School Safety Update

It's been a while since I've posted this but with everything that has been going on I thought throwing a reminder out there would be a good idea. I have invited all forms of law enforcement to stop by SCMS at any time just to be seen and talk to the kids. This has been my policy since I've been here at SCMS. My goal is that students will feel at ease in talking to police officers and see that they are people just like you and I. Don't be surprised or think something is wrong if you happen to drive by and see a police car parked outside SCMS. This morning we had a small fender bender that involved two parents and the police were called. I few people saw the police and wanted to know what was going on...what was wrong. I think we're all a little on edge right now. Hang in there.....winter break is almost here.

Mr. Alley is Now Jeep-Less

If you're expecting to expand your knowledge base by reading this post, you can stop now. This is strictly a personal post. For four years, I've been easy to pick out of a crowd while driving around town. I've had countless people waving (my eyes are bad, so I'm assuming they all were waving) as I drive past them. My vehicle was a bit distinctive. A silver Jeep Wrangler, wide tires, raised up and normally in the summer, with the top down. I am no longer part of that exclusive club. I've sold my Jeep. I bought it as a mid-life crisis vehicle, but now I'm finally over it and feel much more mature and practical. Now I'm just trying to decide what my next ride should be. Maybe a motorcycle (I knew the maturity wouldn't last).

Something for a Parent's Toolbox

As every parent knows...or will soon know as your kids get older, there are certain situations that you will look back on and wished you had handled differently. Many times it's just a matter of experience. I handled many, if not most, situations with my first son much differently than I did with my second and third son. The reason I'm saying all of this is that I've come across a powerpoint presentation on how or what we can say to our kids when they are dealing with a tragedy. It could be a personal tragedy, or something like what happened in Connecticut last week. When you get a chance, take a minute and review it. I thought it had some very useful ideas on how we can help our kids through a difficult time....something for your toolbox. Powerpooint

Tuesday Update

Just a quick update on the start of our week and what the rest of our week holds for us. This Thursday at 7:00 pm we will be having our Band/Choir combined concert at the P.A.C. If you get the opportunity it is well worth the time to attend, Not only does it help to get everyone in the holiday spirit, our kids will amaze you with their talent. As far as the tragedy that happened late last week and how that has affected us, we met with our teachers / staff prior to school starting Monday to review safety procedures and provide resources for responding to student concerns regarding Sandy Hook elementary and or own school. Please know that we continue to monitor, practice and look for areas to improve our safety procedures at SCMS. As life seems to be speeding up by the minute, I know that I don’t take near the time I should to slow down and thank those around me for letting me be part of their lives. Please take a minute and make that phone call that you’ve been putting off to let someone know that you’ve been thinking of them. The SCMS staff wishes all of our extended family a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Parent Letter. Please Read

Parent Letter (I oouldn't get the link in the posting below to work)

Sandy Hook Elementary School

It is impossible for me to put into words my thoughts/feelings for what happened last Friday at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. What I can do is try to assure you that we take the safety of all of our students very seriously and have policies/procedures in place to deal with unfortunate situations. Please click on the following link to read a letter that addresses this tragedy and how we are dealing with the aftermath. Parent Letter

7:12.....The Party is Still Going

The kids are having a blast at this Activity Night. As I wander out of the safety of my office, I see lots of running around and sugar so when they get home they will smell and won't be able to sleep. We should do more of these.............

Tis the Season....For the Flu and the Norovirus

The St. Clair County Health Department would like to remind residents to take precautions this holiday season against a common and contagious virus called Norovirus. This virus is incorrectly known as the “stomach flu”. Norovirus outbreaks occur throughout the year, however over 80% of the outbreaks occur from November to April. Norovirus is NOT related to the flu (influenza) virus, which is a respiratory illness that can be prevented by getting a seasonal flu vaccination. There is no vaccine or specific medication for norovirus prevention. You can get norovirus from an infected person, contaminated food or water, or by touching contaminated surfaces. The virus causes your stomach or intestines or both to get inflamed causing stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea and vomiting. The virus is passed through vomit and stool and contamination can reach as far as 40 feet from the source. The illness usually begins 24-48 hours after exposure, sometimes sooner. People infected are contagious from the moment they start feeling sick, to atleast three days after recovery; sometimes up to 2 weeks later. Anyone can be infected with norovirus and get sick. Children and older adults can be seriously affected. When sick with vomiting and diarrhea, avoid sending your children to daycare and school until illness ends. Persons working in nursing homes, those taking care of patients, or anyone who handle foods should stay out of work until atleast 48-72 hours after symptoms end. Prevention is the key. Remember these tips: Wash your hands frequently with warm water and soap. Hand sanitizers do NOT work against norovirus Properly disinfect all contaminated surfaces using chlorine bleach Wash all soiled clothing and linens Avoid food or water from sources that may be contaminated It’s important to stay home when you are sick. Avoid public places, social events and parties. This will help stop the spread of further illness. For additional norovirus guidance, precautions and cleaning decontamination visit http://www.cdc.gov/norovirus/index.html or call our Environmental Health Division at (810)987-5306.

6:37 pm on Activity Night

OK....if you read the post below first you might be wondering "Why are you sitting in your office posting to your Blog while Activity Might is going on?". Excellent question. It could be because it's a lot quieter in my office (true), it could be because I have a boat load of work to do (true) or.... it could be because I just had rotator cuff surgery on my shoulder and about every 15 minutes I need to sit down (and I promised my wife I'd stay out of harm's way). Have I mentioned that this Activity Night is great?

6:33 pm On Activity Night

WOW.....This is amazing. Our PTO has put together an incredible evening that 400 of our kids are taking advantage of. This could not have turned out better. Thanks to all the staff and parent volunteers that pitched in to make this such a success

Washington DC 2013

I've had a few questions about the meeting for next year's 8th grade Washington DC trip. We'll be having a meeting in mid to late February to discuss all the facts, itinerary, payment plans, answer questions, etc. We have to wait for the flight info to be released to finalize plans before we can have the meeting. I'll make sure I give everyone plenty of notice on the meeting. It's an absolutely AWESOME trip that we hope all 8th graders can participate in.

Activity Night Friday December 14th

This Friday our PTO will be sponsoring an Activity Night for all SCMS students. Here are the important information/rules. The fun goes from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. There will be a number of activities including a photo both, a DJ for dancing and laser tag. Pizza, snacks and water will be available for purchase (so bringing a couple of extra dollars should be plenty). This is only for current SCMS students....not for out of town friends, ex-students or younger brothers/sisters. Pre-sale tickets will be sold all week during lunches are $2 with a can of food for our food drive. Tickets at the door will be $4. Students must have their picture SCMS ID cards to purchase a ticket and to enter the Activity Night. We will be running a special this week of $1 for students that lost their ID cards (normally its $3). If you have any questions please don't hesitate to give us a call. This is going to be a blast and we hope all SCMS students will be able to attend

PTO Activity Night

Our PTO is sponsoring an Activity Night for our SCMS students on Friday, December 14th. Here are some the details: It will be held at SCMS. 6:00 to 9:00 pm. Cost is $2.00 presale (with a can of food for our food drive) or $4.00 at the door. Tickets will be available the week of December 10th. You must be a SCMS student to attend and have your SCMS ID. Some of the activities include, Laser Tag, Basketball, DJ and Dancing, Video Games, Photo Booth, etc. Snacks will be available. Put it on your calendar. We'd like all of our students to attend and have a fantastic time.

CSI Presentation

CSI? No, not the TV show. CSI is the State of Michigan's Cyber Safety Initiative. Yesterday all three grade levels heard a presentation from our Attorney General's Office. The presentation hit on a number of topics including cyber bullying, sending inappropriate photos/texts and the dangers involved with social media (meeting strangers online). This is a GREAT opportunity to have some ongoing conversations with your child on these topics. The "it'll never happen to me" mindset is not only common but expected at this age...I know it was (and sometimes still is) with me. Driving home the danger of internet predators, cyber bullying and the idea of once it's out there; it's out there forever (inappropriate photos, comments, etc.)is something they can't hear this enough.

PTC

Parent Teacher Conferences for district elementary and middle schools will be next Monday and Tuesday (November 19th and 20th). Students will have half days on both days followed by conferences from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm and 5:15 pm to 8:00 pm. Hope to see everyone there.

Austin Fitzpatrick Fundraiser

As many of you know, Austin, a student here at SCMS, has been fighting a tough battle against cancer. On November 9th from 7:00 to 10:00 pm there will be a fundraising event at Port Huron Lanes. Bowling (3 games and shoes included), raffle tickets, cash prizes and a silent auction will be happening that night to help raise money for Austin. Parents are encouraged to bring students/classmates. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased in advanced by contacting Sue Williams at 810-824-6413.

