Giving Tree Success!

The week before winter break, students from Patton Middle School participated in a day of "Giving". They began the process by packing the huge collection of donations from the school's "Giving Tree" into a district box truck. Students and their teachers then took a school bus to the township building in New Garden, where they unloaded the gifts and sorted them into categories  Additionally the kids helped to unload hundreds of pounds of flour and fresh carrots in preparation for the Christmas Basket Event hosted by the Kennett Community Services. You can check out the photos from the big delivery day right here and you can also read the very nice thank-you letter we received from the Kennett Area Community Service. Thank you to all the Patton Middle School Families and Staff members who supported the "Giving Tree". Your generosity helped to make the 2014 holiday season happier for over 600 local families. Follow this link to read the article about the Basket Event in the Kennett Paper.

Giving Tree Delivery

Patton students and staff did an outstanding job again this year supporting our annual Giving Tree Project. On December 17, students delivered the huge number of donated gifts to the New Garden Township Maintenance Building. This weekend, over 625 local families have been invited to participate in the Kennett Area Community Service’s annual “Christmas Basket” charity event. In addition to the tremendous gift contribution from the Giving Tree, we also donated cans collected by the Patton Student Council in November and refurbished bikes from “Make a Difference Day” to the Christmas Basket project. Thank you to Mrs. Ferron and Mrs. Schultz for organizing this project! Check out the photos from the day right here.

Letters to Veterans

The Patton 8th grade H and J teams wrote thank you notes to veterans to recognize their service to our country. The thank you notes were sent and distributed to local veterans at the VA Hospital in Coatesville​. Also, letters from Ms. Ballard's and Ms. Hisler's Advisory groups were featured in a special ceremony at Riddle Village, the retirement home where Ms. Ballard's mother lives. During the event vets shared war stories and were deeply touched when presented with the letters. They felt that the letters were so touching and important that a special folder has been created and will have a place of honor in their library, so all of the residents can go to read them. It really meant a lot to the group.

Winter Concert 2014

Congratulations to all of our music students on an outstanding performance in the Winter Choral & Orchestra Concert on December 10 at the Unionville High School auditorium. A big thanks to Mrs. Leahy, Mrs. Stratton and Miss Bond for their hard work and leadership in organizing another wonderful music event! And don't forget the Winter Band Concert on January 14 at 7:30 PM in the UHS auditorium! Check out the photos from the Choral and Orchestra Concert as well as the video of "We Are The World" performed by the combined chorus and orchestra!

MLK Day of Service

For the Martin Luther King Day of Service, Patton Middle School is providing an opportunity for our students to make part of their day off, a day on Monday 19 January 2015. This year our students will be working outside in assisting clean up at Anson B. Nixon Park in Kennett Square. The general information for the day is to meet at the Patton Middle School at 8:30am with work gloves in hand, district transportation to ABN Park, on site for clean-up efforts, and arrive back at Patton at 12 pm. If your son / daughter desires to serve, please have them complete this brief electronic registration by Thursday 15 January 2015. Thank you very much for your consideration of this service opportunity in support of others. If you have any questions, please contact Jim Fulginiti, Patton Middle School Assistant Principal, at 610-347-2000 x3810.

Academic Quiz Tournament

Three teams from Patton Middle School competed in the National Academic Quiz Tournament this past Saturday at Great Valley High School. They spent the day answering rounds of very difficult questions and competed against 21 teams, many who have played at the national level. All the teams did very well, but special recognition is given to our 7th grade team of Catherine Odom, Hunter Courtney, Andrew Ge, Hayley Grossbauer, and Evan Wang who advanced to the semi-finals and came away with 5th place honors. Congratulations also go out to Catherine Odom who placed in the top 5 of students with individual top scorers. Congratulations to all of our teams!

Theatre Production at Patton

Chamber Theatre Productions visited Patton Middle School on December 8 and treated our 7th and 8th graders to a five-part performance of classics! The visiting troupe performed ENCORE!! featuring works from Edgar Allan Poe, Washington Irving, W.W. Jacobs, Guy de Maupassant and Mark Twain. A BIG thank you Mrs. Brunschwyler, Mrs. Spancake and all the Patton teachers and staff as well as our generous sponsors -- The Patton Student Council ($500) the UCFEF ($1000) and the Patton PTO ($4,900) -- for making this all possible! Visit the Chamber Theatre Productions website for more information on this outstanding performance.

Hour of Code!

Did you know that this week is Computer Science Education Week? Every student should have the opportunity to learn computer science. It helps nurture problem-solving skills, logic and creativity. In celebration of this week, we encourage all Patton Students to take the Hour of Code challenge, to try an hour of code this week! You can do the Hour of Code anytime during this week. (And if you can't do it during this week, do it the week before or after). Visit code.org/learn or www.tynker.com/hour-of-code/ to find out more or stop by the computer labs and see Mr. Walsh or Mr. Marshall.

Patton at the Mendenhall Inn

On December 5, Patton's Vocal Ensemble, Men's Ensemble, 7th/8th Orchestra and Select Band traveled to the Mendenhall Inn for their annual KASC holiday performance! These students from our outstanding music department, under the direction of Ms. Bond, Ms. Leahy, Mr. O'Rourke and Mrs. Stratton, performed beautifully for an appreciative audience! Check out the photos and videos from the morning right here.

Reading Olympics Meeting

There will be an introductory meeting for all students interested in competing in Reading Olympics on Thursday,  December 11 after school in room 111.  The meeting will take less than half an hour. We will be choosing books to read over the winter break. If you cannot attend the meeting but are interested in joining the Reading Olympics team, please see Mrs. Steinen in room 111.  This school year’s Reading Olympics competition will be held on Thursday, March 26 in the evening at West Chester East High School.

Patton Food Drive

A huge thank you to all students, families and staff for your tremendous support of the annual food drive. Our grand total of 2,132 donated food items will greatly add to our local Kennett Food Bank's reserves and help many community members in need of a little extra support this winter. Congratulations to our Top Grade Level Advisories with the most donations: 8th Grade - Ballard, 7th Grade  - Zielinski and 6th Grade - Baumgardner. The Boy Scouts will pick up the donations in the Patton lobby this Friday afternoon at 2:30 pm. Thank you!!

The Giving Tree!

