We are
pleased to announce that Mrs. Nancy Pearse has
been appointed by the Board of Education to the
position of Assistant Principal at O'Rourke Middle
School.
Congratulations, Mrs. Pearse!
O'Rourke Students
Make "Help for Haiti" Happen!
In the past week,
over 200 Middle School students have volunteered to
stay after school during an Activity Period to make
maroon and white lapel pins as part of our Help
for Haiti campaign. These students managed to
make more than 1000 ribbons in about an hour!
These ribbons are now on sale
for $2.00 each. All monies collected will be
forwarded to the American Red Cross Fund for Haiti.
Students can buy ribbons through Monday, February 8
during lunch and they are also available in the Main
Office. Additional donations for this fund are also
being accepted. Checks can be made out to "O'Rourke
Middle School." Thank you at all who participated
but especially to the students who showed that they
care!
School
Regulations regarding the attendance of Middle
School Students at Sporting Events
Along
with the privilege of participating in an athletic
contest, either as a spectator or player, comes the
responsibility to exhibit exemplary conduct, spirit
and sportsmanship. Please review these
specific policies regarding the attendance of Middle
School students at sporting events.
Link
SPELLING
BEE The annual
Spelling Bee at O'Rourke Middle School was held on
December 8th with many excellent contestants.
The top three will go on the next level of
competition. Congratulations to:
First Place -
Ashley LaMere
(8th grade) also a winner when she was in 7th grade Second Place
- Justin Emerick
(6th grade)| Third Place
- Nathanial Coffey
(7th grade)
O'Rourke
Middle School Drama Club News The Drama
Club at O'Rourke is now in rehearsal for the
upcoming production of
"Cinderella"
that will be presented on Friday, March 19th at 7
PM and Saturday, March 20th at 2 PM and 7 PM.
Click here for the complete rehearsal schedule
for cast & crew. Ticket information will be
available as we get closer to the performance dates.
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New York State
Middle School Exam Schedule
English
Language Arts for Grade 6 - 8 -
April 26 - 28, 2009
Math
for Grades 6 - 8 - May 5 - 7, 2009
Science Performance for Grade 8 -
May 26 - 27, 2009
Science Written for Grade 8 - June 7,
2009
Social Studies for Grade 8 - June
14 - 15, 2009
Middle School Final Exams are scheduled for
Thursday, June 17, 2009 through Wednesday, June 23,
2009.
2009 8th Grade Community
Service Day
“This was great—definitely put us down for next
year. The kids were wonderful; please thank them
again!”
“The students were very well behaved and helpful
in
the classrooms. Thank you for visiting our program.
We hope to see you again next year.”
"Great job on all fronts! What a wonderful
experience! We couldn’t have asked for more
enthusiastic and hardworking students. Thanks to
their excellent teamwork and their chaperone’s
organizational skills, we filled more than 85 food
bags to go to needy families, and helped to load 5
food delivery cars. We were impressed and deeply
grateful for the help. Thank you!”
These are a few of the reviews coming from volunteer
sites visited on the 8th grade Community
Service Day, held on November 24. In its 15th
year, this activity, coordinated by Mrs. Joyce
Brown, FACS teacher, and Mrs. Marge Rizzo, school
librarian, was given a Promising
Practice
Award last year by the Character Education
Partnership.
All
8th graders participated in Community
Service
Day. More than 200 were transported by school bus to
volunteer at 27 sites, including day care
centers, nursing homes,
shelters, soup kitchens and community agencies.
About 50 students worked at school on blankets,
scarves, craft kits, and tote bags to benefit
Bethesda House, Ronald McDonald House, and
the Children’s Hospital at Albany Med. All students
learned about their agency’s work before they went
and reflected on the benefits to the agency and
themselves upon their return. The posters they created
summarizing these reflections are hung on the walls
near the cafeteria.
