WOLVERINE EXPRESS

1. WOLVERINE EXPRESS First 6 Weeks August – October, 2008 Volume 1 Number 1 Letter from the Principal Inside Principal’s Letter p. 1 Student Advisory p. 2 SANKOFA Invitation p.2 Meet the Counselors p. 2 Basketball Tryouts p.2 New Parent Notification p. 3 Draper’s Dialogue p. 3 Wells Food Pantry p.4 Step Team Information p.4 F.U.N. Club Information p.4 Dress Code Guidelines p.5 Career Academy Invitation p.5 Nurse Ruhl’s Advice p.6 National History Fair Information p.6 Student Letter p.7 CHAMP Strategies p.8 October Events p. 8 Parents, Guardians and Friends, Can you believe our first six weeks of school are completed? Within those six weeks, we began school twice…Once on August 25th and again on September 25th. Due to a natural disaster named Hurricane Ike, we were unable to attend school for two weeks. We all suffered and have many stories to tell, but we are truly thankful to be back at school doing what we love to do – teaching and reaching your sons and daughters. We are glad to have all our family back together. I would also like to take the time to introduce a new member to the Wells Administrative Team. Jamie Bates is an Assistant Principal who has joined with us to make Wells a “Building of CHAMPS”. Ms. Bates is coming to us with administrative experience with expertise in Special Education. We are excited to have her on the team. Wells Middle School is proud to announce…We met the Federal guidelines for Average Yearly Progress (AYP) for the 2007-2008 school year. We are looking forward to greater achievements for the 2008-2009 school year. Join with us as we move Wells Middle School to a Recognized rating. We have the curriculum, staff, leadership and administration in place. We need your support to make it happen. Thank you, Barbarba Leland, Principal School Mission Our mission is to facilitate our students’ development as culturally aware, critically thinking, socially conscious life-long learners through the creation of a safe, orderly learning environment focused on high student expectations, social skills instruction, and firm academic goals. Special Thanks to all parents who supported our last Bond Election. By looking around, you can see all of our improvements in the building and on the grounds: painting, football field lights, new track, renovations of the cafeteria, office and home living centers. THANK YOU!

2. 2 Wolverine Express Administrative Team Barbra Leland, Principal Greg Koehnle, Assistant Principal Elaine Sam, Assistant Principal H.P. Hyder, Assistant Principal Jamie Bates, Assistant Principal Joe Degregroio, Counselor Chandra Johnson-Pearson, Counselor Carla Peters, Counselor Della Mott, Testing Coordinator Wells Student Advisory for 2008-2009 Alexix De La Rosa Anthony Tu Ashle Hutchins Barbara Flores Dalton Glenn David Pompa Destiny Fobbs Diana Escobar Elijah Lowe Erica Solis Isreal Del Cid Jared Stewart Jau-Nikul Haney Jeffrey Madrid Jordan Brocken Josh Cooks Kelechi Onsumere Kevin Neal Kyera Miles Michael Buie Nicole Patterson Okima Kossie Rhenton Cauley Samuel Vences Shaurante Smith Shayla Paddio Stephanie Lee Tiara Woods Tyrin Dupor Xavier Cooper Basket Ball Tryouts Boys and Girls NOVEMBER 10, 11, & 12 Must have a physical on file in order to tryout. SANKOFA, the African American club, is ready to kick-off the 2008-2009 school year. Meetings will be held every second Wednesday of each month from 4:30-5:30. Activity buses will be available. For more information contact Lezlie Jones or Sherice Simms at 281-891-7751. Wells’ Counselors are Superior to None! Wells’ counseling team Includes (from L to R), Joe Degregorio, Carla Peters, and Ms. Johnson-Pearson Next PTO is set for October 14, 2008 at 6 p.m.

3. Wolverine Express 3 New Parent Notification System NOW in Operation Spring ISD and Wells Middle School are using the Connect-ED messaging service to provide school and district administrators with the ability to personally communicate time-sensitive information to all parents, faculty and staff within minutes. The Connect-ED service enables school and district administrators to reach out to parents and staff via voice messages to home phones, work phones, cell phones; text messages to cell phones, PDAs and other text-based devices; written messages to e-mail accounts; and messages to TTY-TDD receiving devices for the hearing impaired. The system can be used to inform parents and staff members of school closures and contingency plans due to inclement weather, issues arising from pandemics and late-breaking developments. It is also an effective way to keep you informed about important events in your child’s education and when your child is reported absent from school. It is important that Wells Middle School has all of your CURRENT telephone numbers and e-mail addresses so that you will not miss out on any important announcements. You should have received a from asking for your contact information. If you have not already filled out the returned the form, please do so. We want to keep all lines of communication open between parents and Wells Middle School. Draper’s Dialogue Asks About Communication Communication between Spring ISD and its patrons is the topic for discussion currently on Draper’s Dialogue, and online survey that gives community members the opportunity to share their opinions with Spring ISD Superintendent Dr. Ralph H. Draper. “It is important to the district that parents and community members receive accurate and worthwhile information in a timely manner, “ Draper said. “We are interested in knowing not only how community members receive information, but how they would prefer to receive it.” To read more about the subject and submit feedback electronically, parents and community members can go to www.springisd.org and click on Draper’s Dialogue link on the lower, right-hand side of the home page. DON’T FORGET TO VOTE ON NOVEMBER 4TH! GENERAL ELECTION AND SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION

