Because of the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010, our cafeteria staff was required to make many changes to the food they serve our students. You've probably heard from your child about these changes. As part of a persuasive writing unit, Mrs. Farist's 8th grade REACH classes recently wrote essays expressing their opinion about the impact that the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 has had on school lunch. These essays were forwarded to Congressman Tom Graves. These classes recently received a response from Mr. Graves, thanking them for their input, and informing them that their opinions, along with others across the nation, helped to influence the Department of Agriculture to relax some of the restrictions on the types of food that can be served in the school cafeteria. He pointed out that this is a great example of how concerned citizens of any age can make a difference, and he encouraged students to continue speaking out about issues that affect them.

  The SMS Future Business Leaders of America Officers for 2012 are from left to right:  Catherine Farist, President; JoAnn Graves, Vice President; Snow McHugh, Secretary; Jimmy Keithley, Treasurer; Venesa Casares, Historian; Madeline Fox, Reporter; and McKinley Brophy, Parliamentarian.

Emily Mauldin, Courtney Williams, Kirsten Young, Kaitlin Hartel, Hannah Roberts, and Arisah Argueta from Mrs. D'Emilio's homeroom show their school spirit by dressing up for Homecoming Week. Happy Hunger Games!

Congratulations to the FFA Livestock Judging team, who competed Wednesday night at the Cherokee Capital Fair.  In the junior FFA division, Sonoraville Middle placed 2nd and received a plaque!  Members on the team are, left to right row:  Brian Quarles, Lila Edmisten, Gracy Sexton, Andrea Enriquez Back Row: Savanna Sjoding, Jennifer Rayburn, Emma Crawford, and Matthew Ralston!  Congratulations team!

8^th grade Sonoraville Middle students in Carmen Massengill's, Marsha Walden's, Ricky Wilson's, and Rick Baggett's classes recently explored square and cube roots (MCC8.EE.2) through a 4-way differentiated series of tasks.  Students were engaged in building and proving perfect squares and perfect cubes with manipulatives, memorizing their facts, and culminating in a card sort to assess their knowledge.

Congratulations to Robbie Arnold for doing an Outstanding job while competing in the cattle show at The Northwest Georgia Regional Fair Tuesday night, September 11.   Robbie placed 2nd in showmanship, 2nd in his division, and then came back, with his Simmental heifer, to be named the "Supreme Reserve Grand Champion" for the entire show!  Way to go Robbie!

Congratulations to 7th grader, Emily Gayton for her wins at the fair this week. The FFA member received a blue ribbon for her watermelon, spaghetti sauce, jalapeños, and hot sauce; and a 2nd place ribbon for her banana peppers! 
Congrats Emily for producing such fantastic home grown products!

While studying, weather, geography and science, Mrs. Nasco's MOID class tracked the path of Hurricane Issac and gave reports to teachers and administrators each day. Those students include Dalton MacKnight, Tristan Cronan, Montana Goodman, Heather Thomas, and Jonothan Whitfield. We are excited about how much they learned from tracking the hurricane. They are Red Hot!

Recently, students in Mr. Smith's 8^th grade Social Studies class had the opportunity to use their own technology to tweet answers to Mr. Smith as they researched and found answers relating to their current standard SS8G1. The standard states that students will describe Georgia with regard to physical features and location.

S onoraville M iddle S chool recognizes and rewards positive behavior.  The implementation of "RED HOT", ( R ecognizing E xcellence D aily for H elping O ther T eammates), enables teachers and staff to identify students who go out of their way to enhance SMS through positive actions.

Teachers and staff nominate students demonstrating excellence in the school setting. Excellence is measured in many ways and is dependent upon the individual student.  Some characteristics of excellence are included in the following list:

Ø  Significant improvement in classroom behavior

Ø  Kindness towards others

Ø  Courtesy

Ø  Assisting fellow students

Ø  Significant improvement in grades

Ø  Anything above the ordinary 

 
Students receiving this honor for April and May are:

Red Hot Student for April & May:

Front Row:

Davis Witt
Brayden Silvers
Robert Rountree
Randy Wheat

Back Row:

Alicia Tibbals
Dalton Litton
Jireh Wilson
Jonah Hettmansperger
Brad Whittinghill

Kelsey Izumo
Not pictured: Bert Kemp
 

Click the link below to view a working model.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFG8geGUAmU

Congratulations to the February Students of the Month at Sonoraville Middle School! These RED HOT students were chosen by teachers because they show excellent character in the area of Honesty. They received a certificate and a gift card to Walmart.

L-R Front Row: Lizbeth Palmerin, Steve McDonald, Jonathan Novicki

Back Row: Elizabeth Lee, Landon Thomas, Baylea Richards, Jasmin Storey, Lauren McDougle, Jacob Gottleber

Not Pictured: John Graves, Michaela Holder

S onoraville M iddle S chool recognizes and rewards positive behavior.  The implementation of "RED HOT", ( R ecognizing E xcellence D aily for H elping O ther T eammates), enables teachers and staff to identify students who go out of their way to enhance SMS through positive actions.

Teachers and staff nominate students demonstrating excellence in the school setting. Excellence is measured in many ways and is dependent upon the individual student.  Some characteristics of excellence are included in the following list:

Ø  Significant improvement in classroom behavior

Ø  Kindness towards others

Ø  Courtesy

Ø  Assisting fellow students

Ø  Significant improvement in grades

Ø  Anything above the ordinary 

Students receiving this honor for February and March are:

Front Row:
John David Potts,Sarah Kent, Jose Trenti

Back Row:

Maggie Boothe
Jessie Higgins
Jonathon Silvers

Thomas Holguin
Matthew Smith

Hannah Champion

Alaina Nicholson

Camron Keith
Austin Dotson
Brad Whittinghill - not pictured

Agribusiness leaders know that the students in the FFA today are going to become the industry and political leaders of tomorrow. Their time spent leading and working with the students gives high expectation for a more prosperous Georgia in the future.

Johnson Collins of Pickens County High School and Makayla Holmes from Sonoraville Middle were announced as winners of the Northwest Georgia Junior Public Speaking Career Development Event (CDE) last night at the area competition.  These top two individuals have earned the opportunity to advance on to state contest held annually in Macon, Georgia.  Citlaly Cisneros of Bagley Middle,  Maddie Matthews from Fannin Co Middle, and Rockmart High School's FFA member Melissa Gilmer were top finalist. Judges for the event included Gordon County Career Tech Director Amy Parker , John Richardson General Manager of Learning Labs, and John Hatfield Environmental Instructor of Chattahoochee Tech. 

The Public Speaking CDE is designed to recognize outstanding FFA members for their ability to present a prepared public speech in a competitive setting. Members write and deliver the speech from memory. The event gives FFA members the opportunity to develop the ability to communicate in a powerful, organized and professional manner. The competition, hosted at Ashworth Middle School in Calhoun, is one of many educational activities in which FFA members practice the lessons taught in agricultural education classes.

The Georgia FFA Organization, formerly known as the Future Farmers of America, is a national youth organization of more than 30 thousand student members - all preparing for leadership and careers in the science, business and technology of agriculture. The FFA mission is to make a positive difference in the lives of students by developing their potential for premier leadership, personal growth and career success through agricultural education.  The Georgia Department of Education provides leadership and helps set direction for FFA as a service to local agricultural education programs.

As 7th graders from Sonoraville Middle School traveled to Tybee Island to study the environment, they stopped off in Macon, GA to visit the Sports Hall of Fame. Sports fanatics on the trip were in heaven but had to come back to earth to continue on their educational journey to Tybee.  Stay tuned for updates from Tybee...

Students in Mr. Haney's 8^th grade science class started a unit on light (S8P4A: Identify the characteristics of electromagnetic and mechanical waves). His classes have talked about the electromagnetic spectrum and created mnemonics to remember the arrangement, from lowest frequency to highest frequency (radio, microwave, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, x-ray, and gamma rays). The classes focused on rainbows and made predictions of where rainbows would fall along the electromagnetic spectrum. Afterwards, students conducted a Rainbow Lab. Students had to measure how much liquid to pour into a cylinder. Students made careful observations and recorded their discoveries of what results when certain colors combine. Students at Sonoraville Middle School continue to show how "bright" they are when they work with science, which makes them RED HOT .

Congratulations to Dalton Macknight! He attended an award ceremony in Atlanta on Saturday and placed 3rd in the entire state of Georgia for the visual arts contest "Diversity Means…" PTSA Reflections Contest! Way to go Dalton!! You are RED HOT!!!