PTO Meeting

Just a reminder that our PTO is meeting this Monday, November 5th at 7:00 pm in our Media Center. Hope everyone can attend

Vote Vote Vote on November 6th

It's illegal for me as principal of SCMS to tell anyone how to vote, all I can do is to encourage everyone to vote. What I can say is that our East China Sinking Fund is up for renewal and it is a very, very, very important to the operation of our district. If you have any questions regarding the Sinking Fund, please don't hesitate to contact me (and....make sure you turn the ballot over. Because of the length of the this year's ballot, the Sinking Fund is on the back of the ballot)

and.....more student time off....

Sorry, it seems like we've had a string of days off.... it's just the way the days fell this year. Elementary and middle school students will have a half day of school on Thursday, November 8th. It's a teacher work day that coincides with the end of the marking period to work on and enter grades.

No School For Students on November 6th

November 6th is a district wide professional development day for staff. No school for East China students

Internet Safety Presentation

For the past few years the East China School District has taken advantage of a state presentation on internet safety. On November 15th SCMS will be having presentations in the morning to each grade level in our cafeteria. On Tuesday November 13th at 6:30 pm, the same presenters will be doing a presentation for parents at our Central Office on Meisner road. With the speed of technology and the dangers that go with it, being proactive and aware of what is "out there" is our best defense. Please take the time to attend the presentation in our Board Room at Central Office. Clink on the following links to view tow handouts that should be coming home soon. Parent Notification/Opt Out. Student Online Safety Contract.

8th Grade Football Game

Yes the game vs Marine City Middle School at East China Stadium is still on for tonight despite Hurricane Sandy. Yes, it's going to be cold. Yes it's going to be wet. Yes, it'll probably be windy. But it's football and football is played in this type of weather. With all of that said.....if you're looking for me, I won't be there. Now before you jump to any conclusions about how can we still have the game in this type of weather if it's so bad the principal won't even be there, I teach a grad class on Tuesday nights and tonight happens to be the first class. If it wasn't the first class I could probably move it but because its the first class, unfortunately, I'll miss all the fun of the Saints victory tonight.

Office Phones...Timing is Everything

If you are a regular reader of this Blog, then you know that I get to work around 6:15. Unfortunately, my office is located in the back of the main office (and early in the morning I'm listening to music) I can't always hear the main phones...and when I do, many times (9 times this morning) by the time I get to the phone I get hung up on. Actually this morning it got to be predictable and funny. Almost like someone was standing outside with a cell phone waiting for me to walk into the main office so they could hang up on me. Anyway....the odds are that if you are calling the main line much before 7:30 am it won't get answered...sorry.

Yes....We're Open

Hurricane Sandy has caused a number of problems with high winds in our area, including knocking out power to SCHS, but we still have power and still open for business. Hopefully it will pass soon and hasn't caused anyone that is reading this too many problems.

More PTO News

I have found a great app called Remind101 that allows information/reminders to be sent out to your cell phone. All you need to do is to text @scmsp to 832-726-1535. It will invite you into the SCMS PTO group and ask you your name. It's pretty slick. It's a one way system so you don't have to worry about replying or seeing 100 different replies to a text that is sent out. So when you get a minute, type 832-726-1535 in the "To" part of your text and @scmsp in the message part. Then just follow the next few easy steps and you'll be part of the group.

SCMS PTO News

Please mark (or re-mark) your calendars. Our next PTO meeting has been moved. It was scheduled for Tuesday, October 30th...the same night as our last 8th grade football game vs. MCMS at East China Stadium. The meeting has been moved to Monday, November 5th, 7:00 pm in our Media Center. Please help spread the word.

District Phones are Down

Not sure about calls coming in but I know we can't make calls going out...at least from our land lines (we can still make calls with our cell phones if needed). I'm hearing that there are fiber optic cable cuts in Wisconsin and Indiana that are causing the problem. Just wanted to keep everyone in the loop. Hopefully it'll be fixed by tomorrow.

SCMS Choir

Outstanding....listening to them never gets old. Mr. Carlson does a great job and the best part is, as good as they sounded last night, wait until you hear them at their next performance. (I'm working on a way to post a sound clip of their performance.)

Kids in Distress Help

Every year around this time I ask for our SCMS family to help out Kids in Distress with donations of jeans and coats. Every year, SCMS comes through with flying colors. This year is no different. We have a number of local families that are in great need of our help. Kids in Distress focuses its efforts locally and are in need of donations. Please take some time to clean out closets and bring any clean blue jeans and coats/jackets to SCMS. We will have a donation box in our main lobby. Thank you in advance. Any and all donations will be greatly appreciated.

Box Top Drive Reminder

A reminder that SCMS is having a Box Top drive next week (the week of October 22nd). Please gather up all of your Box Tops and send them in. Our first hour classes will be collecting them. The class with the most collected will be in line for a prize (donuts/pizza...their choice).

Need Some Help

Every year during the days leading up to PTC and during PTC we have our Book Fair going on. I'm looking for some parents to help supervise the Book Fair. Here are the slots that we need some help with. Wednesday, November 14th from 11:00-1:30 and 1:00-3:20 Thursday, November 15th from 11:00-1:30 and 1:00-3:20 Friday, November 16th from 11:00-1:30 Also, during parent teacher conferences: Monday, November 19th from 12:30-2:00 and 5:00-8:00 Tuesday, November 20th from 12:30-2:00 and 1:30-4:00. E-mail me if you can help out and any of those times work with your schedule.

SCMS PTO is Off and Running

We had our PTO organizational meeting last night and I could not be happier with the outcome. Our board was elected and we have set our first official meeting for Tuesday, October 30th at 7:00 pm. Thank you to Lisa Jerry, Laura Karadimas, Carol Brown and Barb MacDonald for filling our board seats. Our focus is to support our school and expand the offerings to our students. We discussed Activity Nights, after school enrichment classes and various ways we could attack student support from an "out of the box" approach. In order for us to be successful, we need help. Please make every effort to attend our next meeting. I promise it won't last more than an hour. If you can't make it but want to be involved/help out with our PTO, please shoot me an e-mail. This is going to be great. To view last night's agenda click here. To view our SCMS PTO Bylaws, click here.

SCMS PTO Organizational Meeting

We will be forming a PTO at SCMS. Any and all SCMS supporters are invited. Our first organizational meeting is Tuesday October 16th at 7:00 pm in our Media Center. Please help spread the word.

Special Award to a Special Person

One of our SCMS parents, Debbie Nutt, is being honored by the American Kidney Fund by receiving the "Caregiver of the Year Award". Obviously this is quite an honor. Congratulations to Mrs. Nutt for this award. For a little more information, click on the following link: Caregiver

PTC For St. Clair High School Not SC Middle School

SCHS is having PTC next week. The early conferences are only for our two district high schools....not for SCMS (or Eddy, Gearing, Pine River). Just some clarification.

SCHS vs MCHS Football Game

Need a little help (I seem to say that a lot). Tonight (Friday) we have our yearly clash between our two high schools at East China Stadium. This year, the Saints are the home team. If your student is going to the game please help remind them of a couple of things. Stay on our side (the Home side) of the field. Wandering over to the visitor's side, wearing red and blue is asking for a bad situation. Also...please, please, please, remind them that if they want to go to the game, to find a seat and watch the game. Playing tag, running around, playing catch with some sort of football (which is not allowed) just causes problems. It looks like it's going to be a GREAT night for football. Lets all do our part to make sure everything goes smoothly.

MEAP Update

Week One of the MEAP is now done. From all accounts, things are going very well. Our challenge is to keep our momentum going in Week Two. Normally, this is where we see a drop off in effort. Any help you can give us at home to make sure we try our best will be great appreciated and I think it'll show up on our scores.

MEAP Assembly

Its 3:32, the buses just left and I'm sitting in my office after a MEAP assembly I just watched in our gymnasium. That was AWESOME. The kids had a blast, we had a number of fun activities and everyone was cheering BEAT THE MEAP, BEAT THE MEAP..... The gym was rocking with noise. If we attack the MEAP with half the spirit I just witnessed in the assembly then we are going to set State records for school scores. If you get a chance, ask your child about the assembly. Great job to everyone.

The MEAP is Here!!!!!!!

Trying a new twist this year to get a little boost to our MEAP scores. Every year we have a handful of students that just don't do as well as what they could. In many cases it's understandable when you think about it. We are not accustomed to taking tests that last more than 55 minutes. It's easy for the students to get or feel burned out. This year we are trying to dangle a carrot out there to get some extra effort. We are offering a reward this year to any student that takes their time, writes at least three paragraphs in the writing portion (intro, body, conclusion), double check their math work and has no discipline issues during the MEAP. The reward will be during the week of October 22nd, they will be able to listen to their I-pods before school, between classes, during lunch and in class if their teacher allows it. If this extra perk gets 5% of our students to give a little more effort then it'll be worth it. Any help promoting this at home is appreciated.

Box Tops

SCMS is having a Box Top drive the week of October 22nd. Please gather up all of your Box Tops and send them in. Our first hour classes will be collecting them. The class with the most collected will be in line for a prize (donuts/pizza...their choice).

