Mandarino Minutes for 10-30-17

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Parent Survey-
As part of our school improvement process, we are always looking for ways to improve at Upton.  We would love if you would just take a few moments to answer some questions at this site:
Upton Parent Survey- Click here

Parent-Teacher Conferences on November 9th-

Parent-teacher conferences will be located at St. Joseph High School in the Student Center.  The date is next Thursday, November 9th from 12:30-4:00 P.M. and from 5:30-8:30 P.M.  Students will have a half-day on this day.  The students will also have a half-day on Friday, November 10th, but no conferences are on this day.  For parents new to the process, you wait in line for each staff member and it is 5 minutes to talk with each teacher at a table in the high school student center. Please have your son/daughter's schedule of teachers as we will not be printing report cards for the 1st Marking period.

End of the Marking Period-
This Friday, November 3rd is the end of the first marking period.  In 6th-12th grades we do not print hard copies of the report card for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd marking periods.  We mail a final report card with all four marking periods at the end of the school year.  The grades can be viewed on PowerSchool parent portal.  If you need a hard copy we can print one for you by you contacting your child's counselor.

Builders Club this Wednesday-

The Builders Club will have a meeting after school this Wednesday, November 1st.  It will their “Random Acts of Kindness” day.  The students will be helping out all over the building after school Wednesday.

Coders Club this Thursday, November 2nd-

This Thursday after school in the Media Center is Coders Club.  This is open to any student 6th-8th grade.

Halloween tomorrow-

Please help us in limiting the amount of Halloween candy that is brought to Upton.  We would rather they keep the candy at home and eat it there.  Thanks!

Quote of the week-

"You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty." - Mahatma Gandhi

Mandarino Minutes for 10-23-17

Dear Parents/Guardians,

News from the Guidance Department-

Our Guidance department presented in 8^th grade classes last week on Mindful Media.  They focused on being mindful social media users and practiced how to show compassion. Please be sure to look under the More... tab on the guidance blog for a great resource.

During GO time, they worked with students to promote Unity Day which is Wednesday 10/25.  This day is about coming together to prevent bullying & promote inclusion.  We are encouraging our students to wear orange on WED 10/25 to show their support.  They will also be doing an activity in homeroom to promote this movement.

Our guidance department will also be starting a divorce support group for students that will meet once a month during GO time – it will start on Thursday 11/16.

Please check out the Guidance blog UMS Guidance Link for further information and resources.

Competitive Cheer Tryouts/Information-

Competitive cheer begins tomorrow at Upton Middle School.  Please look at this pdf C. Cheer link for more information and check out the webpage as well.

UPTO Meeting-

This Thursday, October 26th at Noon in the Upton Conference room will be the October UPTO meeting.  If your schedule allows, we would love to see you there. 

Interact Club meeting tomorrow morning-

An all membership meeting will be held tomorrow on Tuesday, October 24th at 7:10 A.M. in the Blue gym.

This Friday, October 27th the Interact Club will also once again be sponsoring a Dilly Bar sale at lunch for $1.50 (Cash only).

Science Field trip reminder -

The 8th grade class will be at their field trip tomorrow, Tuesday, October 24th (MacKellar science classes and one Foster class) and Thursday, October 26th (Francis science classes and the other Foster class) at the Wolf Lake State Fish Hatchery and the St. Joseph Water Filtration Plant.

Winter Gear Drive-

Please continue to send in any winter gear that your family no longer uses.  The Womens' Service League will make sure that the items get to someone in Southwest Michigan who could use the item/s.  Thanks so much to those who have already generously donated.

Hats Off Recognition Ceremony-

Congratulations to 8th graders: Joe Paine, Nick Strickler, Jared Svetlev on being recognized for their scores on the ACT/SAT at Michigan State University on October 14th.  9th grader, George Weber, was also recognized as well.  Two SJPS teachers also received tributes, and they were our own Kelly Houseal and Dave Leonard.  Congratulations to all!

