Crestdale Middle School

7th Grade - Students are now working on Fractured Animal Portraits. Students will choose an animal that has areas of interest that they will magnify.

8th Grade - 8th graders are currently working on realistic self-portraits. Students are choosing between a traditional portrait using head/neck/shoulders, OR breaking their facial features into overlapping boxes.

ORCHESTRA & GUITAR w/ Mr. Todd

Orchestra: It has been a great experience having students back in the classroom! We had a bit of a surprise on our first day in 8th grade Orchestra with a visit from the Superintendent of CMS, Earnest Winston. We were featured on all sorts of social media and I hope that you were able to see and hear our students playing some music for the first time in almost a year!

8th Grade Orchestra: Our 8th grade orchestra has been working on creating an ensemble sound again with students in the classroom. We are currently starting a piece called “Medieval Wars” and the students are really enjoying playing music again. We have some review to do but we are getting caught up and back in the swing of things!

7th Grade Orchestra: Our 7th grade orchestra members have decided to work on a piece called “Irish Suit.” This piece features each section of the orchestra so everyone will have a chance to play the melody and have a bit of challenge to keep us going. We can’t wait to see how things shape up in the coming weeks!

6th Grade orchestra: We are finishing up our green and blue belts this quarter and will be progressing into eighth notes and maybe starting some “real” music!. The students are so excited to be in the strings classroom and are learning so much from being in person!

Beginning Guitar: The students are finishing up their first three progressions this quarter. We have been assessing each progression on its own, but soon will have a formal assessment that has multiple progressions on it. The students should also be looking for their own music to play and enjoy from a variety of websites and finding their own spark to push them to practice.

Intermediate Guitar: We are finishing up our section on Barre Chords and will soon be moving into scales, arpeggios, and reading music utilizing familiar melodies. This is a big challenge for students as we haven't really been reading music thus far. We are excited to see what the students will be able to do with this new information and new challenge.

Band w/ Mr. Best

The Band Room has been filled with music! It has been a pleasure to welcome students back through the rotations and hearing music in the band room!

6th Grade - We are currently finishing our 2nd formal assessment, and are now focusing on all of the nuances of music like dynamics, tempos, and working on our first piece of music together!

7th Grade/8th Grade- We are finishing our 2nd formal assessment and have been working on music as a group! As expected, we have been having to do some review on note reading, sound quality, and playing with others! Students have been excited to be back together in band and enjoying what makes band special!

CHORUS w/ Ms. Gambrell

Crestdale Chorus: I am SO proud of our chorus students! Not only have they persevered singing online, but they have also taught me more about technology than ever possible! Because of the virtual learning environment, all chorus students have participated in virtual performances, solo vocal uploads, electronic rhythm dictation, ear training, sight reading with Kodaly hand signs through Flipgrid and Sight Reading Factory, vocalizing and recording music through Smart Music, and composing music through Soundtrap and Chrome Music Lab.

Now that we are back in person, we are having an amazing time singing in person. Boy have we missed the beautiful singing and bonding that goes along with in person chorus. Even though we are singing socially distanced and with masks, hearing our choirs sing is such a glorious sound!

DANCE w / Ms. Adams

6th Grade: Students have been working hard on their ballet technique during this unit. They are learning about the history of ballet and many significant ballet performances. They will be wrapping up this unit and continuing on to the elements of dance.

7th Grade: Students have been learning various modern dance techniques and about the history involving many pioneers in dance. They are currently finishing up the unit with a research project on the choreographer of their choosing. Next they will be working on the choreographic principles and creating their own dances.

8th Grade: Students are wrapping up their unit on Hip Hop with their final assessment. They have been learning about the history of hip hop culture and the various forms included. In the new quarter they will start their unit on choreographic elements and devices.

DRAMA w/ Ms. Costello

We are wrapping up 3rd quarter with students developing acting skills using their voices, facial expressions, gestures, movement and body language. They are adding props, costumes, scenery and learning how to take acting risks by getting into character. Thank you to the family members for helping out with scene work.

6th graders- This class is only one quarter long and we are finishing up with a poetry performance project. I am looking forward to the amazingly creative film work, storytelling, acting and performing that I will see in student videos. I have really been impressed with what students have submitted this quarter. I have learned so much from them too about different recording techniques. 7th and 8th grade Drama classes are semester long classes as you consider electives for registration for next school year.