Students in Ms. Worde's MOID class were invited to a Saint Patrick's Day celebration with Ms. Seiz's first period 8^th graders. The students worked together to paint their own version of the "Blarney Stone", viewed an informative presentation about Saint Patrick's day and hunted for four leaf clovers. Mrs. Seiz is very pleased with the maturity level of her 8th grade students and their willingness to work with others.  

Ten SMS Student Council Members and four teachers had the opportunity to attend the second annual "Step Up and Lead" conference series March 6, 2012 in Hampton, Georgia. Seven schools attended the conference at the Fortson 4-H center and Sonoraville Middle was the only school representing Gordon County.  The conference focused on cultivating leadership skills in Elementary and Middle School Youth, and featured motivational speakers and interactive workshops.  The workshops were designed to engage and empower future leadership initiatives, with a focus on Team Building and Cooperation, Planning and Organizing, and Building Communication Skills. The conference was sponsored by Georgia 4-H (part of the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension program), The Georgia Association of Middle School Principals (GAMSP), and The Georgia Association of Elementary School Principals (GAESP). After the conference, the students and teachers were treated to a Behind- the- Scenes tour of Atlanta Motor Speedway.  Red Hot Attendees: Alexandria Hunt, Anna Mullinax, Courtney Williams, Hannah Sharp, Jasmine Daniel, Joanna Graves, Julianna Hunt, Katie Hartel, Kaylee Worley, Madeline Fox, Madison Werner, Amy Haney, Kay Barnett, Judy Rapp and Brandi Seiz.

Students in Mrs. Haney's 6^th Grade Social Studies classes reviewed for the CRCT by creating a human timeline. Each student was given a date and event from our history standards. Students were then given the task of placing themselves in chronological order. As students reviewed, they paid close attention to ensure that everyone was in the correct place. Students were also asked review questions from Mrs. Haney and their peers. Students enjoyed the task, and the assignment helped students to understand the concepts of BC and AD.

The SMS robotics teams competed in the West Forsyth High School 4^th Annual Vex Robotics competition Saturday, March 4^th with 24 robotics teams from across Georgia. At the end of first round of competition, SMS teams were first and second in the standings. SMS teams won in the quarterfinals, semifinal and final to win the tournament handily. The win qualifies SMS to attend the Vex World Robotics Tournament in Anaheim, California in April. At the end of the tournament, the SMS teams were cited by Vex officials as the best middle school robotics teams in Georgia.  Team members are Wil Tierce, Mohit Manson, Jayda Hettmansperger  and Spenser Nolder. Thanks also to Stephen Rademacher for his help.

Pictured left to right: Wil Tierce, Darlene Tierce, Mohit Manson, Spencer Nolder, Ray Payne, Stephen Rademacher, and Jayda Hettmansperger

Congratulations to the January Students of the Month at Sonoraville Middle School! These RED HOT students were chosen by teachers because they show excellent character in the area of Fairness.  They received a certificate and a gift card to Walmart. 

L-R Front Row: Sarah McLeod, Taylor Wisherd, Joann Graves, and Spencer Dunn
Back Row: Roman Story, Easton Gallman, Hayden Bunch, and Tate Thomas

Not pictured: Tristan Wisherd, Jireh Wilson and Skyler Stuart

Mr. R.V. Brown, president of Outreach to America's Youth, brought his outstanding message about believing in oneself and one's dreams to the student body of Sonoraville Middle School on Monday February 27^th. The inspirational message was a treat to the students and the faculty and staff. His words will continue to serve as an inspiration to all of SMS!

Congratulations to Dalton MacKnight!!! He won the PTA Reflections Art Competition at STATE LEVEL for Sonoraville Middle School!  Dalton is one of 8 artists representing Gordon County!  Dalton will be presented an award at an Atlanta ceremony March 25th! 

Kendall Bowman is the Elks Hoop Shoot State Champion!  She competed this past weekend against girls from the other districts in Georgia.  She blew them away by hitting 21/25 free throws including her first 10 in a row!

She will compete against 5 states on March 17^th for the Southern region title and a chance to compete at Nationals in Springfield,  Massachusetts where her name will go in the Basketball Hall of Fame.

By winning state, Kendall receives a warm up suit with her name and Georgia State Champion on it that she will wear in her competitions.

(From left to right:  Makayla Holmes, Emilee Ross, Caroline Magill, and Brady O'Neal)

The FFA Poultry Judging Team did an outstanding job representing themselves at the Area 1 contest on Monday - February 6th.  The junior team came away with 1st place after competing against 18 other teams from surrounding FFA chapters.  Each member faced and met the challenge of displaying their knowledge of today's Poultry industry through class selections of live chickens, interior and exterior egg qualities, and ready-to-cook poultry products!

FFA members who composed the team are Makayla Holmes, Caroline Magill, Emilee Ross, and Brady O'Neal.  Out of the 66 junior students who competed Makayla was named the 2nd place high individual, Caroline was the 3rd place high individual, Brady was 5th place high individual, and Emilee was 10th place high individual.  All members did a terrific job at the contest and look forward to participating in the Georgia FFA State Poultry Judging contest next month at Oglethorpe High School. 

This is increasingly becoming a very exciting year for members of the Sonoraville Middle FFA chapter with Poultry being named the second team this week earning the opportunity to compete in an event on the state level!  Congratulations to all members on the team!

Congratulations to members of the SMS FFA Wildlife Management team!  The team competed in the Area 1 contest on Monday, February 6th at the Dalton Fairgrounds.  The team placed 3rd, earning themselves the opportunity to compete in the state contest next month.  The state FFA Wildlife Management contest will be held at The University of Georgia on March 24th, 2012.

Each member on the team specialized in their own respective area.  Sixth grader Savannah Phillips placed 1st in the area of Aquatics; Robbie Arnold (6th grade) placed 2nd in the area of Wild Game Bird Biology; Dustin Hall (7th grade) was 12th place high individual in the area of Whitetail Deer Management; and Tate Thomas (6th grade) was 15th high individual winner in the area of General Identification.  The team did an outstanding job preparing themselves and competing in the Area 1 Wildlife Management Event.  Over the next several weeks, team members will be utilizing many resources to get themselves ready for the state competition!

(Pictured left to right:  Robbie Arnold, Dustin Hall, Tate Thomas, Savannah Phillips, and FFA Advisor Matthew Waters in the back.)

On February 4, the first ever Sonoraville Middle Reading Bowl team traveled to Chestatee Middle School in Gainesville, GA to attend the Helen Ruffin Reading Bowl. The team competed against 16 other middle schools and came away represening Sonoraville Middle very well for their first competition.  Together the team read 97 books. You guys are RED HOT!!! Congratulations!

Team members include left to right in the above picture: Miracle Austin, Charlie Bonk, Peggy Hammett, Robbie Chance, Samantha Gammon, Sydney Smith, and Jalishia Ashworth

Students in Mr. Haney's class conducted a Static Electricity lab utilizing balloons. Students saw how a charged balloon can make hair rise. Some students also played a tug of war with a coca cola can as other students watched to see which charged balloon had the greatest charge. Several students became fascinated when they charged a balloon and put it next to running water. Finally, students would rub one balloon and leave another balloon, which was not charged, to see that the balloons had opposite charges, which created an attraction. On the other hand, students would also rub two balloons together. Students noticed that both rubbed balloons carried the same charge and would repel. Students got "quite a charge" out of this lab. In fact, the lab was a "hair raising experience" for many students.

Above: Casey Knapp has a hair raising experience.

Recently, Sonoraville Middle School received a GOLD award for making great gains on state assessments under the Single Statewide Accountability System (SSAS). Under SSAS, the Governor's Office of Student Achievement awards schools that show excellence in student achievement and/or progress in student achievement. Award-winning schools must meet the following criteria, which are based on the results of the most recent two years of Criterion Referenced Competency Test (CRCT) (grades 3-8 in reading, English/language arts, math, social studies, and science) and/or the Georgia High School Graduation Test (GHSGT) (grade 11 first time test takers - English/language arts, math, science, and social studies). Criteria are based on Full Academic Year (FAY) students. Both the CRCT and the GHSGT classify achievement in terms of the percent of students who a) do not meet standards, b) meet standards, and c) exceed standards. The gold criteria met by SMS Students include: 1)making AYP for 2 consecutive years, 2)having more than 30% of students exceed standards on the CRCT, and 3) placing in the 97^th percentile of the greatest gains.  SMS was one of only 5 middle schools in Georgia to receive the Gold Award. This award is another reflection of our Red Hot Effort by our Faculty, Staff, and Students! Go Phoenix!

