Mandarino Minutes for 3-28-16

Dear Parents/Guardians,


Leaving Early for Spring Break-

If your family is leaving early for Spring break, please send in a note to the office indicating the dates your son/daughter will be gone.  Knowing in advance will be helpful to our attendance department. 

  
Track Parent Meeting-

Tomorrow (Tuesday, March 29th) at 4:15 P.M. is the 7th and 8th grade parent track meeting.  Ms. VanderMeulen and Mr. Joe Haydon are the girls coaches, and Mr. Sonnevil and Mr. Maier are the boys coaches.  


Tennis Club and Parent Meeting-

Just another reminder that if your son/daughter is interested in our tennis club you must attend the meeting this Wednesday, March 30th from 6:30-7:00 P.M. in the Upton Cafeteria.  This club is open to all 6th-8th grade students.  Mr. Joe Stants and Mrs. Jane Miller will once again be advising this club.

Help Support Lory’s Place and Honor One of Our Own-

Upton students, staff, and families we have been invited to participate in the Lory’s Place 5K Walk/Run/Rock event on May 21, 2016 to support the free bereavement programs and services offered in schools as well as within the community.  

The school that has the most participants will be presented the “Champions for Children” traveling trophy and bragging rights.  Right now the trophy is at St. Joseph High School.  Not only will participants have fun, represent our school, but also we will be participating in memory of our very own Madie Flores.  The Studio Art class and student council are working on special t-shirts to be worn at this event in Madie’s honor.

To sign up, go to www.lorysplace.org and register.  Make sure to designate that you are representing Upton Middle School.  The sooner you register the cheaper it will be, so don’t wait and register today.  If you prefer a registration form, one can be picked up in the office.  Be sure to complete one form per person.  For more information contact Ms. VanderMeulen or Mrs. Olson.

Please vote: SJPS Foundation Photo Contest-

Our SJPS is having a photo contest for next school year's district calendar.  Please go online to vote for your favorite photo.  Here is a link to vote:  http://www.stjosephpublicschoolsfoundation.org/Photo-Contest.html


The Lion King Jr. Auditions-

Students are still welcome to audition for The Lion King Jr.  All experience levels are welcome.  Students should give it a try and have fun with it!  We will have a spot for every student that wants to be involved in some way or another.  More information is available at www.sjmusicalboosters.com


Wonderful Variety Show-

Our students put on a wonderful variety show Thursday evening!  The students had a lot of fun, performed well, and entertained the audience!  Thanks to Mrs. Schrock and Ms. Stryahorn for all their work with our students! 


Quote of the Day-

"The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life."- Richard Bach





Have a great week,
Mr. Mandarino

Mandarino Minutes for 3-24-16

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Ren Baldwin Technology Festival-

The 5th Annual Ren Baldwin Student Technology Festival will be held on Friday, May 13, 2016.  The deadline for student project entries is Friday, April 15th.  Many students have been working on projects in their various classes, and they will be encouraged by their teachers to enter those.  Students are also welcome to enter their own individual projects as long as the project is educational and has the sponsorship of a staff member.  Each child can submit up to three entries.   For more information and project ideas, please access this webpage: http://www.mybigcampus.com/bundles/2016-ren-baldwin-student-techology-festival---489792


If you have any questions, please contact Amy Dirlam, Media/Technology Integration Coordinator, at 269-926-3416 or via email at adirlam@sjschools.org

Tennis Club-

What:  Tennis Club information and sign up meeting
When:  Wednesday 3/30/2016 from 6:30 to 7:00pm
Where: Upton Cafeteria
Who:  All interested 6th-8th graders (Young ladies and Young men)

Cell Phones-

Please help the staff of Upton Middle School out by having a conversation with your son/s & daughter/s on having cell phones in the classroom.  This week alone we had several phones go off during class.  This is a distraction to the learning process and also against our guidelines spelled out in our handbook.  It is very popular for the phones to be in computer bags, tucked into their pants, or down a boot.  We would appreciate you talking to your child about keeping them in their locker during the school day.  Thanks for your help with this!

Here is the exact wording from the handbook:

CELLULAR PHONES
Students may not carry cell phones during the school day. These must remain turned off and kept out of sight in a pocket, book bag, or the like when entering the building, and must be kept in the locker between 7:35 am and dismissal at 2:44 pm. At no time are cell phones to be used in the bathroom or the locker room. Cell phones may not be turned on or used on the bus as well. If it is critical that a parent must get a message to a student, please call the office and they will see that the student receives it.
Student and parents may not expect that the student will be able to monitor text messages during the school day. If a parent needs to get information to a student, please call and leave the message with the office.