4. 4 Wolverine Express Come join the F.U.N. Club (Fitness and Understanding Nutrition) Our mission of our F.U.N. Club is to promote health by engaging students in regular physical activity and to increasing their awareness of the importance of good nutrition in a fun way. Each week we will have we will have activities that include exercise and eating strategies. One way you can help your child at home is to walk with them. Walking is one of the most "natural" forms of exercise. It is a great for everyone even those who are fit. This club will meet weekly after school on Thursdays starting October 9, 2008. We will provide a 5:30 activity bus for students to return home. • Leadership Team • Stephanie Vaughan • LA Instructional Specialist • Sherice Sims • LA Department Head • Michelle Elmore • Math Instructional Specialist • Carol deVries • Math Department Head • Tania Smith • Science Instructional Specialist • Kelli Smith • Science Department Head • Ann Urich • S. Studies Department Head • Travis Neill • Athletics Department Head • Taylor Hooker • Special Ed. Department Head • Brenda Aaron • Electives Department Head • Bristol Arnold • CTE Department Head • Stephanie Mizelle • Special Programs Coordinator Wolfpak Step Team • The Wells Wolfpak Step Team has been practicing for tryouts. The next practice will be October 14th. • If you plan to attend you must report directly to the cafeteria. • If you go outside to the bus patio you WILL NOT be allowed to re-enter the building. • If you are late you will not be allowed to attend the meeting. • NO EXCEPTIONS! • Please do not be late! • Mrs. Vaughan and Ms. Calhoun Wells Middle School Wells Middle School Wolfpak Step Team Wells Middle School Food Pantry Beginning October 16th through the end of October, the Administrative and Leadership Team is sponsoring a food drive for NAM (Northwest Assisted Ministries) and Wells Middle School families.Please assist us by sending can goods and dry foods to the school. Thank you for your support.

5. Wolverine Express 5 Standard of Dress • The Wells Middle School standard of dress is intended to teach and encourage our students to express themselves in a manner that reflects modesty and good taste while assuring that no student’s dress will be allowed to disrupt the school’s learning environment or compromise the safety of the Wells Middle School students or staff. Only the following shirts will be allowed “Polo” style shirts Collared-tailored shirts Crew • neck t-shirt Absolutely no sleeveless shirts will be allowed.  No sheer fabrics will be worn.  No “spandex” or other form fitting fabrics will be worn.  No graphics/logos, which depict, suggest, or glorify death or violence will be worn. This • includes, but is not limited to, skulls, bones, demons, blood, weapons, statements, chains, • caskets, or ghosts.  No vinyl/plastic pants, shorts, dresses, skirts or tops will be worn. Extremely short skirts, • dresses, or shorts may not be worn. • Saggy and/or excessively baggy pants or shorts will not be worn. • Males may not wear earrings.  “Fishnet” stockings will not be worn. •  “Trench” styled coats are also prohibited. • Regardless of gender, students may not wear hats of any kind, nor bandanas or headscarves or sweatbands in school. Females are allowed to don the following hair accessories: “scrunchies”, barrettes, bobbie pins, and other holders, hair clips, and headbands.  Students that have 3 dress code violations will be placed on standardized dress for thirty (30) days. Career Academy Invitation Do you have questions about your child’s future? Imagine….. learning in a place that focuses on your career choice learning in rigorous academic classes aligned with relevant careers learning through the use of the latest technology 24 hours a day learning from experts in the business community graduating from high school with job experience and college credits Imagine… Attending Carl Wunsche Sr. High School, a career academy in Spring ISD. Please join us at the Carl Wunsche Sr. High School Career Destination Event, Thursday,October 16from 7:00 to 9:00 pm at Carl Wunsche Sr. High School. This promises to be an informative evening highlighting our career and technical education courses and student accomplishments. For further information you may go to http://academy.springisd.org

