Break is Coming at a Good Time

I think the kids are ready for a break. Some are in desperate need of a hug. For many of us, this time of year is something that we look forward to all year. For what seems to be a growing number of of us, this time of year is a very stressful time. Whether it's the economy and a lack of money, or a divorced situation with the conflict of who gets to spend what day with what parent , or a thousand other "little" things that adds stress to this time of year. You might be surprised to find out how much of the family stress is picked up on by your child. I think setting aside some time for a long, relaxing talk to catch up with what is going on in your child's world is something that most of us, myself included, don't do near enough and might just be the de-stresser that everyone needs. Enjoy these days regardless of the bumps in the road....speaking from experience, they don't last long.

14 Rounds

Read the post below.....the last few it felt as though an elephant was on my back. I'm sure that will cement a solid 4th place finish with my three sons.

The Joys of Getting Old

If you're looking for a SCMS post, no need to read any further. If you want to know what life has in store for you in a few years, keep reading.

All of us, male or female, are going to get to a point in our lives when we realize that our kids have passed us physically. Some of us (mostly the tall blog writing types) will hold on to the illusion that they can still run with the young bucks and do the things that they did when they were that age. I think my boys have realized that they have passed me and are attempting to try to keep their dad young. With that in mind, my three sons have come up with a weekly challenge. Here is the e-mail I got yesterday:

Feat of strength for this week: Rounds of Push ups

Here’s how a round works: For every additional minute you go, you have to do that number of push ups (i.e. the first minute, you do 1 push up, the second minute you do 2 push ups and so on.) The catch is you have to FINISH the number of push ups within that 60 second round. Knees hit the ground, it’s over. You can’t break them up.

Lets say you’re in minute 15. You would have to do 15 push ups. Any time you have left within that 60 seconds is just rest time. You don’t have to start doing push ups again right when the 16th minute begins, but you have to get all 16 in within that minute. You can wait until halfway though the 16th minute to start the set of pushups, but if the 60 seconds elapse before you get the 16th in, it’s over.

Sooooo...here's my dilemma. Do I give this a try, post my score to my boys which I'm sure would make me a distant 4th place.....or..... Do I just wait for them to post their scores, then make up a number? I think I'll give it a try (then make up a number) Feel free to give this a try. (don't let me be the only one that's so sore I can't lift my arms)

Winter Concerts

Great Job last night to all of our students that preformed in the Choir and Band Concerts. Mr. Decker and Mr. Carlson do a great job with our kids. It's amazing to hear the progression, not only from 6th grade to 8th grade but from the Fall concert to now. Special thanks to all the parents, grandparents, friends and family for their support. I know all the kids really appreciate it.

NJHS/Candy Canes

Our NJHS sold candy canes during lunch for the last 10 days with the proceeds going toward buying Toys for Tots. The result of their efforts was a whopping $551. That money is going to make a lot of kids happy this holiday season. Great job to Mrs. Walton and all the National Junior Honor Society Members.

Next Year's DC Meeting

Mark your calendars. We will be having our Washington DC Parent Meeting, Thursday January 12th from 7:00 to 8:00 pm in our cafeteria for all 7th graders and their parents. The trip is absolutely AWESOME and we want every student to be able to go. At the meeting we’ll discuss the trip, answer questions, talk about fundraising opportunities and have sign up forms for next year’s trip. Please make every attempt to attend this meeting.

Pencils

Those that know me probably aren't surprised to hear this, but at times I can be a bit immature with my humor. With that in mind, if your child ever comes home with a pencil that says "Stolen from Mr. Alley", they really didn't steal it. I had a bunch printed up and I give them away to students that are in need of a pencil. About two or three times a year I get a phone call from a parent apologizing when they find one of my pencils....then when they find out it's suppose to be funny, about half the time they get mad at me.

I still think it's funny.....

Monday, December 12th Basketball Game

The 7th and 8th Grade Boys' Basketball game on Monday, December 12, 2011 has been cancelled and will not be rescheduled. Port Huron Central has some gym floor issues and couldn't work out transportation to come here for the game. Practice will be held from 3:30 to 5:30.

Runners....Save the Date

Our East China Supporters Group is sponsoring a 5K run on Saturday February 11th. I personally know the Chairperson...great guy, real tall, personalble, smart...and he needs all the help he can get to promote this fun run. More info will follow, but for now, help spread the word to all of your runner friends to mark thier calendars.

Ski/Snowboard Club

Still not enough snow at Mt. Holly....Friday's trip (12/9) is cancelled.
Hang in there....the snow will be here soon

Dress Warm....

If you haven't heard, it's cold outside. We are no different than most large buildings in as much as we're having a few issues with our heating system. Some rooms are warm, some are just right and a some are cool. We are aware of it and are trying to fix the issues as they arise. The good news is that we are one of the first buildings in the district that is the beginning stages of a switch over to a new system that will hopefully correct the problems and make us more efficient with how we heat (and cool) our classrooms. Until then, please suggest that your student wear sweaters/sweatshirts and long pants....which probably is a good idea as long as the weather outside is cold regardless of our heating situation.

Saturday School is Here

What a great time of year. We barely get to see the sun, it's cold, wet, windy and Saturday School is starting. Let me try to fill in some of the blanks for how Saturday School works. We use Saturday School in two ways. One way is for discipline. Some times we'll give students/parents an option when it comes to discipline consequences. You can either have a one day in-house suspension or two Saturday Schools for example. The other way, which is more likely, is that Saturday School is used for missing assignments. One of our goals is to have students complete assignments. Saturday School is one more way to accomplish that goal. Now....how the exact process works is a little hard to explain. It's not black and white. Here's the short version. Every day I get a print out of everyone that has a homework referral (missing assignment). On Tuesday or Wednesday (depends on the volume) we send a list of names that have multiple homework referrals to our Central Office to have automated phone calls go home letting parents know that their student has been assigned a Saturday School (remember...this is the short version). The student has until Friday to get all of their missing assignments turned in to get out of Saturday School. Here is why it's not black and white. When a student turns in a late assignment, it's not instantaneous in getting the referral removed. It's possible that the report I get has Ralph with 3 missing assignments that he has already turned in but the teacher just hadn't had time to correct and enter the grade yet. Those type of situations happen all the time and will work themselves out. So if you get an automated phone call, no need to press the panic button, talk to your son or daughter and encourage them to get any and all of their missing assignments turned in.
On a bit of a tangent, if your son/daughter does have Saturday School, you are more than welcomed to come in and help your child complete their assignments.

Ski/Snowboard Club

No snow at Mt. Holly so no Ski/Snowboard Club this week. Hang in there...it wont be long.

Ski/Snowboard Club Meeting

A reminder that there is a parent informational Ski/Snowboard meeting tonight (Tuesday)at 7:00 pm in the middle school cafeteria. This is a re-post from a week or so ago. On the original post, there was a link that allows you to see more information and a permission slip.

Hope that everyone that is interested can attend.

Power Outage Information...(But Not Here)

Eddy and Gearing Elementaries have brown-out/power issues and are sending their kids home at 11:00 am. We, on the other hand, have an abundance of power and will continue to educate our students.

The building of the Ark has begun

Short Term Goals

I don't know about you, but most of us when we are faced with what seems like an overwhelming task we either get depressed or just give up. This applies to just about everything. Clean your house, garage, basement (you should of seen my basement last week....I thought an episode of "Hoarders" was going to be filmed down there), lose some weight, get in shape or, at school, get those assignments turned in. What I'll be stressing to our students is to focus on short term goals. Don't worry about getting every assignment turned in from now until June, just focus on from today until Winter Break. Very, very doable. We have a little over two weeks until Winter Break. You can do anything for that short amount of time...including getting all of your assignments turned in. If it wasn't for short term goals (one bag to Goodwill, one bag of trash, then repeat) I never would of gotten my basement clean. Please take a minute and have this talk with our kids. It's a great way to attack most jobs.

Oops.........

We had a computer glitch with some of our 6th grade report card grades/GPA's (I try to blame everything on computer glitches....I'm pretty sure the nasty weather outside is some computers fault). It was caught but not until part way through PTC's so some parents received report cards with wrong info. Letters are going out today to those 6th grade students/parents with the corrected information.

Thanksgiving Thought

I told this story to a few parents during PTC and I thought I'd share with my Bloggers. Thinking back to when my sons were younger, this story saved them from me losing my temper many times. It's a story that was told to me by a very good friend, Daryl Walker, who has since passed away. Hopefully you'll think of this the next time one of your kids does something that raises your blood pressure.

As the story goes, Daryl was outside with his dad and his young son who was probably around twelve at the time. The young son was hooking up a snowmobile trailer to Daryl's truck. The son's mind wandered (as happens with most young males), the trailer got away from him and busted out the tail light of the truck. Just as Daryl was about to say/do something, his dad put his hand on his shoulder and said "Your grampa want through it, I went through it and now you get to go through it".

As we get ready for Thanksgiving, it's easy to get wrapped up in some of the small bumps in the road instead of seeing how lucky we are.

Enjoy this time with your family.

Re-Post....Just the Facts

As in the past, we will be having the "Just the Facts" program with our 6th graders. Just the Facts is a play consisting of four scenarios performed by professional actors in a school setting. They do a GREAT job in discussing and educating our young students on a very difficult subject. It will be December 1st with a parent meeting in our media center on November 29th @ 7:00 pm. Please check out the following website for more information.

http://sccstopchildabuse.org/just_the_facts.htm

PTC Parent Survey

As in the past, we will be asking parents to do a survey during Parent Teacher Conferences. Unfortunately, due the the set up of our building (when you enter the building, the computer lab is in directly opposite direction as conferences)we typically have a poor response to the surveys. We appreciate the feedback and suggestions and would like to get as many parents to respond as possible. For that reason, I've added a link to our SCMS website (bottom right corner). If you don't get a chance to do the survey during PTC, please take a minute to complete it once you read this posting.


I'll leave the link active until after the Thanksgiving Break.

