Monday, December 12, 2016

Mandarino Minutes for Dec. 12, 2016

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Happy Snow Day-
I hope that your neighborhood is now uncovered! :)



Concerts-
Tomorrow (Tuesday, Dec. 13th) will be the 7th & 8th grade orchestras and 6th-8th grade choir concert at St. Joseph High School's auditorium beginning at 7:00 P.M.  Wednesday evening at 7:00 P.M. will be the middle school & high school band concerts at St. Joseph High School's auditorium. Both concerts should be very entertaining!  Our IT department is also offering live streaming for those family members that are unable to attend.  Below are the links:

Upton Middle School Winter Concert: Tuesday December 13th  @ 7:00

SJPS Winter Band Concert: Wednesday December 14th @ 7:00

SJHS Choir and Orchestra: Monday December 19th @ 7:00



7th & 8th grade Girls Basketball meeting-
Any 7th or 8th grade girl interested in girls basketball we will have a meeting before school at 8:30 A.M. in the Blue gym.  Coach Bloodworth will be talking to the girls about the upcoming tryouts and season that will begin right after the break.


Holiday Luncheon-
We will have our annual holiday luncheon this Wednesday, December 14th.  We will have ham, turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, sweet potatoes, cake, and more.  It is the normal lunch price.



Upcoming Dance-
We will have a 7th & 8th grade dance on Friday, January 6th from 6:00-8:00 P.M.



Late Start Wednesday-
We will have a late start this Wednesday, December 14th.  Buses will run one hour later and breakfast will be served starting at 8:15 A.M.



Thanks for your support-
Our media center staff is very appreciative of your support of our book fair.  Your support and generosity will help us purchase more books for our media center.
Quote of the week-
"Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.
- Gail Devers
Have a good week,
Mr. Mandarino


Monday, December 5, 2016

Mandarino Minutes for 12-5-16

Dear Parents/Guardians,


All-State Anna-
Congratulations to Anna Miesse for being selected to the All-State orchestra!  Anna is the only middle school student to be selected at UMS! This is not an easy task, and is the product of a lot of hard work and practice!



Joe Bots-
Congratulations to teams 11855 and 8513 for a great competition at Coloma on Saturday!  Team 8513 was chosen as an alliance partner and lost a close match in the semifinals.  Team 8513 also came away with the PTC Design Award!  A great job and effort was put in by all of our Joe Bots! :)



Upton Equestrian Team Meeting-
This Thursday, December 8th beginning at 6:00 P.M. in Ms. Kietzerow's room 212 we will have a student & parent meeting for any students interested in being a part of the Upton Equestrian team.



Book Fair-
The book fair continues through this Friday, December 9th.  We want to thank all the parents who have volunteered to work a shift, and to the students who have browsed the fair.  These book fairs help us to be able to provide more books for our media center.


Personal Responsibility-
The guidance department went into all the 7th grade science classes to discuss personal responsibility last week.  As part of this presentation, all the students had some “homework” - each student is to come up with 1 way to be more responsible at home & 1 way to be more responsible at school. Starting Mon 12/5 – Thurs 12/15 the students will track how they are doing on these goals, get a parent signature, and turn in the paper on Friday 12/16 to his/her science teacher.  


Hour of Code-
This Friday, December 9th the entire student body will take part in the international day of code.  Each student will work for a portion of time on coding and be able to go at their comfort level from beginner to advanced.  This is the third annual event held here at Upton. Here is a link to the Hour of code:  https://hourofcode.com/us


Dates to Remember:
-  Tuesday, December 6th- 6th grade "informance"
-  Wednesday, December 7th & 14th- Late Start Days
-  Tuesday, December 13th-  Choir & 7th/8th grade Orchestra Concert
-  Wednesday, December 14th-  MS/HS Band Concert

Quote of the week:
"Self-praise is for losers. Be a winner. Stand for something. Always have class, and be humble." - John Madden

Have a great week,
Mr. Mandarino




Monday, November 28, 2016

Mandarino Minutes for 11-28-16

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Family-

We hope that you all had a great time this past extended Thanksgiving weekend!  It always fun for families to get together!


