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.