Mission Statement

The John D. O'Bryant School of Mathematics and Science is a diverse, supportive community of learners that engages in a rigorous and comprehensive Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program integrated with Humanities. Our college-preparatory exam school enables our students to reach their full potential and become leaders who will shape the direction of society.

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Middle School Summer Reading/Project Assignments ~ 2007

Introduction
Excellent analytical and reading comprehension skills are essential if you want to do well in your classes at the O’Bryant. These skills will also help you do well on the S.A.T.’s, and in college. Furthermore, one of the best ways to improve your writing is to do more reading. To this end, all O’Bryant students must complete the required readings and or projects in history, English, science and math this summer (see below). In addition, you must complete the journal activities for each book.

Summer Reading Journal Activity
All O’Bryant non-Advanced Placement students must complete Summer Reading Journals for all of their assigned summer reading. Reading journals should have the following two sections:

PART I:
Use the following format for each fiction book read:
1. List in complete sentences the major events in the plot. (approximately 8-10 sentences
2. Write a brief paragraph describing the setting and its impact on the story.
3. List and identify briefly the main characters. Explain the contribution of each to the story. (one paragraph for each main character)
4. Explain the major conflict in the story. (one to two paragraphs)
5. Write a paragraph explaining your reactions to the author's message or theme.
6. Select 5 important quotations from the book. Write a few sentences explaining
the importance of each quotation you chose. Include page numbers in parentheses.

Use the following format for each non-fiction book read:
1. What is the subject of the book? What is the book about? (one to two paragraphs)
2. Who is the author’s intended audience? Explain (one paragraph)
3. What is the author’s purpose in writing this book? What conclusion does the author hope that the reader will come to believe? (one to two paragraphs)
4. Did the author successfully achieve his/her purpose? In what way was his/her argument convincing? (one to two paragraphs)

-AND-
PART II: As you read the book (fiction or non-fiction), pause periodically and reflect on what you have read and prepare the following:

• a question beginning with “Why”
• a question beginning with “How” You don’t have to answer these questions
• a question beginning with “What”
• a statement beginning with “I predict” or “I remember,” followed with a “because” statement.

By the time you have finished reading each book, you must have prepared, at least, 5 “why” questions, 5 “how” questions, 5 “what” questions, and 5 “I predict” or “I remember” statements for each book.

Approximate Length of Journal for each book: Part I – one to two pages; Part II – one to two pages; Total – two to four pages

Due Date: All of your Summer Reading Journals should be turned in to your teachers on Friday, September 7, 2007. Your Summer Reading Journals will help you prepare for the in class writing prompts scheduled for early September. Both assignments will be assessed as test grades during the first marking period.

Format of Journal: Typed, 12 point font, Times New Roman, 1 ½ space. Your name, grade, the date you completed the report, the book title (underlined or in italics) and the author’s name should be at the top of the first page

Parent/Guardian Signature Form: Please have your parent/guardian sign the Parent/Guardian Signature Form which should be turned in with your Summer Reading Journals on September 7th. (see O'Bryant website (http://obryant.us)/to download a copy of the same)
Students Entering
Grade 7:
History – World Geography:
You must read:
Captain Courageous by Rudyard Kipling (fiction)

and you must also read any one (1) of the following six (6) books:
Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne (fiction)
Before We Were Free by Julia Alvarez (fiction)
Child of the Owl by Laurence Yep (fiction)
Harriet Tubman: Conductor on the Underground Railroad by Ann Petry (non-fiction)
In the Beginning: Creation Stories from Around the World by Virginia Hamilton (fiction)
To Be Young In America: Growing Up With The Country, 1776-1940 by Sheila Cole (non-fiction)

English:
You must read any one (1) of the following three (3) books:
Hatchet - Paulsen
The Friends – Guy
House on Mango Street - Cisneros

Science:
You must read one (1) of the following two (2) books:
We Beat the Streets -Dr. Samson Davis, Dr. George Jenkins, and Dr. Rameek Hunt (non-fiction)
Think Big-Dr. Ben Carson (non-fiction)