Logo Contest due date is this Friday-

The 2017 Ren Baldwin Logo contest submissions are due this Friday, December 2nd.  We have advertised this on our morning announcements, and posters are up in the hallway as well.  Please see the attachment in the email I sent today.



7th grade vision screening-

This Friday, December 2nd the Berrien County Health Department does their annual 7th grade vision screening.  



Roger's & Martins helps Upton Middle School-

For Roger’s Foodland:  Save your Roger’s Foodland receipts dated from September to February 24, 2017 and turn them in to the Roger’s box in the Uptonoffice.  The more we are able to collect, the more Free educational awards we can earn for our school.


For Martin’s Supermarket:  Sign-up at www.martins-supermarkets.com OR at any Martin’s Customer Service Counter and provide our school PLU# which is 50402.  Each time your Advantage Card is scanned through March 31, 2017, your purchases automatically earn our school Free educational awards!

Book Fair-
Join us in the media center for the book fair starting today running through Friday, December 9. Students are welcome to browse and purchase before school and after school. Parents are welcome to stop in anytime between 7:15-3:45 p.m. 

You can support our school library while you shop for great books! Click to access the online book fair . The dates of the online book fair are:  Upton Online Fair: November 23 – December 6. 

For Parents:  Resources about the importance of reading, great middle school titles and encouraging reluctant readers. 


If parents would like to volunteer for the book fair, they can email Michelle Humes, Secondary Media Specialist at ahumes@sjschools.org



Equestrian Club Meeting-
A student and parent meeting for anyone interested in being in the Equestrian Club will be next Thursday, December 8 at 6pm in room 212 (Ms. Kietzerow's room) at Upton Middle School.



Tutoring continues-
Just a reminder that we have free NHS tutoring on Wednesdays after school in our media center.  The high school also has free tutoring on Tuesdays & Thursdays as well in their media center from 3:00-4:00 P.M.  No appointment is necessary, but we do hope that the students come ready to learn.


Go Time going well-
We will have our 4th "Go Time" of the school year this Thursday, December 1st.  Our students and staff have been surveyed and we are working constantly to improve it each offering.  Students are really getting some neat opportunities to work on skills that they are struggling with, retake a test/quiz, catchup on their reading counts book, watch a planetarium show, etc.  These course offerings will continue to vary and evolve. 


Late Start Wednesday-
We will have a late start this Wednesday, November 30th.  In December we will have them on December 7th & 14th as well.



Dates to Remember-
-  6th grade Orchestra "Informance" will be on December 6th at 7:00 P.M. in the Upton Blue Gym
-  Upton Choir & Orchestra Concert will be on December 13th at 7:00 P.M. at the SJHS Auditorium
-  Middle & High School Band Concert will be on December 14th at 7:00 P.M. at the SJHS Auditorium


Quote of the week:
"Act as if what you do makes a difference.  It does."- William James

Have a great week,
Mr. Mandarino

Monday, November 21, 2016

Mandarino Minutes for 11-21-16

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Thanks for your Food Donations-
I know a lot of local families are going to be thankful for the donations that our students (along with you) gave to our local food drives.  We would like to thank you for your contributions!

1/2 day Wednesday-
We do have school this Wednesday, November 23rd.  Dismissal will be at 11:04 A.M.  It is an Upton tradition that we dress nice the day before Thanksgiving to honor all those that we are thankful for. :)




UPTO Donation & Meetings-
Remember that donations for the No Sale Fundraiser are still being accepted until December 15th with checks payable to SJPS.  These can be dropped off in the Upton office.  All meetings take place at noon in the large conference room at Upton. (Note: January's meeting however will begin at 10:00 as this is exam week)

Meeting dates:
Dec. 1st
January 26th at 10am
February 23rd
March 23rd
April 27th

May 25th

Upton Middle School Scholastic Book Fair-

Join us in the media center for the book fair starting Monday, November 28 running through Friday, December 9. Students are welcome to browse and purchase before school and after school. Parents are welcome to stop in anytime between 7:15-3:45 p.m. 