Spirit Week Next Week-

Monday, October 30th- Pajama Day

Tuesday, October 31st- Halloween (Masks not worn during class)

Wednesday, November 1st- Favorite Sports Team

Thursday, November 2nd- Favorite Book, TV, or Movie Character

Friday, November 3rd- Neon & Crazy Hair Day

End of the Marking Period is Friday, Nov. 3rd-

The first marking period will come to an end on Friday, November 3rd.

Parent-Teacher Conferences on November 9th-

Parent-teacher conferences will be once again be located at St. Joseph High School in the Student Center.  The date will be Thursday, November 9th from 12:30-4:00 P.M. and from 5:30-8:30 P.M.  Students will have a half-day on this day.  The students will also have a half-day on Friday, November 10th, but no conferences are on this day.  For parents new to the process, you wait in line for each staff member and it is 5 minutes to talk with each teacher at a table in the high school student center. 

Quote of the week-

"Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now. Don't wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how really precious is the time you have to spend, whether it's at work or with your family. Every minute should be enjoyed and savored." - Earl Nightingale

Mandarino Minutes for 10-16-17

Dear Parents/Guardians,


Wonderful Choir Concert-
Last Thursday our 6th-8th grader choir members put on a wonderful choir concert at SJHS.  Many thanks to Mrs. Gray-Roll for her dedication and preparation. 

Coat, Mittens, Gloves, Scarves Donation-
The Women's Service League is collecting used and new coats, mittens, gloves, scarves, etc. in the Upton office. Donated items will be distributed throughout the local area to help those in need to stay warm this winter.

Interact Club-
Leaf raking with the Rotary. Click here: Interact-Raking PDF   Any questions please contact Mrs. Cindy Igoe cindyigoe@yahoo.com

Interact Club will be also selling Dilly Bars at all 3 lunches this Friday Oct. 20th for $1.50.  Please help your student to remember to bring money for a treat!

UPTO-

Please join us next week Thursday, October 26th at Noon for our next UPTO Meeting.  Come and see all the great things the UPTO does to help/assist students and staff.

The web link is currently back open for UPTO No Fundraiser donation.  No selling of items, just a one time suggested donation of $25 per student (Or whatever you are comfortable with) for the 2017/2018 school year.  Please help us reach our goal to fund all our programs and committees here at Upton this school year!

https://parent.payschools.com/cat.asp?id=C3ACAE12CB64444C85C2CE2C580F67A1&

Coders Club-

This Thursday, October 19th from 2:50-3:50 in the UMS Media Center classroom is our next Coders Club meeting.  Students will have a great time learning with Mr. Rommel/Mr. Phillips.

6th & 7th Grade Rotations coming to an end-

6th & 7th grade 1st rotations will end next Monday, October 23rd. On Tuesday, October 24th the students will move on to their 2nd rotation class.  

Late-Start this Wednesday, October 18th-

This Wednesday, October 18th we will have a late-start.  All buses will run one hour later.  Breakfast will still be served at Upton for those that wish.

Community Cork Board-

Have you visited the SJPS cork board lately?  If not you may find something of interest.  Please click here:  SJPS Corkboard

Quote of the week-

"The strength of a nation derives from the integrity of the home."

 -Confucius

Have a great week,

Mr. Mandarino

Mandarino Minutes for 10-9-17

Dear Parents/Guardians,


Guidance Department Blog-
Our guidance department at Upton Middle School which consists of Mrs. Fairchild, Mrs. Peterson, and Ms. Toth have created a blog to communicate with parents.  You can subscribe to receive monthly updates if you would like.  Here is the link: https://umsguidance.weebly.com/
This past Friday (Oct. 6th) was World Smile Day.  Our students filled the bulletin board with things that made them smile. 

Choir Concert this Thursday, October 12th-
This Thursday, October 12th our 6th-8th grade choirs will have a concert at the St. Joseph High School Auditorium beginning at 7:00 P.M.