Winter
Calendar at O'Rourke
Jan 14 - 8th Grade Parent High School Orientation at
the High School
Jan 18 - NO SCHOOL - Martin Luther King Holiday
Jan 20 - Principal's Tea - 9 AM
Jan 27 - Drama Club Trip to NYC
Jan 29 - 7 & 8 Dance, 7 - 9 PM
Feb 3 - 2nd Quarter Report Cards issued (More
info)
Feb 9 - Student of the Month Luncheon
Feb 15 - 19 - Winter Break - NO SCHOOL
PTA
Reflections Winners Announced The National PTA
developed the
Reflections program in 1969 to interest children,
parents, teachers and communities in the arts.
This year's contest theme is "Beauty is..." Students
at O'Rourke Middle School created a piece of art
work, took a photograph, wrote a story or song,
and/or created a dance or film about the theme.
Following is a list of students whose work was
chosen as the most outstanding at O'Rourke, and will
be judged at the Regional Level. Also listed are the
students who earned honorable mention status for
their work.
Dance Choreography:
Jordan
Casey
Literature:
Stephanie Messina, Marley Currin
Photography:
Morgan Hussey, Nick Sinnenberg,
Emily Zatt
Visual Arts:
Erin Sausville, Shelby Kislowski,
Kelly Lavoy
Honorable Mention:
Erin Billings, Anna
Foster, Nick Sinnenberg, Kristian Cerrone, Chris
Litwa, Natalie Albright, Steven Spiewak
Absentee Call-in
procedure
Parents: Please remember to call the
school Attendance Office at 399-9141, ext. 4002 to let us know whenever
your child will be absent from school due to illness or another reason.
When you call to say your child will be absent due
to illness, please briefly share your child's symptoms. Please indicate if your
child has:
● Fever
● Nausea / vomiting
● Sore throat
● Muscle aches
● Chills / shivering
● Runny / stuffy nose
● Cough
● Been diagnosed with flu by a doctor
Homework Request Policy
A reminder to parents of the
policy for requesting homework that is found on page
7 of the O'Rourke Middle School Student Agenda and
Handbook:
Homework can be requested when a
student is absent 3 consecutive days by calling the
main office where work will be collected and can be
picked up. If you need texts or supplies from
your child's locker, please come to the school at
the end of the day as lockers are inside classrooms
(please be sure to have your child's locker number
and combination with you).
In the meantime... please
check teacher websites, or call a study buddy to
find out what assignments have been given.
National
Junior Honor Society Induction
Ninety-six
eighth graders were inducted into the O'Rourke
Chapter of the National Junior Honor Society on
October 5. Students qualified by their academic
record and by performing at least 30 hours of
community service this summer. In fact, a total of
4,498 hours were volunteered by these students who
offered their time at many sites, including the
YMCA, soup kitchens, nursing homes, and the
district's summer elementary programs.
The ceremony included a candle lighting service, which was
presided over by officers of last year's Honor
Society. Mr. Germain, as well as Honor Society
advisors, Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Rizzo, spoke during
the program.
Just a
reminder that beginning last year, in order to save
the costs of mailing, all interim reports, as well
as report cards, will be sent home with students and
not mailed. To help parents know when to look
for these reports, below is a list of dates that
interim reports and report cards will be issued
Friday, October 16 - 5 week
Interim Report
Wednesday, November 18 -
1st Quarter Report Card
Tuesday, December 22 -
15 Week Interim Report
Wed., February 3 -
2nd Quarter Report Card
Thursday, March 11 -
25 Week Interim Report
Tuesday, April 20 -
3rd Quarter Report Card
The year end final report
card, will be mailed home on Tuesday, June 29, 2010
and is the only report that will be mailed.
Tools for
School O'Rourke Middle School Code - 15715
If
you already shop at Price Chopper and have an
Advantage Card please consider signing up for
Tools for School!
Each purchase you make
will help us earn points toward free merchandise
such as school supplies and sports equipment.