Take a look at this online Christmas shopping opportunity. The best part? You can support our school library while you shop for great books! Click to access the online book fair . The dates of the online book fair are:  Upton Online Fair: November 23 – December 6. 

For Parents:  Resources about the importance of reading, great middle school titles and encouraging reluctant readers. 


If parents would like to volunteer for the book fair, they can email Michelle Humes, Secondary Media Specialist at ahumes@sjschools.org

Career Day was a huge success-
The staff at Upton would like to thank all the wonderful parent presenters that we had last week at Career Day.  The kids enjoyed the day and were learning what it takes to explore different jobs.  Each 8th grader participated with 4 presenters.

Tutoring Wednesdays-
This Wednesday we will not have tutoring after school due to the Thanksgiving break, however our free NHS tutoring is every Wednesday from 3:00 to 4:00 P.M. in the Upton Media Center.  

Before School Help & Printing-
If your son/daughter needs to get assistance before school or print a paper before school, please send them in with a note.  

Quote of the week-
"Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough." - Oprah Winfrey

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family,
Mr. Mandarino

Monday, November 14, 2016

Mandarino Minutes for November 14, 2016

Dear Parents/Guardians,


Thanks for coming-
The staff and I would like to thank you for attending parent-teacher conferences last Thursday.  It was really nice to visit with several of you and the teachers really enjoyed their visits with you.  If you were unable to attend your child will bring home their report card, NWEA report, and M-Step report later in the week. (I will send out an e-blast to tell you which day.)

Dropping off in the AM-
Please use extreme caution when dropping your student off in the morning at Upton.  We have had some driving that has been way too fast for our parking lot.  We want a safe and uneventful process. Please also do not drop your child off in the street of Maiden Lane.  We had a student almost hit last week, because it is so dark. 

Food Drive-

This Wednesday is the last day to donate to the Upton fall food drives for Emergency Shelter Services and Stuff a Truck.  Please consider donating non-perishable food items, toiletries, cleaners, and baby items to help those in need in our area.  Builders Club and the Student Council are sponsoring these drives, and the home room with the most items donated will win a doughnut or bagel party. 

8th grade Career Day this Wednesday-
Our 8th graders will particpate in 8th grade Career Day this Wednesday, November 16th.  We ask that our 8th graders dress as if they are going for a job interview for a job they really want. :)   Each student will hear from 4 different career adults from around Southwest Michigan.  Mrs. Lownds and Mrs. Codde have worked hard to plan a fun & educational morning for our students.

6th grade classes-
Our counseling/social work department went into 6gr Math classes to discuss being a good bystander or “up stander”.  We covered: what it means to be brave & stand up for others offline & online; learn to show empathy for those who’ve been cyberbullied & helping others when it occurs.

Here is a handout for parents to go along with the cyberbullying presentation:

Interact 2nd Annual Career Evening-
This Thursday evening in the SJHS student center (where parent-teacher conferences were) from 6:00-8:00 P.M. our Interact Club is sponsoring a Career Night for any student interested in meeting with top professionals.  It will be an opportunity to ask about college and careers.

Community Corkboard-
Have you visited the district community corkboard in awhile?  Here is the link to various items:

UPTO-
At the November meeting our UPTO accomplished the following:
-  Gave a cash donation toward FTC buying their own robots
-  Gave money to purchase a new label maker for the media center.
-  An email has gone out today from your grade level UPTO rep.
-  The next meeting is Thursday, December 1st at noon in the Upton Conference room.

Quote of the week:
"I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great things." - Mother Teresa

Other Upcoming dates:
November 16th- District Late Start
November 16th- 6:30 P.M. Community Planetarium Night at UMS
November 23rd- 1/2 day for the district- 11:04 A.M. dismissal
November 28th- Upton Book Fair Begins
November 30th- District Late Start



Have a great week,
Mr. Mandarino

Monday, November 7, 2016

Mandarino Minutes for November 7th, 2016

Dear Parents/Guardians,


Parent- Teacher Conferences-
Just another reminder that parent-teacher conferences will be held only on Thursday, November 10th from 12:30-4:00 P.M. and from 5:30-8:30 P.M.  The conferences will take place at high school's student center.  We have made a change and will be going paperless on the report cards.  You can view the final grades in PowerSchool.  Please bring a list of your son/daughter's teachers with you the night of conferences.  We will however be handing out M-Step reports from last Spring.