Career Characters

Career development students created Claymations to  demonstrate career concepts. These included attitudes, listening skills, body language and voice quality. Students enjoyed creating the figures and using stop motion video to tell a story.

Above: Aaron Lynch (left) and Jake England show off their creations.   

	Students had a blast creating their claymations.

Congratulations to the December Students of the Month! These students showed exceptional character in the area of Kindness.  Way to go!

Front Row L-R: James Hood, Antonio Perez, Jordan Wellborn, Bethany Perez

Back Row L-R: Emily Evelti, Hannah Roberts, Matthew Adcock, Matthew Ledford, Caroline Magill, Breanna Drawdy, and Maria Ramirez

Not Pictured is Christian Hilley

S onoraville M iddle S chool recognizes and rewards positive behavior.  The implementation of "RED HOT", ( R ecognizing E xcellence D aily for H elping O ther T eammates), enables teachers and staff to identify students who go out of their way to enhance SMS through positive actions.

Teachers and staff nominate students demonstrating excellence in the school setting. Excellence is measured in many ways and is dependent upon the individual student.  Some characteristics of excellence are included in the following list:

Ø  Significant improvement in classroom behavior

Ø  Kindness towards others

Ø  Courtesy

Ø  Assisting fellow students

Ø  Significant improvement in grades

Ø  Anything above the ordinary

Students receiving this honor are:

Front Row L-R: Becca Cheeks, Chasidy Dodd, Colby Mathis

Back Row L-R: Jessica Fowler, Madison Werner, Summer Jordan, Brandon  Pack, Rachel Holbert, JuLeah Kile, Terry Young, Jireh Wilson

Students in Mr. Haney's 8^th grade science class recently conducted a lab over acids and bases. (S8P1 Students will examine the scientific view of the nature of matter.) Students utilized indicators, litmus paper, to determine the acidity or basicity of a substance. Students made predictions prior to the lab if they thought a substance (Pine Sol, Vegetable Oil, for example) was an acid or base and predicted the pH number. Students then tested out their predictions to see if they were correct.  Students later utilized a game on the Internet to sort substances in order based on their acidity or basicity. Students worked well and explained their reasons as to why a substance was a base or an acid. There is no predicting that 8^th grade science remains RED HOT .

Above: Aimee Pacheco, Kenzie Williams, Kimberly Watts, Madison Price, and Ali Proctor test their liquids.

Alexandria Hunt, Errin Johnson, and Ruth Lister diligently test their hypotheses.	Caleb Hall, Dustin Edwards, Asher Sullivan, Wesley Griffin, Allyssa Adams, and Hunter Quinn have thoroughly enjoyed their lab.

Congratulations to Kendall Bowman who recently won the Calhoun Elks Area Hoop Shoot.  She hit 18 out of 25 free throws.  She will compete Saturday, Jan. 28 for the Regional Title. Way to go Kendall! You are RED HOT!

Congratulations to Wimberly Burch!  She participated in the Southeastern Middle School Swim Championship at Baylor this past weekend.  Wimberly represented SMS very well.  She qualified for the A final in the 100 freestyle and placed 6^th overall (out of 80 competitors) with a personal best time of 1:01.23.  Additionally, she qualified for the B final in the 100 breast and finished 12^th overall.  Go, Phoenix swim team!!!

SMS Universal Robotics Teams competed at Lowndes County High School in Valdosta, Georgia this past Saturday, January 21.  The team of Wil Tierce and Mohit Manson advanced to the semifinals by defeating several high school teams. Wil and Mohit were awarded the Judges Award at the competition for having an excellently designed robot. The team of Spencer Nolder, Don Luke McKee and Jayda Hettmansperger also competed very well for their first competition.  The teams represented SMS by showing great skills, energy and sportsmanship at the competition. SMS Universal Robotics is becoming well-known as the team that defeats the high school teams from all over the state.  Way to go SMS Robotics!  We are proud you are part of the Phoenix Nation!

Above: Team members include, left to right, Spencer Nolder, Don Luke McKee, Mohit Manson, Wil Tierce, and Jayda Hettmansperger

Mohit Manson and Wil Tierce accept the Judges Award from a competition representative.	The team members also made new friends such as the Vibots from McLane Middle in Brandon, Florida. This all girls team had lots of energy and well constructed robots.

The Sonoraville Middle School Math teachers are trying to engage students in a different way of thinking by mapping their thoughts.  These have been used as anchor charts to be posted in the classroom, as student notes, as an introductory activity for a new unit of study, or as a review before a unit test.  Regardless of how they are used, SMS math teachers are using different tools to see students learn.

Sonoraville Middle School is pleased to have sixth grader Emily Gayton as a member of the Auburn University Honor Band for Junior High School Students. Emily was selected from hundreds of student applicants to be a performing member of the AU Honor Band. She has the honor of being the first SMS student to be accepted into this organization. She is one of over 250 middle school students nationwide that have been accepted to participate in this tremendous performance opportunity. Emily will be representing our school system at the third annual Auburn Honor Band Festival and Clinic this February 2nd - 4th. Emily actively plays the alto saxophone in the SMS Band, where she is a first year band student. Way to go Emily, we are all so proud of you!!! You are Red Hot!

Ms. D'Emilio's 7^th grade classes shined as they presented their final steps of their biography projects! The students worked diligently gathering research about their chosen biography topic person. They created outlines, wrote rough drafts, peer edited the drafts, and then spent time in the computer lab typing their final drafts. After all was said and done, the students presented their visual aides to their peers. The students did remarkable work! Way to show that effort matters! They are RED HOT!

Above: Catherine Farist tells about the life of Theodore Geisel, Dr. Seuss!

Brad Patterson tells the class about Dale Earnhardt, Sr.	Annika Hampton's visual aide.
Colby Quinn tells about the hilarious Adam Sandler.	Connor Coots elaborates on his idol, Drew Brees.
Heather Pittman shares a yummy recipe from Rachael Ray, Eclair Cake!	Jayla Thurman has Bieber Fever!
Thaley Jackson, with help from Cortney, presents about John Travolta, one of Mrs. D's favorites!	Tavian Reynolds inspired the class as Martin Luther King, Jr.
Owen Lingerfelt presents on the wonderfully creative Walt Disney!	Kalee Anna Brewster  inspires the class with a Nelson Mandela quote.
	Kelsey Izumo has the class explore the seas of knowledge while presenting on Ponce De Leon.

Congratulations to SMS 8th grader, Wimberly Burch! Wimberly has qualified to swim in the middle school championships at the Baylor School in Chattanooga, TN on Saturday, January 21.  She will compete in the 100 freestyle and the 100 breaststroke. Wimberly is the first swimmer to ever compete for the Sonoraville Schools! Way to go Wimberly! Go Phoenix!

Students in Mr. Haney's 8^th grade science class recently completed a unit on ionic bonding and covalent bonding. (S8P1. Students will examine the scientific view of the nature of matter.). As a culminating activity, students created covalent bonds using toothpicks and different colored marshmallows to indicate different types of atoms. Students in Mr. Haney's class enjoyed this lab. In fact, they "ate it up".

Above: JP Michael and Ethan Scott pose with their atom.

Below: Brett Jones, Jose Garcia, Miriam Soria learn and have fun too!

SMS 7^th grade students who achieved Honor Roll or Merit list were treated to pizza for lunch for an Academic Celebration on Friday, January 13^th.   Students gathered in the halls and enjoyed talking with their classmates.  Congratulations 7^th grade students who made all A's and B's!!!

Students in Mr. Haney's 8^th grade science class recently studied atoms, especially electrons, protons, and neutrons (S8P1. Students will examine the scientific view of the nature of matter. ). As students learned that electrons carry a negative charge, protons carry a positive charge, and that neutrons have no charge, students began to expand their knowledge of atoms by studying valence electrons. Students modeled valence electrons utilizing hula hoops. Students used their hands to represent electrons and how many electrons can fit on each energy level.  Students show that you don't have to jump through hoops to make science fun!