The MEAP is Almost Here....

The leaves are turning, college football is in full swing and we have a month of school behind us. That means our favorite time of year is almost here.....MEAP Time. The MEAP test will be on Tuesday and Wednesday, October 9th, 10th and 16th, 17th for all middle school students. Current 7th graders, because they're special, get to also take an extra portion of the MEAP on Thursday October 11th. We desperately need your help at home to make sure everyone is pumped up and ready to attack the MEAP. A good night's sleep, a big breakfast and the right frame of mind when they come to school always pushes our scores in the positive direction.

DC Photos

Our yearbook advisor, Mr. Wheeler, is looking for Washington DC photos from this year. If you have any and would like to share, I'm sure he would be grateful. Sending in a CD or e-mailing them would be great (rwheeler@ecsd.us)

SCHS Touchdown Club Taco Bar

SCHS Football team will be hosting their annual "All you can eat" Taco Bar Sunday, October 7th, 3:00 pm to 6 pm at the St. Clair K of C Hall (3501 Rattle Run Road). 12 and over is $8.00, ages 6 to 11 is $5.00 and 5 and under is free. I'm sure your support will be greatly appreciated.

Tardies

Need some help. One of our main goals is to prepare our kids for high school....and life for that matter. We have, and have always had, a problem with kids getting to class on time. Your help in reinforcing the importance of being on time is appreciated. Not many of us have jobs where we are able to be late without some consequences. This also goes for first hour when parents are dropping their students off after first hour starts. Late is late.

SCMS PTO....Write This Down

We will be starting a SCMS PTO group this year. I see it as a GREAT communication tool and a way to strengthen the bond between home and school. Tuesday October 16th, 7:00 pm will be our first organizational meeting in our Media Center. I hope to see everyone there.

DC Parents....

If you went on this year's trip this might interest you. One of our parents that went, Mr. Eitniear, has posted his photos to a Facebook page he has created. I believe you are also able to add your DC photos to the page. Click on this link to check it out. DC Photos

DC.....Check

Another successful Washington DC trip is in the books. A special thanks to al the parents that helped to make this memory possible. We'll be having an organizational meeting for this year's 7th graders after the first of the year. Between now and then, find an 8th grade parent that went on the trip and ask them what they thought. It is truly an amazing trip.

Looking for Some Volunteers

The East China School District has a very important vote coming up on November 6th regarding our Sinking Fund. Voters in the East China School District will be asked to renew the District’s sinking fund millage on November 6th. This vote is for a 10-year renewal of the .4 mills currently being levied. This millage, which is assessed on property in the East China School District, will generate approximately $630,000 each year to fund capital improvements and renovations throughout the District. Voters in the District originally passed the millage on August 2, 2005 and renewed it on May 6, 2008. Since that time, the District has made significant and necessary improvements to school buildings. These improvements, including roofs, parking lots, floors and ventilation systems, help to keep school buildings sound. With the passage of the millage renewal, the District will continue to upgrade and improve District buildings to ensure that students have a safe place in which to learn. I am looking for a few SCMS parents to help work on a Sinking Fund Committee. We will be having two meetings, September 27th and October 25th, 5:00pm at our Central Office Board Room. If you are interested, please contact me.

2:00 am is Awfully Early

If you're looking for something related to SCMS then this post barely qualifies. The only downside to our Washington DC trip is the time that we leave on Saturday morning. Because of the flights we take and because we're a large group, the airlines like us there two hours before our flights. Doing the math and factoring in the time it takes a school bus to take our group to the airport, our first group needs to be here at SCMS this year at 3:30 am....which means I get here (as I type this) at 2:00 am to make sure everything is ready to go. As I'm walking out the door this morning, my son is walking in (being young is a wonderful thing).

St. Clair Little League Announcement

St. Clair Little League will begin their monthly meetings on September 19, 2012 at the American Legion Hall on Clinton Avenue @ 7PM. Election of Officers for 2013 will take place at this meeting. A review of the 2012 season and a preview of 2013 with rule changes will be discussed. St. Clair Little League will have monthly meetings the 3rd Wednesday of each month. All present and future coaches are urged to attend. Volunteers are needed for all areas – coaches – equipment – umpiring. If you have any questions please call 329-6354.

NJHS Applications

National Junior Honor Society applications for 8th graders are available in Room 1209 and in the main office. A student must have a minimum of a 3.4 GPA to be considered. Applications are due September 28th. They can be turned in to the main office. If you have any questions please contact Mrs. Walton.

Skate-Bike Park Event

Saturday, October 6th from 2:00pm - 6:00pm will be the 3rd annual Fall Grind. All ages and skill levels. Skateboards, BMX, Scooters, In-Line, Best Trick and Skill Contests. For more information please contact the St. Clair City Rec Department at 810-329-7121

SCMS PTO

I've mentioned it in a few Blogs that we will be starting a SCMS PTO. I didn't want anyone to think that I'd forgotten. The first two weeks of school are typically busy with our Open House, 8th graders going to Washington DC, a presentation at our Board of Education Meeting not to mention all of the normal start of school "stuff". Once the dust settles from our first two weeks I'll be having an organizational PTO meeting. Keep checking this Blog for more info.

Tweeting.....I'm Trying

As I mentioned in an earlier Blog posting, I'm not a Tweeter. Because of various security settings at school, I can't Tweet this Blog from school so I need to do it from home. I tried this morning (I forgot last night) but I have no idea how it is displayed on Twitter. Do you get an update, does a link appear? If you are one of my SCMS Blog followers please shoot me an e-mail and let me know how it works on your end

Upcoming Sport Schedules

If you read the post below, you know that we're having a few issues with our school calendar of events. Here are some info on our sport teams. Football - Practice 3:30 - 5:30 PM - everyday - except NO Practice on 9/17/12 (DC) Scrimmage 9/18 @ MC - 4:30 PM Game 9/25 @ Cros-Lex - 4:30 PM. Volleyball - Tryout going on now Team Practice - 3:30 - 5:30 PM - everyday - optional practice on 9/17/12 (DC) NO practice on 9/25/12 - AM practice on 9/28/12 - 7 - 8:15 AM Game 9/24 @ Central 4:15 PM. Cross Country Practice 3:30 - 4:30 PM - everyday - except NO Practice on 9/17/12 (DC) and NO practice on 9/25/12

Very Important Washington DC Meeting

We have a VERY (notice the capital letters) important meeting for all students (and their parents) that are going on this year's Washington DC trip. We will be going over flight times, what can/should be packed, what time to be at SCMS, bus groups, rules, etc. The meeting will be in our cafeteria at 7:30 Tuesday September 11th immediately following our Open House.

Open House

SCMS Open House is Tuesday, September 11th from 6:30 to 7:30. Our Washington DC meeting for students that are going on this year's trip (and their parents) is right after our Open House at 7:30 in our cafeteria. Hope to see everyone there.

Magazine Sale

For the past 100 years SCMS has started the year with a Magazine Sale fundraiser (maybe not quite 100 years but close). This fundraiser allows us to purchase "extras" for our kids. By no means are you required to buy anything or participate. It was made very clear yesterday during the presentation that our students are not to be going door to door trying to sell magazine subscriptions. As a past hockey parent, no one hates fundraisers more than I do (every hockey, soccer, dance and any other organizational parent knows what I'm talking about) but with all the cutbacks to our funding, this allows us a little flexibility when it comes to field trips, supplies, etc... I hope you can help us out.

Early Morning Phone Calls

If you need to give us a call before school starts, our first office staff member arrives at 7:30. I'm usually here at 6:15 (ish) but I have a hard time hearing the office phone ring from my office. Sometimes I do and I can answer it....I guess what I'm saying is that if you call before 7:30 you're rolling the dice as to whether it'll get answered or not. Just a heads up.

SCMS Calendar/Schedule of Events

We are having some issues with the system that we use to post our events (aka, it's not on our end). While they are trying to work out the problem I'm going to try to put the schedule of upcoming events on this Blog. Hopefully the issue will be resolved soon.

Looking for a Job?

School Bus Drivers Wanted - METS (Michigan Educational Transportation Services) is now hiring school bus drivers for the East China School District. No Previous Experience Required. Qualified applicants will be provided training and instruction. Apply by visiting our website www.contractbusdrivers.com or by faxing a resume to (517) 647-7572.

Saints Day...Another Success

Saints Day - Year Two.....Other than a small glitch in the information that was sent to the picture people which meant some info had to hand written...which meant we had an initial backup waiting for photos, year two was a big success. Over 90% of our students attended Saints Day and were able to get their schedules, address any scheduling hiccups (like having two math classes), receive their textbooks, photos, student ID's, check out their lockers, etc.... It was another great day. Thanks to all my help in organizing/working Saints Day and all the parents for making this such a big success.

