Thanksgiving Break Homework

They say that with age comes experience. What they could also say is that with age comes an ability to reflect on those experiences. Thanksgiving is a time of year that most of us focus on football, turkey and the changes in the seasons. It's also a time that reminds us that we need to step back and focus on all the good things in our lives. With that said, here is your two part homework assignment. 1). Make it a point to thanks those around you that make you a lucky person. 2). Call someone that you've been meaning to call but just can't find the time. Odds are they have been meaning to call you too. 3). (yes I know I said two parts)....Give your kids a hug. These days will be gone in a blink of an eye. Now go enjoy your turkey and football.

SCMS Hotline

This is just a reminder of a tool we started last year with a great deal of success. Many times at the middle school level students don't feel comfortable coming into the office to let us know of a "situation". The SCMS Hotline (810-637-1812) is available for those types of situations that allow students to send an text. Here is how it works. A student has thoughts of wanting to hurt themselves, or know of a friend that talks about wanting to hurt themselves, or they know of another student that brought something to school that they shouldn't have, or they know of a bullying situation, or anything that they feel an adult needs to know, they can text that to the SCMS Hotline. These texts will be monitored by myself, Mr. Westerhof and our counselor Mrs. McElreath. Students do not need to leave their name. So far we've had a few that I would classify as falling in the "Middle School Drama" category, but all in all it's been a valuable tool for our students.

Hungry for Pizza

Tuesday November 11th is SCMS Night at Hungry Howies. SCMS gets a portion of every order if you mention SCMS when you order or when you are picking up your order.

Do You Tweet?

Twitter, as I think I've mentioned on this Blog before, among other things is a great way for educators to network, learn new strategies and share ideas/techniques. Our SCMS staff is in the process of becoming more familiar with Twitter. We currently are engaged in a "Twitter Challenge" where staff are encouraged to jump through a few Twitter "hoops". If you'd like to follow our Twitter progression, search #scmsrocks

PTO Meeting Time Change

We've heard from a number of parents that our normal 7:00 pm PTO time is in conflict with other meetings/activities. Because of that we are going to move tomorrow's meeting (Tuesday November 11th) to 3:30 in the afternoon. The meeting will be in the main office conference room.

Cyber Safety Presentation

As we know, growing up in today's world with all the technology can be exciting, educational but also at times challenging. It's important that we never lose sight of some of the dangers that go along with technology. The East China School District has taken advantage of a program through the State of Michigan called CSI, Cyber Safety Institute. SCMS viewed presentations today that were very well received. I know as a parent, certain topics are hard to bring up in a casual conversation. If you were ever looking for a chance to bring up this important topic with your child, here it is. If you would like more information click in the State's website HERE

SCMS NJHS Mackinaw Island Meeting

There will be an informational NJHS Mackinac Island parent meeting next Monday, November 10th at 6 pm in Mrs. Walton's classroom (room 1209).

Activity Night This Friday November 7th

Our first Activity Night will be this Friday November 7th from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Our Activity Nights....which have been awesome.... are for current SCMS students only. Pre-sale tickets sold during lunches are $2, tickets at the door are $4. Students must have their student ID to purchase their ticket and to enter the Activity Night. If a student has lost their student ID, those are on sale in our main office for the reduced price of $1.

Crazy Chopped Up Week

As I hope everyone already knows, we have a crazy, chopped up week this week. Tomorrow, Tuesday the 4th there is no school for students. All East China Teachers will be participating in Professional Development. Wednesday, November 5th, All district elementaries and middle schools will have a half day (hours 1, 2 and 3). SCMS will dismiss it's students at 11:48.