Everyone on the faculty and staff at Sonoraville Middle School makes a difference in the lives of our students every day. To show appreciation for them prior to the holidays, they were treated to a steak or chicken dinner along with salad, huge baked potato and red velvet or sweet potato cake for dessert. The meat and potatoes were fresh from Sheriff's meats. The meat was prepared on a smoker supplied by Ernie Smith and Battlefield Building Supply. Mr. Bobby McFry volunteered his time and smoking expertise to prepare the meat. The potatoes and wonderful dessert were prepared by the nutrition staff and Mrs. Teresa Langston.  Pictured are the nutrition staff enjoying their meal, Mr. McFry, and a sample plate. Thanks to the Red Hot SMS faculty and staff for making a difference!

Congratulations to Kay Barnett, Donald Casey, and Amy Edwards. They are Sonoraville Middle School's Faculty and Staff Members of the Month!

	Mrs. Kay Barnett teaches 6th grade ELA/Reading at Sonoraville Middle School.  She has been in education 32 years. Ten of those years have been at SMS.  Mrs. Barnett was born in Rome, GA but because her father was a minister, she lived in many other states, including Tennessee, Mississippi, Missouri, and Louisiana.   Mrs. Barnett graduated from Pepperell High School in Lindale, GA.  She also graduated from Floyd College (Georgia Highlands), and Georgia College.  She received her masters' degree from West Georgia College (University of West Georgia) and her specialist degree in administration and supervision from Lincoln Memorial University. Mrs. Barnett enjoys spending time with her family, reading and collects Santa Clauses and angels.  Her favorite angels are her three awesome grandchildren! When asked why she chose a career in education, Mrs. Barnett responded, "I have always believed that being a teacher was my calling in life.  Teaching students and having an impact on their lives is not a job to me but what I am all about.  I can not imagine having ever done anything else that would have made such a difference in people's lives."
	Mr. Donald Casey teaches 8th grade Social Studies here at SMS.  All of  his 18 years in education have been at Sonoraville Middle School.  Mr. Casey is from the local community of Sonoraville.  He has attended the old Sonoraville Elementary, Ashworth Middle, and Gordon Central. He obtained his Bachelor of Science degree from Shorter College and his Master's degree from Piedmont College. Mr. Casey enjoys activities with his church, cars and emerging technology. When asked whey he chose a career in education, Mr. Casey states, "I always enjoyed school, so I wanted to stay."
	Mrs. Amy Edwards is a parapro for the MOID classroom here at SMS.  This is her first year to be work full-time in education.  She  grew up in Southern Ohio.  Mrs. Edwards has a Bachelor's degree in Animal Science from Ohio State University. She thoroughly enjoys spending time with her husband and children.  She also enjoys traveling and working with the cattle on her farm.  Mrs. Edwards is an avid volunteer with the local FFA and 4-H chapters.

Pass Go and collect $200.00 or Go to Jail.  This is what the 7^th grade science class has been doing for review. 7^th grade life science has been reviewing and having fun this week studying for the 9 weeks exam.  The classes got a chance to play Scienceopoly and test their skills.  The classes really enjoyed playing as they were learning.

Pictured are Kelsey Hall, Morgan Holt and Tate Moore enjoying their Scienceopoly review.

Recently, the SMS PTSA held a fundraiser to support our students and teachers. The top fundraisers were awarded prizes at the last meeting. In the first picture, is Joseph Potts, 8^th grader who received $200.00, Lane Moore, 6^th grader who received $200.00, Jennifer Rayburn, 6^th grader who received a new  Ipad 2, Tangella Ray, 6^th grader who received $100.00, and Caroline Magill, 8^th grader who received $100.00. Pictured alone is Jennifer Rayburn, the top fundraiser who received the new Ipad 2. Congratulations Jennifer! In addition to awarding the prizes at the meeting, Detective Sergeant Michael "Mikie" Burnett of the Gordon County Sheriff's Department discussed bullying, and the dangers of illegal use of electronic devices with over 50 parents, teachers, and students.

Students in Mrs. Smith's 8th grade science class examined how three substances that look similar and are liquids can have different temperatures.  After recording the temperatures of the liquids at room temperature, students waved the thermometer in the air. The  students were able to witness that as the liquid evaporated, it absorbed energy from the thermometer resulting in the temperature decreasing. Students enjoyed this hands-on activity and were highly engaged.

Above: Destiny O'Neal and Kenzie Walraven check their temperature

Addison Ayers, Savannah Flowers and Beka Gentry enjoy the activity.	Noah Ferguson and Caylen Hager pause to pose for the camera.
Spenser Dunn, Alexis Bolton and Hannah Farley check the temperature of a liquid.	Travis Spires shakes his thermometer to cool it down.

Congratulations to the October Students of the Month for Sonoraville Middle School.  These students showed exceptional character in the area of self-control.

L-R Front Row: Maria Barron, Kelsey Hall, McKinley Brophy, Elisabeth Cohea

Back Row: Dillon Roach, Madison Floyd, Katie Hartel, Naythen Singer, Matthew Vincent

Not pictured: Ruth Lister

On November 4^th, 35 students at Sonoraville Middle School gathered in the media center to compete in the school spelling bee.  After several rounds of intense spelling, the final two remaining spellers were seventh-grader Justin Chastain and sixth-grader Kirsten Young.  After Kirsten misspelled "icicle," Justin spelled "armadillo" correctly to win the school spelling bee. Congratulations to Justin and also to runner-up Kirsten!  Justin will represent SMS in the county spelling bee in early 2012.

The Circle of Friends Club was recently announced at Sonoraville Middle School. The members of this club will be allowed to miss class once every four weeks to assist in Miss Worde's special needs class with various tasks such as reading, math, and daily living skills. Each student had to fill out an application stating why they wanted to work with students with special needs and what they liked best about a special needs person they may know. Over 160 students applied! Students were chosen based on how well they answered their application questions, grades, and staff recommendations. 

Students chosen to participate are:

6th grade: Rachel Holbert, Brooklyn Garland, Cody Schild, Harleigh Chastain, Daniel Estes, Emily Mauldin, Jayda Hettmansperger, Sean Seabrook, Russell Johnson, Juliana Lockaby, Lauren McDougle, Claire Seabolt, Madeline Fox, Robbie Chance, David Mckinney, Jennifer Rayburn, Ramsey Smith, J.J. Bruno

7th grade: Landon Bowen, Madison Werner, Larissa McPherson, Catherine Farist, Thaley Jackson, Cortney Williams, Jayla Thurman, Tavian Reynolds, Julianna Hunt, Maria Ramirez, Dustin Hall, Ashley Lang, Chase Mealor, Gracen Hornbrook, Connor Coots

8th grade: Dillon Roach, Brooke Horner, Joseph Potts, Austin Gazerro, Riley Rule, Michaela Holder, Kimberly Watts, Wimberly Burch, Hannah Crook, Morgan Boswell, Alyssa Owens, Callie Craig, Madison Price, Alexandria Hunt, Elizabeth Munoz

Saturday, October 29,  the SMS Universal Robotics Team traveled to Arabia Mountain High School for the first Georgia robotics competition of the year.  Twenty-four high school and middle schools competed at the event.  At the end of the first round, SMS placed fourth in the standings. SMS lost in the semi-finals to a high school team. At the end of the matches, SMS was awarded the design trophy. This award is given to the team that has the best design at the competition. Team members were Wil Tierce, Mohit Manson, and Don Luke McKee.

Career development students at SMS researched a career of interest in gacollege411.org.  Afterwards, they created a newspaper career hat. The students placed the name of the career they researched and the educational level needed for that career on the hat.

In celebration of Red Ribbon Week, the SMS student body was treated to an enthusiastic and energetic message from the Jeff Lineham Dance Troupe on Thursday, October 27. The troupe is from New York City and travels throughout the US entertaining and inspiring crowds with their anti-bullying, anti drug/alcohol and pro-educational message! Hundreds of schools and thousands of students have enjoyed this one of a kind, not to be missed presentation! Students enjoyed the motivational message and high-energy of the troupe.

Sonoraville Middle School appreciates our transportation experts that deliver our students safely to and from school each day. In celebration of Transportation Safety Appreciation Week, SMS provided each of its drivers with a gift card to Chik-fil-a! Pictured are 2 of our wonderful drivers: Tony Mulkey and Charlene Strickland. All  of our drivers are RED HOT!

The middle school competition cheer squad brought home a first place win this weekend at the Spooks and Spirits cheerleading competition held October 22, at Dalton High School.  The middle school competition was made up of 7 other middle school cheerleading teams.  Congratulations to the sms cheerleading squad! Way to go girls! You are RED HOT!