Mathematics:
Congratulations on your admittance and your decision to become part of the O’Bryant learning community. We eagerly anticipate your arrival in September and extend to you a summer assignment designed to prepare you for the rigorous curriculum we will explore throughout the school year.
As we are a school grounded in the disciplines of math and science and being that we actively implement technology in our curriculum, you will need to gain access to a computer with Internet access in order to explore the following activities. The two specific websites have been chosen to highlight skills that we expect you to be comfortable with as an incoming 7th grader.
Website #1: National Library of Virtual Manipulatives (at http://nlvm.usu.edu/en/nav/vlibrary.html)
Skill: Integer Operations (adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing positive and negative numbers)
Summary: The site homepage is setup as a grid. Select the heading ‘Number and Operations.’ In the page that opens, select and explore the following activities in the order they are given here.

<>Website #2: Shodor Education Foundation Project Interactivate (at http://www.shodor.org/interactivate)
Skill: Area and Perimeter of Polygons
Summary: Select the Activities link under the Learners heading on the site homepage. On the next screen, choose the Geometry heading then explore the following activities in the order they are given here.

Students Entering
Grade 8:
History - Civics:
You must read:
Warriors Don’t Cry by Melba Patillo Beales (fiction)

and you must also read any one (1) of the following five (5) books:
Anthony Burns: The Defeat and Triumph of a Fugitive Slave by Virginia Hamilton (fiction)
April Morning by Howard Fast (fiction)
Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes (fiction)
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor (fiction)
With Courage and Cloth: Winning the Fight for Women's Right to Vote by Ann Bausum (non-fiction)

English:
You must read:
Lord of the Flies – Golding (fiction)

and you must also read any one (1) of the following three (3) books:
Ryan White: My Own Story – White (non-fiction)
Road to Memphis – Taylor (non-fiction)
Esperanza Rising– Munoz-Ryan (fiction)

Science:
You must read one (1) of the following two (2) books:
Phineas Gage:A Gruesome but True Story about Brain Science -John Fleischman (non-fiction)
Rocket Boys- Homer Hickman (non-fiction)

Mathematics:
The math summer project is posted on the O’Bryant website at <http://obryant.us/>.

O'Bryant Middle School Academic Award Ceremonies - Terms 3 and 4

On Thursday, May 24th, academic award ceremonies were held in the auditorium during 5th and 6th periods to recognize and celebrate the achievements of our middle school students for the 3rd and 4th marking terms.The following students were honored at the assemblies:

Grade 7
Honor Roll - Term 3

High Honors
Wan Yi Huang
Michaela Murray

Honors
Addonisio, Corrado
Bennettguallp, Kiara
Blackmore, Caitlin
Boudreau, Jessica
Brito, Bianca
Delpebrice, Pascal
Elwell, Meghan
Hua, Tony
Huang, Wan Yi
John, Danielle
Le, Ngan
Lui, Kathy
Moraes Jr., Fabiano
Murray, Michael
Nguyen, Anh
Nguyen, Christina
O’Keefe, Brett
Pearson, Fantasia
Pham, Benji Truong
Phan, Joanna
Qorri, Ilva
Salmi, Fatimaezzahar
Sanchez, Yaritza
Sanders, Xavier
Soto, Nathalie
Straus, Peter
Thornton, Adrienne
Valcin, Josie
Watkins, Vanessa
Wong, Jeremy
Wong, Sara

Honorable Mention
Charles, Jean
Comeau, Meghan
Dang, Kathy
Daniels, Raishon
Dumornay, Wousthanya
Gonzalez, Astrid
Harris, Greykia
Hill, Vanessa
Jaber, Talal
Kersaint, Regine
Martinez, Crisamar
Mouton, Alexis
Nguyen, Tom
O’Neil, Shannon
Patterson, Courtney
Pena, Stanely
Prevot, Rony
Rama, Kelvisa
Shkreta, Sara
Situ, Cynthia
Tejeda-Diaz, Alexandra
Thomson-Allen, Shai
William, Shaniesha