Twitter Post #2

OK.....on my newly made twitter account on my phone I see a link to this Blog. I clicked on the link and it took me to this Blog on my cell phone...pretty slick. Here's my next question. When I update this Blog, will my tweeter friends get an update/reminder? Does that SCMS Blog link stay on your Twitter account or will it re-appear when I update the Blog. This has possibilities to be pretty slick.

SCMS Blog is Also on Twitter

Maybe...possibly...hopefully. Twitter is all new to me...I really don't tweet, but I did see where I could share our Blog on Twitter. I know a lot of people are on Twitter and one of my main goals is to communicate, communicate, communicate so I decided to give this a try. I have my fingers crossed. I have no idea if I set up the Twitter account correctly or if I connected this Blog to the account or if I did, what exactly you'll see on Twitter. Anyway...if you're a Twitter (Tweeter?) the Twitter account name is @SCMS_Saints I think you can also probably find it under St. Clair Middle. I'll be interested to know what you can see (if anything).

More School Supplies

If you are done school shopping I'm soooooooooooooo sorry for this late post. This is meant for any student taking Spanish I. If possible, our Spanish I teachers would like each student to have a one inch binder, 3 x 5" index notecards and book covers.

Sports Physicals

Little confusing but here's the state rule regarding physicals and playing school athletics (and this gets asked a lot). If your child received a physical on or after April 15th, then that physical is good for this school year.

SCMS PTO

I can almost hear it now..."NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. I thought we were done with PTO's when we left elementary school. Please say it aint so". Relax, take a deep breath, it won't be that bad. Here's my thought. We have the best parents in the county and probably in the state. Whenever we need anything, you (you being the parents) have always stepped up to help out. We have parents that help with snack, with the student book store, the magazine sale, the book sale during PTC, our Anti-Bullying....the list goes on and on. By creating a PTO it'll allow us to combine our efforts, become more focused and organized. My goal is by creating a SCMS PTO it'll also allow us to provide more "extras" for our kids. My thought is that we'd have a few organizational meetings to get organized (hence the term organizational meeting) then we'd meet quarterly realizing that everyone is busy and no one is looking for one more meeting to attend. I'm going to have a signup sheet out during our Saints Day for any names of parents that are interested. If you can't make it to Saints Day and you're interested in being involved, shoot me an e-mail. I'll put more info on our first organizational meeting, date and time, on this blog.

Special Thanks

A special thanks to four students that stepped up to the plate with the weeding of our flower beds in the front of school. Seventh graders Kanon Brooks, Randy Harwood, Dylan Micoff and Ben Bondy saw my posting last week and came to school to help make the front of school look 150% better. Just another example of why I think our kids are the best in the state.

Saints Day, Friday August 24th

Hopefully everyone is up to date and on board with an activity we started last year that we had great success with. Our Saints Day is when students come in before school starts, receive their schedules, locker combinations, student photos, books, tour the building, etc... Here is the schedule: Friday, August 24th, SCMS SAINTS DAY 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 you there!!!!

Bullying QR Code

I love this new (to me) technology.

SCMS 2012-13 Student Handbook

Welcome to the 21'st Century. If you're unsure what this is, odds are you can ask one of your kids.

Looking for Cheap Labor

In cheap I really mean free. Our front flower beds are on the verge of being over taken by weeds. Looking for some middle school students that would like to do me a HUGE favor (and I never forget favors) by stopping by and doing some landscaping (aka weeding). Shoot me an e-mail if you're interested....hopefully I can get a few to help out. I'm sure I can supply pizza as a reward.

DC Disappointment

This can get a bit confusing but here's the short version. Our best friends from college who happen to be our youngest son's Godparents (yes...they had colleges back when I was young) have a son named Nick. Nick was our middle son's best man when he got married. As you can probably read between the lines and make the assumption that these are very close family friends. Nick is getting married on the same date that our Washington DC trip is scheduled. For that reason, for the first time in what seems like 100 years, I will be missing the DC trip this year. The good news is that Mrs. Barker has been on this trip almost as many times as I have and our new assistant principal, Mr. Westerhof, has had been with the MCMS Washington DC trip many times. The group that is going are going to LOVE it....they're just going to have to love it without me.

Supply Lists

Thanks to Meijers, who already have their back to school supplies out, I've decided to put our supply lists on our Blog. This list is only a suggestion. One suggestion that I will make is please, please, please don't buy your son/daughter a trapper keeper. One of the biggest downfalls at the middle school is a lack of organizational skills. The Trapper Keeper tends to turn into a Black hole for assignments. 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.

Supporters Cruise August 21st.

The East China Supporters Group will again be sponsoring a "Cruisin’ Down the St. Clair River!” on Tuesday, August 21. Boarding begins at 6:00 p.m. departing from the dock of the River Crab Restaurant in St. Clair at 6:30 p.m. SHARP! We'll be cruising the St. Clair River to the Blue Water Bridge and returning to the dock at 9:30 p.m. Music will be provided by The Rivertown Gents. Hors d’oeuvres prepared by the River Crab. Ticket Price is $50 per person with a cash Bar. If interested please reserve your tickets by calling Bonnie Christler at 810.676.1018

Looking to Jumpstart the MEAP?

I've added a link on our homepage called MEAP Help. What we have found is that many mistakes are made on the MEAP not because our students didn't know how the material, but because they didn't know a word/term in the question (vocabulary). The link will take you to a list of Math terms commonly found on the MEAP as well as give you another link that will help with the ELA MEAP. When you get tired of all the sunshine and relaxing, take a look and go over the list with your child. It could be the difference between a "2" and a "1"

Future Freshman Males....

Here's a letter I received from the SCHS Soccer Coaches: We’d like to ask for your assistance in helping us maintain our SCHS Boys JV Soccer program. Boys Soccer competes in the fall and we are looking for additional players. This is a great opportunity for boys to be a part of a high school team and benefit from the exercise and camaraderie that comes with such a program. There are no "cuts" and each player will get lots of time on the field during the 15+ scheduled games. We are looking for energetic young men who want to work hard and have fun - NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY!! Pre-season conditioning begins July 25, 8:00 am at St. Clair Middle School (these conditioning sessions are optional). Official practices begin Aug 8th at 8:00 am. Please encourage your son to give it a shot. If you have any questions or would simply like to be added to our e-mail distribution list for upcoming information please contact Coach Rich Kern by phone/text at 810-333-6791 or e-mail at r-kern@sbcglobal.net.

An 8th Grader's Perspective

Funny story. I was walking through the cafeteria last week when I noticed a handful of raisins on a table that had a group of 8th grade girls sitting at it. I overheard one of the girls say “I hate these…they are for old people!!”. My immediate reply was, “Hey…watch it with the old people reference”. They laughed and the one said “When I said old I meant like over 50”. So I asked her “well, how old do you think I am?” She said “45…ha ha ha ha ….just kidding….probably…40 or 42” This opened up the whole table to guessing my age that ranged from 38 to 44. Then one of the gals who came full circle back to the raisins, “I know my Grandma likes raisins and she’s 52”. I laughed and let them know that I was older than her Grandma (but I still didn’t like raisins). I’m going to miss this group of 8th graders.

DC/Texas Hold'em Funraiser Info

I've posted the dates and times for our Texas Hold'em workers. Click on our Washington DC link on our main webpage. Any qeustions please call.

Important News

If you have been following the news lately, you've probably heard of the new synthetic over the counter drug which goes by a variety of names, K2 and Spice being the two most common. It is very, very scary stuff that is very assessable and ending up in the hands of our youth. The following was forwarded to me from the City of St. Clair. The St Clair County Health Department released an “Imminent Danger Order” that prohibits the sale and distribution of synthetic marijuana and similar substances. They are issuing a press release to the media. Fact sheets on the products are available at www.stclaircounty.org and more information will be posted on the county website as it becomes available. The St Clair County Sheriff Dept is visiting businesses and advising them of the order. The products are to be removed and disposed of by the store owners. Calls to report or file complaints of retailers selling these drugs should be directed to the St. Clair County Health Department: Environmental Health Division (810-987-5306).

Saints Day August 24th

If I haven't already, I wanted to give everyone a heads up on something we started last year and had great success with. Our Saints Day is when students come in before school starts, receive their schedules, locker combinations, student photos, books, tour the building, etc... Here is the schedule: SCMS SAINTS DAY 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 you there!!!!

Choir Concert

I said it for our band concert and I'll say for our choir kids....very, very, very impressive. If you haven't had a chance to see them perform, you're missing out. We have some really talented kids. Congrats to everyone involved and to Mr. Carlson. Having the advantage of being able to walk through his class earlier in the year and being able to listen to them now and see how far they have come is a great feeling.