Patton's 13th Annual Holiday Giving Tree 2014 runs from December 1st through December 17th. “Tis better to Give than to receive” is our school theme for the season -- always help those less fortunate we need no other reason! Please support Patton’s annual December Community Service Project by donating new, unused, unwrapped gifts for people of all ages. All contributions from Patton Middle School are donated to The Kennett Area Community Service, that provides temporary assistance for families in the Kennett, Unionville-Chadds Ford, and Avon Grove school districts who need food, clothing, lodging, heat or rent. Click here for an informational flyer.

After-School Running Club

Do you like to run? The after-school running club is for boys and girls, grades 6-8 who are interested in running for fun or for competition. Our focus will be fun, and we hope that by the end of the season, the kids will develop a love for running. We will meet in the Patton auxiliary gym to stretch, and then we will run outside.  Please send your kids with hats, gloves, long running  pants and sweatshirts when it is cold.  We will run outside in any weather! The club will meet Tuesday and Thursdays, from 2:30-4:30, beginning December 2. Our plans are to run until Spring Break.  We will be on the lookout for a 5k for the kids to participate in towards the end of the program. Click here for more information and a registration form!

Patton Science Club

Join the Patton Middle School Agilent Science Club, run by Unionville High School teachers and students. They are looking for approximately 20 middle school students who are interested in joining them for two more sessions, with a possible three more later in the school year. Presently, seven middle school students enjoyed the first session held earlier in November. There is no cost/fee for this program.

If you are a student who is interested in Science and building things, this may be a good fit for you. The next two dates planned/scheduled are Tuesday 9 December and Wednesday 28 January. Possible Spring dates are under consideration. The 9 December topic is the difference in force and pressure. Students will build “Deep Sea Divers”. Discussion will center around atmospheric pressure and the pressure deep sea divers experience which limits exploration to the deepest ocean depths

The logistics include a group escort and start time at the high school of 2:45 and end time of 4:15. Students can then either be picked up or take the 5:00pm  Activity bus home from the middle school (contact transportation for signing up for the bus).

Patton students can sign up in the middle school main office by providing a parent note with permission for your son/daughter to attend. Time is short, so jump on this opportunity! If you have additional questions, please contact high school science teacher Mrs. Kari Oakes - koakes@ucfsd.net

Unite for HER Totals

Cameron Cavuto and Unite for HER would like to thank Patton Middle School for their recent support of their breast cancer awareness program. Our numbers were tremendous! Through tshirt sales as well as bake sale items and other Pink Game efforts, Patton Middle School raised $2,846.00! It was wonderful to bring our Student Unite for HER program to Patton this fall for the first time. The community opened their arms and embraced the program wholeheartedly; for that, we thank you! Read the entire thank you letter from Cameron Cavuto and Unite for HER right here.

Box Tops Update

Only six weeks left until winter break and the deadline to submit any Box Tops with the December 31, 2014 expiration date! Here are the Box Tops collection leaders in each grade.In 8th grade, Mr. Kelley's advisory is the only one in triple digits, with 328 Box Tops. Fewer than 200 Box Tops separate the top three advisories in 7th grade. And that's not a lot of Box Tops! Mrs. Zielinski has 300, Mrs. French 323, and Mr. O'Rourke is in the top spot with 490. Four different 6th grade advisories have traded the top spot since the last collection. Mr. Grawe's class is in 4th place with 244, Mrs. Ilgenfritz in 3rd with 273, Mrs. Armstrong in 2nd with 317 and Mrs. Stem leading the way with 368!

Canned Food Drive!

Patton Middle School's annual canned food drive has begun! Boxes will be placed in every Advisory by Wednesday afternoon and we are looking for our best turnout ever! Please remember that there are many in our community who may not have a holiday meal without our generous contributions. Please bring in donations from now until November 26. The Advisory from each grade which contributes the most cans will be awarded a $50.00 donation from the Student Council.

Student-Led Conferences

On November 24th and 25th, we will be holding our annual Student Led Conferences at Charles F. Patton Middle School.  An informational letter was sent home via School Messenger last week. The purpose of this letter is to inform you of some important information regarding the Student-Led Conferences this year. You may view the letter and complete information about SLC Days right here.

Vocal Ensemble at the KSC

Patton Vocal Ensemble made their annual visit to the Kennett Senior Center for Veterans Day celebrations. The students, under the direction of Mrs. Leahy and Mrs. Stratton, performed the National Anthem and entertained the attendees with a number of beautiful, patriotic songs. Patton Proud of our kids today!! Check out the photos from Friday's event as well as a video from our YouTube channel!

Science Competition

Patton Middle School will be holding its annual Science Research Competition on Tuesday, January 27, 2015.  All students in 6th, 7th and 8th grade are encouraged to submit a Tri-Fold poster to showcase their experiment. Students will need to complete forms that can be found on either the AT Website or from your Science Teacher’s website. Any questions please contact Mrs. Knauer or Mrs. Schuster in room 218 or click here for more information.

Halloween Fun!

There was lots of Halloween fun at Patton Middle School today! Students and staff dressed in costumes and gave the school a real Halloween feel! The staff dressed in "decades" -- 6th grade as the 60s, 7th grade as the 70s and 8th grade as the 80s. There was lots of hippies, tie-dyed shirts, big hair and leg warmers -- and some say they even spotted Elliott riding the hallways with E.T. in his bike basket! Check out the photos from the fun-filled day!

Patton Project Celebration

A very special ribbon cutting event took place on Friday, October 24 as students, staff and local dignitaries were on hand to shine a light on the new solar array next to the gardens in front of the middle school, as well as the entire Patton Project which provides fresh produce to the FCS labs, as well as the Chester County Food Bank and homeless shelters. The Project is the brainchild of FCS Teachers Betsy Ballard and Kim Hisler and Patton could not be more proud of the vision and leadership they've provided. Local Tri-M and its vendors graciously donated both the materials and installation of the solar array, which will power the greenhouse with any of the excess energy going to the school. A "dashboard", linked into the front television monitor, will provide students with a visual as to how the solar energy is helping to provide the energy needed to run the greenhouse and make it more self sustainable. The solar array adds to the garden project at Patton Middle School and has taken several years to become a reality. The ribbon cutting was a thank you to all who have helped make this a reality and you can check out some photos from the event here.

