I s s ue 2

Emma Newman, 8th Grade

Oc t ober

I like how nice and helpful the teachers are. They always make time for me.

2015

Sahith Shankar, 7th Grade I really like my friends here at OLMS. They are very welcoming and accept me for who I am.

Cecily Mills, 6th Grade I really like how the school looks. All the colors in the hallways and the blue lockers make it look nice.

Viking VOI CE

NEWS FROM THE BRIDGE As we draw to the end of the first marking period there are a lot of things to look forward to for the month of November. On the top of everyone's mind is parent teacher conferences. Conferences this year are on November 10th and 11th from 5:00 PM - 8:30 PM. Last year we created a sign up for the first day of conferences and found that the majority of parents truly liked this new format because it eliminated a lot of excessive waiting. We are bringing back the sign up process again for the first night of conferences and for the first hour and half on the second day of conferences. The link to sign up for conferences can be found by clicking here. Please read the directions carefully before signing up but a couple quick reminders are to only sign up for one time slot per teacher and allow yourself a little time between

conferences so you can easily get from one to the next. This month we also have Oakland County Prosecutor Jessica Cooper coming to talk to all our 6th graders about internet safety. Ms. Cooper comes each year and talks to our 6th graders and gives a lot of very valuable information. Thanks to the Greater West Bloomfield Community Coalition for setting this up. Lastly, our first Parent University of the year will be on November 18th at 7:00 PM. Parent University is an opportunity for you learn a little about OLMS and how to stay involved in your child's education. Stay tuned for survey from the team about what you would like to learn more about. Have a great day and, as always, GOOOOOOO VIKINGS! Morrison Borders, EdS

Viking Spotlight The Viking Spotlight will give you a closer look at our staff members by the department they teach in. This month the spotlight is on our amazing English Department! Our English department is made up of Mrs. Aisner, Mrs. Compton, Mrs. Lamerato, Mrs. Polhamus, Mrs. Taylor, Mrs. Weller and Mrs. Wujcik.

THE VIKING ELA DEPARTMENT

The more you read the more you know. The more you know the smarter you grow. Dr. Seuss

NEWS FROM THE VIKING ENGLISH DEPARTMENT As students advance from 6th grade to 8th grade, so do their skills in narrative reading and writing, argument writing, and informational reading and writing. Students begin each year by defining themselves as writers through personal narrative (6th), memoir (7th), and narrative poetry (8th), each year bumping up the level of their writing by adding new layers of meaning and nuance. Students?narrative reading skills follow a similar pattern: in 6th grade, they focus on characters; in 7th grade, they focus on theme; and by 8th grade, students analyze how theme and character are interrelated to develop the story, each culminating in a literary analysis essay. As students progress in their argument writing skills they move from simply presenting evidence to support a claim to writing complex commentary to prove why their claim is true. At each grade level, students also hone their informational reading and writing skills as they analyze various informational text features

and structures. Woven into units throughout the year are grammar and vocabulary acquisition skills based on the needs of the students. Core texts for each grade level: 6t h grade Esperanza Rising Immigrant Kids Number the Stars/Trash 7t h grade Seedfolks The Outsiders Freedom Walkers 8t h grade The Giver To Kill a Mockingbird The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass The ELA department also offers two separate reading support classes: a decoding class that focuses on reading fluency using the Wilson Reading program and a reading comprehension course from Scholastic called Read180. Students enrolled in the

Wilson classes have been working on strategies to improve their decoding, fluency, and comprehension skills. Each day, a student's progress is monitored by their participation in whole group and small group activities. By the end of the year, students have the skills to read words they would have just skipped over in the past. Read180 is a two hour ELA class for students needing to bump up their current level of reading comprehension. Students read, write, think and talk about how to better comprehend texts in all of their classes. Their goal is to read at or above grade level by the end of this class. Lastly, for our 6th grade students, we offer STEAM ELA. The purpose of STEAM Team is to build relationships, and to improve communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity among the entire STEAM TEAM of students and their teachers. Students will participate in challenges and then REFLECT as they learn. The STEAM ELA classes are all about INQUIRY

and solving real-world problems through service learning and project based learning projects.

Social Media Updates Make sure you follow us on Social Media: Twitter: @OLMS_VIkings Facebook: www.facebook.com/ orchardlakemiddeschool Instagram: orchard_lake_middle PTO Facebook: www.facebook.com/ groups/ orchardlakemiddleschool/

Viking Spotlight on the ELA Department

Our English teachers, from left to right: Mrs. Lamerato, Mrs. Wujcik, Mrs. Taylor, Mrs. Weller, Mrs. Polhamus, Mrs. Aisner, and Mrs. Compton bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to our building. Keep reading to find out some interesting facts about all of them. Mrs. Aisner attended Michigan State for her undergrad, Wayne State for her master's and Oakland University for her Ed Specialist. "I bleed green and white! Not just because I'm a Spartan but because I was a student at Ealy, OLMS and graduated from WBHS!" Mrs. Compt on attended Michigan State, Central Michigan and Oakland University. She teaches ELA 7, 6th grade musical theater and our musical theater production class. "I love animals of all kinds, especially dogs and would love to have a farm for homeless dogs someday. I also love writing and being involved in creative work with kids." Mrs. Lamerat o attended Central Michigan for her undergrad and Marygrove for her Master's. Teaches STEAM ELA, 6th grade ELA and Read 180. "Teaching at OLMS has been an exciting adventure for me for the past 17 years. This year, the addition of STEAM Pathways classes is a new challenge brimming with fun, inquiry and lots of opportunities for students to become leaders for future STEAM careers. "