Thanks

Free Money

Thought that title might get your attention. Our St. Clair County RESA is behind a push called Know How 2GO. Short story is that we want everyone to be educated when it comes to the process of getting post secondary education and also how to afford it (scholarships, grants, etc...). Being a father of three that I have sent to college, one of which that is taking his time, I can tell you that it is never too early to start planning. In today's world, some sort of post secondary education, whether it is college or trade school, is almost a must. When you get a chance, please click on the link below.

Know How 2GO

Tis the Season.......

As in past years, SCMS is holding a Winter Apparel Clothing Drive and a Food Drive. The Clothing Drive, which is being sponsored by our National Junior Honor Society, is currently going on and goes until November 30th. The Food Drive, which is being sponsored by our Student Council, starts December 1st and goes until December 15th. Our community is not unlike most in the State of Michigan. We've been hit hard with the economy. What separates our community from most is our generosity. Even though many of our families have had to tighten our belts and do without certain things that we have gotten used to, we still have found a way to help out.

You guys are great.............

Police Invitation

Police!!!!!!! OH NO........the last time the police were here, rumors spread faster than kids coming down the stairs at Christmas (thank you very much Facebook...BTW all the rumors were false and I'm still being asked about it). Anyway, just a heads up that if everything goes as planned, I hope that we'll have some police in the building a couple of times a month. This is an idea that I’ve had for awhile. Back when I was at MCHS (about a 1000 years ago), we had a liaison officer. It was great that the kids got to see officers as people and find out they were approachable. I’m inviting police officers to stop in, maybe a couple of times a month to have lunch with our kids. It would give them a chance to mingle a little as they sit down with our students to have lunch. I see this as a win/win for all involved.

Just wanted to keep everyone in the loop (trying to keep the rumors under control)

Lost and Found

Every year at PTC's we set out a table (or tables) with all the "stuff" that has been sitting in our lost and found. Granted, some of the items has gotten good use, but much of it is a washing machine away from being worn the next day to school. There is easily over a $1000 worth of clothes that we'll be donating to Helping Hands after PTC's if it's not claimed. Please take a minute during conferences to take a look for any of your child's missing items.

Ski/Snowboard Club

Once again we have a few parents that are organizing a Ski/Snowboard Club for our students. It's an awesome opportunity that we would like all of our students to take advantage of. Whether you are ready for the X-Games or just a beginner I would highly recommend you give it a shot...parents are welcomed and encouraged to hit the slopes too (plus the club needs parents to help drive). There will be a parent meeting Tuesday November 29th @ 7:00 pm in our cafeteria for all those that would like to be involved. Please click on the link below for the flyer and more information.

Information

Our American Flag

Just an FYI that the rope to our flag on top of our building broke Sunday night during the wind storm (I think Dorothy and Toto tried to grab it as they flew by). It's quite a process to fix...we can't do it ourselves. A company has been scheduled to come and repair it.

11:11 of 11-11-11

I was approached by dozens of students today asking me...begging me...to make an announcement at 11:10 this morning to remind people that they need to make a wish at 11:11 am today, November 11th, 2011 (11:11 of 11/11/11). Soooooooooo, when you get home tonight and find a brand new X-box 360 with Call Of Duty:MW3 sitting in your living room hooked up to a 60" flat screen, you'll know where it came from.

Never to Old to Learn....

Another non-SCMS post, although this is educational. I was having an issue with golfer's elbow. Basically this is a condition that occurs when you swing as hard as humanly possible on every shot (even putts) over an extended period of time (40 plus years). I went to see a specialist and it was decided that a good course of action would be to get a steroid shot in my elbow. I had gotten shots before in my knees, and my shoulder so I didn't think much of it until the needle got stuck in my elbow. WOW! As I sat there, my eyes watering, my teeth clenched, the doctor gave me some very valuable information. Proving that you're never too old to learn, my doctor told me that he had gotten shots before and it's been his experience that it's much better to be the shot giver than the shot receiver.

Not sure if the shot will help my elbow, but I do feel smarter now that I have that information. (I know my doctor's wife reads this...and yes, your husband did say that. It's not often that I laugh and cry at the same time).

Have a good weekend.

Online Safety Contract

I thought this was sort of neat. It's another tool for parents to use to help build awareness to the dangers of our Internet world that we live in. When you get a chance, take a look

Student Online Contract

Ahhhhhhhhhhh....Rumors....

So.....late yesterday afternoon I'm talking to a staff member, which I do a lot (it's part of my job) and at the end of the conversation she starts to laugh and I ask what's up. She tells me that at the end of lunch a student comes up to her and asks if she's ok. She says that she's fine and asks why? The student tells her that he had heard that she was stabbed with a pair of scissors. She reassures the the student that she hadn't been...ya da ya da...where did he hear this...ya da ya da... this is a good example of a rumor and how they can spread...ya da ya da. Anyway, I really didn't think much of it until this morning when my wife tells me that she got a text from a parent of a SCMS student wanting to know about the stabbing at SCMS. I didn't hear about this until this morning because my oldest son took me and my other two sons to the Wings game last night, which was awesome....but that's a whole different story. Here's the short version and purpose of this posting. No stabbing or attempted stabbing, only a lesson in how rumors can take on a life of their own.

ABC Facebook Link

Wondering what ABC is? Read the post below. Here's a Link to a Facebook page we've created. Please pass it on.

ABC Facebook Link

ABC is Up and Running and Looking For Student Members

The St. Clair Middle School Anti-Bullying Committee (ABC) is up and running and is in need of a student component. We are looking for any students that are interested in being apart of our Student Anti-Bullying Committee. Participation in this committee will involve meeting at designated times during the school day, participating in, or organizing school-wide activities, and will involve active support of a positive school environment through positive behavior choices. Everyone is invited to join. Permission slips are available in the main office and are due back in the main office by this Friday. The reason for the quick turn around is that we'd like the group to participate in the St. Clair Santa Parade on Friday, November 18th. Participation in the parade isn't mandatory for the committee members. We hope that everyone interested will get involved and hep make a difference.

Daylight Savings

Boy it's nice to have it lighter earlier in the morning. Of course, getting dark around 5:30 pm is no fun......... I feel like I should be gong to bed around 7:30. I like the change but my body clock is going to take some time getting used to it.

Thursday, November 10th, is a Half Day

This Thursday, November 10th, is a half day for all district elementary and middle schools. We will be running hours 1, 2 and 3. School will be dismissed at 11:48.

6th Grade - Just the Facts Program

As in the past, we will be having the "Just the Facts" program with our 6th graders. Just the Facts is a play consisting of four scenarios performed by professional actors in a school setting. They do a GREAT job in discussing and educating our young students on a very difficult subject. It will be December 1st with a parent meeting in our media center on November 29th @ 7:00 pm. Please check out the following website for more information.

http://sccstopchildabuse.org/just_the_facts.htm

8th Grade T-Shirts/Sweatshirts

If your 8th grader missed out on the class t-shirts/sweatshirts, or got a t-shirt and wanted a sweatshirt, Mrs. Acre is organizing a second order. Please ask your 8th grader to pick up an order form if they are interested from Mrs. Acre. If you have any questions, please give Mrs. Acre a call or e-mail her at aacre@ecsd.us

Michigan CSI Community Seminar

Michigan CSI (Cyber Safety Initiative) is offering a free seminar for parents on Tuesday November 15th from 7:00 - 8:00 pm at our Central Office on Meisner Road. Among other things, you'll learn how to access the Michigan Sex Offender Registry, obtain information on parental control software, instructions on how to search and access your child's social networking sites (MySpace/Facebook) and much more. If you have any questions or to RSVP, please call Chris Klecha @ 810-676-1010

Petitions...Need Some Help

Here’s a newsflash….teachers, principals, bus drivers, school staff members are all human. I know, I know…that takes a little time to sink in. Sometimes we are misunderstood and sometimes we even make mistakes (sometimes we make a lot of mistakes…..of course; I’m speaking of the principal). More times than not, it’s a matter of miscommunication. The reason I bring this up is a couple of times already this year we’ve had students start up petitions for staff members to lose their jobs. I’ll be talking to our students today at lunch to let them know that if they have an issue with a staff member there is a process/proper procedure to follow. Starting a petition is not the way. They can, and should, talk to their parents, talk to a counselor or talk to me (the principal). A petition really doesn’t solve anything and really is more harassing than anything else. Please take a minute to talk to your child about this. As always, if you have any problems or questions, please don’t hesitate to contact any of our staff members or myself.

On a side note....if a petition was started for me to lose my job every time I told a student to get to work, quite down, stop running, take your hat off, keep your hands to yourself, or just gave a student "that look", I could insulate my house with all the paper.

Our Dress Code

My computer skills are almost out of control. Here is something I'm thinking about having printed on shirts. If you need a way to read this (and you have a smart phone), the app I downloaded is called "RedLaser". It's free (of course the phone or the monthly fees aren't, but the app is free)

ABC Meeting Monday November 7th

Our ABC (Anti Bullying Committee) Meeting is this Monday, November 7th at 3:30. I encourage anyone that is interested to attend. Currently, we have a very good thing going with our efforts and hope to keep the momentum going. Meetings last no longer than an hour. Please help spread the word to anyone that is interested. We'll plan on meeting in the Media Center. Hope to see you there.

Halloween Car Etiquette

Great night last night for Halloween. Had a ton of kids stop by the house, some current students, some former students and a bunch of future students. It's always funny to see the reaction to some when they see me on the porch handing out candy. For many, it's a look of shock....it's almost like they don't expect to see me living in a real house, that they thought I slept at the school. Anyway...the reason for this post. Last night my oldest son, who was taking around his two little ones around, comes back to the house and asks me if I have bail money. Bail money? Sure...I guess...why? Then he says, "If one more punk kid drives by us doing 35 in the subdivision, I'm going to pull them out of the car and beat the tar out of them". Of course he was half joking (I think...). Here's where you can help. I still remember my dad telling me that I would never be as smart as when I'm 18...once I turn 18 I get a little dumber every day until I get to be his age. I think every parent of a teenager can relate. Parents are just not very bright...if you didn't know that, just ask your teenage child. Even though it might be too late for 16 and 17 year olds to absorb any more knowledge, start planting the seed with 11, 12 and 13 year olds about the importance of watching out for younger kids, being responsible, respect, etc... I'd hate to have of them pulled out of their car to be taught a lesson by someone on the dumber side of life.

