To Call School or Not To Call School

The following is posted on our ECSD Website today (Wednesday February 5th) from our Superintendent, Dr. Skalka. We have received several calls and e-mails regarding why school is in session today. The decision not to have school is made between 5:00-6:00 am. At that time, it was not snowing and though weather maps showed that it would snow later in the morning, the forecast was for one to three inches. The superintendents in the county work together to make a consistent decision and as you know, all St. Clair County schools are open and most schools across the area are as well. What wasn’t forecast or anticipated was the amount of blowing snow that developed. We’ve received additional contacts regarding why we are not closing school early. Looking at the forecast and weather maps, the snow is supposed to stop at approximately 4:00 pm. Now that they are at school, the safest place for our students is to stay at school. We also want to give city and county road crews as much time as possible to attend to the roads. When school is dismissed, we’ve instructed bus drivers to take as much time as they need to get students home safely and as a result, students may be home a little later than normal.

Personal Learnig Device Pilot Program

Above is a student contract for a pilot program that we are going to try 2nd semester regarding personal learning/electronic devices (I-pads, tablets, smart phones, etc). As you are probably aware, these devices are everywhere. They also have a tremendous upside in the education world. Odds are that while doing this pilot, we'll have a few bumps in the road. Part of our responsibility and goal is to not only prepare students for the high school but also teach them responsible ways to use these devices. Having their cell phone hidden under their desk and texting a friend when the teacher's back is turned, is not a responsible use of the device (by the way, that scenario is happening now). Our hope by giving the students a little more freedom, we will be able to get out in front of this and eliminate most of the improper use. Please feel free to contact me with any questions.

8th Grade Cedar Point Trip Criteria

With Winter all but over...(it is all but over, right?)....our 8th grade students will start to get information regarding the annual 8th grade Cedar Point trip. We think of the trip as a reward for working hard and representing SCMS in a positive fashion. I have spoken to the 8th graders at lunch (and will many times from today on) regarding the rules/criteria to be eligible to go on the trip. At SCMS we have a discipline point system. Every discipline incident receives a certain number of "points" Once a student goes over 6 points they are no long allowed to go on the school sponsored trip. Also, in order to be able to go on the trip, a student must be passing at least 4 or their 6 classes in 3rd and 4th Marking Period. Two pretty simple rules....don't get in trouble (over and over) and pass your classes. If you have any questions please contact Mr. Westerhof or Mr. Alley.

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.

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Do I need to say anything else?