Patton at the Fair!

Patton Middle School students and staff made a great showing at this year's Community Fait! Many students proudly entered their work and many came home with ribbons. Both the Patton Kinder Chair Project and the Patton Pride Totem Poles took first place and Best of Show awards and the Patton Garden project won five ribbons for their vegetable entries! Patton teachers Mrs. Steinen and Mr. Kelley took home multiple ribbons and 6th grader Lauren Chamberlain took home the prestigious Youth Award. Check out some photos of our winners and their entries!

Patton Pep Rally!

We held our first Pep Rally of the year on Friday, celebrating our fall sports teams! Our newly-elected Student Council officers hosted the event complete with the Vocal Ensemble singing the National Anthem, an opening cheer from the Cheerleaders, Mr. Little introducing all of our outstanding teams and Mr. Hoffman & Mr. Fulginiti leading the student body in a Purple-Gold cheer! Go Hawks! Check out the photos from the event right here!

Parent Visitation Day

Patton Middle School Parent Visitation Day -- “A Day in the Life of a Middle Schooler” -- is this Wednesday, October 22, 2014! You are invited to come and spend the day visiting your child's classes. Visitation times are from 7:35 AM until 1:42 PM. There is a parent lunch package that we offer for $5.00 and tickets are sold in the morning during registration. Also, if you are interested in purchasing any new books, visit the Book Fair in the Library! You may download the letter that went home with students this week by clicking here. See you Wednesday!

H-Team Adopts A Class!

H-Team is showing it's Patton Pride as students and families collected a a TON of donations for it's adopted 1st grade class at Bethune Elementary in Philadelphia! The team collected pens, pencils, markers, eraser, glue sticks, lined paper and more. Thank you to all who contributed. You made a difference! Check it out right here!

Flower Planting!

Thank you to the members of 8th grade football team who helped with the flower planting on the Rt. 82 side of the school! Thanks to Mrs. Goad, Mrs. Schultz, Mrs. Bunting, Mr. Thomas and Mrs. Ferron in making this project possible! Check out the photos of the team busy at work!

For Parents and Guardians

Please note that our Board of School Directors continues to be committed to providing students and staff with schools that are free of drugs, alcohol and weapons. This past Monday 18 August 2014, the UCFSD school board approved the use of Interquest Detection Canines for the 2014-2015 school year. This is the fifth year of using this contract service in our efforts to deter illegal activity on our middle school and high school campus. During the school year random visits will occur in our two secondary schools and student parking lot. Thank you for your continued efforts in parenting as we work together to provide a safe setting for teaching and learning.

Musical Interest Meeting

If you are interested in being part of this year's school musical, come to the interest meeting this Monday, September 29 in the Auditorium during Hawk Time. Last year's production of the Wizard of Oz was outstanding and you will want to be part of this year's production. THEATER IS FOR EVERYONE! See you Monday!

Hawk Day at The Fair!

Patton Middle School will be at the Unionville Community Fair this year! Patton Pride will be hosting "Hawk Day" at the fair this Saturday. Staff members will be creating the Hawk's Nest, a place for kids to hang out with friends and family. We'll have music, spirit wear for sale, and be entering students in our "Community Fair Raffle" where Patton students who visit the Nest will be entered in a raffle back at school the following week. If they wear school colors they get another ticket, if they enter in the fair they get a ticket for each entry! Meet your teachers and friends at the Unionville Community Fair on Saturday October 4th! Check out the Fair Catalogue to see what you can enter to take home a blue ribbon, go online to www.ucfairinc.org. See you at the Fair!

Curriculum Night

Patton Middle School's Curriculum Night is Thursday, September 11 from 6:30pm - 8:45pm. We look forward to the opportunity to have you learn more about our school, meet our outstanding teachers and staff, and discover the rigorous curriculum we are proud to offer here! The evening will start promptly at 6:30pm with a brief introduction to Patton Middle School by Tim Hoffman, CFPMS Principal. After the introduction in the auditorium, parents will move to their team meetings and classroom visits, following their child's F-Day schedule. Hope to see you there!

Patton Night at UHS Soccer

Hey Patton students! Please come out to cheer on the UHS men's Soccer team next Tuesday, 9/9 where they will compete against West Chester Henderson HS at the Unionville high school stadium. Varsity starts @ 7pm, JV starts @ 5:30 pm. All Patton students will be admitted free to this game, just let the ticket booth know that you are a Patton student. Hope to see you there!

BVA Teacher of the Year!

The Brandywine Valley Association loves teachers, especially those who teach science and environmental concepts in an engaging way! Do you know such a teacher?  We want to honor him/her with $500.00 and a FREE environmental education program for his/her class!  Parents, teachers, students and administrators are welcome to submit nominations! The selected teacher will be publicly recognized in the community at the BVA’s Annual Meeting on Wednesday, October 22, 2014 at the Mendenhall Inn. Click here to download a nomination form today!

Ice Bucket Challenge

We had a GREAT first week of school at Patton! And the entire student body and staff got to see Mr Hoffman and Mr. Fulginiti accept the Ice Bucket Challenge in support of those affected by ALS. And stay tuned for more challenges from more staff members! Watch Mr. Hoffman and Mr. Fulginiti accept the challenge right here.

Sign up for Safe Sitter!

Safe Sitter® classes will be held at Patton Middle School on Tuesdays from 2:30 PM—3:30 PM beginning September 16. Safe Sitter® is a program that teaches young teens (11-14) everything they need to know to be safe when they’re home alone, watching younger siblings, or babysitting. Students will learn life-saving skills such as how to rescue someone who’s choking, and helpful information like what to do if there’s severe weather. The lessons are filled with fun activities and role-playing exercises. The Class fee is $180. To register, visit www.BrandywineEnrichment.com or contact Marissa LePage at Marissa@CPRteacher.org for more information.

School Activities Bus Service

We are pleased to announce the start of an after school activities bus service starting with this school year. We received a lot of interest from our parents last year about an activities bus and the service is designed, based on surveys and other community input, to meet the needs of our students and families. Click here for all the details!

Patton Turns Over a New Leaf!

