ST. CLAIR MIDDLE SCHOOL NEWSLETTER From The Boss s Desk December 2017 St. Clair Middle School 4335 Yankee St. Clair, Michigan 48079 810.676.1800 Main Line 810.676.1825 Fax Line 810.676.1826 Attendance Line Website: www.ecsd.us Facebook: https:// www.facebook.com/ StClairMiddleSchool/ School Hours: 7:36 a.m. - 2:29 p.m. *NOTICE TO ALL GUESTS AT ST. CLAIR MIDDLE SCHOOL Please remember S.C.M.S. is a drug free school zone! NO SMOKING ON SCHOOL GROUNDS PLEASE! December is a time where we start to hear jingle bells ringing, we see snow falling and hopefully get to experience some good time cheer. It s an upbeat, merry, and positive time of year. However, this month usually marks a time where we also see a small spike in behaviors and missing assignments amongst our students. There are only 20 school days between Thanksgiving and Christmas Break and all the students were informed about how important this time of year is for them at school. We encouraged them to take each hour by hour, class by class, day by day, and week by week. Taking these small snapshots in time makes the time go fast, but what it really does is help us make good decisions when we are faced with challenges at each particular moment in time. There is a quote in my office that reads: Great Things are Done by a Series of Small Things Brought TOGETHER. Vincent Van Gogh. Oh how true this is! As we know, to build responsibility and accountability, the students themselves are responsible for checking their grades, having their materials, making sure their assignments are turned in on time, etc However, as we all know, parents and teachers NEED to be involved and help out. The more parents and teachers are involved and guide the students, the better chances of success the students have. As SCMS parents, checking Skyward is essential as well as having conversations that focus on short term goals. Changing gears for a bit... I think we ve all noticed that it is getting pretty cold outside. Welcome to the three months of winter! Please take a look at what your child is wearing when he/she walks out the door in the morning. We are seeing a lot of t-shirts and shorts getting worn to school and, consequently, students mentioning how cold it is. The students go outside for lunch recess most every day, so please ensure that they walk out of the house in the morning with the proper, and appropriate, clothing. A coat, sweatshirt (long sleeves), and jeans (long pants) are perfect examples of what middle school students should wear every day for the next three months. Mr. Mike Domagalski, Principal Mr. Brad Robbins, Assistant Principal Mrs. Sandra Rutledge-Plonka, Counselor Mrs. Liz Draghiceanu, Building Secretary Mrs. Carrie DeVries, Attendance Secretary Mrs. Sheila Gilmore, Office Paraprofessional Mrs. Carrie Smith, Office Paraprofessional I ve said it before and I ll say it again; this is an amazing school, with an amazing staff, with amazing students, and an amazing community. Just because a student misbehaves, it doesn t mean that they are a bad kid. Just because a student gets a low grade, it doesn t mean they aren t smart or don t have potential. Part of middle school is seeing students push boundaries and start to identify who they really are as people. It s our job as parents, and as educators, to challenge them, guide them, and help them understand how to learn from these mistakes and challenges in order to become better people, thus becoming successful and independent citizens in society. A highly regarded educator, author, and innovator George Couros wrote, We need to make the positive so loud that the negative becomes almost impossible to hear. Let s make this real! Let s teach, guide and continue to work together in a positive manner to help benefit the students as a whole with nothing short of #PositivityUnknown2Mankind. Michael M. Domagalski St. Clair Middle School Principal
IMPORTANT DATES Page 2 December 12, 7:00pm December 13 December 14, 9:00am December 14 December 19, 7:00pm December 25-January 5 January 8, 2018 Band Christmas Concert (Grades 6-8), Performing Arts Center Vision Screening (see attached flyer) Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) Meeting Office Conference Room Hungry Howies Pizza Night (see attached coupon) Choir Holiday Concert (Grades 7-12), Performing Arts Center Christmas Break School Resumes January 17 Half Day of School, 7:36am-10:58am, Semester Exams, Hours 1 & 2 January 18 Half Day of School, 7:36am-10:58am, Semester Exams, Hours 3 & 4 January 19 Half Day of School, 7:36am-10:58am, Semester Exams, Hours 5 & 6 January 19 End of the Semester See our website for additional building and district events: https://eastchinaschools.org/schools/st-clair-middle/ CHOIR CONCERT The choir s holiday concert will be Tuesday, December 19, 2017 at 7:00pm at the Performing Arts Center (1585 Meisner Road). Students in grades 7 through 12 will perform. BAND CONCERT The Christmas Band Concert is Tuesday, December 12, 2017 at 7:00pm at the Performing Arts Center (1585 Meisner Road). Students in grades 6, 7, and 8 will perform. A Toys For Tots collection box will be located in our main office until December 18, 2017. New toy donations only.
