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Middle School Families,
As the school year progresses and we approach the holiday season, I want to take a moment to give a huge shout-out to our students for their recent performance.
The effort they put into completing their Firefly testing was truly excellent!
This testing serves a few very important purposes:
Valuable Data: It provides us with timely, valuable information about their current learning levels, which helps us continue to refine our instruction and tailor our WIN and Knight Time groups. PSSA Practice: The Firefly assessment is a great opportunity for students to practice the digital format and technology skills they will use when they take the PSSA Online tests at the end of April. Their proficiency now will lead to confidence later!
We are so proud of their focus and dedication during this important testing window.
As we head into the winter break, I encourage everyone to take time to rest, recharge, and enjoy time with family and friends. This time off is essential for coming back in January ready to tackle the rest of the year with renewed energy.
We wish you and your family a safe and great holiday season!
Thank you,
Justin Hoffacker
MS Principal
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We are excited to extend a warm welcome to Mr. McCaulley, our new 8th Grade Social Studies teacher, and Ms. Gibbons, our new 6th Grade Math teacher.
We’re thrilled to have both of you join our Middle School community and look forward to the energy, expertise, and dedication you will bring to our students. Welcome aboard!
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🏆 Knights of the Month 🏆
The Knights of the Month are selected by their teachers for best representing
the qualities of a Knight, by being Respectful, Responsible, and Ready to Learn!
🎉 Congratulations to the following students! 🏰
We are proud to recognize these students for being selected as September Knights of the Month!
These outstanding students were chosen by their teachers for consistently demonstrating what it means to be a Knight — by being Respectful, Responsible, and Ready to Learn each and every day.
👏 Keep up the great work, and thank you for being shining examples for your peers!
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Briella Picarelli
Brillia is an excellent example of a Fairfield Knight. She is always prepared for class, respectful to her peers as well as adults, and very responsible. She exhibits these qualities by beginning every assignment as soon as it's given, doing her very best work, and participating in class. She is a role model for all students, and we are proud of Briella for always being respectful, responsible, and ready to learn.
Heath Moritz
Heath exhibits the qualities of a knight by being consistently respectful, responsible, and ready to learn. He works well independently and in groups and is a great role model for other students, and is always prepared for class with his assignments and materials. He is genuinely caring and kind to his friends, and he is respectful to both students and teachers. Heath demonstrates readiness to learn by always striving to do his best. We are very proud of Heath for always doing his best.
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Ellie Yost
Ellie demonstrates the qualities of a knight by being respectful, responsible, and ready to learn. She shows respect in the way she cares about others’ feelings and is willing to help her classmates if she observes them struggling. She shows responsibility by completing her assignments in a timely manner and keeping materials organized. She follows routines without needing reminders. She shows she is ready to learn by participating in class discussions and striving to do her best on assignments. She is open and responsive to feedback from her teachers as well. Congratulations, Ellie!
Evan Wehage
Evan demonstrates the qualities of a knight by being respectful, responsible, and ready to learn. He shows respect when he works cooperatively in groups, listening politely to others’ ideas. He raises his hand to speak in class, and shows respect to his teacher and substitutes as well. He shows responsibility in keeping track of his materials and having a charged chromebook for class. He shows he is ready to learn by putting his best effort into his assignments and producing work of high quality. We are very proud of Evan and his hard work this month
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Evan Horrell
Evan has been chosen as one of our Knights for the month of November and exemplifies what each of his teachers look for in a knight. Evan is a very optimistic and vibrant student! He comes to class with a smile and celebrates all of his wins in class, big and small. His attitude uplifts both students and teachers alike! When Evan enters the classroom, he is happy to get right to work on his classwork, assignments and projects. He has a positive attitude when faced with challenges and works hard to do his best-even when he doesn't get something right the first time. Evan works well with all of his peers and his positive demeanor both inside and outside of the classroom is uplifting to everyone around him. Evan's teachers are very proud of him and happy to celebrate his success so far this school year.