Since the opening of the "Unionville Middle School" in 1973 it has been a tradition for the ladies at Patton to maintain and plant the garden that welcomes visitors to our school. Our Ladies have always taken pride in this special piece of soil wedged between the parking lot and the driveway closest to the school. With the retirement of Mrs. Waibel and Mrs. Cleveland a new generation of ladies will take on the responsibility taking care of the garden that welcomes visitors to the "Home of the Hawks". August 5th a several ladies answered the call to volunteer a few hours to work in the garden. We had a wonderful time weeding, planting and chatting. the end results are awesome! Mrs. Waibel and Mrs. Cleveland can now rest assured that the garden they have tended during their career will continue to thrive for years to come. Special thanks to Mrs. Anita Quinn, Mrs. Ilgenfritz, Mrs. Ferron, Mrs. Spisak and her kids Sam and Molly. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you to Mrs. Waibel and Mrs. Cleveland for all you do! Patton Middle School will truly miss you!

Taking Algebra This Year?

If you are taking Honors Algebra 1 at the middle school or taking Traditional Algebra 1 at the high school, you need to complete the summer packet that is available on the Patton Webpage under Downloads.  Please note that the packets have the problems and also the answers with work shown. The packet should be completed before the first day of school and should include any extra papers that show the work that was done to complete the problems.  If you have any questions, please email sremphrey@ucfsd.net.

Remembering Mr. Patton

With Mr Patton's passing and the memorial service on August 23, we would like to honor him in a collection of memories and little tribute pieces written by current and former staff members and students. These memories are entitled "Remembering Mr. Patton"

PIAA Sportsmanship Award

Mr. Little, Patton's athletic director, gladly accepted the PIAA sportsmanship banner in June, on behalf of Charles F. Patton Middle School's student-athletes. The banner will be raised in the gym and symbolizes the sportsmanship that Patton students were recognized for during the 2012-13 school year. It is the fourth time our school has been awarded with this honor.

Ceiling Tile Artwork!

As our cafeterias undergo a lighting and ceiling tile makeover, you may be wondering -- what happened to those beautiful ceiling tiles, painted by Patton students over the years? Well, they've been moved - most appropriately - to the hallway outside the Patton art rooms! Thanks to our fantastic Patton custodial staff for making the time and effort to install these historic pieces of student art in their new home!

Beautification Sculpture

In the Patton front lobby there is a new Patton Beautification Sculpture. It was created by the Art club sponsored by Mrs Ferron and Mr. Convery and is based on the art of glassblower Dale Chahuly. Our's is made of recycled water bottles and chicken wire. Painting in white, purple and gold of the lobby will occur over the summer and we hope to complete two more Chahuly sculptures next year.

"Wonder" Has Arrived!

The Wonder books have arrived! Your book may now be picked up in the main office.

LipSync and Pies!!

The last FUN FRIDAY of the year on HawkTV showcased two FUN THURSDAY events! Students from Mr. Lewis' prime time earned the right to throw pies at their E-Team teachers for raising the most money for the Relay for Life's Team Patton Power. The 8th grade was treated to Lip Sync performances from both H and J teams for raising more than $300 for Relay for Life. You can check out the LipSync performances here and watch the Pennies for Pie throw right here!

Kinderchairs!

Thanks to all the students who took part in the Kinderchair project, led by Mrs. Ferron and Mr Palo. Students from Art classes as well as Technology Education classes joined forces to design and build wonderful, animal-themed chairs for our kindergarten classrooms, delivering them to the appreciative students during the last weeks of school. Don't know about the Kinderchair project? Here it is, from start to finish!

Relay for Life

A big shout out to the ENTIRE Patton community for their support of Relay for Life! Between Teacher For A Day, Pennies for Pie, the Lip Sync Contest and team member donations, Patton Power raised over $4,000 for the American Cancer Society! And congrats to Patton Power teachers, Mrs Spisak, Mrs. Brunschwyler, Mrs Brogan, Mrs Kropp, Mrs Remphrey, Mrs McHutchison, Mrs. Replogle, Mrs Leahy, Mrs Nanis, Mr Walsh and Mr Kelley as well as supportive walkers Mrs. Lear, Mrs. McMahon, Mr. Hoffman and Mrs Ferron and student team members Noelle Lambert, Jake McCloskey, Rebecca Harten and Amelie Assmus-Schubert.

Spirit Week - RESULTS

The results from SPIRIT WEEK 2014 are in! Thanks to everyone for make it a huge success. The Prime Time winners were Miss Hershey (6) with 90.62% participation, Mr. Palo (7) with 88.25% participation and Mrs. Knauer/Schuster (8) with 88.87% participation. Thanks to everyone for showing their Patton Pride!

Spirit Week 2014!

Our second Spirit Week of the year was a HUGE success! Students and staff had a great time participating in a variety of Spirit Days -- Tuesday was USA Day, Wednesday was PINK Day, Thursday was COLLEGE Day and Friday was PATTON PRIDE Day -- purple & gold! A big thank you to the Student Council for organizing the week - check back for the Spirit Day winners! Here are some photos from the week!

Summer Reading!

The summer reading lists are now available on the Patton Downloads page! All Patton students are expected to read Wonder by R.J. Palacio as part of our "One Theme, One Unionville" Community Summer Reading Initiative. The Patton library will be taking orders for this book through May 23rd and you may download an order form here. All books ordered will be delivered by the end of the year. Wonder will count as 1 of the 3 books to be read over the summer. Our current 8th graders will be reading John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars and you may download a book order form here. For more information about the UHS summer reading, click here.

Patton Relay for Life!

Grab some friends, a tent, sleeping bag, and snacks and join your community in the fight against cancer.  Form your own team or join the already registered Patton Power.  Relay for Life will be held at Unionville High School on Friday, June 6th starting at 6:00 pm.  Walk all night or for just a few hours. One chaperone is needed for every 10 students on your team. To register your own team or join Patton Power, you may click here. A youth participation waiver will be needed and can be found here. Join Patton Power today!

Teacher For A Day 2014

It was another outstanding Teacher for A Day at Patton on May 21! Students purchased raffle tickets to earn the chance to be a Patton teacher for a day! The money raised will all go to benefit the Relay for Life, Cuddle My Kids and the Johnson Project. A big thank you to Patton Gives Back and Mrs. DiGregorio for organizing this fun day! Check out the photos from the day right here!

Patton United Nations!