Grade 7
Additional Academic Awards – Term 3

7A Team

Assistant Headmaster’s Award
Adrienne Thornton

English Language Arts
Student of the Term – Caitlin Blackmore
Class Leader – Lucille Germaine
Most Diligent – Edward Martinez
Most Improved – Xavier Sanders

MS Science 7
Student of the Term – Kathy Lui
Class Leader – Corrado Addonisio
Most Diligent – Raishon Daniels
Most Improved – Rosanny Sanabria

MS Algebra
Student of the Term – Tiffany Wong
Class Leader – Crisamar Martinez
Most Diligent – Christina Nguyen
Most Improved – Kathleen Eccleston

Geography (Kennelly)
Student of the Term – Rachel Joseph
Class Leader – Crisamar Martinez
Most Diligent – Tony Hua
Most Improved – Sharif Hussain
Grade 7 Middle School Academic Awards – Term 3

7B Team

Assistant Headmaster’s Award
Yaritza Sanchez

English Language Arts 7
Student of the Term– Michaela Murray
Class Leader – Anh Nguyen
Most Diligent – Michael Murray
Most Improved – Alexandra Tejeda

MS Science 7
Student of the Term – Kelvisa Rama
Class Leader – Josie Valcin
Most Diligent – Kiara Bennett Galluap
Most Improved – Alicia Perez

MS Algebra
Student of the Term– Ashaunte Martinez
Class Leader – Anh Nguyen
Most Diligent – Rosa Soto
Most Improved – Danielle John

Geography (Fanning)
Student of the Term – Michaela Murray
Class Leader – Fabiano Moraes Jr.
Most Diligent – Irayuleiki Mejia
Most Improved – Tiajia Suell Austin

Chorus
Student of the Term – Janelle Kennedy
Class Leader – Michael Allen
Most Diligent – Anh Nguyen
Most Improved – Tiajia Suell-Austin


Grade 8
Honor Roll – Term 3

Headmaster’s List
Chan, Alice

Honors
Arnold-Scott, Jade
Brito, Vicmarys
Bumar, May
Durand, Pierline
Li, Tony
Moy, Annie
Nguyen, Betsy
Nguyen, Wendy
Prifti, Gjergji
Tan, Xiolan
Wu, Tiffany
Zhu, Christine

Honorable Mention
Barnes, Carmen
Cartwright, Jalila
Cummins, Marleah
Dagondon, Margaret
Fajardo, Yaritza
Gomez, Florelis
Lara, Ramsel
Pena, Yaritza
Ransom, Chandler
Tan, Brendon
Tang, Tai


Grade 8
Additional Academic Awards – Term 3

Assistant Headmaster’s Award
Manuel Rios Alers

Civics
Student of the Term - Lydia Price
Class Leader – Victoria Strojwas
Most Diligent – Brendan Tan
Most Improved – Krista St. Louis

MS Science 8
Student of the Term - Alice Chan
Class Leader – Pierline Durand
Most Diligent – Aldwayne Demontegnac
Most Improved – Lydia Price

English Language Arts 8
Student of the Term - Manuel Rios Alers
Class Leader – Vicmarys Brito
Most Diligent – Iris Lapaix
Most Improved – David Vu

Algebra I
Student of the Term - Yarelis Diaz
Class Leader – Marleah Cummins
Most Diligent – Annie Moy
Most Improved – Angelica Meng

Spanish I
Student of the Term - Obinna Ndugba
Class Leader – Jade Arnold Scott
Most Diligent – Marleah Cummins
Most Improved – Obinna Ndugba

MCAS Prep
Student of the Term - Allen Vuong
Class Leader – Manuel Rios Alers
Most Diligent – Angelica Meng
Most Improved – Lydia Price

