Gardiner Regional Middle School
Assistant Principal/Athletic Director: Ben Wilson
Secretaries: Diane Lane & Brooks Randolph
Raging, Rampant, Reptiles At G.R.M.S.!!!
Creeping, and crawling........sliding and slithering......reptiles of all kinds came to the G.R.M.S. S.T.E.M. Lab for a hands-on, up close and personal visit to help put some “faces” to the reptiles we have been studying in Team Acadia and Team Chamberlain Science classes.
This past month we have been discussing the special characteristics of amphibians and reptiles. Students have learned the dramatic, evolutionary changes that have occurred over time, leading to new species able to breathe and live on land. These critters, by every definition, are mirror images of their prehistoric ancestors, the dinosaurs.
Science room 105 is home to a Common House Gecko named “Big Mac”, who has been the star of this unit. He has shown us the typical traits of reptiles including color, skin, defense mechanisms, and eating habits. However, we wanted to to give students an opportunity to make this unit “come alive” with even more reptilian variety. With that said, we invited Lauren Barker, from Samren Exotics, to come visit us with an array of her favorite friends. Some of the main characters for the day were large, brightly colored Crested Geckos, Gargoyle Geckos, a 10 pound Bearded Dragon, and a 6.5 foot Red Tailed Boa Constrictor named “Mr. Mustachio” due to his unmistakeable mustache markings on his upper jaw.
The highlights of our day were watching Mr. Mustachio shed his skin, as well as watching students’ reactions to the “leaping lizards” as they roamed from person to person.
It’s times like these that are most memorable to our kids....the times they are having so much fun, they almost forget they are learning.
Attached are several photos from the presentations!
Russ Anderson
Team Acadia Science
Letters About Literature Contest - Congratulations Natalie Shea
Eighth grade Team Bigelow student, Natalie Shea, has been selected as a semi-finalist for the 2013 Letters About Literature contest. This contest is sponsored by the Maine Humanities Council, which partners with the Library of Congress.
For the Letters About Literature contest, students in Maine and across the country were asked to write to an author-living or dead- explaining how that author’s work helped create a new understanding of self or the world.
Natalie is to be commended for being one of 48 semi-finalists chosen from more than 1000 entries from Maine.
Below is Natalie's work:
Dear Laurie Halse Anderson,
No matter how hard you could try, there is no way to be perfect. That’s because “perfect” is nonexistent. Everyone has an image of this so called “perfect” in their mind that they aim to be. Wintergirls opened up my eyes and showed me how hard some people try to be perfect.
Before I read Wintergirls, I thought eating disorders were just girls who didn’t eat because they wanted to be super skinny. Now I realize how wrong I was. They can take over your life, like it took over Lia’s and Cassie’s. I’m pretty sure that everyone has been upset with their body at one point; I know I have. People everywhere judge others for what they look like, whether they’re too big, too small, or whatever. Not everyone knows how much their words can hurt.
I’m not going to say that I’ve never judged anyone because that would be a lie. Why do we do it? To feel better about ourselves? To make others feel bad about themselves? I would guess that it’s different for everyone. Reading Wintergirls made me change. I’ve stopped looking at people for how they appear, but for what’s inside. I’ve gotten to know people who are incredibly nice and awesome. A couple years ago, I probably wouldn’t have even struck up a conversation with them.
State Report Card
Attached is information regarding the recent report cards issued for Maine schools from the Maine Department of Education.
Attachments include:
~ G.R.M.S. Report Card
~ Letter from Superintendent Pat Hopkins
~ Letter from Principal Todd Sanders
In comparison with other middle schools/junior highs in the state G.R.M.S. ranked 26 out of 104 schools. If community schools (Pre-K/K through grade eight are included G.R.M.S. ranked 64 out of 202.
The link below provides a complete breakdown of the individual scores of all elementary/middle schools.
We will continue to analyze all data available to improve instruction and provide the best possible education for our the students at G.R.M.S.
Please do not hesitate to contact me at the middle school if you have any questions about this information.
Thanks for your support,
Todd Sanders
Principal
New State of Maine School Grading System
Click on the file attached below to read the New State of Maine School Grading System Letter, written by Superintendent Hopkins.
"When Shakespeare and Seuss Collide"
"What happens when Dr. Seuss rewrites Shakespeare's well known plays and Thing One and Thing Two are the narrators????? A whimsical reinvention complete with rhymed couplets, creative wordplay, and Seussy characters. "
Reserved tickets will be sold at the following times and on the nights of the show in front of the Little Theatre at the GAHS
