Seems like everyone in the middle school has been seeing stars! The first week of school brought a new challenge called STAR reader tests. The STAR test, like the Accelerated Reader test, determines a student's reading level based on a scale from 5^th grade to 12^th grade.

Once a student's reading level is confirmed you are given your reading level that allows students and teachers to determine what books are best for you to check out in the library to read without frustration. All students have already taken the test once, at the beginning of the year, and you will take it two more times, once in January and another time at the end of the school year.

One of the benefits of the STAR tests is that students, teachers, and parents will know at what level the student is reading. Another benefit is that the teacher will know who needs extra help and how to work with a student.

One of the goals of the school is to have the student body read and accumulate 12000 points during the year. Another goal is to have every student's reading level go up due to more reading. The tests for reading in Accelerated Reader also counts as a test grade on report cards. Getting ten points will equal 100% test grade on the quarter's report card.

If you're in 7^th the grade the Accelerated Reader points count for an English test. If you're in 8^th grade it counts towards a Literature test grade. The main idea is to read and take the Accelerated Reader test to accumulate at least 10 points per quarter. If you do this, you will get prizes (popcorn and cokes during first quarter) and if the school reaches its goals a big surprise is awaiting each student at OCMS at the end of the year. So if you want to succeed, start reading and be a STAR at OCMS!

The purpose of an agenda is to help us remember homework and remind us about test dates. Everyone forgets a thing or two but if you use your agenda to write down things this year, you can be a winner. Everyone likes prizes and if you are a lucky student who gets his or her name called, you can win some candy or something better if you have what they are looking for. You win if Mrs. Luttrell can see that you've been writing all of your assignments in your agenda.

The first winners were Katie Hamlet, Brooke Mattingly, Nick McCarty, Devin Mattingly, Jansen Lenzi, Jerrod McCarty and Abbie Higdon.

You may want to check our more agenda facts on the internet at www.agenda.com.

Basically, Napster is a web page that lets you download music over the Internet.

It lets you share files with other people who are on Napster at the same time as you. People say this is free, and it is, unless you include the Internet time you're wasting away. The fact that it takes forever to get a song you want is really frustrating, and half of the song you download gets a transfer error if you go offline. Some people leave their computer and Internet on all night downloading programs or music. I'd hate to see their phone bill.

But the big question is if Napster is legal or not. This question has gone to court many times. Such bands as Metallica and famous rap artist Dr. Dre have sued the web site for copyright infringement. However, there are some artists that welcome the Napster community. According to the magazine Junior Scholastic, September 2000 issue, musical talent Billy Corgan, lead singer of the now disbanded group the Smashing Pumpkins, welcomes the exposure of Napster. Another rapper, which you have all heard of, Marshal Mathers also known as Eminem, welcomes Napster.

So is Napster a part in musical con? Probably not since 59% of Napster users later purchase the music. But there is still that 41% who steal artists' music by making copies of it from the internet. So which is it, Internet radio or copyright violator? If you want to express your view, go online to www.juniorscholastic.com and see your vote counted instantly.

The OCMS enrichment class is sponsoring a mock election of our nation's president on October 20^th. There will be a political rally informing the student body about the issues and the candidates on Oct. 6. We have been busy this year preparing speeches and learning about the candidates and the responsibilities of our government's leaders.

The class has divided into three groups to represent the Republican, Democrat and Reform parties. Each group will have a speaker at the rally. We have made posters and have visited the local offices of the political parties.

We will be registering every student at OCMS for the vote to take place on October 20^th. A real voting machine will be placed in the library at the school. Voting will take place during your regular social studies class periods. The results will be sent to Junior Scholastic and will be tallied in with other Middle Schools votes throughout the nation.

There have been changes at OCMS since last year. First we have all new 7^th graders. Eighth graders have noticed the new hallway floors and some classrooms have new desks. We have two new teachers joining the faculty this year.