This is Pretty Slick

Know what this is? It's called a QR Code. It takes a special app to read it...for those with a smart phone, it's a free download. This is our student handbook. For anyone that wanted to look something up and didn't have a copy close by, all you'd have to do is to scan this QR code and you'd have our handbook at your disposal.

Sometimes I amaze myself.....(I'm easily amazed)

One More Thing to Worry About

Not that we don't have enough to worry about. Here is a Channel 4 news clip on how teens are disguising alcohol. Something every parent should watch and be aware of.

http://www.clickondetroit.com/video/29384556/index.html

SCMS Halloween Rules

It's been a tradition at SCMS for students to wear Halloween costumes to school (if they want to). Here are the rules on costumes. They still have to meet our dress code policies. No short shorts/skirts, no low cut tops, no tank tops, no bellies showing, ya da ya da ya da.....same speech, different day. Also....no weapons of any kind (yes...I know they aren't real but you still can't bring them to school) and no masks that cover the face. Remember, it's a half day on Monday. Students are dismissed at 11:48. Happy Haunting...........

Choir and Band Concerts

Wow...we've got talented kids. Great Job to Mr. Decker, Mr. Carlson and all of our kids involved in the concerts this week. Even though they were great, the best part is, when we hear them again near Winter Break, you'll be amazed at the improvement. If you missed this round of concerts, please make a point to stop in and see our kids perform. You won't be dissappointed.

Student and Parent Handbook Online

Got a call from a parent the other day asking if our handbook was online. They had a question that could be answered by looking in the handbook but their student either left it at school or had lost it. I bit my tongue while trying not to laugh at this parent because their child was so irresponsible that they didn't carry our student handbook with them at all times. For those that don't know me yet...that was sarcasm to the nth degree. I'm fairly sure none of my sons brought their handbook home....especially if they got in trouble for something at school and I needed to look at the student code of conduct. Anyway...it is now available on our main website, middle column almost all the way down.

Looking for Part Time Work?

The East China School District is looking for responsible adults that are interested in being a sustitute bus driver. If interested, please give our Transportation Department a call @ 810-676-1100

Slight Change in Schedule

Our SCMS Choir performance will be closer to 7:30 than 7:00 to accomodate our 8th grade football game that begins at 6:00 at East China Stadium vs Marine City Middle School. Thanks to Mr. Carlson for having the SCHS Choir perform a few songs first.

SCMS Choir Performance

If you are looking to hear some talented kids, both SCMS and SCHS's Choirs will be performing at the PAC tonight. Mr. Carlson does a fantastic job. I guarantee you'll be impressed. 7:00 pm tonight (Tuesday, October 25th)

Come On...........

It's hard to read the title the way I want it read. You sort of have to drag out both words in almost a whinny tone. You'll understand after you read below.

My wife and I were gone this weekend. When we got home Sunday we found our son and daughter in-law both on seperate couches and sick. I mean, really sick. The Flu has invaded our house. Luckily, our grandson didn't have it...until this morning. I'm hoping we missed the infectious phase and it'll miss us. Come on...........(insert whinny tone).... I don't want to catch the flu.

Free Speech vs Inappropriate Speech

Need some help. We seem to have an increase with the number of written assignments that are being turned in that, in one way or another, is bashing someone. Sometimes it's a classmate, sometimes it's a teacher and, believe it or not, sometimes it's the principal. When I talk to students about this, one of the first things they almost always bring up is the right of free speech. Now, where free speech is a right, at school, we draw the line in certain areas. Calling someone fat, ugly and stupid is just inappropriate, regardless of how you feel (besides....I'm not fat). Writing how terrible a staff member is, or that the principal should be fired (or as I like to call it, retire early), shouldn't be part of an assignment that they are turning in. Today at lunch I'm going to talk to the students, try to explain the difference and let them know it's inappropriate for school. It really falls under our Anti-Bullying program. Any help at home...as always...is greatly appreciated.

Fall Band Concerts

Our Fall Band Concerts are here. 7th and 8th Grade Bands will perform on Thursday, Oct 27 at 7 pm in our gym.

Our 6th Grade Band's First Performance next week Wednesday, Nov 2 at 7 pm in our gym.

If you get a chance, please try to stop by. It is absolutely amazing how talented our kids are and....here's the biggy....the amount of improvement you'll see the next time they preform.

Student Council Application

Now that we have the start of school, Washington DC Trip and the MEAP behind us, we are starting our Student Council membership process. I can not begin to express my thoughts on Student Council and the benefits that is allows for our students. I really, really, really encourage all students to get involved. There will be an informational meeting on October 26th right after school in the Choir room. The meeting should only be about 15 minutes long. If the student can't attend the meeting, they just need to make sure they turn in their application tot he main office by November 2nd. The applications are available in the main office and require a parent signature. If they miss the deadline (hard to believe that a middle schooler might miss a deadline) and still want to join, they can by attending 3 consecutive meetings to be considered for membership. If you have any questions, please contact one of the advisers, Mrs. McDonell or Mr. Carlson

Dress Code (Again)

Have I mentioned that I HATE this part of my job? For those that don't understand why I hate it are either a female and have never looked at it from a male's perspective or someone that is out of touch with the reality of the society we live in.....or.....I'm totally over reacting (or maybe all of the above). We have a number of female students that are wearing tops that are cut too low. It may not be too low when they leave the house, but trust me, when they get to school the tops slide down. I try not to look for it...honestly. I really don't want to be known as that old guy who is always looking at the middle school girls. I need some help. Please talk to your daughters. Dads....remember how your mind worked back when you were in middle school. There is absolutely nothing wrong with sweatshirts and turtle necks.

OK....I'm done ranting. Thanks for your help.

Anti Bullying Committee

Looking for parents that are interested in being part of our Anti-Bullying Committee this year. Meetings are typically once a month and last an hour. Our next meeting will be November 7th at 3:30 in our main conference room (in the main office). All interested parents are invited to attend.

Current 7th Graders/Washington DC Trip

Had a couple parents ask about next year's Washington DC trip worried that they might of missed a meeting already. We'll be having an informational meeting after the first of the year regarding the trip, the cost, fundraisers, etc. I promise that it will be all but impossible for you to miss the reminders of when the meeting will be.

One More MEAP Day

Wednesday is our last MEAP day (it's hard to type with the tears in my eyes). Typically the last day is the toughest day, not because of the material but because the kids are tired of taking tests. If there is anything you can do at home to stress the importance to doing your best and finishing strong it would be greatly appreciated. Obviously those are two traits that go waaaaaaaaaaaaay past taking the MEAP. I'll do my best Jedi mind trick on the student body tomorrow morning but my powers are limited when it's applied on a large group.

May the force be with us (I wonder how many of our students have any idea where that came from or what a Jedi mind trick is?)

Driver Ed 101

Another non-school related topic. Ever try to do the right thing and have it make things worse? I was out and about this weekend on the expressway in the right hand lane when a truck was merging onto the expressway. I went to move over, checked my blind spot, saw a car was there and ended up having to put on my brakes and swerving a bit to let the truck in. Being an ex-drivers ed teacher, I know I should of slowed down or switched lanes before the last minute and then this would of been a non-issue. Knowing that, I caught up to the truck, pulled along side, made eye contact, pointed at myself and mouthed "Sorry...My Fault". The driver of the truck proceeded to give me a number of hand gestures and used language directed at me that would make a sailor blush. Again...I just pointed at myself and tried to mouth "MY FAULT"....which I think just made him madder. If you happen to hear an uncle or grampa, or brother or neighbor talking about someone on the expressway that wouldn't let them in and how angry he was, pass on my apology. Life's too short.

Wednesday Afternoon Bus Incident

Just a heads up because I know how rumors take on a life of their own. Last night after school I got a phone call that one of our transfer buses was having an issue at Gearing Elementary. Allegedly a middle school student on the bus had some drugs and threw it out the window at Gearing. The police were called, found what was thrown out the window (it wasn't drugs) and handed the problem over to me to handle. We are handling the problem.

Just in case you heard something different.

Not School Related/It's Kid Related

The St. Clair City Recreation Commission is looking for a few board members. The qualifications are pretty simple, you have to like kids and you have to live within the city limits of St. Clair. The current board is made up of extremely intelligent, personable and good looking members (yes....I'm on the board). Meetings are once a month and never last more than an hour. If interested, please contact Trice Hawkins, Recreation Director at 810-329-7121

SCMS American Flag

I always say, excuses are like noses...everyone has them. Yesterday I was outside at the end of the day and a parent came up to me and pointed out our American Flag. It looked terrible. Worn and tattered. Here comes the excuse.....I had no idea. I get to school around 6:15 every morning (it's still dark outside) and I never bothered to look up and notice the flag. Now that it's been pointed out to me...I feel like an idiot....it's being replaced today. If you ever have a suggestion or comment that will help me out (so I don't look like an idiot), please don't hesitate to let me know. For those that know me....I can use all the help I can get.

Parent Challenge........

I've heard from a number of parents how much they like this Blog....quick, easy and fast info on a variety of topics (some of the topics are absolutely senseless but you take the good with the bad). I tend to agree. This is a great way to get information out to parents. I just wish more parents would get into the habit of reading it. Here's my parent challenge. I'd like every person who reads this to encourage 3 other parents to read it and to encourage 3 other parents and so on and so on....like a pyramid scheme without having to worry about going to jail. Hopefully we can get the word out.

Anti-Bullying Activity...Day 1

On each of our 4 MEAP days we will be doing an Anti-Bullying Activity in the afternoon. Today we started with a review of our definition of bullying, having students identify specific aspects of their character and write affirmations about themselves. Please take a minute to discuss this activity with your child. My guess is that different kids will give totally different responses as to what they got out of this and all the anti-bullying activities. A response of "nothing....it was stupid...." or anything else along those lines doesn't mean the activity was a failure. Many kids use that kind of response as a defense mechanism when talking about a topic that makes them uncomfortable....which could be pretty much anything with middle school aged kids talking to their parents. With those kids, we're planting a seed that will take hold when they mature a little. Hang in there and keep trying to keep the communication lines open as best you can.

