Box Tops Contest: UPDATE

With nearly 1500 Box Tops being submitted this month, the contest to win a Box Tops Breakfast for each grade is growing more competitive. There will be one more count before the end of the year. New totals will be announced when we return to school in January. So make sure to submit any Box Tops with a 2014 expiration date by winter break, because they won't be able to be counted in 2015! In 8th grade, Mr. Kelley's advisory's lead has nearly disappeared. Mr. Kelley still leads with 372. But, Ms. Kropp's advisory is right behind with a total of 346 after submitting 302 Box Tops in December. The leading advisory in 7th grade submitted 215 Box Tops this month. Mrs. Zielinski's advisory now has 515, and has overtaken the top spot from Mr. O'Rourke's advisory, which has 500. Ms. French is in third place with 323 and Mrs. Landry's advisory's 223 Box Tops for December has pushed them in to fourth place. Mrs. Stem continues to lead the 6th grade with 561 Box Tops. M? Armstrong is second with 395, followed by Ms. Ilgenfritz with 273 and Mr. Grawe with 249.

Ribbon Cutting Video!

If you were not able to attend the very special ribbon cutting event for the Patton Garden's Solar Array on Friday, October 24 check out the video on the Patton Hawks YouTube Channel!

December Art After School!

Come to Mrs. Ferron’s art room 104 after school to hang out with other kids who are fun and artistic like you! This session will be Tuesdays and Wednesdays after school until 4:00 on December 2, 3, 9, 10, 16 and 17. December's projects will be homemade gifts you can give to your family and friends. The gift list is a secret, you have to sign up to see what we will make! Expect to have at least 10 special gifts that you have made yourself when we head home for the holidays! Click here for more details and a registration form!

Novermber Art After School

Art After School sign ups for November are this week! The Session begins next Tuesday, November 4th. We will be making a Turkey Gravy boat using red clay. This is a great opportunity for those of you who love art! Click here for a registration form or see Mr. Ferron in room 104.

Patton Online Apparel Store!

Don't forget! SpiritWear is still available from the Patton Online Store!  Make sure you visit the online store right for the complete selection now!

Box Tops for Breakfast

Help your Advisory win a free breakfast by collecting Box Tops for Education! The Advisory class in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade that earns the most Box Tops points will be treated to breakfast by the PTO. Please place your Box Tops in clear plastic bags or white envelopes, write the Advisory teacher's name and the number of Box Tops on the bag or envelope, and place it in the collection box in the main office.

Volunteers Needed!

Volunteers needed! The PTO needs help with the Patton Book Fair which is going on right now! You can help set-up, assist kids select books, work the register, or help pack up. There are lots of ways to participate. Please consider helping out with this great event. Please click on this Genius link to see how you can help.

Coin Drive Challenge

Patton Middle School is participating in Scholastic’s "All for Books" program now through October 17th. Coin donation jars are located in each 7th and 8th grade Advisory class room.  The donations we collect will be used to purchase books for our library.  In addition, Scholastic will match the money we collect and donate up to 1 million books to two non-profit organizations dedicated to helping children, families, and teachers acquire books and educational resources – Kids in Need Foundation and Kids in Distressed Situations, Inc. Your loose change can make a huge difference in the life of those less fortunate. As a special thank you from the Book Fair Committee, the Advisory class in both the 7th and 8th grade who collects the most change will win a breakfast!

PTO Book Fair

The Patton Middle School Book Fair will be in the library October 15th through October 22nd !  Students - Please bring your money! You will have a special time to shop on the day assigned by your Language Arts teacher.  Parents - The book fair will also be open during Parent Visitation Day, October 22nd, so please come visit the library to purchase books for holiday gifts. You can also shop during any free time you have throughout the week.  If you do not have time to visit the Book Fair, have your child fill out a “Wish List” during their LA visit and then shop the Book Fair online.

Sixth Grade Mixer!