The SMS robotics team has grown this year and students are constructing, programming and competing in classroom challenges. Students are expanding their knowledge of robotics and building autonomous mode programs for the robots to complete. We have two competition teams which will be competing all over Georgia in 2011 and 2012. The first event is at Arabia Mountain High school in Lithonia Georgia the 29^th of October. 

Students pictured above are: Emily Mauldin, Jayda Hettmansperger, Wil Tierce, Sly Lumpkin, Emily Gayton, Spencer Nolder, Mohit Manson, Colton Lindsey, Don Luke McKee, Jacob Murphy, Steve McDonald, and Justin Salcedo

Congratulations to the boys and girls Cross Country team as they finished out the season strong yesterday at Region. On one of the toughest courses in our region, our boys placed a solid 7^th overall and the girls placed 5^th. Congratulations go out to Ruth Lister and Drake Johnson as they both placed in the top 20 yesterday! Drake finished out his stellar season with a 18^th place finish and a time of 13:22 and Ruth placed 17^th with a time of 15:19. Way to go Phoenix!!

Congratulations to the Girl's Golf Team in their win at the 2012 Region Tournament at the Calhoun Elks Club. The Phoenix got off to a rough start, but weathered the storm to win the Region Tournament over cross town rival Calhoun by 1 shot. It came down to the last hole, and 6^th grader Clara Hulsey dropped a 10 foot putt for par to shoot 47, and clinch the victory for the Phoenix 95-96. Makenna Burger came through with another outstanding round, posting a 48 to round out the scoring for Sonoraville.  Ashley Holcomb and Julia McKinney finished the year with solid rounds to help the Phoenix win their first Region Championship in Girl's Golf.

Pictured is the entire team with Coach Ricky Wilson. All these ladies contributed to a successful season and to winning the Region Championship! Below are both individual and team results.

Team Results:

  Sonoraville 95

  Clara Hulsey   47

  Makenna Burger 48

  Ashley Holcomb 57

  Julia McKinney   59

  Calhoun 96

  Woodland 102

  Cass 102

  Ashworth   103

  Adairsville 110

  Cartersville 120

Individual Results:

  M. Knuchel   46

  Clara Hulsey (Sonoraville) 47

  Katie Rawls (Calhoun)     47

  Makenna Burger (Sonoraville) 48

  Emily Shubert (Cass) 48

Quote from Sonoraville Coach Wilson….. " I'm  proud of how the girls weathered the storm early. We were not playing our best, but made some crucial pars coming down the stretch to win." "Clara has been solid for us all year and has such a bright future." Girl's golf at Sonoraville is now sitting on some solid ground to improve even more over the next few years.

Congratulations to the September Students of the Month at SMS.  These students showed exceptional character in the area of kindness.

Madeline Fox

Chasidy Dodd

Autumn Fain

Jeffrey Morrow

Jayda Hettmansperger

Tiffanie Pereira

William Pritchett

Delainee Hall

Mary Sue Adams

Solomon Capri

The two 6th grade Reach ELA classes put their creativity to work this week. The students generated board games, jeopardy-type overhead projector games, word searches, crossword puzzles, and other review methods for prepositions and prepositional phrases as part of a layered assignment. They shared their review strategies with the other first and second period 6th grade ELA classes prior to a prepositional test on the same day. 6th grade REACH has RED HOT creativity!

At the Manning Mill meet in Adairsville yesterday the lightning was striking for our runners on the course. All runners pushed their hardest on a tough course that was made even more difficult due to the rain. Overall, The girls placed a solid 5^th out of 7 teams and the boys tied with Cass for a 5^th place finish as well.

Drake Johnson continued his rise to the top of our region with a 6^th place finish and a time of 12:45, only 15 seconds off of his personal best of 12:33 and Arisah Argueta, Jacey Johnson, and Jonah Hettmansperger all finished the course and beat their personal best records. Catherine Farist also pulled out a 14^th place finish for the girls overall with a time of 15:17.

WAY TO GO PHOENIX!!

S onoraville M iddle S chool recognizes and rewards positive behavior.  The implementation of "RED HOT", ( R ecognizing E xcellence D aily for H elping O ther T eammates), enables teachers and staff to identify students who go out of their way to enhance SMS through positive actions.

Teachers and staff nominate students demonstrating excellence in the school setting. Excellence is measured in many ways and is dependent upon the individual student.  Some characteristics of excellence are included in the following list:

Ø  Significant improvement in classroom behavior

Ø  Kindness towards others

Ø  Courtesy

Ø  Assisting fellow students

Ø  Significant improvement in grades

Ø  Anything above the ordinary

William Long

Austin Dotson

Catherine Farist

Katie White

Emily Evelti

Jacob Davis

Marco Munoz

Destin Summers

Elisabeth Cohea

Natalie Parker

Brianna Towers

Jose Garcia

Jose Torres

Jonathan Torres

Kenny Nunfio

Ryan Conejo

Alex Macias

Dario Farias

Emma Crawford

Ezequiel Ramirez

Emily Stanger

Francisco Perez

Josh McIntyre

Ryan Redd

Cole Maddox

Thomas Hayes

Samantha Delli

Students in Mr. Haney's 8^th grade science class recently completed a unit on forces. In addition to playing tug of war with the other 8^th grade science classes. The students made a house of cards to further demonstrate balanced and unbalanced forces. Students worked well together to not have any unbalanced forces knock over their houses. Some students would later play the role of a hurricane (an unbalanced force) and blow down someone else's house. Students showed why they were kings and queens of their houses and proved to be aces in developing their houses. Sonoraville Middle science shows once again why student work continues to be RED HOT!!!!!!

The SMS Cross Country team was given a chance to shine and show their stuff at the Resaca Battlefield meet held at the Coosawattee Trail. The course that previously battered and bruised us took a beating as all runners dropped their times by at least four minutes. Many runners came close to beating their personal bests on a tough course.

To add to the excitement of the day Ruth Lister placed 6^th overall in the meet with a time of 15:34.

In an effort to raise money for the SMS Athletics Department, Coach Eddie Jones held a pizza raffle in which students were able to purchase tickets for free pizza from their classes.  The winning ticket was purchased by SMS 7^th grader Alex Hales. He is the lucky recipient of (1) pizza a week for  a year! That's 52 pizzas! Alex purchased his raffle ticket in Coach Jones' weight training class. Special thanks to Papa John's pizza for contributing to this worthy cause.

Congratulations Alex, enjoy one pizza of your choice each week for a year!

Picture:  (Coach Jones congratulates Papa John's pizza winner Alex Hales)

At Sonoraville Middle School's PTSA meeting Monday night, close to 100 people voted on candidates for this year's School Governing Council. The council is part of the requirements of the new charter we now work under as a system. SMS is pleased to announce this year's School Governance Council: Allen Bowen, Dwight Craig, Amy Haney, Brandi Seiz, Jennifer Childs, Kelly Cohea, Randy Rule, and  Michael Weiser.

Additionally, we have a school advisory committee composed of Allen Bowen, Amy Haney, Brandi Seiz, Kelly Cohea, Elizabeth Phillipe, and Teresa Enriquez. This group replaces the old School council. SMS looks forward to working with each of these RED HOT stakeholders.

Career Development students completed a challenge that included following instructions, giving instructions and active listening.  One student was the instructor and the other student was blindfolded. The challenge was for the student instructor to give directions to the blindfolded student on how to fold a paper airplane. Teams were to follow directions and fold as many airplanes as possible in ten minutes.  When completed the instructor guided their partner outside and had them toss as many planes as possible in one minutes. The teams whose planes flew the longest distance and were folded correctly were the winning team. Students shown above are Corey Scoggins, Robert Rountree, Owen Lingerfelt, Caleb Jordon, Johnathan Torres, Justin Chastain, Jose Barron, Dexter Bramlett, and Ashton Silvers.

Hailey Swilley carefully instructs Sydney Smith to fold her paper in half.	Dexter Bramlett practices his listening skills while Ashton Silvers see how clearly he can give directions.

Art students at Sonoraville Middle School recently had the chance to show much deserved appreciation to our troops by creating a thank you letter! The thank you cards were sent in to a local radio station that is collecting the letters.  The goal is for every single soldier stationed or deployed outside the United States to receive a letter of gratitude on Thanksgiving Day. This authentic product focused task resulted in a contribution of 80 thank you cards from SMS art students. Supporting the troops is Red Hot!