Anti Bullying Video

Our Student Anti-Bullying Committee has been working hard with the help of Mrs. Flynn and Mrs. Barker to put together a video. Hopefully I attached it corectly and you'll be able to watch it. Student ABC Video

Austin Fitzpatrick Fundraiser

As many of you know, we have a young man here at SCMS that has been dealt a very bad hand and is battling Large Cell Anaplastic Lymphoma. Austin Fitzpatrick, a current 7th grader is currently receiving treatments at Mott Children's Hospital in Ann Arbor. There will be a fundraiser tomorrow, June 2nd from 1:00pm to 4:00pm at the Grace Ministry in the Outlet Mall (1661 North Range Road in Marysville). The fundraiser will include 31 gift sale, bake sale, door prizes, Photographs by Emily and much more. I was just told this morning that the doctors have cleared Austin to attend....I'm sure he would enjoy seeing everyone.

Band Concert

Outstanding. I think Mr. Decker said it best last night when he said that in the age of technology, when so many things can be done for us with a click of a button, these students are making music...doing something (in playing an instrument) that many of us can't do. The improvement from the start of the year really is impressive but the improvement from 6th grade to 8th grade is amazing. Great job to Mr. Decker and all of our band students.

Cruisin Down the St. Clair River

Looking for something fun to do on August 21st? The East China School District Supporters Fund will be hosting a Cruise down the St. Clair River on the Duc d’Orleans departing from the River Crab at 6:30 p.m. Music onboard will be performed by the Rivertown Gents and hors d’oeurves are provided by the River Crab. Tickets are $50 per person and are available in our main office. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me. It’s a great way to support our kids and enjoy a summer night on the water.

8th Graders to SC4

This Friday our 8th graders will be traveling to St. Clair County Community College for a series of presentations. Lunch will be provided. Permission slips were sent home last week. If you're a parent of an 8th grader and haven't seen the permission slip, or if your student was out ill last week, please ask them to grab another one and bring it home. Additional permission slips are available from their ELA teacher or in the main office. We'd like every 8th grader to attend.

Improtant Reminder For Everyone

As parents we've all said this 1000 times...maybe so many times that it falls on deaf ears. Please re-remind your child not to talk, approach or take anything from strangers. We just got word from Marysville Middle School that they had a vehicle approach a group of girls after school with the driver offering the girls candy. This message (be smart, be safe), can't be mentioned enough.

Looking For Some Summer Writing Ideas?

Check this out Bright Ideas For Summer

Funny Story

This past weekend I went up north to visit my mom. After a nice visit, I continued up north to participate in a 50 mile bike ride. For those that are not avid bike riders…and I am not….50 miles is a long way. The ride was anything but flat and for someone that hadn’t been on a bike yet this year it was more than a challenge. Here comes the funny part. On one of the downhill runs, at about mile 35, I was pedaling fairly hard when my left pedal came off. Not come lose, but gone, missing, broken. After I came to a stop, I spent 15 minutes looking for the pedal in the weeds. After I finally found it, I walked back to my bike and tried to screw it back in. After about 20 minutes of trying I realized that the threads were stripped and there was no way I was going to be able to put it back on. I was disappointed but it is what it is, so I decided just to pull out my cell phone and call my wife to come get me (she rode just the first 25 and had our vehicle). No cell service…..great. The next part you really have to have a mental picture to appreciate. Me (6’7”), on a bike, one pedal, trying to ride one footed. This went on for about 2 miles…and it was a long 2 miles. At various times during my adventure, I had a number of other cyclists slow down to see if I needed help. Everyone had the same reply…”oh….that’s too bad” and then they rode off. After a while a helper vehicle drove by that was picking up bikers that had either broken down or had just run out of energy. I waved them down so they could give me a ride to the finish line. We loaded my bike on their trailer and the guy told me that his Jeep Cherokee was full but there was room in the back. This is where it really got funny. He lifted up the hatchback and I squeezed my 6’7” body in with the spare tire, folded my legs the best I could and he shut the hatchback. Along the way I got a cramp in my calf which I couldn’t stretch out. To make things even better, as I was trying to sit up to stretch out my legs, I got a cramp in my abs. OK…to re-cap. My back end is sore, I failed to finish the 50 miles, my bike is broke, I’m wedged into the back of a Jeep Cherokee leaning against a spare tire and I have a cramp in my calf and my abs. Hope that brightens your day.

DC Parent Rooming Lists

Your son or daughter will be bringing home (hopefully) a rooming signup sheet for you if you are chaperoning the DC trip. If you have no idea who is going or who to room with, don't worry, we'll pair you up with someone. Any questions give Janice Schweihofer a call in our main office.

Student of the Month/Tiger's Game

Thanks to everyone that made the trip down to Comerica Park to watch the Tigers last night a success. Great night (not so great outcome for the Tigers). On a bit of a side note, every year I let the group know that around 9:15/9:30 we will be leaving the game so we can get back at a halfway decent hour. This year when I let the group know our departure plans, I had a couple of dads say "we're not staying to the end of the game?", followed by a couple of students that said "that'll probably be after halftime, right?" Thanks for sending us great kids

SCMS PTO

WHAT???? I bet those three letters, PTO, is just what our future SCMS parents wanted to hear. The plan is get a PTO started here at SCMS for next year. Now, before you push the panic button (I thought once we left the elementary we were done with PTO's????), here's my thought. If you're a current parent you know that we have a very active parent group. We have parents that help with selling snack, with making copies, with selling items in our book store, with putting together our welcome back packets, helping with our Washington DC fundraisers, being involved with our anti-bullying program, etc. My thought is that we could combine/organize all of these efforts and run it out on a single group....a PTO. Meetings would be few and held to a time limit. Fundraising (which every parent loves) wouldn't change from what we are already doing. More info will follow as I put this together for next year.

SCMS AWARDS

Wanted to send out a quick thank you to all the parents and students that attended our SCMS Awards Monday night. It's always a very enjoyable evening for me when we get to highlight all of our students for their hard work. Parents, as I said last night, you're doing a great job. Odds are that there will be a few bumps in the road in the years to come but hang in there. Life is full of small bumps in the road but enjoy these years....they are over in a blink of an eye (speaking from experience. Thanks again for sending us great kids.

Don't Hang Up!!!!!!!

Many of you have probably gotten one of our automated phone messages regarding missing assignments. We also use the same system, with the same intro, to send out other information. Sooooo...when the phone rings and you hear "Here is an important message...." don't assume that it is regarding missing homework and hang up the phone. You could be missing out on some really good info.

7th Grade DC Parents

For those of you that haven't signed up for the Texas Hold'em fundraiser, the deadline is this Friday. It's a very easy way to defray some of the costs. If you're like me, the sign up sheet very well could be under a stack of papers on the counter. Please fill it out and send it in to the office. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, ask your child where the info sheet is that they were supposed to give you. I've also put it on our main SCMS webpage...click on the Washington DC link. Any questions, don't hesitate to give me a call.

For Those That Don't Get the Newsletter

Here is part of what I wrote in the current Newsletter. Sort of a re-cap of the year. Wow…this year has flown by. Hard to believe that it’s May already. It won’t be long and this year will be in the rear view mirror (but if any students are reading this, all of our school rules still apply right up to 11:48 on June 12th). In September I asked the eighth graders to be leaders. I explain that the success of our year will be determined by them. They have done an outstanding job setting the tone of the building. That’s not to say that we didn’t have a few bumps along the way but all in all, it’s been a great year. For our eighth grade parents I’d like to take a moment to wish you and your student all the best in the next four years. You’ve done a great job so far raising your child and even though they might at times say and act like they don’t need your help, the next four years are critical as they will be faced with many challenging choices. Making sure that they hear (over and over) that every choice has consequences…some good and some bad….will pay dividends as they cross the stage in four years and head out into the real world. For my seventh grade parents, next year I will be expecting even more from your student. They will be my leaders of the school. How they except that leadership role will determine how much more grey hair I have at this time next year. For my sixth grade parents, the transition to adulthood will continue. Your student will be given more opportunities to fall and learn from their mistakes. It’s painful as a parent, but sometimes learning from failing is the best learning. I’m already looking forward to next year.

Math Clarification

For those of you that were at the incoming 6th grade parent meeting last night, this post has to do with the question of math credits at the high school. If you weren't at the meeting, stop reading now...it'll just confuse you. Here is my answer. As a Mathematics major and a former instructor of math, every student should take math for all four years of high school, whether you took Algebra I in 8th grade or not. If you were given the opportunity to take a year off, when would you take it? The state mandates that you take a math class your Senior year. Not taking math as a Freshman seems silly (you'd forget or lose the momentum you had from middle school). Do you want to take off a year as a Sophomore or Junior right before the MME's? Sooooooo, my answer is, regardless if I was right or wrong with what the requirements are at SCHS, take the four years of math. (How was that for a roundabout, politically correct way of saying something without saying who was right and who was wrong)

6th Grade Orientation Parent Meeting

Thanks to everyone that was able to make it to the parent meeting last night. Hopefully it answered a few questions. Raise your hand if you found the meeting helpful (OK...put your hand down, no one can see you. That was a test). We have been dealt a pretty good hand here at SCMS and one of the reasons that we have a good thing going is because of the communication bridges we've been able to build. If at any time you have any question or concern, please don't hesitate to shoot me an e-mail, pick up the phone or stop in. My door is always open. On a separate note.....had a question regarding high school math credits. I'm still hunting down the correct answer. As soon as I get a 100%, this is the way it is answer, I'll post it on this Blog. Thanks for having great kids...looking forward to the next three years.