High School conferences will also be taking place at SJHS in the Field House for those of you that high school students as well.  Thursday, November 10th and Friday, November 11th are half-days for students.  Half-day dismissal is at 11:04 A.M.


Lest We Forget Veterans Assembly this Past Friday-
Our local Veterans group Lest We Forget presented to our 6th, 7th, and 8th graders on the importance of War dogs in the history of the military.  The students then had the opportunity for Q & A with our veteran/s.  The students asked excellent questions and were extremely well behaved.  Lest We Forget was very impressed with our student body.  Below is a picture of 7th grade Charlie Jones dressed in his grandfather's WWII outfit.  This Friday is Veterans Day.

Food Donations for our local people in need-
Knock-out Hunger and Stuff-A-Truck are two local non-profit groups that are gathering food for our local citizens who may be without food over the holiday season.  Our Builders Club and Student Council are jointly sponsoring this food drive.  Please consider donating canned goods, and other non-perishable items for this great cause!


Upton's Joe Bots-
The Joe Bots (Upton’s FIRST Tech Challenge team) as a fundraiser is doing a bottle/can drive to raise funds to purchase items such as pit cart accessories, electronic components, storage bins/boxes and display boards for the pit area at competition. A receptacle to collect cans and bottles is at the outside entry of Upton Middle School. Please consider dropping off your non-alcoholic cans & bottles before school.  The Upton robotics team has one month left to finish their robots. The middle school competition will be at Coloma Middle School on Saturday, December 3rd.


"GO Time" going well-
Our second GO Time 6th-12th grades went really well last week.  Students had that time to get some intervention and enrichment during the school day.  Our teachers are committed to giving the students real time assistance with their classes and also offering something different for other students.


Wednesday Thanksgiving Luncheon-
This Wednesday, November 9th will be an early Thanksgiving meal with turkey, stuffing, corn, mashed potatoes, cranberries, dinner roll, ice cream, etc.  The cost is the same as the regular lunch price. ($2.90)


No Late Start this Week-
With conferences this week we will not have a late start this Wednesday.  We will have a late start on November 16th and November 30th.


One Honors breakfast this year-
Our wonderful UPTO in coordination with Upton Middle School will be offering one Honors breakfast this school year.  This breakfast will take place at the end of the 1st semester.  The breakfast will take place in February for those that make the semester honor roll.


Career Day-
Our 8th grade Career Day will be next Wednesday, November 16th.  Our coordinator, Mrs. Lownds, has many wonderful sessions lined up for the students.  Thanks to those that are volunteering on that day!


Planetarium Show next Wednesday-
We will have a community planetarium show next Wednesday, November 16th beginning at 6:30 P.M. The title of this show is "Black Holes: The Other Side of Infinity."  Some of our students saw this show during GO time in the last few weeks.  Here is a link to the trailer:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEeN74aqkLk


Quote of the week-  

"Whoever wants to reach a distant goal must take many small steps.”- Helmut Schmidt

Have a great week,
Mr. Mandarino


Monday, October 31, 2016

Mandarino Minutes for 10-31-16

Dear Parents/Guardians,



End of the Marking Period-
The end of the Marking Period will be on Thursday, November 3rd.  The report card will be handed out at Parent-Teacher Conferences.  We only print out report cards at the end of the 1st marking period and at the end of the year.  2nd and 3rd marking period grades can be viewed online.  

Parent-Teacher Conferences-
Just another reminder that parent-teacher conferences will be held only on Thursday, November 10th from 12:30-4:00 P.M. and from 5:30-8:30 P.M.  The conferences will take place at high school's student center.  Thursday, November 10th and Friday, November 11th are half-days for students.  Half-day dismissal is at 11:04 A.M.