Mrs. Basilio's Geography classes participated in a mock United Nations Security Council session focused on the crisis in the Ukraine. Students researched the role of the Security Council as well as the crisis in the Ukraine. Students then took on the role of members of the Security Council presenting proposals on how the Security Council should address the crisis. Proposals were then put to a vote in the session and students voted based on their representation of each member country. Check out the photos from the event!

Forensics Speech and Debate

Congratulations to the over 30 students from Patton for their performances in the Chester County Forensics Speech and Debate Tournament, which was held on Saturday with over 125 middle school participants throughout Chester County. All of our speakers did an outstanding job. Some highlights of the day were as follows: In the declamation event, Katelyn Tsai placed 2nd, Shuhan Yin was awarded a 2nd place trophy in the poetry division, and Zahra Husain earned a 2nd place trophy in extemp. Two students came away with first place trophies in their events: Michael Iacocca in extemp and Ethan Pan for his original oratory. Great job, everyone!

The Book Fair is Coming!

The Library will be sponsoring a Summer Reading Book Fair from June 2-5. We will have books available that go with the recommended author lists.

Patton Special Olympians

Congratulations to our Patton Special Olympians, Rebecca Pancoast, Jack Badeaux, Justyn Philips and Natalie Kramer who travelled to Coatesville Area High School last week to compete in the Chester County Special Olympics track and field meet! Check out this awesome video from the day's events as well as a collection of photos. A big shout out to our Olympian buddies, Anna Stewart, Danielle James, Mia Maufort, Dakota Kilgariff, Helen Nichols, Brooke Ladd and Natalie Scheuer.

Career Day 2014!

It was Career Day at Patton Middle School on May 9 and this year's event was another outstanding success! Students chose from a variety of awesome career sessions ranging from Aerospace Engineer to Fashion Designer to FBI Agent to Police Officer to Zoo Exhibit Architect and MORE (check out the complete list of career presenters here) Thanks to ALL of our career presenters and to Ms. Ballard for organizing the day. Check out some photos from this fun and informative day!

Model United Nations

As a culminating activity for our Political Geography unit, students in Ms. Lear's Geography classes have participated in a Model United Nations. In collaborative work groups, students served as delegates, researching issues which included Malaria and Tuberculosis, Gender Equality and Economic Development, Global Arms Trade, and the Refugee Crisis in Syria. Students wrote resolutions, presented and debated the resolutions, and then voted on amended resolutions. The students have done an exceptional job on this project- well done!! Check out the photos from this wonderful event!

County Knowledge Bowl

On April 22, 2014, Patton Middle School students competed in the County Knowledge Bowl with 14 other area schools. The Knowledge Bowl is an academic competition consisting of a 60 question multiple choice written round, and four 60 question short-answer buzzer rounds. At the end of the contest, the 6th grade team of Hunter Courtney, Rachel Folmar, Andrew Ge, Cal Harper, Victor Liu, Catherine Odom, Liam O’Rourke, and Austin Weeber came away with first place medals. Additionally, Andrew Ge and Rachel Folmar were presented with certificates as their scores on the written round were among the top four of all 6th grade individual competitors. Furthermore, Patton’s 8th grade team competed with 32 teams, leading the way throughout the entire contest. Eric Folmar, Ryan Hastings, Michael Iacocca, David Linskens, Stewart Short, and Shuhan Yin ended the day with a first place victory and were also awarded team medals. Stewart Short was also named the top student scorer in the individual written round. All in all, it was an exciting and successful day for our Patton teams.

Scholastic Challenge 2014

C.F. Patton Middle School students in 6th and 8th grade recently participated in The American Scholastic Achievement League Scholastic Challenge. This contest  consisted of 100 challenging computer generated enrichment questions, which allowed students to individually demonstrate a variety of problem solving skills and knowledge in many academic areas. We are proud to announce that out of 4500 sixth grade students nationwide, Hunter Courtney was named the state of Pennsylvania champion, and has earned a trophy for this accomplishment. Additionally, Eric Folmar was named the Pennsylvania State Champion at the 8th grade level and will also be presented with a trophy for his efforts. This year’s contest for 8th grade involved the participation of approximately 16,000 very knowledgeable middle school students. We are very pleased to share more exciting news that Eric Folmar, along with David Linskens, Ryan Hastings, and Ethan Pan were named the nation’s Gold Medal Team Winners and will be awarded with gold medals for their outstanding performance.

Jazz Band Honors

This past Friday, the Patton Jazz Band performed at the West Chester Middle School Jazz Festival held at Rustin High School.  The band took home the highest rating possible of "superior."  Special recognition goes to the trombone section (Leah Narun, Eli Biniasz, Nicole Horan, Suchi Jain, and Matt Fuchs) who were awarded best section of the band as well as best trombone section of the entire night.  Also recognized was Harrison Bass on piano for best soloist from the Patton band, and Leah Narun on trombone as one of the two best soloists of the entire festival.  Congratulations to the band on a fantastic performance!!!

iPhoneography Club!

The final session of Patton Clubs is off to a great start! Clubs include Patton Gives Back, Earth Club, Computer Apps, Chess and Science Fiction Club! And new this session is the iPhoneography Club with Mrs. Martin where students learn how to get creative and take photos with an iPhone! Check out some of these great photos from the first sessions!

Olweus Survey

Dear Parent and Guardians: 

In our continuing efforts to promote and maintain an environment and climate conducive to student success, Patton Middle School will be surveying all our students regarding the topic of Bullying. The survey instrument is the same tool used when we initiated our anti-bullying efforts six years ago. We have also used the instrument at the conclusion of the 11-12 and 12-13 school years. The survey is provided by the Hazelden Company who provided our Olweus materials. In 2008 we initiated our Olweus (pronounced Olvaus) anti-bullying program with staff training and implementation with our students. We would like to survey our students again to gather information on the state of student culture as it presently exists concerning this issue. 

The voluntary and anonymous, on-line approximate forty minute survey will be accomplished during the A – F cycle beginning 12 May 2014. Students will be proctored by their Health teacher in a computer lab. Survey results will help guide decision-making regarding future student culture goals. If you do not wish your child to accomplish this survey, please contact Jim Fulginiti, Assistant Principal, 610-347-2000 x3810. Thank you for your support and cooperation in this important matter.

