Not quite in the 21st Century yet...

So......I get my first comment on my Blog that I need to reply to. No luck. I wanted to send a quick reply to the poster because the question was specific to them. Unfortunately, either because of my "newness" or the way the Blog is set up, I was unable to send the reply. My hope is (hope being the key word) that there should be a way that when you sign up that you allow me to reply just to you. Until I figure this out, if you have a question that applies only to you/your student, give me a call or shoot me an e-mail (malley@ecsd.us). It might take me a while to totally get a handle on this Blogging, but so far I'm liking it....I hope it becomes part of our SCMS culture.

SCMS Picture Day

Start warming up that smile. SCMS Picture Day is Thursday, September 10th. Until new photos are taken, students can still use last year's ID card for lunches, etc.

8th Grade Volleyball

More more Mr. Bialk's Desk

Volleyball try-outs begin the student's first day back to school; Monday September 8th from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Athletes must turn in a Pay-to-Participate form and Athletic Physical/Parent Consent form before they may try-out for the team. We have the forms in our main office. The Athletic Physical must be current; performed sometime after April of 2009. If you have any other questions, or concerns, please telephone 810.676.1806.

SCMS Open House

Our St. Clair Middle School Open House date is Tuesday September 15th from 7:00 til 8:00 p.m. Hope to see everyone there.

Our pre-open house, where our students can come into the school to check out their locker combinations and see where their classes will be, is on Monday, August 31st and Tuesday, September 1st from 8:00 am until 3:00 pm.

DC Trip Meeting

We will have an verrrrry important meeting regarding this year's Washington DC trip immediately following our SCMS Open House on Tuesday September 15th @ 8:00 p.m. in our cafeteria. This meeting is for every student that is going on this year's trip, their parents and chaperones. At this meeting we'll discuss plane flight times, itineraries, meeting times, etc. Please make every effort to attend.

Parent Connect

For those of you that are having withdrawals...Parent Connect for the 2009-2010 school year will be available for parents to log on September 1st. If you are not signed up for Parent Connect, it's a GREAT communication tool. Go to the East China School District web page to sign up.

8th Grade Football

From the desk of Mr. Bialk:

Football practice begins on the student's first day back to school; Monday September 8th from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Coaches will distribute equipment before school begins on Thursday, September 3rd at 3:00 p.m. in the SCMS Gym. All Football players should plan on picking up their equipment on that day. A reminder that athletes must turn in a Pay-to-Participate form and Physical/Parent Consent form before they may practice with the team. We have the forms in our main office. The Athletic Physical must be current; performed sometime after April of 2009. If you have any other questions, or concerns, please telephone 810.676.1806.

School Supplies

Just received an e-mail from a new 6th grade parent asking about school supplies. Here was my reply....hopefully it will help you was you prepare for the upcoming school year. As far as school supplies...it's pretty basic with a couple exceptions. Far and away the number one problem we have at middle school revolves around organization. We have a school wide color/class folder system that we use. Math is Green, ELA is Yellow, Social Studies is Blue and Science is Red. Purchasing some colored folders with pockets to help your student stay organized would be a step in the right direction....and....please, please, please stay away from the "Trapper Keeper" type binders. They tend to be a black hole for assignments. Other than that, colored pencils, lined paper, glue sticks, highlighters, a scientific calculator, #2 pencils, a few pens, a ruler are the normal supplies.....Bringing a box of Kleenex to donate to the cause is also appreciated (we go through Kleenex at an amazing rate)

Welcome to the 21st Century

Saying I'm a tad uneasy about this venture is an understatement but here we go.....Twitter, Facebook, Blogging.....terms that I didn't even know existed a few years ago but now are part of our everyday life. Like it or not, technology runs our world and our kids are, for the most part, way, way way ahead of us. My goal is to use this blog to give updates, comments and seek suggestions as to how we can improve any aspect of St. Clair Middle School. It might take me a while to get the hang of blogging and learn all the "neat" things I can do with it. Check back often and help spread the word to other members of our SCMS Family that this blog is available.



Thanks for your "technology" patience and enjoy the rest of your summer