MEAP Tips

This was passed on to me by a parent (thanks Lisa Bondy)...pretty basic but valuable tips.

http://www.metroparent.com/Metro-Parent/October-2011/MEAP-Test-Taking-Tips-for-Kids/

The MEAP...Pulling Out All Stops

The MEAP is here. One of my favorite times of the year. OK...that was a lie. I really dislike this time of year and here is why. We have GREAT kids, a GREAT staff and every year we get one shot at a supposed measuring stick for how we are doing....and our MEAP scores over the years have been very, very good. Our kids get to take a test that at times lasts over 2 hours in an environment that they are not used to. We don't give tests during the regular school year that last over 55 minutes...few schools do. Our kids aren't used to that. Because of the rules that we have to follow, there is an excellent chance that our kids won't be taking their Math MEAP with their Math Teacher...or their Writing MEAP with their ELA Teacher. But....it is what it is. If our students can walk away with anything from the Middle School, I hope they walk away with knowing that life isn't always fair but you play the cards you've been dealt and do the best you can. My goal for the MEAP is to get our kids to give their best from start to finish. Many times with the length of the tests, kids give up. With that in mind, we are providing gum and hard candies to our students during the test. What???? What in the world does that have to do with anything (I can read people's minds when they read my blog...it's a gift). The latest brain research says that chewing stimulates the brain and helps concentration. I'm not against using any Jedi mind trick if it helps our scores.

May the force be with us

Being Old Has its Benefits

I became a Grampa for the 4th time over the weekend. Margret Louise (Maggie Lou), 8 lbs, 13 oz with lots of black hair. Everyone is doing great.

Life is good...........

Box Tops

SCMS will be collecting Box Tops in our first hour classes during the week of Oct 17th-21st. Neimans is donating a donut party to the first hour class that collect that most Box Tops. SCMS earns ten cents for each Box Top collected when we redeem them through Box Tops for Education. We will be having another drive in the Spring, so please continue to clip and save your box tops all year long.

Parking Lot Cluster

Need some help. Our dismissal after school has turned into a mess. Watching our students leave the building is like watching a horror movie, when they turn the lights on and all the cockroaches scatter. We've got kids crossing between buses, cutting across the parking lot in front of school, cutting across the lawn headed toward Pug road, etc. It seems were ever I am standing, things are running pretty smoothly, but I can see if I'm not there, students are taking the path of least resistance. In all honesty, it's an accident waiting to happen. At the end of the day today I'm going to make an announcement regarding general safety and the areas that students are allowed to cross. Basically, students can cross the driveway in two areas. Straight behind the school leading to the bike path that connects to the Highlands/River Ridge/River Point and also directly East of our building, in line with our Gym, there is a crosswalk painted on the asphalt that leads to a walkway that connects to the bike path toward Pug Road. I'm also going to ask that parents do not pick up students in the front circle loop/parking area. Cutting between buses, cars picking up kids and leaving while other kids are trying to get to their parents is a bad mix. If you are picking up your student, please park along the curb or in the main/large parking lot on the East side of the building. Your help is greatly appreciated.

MEAP Info and Incentive

As you may or may not of heard, the MEAP has changed their "cut scores" this year. What this means in layman terms, the bar or level to be considered proficient has been raised. For example, if we apply our last year scores to the new "cut scores" SCMS's 6th grade class was at a 94% proficient level...this year it would be a 64% proficient level. Quite a differnce. The reason I bring this up is three fold. First, it's good information for all parents to have so you're not caught off guard when you get your child's scores back. Secondly, every year we have a number of kids that don't give their best effort from start to finish. Lets be honset....our kids aren't used to taking tests that last more than an hour. We see it every year that kids tail off toward the end of the test. Our goal this year, as it is every year is to finsh strong. Lastly, telling kids to finish strong and do their best doesn't always work so I've come up with a "carrot" that I hope will help keep them focused. If we get our Math and Reading scores at every grade level to a minimum of 70% we will have an assembly when we get the results back, choose one student to come out to center court and shave my head in front of everyone. If we get every student to do their best from start to finish, I'm hoping that I'll be looking for hats to wear.

One Month Down

Wow...one month already in our rear view mirror and it was a GREAT first month. Looking back at some of the changes we made and things we accomplished in this first month makes me feel pretty good about where we are....actually, I feel great about were we are, I'm just thrilled that with everything going on that I didn't mess things up. Here's a partial list of some of the tings we had going on the first month of school:

Saints Day...huge change that allowed out school to get off to a great start.
New Responsibility Program being piloted in the 6th grade
Washington DC trip for our 8th graders
Open House
School wide Magazine Sale
Got our very successful Anti-Bullying Committee back up and running
Preparing for the MEAP
Instituted a SSR/IT block of time
Smartboards in every classroom (wow...that's a biggie) Hats off to the staff, we are really taking off with this new technology.

All in all...I think I've said this already....we've been dealt a great hand this year with the students at SCMS. Looking forward to Month #2

Parent Connect Problems?

Parent Connect is an awesome tool that I'd like everyone to take advantage of. With that said, every year we have a few parents that have issues with Parent Connect. Either your computer won't connect, you forgot your password, your child has no grades in any of their classes, or about a thousand other possible bumps in the road happen when you try to take advantage of it. When this happens you have two choices. You can call me, which will be of zero help, or you can go to the East China School District website (http://www.ecsd.us/), click on "Parent Resources", then click on "Parent Connect". Once there, select "Onlne Help Request Form" and you'll be on your way to fixing the problem.

May the force be with you.........

Lions Day

Well....we've had Wolverine Day, Spartan Day and Tigers Day. Since they're 4-0 (who would of thought) and they have a Monday Night game coming up, we're going to make next Monday a Lions Day. Staff and students are encouraged to wear their Lions shirts/jerseys/hats next Monday, October 10th.

Anti Bullying Committee

As most of you hopefully know, SCMS stated a very successful Anti-Bullying campaign last year. A piece of that was an Anti-Bullying Committee made up of teachers, parents, counselors and administrators. We've had a bit of a turnover with parents leaving us for SCHS and are looking for a few more members. If you are interested in serving on this committee, please shoot me an e-mail. Our meetings are right after school from 3:30 to 4:30 and we'll meet around 6 times a year. Even if you can't make the meetings, we still want everyone to be involved and active in our efforts to rid our community from Bullying. From time to time, I'll be posting some of our activities on this Blog that we could use some help with. As we all know, this is an uphill battle that isn't just a school issue. Bullying is everywhere and we need as much help as we can get.

Tough Stuff....

Tough Stuff is a discussion geared toward parents of teenagers in grades 8th through high school on what parents need to know about depression, warning signs of suicide and how teens express grief after loss. It's free and open to the community. It is being held at Pine Shores Golf Club on Tuesday, October 25th from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. As a parent, we all have worries and concerns. This is an excellent opportunity to gather some important information and ask questions to some of our local area experts. Please make an effort to attend.

Detroit Tiger Day

Tomorrow (Friday, September 30th) we are having a Detroit Tiger Day at SCMS. Students and staff are encouraged to wear their Tiger gear as they start the playoffs. This is shaping up to be a GREAT sports year for us. World Series, Superbowl, Stanley Cup......

Half Day Tuesday

Tuesday, September 27th, we will be having a half day for teacher professional development. We will be running hours 1, 2 and 3 with the school day for students being over at 11:48.

Missing Assignments

We've changed the process we've used to handle missing assignments a tad this year. In the past, every day I would post a list of every student that had a missing assignment in our cafeteria. Any student with two or more missing assignments on Thursday would be assigned Saturday School unless they got those assignments turned in by Friday. Any student that could make Saturday School would have lunch time homework help the following week. This year we have instituted a block of time within our schedule called SSR/IT (sustained silent reading/intervention time). Now instead of posting a list in the cafeteria, I'm e-mailing out a list to the staff first hour of everyone in their first hour that is missing an assignment. Staff reminds the student of what still needs to be done and during SSR/IT they are given an opportunity to complete the assignment. This is still in the beginning stages but so far it seems to be working well. As this process continues to evolve, we could still incorporate Saturday Schools for those students that seem to need more dedicated time to get caught up with their work. If you have any questions on the process, please don't hesitate to contact me.

EMS at SCMS Wednesday Morning

Knowing how rumors get started and snowball, I thought it would be a good idea to let people know that we had the EMS at our school this morning. During a fire drill, around 9:00, one of our staff members began to feel light headed and ended up sitting down on the sidewalk. She never blacked out and was in good sprits (and joking). We called EMS to be safe.

Washington DC....Done.

Another DC trip is behind us and it couldn't of gone better. It seems every year after the trip is done I wonder why I worry so much. Two quick things regarding the trip.
First, if you have a 6th or 7th grader, start making plans. It is an absolutely AWESOME trip...but it is expensive. Through fundraisers (which I realize, no one likes to do) it is very possible to cut a third to a half of the cost of the trip off. For current 7th graders, we'll be having an information meeting after the first of the year.
Secondly/Lastly...huge thanks to Mrs. Rutledge, Mrs. Barker and all the parent chaperones. To say we couldn't do this trip with out you would be an understatement. Thanks for helping to make memories for your kids that will last a life time

8th Graders Not Going to DC

Yes.....you do have school Monday.

DC Fundraiser Update

If you participated in one of our fundraisers for this year's Washington DC trip and think you have some money coming, click on the Washington DC link on our SCMS main webpage for an update (scroll down to the lower right hand side)

Studio 1219 Hands on Art Festival

Just passing on an e-mail that I received on a neat event....

This weekend: Studio 1219’s “Hands On Art” Festival
at SC4 September 17 and 18.

Studio 1219 presents its annual “Hands On Art” arts festival 10:00am – 5:00pm this Saturday, September 17, and Sunday, September 18. The free event will be held at St. Clair County Community College, 323 Erie Street in Port Huron Michigan in the Student Center and the Fine Arts Building. Parking is free as well. This is the Studio’s hands-on, come-and-get-messy, playing-in-the-arts-Arts-Festival unlike any other!