NCEL Competition

Congratulations to our 6th grade Social Studies classes as they finished third in the National Current Events League. Great work, 6th grade!

Knowledge Bowl Results

Congratulations to all of Patton's Knowledge Bowl teams for an outstanding job in Tuesday's county competition. We are pleased to announce that the 6th grade team of Catherine Odom, Liam O'Rourke, Cal Harper, Hunter Courtney, Rachel Folmar, Andrew Ge, Victor Li, and Austin Weeber took 1st place, and the 8th grade team of Ryan Hastings, Eric Folmar, Shuhan Yin, David Linskens, Michael Iacocca, and Stewart Short made it a sweep with their first place finish. Andrew Ge, Rachel Folmar, and Stewart Short were also awarded certificates for earning the highest scores on the individual written rounds. Great job everyone!

Try Eco-Trek This Summer!

Eco-Trek is back for our sixth exciting summer! Adventures this summer include river rafting, Hershey Park, kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, the Maryland Zoo and Science Center and an overnight at the Baltimore Aquarium which includes a behind-the-scenes evening tour and sleeping next to the dolphins!  Eco-Trek will be held the week of July 15 - 19. Please see the attached brochure and registration form or email Kathy Bodenstab at kbodenstab@ucfsd.net for more information.

Congratulations, Ryan!

Congratulations to Ryan Hastings who placed 6th out of 101 participants in the State National Geography Bee, which was held in Harrisburg on Friday. Great job, Ryan!

The Wizard of Oz!

Congratulations to the cast and crew of The Wizard of Oz!! The Show was a huge success, playing to sold out crowds on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The show was amazing and kudos to Mrs. Stump and all the students on an outstanding production. A big thanks to Bill Tsai for the wonderful photos from the performances! Check out these great photos right here!

Run For Our Sons Success!

The Annual Run For Our Sons was held Saturday at Patton and was a tremendous success! The event featured a record-breaking 900 runners and the final donation amounts will be announced later but is expected to be over the $50,000 goal. A BIG thanks to all the Patton students, teachers and staff who ran or helped with the event, including Mrs. DiGregorio, Patton Gives Back and Mrs Dunbar. You can check out the race results here. You will see many Patton student names including 6th graders, Thomas Smiddy, Cole Walker, Stephan Twombly, and Sam Schriver who all finished in the TOP 30. AND teachers, including Mr. Glen Lewis who finished 17th overall as well as Mrs. Mandi Quinn who finished 29th overall and FIRST in her age division! A big, big thanks to the Patton Student Council who were GOLD SPONSORS for the event – way to go Patton!!

Patton Congratulations!

Congratulations to the following students who all won awards at the Chester County Science Research Competition: Sam Fisher 3rd place in Earth Science; Viraj Joshi - 3rd place Environmental Science; Julia McDonnell - Honorable Mention in Chemistry; Jason Doyle - Honorable Mention in Physics. Viraj Joshi also won a special award - "The summer science academy award." Sam Fisher and Viraj Joshi will continue on to the Delaware valley science fair in April.

Congratulations to Ryan Hastings who has qualified to advance to the state level of the National Geographic Bee. Ryan will compete at The State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg on April 4, 2014. Good luck, Ryan!

Patton Scientists!

After competing at the Patton Middle School Science Research Competition, fifteen projects advanced to the Chester County Science Research Competition sponsored by The Dow Chemical Company, which was held on March 4, 2014 at the Technical College High School Pickering Campus. Several of our students earned recognition for their projects and will be presented with awards on March 18, 2014 at an Awards Ceremony at Downingtown East High School. Student participants were 6th graders: Alex Cona, Viraj Joshi, Katelyn McGovern, Panos Moisiadis, and Evan Wang. 7th grade competitors were: Daniel Dembek, Jason Doyle, Sam Fisher, Josie Gallop, and Julia McDonnell. From 8th grade were: Daphne Ho, Michael Iacocca, Amber Liu, Jordan Marlowe, Brett Nilsen, and Michelle Prem. Check out all of Patton's young scientists right here!

Patton MATHCOUNTS

Congratulations to all the awesome Patton students who participated in MATHCOUNTS last weekend: Victor Li, Evan Wang, Daniel Hu, Anna Iacocca, Steven Chicchino, Lena Zhu, Austin Zhou, Nick Hall, Rishab Nandan, Connor Liu and Andrew Huang. And special congrats to Victor Li who finished in 2nd place!

Style for Sarcoma

Patton 8th grader Eva Sheppard has taken her passion for creativity and makeup design and created "Style for Sarcoma", an organization that benefits the sarcoma cancer community. Eva did all of this independently after being inspired by her close relative, AnaMarisa Velasco. Check out more about this great project at the organization's page on Facebook as well as it's channel on YouTube. Eva's story was featured in the website publication U lala.

Wizard of Oz

Charles F. Patton Middle School is proud to present, "The Wizard of Oz", with performances on April 3rd, 4th and 5th. This is the second year that Ms. JoAnna Stump, an Earth/Space Science teacher at Patton, and her daughter Rebecca have lead the production of a musical program at Patton. The cast and crew of over 90 talented students in grades 6-8 will bring the show to life for Patton and the community. Share in the magic and save the date for three fabulous performances on, April 3 at 7pm, April 4 at 8pm and April 5th at 2pm. Show tickets are only $5 and can reserved in advance online at cfpms.ucfsd.org/wizard/

In anticipation of the show, members of the cast-- including Dorothy, Scarecrow, Tin Man, Lion, Glinda and the Wicked Witch-- will participate in a Character Meet and Greet free for local elementary school children and their parents on Saturday, March 29th at the middle school from 10AM until noon. The kids will get a sneak peak of the show through a live performance of one of the shows musical scenes. Then, they will enjoy themed games and photo opportunities with their favorite character, so bring your camera!

Run for Our Sons 2014

The 5th annual Run For Our Sons is rapidly approaching. The 5K and one mile fun walk will be here at CFPMS on April 5th. We also have family fun activities such as face painting, crafts and games. Please consider getting involved. Proceeds go to Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy to fund critical research for Elliott (10) and Henry (7) who are living with Duchenne. We have a healthy competition going with Hillendale Elementary - they already have 72 registered participants and have been practicing before school even in the snow. Let's show this family the power of Patton. Visit www.parentprojectmd.org/unionville for more info and join Team Patton today. See Mrs. DiGregorio with questions.

