White Oak Middle School Tech Club is participating in the Gingerbread Community STEM Challenge.  Schools and communities across the United States and the globe will soon be busy creating models of their community out of gingerbread.  At WOMS, our students are in the planning stages. Each group will create one building in our community. All students have the option of using Makey Makeys, Squishy Circuits, Ozobots, or LittleBits to add movement and color to their scene.  When we finish building, we will Skype with other schools to share our communities and learn from other students around the world. Want to join in the fun? Sign up at the following website!

2017 Gingerbread STEM Communities

White Oak Middle School is participating in National Novel Writing Month which occurs annually in November. By the end of the month, every student will have written the first draft of their novel.  Mrs. Cooper and Mrs. Kelley introduced the sixth grade to NaNoWriMo by dressing as their favorite characters in Charlotte’s Web.

The planning began weeks ago as Mrs. Cooper (librarian), Mrs. Kelley (6th Writing Teacher), Mrs. Walker (7th Writing Teacher), and Mrs. Velde (8th Writing Teacher) met to develop the curriculum and scope of the project.  Using the NaNoWriMo for Young Writers resources, the teachers were able to help the students set appropriate word count goals, help students plan the elements of their novels, and provide pep talks and support along the way.  NaNoWriMo has an exceptional curriculum for grades K-12.  The NaNoWriMo Young Novelist Workbook can be downloaded as a pdf for free. Students use the workbook to develop their characters, setting, and plot before beginning to write their novel. The writing teachers chose to provide every student with their own writer’s notebook. The students are diligently planning and writing their novels as we speak. 

To kick off NaNoWriMo for the entire school, Alexander London skyped in with our students. Mr. London had wonderful advice about providing plot twists and developing dynamic characters. Mr. London also stated, “The most important aspect is to write every day-even if what you write isn’t any good! Keep writing!”

The students at WOMS are busy letting their creativity flow…

Stay tuned to see their finished novels!

White Oak Middle School recognized as a
Common Sense Certified School: Digital Citizenship

Common Sense, the national nonprofit organization dedicated to helping kids and families thrive in a world of digital media and technology, has recognized White Oak Middle School as a Common Sense School.

White Oak Middle School has demonstrated its commitment to taking a whole-community approach to preparing its students to use the immense power of digital media to explore, create, connect, and learn while limiting the perils that exist in the online realm, such as plagiarism, loss of privacy, and cyberbullying. The recognition acknowledges our school’s commitment creating a culture of digital learning and citizenship.

“We applaud the faculty and staff of White Oak Middle School for embracing digital citizenship as an important part of their students’ education,” said Liz Kline, VP, Education Programs, Common Sense Education. “White Oak Middle School deserves high praise for giving its students the foundational skills they need to compete and succeed in the 21st-century workplace and participate ethically in society at large.”

White Oak Middle School has been using Common Sense Education’s innovative and research-based digital citizenship resources, which were created in collaboration with Dr. Howard Gardner of the GoodPlay Project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. The resources teach students, educators, and parents tangible skills related to Internet safety, protecting online reputations and personal privacy, managing online relationships, and respecting creative copyright. The free resources are currently used in more than 100,000 classrooms nationwide.

“We’re honored to be recognized as a Common Sense School,” said Becky Balboa. “By preparing our students to use technology safely and responsibly, we are providing them unlimited opportunities to maximize and personalize their learning.”

For more information about White Oak Middle School, go to woms.wonecks.net. To learn more about the criteria White Oak Middle School met to become recognized as a Common Sense School, visit https://www.commonsense.org/education/recognition-schools.

About Common Sense Education
Common Sense Education provides teachers and schools with free research-based classroom tools to help students harness technology for learning and life. Our K–12 Digital Citizenship Curriculum and interactive games teach students how to make safe, smart, and ethical decisions in the digital world. Our educational ratings and reviews platform helps educators discover, use, and share high-quality digital products that propel student learning. Common Sense Education works with more than 340,000 teacher members in over 110,000 schools to help ensure all children have the opportunity to thrive in the 21st century.

Common Sense is the nation’s leading nonprofit organization dedicated to helping families and educators thrive in a world of media and technology. To see all of Common Sense’s education resources, visit https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators.

For inquiries related to Common Sense:
Corbie Kiernan
[email protected]
415-582-6656

Can You Make It Out Alive???

Teacher Lunch and Learn was filled with spooktacular digital breakout resources. Every group was successful in mastering the Boo Breakout.  Created by Peggy Reimers, Director of Professional Learning at TCEA, the Boo Breakout is an interactive lesson whereby students use clues to crack multiple locks in a set amount of time. Ready to create your own? Check out the resources below to get started!

Attention Students:
Our beloved scarecrow, Joe, who has been camping out with a good book in the library is missing. We need your help to find Joe. Please watch the video below, and come to the library to study the crime scene. Only you can help us find him.

Today, the WOMS Lunch and Learn featured hyperdocs. Not sure what a hyperdoc is or why you should use it? Check out the presentation below.

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As coral reefs die at an alarming rate, scientists are looking at innovative new ways to help stop this crisis. The problem stems from rising ocean temperatures. As the temperatures increase, the coral dies releasing algae and smaller organisms.  For years scientists have used artificial reefs, which are underwater man-made structures such as sunken boats, rubble, and oil rigs to stimulate coral growth.  Recently, scientists are experimenting with 3D printed reefs (or fake reefs) that mimic the texture and structure of natural reefs.  The hope is that fake reefs will be less vulnerable to climate change and ocean chemistry.

Experimental installations of these 3D-printed reefs are now going on in the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, the Persian Gulf, and Australia. If they succeed in the coming years in luring not only fish but also baby coral polyps, which attach themselves to structures and multiply, they can grow into new reefs and reestablish some of the most important habitats on Earth. –Parker, Laura

"3D-Printed Reefs Offer Hope in Coral Bleaching Crisis." 3D-Printed Reefs Offer Hope in Coral Bleaching Crisis. National Geographic, 31 Mar. 2017. Web. 18 Sept. 2017.

The Roughneck Tech Club is excited to design a variety of coral specimens and construct their own artificial reef using Instructables and Tinkercad.  

As students research types of coral, they will choose a design type with linear symmetry, radial symmetry, or fractal to focus on. In the next few weeks, students will have a showcase to share their creations with the public.

The Roughneck Book Club received their autographed copies of Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library by Chris Grabenstein today.  The students are looking forward to reading all about the shenanigans of the Keeley boys.

Chris Grabenstein and Nickelodian announced a movie, based on the book, Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library, will premiere on October 9th.

Our book club cannot wait to finish reading the book in time to watch the premiere in October. Curious about the author Chris Grabenstein? So, were we! Check out the video below as Mr. Grabenstein answers ten questions about himself.

After finishing Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library, the Roughneck Book Club plans to read the sequel, Mr.Lemoncello’s Library Olympics.  Mr. Grabenstein recently announced the third book in the series, Mr. Lemoncello’s Great Library Race, will be released on October 10th. Happy reading Roughnecks!

Thank you to everyone who attended our first lunch and learn today. 

We truly appreciate you!