Giving Tree 2011

The 2011 Giving Tree was an amazing success! A big thank you to everyone who brought gifts for the tree. Mrs. Ferron led a group of students and teachers to the New Garden Township Maintenance Building on December 15 where they delivered the gifts and worked hard all day, helping to sort food for local families. The Kennett Area Community Services/ Kennett Food Cupboard has invited over 625 local families to their annual Christmas Basket charity event. These families live in the Unionville-Chadds Ford, Kennett Square and Avon Grove School Districts. An extra-special BIG thank you to Mrs. Ferron on her efforts to make this year's event another tremendous success.

Patton Food Drive

The annual Student Council Food Drive was another great success! Congratulations to everyone on their generosity during the Food Drive. Check out the great photos -- we collected over 2600 cans!

Veterans Day 2011

Students and staff at Patton MS took part in Veterans Day assemblies in recognition of those who have served and continue to serve our country. The assemblies featured guest speakers Maj. Gen. Richard Rowe, Col. Bob Monteleone, Col. Craig LaFave, Lt. Col. Jeff Linskens and 1st Sgt. Kathy Walsh-Shell. The day also featured recognition of the many veterans amongst the Patton staff members and their families and you may see that impressive list right here, with musical accompaniment by the Patton Singing Club. This talented group of singers also traveled to the Kennett Senior Center to perform at their Veteran's Day Program.

Veterans Day Recognition 2011

Door Decorating 2011

What a great job everyone did this year with our first annual Door Decorating Contest!! Check out the photos from the event right here.

Nominate a Teacher!

The Citadel Heart of Learning Award recognizes excellence in the classroom by honoring those teachers who go above and beyond the call of duty to meet the needs of their students. Do you know a Patton teacher that you would like to nominate for this award? Visit the Citadel Bank website for more information.

PA Youth Survey

Dear Parents and Guardians: Every two years, Pennsylvania schools administer the Pennsylvania Youth Survey (PAYS) which gives school administrators insight into the issues facing our youth and how those issued can be better addressed. The survey is anonymous, voluntary and confidential. No individual data is reported; only aggregate data. This year, the 45 minute survey will be given to students in grades 6, 8, 10 and 12 during a single class period in October. If you choose not to have your son or daughter participate, please contact Jim Fulginiti, CFPMS Assistant Principal (610) 347-2000 x3810 or e-mail jfulginiti@ucfsd.org. Thank you. Information regarding PAYS can be found by visiting the PA State website.

Textbook List

Looking to purchase a course textbook for home use? Check out the 2011 textbook list!

Travel Abroad 2012

Well, here it is 7th and 8th graders! The Travel Abroad trip for this summer is......Italy, France AND Spain! If you are interested in hearing more about this fantastic chance to see Europe, contact Mrs. Ilgenfritz in room 124.

Athletic/Activities Fees for 2011-12

All students are now required to pay a NEW fee for the sports and activities in which they wish to participate. Click here to see a list of the new fees. Any questions or concerns please call Mr. Woodland, Athletic Director, at 610-347-2000 x3808 or Mr. Fulginiti, Assistant Principal at 610-347-200 x 3810.

Summer Reading

Is that summer reading complete? Check out the Downloads section of the website to view the summer reading lists for incoming grades 6, 7, 8 and 9.

2011 Patton Football

The 2011 Patton Middle School Football season is just around the corner. Any student who is planning on joining the middle school team needs to have several things completed in order to participate. All students must have an updated physical form (with a physical completed after the date of June 1, 2011), an updated emergency form (section 5 of the physical packet), $50 athletic fee check (made to Patton Middle School), and their football team policy form that was handed out at the football meeting held on May 24, 2011. The 8th grade will begin their season on Tuesday, August 23, with practice from 2:30-5:00.  The 7th grade will begin on Monday, August 29, following dismissal from school and lasting until 5pm.  All students participating are encouraged to bring both cleats and sneakers for the first few days of practice.  Please remember that you need to bring a water bottle with you to practice every day.

Attention Football Players!

