebratory t-shirts to all the players and coaches. Mr. Billouin is pictured at right, handing out the t-shirts. Pictured on the left are Coach Jim Caron with the captains of the girls' team, and Coach Phil Sanders with the captains of the boys' team.

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Superintendent's Award

Two Middle School students and their parents were among the recipients honored at the twenty-fourth Annual Superintendent's Award Luncheon on Thursday, November 10, 2011. The 8th graders were chosen by their teachers as the best representatives at MSP of the qualities embodied by the Superintendent's Award; Service to others; Academic prowess; and Leadership. In the picture on the left, Principal Matthew Guarino is shown with the students and their parents at the luncheon.

Kids in the Middle
November, 2011

School Counselor, Denise Grodzicki, recently conducted an anti-bullying event for all 6th grade students.  Together with the 6th grade faculty and staff, Ms. Grodzicki, organized a series of activities for students centered around the themes of the popular book and film, Diary of a Wimpy Kid.  This event was just one in a series aimed at preventing bullying  and reinforcing the climate of respectful and responsible behavior at MSP.

Charles R. Smith, author, poet and photographer visited MSP on October 12th and performed 3 interesting, interactive, and highly engaging presentations. Mr. Smith is a winner of the Coretta Scott King Book Award for Authors and Illustrators. While discussing the writing process, Mr. Smith performed many of his poems accompanied by a variety of his photographs. He has created many books and CDs for our students to enjoy. The MSP library has copies of many of his books and students are welcome to check them out. Many thanks to the Plainville Community Fund and the MSP PTC for helping to fund his visit. Please see Mrs. Lynch's Homepage (link in the left hand column) for more information on Mr. Smith and his books, as well as many other items of interest related to our Library Information Center.

Faculty and staff were thrilled to welcome back the students to the Middle School on September 1. We hope all students had a smooth and enjoyable start to the school year.  Please do not hesitate to contact your child's teacher, counselor, or administrator if you have a concern or question. Email is the best way to contact staff, but certainly call if you would prefer.

Click here to see more dunking pictures ---->SPLASH!

The seventh graders of MSP explored the journey of African captives aboard the Amistad and their connection with Connecticut's history during the early 1900's.  Because of a grant,  obtained by MSP Assistant Principal Traci Mayette, from the American Voices project (a collaborative teaching American history grant involving CCSU and local school districts), the seventh graders in the social studies classes of Jody Muldoon and Allison Rogers, experienced some aspects of the Amistad experience through workshops with the Connecticut Historical Society.  Students sat on a mock slave ship reliving the amount of space a captive was forced to live in for the two to three month journey across the Atlantic Ocean.  They felt the weight of the chains used to shackle the kidnapped slaves.  They interacted in group cooperation exercises to simulate the captive's need for teamwork and leadership as they staged a rebellion.  They learned about the legal battle some Connecticut abolitionists waged on behalf of the Africans even though slavery was still legal in Connecticut in the 1830's and acted out a mock Supreme Court decision on the case.  This interactive workshop is an example of bringing history alive to our students and we thank the American Voices project for making this possible for MSP.