6. 6 Wolverine Express Sound Advice and Announcement from Nurse Kip Ruhl Don't let the FLU get you down this season Edwin M. Wells Middle School will be sponsoring a Community Shot Van on Thursday, November 13, 2008. The FLU vaccine will be provided to the community and their children for $10 each. A parent must be present for a child to receive the vaccine. Beside the vaccine here a few helpful tips to prevent you from getting the Flu or any other illness. *Get plenty of rest *Drink lots of water *Do not share food, drinks, or toothbrushes *Cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze *MOST IMPORTANT - HANDWASH, HANDWASH, HANDWASH National History Fair Comes to Wells Middle School All students, in Ms. Copony’s U.S. History classes, at Wells Middle School, will be participating in the acclaimed National History Fair Day along with half a million students nationwide. Each year students choose topics related to a theme and then conduct primary and secondary research. This year’s theme is The Individual in History: Actions and Legacies. As students conduct research, their work takes them to many places including libraries, archives, museums, oral history interviews and historic sites. Students may work solo but most choose to work in small groups of two to five (maximum). After interpreting their research and coming to conclusions, students may present their research in one of the following formats: documentary, exhibit, performance, web site or formal research paper. (Only students working solo have the option of the formal research paper.) All of the products that result from student research are potentially entered into competitions at the local, state and then national levels where they are evaluated by educators and historians. Each June, a national competition takes place for those products/projects that are the very best in their individual category. Students who participate in History Fair develop critical thinking, problem-solving skills and research and reading skills oral and written communication and presentation skills self esteem and confidence a sense of responsibility for and involvement in the democratic process. More than 5 million students have gone on to careers such as business, law, medicine and countless other disciplines where they have put into practice what they learned through NHD. To obtain more information about National History Day, interested parties should go to www.nationalhistoryday.org

7. Wolverine Express 7 Science students in the 8th grade participated in a writing activity in hopes of winning a FREE field trip to the Houston Museum of Natural Science to view the Body World 2 exhibit. The following letters were chosen to send to the museum. Dear Houston Museum of Natural Science, I think my classmates and I should get picked to go to this museum. We saw your website, and I can tell you that it looks real interesting. Speaking for myself, I’ve never been to a museum before. This museum looks real cool. I can tell you I’m not a big fan of science, but I like learning new things about our body and how we function. My classmates and I like to have fun, but we are responsible. We do our work and finish it. We try our best in everything. Since this is our last year in middle school, we want to make it fun and unforgettable and we think visiting your museum would be like a dream come true. Thank you for this very nice offer. I hope to see you soon! Sincerely, Stephanie Carreon Dear Houston Museum of Natural Science, Thank you for providing an opportunity for a class to go see your amazing museum. I think it’s an thing to learn more about science and this could be a push for my classmates and I to open our eyes to science. We all know the Science TAKS test is not that easy, but this field trip can help us learn things that are new or very hard for us to learn in a fun way. We can always read in our textbooks, but an opportunity of going there and looking for ourselves…WOW! In middle school, we hardly ever get to go on a field trip and sometimes some kids have to stay because money is tight for them, but going on this field trip will prove to all of us that science could be fun and educating. Sincerely, Summer Ali Math/Science Parent Night October 23rd @ 6:30 PM Discover SCIENCE and Discover new things!

8. 8 Wolverine Express Champ Strategies These strategies are being taught in all content areas to assist your child in being successful on their daily work, homework and TAKS tests. We are sharing them with you so we can use the same strategies together. C - Circle or underline key words H - Highlight information in titles, graphs and charts that will help you answer the question. A - Answer ONLY what the question is asking. M - Mark out the incorrect or dumb answers. P - Prove your choice with a calculation, definition, paragraph # in the margin OR state why the other choices are wrong. (show your work) S - Start over to check over your work. October Events 14th: OPEN HOUSE, 7th Football vs. Claughton, Step Team Practice 15th: 8th Football vs. Claughton, Step Team Practice 16th: F.U.N Club, Step Team Practice, 7th & 8th Volleyball vs. Claughton 17th: CHAMPS Recgonition during 8th period 18th: Volleyball Tournament 20th: Photo Make Up, 7th Football vs. Twin Creeks 21st: 8th Football vs. Twin Creeks, Step Team Practice 22nd: C Team Fooball vs. Twin Creeks 23rd: HISS Mtg, F.U.N Club, 7th & 8th Volleyball vs. Twin Creeks, Step Team Revealed, Math/Science Parent Night 24th: Step Team Performs during lunches 25th: Cross County Meet, Volleyball Tournament 27th: Red Ribbon Week, 7th Football vs. Bailey 28th: 8th Football vs. Bailey 30th: F.U.N. Club, 8th & 7th Volleyball vs. Bailey 31st: Progress Reports Go Home