May/June 2014 UPCOMING EVENTS Williams Middle Magnet IB MYP The Cougar Chronicles 5020 N 47th Street, Tampa, FL 33610 (813) 744-8600 http://williams.mysdhc.org/ A Hillsborough County Public School Dear Williams Families~ This is our final newsletter of the 2013-2014 school year. As you can see from our calendar, we still have a lot of activities scheduled between now and the end of the school year. We are still in the process of having students take their End of Course Exams in Algebra and Geometry. Our students are working on their final FAIR Testing as well. In two weeks, we will be having our “Whisper Week”, which is when we settle down for a quiet week as our students prepare for their final exams. 6th and 7th graders will be receiving summer packets soon. I will announce when those will be coming home on another Monday Message. As we end another school year, I would like to end the way I started by thanking you for trusting us with your most precious possessions. There are a lot of choices out there and I am proud that you chose Williams Middle Magnet School! Thank You~ Mrs. Castelli Community and Service Banquet The third annual Williams Community and Service Banquet was held on May 8th. Over 150 people attended the event that is held to honor students who meet the community and service hours requirement at Williams (6th grade = 5 hours, 7th grade = 7 hours, and 8th grade = 9 hours). Following a dinner (provided by parents - thank you, parents - it was delicious!), several students spoke about their Community and Service experiences. Students were then presented with certificates for their service. The eighty 6th-grade students who turned in Community and Service forms volunteered for a total of 851 hours, twenty-nine 7th-grade students volunteered for a total of 701.5, and the fifteen 8th graders who submitted forms had a total of 573 hours. WOW! That’s a lot of volunteer hours. Thank you, Williams students, for your time and commitment to helping others! You are AWESOME! If students are planning to do any community and service over the summer, they can pick up a new form from their social studies teacher, one of the counselors, or Mrs. Hoehn-Parish. Remember, all community and service activities require a signature from the person who supervises or oversees the activity. Also, students need to complete a performance rating and reflection for each activity - all included on the Community and Service form. MAY/JUNE Important Dates May 13-14 - Algebra End of Course Exams May 14 - Progress Reports go home May 15 - Orchestra Spring Concert May 16 - PTSA General Assembly - 7:40 in the Media Center May 20 - Geometry End of Course Exam 8th Grade Spring Music Concert May 21 - 6th Grade Awards Ceremony 6th/7th Grade Band Concert May 22 - 7th Grade Awards Ceremony 8th Grade Awards Ceremony May 23 - 7th Grade Busch Gardens Field Trip 8th Grade Banquet Battle of the Books May 26 - NO SCHOOL - Memorial Day May 27 - World Language Exams May 28 - Math League May 29 - World Language Exams Yearbook Distribution Locker Clean-out May 30 - School Fundraiser Incentive June 3 - EXAMS - Periods 1 and 2 June 4 - EXAMS - Periods 3 and 4 June 5 - EXAMS - Periods 5 and 6 June 6 - EXAM - Period 7 6th Grade End-of-Year Celebration Last day of school - early release Williams Middle Magnet IB MYP Page 2 6th Grade Awards Ceremony The final 6th-grade awards ceremony for this school year will be held on May 21 at 8:00 am in the Multipurpose Room. New Student Welcome The New Student Welcome (for students who will be coming to Williams for the 2014-15 school year) was held on May 3, 2014. Hundreds of people attended the event despite the dreary weather that morning. Parents new to Williams learned about the school and 6th grade from Ms. Tannasoli and Mr. TerHorst. Incoming students had the opportunity to participate in several activities designed to help acclimate them to 6th grade - Uniform Races, Lockers 101, Scavenger Hunt (with a stop in the “French café” for a croissant and mini-lesson from Madame Bahadi), and Open Gym. Thank you Williams teachers and NJHS students for volunteering to help out and make the event an informative and fun day for our new Williams’ families! A big shout out to Mr. Halczyn and the orchestra students who played for parents before the presentation began. Orchestra Accomplishments Six more Williams students have earned the distinction of becoming Master Musicians. The master musician program is for those self-motivated highest-achievers in music in Hillsborough County. To become Master Musicians, students must pass the Master Musician Test with a score of 85% or higher, submit a resume and documentation that details the music activities of which they have been a part, several recordings, and two additional submissions from a prescribed list of options (including original composition, student conducting, ensemble performance, concert critique, solo/ensemble performance for community event or charitable organization, etc.). Congratulations to Arnav Singh (violin - 6th grade), Lauren Colaco (cello - 8th grade), Prerana Panchumarti (piano - 8th grade), Isabella Herrada (cello - 7th grade), William Li (cello -6th grade), and Karishma Chapalamadugu (vioin - 6th grade) for becoming Master Musicians! What an AMAZING accomplishment! Grade 7 French Students Madame Bahadi's Beginning French classes are adopting escargots and building houses for their new little ones. Houses will be on display in the library during the last week of May. Come visit our little ones! Box Tops State Level Science Fair Sricharan Pusala won 2nd Place at the State Science & Engineering Fair of Florida in the area of Junior Behavioral and Social Sciences. This makes him eligible to complete in the National Science Fair in Washington DC. Huzefa Johar won 4th place at the same event. CONGRATULATIONS SRICHARAN AND HUZEFA ON YOUR REMARKABLE ACCOMPLISMENTS! Please