Congratulations to two Upton students-
Congratulations to George Weber,  and Norah Judge who were recently honored at Michigan State University for being top scoring students in the state of Michigan last year as 7th graders on the SATs or ACTs.  Pictured below is George Weber with Mrs. Gressley.  George was one of 22 students out of 300 that also wrote an essay about a teacher that was very influential to his education.  We are all very proud of George and Norah!


Career Day Help-
We are looking for 3-4 volunteers for our 8th grade Career Day on Wednesday, November 16th.  The time commitment would be about 8:00-10:00 A.M. on that morning.  If you are interested please email Mrs. Kristen Lownds at klownds@sjschools.org.

Tutoring on Wednesdays-
Just a reminder that we have free National Honor Society tutoring by high school students on Wednesdays from 3:00-4:00 P.M. in the Upton Media Center.  The tutors are also available at SJHS in their media center from 3:00-4:00 P.M. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Great concert last Thursday-
Our 7th-12th grade orchestra students put on a wonderful "spooktacular" concert!  Mrs. Cabanilla-Sinnett and Mr. Lokey did a really nice job putting together a fun, entertaining, and engaging concert!

7th & 8th grade Dance-
This Friday, November 4th from 6:00-8:00 P.M. is a 7th & 8th grade dance here at Upton Middle School.  Our Student council is the sponsor of this dance.  Admission is $4.00.

Picture Retakes-
This Thursday, November 3rd is picture retake day.  Please have your son/daughter bring their current picture package with them.

Lest We Forget this Friday-
Our Lest We Forget veterans will be sponsoring an assembly for our students this Friday, November 4th.  Their focus will be on War Dogs and the roles that they have played over history.  As we approach Veterans' Day this will be great for our students to get to interact with our veterans.

One-hour delays for November-
November 2nd (This Wednesday)
November 16th
November 30th

Quotes of the week:
"An investment in knowledge pays the best interest."- Ben Franklin

"Humility is attentive patience."- Simone Weil

Have a great week,
Mr. Mandarino



Monday, October 24, 2016

Mandarino Minutes for 10-24-16

Dear Parents/Guardians,


Counselors and Social Worker in 7th grade classrooms-
Mrs. Farichild, Mrs. Lowds, and Mrs. Peterson met with 7th graders recently and discussed, positive aspects of online talking & messaging; how to identify situations in which online chatting become inappropriate & risky; and understanding rules for safe online messaging & how to deal with uncomfortable situations.  Here is a handout to go along with what they talked about:

Spirit Week Continues-
We had some great book & movie characters today. :)  Spirit week continues this week with...
Tuesday-  Pajama Day
Wednesday-  Workout Wear Day
Thursday-  Decades Day
Friday- Favorite Sports Team Day (I can't wait to see all the Cubs wear!)
Next Monday for Halloween students may dress-up, however no clowns, bloody gore, and students must remove masks in class.


Spoktacular Orchestra Concert-
Thursday evening beginning at 7:00 P.M. in the high school auditorium is the Orchestra "Spooktacular" Fall Concert for 7th-12th grade orchestras.  This concert is always a lot of fun and very entertaining. 


"GO" time-
"GO" (Growth Opportunity) time will begin this week at UMS and SJHS.  This Thursday teachers, staff, and students at Upton will be trying something for the very first time!  Students can

...get help from a teacher without having to come into school early or stay late.
...have another chance to understand difficult homework.
...learn how to organize better.
... have the opportunity to retake a quiz or test
...have fun playing educational games and activities with teachers
...enjoy more time with art, computers, woods or metals, cooking, or playing activities in PE
...just have some extra time to read that novel you’ve been trying to finish?
GO Time stands for Growth Opportunity Time which means that students will have the opportunity to grow in a subject that may be difficult OR be able to learn something completely new.  Classes will meet for 54 minutes, instead of the normal 60 minutes on those dates. Stay tuned to hear more about this exciting opportunity!