“Hands On Art” is brought to the region through the generous support of the Stebbins’ Family Foundation, the Blue Water Arts Committee of the Community Foundation of St. Clair County, and St. Clair County Community College.

Studio 1219 and its cultural partners once again host this unique event, with lots of arts activities throughout.

And there is much to do throughout the weekend! So, come play with us!

Visit www.studio1219.comfor event map, directions, volunteer, sponsor opportunities or call 810-984-ARTS

DC Update

Just received this from our Tour Company....

When the earthquake hit a while back, the National Cathedral was damaged but was scheduled to reopen in a couple of days. They had a crane working there and it just fell the other day right on the Cathedral. They just announced that they will now be closed for another couple of weeks to make sure everything is stable – so, you will not be able to visit the Cathedral this year

Although that is disappointing, for those that have been before, you know that there are thousands of things to fill that time slot with. I'm sure we won't have any down time looking for something to do.

This is going to be GREAT

Creating a Parent e-mail Data Base

Because of budget cuts and the increase in technology, the October Newsletter is the last Newsletter that we will be mailing out in mass. If you do not have Internet access (how are you reading this????) and would still like a Newsletter to be mailed home, please contact our main office. If you would like the Newsletter e-mailed to you...…and here is the reason for this post....please click on the Parent e-mail Data Base link on our SCMS webpage (lower right hand side of the main page). By doing that we’ll be able to create a Group mailing list. My plan is to use this group e-mail list to not only send the Newsletter but also to update and remind parents of important information. If you don’t want it e-mailed to you but you still enjoy reading it, you’ll still be able to access it by going to our SCMS website and clicking on the Newsletter link.

Open House Tonight

Our SCMS Open House is tonight (September 13th) from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Following the Open House is a very important Washington DC meeting in our cafeteria for all those students (and their parents) that are going on this year's trip. Looking forward to seeing everyone.

Follow Up On My Weekend Project

If you hadn't already, you need to read the post a couple down from this one first....

I now have a hole in my bathroom floor and a hole cut in my dinning room ceiling. It is amazing how much drywall dust one small hole can create. To say the least, I made a mess, but....and this was my biggest worry....once I got into the ceiling, the joists were fine and I didn't find any mold. I was sure going into this project that I'd find rotted 2x10's and mold from years of a slow leak. So for now, I think I have found the problem but I still have two holes, one in the floor and one in the ceiling, and probably will have two holes for a while....at least a couple of weeks (I'm in Washington DC this weekend)

Important DC Meeting

There is a mandatory meeting for everyone that is going to Washington DC this Tuesday night (September 13th) immediately following our Open House @ 8:00 pm in our cafeteria. This is for students and parents. Please make every effort to attend.

I See a Three Stooges Moment Coming

Totally non school related but I think most of the adults that read this can relate. If you were in our dinning room and looked up you might notice a discolored patch on our ceiling. Our dinning room table is right under a shower upstairs. On Wednesday I walked into that bathroom (which is my boy's bathroom so I'm not in there much) and I noticed that part of the flooring was curling up. I reached down to feel the flooring and it was basically mush. At that point I knew I had two options. Call someone to fix the problem or try to fix it myself. Since I pride myself as a pretty handy guy, I'm choosing option 2. Starting tonight, I'm tearing out the bathroom floor that is rotted and taking out a section of the dinning room ceiling. My main goal is to find and repair the leak....a sub goal is to not cause more damage than I already have. My the force be with me.

Have a Great weekend

9/11 Moment of Silence

I realize that the majority if not all of our students were too young to remember what happen ten years ago on 9/11 but we will be having a moment of silence this morning at 8:46. Please take this opportunity to discuss with your child what happened and how that event has changed the way we live.

Unique Opportunity

The Marysville Library is hosting a Holocaust survivor, Martin Lowenberg, to speak to the community about his life. The event will be held in the Marysville High School auditorium on September 14th @ 6:30. We have flyers available in the main office for anyone that is interested.

Next Two Fridays...Go Blue....Go Green

Tomorrow (9/9) we're having a U of M day and next Friday we're having a MSU day at SCMS. Students and staff are encouraged to wear their U of M garb tomorrow and their Sparty garb next Friday.

We'll have a Notre Dame Day next July...........

DC is Coming

Our annual 8th grade Washington DC trip is right around the corner. Last year I promised myself that I wouldn't schedule it so close to the start of school....too much going on. But the trip was great, the weather was great and once it was done, I was extremely happy that we scheduled it when we did. Now...fast forward to this year. We just went through Saints Day, the opening of school, our Open House is next week as well as SCMS's Board Presentation on Monday. Here's my question to myself....what I was thinking? This wouldn't be too bad if I wasn't a type AA personality that worried about every detail. So if you see me huddled up in a corner shaking, toss a blanket on me.

Speaking of DC, we have an extremely important meeting right after our Open House next Tuesday th 13th at 8:00. This meeting is for every 8th grader that is going and their parents. I know every one's time is important but please make every effort to be there. All the times, info, rules, expectations, etc will be discussed.

Changing gears...sort of....could you imagine if our trip was a few weeks back when that hurricane was coming ashore? Just one more thing for me to worry about. Now that would of been a memory maker.

6th Grade Responsibility Plans

The Responsibility Plan is a new twist that we are using this year with our 6th graders at SCMS to help students adjust to middle school and mature as young adults. Our hope is that with the help of parents we can turn a negative into a positive. In the past, inappropriate behavior would result in a discipline referral with consequences. The Responsibility Plan allows the student to reflect on what was disruptive and given a chance to come up with a plan to correct the problem before a discipline referral is assessed. Here is how the plan works. When a student makes a poor choice they are redirected or talked to and explained why it was a poor choice. If the same behavior continues the student is asked to fill out the Responsibility Plan. Once it is reviewed by the teacher, the student is to take the plan home to be signed by a parent and brought back to the teacher the next day. Realizing that many parents work varying hours and that life is sometimes hectic, the parent has the option of calling and leaving a voice message for the teacher letting us know that they saw the plan and talked to their child about the problem. Please keep in mind that there has never been a truer statement than good kids will make poor choices. Many times, if not most times, a student is much more concerned of what their parents will think of than any consequence that accompanies the Responsibility Plan or a discipline referral. I still remember my days in the middle school when I made a poor choice that my parent found out about. I would twist every detail I could to try to deflect the blame somewhere else. Please keep that in mind when talking to your child. They were a good kid long before the poor choice and they’ll be a good kid long afterwards. It’s a part of growing up. Thank you in advance for working with us. SCMS a firm believer that education is a team sport. The road can get a little bumpy at times but with all of us pulling in the same direction we’ll get to the finish line just fine.

First Day Thoughts

Random thoughts....

What a GREAT first day. Probably the smoothest I've ever had.

Very impressed with our new 6th graders...looks like an outstanding group

Also very happy to see our new 8th and 7th graders. I've always said that our school year will depend on the leadership that our upper classman provide, which at the middle school is our 8th graders. Got a feeling that this is going to be a great year.

Pictures for those that did not make Saints Day will be this Thursday.

If you have any questions or concerns please don't hesitate to contact the school. Many if not most problems are either misinformation (hard to believe middle school kids might bring home misinformation) or a situation that can be easily solved. Don't let something bother you so it builds up.

Had a few boys wearing wrist bands that support a cure for breast cancer with a saying that is inappropriate for middle school (I love Boobs). Help me out with this. I could make 101 jokes about the saying but breast cancer is nothing to laugh about. All of us know someone that has been hit with this terrible disease. We can show our support a thousand ways, but t-shirts or wrist bands at the middle school level with that saying is unfortunately inappropriate.

Day one....done.....

Slight Twist to Our Schedule

Most of you probably won't even notice but we had a few minor changes to our schedule after it was sent out in the information packet. In a nutshell, SSR is now called SSR/IT (Sustained Silent reading/Intervention Time), there is no passing time between 3rd hour and SSR/IT and SSR/IT has been moved to the begining of 3rd hour instead of the end of third hour. Confusing? Here it is in print.

6th Grade

8:28 – 9:28 1st Hour
9:32 – 10:28 2nd Hour
10:32 – 10:51 SSR/IT**
10:51 – 11:47 3rd Hour
11:51 – 12:19 4th Hour Part 1
12:19 – 12:54 Lunch
12:56 – 1:21 4th Hour Part 2
1:25 – 2:20 5th Hour
2:24 – 3:19 6th Hour

7th Grade

8:28 – 9:28 1st Hour
9:32 – 10:28 2nd Hour
10:32 – 10:51 SSR/IT**
10:51 – 11:47 3rd Hour
11:47 – 12:22 Lunch
12:26 – 1:21 4th Hour
1:25 – 2:20 5th Hour
2:24 – 3:19 6th Hour

8th Grade

8:28 – 9:28 1st Hour
9:32 – 10:28 2nd Hour
10:32 – 10:51 SSR/IT**
10:51 – 11:47 3rd Hour
11:51 – 12:46 4th Hour
12:46 – 1:21 Lunch
1:25 – 2:20 5th Hour
2:24 – 3:19 6th Hour



Half Day Schedule

8:28 – 9:32 1st or 4th hour
9:36 – 10:40 2nd or 5th hour
10:44 – 11:48 3rd or 6th hour

** SSR/IT is Silent Sustained Reading/Intervention Time

Magazine Sale

Each year for the past 250 years, SCMS has participated in a kickoff magazine sale. Let me start by saying that I HATE fundraisers. For those that know me, know that I was a hockey parent, which means our family has been involved with every type of fundraiser known to man. But, with that said, this magazine sale has allowed us to purchase "extras" that other wise we could not afford. From repairs to equipment, to scholarshiping students to certain events, to bringing in guest speakers, this money has really helped our students. Here are the nuts and bolts:

SCMS Magazine Fundraiser will begin on September 6, 2011 with an assembly. On Wednesday, September 7th the address booklets are due. The students will bring their completed book to lunch with them. This booklet is for out of town family/friends that are interested in ordering magazines through QSP and this would help SCMS students. You may also order on line at qsp.com. Our school online code is 1078949 . Another option is the Pay Later Program. Simply fill out the Pay Later form (in the booklet) and have your student return to SCMS on September 14th and/or September 21st during lunch. QSP will send a bill directly to the purchasers address given. Prizes will be awarded for all orders purchased during our fundraiser - September 6 through September 21. Prizes that will be included in our campaign (if the required number of sales are returned per student are: Air Extreme with cash cube, Spin the Wheel for cash, etc., and one lucky SCMS student will win an i-Touch.
All help in supporting SCMS through the Magazine Sale is appreciated as the students benefit from this effort.
If you have any questions, please call Carol VanTroostenberghe @ 676-1803.