A great time was had by all who attended the Sixth Grade Mixer on October 3! We had a huge turnout and students were treated to some great music, games, prizes, food and the awesome mechanical surfboard!! A big thank you to our fabulous PTO for all their hard work in sponsoring this awesome event for our newest students! Want to see how the students did riding the mechanical surfboard? Check out the photos right here!

After-School Language Club!

"Mono-lingualism is the illiteracy of the 21st Century!" says Time Magazine. Don't be left behind! You still have time to register! Learn about a foreign culture and its language through Patton's own Language Club. Classes start soon so click here for more information and the registration form.

Art After School

Art After School with Mrs. Ferron Returns! It will kick off the new year on October 7th. The program offers an additional art experience for all Patton students. Sessions meet in room 104 directly after school and end at 4:00 on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. Every month the art projects and themes change. Students sign up month by month for 3 weeks of after school activities. Each session requires a fee of $75.00 that includes all art materials. Classes are limited to 15 students per session to ensure a more personal experience then what children experience in their school art classes. Registration for each month will open 2 weeks before the session begins. Forms are available here or in Mrs. Ferron's Art Room.

First PTO Meeting

Please join us for the first Patton PTO Meeting of the year on Thursday, September 11th at 9:15am in the small cafeteria. We will be voting on the budget for the 2014-15 school year, reviewing last year's highlights and the new initiatives for this year.  Mr. Hoffman will be our special guest to address what's new at Patton this year and to answer questions. Light breakfast refreshments will be served.  Hope to see you! Any questions, please contact Luci McClure at luci.mcclure@gmail.com or Lisa Tascione at lisa.tascione@gmail.com. And mark your calendars for Thursday, October 9th's PTO Meeting, when our special guest John Nolen, Director of Curriculum and Instruction, will address the Singapore Math Program (Math in Focus) that all Patton students now are utilizing.

Welcome to Patton!

In an effort to help with the transition to the middle school, the following resource has been designed to introduce the incoming 6th graders to the staff and routines of the building. Find out all about 6th grade right here!

6th Grade Transition Camp

Charles F. Patton Middle School will be holding a “Transition Camp” for all incoming 6th grade students on Thursday, August 14, 2014 from 9:00A.M. to 1:30 P.M. Transition Camp provides students fun activities designed to make students more comfortable in the middle school setting. If your child is interested in “Transition Camp”, you may download a registration flyer here!

Spring Carnival - Success!

A BIG Patton thank you to everyone who attended the PTO Spring Carnival, it was another HUGE success! Thank you to all of our PTO, all the parent and student volunteers as well as the staff members who gave their time, ESPECIALLY those who spent so much CHILLY time in the dunk tank! The basket raffle was a HUGE success and the winners will be posted in the main office. And check out the awesome photos!

Final Art After School!

Last Art After School Session Starts Tuesday 5/27! Get your registration materials in by this Friday, May 23.

Art After School

There are just two more Art After School sessions with Mrs. Ferron! The May session is "Glass Pond Aquatic Environments and Contemporary Acrylic Paintings" and the May/June session is "Just Drawing and Painting!" where students will be outside drawing and painting with a variety of 2-D media. Registration is now open! Click here for May session registration form or click here for a May/June session registration form.

Spring Carnival is May 2!

Come one, come all to the annual Patton Spring Carnival on Friday, May 2nd from 2:30pm to 7pm! Nothing says Spring like the Carnival and there is something there for everyone from ages 2 to 82! Don't miss the fun games, great prizes and yummy food. New this year -- the Tubs of Fun spinning ride, a three lane obstacle course, and a photo tent where up to 12 friends can pose for fun pictures. Back again this year -- amazing raffle baskets, the Silly String Arena, karaoke, and the dunk tank where you can dunk the Middle School teachers and even Dr. Sanville! Tickets are 50 cents each and all students and parents in the District are welcome to attend. The Carnival is held rain or shine on the Middle School grounds. All proceeds benefit educational enrichment projects at Charles F. Patton Middle School. And here's a special invitation to all of our elementary school students from Suchi Jain!

