Mandarino Minutes for April 19, 2016

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Builders Club at Lions Park Beach-
Tomorrow (Wednesday, April 20th) our Builders Club will be doing a beach clean-up at Lions Park Beach in St. Joseph.  They will clean the surrounding area and possibly part of the Howard Recreational trail.  What a perfect way to give back to the community and Earth Day is this Friday! :)

Honors Breakfast-
Our Honors breakfasts for the 3rd Marking period will begin next week.  Here are the dates:
7th grade-  Thursday, April 28th
8th grade-  Friday, April 29th
6th grade- Wednesday, May 4th
The breakfast will be served around 7:10 A.M. and we will start the program as close to 7:25 A.M. as we can.

First Study Session a Success-
We had 25 students show up for the first free study session class put on by some very talented high school students.  The class will repeat next week Thursday, April 28th and next Friday, April 29th.  The session lasts from 3:15-4:15 P.M. in the Upton Media Center.  Sign-ups are on the office window. An after school snack will also be provided. Please consider having your son/daughter brush up on studying for exams and learning useful tips.

M-Step-
Please encourage your son/daughter to give their best effort and continue to try their best.  We will finish 8th grade math tomorrow (Wednesday) and begin 8th grade Social Studies on Thursday.  Next week 6th grade ELA and Math M-Step will begin. 7th grade M-Step begins on May 9th.

Salmon Release-
Our 8th grade science classes will have their Salmon release and scientific discovery release day next Tuesday, April 26th (1/2 the 8th grade student body) & Thursday, April 28th(the other half of the 8th grade student body) depending on their 8th grade science teacher.

Next year-
If you will not be attending St. Joseph Public Schools next school year could you please let the UMS office know.  We are building our master schedule for next school year and putting students in classes and this will help with our scheduling process.  Thanks for your help with this! If you are leaving us we wish you all the best in your new hometown. :)

Late Start Next Wednesday, April 27th-
The district will have a one-hour delay on Wednesday, April 27th.

7th grade DC Trip Email-
I will be sending an email on behalf of Mr. Catania about the 2017 Washington DC trip for any interested 7th grader that will be in 8th grade next school year.  Please stay tuned if you are interested.

Quote of the day:
"The unselfish effort to bring cheer to others will be the beginning of a happier life for ourselves."- Helen Keller

Take care,
Mr. Mandarino

Mandarino Minutes for 4-11-16

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Welcome Back-

The staff at UMS hopes you had a fun and relaxing Spring break!  The rest of the school year will go very quickly.  
 
8th Grade M-Step Begins Tomorrow (April 12, 2016) & 6th and 7th to Follow-

Tuesday, April 12th will be the beginning of the 2016 M-Step schedule with our 8th graders beginning their ELA testing.  Next week 8th graders will take part in Math & Social Studies.

6th grade testing will begin on Monday, April 25th.
7th grade testing will begin on Monday, May 9th.

Please encourage your son/daughter to come with a charged computer, a free-read book, and encourage them to try their best! :)


Ren Baldwin Technology Festival Deadline This Friday 4/15/16-

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.orgadirlam@sjschools.org

UPTO This Thursday, April 14th-

This Thursday, April 14th at 6:30 P.M. will be our April UPTO meeting.  The UPTO would love to have you attend.


One-hour Delay-

We will have a one-hour delay this Wednesday, April 13th.  Buses will run one hour later and breakfast will still be available.  School will begin at 8:45 A.M.


Good Luck at Solo and Ensemble-

We want to wish our students that are participating in solo and ensemble this Saturday, April 16th good luck!  Our students tend to do really well at this event!   

Quote of the Day-

"Always remember that you are absolutely unique.  Just like everyone else." - Margaret Mead

Have a good week,
Mr. Mandarino