Moonlight Madness Basketball

There will be music, basketball shooting contest and lots of fun at the First Annual Moonlight Madness 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament on Saturday, March 29 from 6 pm-11 pm at the UHS Gym. The event is open to Grades 6 through 12 plus and there will be an adult league, too. The fee is just $10 per player. In addition to basketball games, there will be a Free Throw shooting contest, a Three Point shooting contest and a Health Fair sponsored by FOCUS. Download a registration form and waiver as well as complete details and tournament rules and enter today!

Beautification Project!

We have a great opportunity for students who are looking for something fun and rewarding to work on. Patton Middle School is embarking on a beautification project that includes the transformation of the cafeteria into a 50's rock and roll cafe!  This initiative will allow current students to display their creativity and artistic talents and really leave their mark on the school. A sign up sheet will be available in the main office for students who are interested in participating.

6th Grade Boys' Running Club

All 6th grade boys are welcome to join an after-school running club, which will meet Mondays and Thursdays from March through mid-May after school until 3:15 p.m. The club is free! Prior running experience is desired, but not required. Participants should be serious about training as the goal is for the club to run as a group in the Run for Our Sons 5K at Patton on April 5 and perhaps other local running events. The first meeting will be held on Thursday, March 6, after school in the cafeteria. Please bring a sturdy pair of running shoes, a drink and appropriate clothing for the weather. So that preparations may be made for the first meeting and to confirm how many 6th graders will participate, please have your parents e-mail baseballmom14@verizon.net.

Doodle 4 Google Contest!

Enter the 2014 "Doodle 4 Google" competition! One talented young artist will see his or her artwork appear on the Google homepage, receive a $30,000 college scholarship, and win a $50,000 Google for Education technology grant for his or her school. See Mrs. Martin for more details and click here for more information

Heritage Day 2014

Our second annual Heritage Day was a huge success! A big thank you to all of the students and staff who made this event possible again this year. Check out the awesome photos from the day!

First in Chester County!

Charles F. Patton Middle School has been ranked the #1 middle school in Chester County and #4 in Pennsylvania by Schooldigger.com. Overall, UCFSD has been ranked the #2 school district while Hillendale Elementary is the number #1 ranked elementary school for the second year in a row! Additionally, Unionville High School is now the #2 ranked high school in Chester county and #7 statewide! Great job, everyone! Check out the full story right here.

Curriculum Night

Thank you to everyone who attended our first annual Curriculum Night on February 18. This evening, for all parents of current 6th and 7th graders, was to help learn about and understand the upcoming curriculum options and choice that will be available for their children as new 7th or 8th grade students next year. If you were unable to attend, you can view the presentation from the evening right here.

Sixth Grade Mixer!

The Hearts for Africa 6th grade Mixer has been rescheduled for this Friday, February 28 from 2:30-5:00. Tickets are $10 and can be bought anytime from Miss Faccenda or during lunch next week. Come eat great food, have fun with your friends, and support a great cause - saving endangered lions in Africa!

Course Selection Timeline

It's that time again -- Course Selection for our current 8th graders getting ready for UHS next year! Mrs. McMahon has already met with the student to review the course selection process and students were given packets to take home and share with parents. Here are some very important dates to make note of:

February 6, 2014 (NEW DATE)
UHS Course Selection Night for 8th Grade Parents & Students (7:00pm)
This event will take place at UHS and is intended for parents and students entering 9th grade next year.

February 3-17, 2014
Students will register for courses online after obtaining teacher course pre-requisites. Student may register by logging into PowerSchool (sam.ucfsd.org) and clicking on Class Registration and following the instructions. Students may go into the system and make changes anytime between February 3-17. Please make sure to print a list of your final course selection to give to your Prime Time teacher.

February 6, 2014
Course Selection Q&A for Current 8th Grade Parents w/ UHS (9:30am)
CFPMS will host the UHS counseling department and Principal Paula Massanari as they answer questions about the course selection process for parents of current 8th grade students.

February 18, 2014
Course Selection sheets with parent and teachers signatures and copy of the online request to be turned into Prime Time teacher.

July 8, 2014
Deadline for any course changes!

Very Important to Know:

• The course selection process is separate from scheduling. Scheduling odes not start until students have selected their courses.
• Scheduling is NOT done on a first-come, first-serve basis. We encourage students to sign up as soon as they are ready to do so, but the order of sign-up is not a factor in getting into a course.
• The UHS Course Selection Guide can be viewed but going to UHS website.

Patton Day at the Media Theater

Please join us to see The Diary of Anne Frank on Sunday, February 16th at 3:00pm. Open to all families at Patton, if you call the Media Theater and say you are with Patton Middle School you will receive the discounted rate of $29.00 for adults and $25.00 for students ($42.00 off of the normal price) Please note, Patton Middle School is not providing a bus or chaperones. All students need their own ride and adult supervision. Call the Media Theater Box Office at 610.891.0100 or visit www.mediatheatre.org for more information.

Thinking Cap Quiz

Recently, a 6th grade team and a 7 and 8th grade team of AT students participated in the Thinking Cap Quiz Bowl, which is a scholastic computer team competition consisting of 100 questions. We are pleased to announce that Patton's 6th grade team placed 4th in the state out of 24 teams, while our 7/8th grade team earned enough points to come away with 1st place out of 39 teams in Pennsylvania. Congratulations to these teams for an outstanding job!

Science Fair Results

Congratulations to all of the students who participated in the middle school Science Research Competition.  Ribbons were awarded in the various categories, and the following students will be advancing to the Chester County Research Competition on March 3rd. 

6th Grade

Katelyn McGovern

Viraj Joshi

Panos Moisiadis

Evan Wang

Alex Cona

7th Grade

Jason Doyle

Julia McDonnell

Daniel Dembek

Josie Gallop

Sam Fisher

8th Grade

Michael Iacocca

The Team of Michelle Prem and Amber Liu

Jordan Marlow

Brett Nilsen

Daphne Ho

A great job was done by all of our middle school young scientists! All projects need to be left on display until further notice.