Mrs. Barnoud is the new French teacher. She went to a University of Pharmacy in Paris, France. She said that she didn't think of teaching the French language before she moved back to the U.S. three years ago. However, while she was in France, Mrs. Barnoud taught young French students basic English.

Mrs. Barnoud said the thing she enjoys most about her job at OCMS is the joy of "teaching my language to children and sharing my experience and culture with them." Mrs. Barnoud has two children enrolled in the Catholic School system. Tim Barnoud is 12 years old and is an eighth grader here at OCMS. Ben Barnoud is 14 years old and is a freshman at Catholic High.

Mrs. Barnoud said that her goal and hopes for the year is to "teach my best so we can have fluent French spearkers next year happy to speak our beautiful language."

Mr. Langston is the new math teacher here at OCMS. He is originally from Oregon. He went to college at Brescia University. He has two children and two step children ages 6,9,12 and 13 years old.

Mr Langston said that he spent several years in the army and then decided to teach. He likes teaching because he "spends all day with young people."

His goals and hopes for this year is to help students want to learn what they need so they can go on to higher mathematics.

We also want to welcome the OCMS cafeteria ladies: Mrs. Julia Houston-Cafeteria Manager, and cafeteria cooks: Mrs. Debbie Hermann, Mrs. Janet Head and Mrs. Pat Jackson

Last but not least WELCOME to all 7^th graders to OCMS! We hope everyone has a great year.

Bring It On is basically a movie for both guys and girls. Kristen Dunst, the star in this movie, played Amy in Little Women. It's about the world of competitive cheerleading. It's also about a teenager named Torrance who cheers for the Toro's. Torrance is the head cheerleader who has a boyfriend in college. She finds a new love in a boy named Cliff after her other boyfriend cheated on her. She doesn't know that the head cheerleader before her had been stealing from the Clovers (who are mostly African-American).

Can she make it right and still win the championship? Go to your nearest movie theater and watch Bring It On. You can check the ratings of this and other movies by going online to www.screenit.com.

Welcome to OCMS 2000-2001! As a seventh grader, I've seen more new faces than old ones. Seventh graders seemed to feel somewhat sick on the first day of school on August 16^th. It seemed as if people were throwing themselves out the classrooms when the bell rang. But now things seem to have calmed down.

The first school assembly was on Aug. 22^nd and the teachers told us about the extra curricular activities. Then, Mr. Duffy told us about the rules of the school. Of course we had already heard them before in every class.

Our first school Mass of the year was on August 24^th. Then we had a three-day weekend on September 4^th to celebrate Labor Day. By the time we returned to school 7^th graders were more at ease.

We had a presentation about the "Our Lady of Guadalupe" which was a very religious experience. We also saw a movie about abortion that was very ..um…realisitic and graphic.

There was a Fall Sports Pep Rally and the sports players and the cheerleaders were introduced. Students were encouraged to go to the games to cheer them on.

Progress reports were given out on Sept. 13^th. Hope you had good reports. The PTO meeting was held on Sept.19^th and parents had a chance to see what our class schedule was like. The eighth grade student council members helped parents find the right rooms.

(Of course, the seventh graders didn't have that luxury during their first days at OCMS).

OCMS students had a Back-to-School get-together dance on September 22^nd. There were good snacks, good music and good dancing. (However, I never thought jumping was considered dancing.)

The OCMS book fair was held and this was a good time to buy some A.R. books for the school year.

"Smile and say cheese" was heard on September 25t^h when students and teachers were photographed. I hope your pictures had good turnouts.

The OCMS-PTO Catalog Fundraiser began on September 29^th and ends on October 10^th. Students are asked to sell items from the catalog and the school's proceeds will go toward buying new desks for classrooms.

Cheerleader tryouts were held on September 29^th and we wish good luck to all those wanting to be cheerleaders. For those of you who don't make it, there is always next year.

That concludes WUZ UP at OCMS for August and September. Welcome to all new students and teachers to OCMS this year. Have a great year.