Jenna Daron
Jenna has been chosen as the other knight of the month for 7th grade in November. Jenna is new to Fairfield this school year and immediately locked in on the first day. Jenna comes to class prepared with what she needs and she is always mentally ready to learn. She participates and asks great questions in class. Jenna also endeavors to put great effort into her classwork, assignments and projects. Jenna's work reflects thoughtfulness and care; she is also not afraid to revise her work in order to earn the best grade. Jenna's quiet leadership is a positive influence on all of those around her and her teachers are lucky to have her in their classrooms.
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Quianna Chendikum
Quianna exemplifies the definition of a true Fairfield Knight of the Month. Her quiet yet powerful intelligence permeates and elevates the entire classroom environment. Quianna is always prepared and ready to learn. Her willingness to volunteer and participate in class discussions is an invaluable asset that serves to propel learning and achievement not only for herself but also for her classmates. In addition to these attributes, Quianna is conscientious, trustworthy, and kind, all of which make her a Fairfield Knight of the Month.
Tanner Packard
Tanner is a natural leader and a role model for what it means to be a Fairfield Knight of the Month. He is always ready to learn and prepared to engage with higher-level academic concepts. Tanner exemplifies what it means to be respectful and courteous, and he conducts himself with thoughtfulness and maturity. His academic work reflects the respect he has for all aspects of his education. In all of these ways, Tanner is a genuine Fairfield Knight of the Month.
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No school December 22nd - January 2nd
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Lost and Found
Please remind your student to check our Lost and Found for any items they may have misplaced. We’ve gathered quite a collection, and we’d love to reunite these belongings with their owners!
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Each morning, Mrs. Mentzer and her students kick off our day with the morning announcements—what an awesome way to begin!
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Social Studies:
In 8th grade social studies, we started our next chapter about the beginning and growth of the 13 colonies in the New World. Students created group projects where they imagined that they were colonists living in one of the newly formed 13 colonies. They then chose which colony they were in and made a recruitment poster that was intended to be sent back to England to recruit more people to come and join them in their colony. This allowed the students to use some of their creativity skills in the classroom while learning more about the colonies before the American Revolution.
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Science:
Eighth grade Science has just wrapped up our . This unit focused on Newton’s Third Law of Motion, concussions, impacts, and the scientific method. Students were tasked with asking a question, conducting background research, forming a testable hypothesis, conducting an experiment to test the hypothesis, analyzing the data, drawing conclusions, and communicating the results. The final lab of Collision Course had student groups design and create a helmet that would protect a Styrofoam head while increasing amounts of weight were dropped from a height of 50cm. I hope everyone enjoys their much needed vacation!
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7th Grade World History:
In 7th grade World History, we recently wrapped up our unit on North America. Throughout this unit, students engaged with important founding documents such as the Preamble, the U.S. Constitution, and the Declaration of Independence, analyzing their purposes and key ideas. They even had the opportunity to apply what they learned by writing an original preamble for a fictional country.
Students also collaborated in groups to research the provinces of Canada and explored what daily life was like in a Spanish mission. In addition, they examined major physical and cultural features across the countries of North America.
To strengthen their geographic skills, students created multiple maps—producing at least one detailed map for each country studied. It has been an engaging and productive unit, and students demonstrated strong growth in both historical thinking and mapping abilities.
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ELA:
Students have finished reading the novel Holes by Louis Sachar. Throughout the unit, they learned about themes, character development, and plot structure. While Ms. Grinder is out on maternity leave, students are working with their long term substitute, Ms. Jones. She is using our Into Reading curriculum to emphasize vocabulary, writing, comprehension skills, grammar, and a variety of other reading strategies! Students are currently working on a unit that is focused on creating a path for success. Some of the successful individuals that students are learning about include Malala Yousafzai, Andrew Carnegie, Julia Child, Mother Teresa, and George Dawson. Featured books in this unit include stories about being a team player, critical thinking, and overcoming challenges!
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Math:
This month in math, we’ve been working with factors and multiples and exploring how these relate to prime and composite numbers. Students have been practicing divisibility rules and determining the prime factorization of different numbers. We’re also continuing to write and solve numerical expressions using the Order of Operations.
