Break is Coming at a Good Time

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

14 Rounds

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

The Joys of Getting Old

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

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

Feat of strength for this week: Rounds of Push ups

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

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

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

Winter Concerts

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

NJHS/Candy Canes

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

Next Year's DC Meeting

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

Pencils

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

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

Monday, December 12th Basketball Game

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

Runners....Save the Date

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

Ski/Snowboard Club

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

Dress Warm....

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

Saturday School is Here

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

Ski/Snowboard Club

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