Volunteers Desperately Needed!

Volunteers are desperately needed for the Patton Spring Carnival on May 2. The Patton Spring Carnival is one week away and right now we only have the volunteers to keep it open for the first hour and a half. We desperately need 60 volunteers for the second and third shifts! These are perfect shifts for parents who are getting out of work. Are there 60 parents in this school of over 1000 students who can help us? This is the one event that cannot function without many parent volunteers. Patton students and students in the District look forward to the Carnival all year, please don't let them down! PLEASE HELP!! Sign up for a shift (or two) with this link!

Student Volunteers Needed!

The Pocopson Elementary Art and Garden is Saturday, April 26 and it's going to be another incredible day of family fun! This event is the biggest fundraiser for our school and it takes many hands to make it a success. Middle School and High School students are always a huge help and this is an ideal opportunity for any community service hours needed! Want to volunteer?? Visit the Art and Garden website.

Patton's Got Talent!

The stars were out at the Patton Middle School auditorium on March 21! The annual Patton Talent Show took place in front of a packed house of appreciative family and friends! Thanks to all the PTO volunteers for organizing the show, especially the show coordinator, Mrs. Ammon. And thanks again to Bill Tsai for all the wonderful photos from the evening!

Carnival Basket Raffle

The Patton Spring Carnival will be held on Friday, May 2nd this year from 2:30-7:00 pm. The Carnival is the largest fundraiser for the Patton MS PTO. THE PATTON CARNIVAL BASKET RAFFLE is the most profitable part of the Carnival event!!! Here is how it works: The Prime Time teachers and students pick a basket theme. The students are then asked to donate specific items, monetary gifts, or gift cards towards their Prime Time’s Raffle Basket. The students have several weeks to bring in their basket raffle donation to their Prime Time before the PTO Basket Raffle Committee collects all of the themed baskets for numbering and wrapping. (Tuesday, April 8th) The Raffle Baskets will be put out for display 3 days prior to the Carnival for all of the students to see during their lunch periods. Carnival Tickets will be on sale at that time for the students to purchase for the basket raffle and other Carnival Activities. The Basket Raffle ticket sales continue throughout the day of the Carnival on May 2rd until the winning tickets are pulled for each basket at 7:00 pm. If you have any questions regarding the Patton Spring Carnival or the Basket Raffle Donations, please feel free to contact Ann Bell at dp19709@yahoo.com for more information.

CFHS Junior Guide Program

Experience history at the Chadds Ford Historical Society by learning 18th century crafts and skills. This group of history buffs helps put the story back in history! Each young person is encouraged to learn how people in 18th century Chadds Ford lived through hands-on activities like sewing their own 18th century clothing, spinning wool, making candles, open hearth cooking, and learning colonial dances. This summer history program is for boys and girls, 11 to 18 years old. For more information visit the CFHS website.

C-MITES Summer Programs

Sessions include: Funky Science, Creepy Crawlers, Adventures in Physics, WeDo Robotics, Art and Architecture, Tangram Math, Bug-Bots and more. C-MITES will also offer classes on Saturday, May 10 at Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, PA and on May 3 at Glenside Elementary School in Glenside, PA. The brochure listing the classes and descriptions is available at the C-MITES website and informational brochures are available in the main office of all UCFSD schools. Register soon, because classes fill quickly! Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Financial aid is available. Call 412-268-1629, extension 1 if you have additional questions.

The registration deadline for summer programs is Monday, April 7 2014. Registration for C-MITES Summer program is happening now! Brochures are available in all six school buildings. Registration is available online at www.cmites.org. If you have any questions, please contact cmites@cmu.edu or (412) 268-1629, extension 1.

Art After School!

