App Recommendation by Alexis

This is a drawing app, with many functions. There are different colors, textures, and brush sizes inside of this app, each one making it easier to do a specific task. This is perfect if you have an assignment that you need to draw something on your Ipad, or just want to draw for your own enjoyment.

School by Alexis

In school I am not doing too bad, and I have okay grades, though I am still not good with doing digital work at home. In school I like that there are different classes, instead of just one class throughout the day, and that the teachers are always there to help or explain a lesson to those who need it. I dislike that for those who already know the lesson, or for those who learn fast and do not need further explanation of the lesson, that they still have to pay attention, and are not allowed to either work ahead or do something for their own enjoyment to pass the time. Overall, though, I do like my first year of middle school, even if it is a bit strange with COVID going around.

Book Recommendation by Alexis

This book is Sci-fi and is set in a time where almost everyone has something called a Hylix, a mark that shows what genetic modification you have. If you have a red hylix, you have powers and are marked as dangerous and unstable. This book follows a girl with a red Hylix that is also a hacker named Cipher, showing what happens when she is found and chased after by multiple people.

Regan's Book Recommendation

I am recommending the book Unbound by Ann E. Burg. This book is about a family of slaves living in a cabin by the Big House. The main characters include Grace, Mama (Catherine), Uncle Jim, Aunt Sara, Thomas, and Willy. The story is told from Grace’s point of view. Grace is a 9 year old girl who is called up to be a slave in the Big House. When she gets to the Big House she meets Aunt Tempie, Anna, Jordan, Uncle Moses, Master Allen, and the Missus. They’re all slaves with Grace except for Master Allen and the Missus. In Unbound we learn how slaves had to live and what they had to go through daily. Unbound is a book that you don’t want to stop reading. Only half of the page actually has words printed on it so this is a very quick book to read. As far as I know, Unbound is a realistic fiction book. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys realistic fiction books about slavery without the heartbreaking aspect.

Josie's Book Recommendation

The book The Body in the Woods is a book about a search and rescue team that just goes out for a normal missing person call that ends up being a murder investigation. A team finds the body in the woods and tries to figure out who and how the girl was murdered. The book is written from many members' point of view along with the murder. This book is a murder mystery so if you like murder story’s this book is for you. If you like “To Catch a Killer” or “Stolen Children” then you may like this book.

Josie's Blog

My Quarantine The last 2 weeks I had to quarantine. Not being able to come to school was a struggle. I was not able to come into school and learn part of the material because I was stuck at home. I also had a difficult time staying focused and motivated on my school work. It took me longer than I usually take to do my school work because I had no one to help me or keep me on track. One of the worst parts was that we could not have basketball practice, but we made the best of it and held practice over zoom. We got to learn many different plays and we still stayed in shape because we were doing conditioning over a zoom call. But, there were some positive things coming from quarantine. First, I was keeping everybody safe to reduce the spread of Covid 19. I also got to take some time off to focus on myself and relax from some of the everyday stressors. There were also scary parts of quarantine, I was nervous that I could get the virus or spread it to my family. In the end, everything ended up being perfectly fine and now we are back at school!

Addi's Book Recommendation

I recommend Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. It’s Harry’s 5th grade at Hogwarts and things couldn’t be worse. There’s a new defense against the dark arts teacher who uses pain as a punishment, as you see the students rebel you see her punishments get worse. He’s been having weirdly realistic dreams. One dream in particular shows his godfather getting tortured will he save him in time he doesn’t know. I liked this book because you get to see more character development and character emotions. And it’s very long so you get more details of everything happening. You should really read this book. I promise you’ll like it

Addi's Blog

I’ve had to quarantine from the 6th-19th. Being in quarantine was really hard. I couldn’t go anywhere and I couldn’t have basketball practice. We had practice but it was a zoom. We would learn plays over a zoom. Then condition on another. It wasn’t bad but it was very different. School was hard because instead of instead of going at least two days a week I went zero. I had no motivation from teachers and I missed Mrs. Ivan a lot. I also missed being with friends at school. I’m very glad we went into quarantine though just because we needed ourselves to be safe and others.

