MS Canned Food Drive

We started the 27th Annual Canned Food Drive last week. Twenty-one students brought 3 cans of food to the Christmas Dance so they could dance free. All food collected goes to the local Christmas Baskets Program. This week students can earn another Free Dance pass (for the Valentine Dance or the Lock-In) or a ZAP-free pass. The ZAP-free pass will allow them to turn in one assignment late without serving a lunch detention.

Christmas Dance

The Middle School Christmas Dance is this Friday, December 3, from 7:00 to 9:00 in the Elementary Cafeteria. Dress is just look nice and no hats. Cost is either $2.00 OR 3 cans of food OR a free dance pass OR a 2-liter bottle of soda. The canned food will go to the Christmas Baskets Program as part of the MS Canned Food Drive.

MS Canned Food Drive

When we return from our Thanksgiving Break the Middle School Will begin it's 27th Annual Canned Food Drive. All the nonperishable food items will be donated to the Christmas Baskets Program. Students may bring 3 cans and get into the MS Christmas Dance for free. Last year students and teachers donated 647 cans, third high. The most cans donated was in 2004 with 763 and second was 1998 with 711. Watch for a sale on veggies and see if you can help us beat the record.

Mid-Term Grades Coming Home Friday

We are halfway through the second quarter of school. Grades will be sent home with your child on Friday, November 19. If your child has a D or an F we will also mail a report home. Your child has three and a half weeks before the end of second quarter.

New Drug of Choice for Teens

The Springfield paper recently had a front-page article on the growing trend of prescription drug abuse. One in five high school students have abused prescription drugs; "more than the percent of students who had tried cocaine, ecstacy, heroin and meth combined." AND they just get the drugs out of their families' and friends' medicine cabinets and pass them around. Some students become addicted and it can lead to death, the article mentioned a prominent Nixa football player who accidentally overdosed and died. It is breaking school policy for students to have prescription drugs, theirs' or anybody else's, at school and illegal to have somebody else's meds anywhere else. Suggestions to prevent this abuse are 1. keep your medicines locked up, 2. dispose of unused medications and 3. "awareness is key" talk about it with your teens and family and friends your teen spends time with. "A full list of state resources" can be found online at http://dmh.mo.gov/ada/adaindex.htm

Beautiful Fall

WOW! Have you noticed the trees. I've heard of people traveling to New England to see colorful trees this time of year. Aren't we lucky that all we have to do is drive down Main Street to see trees with wonderful fall colors. The mild Fall weather is also causing every one's sinuses and allergies to act up, mine too. I missed four days of school and am sorry if you tried to reach me during that time. I am back at work talking with students, answering phone calls, checking grades, and preparing classroom guidance lessons.

Halloween Dance

The Halloween Dance is Friday, October 29, from 7:00 to 9:00 in the Elementary cafeteria. Admission is $2.00 or $1.00 if in costume. Costumes must be school appropriate and there can be no weapons or fake weapons (Safe Schools Act). Students may bring a two-liter bottle of soda for admission to the dance or they may use a Free Dance pass by scoring proficient, advanced or improved on the MAP test given last Spring. Those passes will be handed out this week.

First Quarter Ends

First Quarter ends Friday, October 15. Students attend school to 12:40. Grade cards will be handed out to students on Tuesday, October 19, hopefully they'll bring them home for you to see. Parent/Teacher Conferences are Thursday, October 21, from 1:00 to 8:00 pm. Students go until 12:40 on Thursday (10/21) and do not attend school on Friday, October 22. Targeted Tutoring is going smoothly on Tuesdays and Thursdays. There were ten sixth graders, three seventh graders and one eighth grader who raised their D or F grades to C's and now have Bulldogs time rather than needing tutoring. I will use the First Quarter grades to assign Targeted Tutoring for the last two weeks of October. I'm hoping more students have raised their grades and get to go to Bulldog time!

Three Weeks Left in the Quarter

Is this quarter flying by or what? Mid-term grades were sent home October 17. Eighty-six students were assigned to Targeted Tutoring on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Students are assigned for two weeks if they have D's and F's. After two weeks all the students' grades are checked and those who need Targeted Tutoring are assigned. The first quarter ends on October 15, and grades will go home the following week. Parent/Teacher Conferences are on Thursday, October 21, from 1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. You are invited to come and meet with your child's teachers.

Smooth Start & MAP Results sent home

We had a great start to the school year! Sixth graders found their way to their classes and are now getting their lockers open most of the time. Seventh and eighth graders had no trouble getting to classes and very little problems with their lockers. MAP results were mailed home to 6th through 9th graders. Also, eighth graders who took the EOC for Algebra had those results mailed home last week. I've been in the 6th grade English class with a "get acquainted" activity--still trying to learn all the names. Next week we start our Bulldog Days on Tuesdays and Thursdays so there will be 30 minutes at the end of each day for students to get help with their homework or read their AR books.

School Starts Soon

Wow! Where did the Summer go? Can you believe school starts Tuesday, August 17? Students can start paying their $10.00 Technology Usage Fee and pick up their schedules beginning on Wednesday, August 11, from 8:00 to 12:00 and 1:00 to 4:00. Sixth Grade Orientation is Thursday, August 12, at 7:00 pm in the Small Gym. Sixth grades and their parents may pick up their schedules, walk through their class schedule, put supplies in their lockers, and meet many of their teachers. The MS principal and counselor will explain differences between Elementary and Middle School and offer tips for a successful school year. New students and their parents may also attend the Sixth Grade Orientation but their teachers will not be in attendance. Enjoy your last few days off!

Enrolling for next year

Eighth graders in Algebra will be taking the End-of-Course Exam for Algebra on Thursday and Friday this week. Our attention now turns to signing up for next year's classes. The fifth graders will receive their enrollment forms May 6 or 7th. I will be in the sixth and seventh grade classrooms on May 10. All forms ask for a parent signature and are due May 14. Please look over the selections with your child. Parents--if you have questions please e-mail or call me. My extension is 232.

MAP is over & enrollment for next year is coming

MAP Testing make-ups were all finished last week. Boxes are packed and ready for shipment. We will get the results back near the beginning of the next school year, late August or early September. Now I will start enrolling 5th, 6th and 7th graders for next year's classes. I'll post dates you should be watching for your child to bring home forms to sign later this week.

First Week of MAP

MAP testing went well. The students worked hard and even enjoyed a little free time after testing. Only 23 students were absent and need to make up 31 sessions, as some missed more than one day. We did some make-ups on Monday and will do more on Wednesday and Friday. This week's make-ups will be next week. The sixth graders are taking Communication Arts, seventh graders are taking Math and the eighth graders are taking Math in the morning and Science in the afternoon. Off to a smooth start this week! Be sure your child gets plenty of sleep and eats breakfast either at school for free or at home. Thanks for all you do!

MAP Survivor Assembly

Wow! What a great job everyone did on on their events and the MAP questions. Congratulations to the Eighth grade winners! They won it as Sixth graders too. Everyone do your BEST on the TEST!

My First Blog

Well, I didn't make it to the EMS Lock-In this year because I was really under the weather. I hear I missed out on a lot of fun. These next few weeks are very important for all of us because that's when the students show us what they've learned...in other words, the MAP testing is about to begin! We will kick off this year's MAP Survivor on Monday, April 5th. This year we will be using the clickers to answer the questions in the gym. It should be a great experience.