Grade 7
Honor Roll - Term 4

Headmaster’s List
Michaela Murray

Honors
Corrado Addonisio
Bianca Brito
Caitlin Blackmore
Kiara Bennettguallp
Pascal Delpebrice
Wousthanya Dumornay
Astrid Gonzalez
Danielle John
Kathy Lui
Anh Nguyen
Christina Nguyen
Ashaunte Martinez
Crisamar Martinez
Fabiano Moraes Jr.
Michael Murray
Brett O’Keefe
Rony Prevot
Kelvisa Rama
Fatimaezzahr Salmi
Yaritza Sanchez
Sara Shkreta
Cynthia Situ
Maressia Sneed
Adrienne Thornton
Shaniesha William
Sara Wong
Tiffany Wong

Honorable Mention
Michael Allen
Meghan Comeau
Kathy Dang
Kathleen Eccelston
Meghan Elwell
Greykia Harris
Tony Hua
Janelle Kennedy
Casandra Leveille
Amy Lyu
Frankline Mardi
Taylor Martin
Edward Martinez
Irayuleiki Mejia
Rosa Soto
Peter Starus
Shai Thomson-Allen
Josie Valcin
Vanessa Watkins
Jeremy Wong

Grade 7
Additional Academic Awards – Term 4

7A Team

Assistant Headmaster’s Award
Kathy Lui

English Language Arts
Student of the Term – Tiffany Wong
Class Leader – Joselina Fontes
Most Diligent – Christina Nguyen
Most Improved – Erica Butler

MS Science 7
Student of the Term – Pascal Delpebrice
Class Leader – Vanessa Watkins
Most Diligent – Meghan Comeau
Most Improved – Frankline Mardi

MS Algebra
Student of the Term – Christina Nguyen
Class Leader – Crisamar Martinez
Most Diligent – Caitlin Blackmore
Most Improved – Kathleen Eccleston

Geography (Kennelly)
Student of the Term – Joselina Fontes
Class Leader – Crisamar Martinez
Most Diligent – Caitlin Blackmore
Most Improved – Tan Nguyen

7 B Team

Assistant Headmaster’s Award
Brett O’Keefe

English Language Arts
Student of the Term– Michael Allen
Class Leader – Sara Shkreta
Most Diligent – Michaela Murray
Most Improved – Michael Allen

MS Science 7
Student of the Term – Ashaunte Martinez
Class Leader – Michaela Murray
Most Diligent – Joanna Phan
Most Improved – Cassandra Leveille

MS Algebra
Student of the Term– Joanna Phan
Class Leader – Alex Morrabal
Most Diligent – Regine Kersaint
Most Improved – Astrid Gonzalez

Geography (Fanning)
Student of the Term – Cynthia Situ
Class Leader –
Most Diligent – Kelvisa Rama
Most Improved – Tom Nguyen


Grade 8
Honor Roll - Term 4

Headmaster’s List
Alice Chan

Honors
May Bumar
Annie Moy
Betsy Nguyen
Wendy Nguyen
Yaritza Pena
Brendon Tan
Xiolan Tan
Tiffany Wu

Honorable Mention
Vicmarys Brito
Jalila Cartwright
Marleah Cummins
Yareliz Diaz
Pierline Durand
Yaritza Fajardo
Floraelis Gomez
Iris Lapaix
Tony Li
Angellica Meng
Melissa Nash
Christina Perry
Christine Zhu

Grade 8
Additional Academic Awards – Term 4

MS Science 8
Student of the Term - Alice Chan
Class Leader – Ramsel Lara
Most Diligent – Tri Pham
Most Improved – Florarelis Gomez

English Language Arts 8
Student of the Term – Yaritza Fajardo
Class Leader – Menwon Brisbane
Most Diligent – Iris Lapaix
Most Improved – Tilian Miles

Algebra I
Student of the Term – Tiffany Wu
Class Leader – David Vu
Most Diligent – Wendy Nguyen
Most Improved – Yessica Lopez