Quote of the day:
"The family is one of nature's masterpieces." - George Santayana

See you at the Variety show this evening,
Mr. Mandarino

Mandarino Minutes for 3-22-16

Dear Parents/Guardians,

String Spectacular- 

The string spectacular takes place this evening Tuesday, March 22nd at 7:00 P.M. at SJHS.  It will be a great concert.  The concert will feature pieces from 6th-12th grades.

One-Hour Delay

SJPS will be having a one-hour delay tomorrow, Wednesday 3-23-16.  Buses will run one hour later, and breakfast will still be served.  Classes will begin at Upton will begin at 8:45 A.M. 

No School Friday-

No school this Friday, March 25th-  Good Friday


Upton Variety Show-

This Thursday evening beginning at 6:30 P.M. will be the Upton variety show.  The students and directors have been working hard and we look forward to the performances.  


End of the 3rd Marking Period-

Next Wednesday, March 30th is the end of the 3rd marking period.  It is hard to believe that next week marks that 3/4 of the school is completed. 


M-Step Schedule-

The following time frames are when the M-Step State testing will take place for each grade level and the tests that they will be assessed on:

8th grade-  April 12th-22nd  ( ELA, Math, and Social Studies)

6th grade-  April 25th-May 2nd  (ELA & Math)

7th grade-  May 9th-20th (ELA, Math, and Science)


Babysitting Opportunity-

Lakeland Health has created a class specifically for adolescents interested in babysitting with confidence.  The class covers things like expectations of a babysitter, infant and toddler care, first aid and choking, discipline, and more.  This class is free.  For more information, pick up a flyer in the office or call 556-2808 or 866-260-7544.
 
Lakeland is also holding a class to teach CPR for Baby-Sitters.  This is a 3 hour course sponsored by the American Heart Association.  Upon completion, you will receive a certification card.  Cost is $25.00.  Interested students can pick up a flyer in the office or call 556-2808 or 866-260-7544. 



Volunteer Opportunity With Horses-

The Therapeutic Equestrian Center (TEC) located in Watervliet on M140 is seeking volunteers to work with horses and/or the disabled riders.  They currently have classes on Monday night and Saturday mornings.  To learn more, visit www.tecfarm.org or contact Amy Pheifer at apheifer@gmail.com.    


Community Corkboard-

Have you checked it out lately?  If not click here to view it:  Community Corkboard

 
Quote of the week-

"A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination." - Nelson Mandela

See some of you at the orchestra concert this evening,
Mr. Mandarino

Mandarino Minutes for 3-14-16

Dear Parents/Guardians,

No school K-12 this Friday, March 18th & next Friday, March 25th-

We will not have school this Friday, March 18th.  We will also not have school next Friday, March 25th. 

Student Council Mini Spirit Week-

Today, March 14-  Comfy clothing Day
Tuesday, March 15-  Sport Day or Favorite Team Day
Wednesday, March 16-  Favorite Book/Movie Character Day
Thursday, March 17th-  Wear Green for St. Patrick's Day
Friday, March 18th-  "Student/Teacher Skip Day"  :)

Science Olympiad-

What a dynasty our ladies have built!! Coach Kietzerow, Coach Foster, Coach Francis, Coach St. Amand, and the many wonderful mentors have now guided the students to victory again.  They have now rattled off 7 straight years of bringing home the 1st place hardware.  Our students really had a great time, worked hard, and gave their best efforts!  A lot to be proud of!  We are now headed to the State competition.

These are photos of Science O (thanks to Mentor Denise Clark) you can scroll left and right to see them all:
Science O Photos

8th grade Career Day-

Mrs. Lownds did an absolutely wonderful job organizing and recruiting excellent speakers for Career Day!  The presenters were extremely complimentary of our students and several commented that they would love to come back again.  Our 8th graders were really engaged, participated well, and seemed to really enjoy the day!  A special thanks to all presenters for taking time out of their busy day!