7th graders - I am so excited to see how the 7th graders create and record their ‘Good Newscast’ videos. They have been so creative and imaginative with their ‘News Anchor’ stories. I look forward to seeing their performance projects and having them share their videos with classmates. Peer and self critique and feedback is a very valuable tool that we use in our class. It helps students develop a deeper understanding of performance skills that they are learning.

8th graders - Our Drama students have been working on writing, editing, memorizing, rehearsing, performing and recording monologues. Students have to visualize and imagine their audience which is quite challenging for an 8th grader. I have been extremely impressed with the short film work that our students have developed while creating characters, using their voices and telling stories. Every time they step out of their comfort zone, they are getting ready for skills that will prepare them for public speaking, class projects and for that first job interview. I am grateful to see the progress they have shown me this quarter.

Students of the Month

6th Grade | Christopher O. - Christopher works extremely hard in class and this can be seen in his excellent artwork. Everyone always enjoys looking at drawings he does on his own and he recently shared with the class that he draws every day. Christopher asks excellent questions to make sure he understands the objective for the day, and is a positive contributor to our class.
7th Grade | Liam K. - Liam has demonstrated not only performance mastery of drama / acting skills, but his comfort level in front of the camera is very easy to see. It is really amazing to watch young student talent, like Liam’s, shine through in this virtual world. Liam's very entertaining, creative, spontaneous and gifted with acting, video recording and video editing. He is not only a great role model for his classmates but also willing to share his work with others. Thanks for your courage Liam, keep it up!!!
8th Grade
- Addison L. - Addison continues to do an amazing job in virtual learning! She is always willing to ask for help and goes above and beyond to make sure she has completed all of her work! She always has a positive attitude and works hard to make sure she understands!
- Thomas V. - Thomas actively participates in class, submits work on time, and always strives to do excellent work in Art. His projects are well organized and thought through with excellent craftsmanship. Thomas is also a great help when I’m trying to understand crazy submission challenges from the student side.

Exploring Women's History Month & the ARTS!

VOCAL PERFORMANCE - Click the following link to explore Phenomenal Women in Music History.
INSTRUMENTAL PERFORMANCE - Click the following link to learn about 10 Female Composers to Hear during Women’s History Month.
FINE ART- Janet Fish is a contemporary painter who focuses on extreme highlights and shadows in her still life paintings. Her paintings take you on an adventure through hyper realistic highlights and strong luscious color. Click here to learn more about the work of Janet Fish.
DANCE- Article wirtten by Iris Régnier, 17 November 2020 | Dance is a medium packed with professional women: dancers, ballet masters, teachers – but what about choreographers? Several recent studies have shown that today, the high responsibility jobs in the dance world, namely choreographers and company directors, are far more likely to be occupied by men. In 2016, for example, the seasons of The Royal Ballet in London, the Bolshoi and American Ballet Theatre included barely a single work by woman choreographer. And yet, since the end of the 19th century, a whole raft of schools and companies were founded by women, resulting in many seminal works in dance history. Here are sketches of eight of these remarkable choreographers, from that era up to our own. | Learn more HERE!
THEATER - Learn about influential women in theater history HERE.

Announcements & Upcoming Events

Rising 6th Grade Magnet Student Registration

We would like to welcome your family to Crestdale Middle School, and we can't wait to meet your student in August when they begin 6th grade! Next week, there will be important events for you and your student to attend. Along with orientation for students, we are hosting Parent Sessions to answer any questions you may have. Below are some important dates to keep in mind.

Parents of Magnet Students: Wednesday, March 24th @ 7:30 am OR Thursday, March 25th @ 6:00 pm Q & A Parent Sessions will be held virtually with Principal Schroeder. Once you register for your date and time with Ms. Christy King you will receive the zoom link (Ms. King contacted you via mail and email)

Registration will be completed electronically, on a google form. The link to register will be given during the Parent Session you attend, along with instructions. Please contact your elementary counselor with any questions you may have about these events or registration.

These two events will kick off your family's start to the middle school adventure! We are so happy to have them with us, at Crestdale. 🙂

Butter Braids Pick Up

Butter Braids will be ready for pickup Friday, 3/26 @ 4PM in carpool. Please note that any families whose students are in the Full Remote Academy or are on A Rotation should plan to pick up their items during carpool in the afternoon. Please place a piece of paper in your car dash that includes "Butter Braid" and your child's name. Students who are in attendance for B Rotation will have already received their items during 4th block. Students who ride the bus may take their home with them but are encouraged to ride home via car if they sold more than 5 butter braids (the packages can be cumbersome).

If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Rusk. steven1.rusk@cms.k12.nc.us

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