Saints Day Thoughts a Few Days Later

Now that I have a weekend between me and our first Saints Day and the dust has settled, here are a few thoughts.

We had a GREAT turnout. We only had 56 students that were not able to attend and many of those we knew about before hand (scheduled family vacations, etc...). That is outstanding. What a great community.

Next year we already have plans to make the day run smoother. Photos will be in the Main Gym, not the Aux Gym, four photographers (still not happy with the fact they only sent two this year to start with), two seperate lines with more help in the picture area.

Spreading out the schedule distribution/form collection area so it doens't become a bottle neck.

There are a few other minor changes that we'll make but all in all it was a great success. Thanks again to everyone that helped and to all the parents and students that particiapted.

Saints Day Thoughts

Anytime you try something different or new you can almost expect something will not go as smoothly as you would like, regardless of how much planning you put into it. Soooooooo.....when you're expecting 4 cameras and photographers for your first annual Saints Day and only 2 show up, what do you do? You do the same thing you do in life when you're dealt a bad hand. You make the best of it, and that is exactly what our parents and students did. To be perfectly honest, our parents handled this 500% better than I did.....(I was not happy). The lack of photographers made for a long line for the first few hours to get photos and student ID's taken. Once a thrid photographer showed up things ran much better. Our kids and parents were great.

Bump in the road number two occured when we ran out of textbooks that were barcoded. The barcodes have been on order and will be here before school, assigned to the books so that they can be passed out the first day of school. Other than those little bumps in the road, Saints Day was a HUGE success. Having this activity before school opens allows us to hit the ground running when school begins in September. Thanks again for all your help and patience and a special thanks to everyone that helped out.

(If this is the worse day of the year for me then I've got it made.)

Saints Day Tomorrow (Friday)

Getting a little nervous....which is my nature. Will everyone show up? Will everyone show up at the same time? Will no one show up? Will the cameras for the photo company work? Will the book distribution run smoothly? Will it rain? Will I win the Mega Millions? Ahhhhhhhhhh......

Hoping that everyone can make it and it runs smoothly. Had a good question that I can clear up. If you have a couple of students, say a 6th grader and an 8th grader...do you have to come back twice? The answer is no, one trip is fine. We'll make things work if we have an 8th grader during the the 6th grade time slot.....of course with that said, I hope I don't get 200 8th graders show up during the 6th grade time slot (just another worry).

Fingers are crossed. Hope to see everyone Friday

Incoming 6th Graders.....

Please, please, please read the post two spots below. In a nutshell, if you don't have your required shots, you will not be able to attend school. Please don't make me the bad guy. I can almost bet that the first day of school we'll have a few students that I'll have to send home.

I hope I'm wrong....

DC Fundraisers

GREAT Job...not good, but GREAT Job this year's DC parents did with our Texas Hold'em fundraisers. Our last one was last night and the check to our tour company will be in the mail today that gives every parent that worked credit toward their child's trip. There were a few bumps in the road this year but our parents stepped up and handled it without a problem. Once again proving we've got the best kids, best parents and best community around. Thanks to everyone that helped out.

Required Immunization Information

Due to state requirements, all schools are required to report the immunization status of all 6th grade students at the beginning of each school year.

Required for all children entering kindergarten, all 6th grade students, and all children changing school districts:
• Two doses of Varicella vaccine or history of chickenpox disease

Required for all children 11-18 years of age who are changing school districts or who are enrolled in the 6th grade:
• One dose of Meningococcal vaccine
• One dose of tetanus/diphtheria/accellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine (if it has been 5 years since last dose of tetanus/diphtheria vaccine).

Please check your incoming 6th grade child’s immunization records to ensure he/she has the correct doses. Documentation of this information is required before your 5th grade student may enter the 6th grade. Failure to submit this documentation will result in your child NOT being able to start school on the first day of the 2011-12 school year.
If your child is lacking any immunizations, please have them completed and provide documentation to the SCMS Office before the start of school.

If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact the SCMS Office.

District Academic Honors

I hesitate to even post this. I've seen over the years many kids that put waaaaaay too much pressure on themselves at an early age when it comes to grades. My philosophy in school, and at home with my sons, has always been to do your best. If a B- is your best, that's GREAT, but on the other hand, if you were a slacker and got an A- then you shouldn't be happy (because I'm not and I didn't keep it a secret that I wasn't happy). Where this rambling is headed is every year our District hosts an Awards Night for grades 6 - 12. The criteria for a middle school student to be invited to attend is all A's on his/her report card for the first three marking periods (no A minuses). Setting high goals is something every parent and child should do. The District Awards Night is a nice night, but not making it isn't the end of the world as long as everyone is trying and doing their best.

For Adults Only

Bet that title grabbed most of your attention. For those that are still climbing the hill....just wait. For all of us that have reached the top and have started down the slope, I'm sure you can relate to my recent revelation. This has been going on for a while but the light just came on and I was able to qualify it. When I mow the grass, go for a bike ride, work out...anything physical, I've reached the 2-1 ratio in my life. For the time that I'm active, it takes me twice as much time to stop sweating. If I jump on the elliptical for 20 minutes, I can count on 40 minutes after I stop before I cool down and can take a shower (few things are worse than getting out of the shower and still be sweating). Just thought I'd pass that on to those of you that haven't reached this point yet....something to look forward to.

2011-2012 Transportation/Bus Info

School bus stop information will be available on the District website from approximately August 29 until September 6th. The link on the District website is:
http://www.ecsd.us/busstops/
You can cut and paste the link above or use our District's website. With that said...here's a problem we run into every year. We have a lot of parents that drop off their student in the morning...which is great but they need to ride the bus home. Many of those kids, because they didn't ride the bus to school, have no idea what bus to get on to ride home. Please write a little note with the bus number on it and have them put it in their pocket (no need to pin it to their shirt....this is middle school).

Saints Day

We are trying something new this year that you hopefully have already heard about. We are going to try to get many of the opening week distractions out of the way before school starts. Below is an overview that is also included in your welcome back packet that was mailed out last week.

SCMS SAINTS DAY
Friday August 26th

Photos taken, Student ID’s, Schedules, Locker information and Books Passed Out, Touring the Building, Student Book Store Open….

6th Graders 11:00 am until 1:00 pm
7th Graders 1:00 pm until 3:00 pm
8th Graders 3:00 pm until 5:00 pm

Hope to see everyone on the 26th. For any student that can not make it, they can pick up their schedule/locker information the morning of our first day of school.

Supply Lists

Note to self.....put the supply list out sooner. I forgot that many stores start their back to school specials in June.

Anyway, here is the suggested supply lists. Many problems that middle school students have revolve around organization. Because of that we use a colored folder/notebook system. Math is Green, Language Arts is Yellow, Social Studies is Blue and Science is Red. Please do not purchase anything that resembles a "Trapper Keeper". Those tend to become Black Holes for assignments and notes. If possible, having a second set of supplies at home and a quiet place that your student knows is their homework area will also help in the process. Remember that these are recommended lists....with the economy the way it is and things being tight, if you can not afford some of the items, we'll find a way to make it work.

6th Grade Supply List:

Scissors erasers
lined paper box of Kleenex
Six one inch binders (one for each class)
dividers for each binder
red pens for correcting 4 pack of dry erase markers
colored pencils 1 old sock (to use as an eraser for the markers)
glue sticks One Green spiral notebook for Math
highlighters One Blue spiral notebook for Geography

7th Grade Supply List:
Colored Pencils #2 pencils and erasers
Glue sticks ruler (English and metric)
Highlighters box of Kleenex (turned into your Math teacher)
TI-30X-IIS calculator pens
One Green (Math), one Blue (Geography), one Yellow (Language Arts) and two red (Science …one for notes and one for labs) spiral notebooks.

8th Grade Supply List:
Colored Pencils #2 pencils and erasers
Glue sticks ink pens
Highlighters box of Kleenex
TI-30X-IIS calculator
One Green (Math), one Blue (Geography), one Yellow (Language Arts) and one red (Science) spiral notebooks.

Monday August 8th

Yes....I'm back to work. Hope everyone is enjoying the warm weather and the kids at home. As much as most of us joke about wanting school to start again so the kids will be out of the house (been there), enjoy these days.....they go by way to quickly. We've had our kids/grandkids coming and going most of the summer which has given me a chance to appreciate how lucky I am. Also...from a middle school parent perspective...as I was reflecting I remembered that all three of my sons were knotheads to varying degrees (depending on the day) and they've turned out pretty good. Just something to keep in mind the next time one of your kids leaves you scratching your head.

The start of school is right around the corner.....woo hoooooo

This Bugs Me....

Just off the top of my head, something that has always bugged me but now that I'm older it seems to be happening to me more and more. Either because of my eyesight, my height/line of sight, age or just an over all state of being in a fog, I seem to miss when people wave at me. It's not on purpose, it's not that I feel I'm better than others and it's not because I don't remember you (but as I get older, that could be true). Just this week it's happened three times that a car has passed me and I just caught out of the corner of my eye, as the car was just about even with me, that someone was waving to me...too late for them to see me wave back. Just wanted to set the record straight....I'm a pretty nice guy. If I do miss you please keep trying.

Everyone enjoying their summer?

New DC Texas Hold'em Info

For those of you that are participating in our Texas Hold'em Fundraiser for this year's DC trip, we've had a slight bump in the road. Just found out yesterday (6/27/11) that the times for our two August fundraising dates have changed. Sorry.