STUDENT OF THE MONTH Page 3 6th Grade: Meghan Tornberg and Vincent Schweihofer 7th Grade: Taylor Cleary and Hunter Jaffray 8th Grade: Tara Ziehm and Salvatore Vitale CONGRATULATIONS SAINTS! AFTER SCHOOL PICK-UP PROCEDURES DRIVE SLOW and BE KIND!!! When picking up a child when school gets let out, PLEASE PARK IN THE LARGE PARKING LOT on the east side of the building only! DO NOT park, and wait, in the front driveway loop OR along the sidewalk on the east side of the building. EXIT through the EAST driveway (same as the entrance) until 2:35pm or after (when the buses on the west side clear). Students will be exiting the EAST side of building for pick-up. Be courteous of other drivers and look out for students, walkers, etc. DRIVE SLOW and BE KIND!!! NEW BUILDING ENTRY PROCEDURES If you visit SCMS during the school day, you will find our front doors locked. A video doorbell is located on the right wall next to the front doors. Visitors will need to ring the doorbell to contact the office to be buzzed in. State your name and who you are coming to see. We ask that once in the building you come directly to the office.
OTHER SCHOOL NEWS Page 4 There is no school year like your present school year! Your yearbook celebrates a year full of friends, events, and shared experiences. Visit the Josten s website (www.jostens.com) to order your 2017-2018 yearbook. JOURNALISM NEWS The journalism class has been busy creating a web page with pictures of the cross country, football, cheer, and volleyball teams. There are also pictures of Spirit Week and the Washington DC trip. You will also find information on how to buy a yearbook and more! Check out the link: https://sites.google.com/ecsd.us/scmsnews/home HOMEWORK HELP Homework Help is a free after school tutoring program on Monday and Wednesdays from 2:30-3:30pm. Students meet in Mrs. Fredal-Estapa s room #1205 (or room #1214 if needed.) The program is open to all grades. Students may use this time for a quiet place to work, computer access, peer tutoring, or group project time. There will not be class on half days or the day before a school vacation. Parents must make arrangements for students to get home since there may not be an adult at the school after 3:30pm. If a student needs to leave earlier than 3:30pm, he/she needs a note or text from their parent and present it to Mrs. Fredal-Estapa. This is an opportunity for students serious about completing work. If a student does not have work or is not using time wisely, they will be asked to contact a parent and go home.