At SMS, art students are learning to apply media techniques and processes. They recently completed a task in which they wove paper to create a background on a landscape collage. Pictured is the standard and task along with some samples of the task. Art students at SMS are RED HOT!

As shown from the pictured standard, students in computer classes at SMS are learning the business and computer science standards and applying them. The pictures include the standards associated with the product samples pictured. Way to go SMS computer classes and teachers! You are RED HOT!

Shrouded in fog, hundreds of SMS and SHS students joined with students across the nation in participating in See You At The Pole. The combined meeting was held around the flag pole at the stadium. Both schools appreciate the support of our youth pastors in this effort, as well as, The FCA at both schools. Phoenix Nation is RED HOT!  

The Sonoraville Middle School Cross Country Team congratulates Drake Johnson on his medal winning time of 12:33 and top ten finish at the recent Hurricane Alley meet in Cartersville. Drake ran a good race on a tough course to beat his personal record of 14:19. WAY TO GO DRAKE!! GO PHOENIX!

  Mrs. Seiz's 8^th Grade Homeroom recently participated in the Homecoming door decorating contest.  The students were excited to participate in the festivities and their Red Hot Spirit is evident in their Hawaiian themed door.  Go Phoenix!!

Students in all 8^th grade science classes at Sonoraville Middle School recently participated in a friendly competition of tug-of-war. Students have been studying the effects of balanced forces and unbalanced forces on objects (Standard S8P3.Students will investigate relationship between force, mass, and the motion of objects.b. Demonstrate the effect of balanced and unbalanced forces on an object in terms of gravity, inertia, and friction.). The tug-of-war activity helped reinforce the concept of unbalanced forces as the side with the greater force would win. At the resting state, the rope would not move, thus creating a balanced force. Once again, Sonoraville Middle's 8^th grade science students demonstrate why our work continues to be RED HOT !!!!

6^th grade science classes at Sonoraville Middle took part in a latitude/longitude lab.  Lines of latitude and longitude were drawn in the bus loading area and students competed to see who could reach the correct coordinate first. 

Contour lines were drawn on the front lawn so show elevation differences.  Students were able to visualize elevation differences and contour intervals with this activity.

Alyssa Childs and Chrissy  Blackmon find themselves on a lifesize topographic map.	Cole Maddox and Jacob Rickett find their way around the map.
Jalen Lee and Colby  Smith double check their spots.	Sam Ramos, Suzette Perez and Faith Tincher are traveling latitude and longitude lines.

Eighth grade students in Teresa Smith's science class recently were allowed to chew gum in class to investigate acceleration and calculate speed by timing how many chews they could make over various time periods.　 They were even allowed to use the stop watch application on their cell phones.　 They really enjoyed being able to chew gum in class and were actively engaged in the activity.　(Above: Becca Gentry, Addison  Ayers, and Savannah Flowers enjoy the chance to get the chew gum in class.)

S8P3. Students will investigate relationship between force, mass, and the motion of objects.

a. Determine the relationship between velocity and acceleration.

Last week, Four members of SMS's Design Team were fortunate to spend 4 days at the Schlecty Center in Louisville, KY. They were afforded the opportunity to learn how to coach teachers in the process of designing engaging work for their students thanks to P.A.G.E and its partnership with Gordon County Schools. It was a tremendous week of learning and relationship building for team members Mike Evelti, Marsha Walden, Brandi Seiz, and Allen Bowen. Additionally, Allen and Mike were able to draw inspiration by learning more about Abraham Flexner from Phil Schlecty himself. Thanks to P.A.G.E. and Gordon County Schools for this opportunity!

7^th graders in Mrs. D'Emilio's classes turned "trash into treasure" after reading Chaim Potok's short story "Zebra". In the story, Adam Zebrin uses art to rehabilitate himself after surviving a traumatic and life-altering accident. He and his classmates use various pieces of unwanted materials and turn them into pieces of art. SMS students took the opportunity to shine and show how creative they are!

Annika Hampton created a beautiful Mountain Dew Mustachioed Taco Man.	Kelsey Hall, Allie Jones, and Cortney Williams took old shirts to create...
Aaron Lynch created a fighter jet out of his supplies.	Tate Moore and Morgan Holt created menacing Cyclops mice.
Maggie Quarles decorated an old Nutcracker and turned him into a caped crusader!	Beautiful new Sonoraville shirts!

The new students of Sonoraville Middle School Band have recently attended the Instrument Rental Night here at the SMS Band Room! They have purchased and rented brand new instruments and are ready to begin their musical pursuits with their new band director, Mr. Ruggiero! This year's 6th grade band class has reached a total enrollment of 53 students!!

Mr. Haney's 8^th grade science class used available technology, including smartphones, to research elements, compounds, and mixtures.  Pictured are students using newly purchased computers in the classroom as well as students using a phone as a "mini-computer". SMS is incorporating available technology into student learning!

On Thursday, September 01, the SMS cheerleaders helped celebrate Attendance success for SMS. At halftime of the SMS and Woodland Middle football game the SMS students body was recognized for winning the Thurston's, Omnova, Chik-fil-a Attendance competition for the second straight school year.  The monthly/yearly competition takes place between Sonoraville Middle, Ashworth Middle and Calhoun Middle. The Sonoraville community congratulates the students of SMS on this achievement. The school looks forward to competing for a three peat this year. This is just another reason why "We are Sonoraville Middle" and "We are RED HOT!"

Top row left to right: Audrey Carroll, Kennidy Holman, Mackay Wofford, Lainee Hall, Hannah Brookshire, Brooke Horner, Kelsey Hall, Emily Ross, Anna Mullinax, Christina Coulder

Bottom left to right: Allison Thomas, Kayden Godfrey, McKenna Burger, Destiny O'neal, Vanessa Thomas, Alyssa Adams.

Students in Mr. Haney's class have been conducting research on elements, compounds, and mixtures [Standard S8P1b Describe the differences between pure substances (elements and compounds) and mixtures.] Also, students made predictions during a mini lab as to whether certain mixtures were solutions or suspensions. Then, the class tested three substances:  (1.) baking soda and water, (2.) corn starch and water, and (3.) sugar and water. Students shook up the bottles for ten seconds and then the classes made observations on which particles dissolved (solution) or which particles remained (suspension). Students in Mr. Haney's class really got things shaking during this mini lab. Once again, SMS student work continues to be RED HOT!!!!

Pictured from left to right, first row: Hunter Quinn, Wesley Griffin, Dustin Edwards B ack row:  Asher Sullivan, Caleb Hall, Ruth Lister

6^th graders at Sonoraville Middle performed an Egg Drop Lab last week.  The objective was to drop their egg from the back of the football bleachers and it NOT be scrambled when it hit the ground.  Anything and everything could be used to protect their eggs from the disastrous drop. Students used the scientific method and its steps to complete the lab.  How do you think they did?? Above: Garrison Baumgardner shows off his safety capsule for his egg.

Thursday Spirit Days at Sonoraville Middle School are heating Up! Many 8^th graders were proud to show off their Red Hot spirit for Football, Cheerleading, Cross Country, Volleyball, Softball, Golf and Academic Team.  Fall sports are in full swing and we are PROUD of their RED HOT effort on and off the field.  

Roy Juarez Jr's  "MyBag, MyHome... Homeless by Choice" tour paid a visit to SMS 8th graders. The  300 City tour is circling the United States with a goal to inspire 100,000 youth to dream, not give up on life, and understand the value of a higher education. 

visit Roy's sight for more information:

www.homelessbychoice.com

Recently, several areas of SMS received a Phoenix Facelift! Thanks to Gordon County's own Katelyn Chitwood who did the work. Included in the pictures are a new Phoenix on the "Wall of Fame", an "Oval S" in the cafeteria, and "PHOENIX NATION" in the gym. This aesthetic upgrade is another move in growing the Phoenix Pride among the middle school community.

Eighth grade Georgia History classes at SMS recently spent time learning about Native American Cultures and their impact on Georgia's history. Pictured is the corresponding Georgia Performance Standard and some of the work created by Mr. Sam Smith's students that was posted outside the classroom.

SMS Universal Robotics Team visited Boy Scout Troop 46 Tuesday afternoon at the Sonoraville Baptist Church. Team members demonstrated their robots and skills to the Scouts. Many parents attended and the scouts enjoyed operating the robots.