Art Design Contest

Attention students: Your Patton cast of the "Wizard of Oz" is hosting a "Character Meet and Greet" in late March and are offering you the opportunity to submit artwork to be considered for the final invite advertisement for this event. Guidelines for design submission are:

• keep to the Wizard of Oz theme, 
• submission is to be 8.5x11, color or B&W, 
• manual and digital creations are accepted
• printed copy is to be signed on the front with your full name and grade on the back.

Submit printed copy of your artwork by February 21 to Ms. Stump Room #232.

Spelling Bee Results

Congratulations to all the students who participated in the School Spelling Bee. They spent Thursday morning spelling very challenging words. The school results are as follows: Tied for 3rd place: Anthony DiBiaggio and Michael Iacocca. Tied for 2nd place: Anna Iacocca and Catherine Odom. 1st place: Ryan Hastings. Ryan will advance to the county level of the Scripps National Spelling Bee, which will be held on February 11th at the Chester County Intermediate Unit. Good luck to Ryan and congratulations to all of Patton's school spellers for a job well done.

New Look Science Fair

The Charles F. Patton Middle School Science Research Competition is taking on a new look! Students who have notified their science teacher will set up their project in the designated areas on January 28, during their science class.  Projects will remain on display through Curriculum night (February 18) Check out the Science Fair web page for  more information.

Winter Band Concert

Kudos to Mr. O'Rourke and all the students who participated in the outstanding Winter Band Concert on January 14. Check out the photos right here!

Patton Heritage Day!

The 6th graders will experience Patton’s second annual Heritage Day on Friday, January 31st.    Many 7th and 8th grade students have volunteered to serve their school community by participating in this day.  Each 7th and 8th grade student volunteer has created an exhibit to showcase his or her family heritage, including pictures, flags, food, cultural symbols, music, clothing and more.  The day also includes a fashion show, stories, and games that highlight the cultural wonders of our school community. The counselors thank all of the participants for helping us celebrate the different cultural heritages in our school!

Patton LEGO Robotics

Congratulations to the Patton Middle School students that competed in the First State Lego League Qualifier and were selected to advance to the Champion's Tournament to be held in New Castle, Delaware on February 15, 2014.

Team MADJIK: Patton 8th grader Alex Wang and 7th graders: Jason Doyle, Kessler DuPont-Teevin, Divyan Jain, Zemar Qazi and Mira Zutshi and received the Core Values award for Teamwork. The team is coached by Ravi Jain.

Team CYCLONZ (aka CFP Bots): 7th grader Parik Radhakrishnan and 6th graders: Adarsh Gadagkar, Darshak Gadagkar, Arnav Patel, Rishab Nandan, Liam O'Rourke, Panos Moisiadis and Viraj Joshi received the Core Values award for Gracious Professionalism. The team is coached by Swati Gadagkar, Swati Patel, Yamini Radhakrishnan, Doreen Brady, Kavita and Uday Nandan, Ann O'Rourke and Sudha Joshi.

The team WIZARDS OF CORE VALUES: Sean Sullivan, Sid Panchanadam, Teja Suvarna , Satvik Garapati and TJ Noden from Stetson MS. Judith Noden is the coach of the team.

Also, congratulations to Chaemin Sohn.  His team, SUPER STARBOTSs, competed but did not advance to the next round.

And Good news also from UCFSD's First Tech Challenge (FTC) team with the larger metal robots. Team Flaming Phoenix from Patton and their alliance partners came in 3rd overall at the rookie qualifier this past weekend in Pottstown and the team won the Motivate Award . The team members are: 8th graders Christy Ammon, Austin Hwa, CJ McClure, Jonathan Nguyen, Dev Singh, KC Simmons and 6th grader Thomas McClure. The mentors are Luci & Chuck McClure, Steve Hwa, Chris Simmons and a retired engineer from West Chester, Mark Morun.

All the robotics teams are doing a terrific job of promoting STEM and the qualities of sportsmanship, teamwork and perseverance!

Geography Bee Results

Congratulations to the 36 students who spent Thursday morning answering very challenging questions in the school National Geographic Bee. The results of the Bee are as follows: 7th place- Sophia Quershi, 6th place- Nicholas Frazier, Tied for 5th place – David Linskens and Alex Rajasakaren, 4th place – Will Prysock, Tied for 3rd place – Stewart Short and Justin Lee, 2nd place – KC Simmons, 1st place and school winner – Ryan Hastings. Ryan will now take a qualifying test for the state level of the National Geography Bee. Great job, everyone!

Winter Concert

Congratulations to all of our music students on an outstanding performance in the Winter Choral & Orchestra Concert on January 8. A big thanks to Mrs. Leahy, Miss Hershey and Miss Bond for all their hard work and leadership as well as Santa Claus for making a guest appearance! Check out the photos from the evening right here. And don't forget the Winter Band Concert on January 14 at 7:30 PM in the UHS auditorium!

MLK Day of Service

On January 20, 2014, the Unionville-Chadds Ford School District will celebrate the national holiday honoring the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by making it “A DAY ON, NOT A DAY OFF.” Although schools will be closed for educational purposes, the schools will be open for those who choose to volunteer their time for the “MLK, Jr. DAY OF SERVICE.” On this day there will be several volunteer opportunities within our district for parents, staff, and students to serve our community.  Patton students will have the opportunity to assist at the annual cleanup day at Anson B. Nixon Park. If you are interested in helping at the Anson B. Nixon Park cleanup you may sign up right here.

International Culinary Experience

7th and 8th grade world language students participated in the annual International Culinary Experience before the winter break.  Students were encouraged to bring in food representative of a country they are studying, or of their own cultural background to share with others. They had the chance to sample lots of tasty dishes from around the world, and learn something new about their classmates! Check out the yummy photos right here.

Giving Tree Thanks

Thank you to Everyone for your support of the Giving Tree. The charity event took place on Saturday. Over 625 needy families will have a much better Christmas because of the work we do here at Patton. Each family that was invited received a box of canned/ dried food as well as a turkey or chicken for a family feast. They were also able to choose from our refurbished bikes, gifts and coats. Together, we have made a difference in the lives of others less fortunate this holiday season. Check out some photos right here.

MATHCOUNTS

Any student looking to try out for the school MathCounts teams, you must see Mrs. Knauer this week. You will need to take a qualifying round during Basic. Any questions, see Mrs. Knauer in room 218.