First shift is 3:00 to 7:00 pm

Second shift is 7:00 to 11:00 pm

Last shift is 11:00 to 2:00 pm.

Please e-mail me if you read this and your times still work for you (it'll save me from having to call everyone). Again...sorry, but it is what it is.

Thank You Cargill

WOW..... Mrs. Burkart put in for a grant from Cargill Salt for three classroom sets of "clickers" to go with our soon to be Smartboards. The grant was approved and we could not be happier. These "clickers" allow students to give and receive immediate responses/feedback to questions on the Smartboard. A huge thank you to our friends at Cargill for making this happen. The clickers are a big ticket item that we would not be able to afford with out some help.

Last Day.....

Believe it or not, I've never counted down the days or looked forward to the end of any school year, especially when you've had a good year. This year has been a great year. Best of luck to our 8th graders as they move on to the next phase of their lives. They will be missed. I made mention to our 7th graders that I'm counting on them next year. As principal, I'm a firm believer that our school year is determined by our leaders, and our leaders are our 8th grade class. Enjoy the time this summer with your son or daughter.. As I've mentioned many times on this Blog and in my newsletters....this time goes by way too quickly.

And.....completely off subject.....If you happen to come across a pencil that says "Stolen from Mr. Alley", it wasn't really stolen. I give those out to students (sad attempt at humor). Had a parent call the other day apologizing that their child had one of my pencils.

Enjoy the summer....

Are You Kidding Me?????

Because parents need one more thing to worry about. Evidently there is an "activity" that some of the kids saw on YouTube that shows you how to make yourself pass out. It has just come to my attention that we have a few kids, thinking it's funny, trying this in school. I've made a school wide announcement but any help at home you can give us to stress how inappropriate, dangerous and frankly, stupid this "game" can be would be greatly appreciated.

Jr Golf Tournament

Just received a flyer on a Jr Golf Tournament on August 12th at Pine Shores. Space is limited. If interested contact Pine Shores at 810-329-4294 or go online at:

http://web.me.com/jimbarrett/scjgt/Welcome.html

Starting School Differently Next Year

In a hope to try to limit some of the first days of school chaos, we're going to try something different modeled after what SCHS currently does. SCMS will be holding it's own "Saints Day" on Friday August 26th. On Saints Day, students will arrive during a time slot for their grade level, turn in forms (emergency cards, etc.)receive their schedules, get their picture ID taken, receive their books, be able to take their books to their lockers, check out their combinations, location of classes, etc. We're excited about the change and look forward to seeing everyone on Saints Day. More information, times, what needs to be brought to school to turn in, etc will be mailed home in an information packet in August. For those that are out of town or can't make it on Saints Day, schedules will be available the first day of school.

Toosday's Odds and Ends

What a time for the compressor for the air conditioning unit that cools our office area to break. 85 with no air flow in my office. We've had such terrible weather and it's been so cool that this 85 feels like 117.

Anyway, need a little help in a few areas. I've been begging the students to get their assignments in on time. If there has ever been a time when a short term goal speech would be appropriate, now would be the time. Any help you can give us at home would be great....we're a team.

Secondly, we have a ton (yes 200 pounds) of overdue books. Please ask your child if they happen to have a book or two that they haven't returned. If they are unsure, checking in the Media Center would be my suggestion...then check under their bed, in the back seat of your car, in the bottom of their locker, etc...

Thirdly, as much as I would like to be wearing a bathing suit to work..trust me, that thought has crossed my mind more than once today, I can't. Regardless of how hot it gets. Please have a talk (again) with your son/daughter regarding our dress code. There are many outfits that our young ladies own that are extremely nice and look great to wear out to eat with their parents or wear to Church that don't fit our dress code. Short skirts/shorts, tank tops, spaghetti strap tops, low cut tops, ya da ya da ya da....I hate being the dress code police. HELP....

8th Grade SC4 Trip

Our RESA is sponsoring a field trip for our 8th graders to St. Clair County Community College. The purpose of the day is to give the students a tour and to stress the importance of post high school education. Students will transported by bus, leaving during second hour and will return in time for last hour. Lunch will be provided. The field trip is this Wednesday, May 25th, and a permission slip is required to attend. Unfortunately this fell completely off my radar...obviously since I'm just now putting it on our Blog. Permission slips went home a few weeks ago and students have been reminded a number of times. If this is the first time you've heard of it.....sorry. We'll still take the permission slips tomorrow.

No Name Calling Week

Monday May 23rd to Friday May 27th, SCMS is designating as No Name Calling Week. It's our goal to point out that even name calling that one person thinks they are saying in jest can be hurtful and is unacceptable. If you watch or listen to any form of media you know that we are surrounded by put downs. It's an up hill battle to say the least. Please take a minute to have this conversation with your student. This fight against bullying/name calling has to be a team effort.

Taking one step at a time.........

Texas Hold'em/DC Fundraiser

The response for our second Washington DC Fundraiser has been slow to say the least. I talked to the students a while back and handed out flyers to take home, we sent an automated phone message home and I've posted info on this Blog as well as our SCMS webpage. I'm hoping the info has gotten to the parents. I'm going to remind the kids today at lunch. The forms are due back in the office tomorrow (Friday, May 20th). If you need another flyer/sign up form, we have more in the office.

DC Fundraiser #2

For those parents of 7th grade students going to Washington DC this fall, we are getting ready to sign people up for a series of Teas Hold'ems. The sign up forms are due back in the office this Friday, May 20th. If your son or daughter didn't bring one home (hard to believe a middle schooler would forget), we have more copies in the office.

Incoming 6th Graders Immunizations

Since this week we are having our 6th grade orientation, I'm sure that every 5th grade parent is checking out our SCMS Blog. For that reason, here is a copy of part of the letter you should of received regarding the required immunizations.

Required for all children entering kindergarten, all 6th grade students, and all children changing school districts:
• Two doses of Varicella vaccine or history of chickenpox disease

Required for all children 11-18 years of age who are changing school districts or who are enrolled in the 6th grade:
• One dose of Meningococcal vaccine
• One dose of tetanus/diphtheria/accellular pertussis (Tdap) vaccine (if it has been 5 years since last dose of tetanus/diphtheria vaccine).

Any questions please give our office a call.

Next DC Fundraiser

Had a few questions regarding our next Washington DC fundraiser for this year's gorup of 7th graders that are going on the trip. The fundraiser is working a Texas Hold'em and the sign up sheets are coming home today. If you don't get one, no worries, it isn't due back in the office until May 20th (it's not first come first served when assigning dates/times). I'm going to put the information on the sheet that is coming home on our website under the Washington DC link. We'll have extra sign up sheets in the office for those students that were absent or forgot to bring one home.

Report Card Delay

Ok, ok, ok.....gotten a few questions, borderline complaints, on the speed at which report cards are getting home. After looking into it today, I think I've found the problem. Here is the process that we use (that sounds like an excuse). Once the grades are entered, we do a printout, give it back to the teachers so they can verify the grades. Once verified, we print the report cards, stuff the envelopes and get them ready to be mailed. Here is the where I think the delay comes in. Our district mail all goes through our Central Office. Mail is picked up there at noon. Our mail (SCMS) isn't picked up until 1:00, so right there it's a day behind. This current report card happened to be picked up at SCMS on the Thursday before Easter. Because we didn't have school Friday and Monday, my gut feeling is that the report cards didn't get taken to the post office until the Tuesday after Easter....something we didn't anticipate. Sorry. It is something that I am now very aware of (thanks to a few concerned parents) and we'll be working to try to streamline the process.

6th Grade Orientation

Next Wednesday, May 11th, is our annual 6th Grade Orientation. All incoming 5th graders will be be bused to SCMS from their respective elementary schools for an afternoon of activities and an induction to middle school. Once the 5th graders have arrived, our current 6th graders will be dismissed...probably 11:35 (ish).

We also have an information parent meeting at 7:00 pm in our cafeteria for all parents of incoming 6th graders.

Looking forward to meeting everyone on the 11th.

Trivia....

Have you ever been on YouTube? Did you know that YouTube's first video was on April 23rd, 2005? It seems like it has been around forever. More YouTube facts...35 hours of video is uploaded on YouTube every minute. Do you know who owns YouTube?


wait for it.....


And the answer is....Google owns YouTube (like they needed more money....)

May 5th is a Half Day

May 5th is a staff professional development day. Students will be released at 11:48

A Scheduling Thought for Next Year

A little heads up for my current 7th grade students/parents. You are the first class that will be required to have two years of a foreign language in order to graduate. That's two years of the same foreign language, not one year of Spanish and one year of French. The reason I bring this up is two fold. First, it's always good to have information. Secondly, we offer Spanish 1 in 8th grade. It is the identical class that is offered at SCHS. Same course, same assessments, same exams and it counts toward the State graduation requirement. By taking the class in 8th grade, besides getting a jump on a requirement, you'd be opening up your schedule to take another elective class. I would highly recommend you take a long look at that class when the scheduling sheets come home in a week or so. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to give me a call.

Letter From Dr. Green

This afternoon we will be sending home a letter from Dr. Green to all parents. Having three sons, I know there were probably countless number of "things" sent home that never made it. For that reason, below is a copy of the letter.

Dear Parents and Community,

I am writing you today to update you on the extraordinary budget challenges facing East China School District and the efforts underway by the school to manage this situation and its impact on student learning and our outstanding educational programs.

The 2011-2012 budget proposed by Governor Snyder cuts our school aid by $300 per pupil. It also raises the retirement rate we have to pay the state by $239 per pupil. This is a total reduction of $2.5 million to East China Schools. Coupled with other funding losses due to declining enrollment and rising expenses, ECSD is facing a $5.2 million financial problem, which is over 10% of our budget.

The Governor’s budget talks about the need for “shared sacrifice”. But, by far the largest cuts in this budget are to the Department of Education (10.3%) and the School Aid Fund (7.3%). Much of this money will go towards funding a business tax cut and higher education. Although, the Michigan constitution of 1963 allows the school aid fund to support higher education, it has never been done to this extent. Universities can raise tuition to help cover their rising expenses, but school districts are totally dependent on the state for funding.