Students attending were: Kevin Bridges, Jacob Murphy, Mohit Manson, Spencer Nolder, Don McKee, Emily Mauldin, and Wil Tierce

Congratulations to Makayla Holmes! This SMS 8th grader placed in the top 5 at the GA Young Farmers market goat show this past weekend in Perry Ga. There were over 300 goats entered. Congratulations once again!

Fifty-six young ladies competed for spots on the SMS volleyball team.  It was a great turnout and many worthy athletes simply did not make the team due to numbers.  It was extremely difficult to cut this group down to 14 players.  Thank you all for your time and effort.

Congratulations to the following young ladies who made the 2011 SMS volleyball team:

1. Delaney Bell

2.   Rebekah Cash

3.   Kelsi Cooper

4.   Taryn Hickey

5. Emalie Hicks

6.   Michaela Holder

7. Gracen Hornbrook

8.   Ciera Lindsey

9.   Caroline Magill

10.   Natalie Parker

11.   Summer Quinn

12.  Baylea Richards

13.  Savannah Wilbanks

14.  Hannah Wells

15. Haley Smith

Wil with David Richardson,  President/ CEO Learning Labs Inc.	Wil checks out the competition field for Gateway

This summer, SMS Universal Robotics Team Coach, Ray Payne and robotics club member,  Wil Tierce, attended a workshop at  Applied Technologies based in Calhoun.  The two day event focused on competitive Vex Robotics and advanced programming with Easy CV4.  Workshop topics included; introduction to programming robotic sensors and instruction on rules for the 2011-2012 Vex Competitive Game Gateway.  The SMS Robotics Team was very successful last year and will be competing across Georgia again in the upcoming season. 

It is hard to believe this school year is almost over! We are excited to welcome the class of 2018 to Sonoraville Middle School next year. SMS school counselors and teachers are already making plans to create a smooth transition for our rising 6^th graders to middle school. SMS hosted a transition program, "Phoenix Fly-By" for a brief introduction to the building and 6^th grade teachers on Monday, May 9 from 6 to 7 p.m. in the school's cafeteria. We want to prepare our students for success and start them thinking about all Sonoraville Middle School has to offer. Parents and students signed up for special classes such as chorus, band, and weight training and toured their potential classrooms. Parents were introduced to the PTSA organization as well. After the brief but informative "Fly-By" through our building, future 6^th graders left even more excited for their next adventure as RED HOT Phoenix!

May 3^rd and 4^th brought exciting changes in the lives of 5^th graders all over Gordon County. Fairmount Elementary, Belwood Elementary, Sonoraville Elementary, and Red Bud Elementary 5^th grade students toured their soon-to-be Middle School. Each student received a red Phoenix t-shirt and received a RED HOT welcome from cheerleaders, school counselors, 6^th grade student ambassadors, and of course, Mr. Bowen. "Student Ambassadors", current 6^th grade students also in special t-shirts, led 5^th graders in small group tours. Students made stops in the Cafeteria, Media Center, 6^th grade hallway, Greenhouse, and Band and Chorus classrooms. They received folders containing all the information a rising 6^th grader could need. They had the opportunity to ask questions in a small group setting and receive valuable advice on not just surviving, but thriving in middle school. This fall, Sonoraville Middle School is excited to welcome a new group of Phoenix, the class of 2018!

SMS 6th Graders returned recently from Camp Wahsega.  Students completed several group communication skill classes, a herpetology class where they held and learned about Ga. Snakes, pioneer life where they learned to make cornbread and candles and used authentic tools to make wood for cabins, and stream ecology where they learned about Ga. water ways and the animals that live in them. They also attended a survival class where they learned what to pack for a hike and how to survive if they were to get lost in the woods. They also survived 4 hours in the bath houses while the storms rolled through the area!  Their last night at camp was celebrated by making s'mores.  Yummy!

To thank our wonderful secretaries who do so much for our school, the administration and counselors of SMS provided a home cooked meal and "duty free" lunch for Secretaries' Day. A delicious lunch of homemade lasagna, salad and bread, and two fruit pies were served in their honor. We appreciate the hard work and dedication of Ms. Susan Fox, school secretary; Ms. Sabrina Horner, reception secretary, and Ms. Kim Coots, registrar/data clerk.　 SMS loves our RED HOT Secretaries!

Ms. Linda Anderson is in her second year of teaching Reading connections for 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th graders at SMS. Previously she spent nearly 30 years teaching in Clayton County. A native of Ramhurst, a community in Murray County, she graduated from Murray County High School. She obtained her Bachelor's of Education degree from Auburn University, and received both her Master's and Specialist of Education degrees from Georgia State University in Middle School Language Arts. During summer breaks from college, she worked in Project Headstart, where she was fortunate to work with some energetic and compassionate teachers. She says, "They inspired me to become a teacher. In turn, it has been rewarding to see many of my former students that are now teachers- many of whom still keep in touch." Ms. Anderson enjoys traveling, reading mystery novels, attending plays and concerts, and playing the piano.

Ms. Tammy Worley grew up in LaFayette, Georgia and graduated from Gordon Lee High School in Chickamauga. She obtained her Associate's Degree in Early Childhood Education and has worked as a Kindergarten and Pre-K Paraprofessional, as well as a lead Pre-K teacher. Ms. Worley has worked for the past two years as an ESS Parapro at SMS. She says she chose a career in education because "I love spending time with children and seeing them 'light up' when they grasp a concept that they have struggled with. I like to instill a love of learning that will last a lifetime." Ms. Worley enjoys camping, cooking, boating, and watching her son play sports.

SMS is proud of these RED HOT Educators!

Sonoraville Middle is Proud to Announce Our Students of the Month of March for Cooperation:

Derek Walker

Maggie Quarles

Christopher Gonzalez

Justin Jones

Brandon Dowdy

Braxton Blalock

Vanesa Casarez

Nicholas Bennett

Makay Wofford

Sonoraville Middle is Excited to Announce the Young Georgia Authors' Writing Competition winners! Two entries have been judged and selected from the district level, and one representative selected from the school level.  SMS is very proud of these RED HOT authors!

Pictured L to R: Ms. McLarty, 6^th grade ELA teacher, Abby Wright; Chelsea Church, Ms. Farist, 8^th grade ELA teacher; Jalisha Ashworth, Ms. Hensley, 7^th grade ELA teacher

MS 6^th grade science classes completed a Moon Phases lab using Oreo cookies recently.  Students really enjoyed modeling the moon phases and eating them afterwards!  The cookie lab met Science Standard S6E2. Students will understand the effects of the relative positions of the earth, moon and sun. a. Demonstrate the phases of the moon by showing the alignment of the earth, moon, and sun.

PHOENIX SWEEP THE LEAGUE. 2011 CHAMPIONS

SMS Kicks the Can (Communications & Teamwork skills)

Career Development students tested their communications and teamwork skills in this lively activity. Working in teams, students gave voice commands to  blindfolded team members to guide them through the maze without kicking the can. Cans were kicked and teams improved as they mastered the terms to navigate the maze.  The students followed up this activity by discussing ways to improve communications and team work skills needed to be successful during this activity. 

To prepare for the CRCT, Mrs. D'Emilio's classes created their own review games that include directions and answer keys. The students were asked to prepare 25 questions about ELA and reading, and then the groups created "Challenge" questions that involved any subject of their choice. The students worked for three days on their games and are testing their final product in class. Great job, folks!

Hannah Brookeshire, Aaron Clayton, Callie Craig and Miracle Austin.	Kendal Rader, Ethan Beavers, Hunter Young, and Noah Wilson compete against each other!
Erin Whitlock and Maris Irick await to answer their question to sink their bean bag into their opponent's side.	Landon Vest attempts to earn his extra 3 points after answering correctly.

EQ: What are some crime scene investigation techniques?

This was the essential question for the 6^th grade Reach students on March 31 when Mr. Audey Murphy, a member of the GBI, shared real crime scene photos along with fingerprinting procedures with them. Afterwards the students lifted their own fingerprints from aluminum cans with the aid of authentic powder, brush, and tape. Mr. Murphy said that real crime investigation is not like CSI, but rather, it is a dirty, sometimes messy business.

Ms. Hawkins' 6^th grade ELA class at SMS is studying a unit on Greek and Latin Root Words, prefixes and suffixes. This is an ELA standard. 

Ben Roy from the Science Zone wowed Sonoraville Middle School students at the 8^th Grade Science Assembly held Monday afternoon, March 28^th in the schools' gymnasium. Mr. Roy performed a variety of experiments that provided dramatic visual effects which brought life to the GPS standards in Physical Science.