Typical Dress Code Conversation

If you've read many of these Blogs or my newsletter or listened to me speak, then you know I hate dealing with the dress code. Being an older (some would say much older) and larger male, puts me in a bad spot in talking to young females about our dress code. Here is a conversation I just had with an 8th grade girl at lunch. She was walking by me with some rather large holes in her jeans. Me "Kiddo....come here for a second" Student "Sure...whatz up?" Me "I'm not sure those pants are appropriate for school" Student (shocked look on her face) "why????" Me "can you reach down and touch skin?" Student reaching down(even with crocodile arms) "well....sort of" (her hands went all the way past one of the larger holes) Me "Then you can't wear them to school" Student with a slight smirk on her face "ok......" as she is walking away Me, noticing that her shirt has slits in the back, "hey....come on back here" Student, turning back around and walk back "yes?" Me "that shirt isn't school appropriate either" Student "why not????" Me "does it have slits in the back?" Student...smirk returning to her face "yes...." Me "then you can't wear it to school......but I do like your shoes...they're ok to wear again" This is only going to get worse as the weather gets warmer.....

6th Grade/Half Day Confusion

Gotten a few phone calls from our 6th grade parents about our upcoming half days....Here is what's happening. As I hope you’ve heard, tomorrow, Wednesday May 2nd, is our annual 5th Grade Orientation. Because of that, current 6th graders will be dismissed at 11:30. It just so happens that we also have a district wide Professional Development Day on Thursday, May 3rd. All students will be dismissed at 11:48. That’s two half days in a row for our 6th graders. Sorry for any confusion that this may have caused.

7th Grade Scheduling

As you probably have heard, there is a boat load of graduation requirements that are mandated by the State. One of those requirements is that you must have two years of a foreign language. We offer the exact same Spanish I that is offered at SCHS. Same course, same exams, same class. It counts as one of the required years and this coming year (for the first time) the student's grade will count toward their high school GPA. If at all possible....do your child a favor and sign them up for Spanish in 8th grade. I know there are some other things to consider. Maybe you want them to have French (the other option at SCHS), maybe you feel that they aren't quite mature enough yet to handle a very rigorous class. But if at all possible, taking this class at SCMS helps to open up their schedule (a little) once they get to SCHS. Talk it over with your child, but again....if at all possible, taking it now will help in the long run.

Craziness Has Taken Over SCMS

Is there an extended full moon this month? Things have been absolutely crazy here the past week or so. I realize that the weather is turning and we're finally getting some sunlight but our kids are bouncing off the walls. I've got students that are just doing really out of character (aka....stupid) stuff. Just as a reminder, because I've had a few parents upset, when I hear about a "situation", bullying for example, and I say I'll take care of it, that doesn't mean that I re-contact the parents of the student that was being bullied every step of the way to let them know what is going to happen or what has happened to the student that was causing the problem. That's a private matter between the school, the student and his/her parents. I know it can be frustrating because when it's your child that you feel is being bullied, you want to know how big of stick the other student is going to be hit with. My policy is...as frustrating that it can be.....that I only speak about any student to that student's parent. In short, just because you don't hear what the punishment is, doesn't mean that it hasn't been dealt with or that there was no punishment. A great example that happened a while back is a student left my office upset and told his buddies that nothing happened when in fact he knew exactly what my expectations were (you can read tone into that), parents were contacted and he was suspended out of school for 3 days. Telling his buddies that nothing happened was his defense mechanism...and that happens at this level. It's a maturity thing. Anyway....to make a long story short (too late), I'm pretty good at this. If you ever have any questions, please give me a call sooner than later. When you let things simmer, they tend to come to a boil and then you end up drawing some conclusions that aren't true, yelling at me, writing a letter to the Superintendant, spreading rumors....the list goes on and on. Hang in there....we'll get through this.

New SCMS Website Links

First....thanks to everyone that attended the EXPLORE Test Parent meeting last night. I hope it was helpful/informative. Along those lines, I've put a few new links on our SCMS homepage for parents/students to check out. All of the links have to do with preparing our students for life after high school. Please take a minute and check out the links.

DC Fundraiser #2

Information on our second Washington DC fundraiser is coming home today (Friday, April 20th) with those 7th grade students that have registered for the trip. I've also put the information on the Washington DC link that is on our SCMS main webpage. Any questions please give me a call.

EXPLORE Test Parent Meeting

We are having a meeting Tuesday April 24th at 7:00 pm in our Media Center for all 8th grade parents to go over the EXPLORE test results and how those results can be used as well as how it translates to the ACT. Students will be going over their tests/scores in their ELA classes later this week and will be bringing home their test results/test booklets. Please bring the test results with you to the meeting. We hope all 8th grade parents can attend.

Half Day Thursday April 12th

With the end of the 3rd marking period being Wednesday, April 11th, all district elementary and middle schools will have a student half day on Thursday, April 12th. SCMS will be holding hours 1, 2 and 3. Dismissal of students will be at 11:48.

Operation Missing Assignment

I think this is the fourth year that I've done this on the Friday before Spring Break. As most of you know, we have a No Zero policy here and we work very hard to get students to complete and turn in their assignments. Tomorrow, Friday, any student that has a homework referral (missing assignment) will be sent to the cafeteria first hour after attendance, and will stay there until all of their missing assignments are done. Once they have completed the missing work, they can go back to class. I've been making announcements all week, posting missing assignment lists in the cafeteria, and begging students to get these assignments in...and if not, encouraging them to get what ever they need (handouts, worksheets, etc.) ready for Friday so we can check these off before break. To be honest, it's not a very fun day for me but it's well worth it when the majority of kids can head into Spring Break all caught up on assignments.

Congrats to our Science Olympiad Team

Our 2012 Science Olympiad Team placed 7th overall out of 20 schools at this year's competition....which is our best ever finish.

8th Graders
Christian Doenges, Morgan Kronner
Adam George, Eli George
Allison Urban, Lauren Mehlberg
John Staiger, Steven Whittlesey

7th Graders
Mikayla Burke, Kaylin Zajac
Aubrey Grevemeyer, Abigail Eitniear

6th Graders
Kiersten Burke, Emily Tenniswood
Gabrielle Morton

Medal Winners

Awesome Aquifers
4th Place Medal
Steven Whittlesey
Gabrielle Morton

Bottle Rockets
6th Place Medal
John Staiger
Adam George

Crime Busters
5th Place Medal
Abigail Eitniear
Kaylin Zajac

Dynamic Planet
5th Place Medal
Steven Whittlesey
Morgan Kronner

Meteorology
2nd Place Medal
John Staiger
Emily Tenniswood

Mousetrap Vehicle
4th Place Medal
Abigail Eitniear
Emily Tenniswood

Optics
2nd Place Medal
Steven Whittlesey
Abigail Eitniear

Storm the Castle
3rd Place Medal
John Staiger
Mikayla Burke

Towers
6th Place Medal
Steven Whittlesey
Lauren Mehlberg

7th Place Finishes (just missing a medal)
Forestry
Allison Urban
Eli George

Reach for the Stars
Steven Whittlesey
Adam George

Middle School Tennis

This is the third year that there will be a middle school competitive tennis clinic. Any boy or girl in grades 6th - 8th may participate. No tennis experience is required. Practices will be held at the SCHS tennis courts on Sundays. The cost is $50 and sign up sheets are in the main office. For more information contact Mrs. Kennedy at 810-676-1723 or mkennedy@ecsd.us

NJHS Collecting Books for Kids

NJHS students are sponsoring a community service project for March is Reading Month.

Details:

Starts: Monday, March 26th
Ends: Friday, March 30th
Collection will be done in our 1st hour classes.

Donations are going to St. John's Hospital and Kids in Distress, both located in St. Clair.

Please encourage your students to clean out their closets and book shelves at home. We will accept all gently used books.

DC Fundraiser #1

The Little Caesar Pizza Kits are being delivered today (Thursday, March 22nd). Parents please plan on picking them up in our Aux Gym from 3:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Students will not be able to take them on the bus with them

SC4 Summer Arts Camp

Here is an e-mail I received today. I'll have the flyers available in the office as soon as I get them.

SC4 will be hosting a Summer Arts Camp during the last two weeks of June on campus in Port Huron. Offerings for students will be in two age groups: 8-12 and 13-18. Content includes drawing, painting, clay, vocal and instrumental music, and theater. Each class is a week long and meets *MON – FRI from either 9:30 am – 12:00 pm or from 12:30 pm – 3:00 pm. The cost for each class is $70.00 (with a slight lab fee for clay classes).