You can support your child at home by asking them to share the factors of numbers like 48, 72, or 36, or by asking whether a number is prime or composite. They may even challenge you with a few Order of Operation problems—they’re getting good at it!
Science:
Since the start of the second marking period, we’ve jumped fully into science. Students have been learning about physical and chemical properties and changes. We recently took the Firefly science benchmark to help guide our instruction moving forward.
This month, we’ll be applying our understanding of physical and chemical changes through some holiday-themed projects. Students will also be practicing content-area writing to prepare for the science PSSA in the spring.
ELA:
In ELA, students have been doing a great deal of writing. Each child is working on specific writing skills tailored to his or her individual needs. You may have seen our new “Paragraph of the Week” rubric come home! By personalizing writing goals through this rubric, we hope to see strong, thoughtful writing from every student.
We have also begun working with a new reading series. Students have been practicing strategies such as annotating text, asking questions before, during, and after reading, participating in active listening, and making connections between the text and our community. Ask your child what they’ve learned about corn over the past few weeks—you might be surprised by what they can share!
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As we head into this busy season and look forward to a much-needed break, I want to express how hard our students have been working. They have truly earned this time to recharge and reset. I am incredibly proud of their effort and patience during the Firefly Testing—they persevered and pushed themselves every step of the way!
ELA
In ELA, we continue to analyze texts and explore story elements as we read. We have recently added Compare and Contrast and Inferring to our list of strategies. Students are enjoying fables that teach important lessons, and our group discussions have been thoughtful and lively.
We have also begun our Writing unit! Over the next few weeks, students will be introduced to The Hamburger Paragraph Template and a Writing Rubric as they begin their first writing piece:
Opinion Writing – Which is better: Candy Canes or Candy Kisses?
Our students are incredibly creative, and I cannot wait to read their responses and hear their debates. It’s sure to be entertaining!
Math
In Math, students continue to work with word problems, and we have now moved on to division and two-step problems. Students are using the CUBE method to break down and solve these problems. We’re also reviewing place value and rounding.
Many students are very close to mastering most of their multiplication facts, and they will continue practicing these skills as they begin working toward mastery of their division facts as well.
Classroom Fun & Enrichment
Between all of our hard work, we make sure to take brain breaks and enjoy some seasonal fun. Recently, we learned when candy corn was created and watched a video on how it is made. We’ll be doing something similar with candy canes soon!
We will also explore The Pardoning of the Turkey at the White House—when and why this tradition began.
In the coming weeks, students will enjoy:
A Board Game Day to practice social skills and peer interaction Creating snowflake designs to decorate our classroom windows And ending the month by designing and building their very own Gingerbread House!
Happy Holidays!
Mrs. Bechtel, Ms. Robin, and the students in Room 122 would like to wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season.
We look forward to seeing all of you in 2026!
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7th Grade General Music just started learning to play the guitar. They have started playing notes and will progress to tablature and chord reading. You never know we may have an upcoming star guitarist in our school.
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Stay up to date with rehearsals and events by checking the Knight Time calendars for December:
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🎶 Upcoming District Concerts & Schedule Update 🎶
Middle School & High School Band Winter Concert
📅 December 4
🕡 6:30 p.m.
📍 District Auditorium
Elementary Holiday Concert
📅 December 10
🕡 6:30 p.m.
📍 District Auditorium
Middle School & High School Holiday Concert
📅 December 16
🕡 6:30 p.m.
📍 District Auditorium
Schedule Update:
Due to a scheduling conflict, there will be no Middle School Choral Assembly this year.
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Musicians of the Month
Congratulations to Elizabeth Toohey, our 5th & 6th Grade Musician of the Month! Elizabeth began learning a new instrument at the start of the year and has made remarkable progress in a short amount of time.
Congratulations to Clara Behr, our 7th & 8th Grade Musician of the Month! Clara consistently demonstrates leadership, musicianship, and initiative, and serves as a positive role model for her peers. In addition to her school involvement, Clara sings with the Gettysburg College Children’s Choir and was selected for solos at a county festival—standing out among students from across the county.