Book Recommendation by Brice

My book recommendation for this quarter is Twilight by Stephenie Mayer. Twilight is a wonderful book if you are into fantasy, romance, and also a little bit of mystery. For me reading that book was like not being able to stop watching a really interesting tv show. I’m not usually a reader and I can never find any books that spark my interest but I really enjoyed twilight. Twilight comes in a series containing 4 books each with its own interesting plot and twist. If you are really interested I'm pretty sure some of you have already seen the movies but the books have a lot more detail than the movies and the movies are missing some important details that the books mention. This is one amazing book and I will continue on with the series that follows it. I hope some of you can find interest in this book like I do. If you are interested in the twilight saga you can find it in the library here at the middle school. By Brice

Brice's Blog

Even though we have had a very weird year, we have managed to do a lot more than we thought we would be able to do. This 2020-21 school year has been tough to find what we can do safely without risking anyone of exposure. So far we have still had some difficulties. We have managed to continue with the science Olympiad, both girls and boys basketball, football, cross country, and lego league. Our middle school team has done a magnificent job at keeping their students safe from this pandemic. So far we have not had a spiraling amount of cases at our school. Looking at our next quarter agenda we have a week long thanksgiving break but we still are doing virtual on Monday and Tuesday, so make sure your kids are getting their work done before 2nd quarter ends. Teachers will still be taking in grades on Monday and Tuesday so please look at it as a normal virtual day. I hope that you guys have a wonderful break and stay safe during these awful times. Your teachers will be looking forward to seeing you all come back safe and healthy.

School Year by Lundyn

New school year This new school year is very hard but not impossible. A way that helps me stay on task is writing down everything I need to do that day in a notebook. Once I have finished the activity I highlight it with a bright highlighter. I love to listen to music in the background so that the sounds outside aren’t too distracting. If you are having trouble with school I would recommend trying these things! Lundyn

Our virtual book fair runs fromNovember 23 until December 6. Hope you fihd books that will improve your reading skills! More information to come! #esmsbestyearever #thebookisalwaysbetter

Book Recommendation by Mack

Book recommendation: Lately I have been reading a book called “Dear Martin” by Nic stone. This book is about racism. The main character is named Justyce. When helping out a friend he is profiled by the police and handcuffed. After that he becomes more aware of his surroundings and starts to keep a journal that he calls “Dear Martin.” each day he writes to Dr. King and explains his day and the things he has encountered, always asking the question “What would Martin do?” In this book you see Justyce’s daily conversations and how he overcomes racism in his community. If you are interested or have read this book I know of a second part called “Dear Justyce” I have yet to read. I’m also aware the author is having a reading with the mid continent library through zoom.

Middle School Wrestling

Right now we are going through a lot, and it is very hard to control but we are still having middle school wrestling. We have to be very cautious when at wrestling practice. We have to have our temperature checked before we can get on the mat. We also have to stay with the same partners every practice and when wrestling practice is over you have to sanitize and wipe yourself down with a wipe. Wrestlers don’t have to wear masks on the mat but when we are not on the mat we have to keep our masks on. Coaches and managers have to have masks on at all times. I choose to wrestle because I like the challenge and trying my best to beat my opponent. Wrestling is a lot of conditioning but it’s worth it. If this sounds like something you would like to do try it out! Just remember to always try your best and try new things. by Rylee

Second Quarter

Second quarter so far Second quarter has been good so far. It has been going by fast and it's been a little stressful a few times.But other than that it's been really fun and virtual has been a little fun because there’s a lot of projects you get to do and it's kinda fun. Also being virtual kinda has some perks because you can do your work early or kinda late (besides tests) Also if you have to go do something you can sometimes get half of the work done the day before and finish it for the next day. I can't wait until the virus is over to be able to go back to school. Gaige

Upcoming Break by Sydnie

We will not be attending school on November 25 through the 27 because of Thanksgiving break. Monday, November 23 and Tuesday, November 24, we will be all virtual, so please work from home and do not come to school!!! Stay safe on Thanksgiving break, wear your mask, and social distance!! By Sydnie

Book Recommendation by Emma

The one and only Ivan I recommended the one and only Ivan, if you like a sad, funny, but cute book I definitely recommend it. The one and only Ivan has a lot of different things in it and it's a really good book. There are some sad moments, there are happy moments and caring moments. If you wanna read this book you can come check it out in the learning commons.

Upcoming Online Book Fair

Student of the Week by Jameson

Student of the week Hey Students at ESMS There is a new reward that you can earn by being nominated for the P.A.W award by your teachers. You can earn the P.A.W award by being Perseverance, Attitude, and Working hard or having a good work ethic. This award is not just for top of the notch students, its for students who get their work done and who have a positive attitude while doing it even if it is hard to do. There are some rewards that you can earn by getting student of the week you can get Pencils, Erasers, Bookmarks, Buttons, etc. You will also take a picture with your reward so you can be recognized by other students throughout the school. This project is still in its beginning stages. We might be doing some edits here and there.The Student of the Week officially started on October 30. Remember to be on your best behavior and I hope you enjoy the rest of your day. Stay safe. Bye! By:Jameson