An informational flyer is being prepared and will be sent out to your fine arts teachers in the near future. I will also send some to the school itself to be made available in the office. These can be distributed to families who are interested in having their student(s) attend any of the camp sessions.

*Two of the classes will meet five times over two weeks

Lunch Time Visit

Thanks to Undersheriff Buckley for stopping in to spend some time with our students during lunch. The more contact our kids can have with law enforcement officers the better for everyone. Hopefully we have more visits from other officers in the upcoming months.

St. Clair County Mental Health Writing Contest

and the winners are.......

POETRY: 1st Place: Bettina Lee, St. Clair Middle School – Mrs. Acre
2nd Place: Erika Lindsay, St. Clair Middle School – Mrs. Acre

NON-FICTION: 1st Place: Benjamin Davidson, St. Clair Middle School – Mrs. Marginean

FICTION: 3rd Place: Alexis Smith, St. Clair Middle School – Mrs. Acre

Congratulations to all that participated.

Easter Egg Hunt

SCHS NHS will be hosting a free Easter Egg hunt this Saturday at St. Clair High School on the old football field. This event is for children ages 3-11. If you have little ones, we invite you to attend this fun event! 2:00 pm sharp, dress for the weather, rain or shine!!!

Ahhhhhh..Spring at the Middle School.

75 today, close to 80 tomorrow.....nothing better at the Middle School than trying to teach class when the weather is turning and Spring Break is just around the corner. Actually, what we really need is some cold rainy days leading up to March 30th. I'm giving each class a talk today during lunch regarding behavior, missing assignments, dress code, tardies....all the major topics. Any help you can give to try (key word being try) to help keep them stay focused it would be greatly appreciated.

May the force be with us.

NanoCamp

Just received this from our SCC RESA:

The Lurie Nanofabrication Facility is now accepting applications for the
Spring 2012 edition of NanoCamp, a free, one-day camp on nanoscience for
middle and high school students. The event will be held March 31 on North
Campus of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, from 9am-5pm.

The NanoCamp will include a variety of activities demonstrating concepts
in nanoscience and nanotechnology. Attendees will have the opportunity to
do hands-on lab activities in the Lurie Nanofabrication Facility, the
University of Michigan's research cleanroom laboratory, and learn about
the micro/nano- electronics fabrication techniques that are used to make
computers and other electronic devices.

For more information, please go to:

NanoCamp

8th Graders....Reminder

From Ron Miller, Principal of SCHS:

"8th graders - you and your parents will be making your freshman academic schedule, this Wednesday night at St. Clair High School. Your actual schedule will be turned in that evening. Please be sure you and your parent are at St. Clair High School, this Wednesday, at 7:00pm"

PD (Half-Day) Rescheduled

Our half day that got iced out last week has been rescheduled for next Wednesday, March 14th. Classes will be 4th, 5th and 6th hours and students will dismissed at 11:48. Please help spread the word.

Spring Slide.....

This time of year it's getting warmer, the sun is starting to come out more often and...it happens at every school....students start to let things slide. Getting to class, turning in homework, etc. Every morning I generate a list of all homework referrals (missing assignments). This morning the number was close to 700 late assignments. Now, before you fall out of your chair, we have over 600 students and many of those missing assignments are from a very small group of students that are just refusing to do anything, regardless of how we try to motivate them. Many teachers also will assign a referral when a student is absent as a reminder to the student that they need to get the make up work in. But even with that, 700 is a lot of missing assignments. Please check Parent Connect and have a talk with your student to make sure they are staying on top of their assignments. The light is getting brighter at the end of the tunnel but we've still got a ways to go to get to summer break.

Tardy Conversation....

Just had a conversation with two 8th grade girls who were coming out of Mr. Bialk's office. They were trying to debate with me why they shouldn't be disciplined for multiple tardies. Both girls are great kids...rarely in any other kind of trouble. Their debate consisted of the usual....not enough time, had to go to their lockers, etc. After listening, I told them that their biggest downfall was that they are both very popular females that can't go from point A to point B without stopping to have a conversation with six classmates. Then I pointed out that our main job was to prepare them for high school. In high school, I explained, two tardies equals one unexcused absence. They get to a certain number of unexcused absences and they lose credit. Our discipline here is basically a slap on the wrist...whether it's lunch detention(s) or Saturday School, but in the big picture, our hope is that we are teaching them a lesson for the future so they aren't freshman year after year. They both looked at me and said "you lose credit for tardies in the high school?". The reason I bring this up is that I have had this conversation with all classes during lunches, over the PA, during assemblies, countless times. Glad to know that these kids listen to me as well as my own.

8th Grade Parents....

Another reminder. Just got this from SCHS.

We are holding our 8th grade student/parent meeting on Wednesday, March 14 at 7:00 here (SCHS) in the cafeteria. The plan is for students and parents to create a four year plan and a schedule for 9th grade before leaving that evening. The focus will be on looking at the four year plan and options for postponing classes in an effort to fit in electives, if desired.

8th Grade Explore Test

We will be giving all 8th graders the Explore test this Thursday. It is a standardized test that mirrors the ACT. The Explore test is an excellent predictor of where a student currently stands and what they can expect to get on the ACT. As we continue down this path of National norms, more and more colleges are looking at a student's ACT score as a determining factor in being admitted (like it or not, these are the rules that we are playing by). It is very important that our kids understand this and take advantage of preparing for these tests. It could make the difference between being admitted to the college of their choice.

Morning Routine

For those of you that might be looking for me, I'm changing up my morning routine a bit. I usually get to school around 6:15 and from time to time I've had parents stop in to see me around that time. I'm trying to get up and get my engine running early in the morning(aka workout...which is a whole separate blog entry), I won't be getting to school until around 7:00. If there is ever anything that you need to see me about and the morning is the only time that works, contact me the day before and I'll make arrangements to be here early.

Box Tops....Until Next Year

Since we've started collecting Box Tops again as a fundraiser (see the results below), I've been given a website that allows us to earn Box Top rewards online that parents/grandparents/community members can use. If you'd like to keep stock piling them until next fall, that's great....but if interested the website is:

Box Tops

First DC Fundraiser

I'll be passing out information today regarding our first Washington DC fundraiser to our 7th graders that are going on next year's trip. Here is what the cover letter says:

Little Caesars Fundraiser
2012 Washington DC Trip

We have used this fundraiser for the past four 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 into his/her account.

The order forms and money are due in the office on the morning of Thursday March 15th. The kits will be delivered on Thursday, March 22nd and must be picked up between 3:00pm – 6:00pm 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 22nd . 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!

SCHS Freshmen Parent Orientation

SCHS Parent Orientation is Wednesday March 14th @ 7:00 pm in the SCHS Cafeteria. In a change from years past, SCHS is asking students to accompany their parents.

Snow Days and Activites

As I sit at my desk during this "ice" day, trying to clear off at least a spot that I can set my diet coke down, I've gotten a few phone calls regarding athletic events scheduled for today. At the Middle School, whenever we a snow/ice day, all after school activities are cancelled. Having spent a good part of my life at the high school level, I know that's different than what they do. We'll do our best to reschedule.

Box Tops....Round 2

Thanks to everyone that helped contribute boxtops this go-around. We topped $1000 for the year....which is awesome considering I didn't give anyone any lead time. Please start saving them for next year as we will be collecting them again in the fall. A special thanks to Emily Russell for organizing the collection and Mrs. Russell for all of her behind the scenes work.

NJHS Blood Drive

Our NJHS is hosting a Blood Drive in our Aux Gym today that goes until 7:00 pm. If you have the time to save a life (I just had flashbacks of being a kid and being shamed into something) please stop in anytime after school until 7:00. I'm sure it'll be appreciated. All joking aside...stating the obvious...it's an extremely worthy cause and any and all donations are needed.

Half Day Wednesday, February 29th

It seems like forever since I've posted anything new...sorry. I've been really busy....we had a snow day.....I was out of the building at a conference....I forgot my password..... ok...maybe some of that is true, but mostly it's because I'm a slacker (that's much more believable).

We have a half day for students this Wednesday for staff professional development. Students will be going to hours 4, 5 and 6.

Ski Club/Mid-Winter Break

The Ski Club will be going to Mt. Holly this Friday (February 17th). Mrs. Mule will be at Sue's Coffee House between 1:00 and 1:30 to sell lift tickets and arrange rides.

New MEAP Cut Scores

The MEAP scores will be coming out soon and there is an excellent chance that you will be surprised when you see the results. If you haven't heard, the "cut scores"...what determines if a student was advanced, proficient, etc. have been raised. To help try to explain the reasoning behind the decision to raise the cut scores and what it means, please click on the link below to watch a video that will hopefully fill in a few blanks.

New MEAP cut scores

RESA Tec Open House

Just a reminder that our St. Clair County RESA is holding an Open House Thursday, February 9th from 5:30 to 8:00 pm. This is a special event for students in grades 8-10 and their parents. You'll be able to tour the school, learn about TEC's programs and speak to their instructors. If you think you might be interested, it would be time well served to attend.