clip and send Box Tops to your child's homeroom teacher. Thank you for your support! Williams Middle Magnet IB MYP Page 3 Cougar Call-Outs As a result of being one of the top 5 teams in their age group in Florida, the Tampa Bay United Premier Under 13 soccer team, which includes Williams 7th grader, Ajmeer Spengler, was selected to play in the highly prestigious international soccer tournament- Dr. Pepper Dallas Cup in April against numerous professional American and international teams. Former players who played in this tournament include David Beckham, Clint Dempsey and Landon Donovan. After an impressive showing, they were eliminated in the semi-final, giving up only one goal to their opponents the entire tournament. Ajmeer is a captain and attacking midfielder for his team and is also on the state team for the Olympic Development Program. Former Students Two former Williams’ RoboCougars went with their current Robotics teams to the FTC World Championship this past week. They were up against teams from all around the world such as New Zealand and Australia. Kyle Coker's team placed 3rd and Meghana Chapalamadugu's team placed 4th in the World! Yes, you read it correctly, in the WORLD! They are amazing students as their accomplishments show! Also, former RoboCougars, Cash Davis and Samantha Rockwell, started an FTC team at King High School. They worked hard to find a teacher that would take on this great responsibility and commitment. They raised over $10,000 to get their team up and running. These two are true leaders. Finally, former RoboCougars, Kyle Johnson and Maria Kuge, are in the process of starting their own FTC team at Robinson High School. Another great example of former Williams’ students taking risks and seeking opportunities that set them apart. If you are interested in finding out more about the FTC, visit www.usfirst.org History Fair: Congratulations to State Level History Fair participants Hannah Disken, Cameron Cornett, Aryan Patidar and Sakina Johar. Aryan Patidar and Sakina Johar will move on to The National History Day Competition held at the University of Maryland. They finished 2nd in the Exhibits category for Florida and won Hillsborough County's best overall award. AWESOME JOB, STUDENTS! Worlds of Wisdom (WOW) Tournament 2014 Williams will be competing in the Worlds of Wisdom (WOW) Middle School Social Studies Academic Tournament Wednesday, May 14, at the HCC Dale Mabry Campus. This will be our inaugural tournament, but we have strong students who have been studying and preparing. Our competitors include Team Captain Jenna Callison (2014 Williams Geo Bee Winner), Shreya Nidadavolu (2013 Williams Geo Bee Winner), Dale VanVugt (2012 Williams Geo Bee Winner) and Kayla Wood (2014 History Fair Judge's Choice Award Citizenship). We will compete against 23 other schools from the district with questions on topics including World Geography, US History through the Reconstruction Era, Current Events, recent US and World History, "Americana" (landmarks, icons, etc.) Economics and Civics. We are very proud of the work these students have already done and look forward to seeing them shine in the district! Mrs. Denton, 2014 WOW Team Sponsor Williams Middle Magnet IB MYP The Cougar Chronicles Page 4  General Assembly Meeting: The final General Assembly Meeting of the year will take place on May 16 at 7:40 a.m. in the Media Center. We will be selecting and voting on the new PTSA Board officers for the 2014-2015 school year. Everyone is invited!!  Awards Ceremonies: Each grade level will conduct a separate award ceremony.  Volunteers Assist with a Busy Month: It’s been an exciting and busy month at Williams, and we couldn’t have done it without your support! New Student Welcome: This event on May 3 provided information to new families about our school as well as PTSA opportunities and membership. Thank you to all of the students, staff, and volunteers who came out to greet future Williams families! Honor Roll Celebration: Honor roll recipients for the 3rd 9 weeks got sweet treats and popsicles during lunch on May 5. Thank you for all the sweet donations! Teacher Appreciation Luncheon: The PTSA treated teachers to a luncheon featuring Indian cuisine on Wednesday, May 7. Thank you to everyone who donated desserts as well as gift cards for teacher raffles. The event was a great success!  Special Thanks from the PTSA President: I would like to express my gratitude to the many families and volunteers who have helped all through out the year by sending in donations or giving their time. Nothing would have been done without such wonderful people. Special thanks to Rocio, Renee, Rebecca, Robin, and Gladys for being at our meetings every month, planning and making sure all PTSA projects went ahead smoothly; to Julie, Toshina, Medicielo, Jennifer, and Pam for their great work with Newsletter, Hospitality, Holiday Shop, Reflections, and Family Nights; to our constant volunteers who have helped with everything, Padma and Snehal; and to Beatriz, Wendy, Jennifer, Chitra, Andrea, Tanya, Jeannine, Erin, Sigrid, Katie, and countless more who brought in kind donations to our events. Marina Navia, President, Williams PTSA We wish everyone a safe and happy summer! We look forward to another fabulous year in 2014-2015! Check our Facebook page for the most up-to-date information about upcoming events! www.facebook.com/williamsmiddleibptsa www.williamsmiddleptsa.org The PTSA will provide cake and lemonade. If you are coming please bring something to share: a dessert, drinks, cookies, etc. The 6th grade celebration will be May 21 at 8am; 7th grade on May 22 at 8am; and 8th grade May 22 at 12pm. Williams PTSA News PTSA May-June Newsletter School Board Carol W. Kurdell, Chair Susan L. Valdes, Vice Chair Doretha W. Edgecomb April Griffin Candy Olson Cindy Stuart Stacy R. White, Pharm.D. Superintendent of Schools MaryEllen Elia www.sdhc.k12.fl.us