Challenge

The East China Supporters Group is a committee that raises funds for the East China Endowment Fund. Those funds are used to provide grants to staff members and PTO groups to be used for enrichment programs and materials to enhance the education of our students. In order to supply these grants, the Supporters must raise money. One of our fundraising efforts is a 5K run called the Chili Heart which is being held on Saturday, February 22nd at SCMS. This is the third year we have held this event and each year the runners and walkers have had a great time participating. Please take a minute to look over the registration form and consider joining us. My challenge to everyone reading this is to pass this information on to 10 of your non-SCMS friends. My goal, our goal, is to help make a difference in the lives of the students of East China School District. We really could use some help spreading the word. REGISTRATION FORM

Don't Miss the DC Meeting

We will be having our Parent Washington DC Informational Meeting on Tuesday Night February 4th @ 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

Why is School Closed One Day and Not the Next?

As you can probably imagine, school closings are not an exact science. There are many variables that go into the decision. Besides poor road conditions, drifting snow, we have had extreme cold/wind chills the last few days. So why wasn't school closed today (Wednesday)? For our area, the National Weather Service has issued a Wind Chill Advisory, compared to a Wind Chill Warning on Monday and Tuesday. Again....it's far from an exact science but I hope that helps explain the decision making process a little.

Burrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Do I need to say anything else?

Protect MI Child Website

Most of us have received e-mails from companies trying to sell us things. Now, more and more, these companies are using cell phone and instant messaging to try to advertise or sell their products. Children are forbidden from purchasing certain products under Michigan Law. The Protect MI Child website allows you to register your e-mail, cell number, etc. that a child might have access to. Once registered, senders of these types of messages must remove the registered contact info. Please click on the above link for more information.

SCMS Blood Drive

The need for blood is constant and only volunteer donors can fulfill that need for patients in our community. Nationwide, someone needs a unit of blood every 2 to 3 seconds and most of us will need blood in our lifetime. National Junior Honor Society is sponsoring our annual blood drive at SCMS on Tuesday, February 25, 2014 from 2:00 pm to 7:30pm. Please consider donating by either just stopping in or clicking on the flowing link to make an appointment

PTO Box Top Drive

In the Fall our PTO Box Top Drive raised over $1100 for SCMS (I had no idea that Box Tops could be worth so much money). Because of the success, we will be having another Box Top Drive February 3rd through the 7th. Please help us by sending in your Box Tops with your SCMS student to give to their first hour teacher. In and all help is appreciated. Thank you in advance

2014 Geography Bee

All 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students recently participated in the National Geographic Bee in their Social Studies classes. The top two students from each class competed against each other in the SCMS Media Center. Oral questions from the National Geographic Society booklet were asked to each student. After many questions on a variety of topics such as U.S. Geography, U.S. Cities, U.S. History to information on the 7 continents, only the following 8 students remained for the final round: Sarah Sepke (6th), Luke Jolly (7th), Billy Schunk (6th), Jimmy DeVolder (6th), Devon Peters (8th), Dylan Rock (7th), Cody Rusnell (8th), & Brennen Buckley (8th) Only Cody Rusnell and Jimmy DeVolder remained for the Championship round which consisted of the following 3 questions: 1. The city of Portland is the eastern terminus for an oil pipeline that connects with Montreal, Canada. Portland is located on Casco Bay in which New England State? 2. The Potomac River rises in the Allegheny Plateau and empties into what large bay? 3. The Taklimakan (TAH-kluh-muh-KAHN) Desert, home to the Uyghur (WEE-ghur) people, is located north of the Kunlun Mountains in which Asian country? (answers: Maine, Chesapeake Bay, China) 8th grader Cody Rusnell won the competition after answering 2/3 questions correctly. Cody will now take a written exam to try and qualify for the State competition on April 4th. Good luck Cody!

Supporters 5K Run

Could there be anything more fun than getting up early on a Saturday in February and running a 5K? I didn't think so. Please consider joining us to help support the students of the East China School District.

PTO Meeting January 14th

Our next PTO Meeting is Tuesday, January 14th at 7:00 pm in our Media Center. Hope to see everyone there

Washington DC Parent Meeting

We will be having our Parent Washington DC Informational Meeting on Tuesday Night February 4th @ 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

SCMS Hungry Howies Night

Our SCMS Hungry Howies Night is this Tuesday, January 14th. In order for SCMS to receive a portion of the proceeds, a quick and easy form needs to be turned in when picking up your pizza. Forms are available in our main office as well as behind the counter at Hungry Howies.

January Newsletter

Please click here to view our January Newsletter

Please Be Careful.....

When we do return to school it'll seem like a heat wave (double digit temps) but it still might be too cold to get all of the ice off of our driveways and sidewalks. This morning on my way in (yes I am working) the main roads still had patches of packed snow/ice. Please be very careful if you're driving (anywhere) and watch your step outside. April is only 4 months away.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

No School Wednesday, January 8th due to cold temps and poor road conditions.

St. Clair TEC Open House on Thursday, February 20, 2014 from 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

All St. Clair TEC programs will be featured during the Open House and the SC TEC staff will be available to describe the program, curriculum, postsecondary options, employment opportunities and will also be available to answer questions. This event which is designed for 8th, 9th and 10th graders, provides a great opportunity for all of our guests to explore careers while learning about the programs that are offered at TEC.

A Sample of E-Community Updates

When school got called right before Winter Break, many people got multiple phone calls from our Skylert system. There is a way to fix that and the directions below are an example of what is being sent out to E-Community Members. To sign up to be part of our East China E-Community, read the post below.

East China E-Community

The East China School District has implemented a means for our parents and community members to receive relevant and timely information. It is called the East China E-Community. This is not going to be used for massive amounts of SPAM, or hourly updates on what the weather is but for items that are not only useful but also information that is necessary to continue to increase the bond between our school and our community. As technology continues to expand, I'm sure most of you are in the same boat as I am.....I want to know as much information as possible and want to know it now. The E-Community allows that to happen. To sign up, go to our main East China Web Page and look for the link on the left hand side that says E-Community. It is extremely fast and easy.