SPORTS Page 5 Wrestling Club will begin January 17, 2018 (Note: 1/2 day of school; starting time will be announced soon.) No tryouts. Club fees will apply. Girls Basketball tryouts (7th & 8th grades) will begin January 17, 2018. (Note: 1/2 day of school; starting time will be announced soon.) Boys & Girls Track (7th & 8th grades) will begin in April 2018. No tryouts. Please make your appointment for your child s annual sports physical if they plan to participate in upcoming sports teams. They can t attend any tryout or practice without a current physical. The annual pay to play fee is $75.00. Club fees may vary. Can t make it to your child s game or competition? In an effort to keep parents updated on their child s athletic events, Mr. Robbins will often employ twitter as a live feed. If you follow @scmsathletics, you can receive tweets of live scores and play-by-play action. Does this replace the experience of being at the game? No! But we understand games that start at 4:00pm can sometimes be a challenge to attend. Stay informed by following us on twitter. The football team had another outstanding season! Their record was 4-1. Thank you to the cheer team for supporting the players on the sidelines. SCMS 36 Central 0 SCMS 8 Fort Gratiot 0 SCMS 40 Marysville 0 SCMS 18 Marine City 20 SCMS 30 Holland Woods 0
PTO INFORMATION Page 6 Our Unfundraiser ended on November 3, 2017. Once again, it was a successful fundraiser with slightly less participation. In 2016, 133 Students raised $8,925.00. This year, we had 89 students raise $6,497.15. A combined total of 649 Raffle Tickets were distributed to students for each $10.00 increment individually raised. Several students raised over $30.00 earning a combined total of approximately $3,233.00 in savings toward their future class trips or yearbooks. This year s profits will be used for, but not limited to: -Academic Software Systems -Honors Programs (MIJHS & Science Olympiad) -After School Enrichment Programs -Field Trips -Activity Nights -Teacher Appreciation Luncheons Incentive prizes were awarded on Monday, November 20. Team Lee raised the most funds and will be awarded 2 hours on the video game truck. Because Team Millett came in ONLY $0.15 less than Team Lee, they will be awarded 1 hour on the video game truck. This incentive is estimated to be awarded some time during the week of January 8-12. Because the 6 th graders raised the highest funds, they will be awarded with $1 entry into our only Activity Night on January 26, 2018 from 6:00-8:00pm. Congratulations to our raffle prize winners!!! THANK YOU for the support you gave to make this fundraiser a success!!! Please join us for our December PTO meeting on Thursday, December 14, 2016 at 9:00am in the Main Conference Room. Meetings generally run less than an hour and participation by all in attendance is GREATLY appreciated. We are one body of parents working for the same common goal; the enjoyment and success of our children in an academic environment both inside and outside of the classroom. Dates to Save: Respectfully, Jessica Becker, PTO President January 18, 2018 Teacher/Staff Appreciation Lunch January 26, 2018 Activity Night, 6:00-8:00pm Tentative: Feb. 5-9, 2018 BoxTop Collection (Clip-a-thon on Feb. 14) May you all have a safe & blessed holiday season!
St. Clair Middle School 2017-18 Unfundraiser Fundraiser Sponsors St. Clair Women s League
HEALTH NEWS Page 8
MONTHLY FUNDRAISER Page 9 ST. CLAIR MIDDLE SCHOOL FUNDRAISER PIZZA NIGHT 810-329-5900 December 14th, 2017 Let's help raise money for St. Clair Middle School. Hungry Howie's will donate 20% cash back to the school on all our Pizza Night purchases. Just fill in the slip below and hand it to the cashier or delivery driver and enjoy your dinner. Let's all make this a great year. Tell family and friends to help us out. They have extra flyers at the store. Turn in this slip and SCMS will earn our 20% donation. Name: Grade: Total Order Amount:
EAST CHINA SCHOOL DISTRICT BOARD OF EDUCATION President James R. Biewer Vice-President Jeanne K. Frank Secretary Amy Murphy Trustees: Michael Malane Lynn Griffor Todd Distelrath Pat Biebuyck Superintendent Suzanne Cybulla The East China School District complies with all federal laws and regulations of the U.S. Department of Education. No person shall be discriminated against, excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or otherwise be subjected to discrimination in any program or activity in the basis of race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry, sex, age, marital status or handicap. Contact: Central Administration: 1585 Meisner Road, East China, MI 48054 (810)676.1000 Transportation: Mr. Larry Strunk (810) 676-1100 East China School District 1585 Meisner Road East China, MI 48054 NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID ST. CLAIR, MI PERMIT #62