Mrs. Pol hhamus attended Michigan State and teaches 6th grade ELA, 8th grade reading comprehension, 7th grade READ and Read180. Mrs. Polhamus moved over the summer and is now a new resident of West Bloomfield Township, and she is happy to be part of the OLMS family again this year. Mrs. Tayl or attended Oakland University and the University of Michigan. She teaches 6th and 8th grade ELA and is also our Title 1 teacher. "In my spare time I love to take pictures of my four year old daughter. I also love to read and am a children's and young adult book reviewer for the magazine, School Library Connection." Mrs. Wel l er attended Michigan, Oakland University, Madonna and Walden University. She teaches 6th and 8th grade ELA. "I?m an English teacher, and it?s my job to appreciate the classics, but I?m really crazy for picture books! Though I may look out of place in the kids?section of the library, I can?t help but pore over a really good picture book?s clever story-telling and artistry. Plus they are magic: they have the power to turn children into book lovers and life-long readers!" Mrs. Wujcik attended Eastern Michigan and Oakland University. She teaches our READ classes and Read180. "I enjoy vacationing with my family and being outside. Last summer, we vacationed in North Carolina: Smoky Mountains and Wilmington"

HIGHLIGHTS AND HAPPENINGS Girl s Basket bal l

ago, the boys have yet to win a game with one Upcoming Event s at OLMS: game remaining. However, their record is not The 7th and 8th grade girls basketball teams indicitive to how hard they have played each and Every Monday - Thursday -- Math and wrapped their seasons up this past week Literacy Center from 2:50 - 3:50 in the every game. against Abbott at WBHS. The 7th graders iCenter. won handily but the 8th graders suffered a Mekhi Elam has been a shining spot for the team Nov 2 -- Cross Country Banquet After School tough loss. The 7th graders finished their as he ran for well over 100 yards in last weeks season with an impressive 7 - 2 record. Here loss to Abbott. Mekhi had multiple runs over 20 Nov 4 -- Jessica Cooper, Oakland County are a couple of highlights from the second yards and an an 80 yard touchdown run called Prosecutor, internet safety presentation to half of the season: back on an illegal formation penalty. The boys 6th graders play their last game on Wednesday, November The 7th grade Vikings took care of business Nov 4 -- Football game vs Berkshire @ 4th. and are now 8-2 with a convincing 34-16 WBHS, 4:30 PM victory. Chelsea Abulu and Lola Chambers Cross Count ry Nov 4 -- "Stop the meanness" presentation were a force inside combining for 26 A big congratulations goes out to every member at Abbott, sponsored by the Greater West points.Lauren Ellington, Chyna Johnson and of the Cross Country Team for their Bloomfield Community Coalition Shemila Richey also got into the scoring perserverance in conquering the two mile column. Congratulations, 7th graders! Nov 9 -- AVID Field Trip distance. The girls' team won three meets and The 8th graders finished their season with a the boys' team won two meets. Over 100 boys Nov 9 -- 7th and 8th grade boys basketball stellar 8 - 1 record with their only loss to competed in the league meet at Cranbrook, tryouts Abbott after beating them by double digits Unser Jaffry took second place overall. Earlier in the first game of the year. Here are some the season, Unser broke the school record with a Nov 10 -- Parent Teacher Conferences second half of the season highlights: new time of 11:42. An honorable mention goes 5:00 - 8:30 (sign up only) The 8th grade Vikings stayed undefeated with an exciting 39-24 victory over East. Mikayla Duncan led OLMS in scoring and rebounding. Heaven Adams and Payton Harvey each scored 7. Antonia Lucaj and Grace Yaldoo knocked in 5. Mya Bobo 4 and Hannah Kramer 2.The Vikings aggressive defense shut down some talented East players, and OLMS still looks like the best passing and fast breaking team in the league. The 8th grade is now 8-0 this season.

to Danial Ahmad a second year runner who improved his personal best time by over three minutes.

Nov 11 -- PTO meeting at WBHS @ 9:30 Nov 11 -- Parent Teacher Conferences 5:00 - 8:30 (sign up from 5:00 - 6:30, walk in from 6:30 - 8:30) Nov 12 -- District wide PCN meeting @ OLMS, 7:00 PM Nov 18 -- Parent University, 7:00 PM in the iCenter Nov 23 -- Counselor Coffee Talk @ Abbott, 7:00 PM Nov 25 - Nov 27 -- No school, Thanksgiving

Congratulations to all the girls! Foot bal l

Nov 30 -- Coed swim parent meeting in WBHS iCenter @ 5:30 pm

The football team has suffered through a tough season. After going undefeated a year

Dec 1 -- Coed swim at WBHS begins Upcoming Seasons 7th and 8th grade boys basketball tryouts are on Monday, November 9th, directly after school. All boys that are interested must have their physical completed in order to try out. No physical = no try out. Our coed swim season will begin on Tuesday, December 1st. All practices will occur at the WBHS pool. More information to come regarding swimming as the start date gets closer. As with basketball, all participants must have a physical before they can participate.