7th Grade Parents....DC Reminder

If you haven't registered your student yet, please give it another thought. Two quick things: 1) It is an absolutely awesome trip. 2) We're getting close to having to create a waiting list. We still have spots left, but one of my fears every year is that when we fill up the buses, we'll get a few more people that register late and they won't be able to go. Please, please, please, register. If we can take 150....don't be number 151. If we can take 175...don't be number 176. Even though we're past the due date on the registration form you can still register (it was a soft due date). If money is an issue, we can work with you. Give me a call. I want every kid to have this experience.

Superbowl Sunday....Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrg

Yes...I'm posting on Sunday...Superbowl Sunday. The reason I'm posting? My DVR/Cable Box just died. I spent 20 minutes on the phone with Comcast to find out that I'm hosed. Not that big a deal...I mean if I miss it tonight, I can always watch it next year. Maybe I can find it on the radio..........(can you hear the sarcasm in my typing?)

It's times like this that I have to remind myself of my pledge of not letting the little stuff get me down....making sure I keep my glass half full. It could be worse...it could be the Lions in the Superbowl.

Overdue Books

Need some help. The other day I got a list of all the overdue/missing books from our Media Center. It was startling how many books were on the list. In talking to Mrs. Westrick, who is our Media Center Specialist as well as SCHS's Media Center Specialist, she mentioned that one of the biggest shocks to incoming Freshmen is there is consequences for overdue books. Fines, can't take exams, withhold report cards, can't check out any more books, etc. One of my jobs is to prepare students for the high school. I'm seriously thinking about instituting some sort of minimal fine for overdue books. Here is where I need your help. We've made a quite an effort to get kids to turn in late books and consequently, the list is becoming manageable. Would you please take a minute to talk to your student, look under that pile of dirty clothes in the middle of their room and encourage them to bring in any books that are currently late. Any and all help you can give us would be appreciated.

Boxtop Collection

We are going to have a boxtop collection/competition the week of Feb 13th. The last collection got us a check for over $700 (wow....). The first hour classes that brings in the most boxtops will get a donut party. Any and all help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance for all your help

Snowsport Club This Friday

Due to the weather (no snow!) There will be no ski club this week (February 3rd). Good news is that the long term weather for next week looks like we'll have several nights of snow-making weather

New Tardy Procedure

One of my goals is to prepare our students for high school. Being an ex-high school guy, I can tell you that one of the biggest bumps in the road that Freshmen experience is with the attendance policy/tardies. At the high school, when a student gets two tardies it equals one absence. Students are allowed 6 absences before they lose credit. The reason I bring this up is that we try exxxxxtremely hard to get kids to class. We have a 1 minute warning bell, I'm in the halls every hour to encourage kids to get to class, but we still have a bunch of student tardies...and that number is about to go up. In the past, it was up to the teacher to do a referral when a student gets two tardies. It was possible that a teacher could forget to write a referral or miss the fact that it was a student's second tardy. We have worked it out so that the process is now automatic. When a student gets their second tardy, a referral will automatically be generated. While this might seem like a pain in the short term, our hopes is that it will help in the long run (the high school).

Your welcome in advance.

After School Activities

St. Clair Middle School is very happy to offer a set of 6-week After School Enrichment Activities for our students. Here is how it works:

There is no charge for these activities.
All school rules will apply. A student can be removed from an activity.
Transportation is the responsibility of the student.
Application form must be signed by your parent/guardian
Class sizes are limited. If we have more students sign up than the class will accommodate we will hold a lottery and select the kids at random.
You can participate in more than one activity
If you do choose more than one, prioritize your choices
Activities will start the week of February 13th and end the week of March 19th .

We will be offering 3 different activities. Art with Mrs. Biernot, Scrabble with Ms. Hannon and Jazz Band with Mr. Decker. Sign up forms, with more information, will be available for students later this week.

Ski/Snowboard Club This Friday

The club will be meeting this Friday (January 27th) for skiing/snowboarding. As their are no students this Friday, Mrs. Mule is asking parents to meet her at Sue's Coffeehouse in town at 1:30. The Club will leave from there at 2:00 to get a few extra hours of fun in on Friday.

SCMS Wrestling Parent Meeting

When: Wednesday January 18, 2012
Time: 7:00-7:45 p.m.
Where: St. Clair Middle School Cafeteria
Why: Meet Coach Frikken and to hear an overview of this year’s goals and expectations

A flyer is available in the main office regarding the parent meeting

RESA TEC Open House

The St. Clair TEC Open House is Thursday, Feb. 9 from 5:30–8 p.m. Prospective students in grades 8–10 and their parents are invited to learn more about TEC’s career and technical education programs. Attendees will tour the school, meet with instructors, and find out how they can gain technical skills. TEC staff members will also advise students on how they can earn academic and college credit and gain leadership and employability skills. For more information, contact TEC at (810) 455-1010.

DC Post Meeting Thoughts

Thanks to those that came to the meeting last night. For those that couldn't make it, we'll have info packs in the office for your child to pick up and take home. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to shoot me an e-mail or pick up the phone and give me a call. I'll be putting updates, and more information on our Washington DC link that is on our main SCMS webpage. I just put an important bit of information that I forgot to mention last night on that link. Please get in the habit of checking that every now and then.

DC Parent Meeting Tonight (Thursday)

If you're anything like me, this meeting could of been put on the back burner of your mind. Tonight (Thursday January 12th) at 7:00 pm in our cafeteria. We'll go over the trip, answer questions and pass out registration forms. Please make every attempt to attend. It is an absolutely awesome educational experience for your son/daughter.

Yoga Pants....Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrg

Who decides on what is in style? Why doesn't anyone ask me? Our policy, which I had to put into place last year because of a fashion trend, was that when a student wears tights, they still needed to wear some sort of skirt, long sweater, etc that covered at least mid-thigh (yes....girls were wearing tights and nothing else). Now yoga pants are in style. I heard that it was all over Facebook last night that the boys were looking forward to today to "check out" all the gals wearing yoga pants. I seem to ask this a lot, but I need some help. Please, please, please, think like a middle school boy before you let your daughter out of the house in the morning....regardless of what's in style. I'll be making an announcement at the end of the day (which will not be popular with the girls or boys) that skin tight yoga pants fall under the same category as tights....they must wear something mid-thigh over the top.

SCMS/NJHS Blood Drive

St. Clair Middle School's National Junior Honor Society is sponsoring a blood drive. Please help us by donating on Tuesday, February 28th, from 2 p.m. - 7:45 p.m. in the SCMS Aux. gym. Please click on the link below and make an appointment to Save A Life!

There is always a need for blood and only volunteer donors can fulfill that need for patients in our community. Na tionwide, someone needs a unit of blood every 2 to 3 seconds and most of us will need blood in our lifetime.

Thank you!
Amy Walton and NJHS students

make an appointment

Rescheduled B-Ball Game

The basketball game that was cancelled with Central on 12/12 is rescheduled for Thursday, January 12 at 4:15 pm at Central Middle School.

Want to get involved?

The City of St. Clair is seeking residents interested in serving on a City board or commission. There are currently vacancies on the: Harbor Commission, LDFA, Recreation Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals. Applications for any boards and commissions are kept on file for future vacancies. An application can be found www.cityofstclair.com or call 810-329-7121 if you have a question.

East China District Supporter's Fun Run

The East China District Supporters are hosting their first annual 5k run on Saturday, February 11th. The Chili-Heart Run (Chili...cold and food, Heart...it's close to Valentine's Day) is a fun run/walk that will be starting and ending at SCMS. There will be special awards for the overall winners plus awards for the top 3 in each age group. We are also working on special deals with area restaurants (that's where the Chili comes into the title). Please help spread the word to all kids, neighbors, aunts, uncles, cousins, grandmas, grandpas, etc. The more runners we get, the more money we make. The more money we make, the more the East China Supporters can help our students. To sign up, go to our district webpage (www.ecsd.us) click on the link and scroll down to our link. Jump through a few hoops and you'll be registered. Time is short...we need everyone's help to spread the word so that this run is a success.

Snowsports Club

Our parent group that heads up the Snowsports Club is giving it a go this Friday. The snow making equipment was working and there a good base set down so far.

The lift tickets will be distributed to the kids before they leave the school Friday afternoon. Also...an FYI, Mrs. Mule, who rules the club, will try to be located in the Canyon Cafe (to the left on the second story, as you go up the double staircase) if they need to get with her at the lodge. She plans on putting a red table cloth on the table so she is easy to spot.

If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Mule (her contact info was on the original flyer)

Reminder...DC Meeting

In case you missed the pre-break post, we will be having our Parent Washington DC Informational Meeting on Thursday, January 12th @ 7:00 pm in our cafeteria. The meeting is for all current 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