These outstanding students were nominated by their team of teachers for displaying honesty throughout the month of February.　 In an effort to promote positive social skills for all students, SMS counselors, teachers, and staff model good character with a monthly trait in mind.　 Students who personally make a difference in our school are recognized and rewarded for their exemplary behavior.　 SMS would like to congratulate these RED HOT students!

Hayley Ponder
Nancy Herrera
Blake Garland
Tristan Key
Sommer Quinn
Kevin Hurtiz
Rebekah Cash
Alexis Cruz (not pictured)

Mr. Paul Hammonds has been teaching Health and Physical Education at SMS for 6 years.  He grew up in Key West, Florida and graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Education from the University of Miami.  He says he became a teacher because "I enjoy working with young people and being a positive influence for those in need."  In his free time, Mr. Hammonds enjoys fast cars, flying, and spending time with family. 

Ms. Vanessa Henson grew up in Chokoloskee Island, Florida.  She obtained her Bachelor's degree in Health and Physical Education from Lee University.  She says she loves teaching PE because "I was impacted as a young person by teachers who poured wisdom, integrity, and compassion into my life. Caring adults make a big difference in the lives of children, and I wanted to have that kind of positive impact on young people."  Ms. Henson loves her family, sports, and reading. She has made the Health and PE classes at SMS RED HOT for the past 20 years!

Ms. Susan Fox has been the RED HOT school secretary at SMS for 18 years!  A native of Calhoun, she graduated from Calhoun High School.  Ms. Fox loves working at SMS because "I lived in the Sonoraville Community for 25 years and I love the community. SMS is where my heart is, I love the students and the staff and it is a GREAT place to work, I am honored to be at SMS.  The love of this community pours over into our schools daily."  Ms. Fox enjoys time with her grandchildren and family, her church, riding motorcycles with her husband, and camping.

Students of the Month at Sonoraville Middle recognized  for January - Fairness:

Brooke Smith

Morgan Holt

Haven Woods

Kris Crider

Marianna Gibson

Kelsey Cooper

Hunter Young

Patrick Silvers

Sonoraville Middle School held a special breakfast the morning of March 16 in honor of the Students of the Month. Students and their parents were treated to a delicious breakfast of coffee, biscuits and fresh fruit prepared by our wonderful cafeteria staff.  These outstanding students were chosen by their "team" of teachers and were recognized for their displays of good character.  SMS strives to educate students on the value of well rounded personal character as well as academics. The character trait for November was "Respect", and the trait for December was "kindness".  SMS congratulates these exceptional students and their parents (who lead by example!). 

SMS recently competed at Armuchee High School Choral Evaluation.  SMS  had 4 choirs to perform and ALL of them received a performance rating of EXCELLENT!  They also are judged in sight-reading.  This means the students looked at the dots (notes) on the page for the first time and within 3 minutes of practicing, were able to sing it perfectly.  That doesn't sound difficult, but they do this within parts - for example, a choir that sings in three part harmony - each part has their own separate line to sight-read, but all three parts sing their lines at the same time to create a really cool line of music with harmony.  They all received an EXCELLENT rating in sight-reading, with Honor Chorus bringing home a SUPERIOR rating (they read it perfectly!!!)  Congratulations to SMS chorus! You are RED HOT!

Students in Mr. Haney's 8^th grade science class recently studied sound. As a culminating activity, students created kazoos and telephones using paper cups. The standard used in class was S8P4E: Relate the properties of sound to everyday experiences. As students developed their kazoos, they saw that as you increase the loudness of an object, the resulting amplitude also increases. Students also enjoyed getting an opportunity to "play in the band" with their kazoos.

Students also got to work on making paper telephone cups. Students realized through trial and error that a strong signal could not be sent if the "telephone cords" were not tight. Students obtained larger strings and made their strings tighter so that a sound wave could be produced.

Students enjoyed the activities. Once again, students showed that SMS science is RED HOT!!!!!!

SMS Universal Robotics Team traveled to the Vex robotics competition Saturday at Lambert High school in Forsyth county. SMS teams competed against 23 middle schools from all over Georgia. The SMS 78T team of Wil Tierce and Stephen Rademacher were very high scorers in all their matches. They made it to the championship match and lost in a tie breaker 31 to 30. These students really had others schools taking notice of SMS at the competition. Because of their competitiveness, they received the team energy award at the event.　　　　　　　　　　 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　

Recently, members of the SMS Leadership Team were invited to present at the Georgia Collaborative for School Improvement Conference at Callaway Gardens. Participating were Allen Bowen, Principal; Jason Brock, Assistant Principal; Donnie Hudgens, Leadership Team Co-Chair; and Jane Farist, Leadership Team Co-Chair. The title of the presentation was "Transforming Leadership Teams and School Culture". This experience was an opportunity to share with others from around the state the effort of SMS to transform into a learning organization. The trip was valuable to the group as they shared ideas and also gained valuable ideas from others who presented.

After writing to his favorite team for a writing project, Ezequiel Ramirez received a package from the LA Dodgers.  Items included a calendar, notebook, ticket brochure, tattoos, pencils, and team player cards.  Congratulations, Ezequiel!

Goodies Ezequiel received from the Dodgers.

Congratulations to SMS Student Cody Holland! He earned a 3^rd place finish in the 6^th Grade Berry College Math Competition. Cody's individual score was tied for the 2^nd highest among ALL of the students competing. WAY TO GO CODY! You are RED HOT!

SMS students, faculty and staff lined the hallways ready to cheer and congratulate the SHS wrestling team on their way to the state duel championship Friday.　 Cheerleaders lead the way and the wrestling team wound their way around SMS to receive a grand celebration and send-off!　 Good luck at state Firebirds! SHS wrestlers are RED HOT!!

Students in Teresa Smith's science class at SMS recently completed a lesson on series and parallel circuits.  Students worked with an energy ball and realized that in order for the ball to work, it must be part of a complete circuit.  Students worked to show that if there is a break in a series circuit, then the ball will not work.  If the ball is set up in a parallel circuit and there is a break in the circuit, the ball can still work.  They realized that switches are nothing more than devices that put conductors together to turn something on and separate them to turn something off. 

GPS:  S8P5:  b.  Demonstrate the advantages and disadvantages of series and parallel circuits and how they transfer energy.

SMS Universal Robotics Team traveled to Dunwoody High School on Saturday, February 19th, 2011 for an exciting Vex Robotics qualifier.  Twenty-four teams from the Atlanta metro area competed in the all day event. Sonoraville Middle Universal Robotics Team, the only middle school in attendance, competed against high school robotics teams!  At the end of the first round of competition, Sonoraville 78T was in 5th place. In alliance with two other teams, SMS advanced to the semifinals. During and after the competition,  high school team members and coaches complimented SMS teams on their robots and skill level.  At the end of the qualifier Sonoraville Team 78T of Wil Tierce and Stephen Rademacher received the Judges award for their competitiveness and robot skills. Teams that qualified at the event are eligible to participate at the  world championships in Kissimmee, Florida in April.

Congratulations to SMS's December Students of the Month!  They were nominated by their team of teachers for consistently displaying the character trait of kindness during the month of December.  SMS prides itself on educating students not only academically but personally as well.  Each month a new character trait is emphasized and students are rewarded for their behavior.  Along with their parents they will be invited to a celebratory breakfast in March.  SMS is proud of these outstanding students!

Dexter Bramlett

Hannah Champion

Tyler Grantham

Lacey Dodd

Mohit Manson

Brock Fowler

Thaley Jackson

Harmony Petty

Cortney Williams

Caroline Magill

Michaela Holder

Stephen Rademacher

Diana Rosillo

Sonoraville Middle School recognizes and rewards positive behavior, especially those who go out of their way to help make SMS a great place to learn. Students are nominated for a RED HOT award by their teacher or staff member for demonstrating excellence in the school setting. RED HOT stands for Recognizing Excellence Daily by Helping Other Teammates. SMS is very proud of these RED HOT students! 　

Tyler Grantham

Draven Parise

Dylan Rhinehart

Summer Wilson

Lane Strickland

Heather Ortiz

Payton White

Desirae Biddix

Cody Puckett

Carly Ellison

Austin Tillman

For the technical writing unit in Mrs. D'Emilio's class, SMS 7th grade students wrote friendly letters to a celebrity of their choice. ASHLEE MORGAN was the first student to receive a response... from Harry Potter author, J.K. ROWLING!