In an effort to reduce the number of injuries that occur in football, we are addressing the issue of athletes returning to school and coming out for football unfit and out of shape.  We feel this is a significant contributor to the muscle and joint injuries we see here at the middle school.  We are incorporating a fitness test that is designed around the President's Council on Fitness, Sport and Nutrition test that we administer to all of our students each year.  A sample conditioning program is provided for football players to follow.  For a copy of the test and workout schedule sheet, please go to the CFPMS Athletics page at  cfpms.ucfsd.org/athletics. If you have any questions or concerns about the fitness program and test, please email our Athletic Trainer, Mrs. Kathy Walsh-Shell at kwalshshell@ucfsd.org

Attention 5th Grade Parents

Please click here to read the course descriptions and qualifying criteria for 6th grade mathematics placement for next year. This information is not yet updated in the current Parent Handbook (but will be for 2011-12)

Also, you should received a letter this week concerning the choice of either Core or Extended Core 6th grade English next year. You may download the course descriptions and selection form right here.

And if you missed the 5th Grade Parents Orientation Meeting on April 27, you may still view the PowerPoint presentation and read the handouts from this informative meeting.

Community Service Award

The 2011 Environmental Community Service Award was presented to the Charles F. Patton Middle School on April 15, 2011. The goal of the Environmental Community Service award is to raise awareness of environmental concerns and to recognize middle and high schools in the Delaware Valley for their efforts in environmental service projects that enhance and improve the quality of life in their communities. Family and Consumer Science teachers Betsy Ballard and Kimberly Hisler were told on April 8th that their application had been chosen from nearly 50 applicants to win the $5000.00 award. Read more...

Teacher for a Day

Patton Gives Back sponsored our third annual teacher for a day on Friday April 15th. Students bought raffle tickets for the chance to be their favorite teacher for the day. We had 45 participating teachers and 90 winners as we utilized a co-teacher format this year. We raised almost $800 for a local family facing a medical crisis. Thanks to everyone who supported this event and helped create a fun day for all. Check out the photos from the event right here!

Writing, Blogs and Wikis

While studying The Diary of Anne Frank, students in Mr. Kelley's 8th grade creative writing class are simultaneousy contributing their experiences to our class blog and to a class wiki which is a part of a middle school class in Hoover, Alabama.  Students from both schools are able to collaborate on both the blog and the wiki while sharing common learning experiences.  Our contact in Alabama is currently teaching at Simmons Middle School part time as a reading interventionist and is also an adjunct at UAB teaching Reading in the Content Area, Introduction to Teaching Secondary Schools:   Methods I, Materials and Methods of Teaching Middle School, and Speaking and Writing for Teachers.  Please log on to take a peek at our classroom blog as it continues to evolve daily: http://blogawriterwrites.blogspot.com.

Authors at Patton MS

Creative writing students in Mr. Kelley's continued with the "Authors Lecture Series" via Skype on March 8 as they chatted with Christina Gonzalez, author of The Red Umbrella.  Click here for more information, photos and some video excerpts from the discussions.

MathCounts Results

Please congratulate the following students who participated in the MathCounts competition on Saturday. Ivan Yen, Alex Liu, Travis Liu, Alice Liu, Mark Melvin, Shashwat Kishore, Jeff Phillips, Eric Jankowski and Riley Larson.  The team of Shashwat Kishore, Mark Melvin, Eric Jankowski and Jeff Phillips finished the day with a 4th place win.  Mark Melvin took 5th place overall and Shashwat Kishore took 1st place overall and won highest score award. Shashwat will continue on to the state competition this March.

If Your Child is Absent

Parents -- if your child is out sick and you need homework assignments, you must call the main office by 9AM. Please do not email your child's teachers and talk to one of the office staff members instead. Also, in order to reduce illness in our building, please do not bring ill children into school to pick up their work. Follow the above procedure through our office staff. Thanks!!

Science Research Competition

The results from the Delaware Valley Science Fair are in! Please congratulate the following students on their outstanding achievement: Sagar Maheshwari (6th grade) - 1st Place category, The Broad Com Masters Award, The Jack Nixon Award and $350.00. Shashwat Kishore (8th grade) - 3rd Place category, The Broad Com Masters Award and $50. Samir Streatfield (8th grade) - Honorable Mention category. Selena Belohoubek (8th grade) - The NOAA Award (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)

From the School Nurse

Pennsylvania School Health Law requires that a screening for scoliosis be performed on all children in grades 6 and 7.  Scoliosis screenings for 6th and 7th graders will take place in February. Please read the attached letter from Mrs. Palic, our school nurse, for more information.