The East China School District carefully manages its funds. As funding has been reduced over the last several years, we have reduced staffing by over 100 teaching positions and laid off teachers, closed a school, adjusted benefits to staff, and made dozens of other adjustments to handle the financial crisis. Generally, we have not had to reduce our program or raise class sizes too high. But, clearly, changes will occur to almost all of our programs if we are not properly funded by the state as was promised by Proposal A. Our $5.6 million fund equity can be used judiciously to help balance our budget, but we need to match our expenses to our revenue. We have very few choices left to balance our budget. Employees have made concessions in the past, and they will be asked to step up again. But, there is no way we could balance the budget on concessions alone. We will need to make cuts to staffing to address declining enrollment, and we’ll need to make other cuts as well. This proposed budget does not give us any realistic chance to continue to function at the high level that we have in the past.

The Governor’s budget, if adopted, will be the biggest cut in funding for schools ever. There is a more balanced approach that will help the state meet its obligations and yet still support the schools. For example, implementing the governor’s business tax cuts over a three to five year time span to help reduce the impact could be considered. Do we need the largest business tax cut in the history of Michigan to be implemented in one year given the many budget issues we’re facing? It makes sense to consider implementing it over time. This budget does not share the sacrifice and does not have the best interests of our children in mind.

What can you do? We ask all of you to contact your state legislators to communicate your concern.

Senator Phil Pavlov
P.O. Box 30036
Lansing, MI 48909-7536
Phone: (517) 373-7708
FAX: (517) 373-1450
Email: www.senatorphilpavlov.com

Representative Jud Gilbert
S-1185 House Office Building
P.O. Box 30014
Lansing, MI 48933
Phone: (517) 373-1790
Toll Free: (877) 455-2378
Email: JudGilbert@house.mi.gov


Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Rodney P. Green, Ph.D.
Superintendent

Congrats to Jenna Bacon

Current SCMS 7th grader, Jenna Bacon was awarded a Third Place Award in the Middle School Art Awards program at the St. Clair Art Association. Congratulations to Jenna and Mrs. Biernot our SCMS Art Teacher. Great Job.

Congrats to John Staiger

Current SCMS 7th grader, John Staiger, placed 3rd at the State Championship Geography Bee. This is the highest placement ever for a SCMS student. John competed through 8 qualifying rounds then won the tie breaker round allowing him to complete with 9 other students in the championship round. During the championship round, the top ten were whittled down until three remained. John then went head to head with last year’s champion – who would eventually repeat. All in all, John continuously answered questions for over five and one half hours on all aspects of geography. Congratulations to John and his parents. The SCMS family is very proud of you.

Congrats to Heather Burt

SCMS 7th grader, Heather Burt, has been chosen as the Grand Prize Winner for the St. Clair County Community Mental Health (SCCCMH) Creative Arts Middle School Writing Contest. Heather was chosen from close to 200 entries. For her accomplishment, Heather will be awarded with a $500 savings bond at our Annual Meeting on May 3, 2011at Fore Lakes Golf Club.
Congratulations to Heather and Mrs. McDonnel, Heather's 7th grade ELA teacher....great job.

Half Day on Thursday

With the end of the Third Marking Period (where did the time go?), all district middle and elementary schools will have a half day on Thursday, April 14th.

Good To Be Back....

Spring Break is always good to recharge some batteries and get ready for the stretch run....not only for the kids, but for the staff as well. We now are entering the time of year that is the toughest for everyone. The light is at the end of the tunnel, the weather is turning and priorities are shifting. If we were ever going to work as a team, now is the time. I know you've read this a hundred times, but short term goals is going to be our battle cry. Focus on today to Easter Break....no missing assignments. We can do it....we might just need a little help.

Congrats to Our Science Olympiad Team

The Science Olympiad Team did awesome! The middle school placed 9th overall out of 23 schools! Here are the medal winners:

Write It Do It - Morgan Kronner & Allison Urban (6th)
Bottle Rockets - John Staiger & Eli George (3rd)
Shock Value - Steven Whittlesey & Adam George (5th)
Towers - Steven Whittlesey & Lauren Mehlberg (4th)

GREAT Job......

Science Olympiad This Weekend

Our SCMS Science Olympiad Team is competing this weekend at Macomb Community College. If you've never been to one, it's a interesting and impressive show. The kids are spread out, with each group preforming a different activity. If you have some free time, it's well worth the drive.

Best of luck Saints...

Little Caesar Pizza Kit Reminder

Our Washington DC fundraiser, LC Pizza Kits, are scheduled for pick up is this Thursday, March 24th, between 3:00 and 5:00. Unfortunately students can not take them home on the bus.

Anyone that would like to help out in sorting and distributing the orders to parents as they arrive to pick them up can contact our SCMS office....(it's like a party except without all the fun).

DC Reminder

The Little Caesar Pizza Kit Fundraiser forms are due in the office tomorrow (Thursday, March 17th).

8th Grade Cedar Point Trip

Can't believe we're already talking about the end of the year Cedar Point trip....wow, this year is flying by. Just a heads up that all Cedar Point Fundraiser Orders and Money due to Mrs. Acre no later than Tuesday, March 22nd.

Snow Day/ Saturday School

For those of you that are sitting on the edge of your seat.....Saturday School is still a go despite the snow day. The one out you have, since you didn't have the opportunity to turn in your missing assignments on Friday, is if you turn them all in Monday morning then missing Saturday School won't count against you.

Furture Freshman Orientation

If you missed the Freshman Orientation at St. Clair High School there is a link on the SCHS website that covers most of the highlights. Go to http://www.ecsd.us/sch/ and scroll down to the Class of 2015 Info article. Any questions, give St. Clair High School at call at 676-1706

Band News

Our 8th Grade Band and 7th Grade Band both received First Division ratings at the MSBOA District Festival at Algonquin MS.

Congratulations to Mr. Decker and all band members....GREAT Job.

All of our Bands Grades 6th, 7th and 8th will be performing during the SC Band Boosters Spaghetti Dinner on Tuesday evening March 15 at SCHS.

March 8th, Half Day

Tuesday March 8th is a half day for students. 8th grade students will be taking the Explore Test (it's like a pre-ACT test) during this half day.

Rumors....Ahhhhhh!!!!!

A rumor is going around that SCMS was on Lockdown today because a student threatened to commit suicide. We are not and have not been on Lockdown. What did happen was a young special needs boy said a few inappropriate remarks in front of some other students. His parents we called, the situation was explained to them and the student is now home. At no time was anyone injured or in danger.

East China School District Supporters

Need some help and support. Our Endowment Fund for the past two years have hosted a fundraiser in August....which I realize is a long way down the road. Each year the Supporters group has provided many "extras" to every school in the district through a grant process. The fundraiser is a cruise on the St. Clair River aboard the Duc d'Orleans that leaves the River Crab @ 6:30 p.m. and returns at 9:30 p.m. The Rivertown Gents will be supplying the live music and hors d'oeuvres are prepared by the River Crab. All in all, it's a fun night with the proceeds going to a very worthy cause. Here is where the help comes in. Tickets are $50 per person. Even though the event is 5 months away, your support of this event would be greatly appreciated. I have tickets if you're interested. Donations are also appreciated.

SCMS Blood Drive

Hats off to our NJHS and their advisor Mrs. Walton for organizing our Blood Drive. As you can imagine, running a Blood Drive at a location that the majority of people can't contribute (our students) is challenging to say the least. All in all it was a very successful event for a very worthy cause. Thanks to everyone that donated and/or helped out.

Freshman Orientation

St. Clair High School will hold a high school orientation meeting on Tuesday, March 8, 2011 for parents of incoming freshman for the 2011-12 school year. The meeting will begin at 7:00 PM in the SCHS Cafeteria.

DC Fundraiser #1

We have used the Little Caesar Pizza Kits fundraiser for the past three years with great success.  For each kit that your child sells, they will receive a $4.50 credit for pizza kits or cookies/pies toward his/her individual account for the eighth grade Washington D.C. trip. That means the more he/she sells, the less it will cost you!  The amount your child has earned will go directly to our tour company to go into his/her account. 
The order forms are going to be passed out this Friday, March 4th and money are due in the office on the morning of Thursday, March 17th.  The kits will be delivered on Thursday, March 24th and must be picked up between 3:00pm – 5:00pm in the auxiliary gym.
If your seventh grader takes part in this fundraiser and for some reason does not go on next year’s trip, the money he/she earned will go into a scholarship fund.
On the order form, please fill out the top portion with your child’s name and phone number in case any questions may arise.  Teacher, Organization, room number are not necessary to fill in.  All checks are to be made out to St. Clair Middle School. Remember, these kits are to be picked up on March 24th. Parents, please make arrangements to pick up your child’s order as these kits are too large for bus transportation. 
 If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me.  Have fun selling and good luck!

Not the Sharpest Knife in the Drawer

Just so everyone knows, I'm not immune to making a poor choice. Last weekend I was at my grand daughter's 2nd birthday party when my son brought out some peppers he had bought online. My son likes hot/spicy foods and heard about these peppers on the food channel. They are called ghost peppers....which afterwards I googled and found out they were 300 times hotter than a jalapeno (the key word in that sentence was afterwards). Oh my. Just a warning if your path ever crosses a ghost pepper....run the other way.

Need Some Dress Code Help

I talked to all of our female students today during lunch regarding our dress code and wearing tights/leggins. To fill in the gap a little, rumors were spreading like wild fire this weekend that on Thursday of last week I said we were going to ban tight jeans (....I wasn't here last Thursday, I was awaiting my 3rd grandchild). I talked to a parent this morning that said it was all over Facebook. Anyway, what I told our female students was they were not allowed to wear just tights/leggins with nothing else. Wearing tights/leggins with a sweater or skirt is fine (as long as the sweater/skirt is long enough). Wearing them by themselves leaves little to any one's imagination. How I ended my conversation was that if you are unsure, or if it falls into a grey area, please don't wear it to school.

Any help at home would be appreciated. Jeans are still OK.....