8th grade Orchestra-

A judge from Lawton who was at festival on Tuesday writes “The best 8th grade performance I have ever seen at festival!  Absolutely unbelievable and enjoyable!”  Our 8th graders shined with straight 1’s at festival.  At the present time I have not heard back on how our 8th grade band faired.   What a great last few weeks for our performing arts department!  :)

8th grade Apple Pie Winners-

Here are the winners of Mrs. Rooker's 3rd hour 8th grade Foods Class:

 

Upcoming Dates to remember-

Tuesday, March 22nd- String Spectacular for grades 6-12 at SJHS (7:00 P.M.)
Wednesday, March 23rd-  One-hour delay
Thursday, March 24th-  Upton Variety Show (6:30 P.M.)
Friday, March 25th-  Good Friday (No school)
Friday, April 1st-  6th grade Ice cream sundaes in the afternoon
Friday, April 1st-  Spring Break begins at the conclusion of the day

Quote & Irish Blessing of the week-

"The pessimist see difficulty in every opportunity.  The optimist see the opportunity in every difficulty.”- Winston Churchill

May your blessings outnumber
The shamrocks that grow,
And may trouble avoid youWherever you go.
~Irish Blessing

Have a great week,

Mr. Mandarino

Mandarino Minutes for 3-7-16

Dear Parents/Guardians,

7th to 8th grade & 8th to 9th grade Scheduling Deadline

The online scheduling and paper copy were scheduled to be done by today (Monday, March 7th), however if your son/daughter has not finished please do so tonight.  Thanks for helping assist this process!

Science Olympiad

Good luck to our middle and high school teams as they compete tomorrow (Tuesday, March 8th) in the Science Olympiad competitions at Lake Michigan College.  Our middle school has had great success the last seven years and we hope to continue the great tradition!  Coach Kietzerow, Coach Foster, Coach Francis, Coach St. Amand along with several wonderful mentors have guided our kids over several months to prepare for their events.

8th Grade Career Day

This Wednesday, March 9th will be 8th grade Career Day at Upton Middle School.  Our 8th graders are supposed to come to school that day as if they are interviewing for a job that they really want to obtain.  They will get the chance to go to four career day presentations to peek their interest and learn something about that career. 

UPTO

This Thursday, March 10th at Noon will be our UPTO meeting at Noon.  Mrs. Cardon will be making a presentation to the group.  We hope your schedule will allow for you to join us.

Band & Orchestra Festival

Our 8th grade orchestra will perform tomorrow (Tuesday, March 8th) at 1:40 P.M. and our 8th grade band will perform at 4:35 P.M. at Lake Michigan College.  Our 7th grade orchestra will perform on Friday, March 11th at 11:20 A.M.  We wish them all the best of luck!

Late Start Wednesday

SJPS will be having a one-hour delay this Wednesday, March 9th.  Buses will run one hour later, and breakfast will still be served.  Classes will begin at 8:45 A.M.  This being 8th grade Career Day we hope to not have any 8th graders tardy on this day.

7th and 8th grade Dance this Friday, 
March 11th

We will have a 7th & 8th grade dance this Friday, March 11th from 6:00-9:00 P.M. in the Upton Blue Gym.  The cost of admission is $4.00 and is sponsored by our Student Council.  We would really like some more chaperones for this dance.  If your schedule allows please email Ann Essig at aessig@sjschools.org  or give her a call at 269-470-6870.

Upton Variety Show-  Thursday, March 24th

The Upton Variety Show will take place on Thursday, March 24th at 6:30 P.M. 

6th grade Parents

Please continue to encourage your sixth grade daughter/son to keep reading for March is Reading Month and to build their individual ice cream sundae.

Upton Planetarium Night this Thursday, March 10th

This Thursday, March 10th is an Upton Planetarium Night at UMS beginning at 6:30 P.M.  The title of this show is, Black Holes:  The Other Side of Eternity.  Here is a trailer to the show:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEeN74aqkLk

Quotes of the week:

"Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will."- Zig Ziglar

"Trusting our intuition often saves us from disaster." - Anne Wilson Schaef

Have a great week,
Mr. Mandarino

Mandarino Minutes for 3-1-16

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Congratulations to Mir Quddus!

8th grader, Mir Quddus, won the Cloverleaf Spelling Bee at Lake Michigan College on Friday.  Mir spelled the word "participle" and "conspiracy" to win the 2016 event.  Mir has been in the spelling bee since he elementary days at Brown School.  Mir will now compete in Washington D.C. in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in late May.  Our students welcomed Mir back to Upton with a school-wide clap-around the school.  8th grader, Aditya Ajoykrishnan, also finished in the top ten with a 6th place finish.  Our final speller was 6th grader Madison Klitchman who finished in the top 20.  Congratulations to Coach Chris Greissinger for preparing all of our spellers!