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Elizabeth Toohey |
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Clara Behr |
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Veteran’s Day Performance
7th & 8th Grade Band and Select Chorus performed for our veterans at the Veteran’s Day Breakfast on November 11 at Liberty Mountain Resort. It was a great event and we appreciate our Veterans!
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7th & 8th Grade Select Choir |
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7th & 8th Grade Band and High School Concert Band |
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ACMEA County Chorus Festival
The ACMEA County Chorus Festival was held on November 21 and 22 at Gettysburg Area High School. Congratulations to all students who will be participating in this event. A special shout out to Lily Behr, sophomore, and Clara Behr, 8th Grade, who had solos in the festival.
Pictured front to back: Emma Ginn, Riley Housaman, Clara Behr, Addi McMullen, Gabby Vega-Fritts, Qianna Chendikum, Kira Highsmith, Keegan Muller, Helena Rodgers, and Cassie Click.
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Youth Honors Band
On November 22, five students from Fairfield represented the school at Youth Honors Band, a festival for 5th/6th graders across South Central PA. Congratulations to Skyla Keller, Emry Potts, Claire Gibbon, Addie Valentine, and Ellie Yost for an awesome performance!
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The library hosted a special makerspace session in which students were required to utilize teamwork, problem solving, critical thinking, and problem solving. Innovation and history collided at the middle school makerspace this week as students took on a nautical engineering challenge inspired by the Mayflower. Mrs. Mickley and Mrs. West tasked their students with designing and building their own ‘Mayflower’ using only Makerspace materials. The resulting vessels, constructed from everything from foam, cardboard, craft sticks, foil, plastic wrap, playdough, and tape, had to be able to float, withstand the wind, and hold cargo. The students brought the history right off the page. They didn’t memorize facts, but solved similar engineering problems the original shipbuilders might have faced. The project turned the classroom into a dockyard and the students into naval architects, demonstrating that even simple materials can launch big ideas.
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On November 18, a group of 8th graders went to an IT convention at Lincoln Intermediate Center in New Oxford, PA. During the event, we attended four different sessions. In each session, we could choose from four classes or lectures. Most talks focused on digital design, AI, and other tech topics. While we were there, we also met with colleges like York College and HACC. We had the chance to talk with representatives and learn about their sports and degree programs. At the end, there was a raffle. You could earn tickets by asking good questions in lectures or from the college. Prizes included shirts from the colleges, pins, fidget cubes, and other items. Overall, it was a great event and a good learning experience.
-Kinley McCabe- 8th grade
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If your child has come home with a school ice pack, please return it to the office.
We’ve loaned them all out and haven’t received many back.
Your help returning them will ensure we can continue to care for all our students. Thank you for your help and support!
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Our district has amazing faculty and staff that deserve to be celebrated! 🎉
Please take a moment to nominate an outstanding Fairfield Area School District employee!
Do you know a teacher, staff member, or colleague who goes above and beyond? Whether you're a coworker inspired by a fellow employee, a parent impressed by your child's teacher, or a student impacted by a dedicated staff member, we want to hear about them!Nominate someone today for the Shining Knight recognition and help us celebrate those who make a difference every day! ✨
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Please use the tab above for nomination form to nominate any FASD employee.
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📣 Meet Our New Attendance Coordinator – Miss Sites!
We’re thrilled to welcome Miss Sites as our new Attendance Coordinator for Middle School and High School! She will be your primary point of contact for all things attendance-related.
Whether you’re:
Miss Sites is here to help!
Welcome to the team, Miss Sites — we’re so glad to have you!
📝 Need to Send a Note? It’s Easy!
Option 1: Go old-school
Handwrite a note and send it in with your student. ✍🏻
Option 2: Send an email
📩 Email Miss Sites directly at: sitesc@fairfield.k12.pa.us
👉 Be sure to include the reason your student was absent or late.
⏰ A Few Friendly Reminders:
Thank you for helping us keep attendance on track. We’re looking forward to a great school year!
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Going out of town? A Family Vacation?
You'll need to complete an Educational Journey Form. Students are allowed 5 educational journey days per year. Please submit your Educational Journey Form online or send in with your student. Please try and get it in at least 10 days prior to your trip.
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