Competitive Cheer-
All female athletes interested in competitive cheer, there's an informational meeting on THURSDAY, October 27th at 6:30pm in the Upton auditorium. 
*Please note, competitive cheer does NOT interfere with girls basketball*
If you have any questions, please let Jhaylee Busby know at:  jhayleebusby1@gmail.com


7th & 8th grade Dance-
We will have a 7th and 8th grade dance next Friday, November 4th from 6:00-8:00 P.M. in the Upton Blue Gym. Only 7th & 8th graders from Upton Middle School can attend this dance. Information is posted in the hallways for the students.


1st Marking Period coming to an end-
Next Thursday, November 3rd is the end of the first marking period.


Quote of the week-
"I think the first duty of society is justice."- Alexander Hamilton

Have a great week,
Mr. Mandarino




Monday, October 17, 2016

Mandarino Minutes for October 17, 2016

Dear Parents/Guardians,



8th graders and their EDPs-
8th graders updated their Educational Development Plans in Social Studies classes on Friday, 10/14 with the guidance of their counselors. EDPs are completed via CareerCruising.com, and include a Career Interest Inventory as well as postsecondary education plans. The counseling department is encouraging students to access Career Cruising and share their EDP with their parents. 


Workout with a Cop-
It was great to hear that many Upton students attended the workout day with the local officers of Berrien County on Saturday.  Several of our students were on the front page of Section B of the Herald Palladium on Sunday, October 16th.


Planetarium Community Night-
Tomorrow night at 6:30 P.M. will be a community planetarium night at UMS.  The focus will be for younger students as the show has a Sesame Street theme and the title is One World, One Sky.


8th grade Field Trip-
Our 8th grade field trip to the Water Treatment Plan and the Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery is this week. 
-On the 19th (Wednesday) will be all of Mrs. Mackellar’s 8th grade science students  and Mrs. Foster’s 1st hour 8th grade science students. 
-On the 20th (Thursday) will be all of my Mrs. Francis's 8th grade science students and Mrs. Foster’s 2nd hour 8th grade science students. 
Thanks to those parents who signed up to chaperone. Note:  Only parents that have submitted their volunteer background check forms and have been approved will be permitted to go on the trip with the classes.


Keep the Coats and Shoes coming-
Thanks so much for the donations of the coats, hats, mittens, gloves, etc. for the less fortunate in Berrien County that we have received so far!  The Builders Club would also like to thank you for the shoes that we have received so far.  These are both great causes!  We continue to ask for these gently used items.


Dowagiac Rock-N-Run 2.1 Mile Run-
Congratulations to the following students who all medaled for finishing in the top 15 at the big Dowagiac meet last week:  Andrew Moyer, Jake Haunhorst, Ryan Kinney, Will Fiesbeck, Lizzy Nelson, Eleah Hedstrom, Jillian Tunnicliff, Hannah Pallo, Ellie Pavlopoulos, Maya Hunter, and Morgan Tschetter.  With over 200 runners this is truly amazing!!!!!  Upton Middle School also was the overall middle school winners for both boys and girls!  Congratulations to the whole team and Coaches VanderMeulen & Coach Fralick!


Spirit Week next week-
October 24th – October 28th

Monday                Favorite Book or Movie Character Day

Tuesday                Pajama Day

Wednesday           Workout Wear Day

Thursday              Decades Day

Friday                   Favorite Sports Team Day

Halloween on October 31st will be a dress-up day for those wishing to participate, however the school dress code still applies for appropriateness.  Fake blood is not permitted, spray cans for coloring hair should be done at home, and please no clown outfits.  Masks can't be worn during the actual class time.



Late Start Wednesday-
We have a late start this Wednesday, October 19th.  Breakfast will be served at 8:15 A.M. for those that are interested.  Buses will report one hour later.


Quote of the week-
"If you want to make a difference and leave your world a better place, let others know how important they are as you put their needs above yours.”  - Jaren L. Davis

Have a great week,
Mr. Mandarino





Mandarino Minutes for 6-9-23

  Dear Upton Middle School Families, Thanks! - We thank you for sharing your daughter/son with us this school year!  We also appreciate your...