Sports Schedule Changes

Tuesday, March 1st Make-up Games:
4pm - St. Joe 7th Grade “B” vs Buchanan 7th @ Buchanan HS
5pm – St. Joe 8th Grade “B” vs Buchanan 8th @ Buchanan HS

4pm – St. Joe 7th Grade “A” vs St. Joe 8th Grade “A” @ Upton
5pm – St. Joe 8th Grade “A” vs Michigan Lutheran @ Upton

Thursday, March 3rd Change In Location:
4pm – St Joe 7th Grade “B” vs Edwardsburg 7th “B” @ Edwardsburg MS
5pm – St. Joe 7th Grade “A” vs Edwardsburg 7th “A” @ Edwardsburg MS

4pm – St. Joe 8th Grade “B” vs Edwardsburg 8th “B” @ Edwardsburg HS Old Gym
5pm – St. Joe 8th Grade “A” vs Edwardsburg 8th “A” @ Edwardsburg HS Old Gym

Pre-Festival Makeup Concert

The combined Middle School and High School Orchestra Pre-Festival concert will be held tomorrow Wednesday, March 2, 7 PM, at the High School auditorium. It would be a great opportunity to go to the Lakehouse Restaurant for the BOP Give Back Night where 10% of the proceeds will go towards the Band and Orchestras. Please contact Mr. Lokey or Mrs. Cabanilla-Sinnett with any questions or conflicts.

Calendar Photo Contest

The St. Joseph Public Schools Foundation is once again sponsoring a photo contest for all SJPS students and their families.  Photos should reflect life at school, academics, arts, athletics and extra-curricular activities and should be taken between April 2015 and March 2016.   Only one entry is allowed per person.  Entries may be submitted now until March 18 at sjpsfoundation@sjschools.org.

The top 30 entries will be posted March 24 - April 8, 2016 at Dairy Queen on Niles Avenue, and Pater True Value on M-139 in St. Joseph.  Online voting will also be conducted on www.stjosephpublicschoolsfoundation.org.  The top 10 vote-getting photos will be announced on April 15th.   The winner receives the cover photo on the 2016/2017 SJPS Calendar, a Season Sports Pass, $25 gift certificate to Silver Beach Pizza and 2 tickets to Encore 2016.  A Season Sports Pass will also be awarded to the 10 pictures that get the most public votes.  For additional information, visit www.sjpsfoundation@sjschools.org or contact Sue Riemland, Foundation Administrator at 269-926-3252 or sjpsfoundation@sjschools.orgsjpsfoundation@sjschools.org. 

Computer Science for Young Ladies

Anyone interested in Computer Science and coding (especially young ladies)?

Check out the FREE screening of "Code Girl" this Thursday, March 3 from 6-8:30 at the Mars Community Center in Berrien Springs.  This event is sponsored by the Project Lead the Way Computer Science and Engineering Program from Berrien Springs Public School.  Following the screening there will be a panel discussion with Computer Science professionals from Whirlpool Corporation and Andrews University.  Women and girls (and men and boys) of all ages welcome!
Here is a link to the official trailer.
 

Questions? Contact Nancy O’Rourke at (269) 473-0522 or norourke@shamrocks.us

Sponsored by the Berrien Springs Public Schools Project Lead the Way Computer Science and Engineering Program with assistance from members of the Andrews University ENACTUS student organization.

Community Corkboard

Don’t forget that you can find community events for students and families on our Community Corkboard.  This can be found on this link:  Community Corkboard. 

1/2 Day Friday

We have a 1/2 day this Friday, March 4th.  Dismissal will be at 11:04 A.M. 

Scheduling for 7th and 8th graders for the 2016-2017 school year

7th to 8th grade and 8th to 9th grade online scheduling continues through this Friday, March 4th.  The hard copy sheet (Golderod for 7th graders & Blue for 8th graders) is due by this Monday, March 7th.

Quotes of the week:

“Be happy for this moment.  This moment is your life.”- Omar Khayyam

“Start by doing what’s necessary; then do what’s possible, and suddenly you are doing the impossible.” - Francis of Assisi

Have a great rest of the week,

Mr. Mandarino