Foundation Fundraiser Tuesday, Oct. 10th-
The St. Joseph Public Schools Foundation is hosting a "Friendraiser" at Silver Beach Pizza from 4:00 - 9:00 P.M., 10% of all proceeds will go to help with SJPS activities.  This will take place Tuesday, October 10th (tomorrow).  This is for dine-in or take-out.

Chaperones needed for 8th grade science trip-
If you are an 8th grade parent that could chaperone our 8th grade science field trip to the fish hatchery/water filtration plant, please contact your child's science teacher.  We appreciate your help!

Late-Start Wednesday-

We have a late-start this Wednesday, October 11th.  

Upton and SJHS have full days this Thursday (October 12th) and Friday (Oct.13th).

Board of Education meeting this evening-

The board of education will meet this evening at 6:00 P.M. at our Central office.

Quote of the week-

"Do the right thing. It will gratify some people and astonish the rest." - Mark Twain

Have a great week,

Mr. Mandarino

Mandarino Minutes for October 2, 2017

Dear Parents/Guardians,



Chess Club-

Upton's chess club meets after school on Thursdays from 2:50 P.M.- 4:00 P.M.  This is open to any 6th-8th grader and all ability levels are welcome.  This takes place in Mrs. Walsworth's class in room 219.

Coders Club-

The Upton Coders Club will kickoff this Thursday, October 5th from 2:50-3:50 P.M.  The club will meet in the Upton Media Center classroom.  Mr. Joe Rommel and Mr. John Phillips from the Berrien RESA will be co-directing this exciting club.

Builders Club-

The Builders Club meeting kickoff is this Wednesday, October 4th from 2:50-3:30 P.M. in the Upton Foods room.  This is a community service based club.  For more information please email:
Mrs. Hunnell shunnell@sjschools.org or 
Mrs. Reck kreck@sjschools.org

Tutoring-

We will have free tutoring available three days a week after school. Tuesday and Thursdays it will be in the high school media center until 4:15 P.M.  You can drive them to the high school or Bus #16 the Pink Pig will drop at Wells Field and the students would walk up the hill to the SJHS Media Center.  The tutoring here is done by SJHS National Honor Society students.
Wednesdays it would be at Upton Middle School from 2:50-3:50 P.M. in our media center.  This would be volunteer adults from our community.

Lory's Place- 

We will be offering Lory's Place grief counseling once again.  This will begin in later October.  This can be for any student who is grieving the loss of a family member.  If you would like more information please email Mrs. Peterson at : apeterson@sjschools.org

Robotics-

Saint Joseph Robotics and Upton Middle School are pleased to announce the addition of a third FIRST Tech Challenge robotics team! Joining our two Joe Bot veteran teams #8513 and #11855 is our new rookie Joe Bot team (team number to be announced shortly). This third team has been added due to the overwhelming interest in robotics and STEM education in the Saint Joseph Public Schools. Our middle school teams will join over 60,000 middle school students worldwide for this year’s competition.

Upton’s rookie Joe Bot team is expected to debut their robot at the Coloma Middle School FTC qualifying event on December 2^nd, 2017. The growth of the Saint Joseph Robotics program would not be possible without the generous support of the Saint Joseph Public School System, The Saint Joseph Public Schools Foundation and our community of many gracious sponsors. Also, special consideration is due to all of our adult mentors and volunteers! Without their dedication and commitment of personal time, our robotics programs would not be possible.

About FIRST Robotics

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) was founded in 1989 to inspire young people's interest and participation in science and technology. Based in Manchester, NH, the 501(c)(3) not-for-profit public charity designs accessible, innovative programs that motivate young people to pursue education and career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and math, while building self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills.

Upton Planetarium-

Beginning next Tuesday, October 10th will be the first community planetarium night of the school year.  The first show is called The Little Star that Could.  It will begin at 6:30 P.M. and the price is $2.50 per person.  This can be paid at the door or online.  For more information please go to:

https://www.sjschools.org/planetarium-upton-overview

Quote of the week-

"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world." - Harriet Tubman

Have a great week, 

Mr. Mandarino