It's easy and anyone you know can sign up to have
their points assigned to O'Rourke. Sign up at
www.pricechopper.com, the customer service
counter at your local Price Chopper, or call the
main office of the middle school for help (399-9141,
ext. 4000). Thanks
for you help and don't forget, ANYONE can sign up...
ask grandma, your aunts, uncles and neighbors to
sign up using the
O'Rourke Middle School code, 15715,
and help us earn free equipment.
New York State
Middle School Exam Schedule
English
Language Arts for Grade 6 - 8 -
April 26 - 28, 2009
Math
for Grades 6 - 8 - May 5 - 7, 2009
Science Performance for Grade 8 -
May 26 - 27, 2009
Science Written for Grade 8 - June 7,
2009
Social Studies for Grade 8 - June
14 - 15, 2009
Middle School Final Exams are scheduled for
Thursday, June 17, 2009 through Wednesday, June 23,
2009.
Revised Summer
School Grading Policy Effective
immediately, the O'Rourke Middle School Building Council
and Cabinet have enacted a new summer school grading
policy with the intent of aligning our practices with
those of the High School, while applying more academic
rigor and relevance for our students.
_________________________________________________ Students who are required to attend summer school
based on our summer school placement criteria (see
"Promotion Policy" on page 23 of the
Student Handbook)
enacted in September 2005 will be evaluated for progress
during summer school utilizing the following grading
calculation:
Final Grade Calculation for Summer School Students:
2/5 = Summer School Average
2/5 = Two Highest Quarterly Averages from the School
Year
1/5 = Summer School Final Assessment Please note: Advancement is contingent on
compliance with summer school attendance and behavioral
requirements and is at the discretion of the building
principal.
Safety measure:
Middle & Elementary School pupils must attend sports
events with an adult The first
home football game "under the lights" this season is
Friday, Sept. 12. Burnt
Hills-Ballston Lake parents are reminded that 8th grade
and younger pupils who wish to attend evening
varsity interscholastic sports contests must be
accompanied by an
adult. This proactive policy change was made in the fall
of 2006 due to
the number of youngsters being left unsupervised
at games and several incidents of fighting, belligerence
and other inappropriate behavior.
Read more
All student drop-offs must occur at the music entrance no earlier than 7:15 AM
and up until 7:45 AM* Student drop-off must be from the right lane only and in front of the music
door. Please do not drop students off in any other place in the parking lot and not from the left
lane. The left lane is for through traffic and parking access only. No drop-offs
should occur from the left lane. As always, your patience and courtesy is appreciated.
* After 7:45 AM students are considered tardy
and need to enter through the main entrance and
report to the attendance office to sign in.
A Health
Clearance Form
(yellow sheet)
is required for students to tryout for any sport.
The Health Clearance form needs to be obtained from
the school nurse within 30 days prior to the
start of the sports season once all needed paperwork
is on file in the nurse's office. Complete
information can be found on the Middle School
Nurse's page.
Procedures for getting out of
school early: If it becomes necessary
for a student to leave school early
> Bring a signed note from your
parent/guardian to the attendance office before
morning homeroom period. If you are walking to
a local doctor's office the note must state that you
are walking.
> Leave class at the excused
time and wait in the Main Office. A
parent/guardian must come into the Main Office to
meet and sign out the student. If the student
is not being picked up by a parent/guardian the
signed note from the parent/guardian must state who
is picking up the student or the person must be
designated as an emergency contact on the emergency
information sheet handed in at the beginning of the
school year.
The
O'Rourke Middle School Drama Club
POnce
Upon A Mattress
Presented
March 14 and 15, 2008
PPictures
The O'Rourke Middle School Drama Club
"Bugsy Malone"
Presented March 6 & 7, 2009
~
Pictures ~
(click on this logo to learn about or sign up for our School
News Notifier)
New
Assistant Principal
High School Orientation Resources
SPELLING
BEE 
Jan 14 - 8th Grade Parent High School Orientation at
the High School
Parents
are reminded to follow the morning drop-off
procedures
All student drop-offs must occur at the music entrance no earlier than 7:15 AM
and up until 7:45 AM* 
"Bugsy Malone"