It's Art After School with Mrs. Ferron -- Pottery Perfection / White Clay Pottery! In this month’s session learn how to make a beautiful serving platter and bowl for fresh fruit and veggies! All pottery created at Patton is oven proof, dishwasher safe and dinnerware safe. You can use this project every day to serve your favorite foods! The first session is March 25 so download a registration form today!

Family Fun Night!

The PTO-sponsored Family Fun Night featuring the Students vs. Staff Basketball Game took place February 21 in front of a packed gymnasium! Families were entertained to a great contest in which the students narrowly edged the staff team in a close game. There was great music and halftime dancing and some lucky students won a chance to take a 1/2 court shot and the opportunity to win $100! Thanks to Patton staff members who took part in the evening and to the organizers for a great night. You can check out some photos from the night here.

FIRST LEGO League

The First State FIRST LEGO League Champion’s Tournament was held at the New Castle Air National Guard Base in New Castle on Saturday, February 15, 2014. Thirty-one teams from Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia participated in the tournament. Team Cyclonz consisting of seven 6th graders and one 7th grader from Charles F. Patton Middle School in the Unionville-Chadds Ford School district won the: “Nature’s Fury Challenge Research Award”. This award recognizes a team that utilizes diverse resources to formulate an in-depth and comprehensive understanding of the problem they have identified. Team Cyclonz was recognized for, the depth and breadth of their research which included contacting professional meteorologists, disaster relief individuals as well as engineers. Their project focused on developing a cost effective advanced warning system to help the cyclone-prone Bangladesh. Team Cyclone consisted of the following eight members: Adarsh Gadagkar, Darshak Gadagkar, Viraj Joshi, Panos Moisiadis, Rishab Nandan, Liam O’Rourke, Arnav Patel, and Parik Radhakrishnan. It was a lot of hard work that the boys have put in over the last several months and the that hard work paid off!

Students vs. Staff Basketball

The Students vs. Staff Basketball Game is this Friday, February 21 at 7 PM. Admission is free! There will be raffle tickets on sale for the chance to take a 1/2 court shot and the opportunity to win $100! There will be 6th, 7th and 8th grade winners plus prizes and giveaways. See you there!

Patton's Got Talent!

The Patton Talent show is right around the corner! Bring it on!  SHOW TIME is Friday, March 21 at 7 PM but rehearsals are coming soon. Here's what to do:

1. Put together an act. Dance, sing, juggle, play, tell jokes, be creative
2. You can download and application packet right here. Or, pick up an application at the office, it has all the details and dates. 
3. Come to one of the preview days February 25th or 27th.   

Contact Karen Ammon (karenbsur@aol.com) or Alicia Duncan (alicia.duncan@bnymellon.com) with any questions. Talent Show Preview days: Feb 25, 27 (Attend 1) Talent Show Rehearsal: March 4th, 7th. (Attend 1, optional) Dress Rehearsal: March 11th (Required) SHOW TIME! March 21st 7:00PM.

PTO Meeting This Thursday

Please plan on attending the PTO meeting this Thursday, January 16 at 9:15 in the front of the Patton auditorium. The topic will be: "Communication: How Do You Find Out What's Going On At The Middle School?" Find out how to stay connected via the Patton website, eNews, Calendars, SAM and more! Speakers will be Principal Tim Hoffman, UCFSD Communication Director Dave Listman and Patton Technology Teacher John Walsh.

Summer Plans?

Jump start your summer planning with a night of food and fun! Explore camps, activities, and local vendors with your child and decide on a great summer! This event will take place at the CCIU in Downingtown on January 27 from 5:30 pm - 8:00 pm. Admission is free!! Click here for more information.

FOCUS: Kacie's Cause

The national HEROIN epidemic has now reached our community. KACIE'S CAUSE and FOCUS are sponsoring this Town Hall Program to build awareness and educate our community. This event will take place in the UHS Auditorium on Thursday, January 16th, 7-9pm. This program is free, but please register to facilitate the check-in process. For more information and to register in advance, click here.