Mandarino Minutes for 4-29-19

Dear Parents/Guardians,




National History Day State Winners On to Nationals-
Congratulations to Emma Teng, Jintong He, Aseem Singh, and Lauren Konopacki (9th grader) as they have won their state competition and their projects will move on to the national competition!  Emma and Jintong had a group website project, and Aseem and Lauren each had a individual website project.  Their hard work is to be commended!  Our social studies department has also done a great job assisting our students.

Emma Teng

Jintong He

Ameem Singh

Lauren Konopacki

Fun Run Was a Success-

Our wonderful UPTO planned a really nice afternoon/evening Friday night for the 1st annual Upton Fun Run on the grounds of UMS!  In a photo finish Cole Caplea edged out Ceci Ruchti by an eyelash.  All that particpated had a great time!  We want to thank our wondeful sponsors:  Timothy's Restraunt, Nutrition Now, Affinity Spa & Salon, Phycotech, Realty Executives- The Heaps Team, Lazer Graphics, and the Rotary Club of St.Joseph/Benton Harbor.  We also want to thank Mr. Jeffers, Mrs. Nicholson, and Mr. Flaherty for being in the dunk tank, Mr. Fralick for lining the course, and Ms V for her timing support.  

The start of the race

Cole Caplea

CeCi Ruchti

Mrs. Nicholson

Will Flaherty

Mr. Jeffers

Book Fair This Week-
The Upton Spring Book fair is now going on!  It will run from today through Friday with many great titles to put on your summer reading list.  All the profits made go to add to the collection in the media center.

M-Step Begins Today for 6th & 7th Graders-
This week the 6th and 7th graders will do their Math M-Step and next week will be the ELA portion of M-Step.  

Ren Baldwin Technology Festival-
The Ren Baldwin Technology Festival is coming up on Friday, May 10th.  It will begin at 6:00 PM at St. Joseph High School and it is always a really nice evening.  Many students throughout the district have submitted some really cool projects.  

Ren Baldwin and Amy Dirlam

Annie Jr.-

8th grade Farewell Photo Needed-

We need from 8th grade parents only of current 8th grade students:

• (1) 0-5 year old preferable wallet size to 3x5 picture of your student.
• First and last name on the back
• Due to the Upton office by May 10th. 
• Contact kcaplea@aol.com w/questions.

We also need chaperones and a clean-up crew, if you can help with either/both please email Mrs. Cindy Igoe at cindyigoe@yahoo.com

Quote of the week-
"I truly believe that everything that we do and everyone that we meet is put in our path for a purpose.  There are no accidents; we're all teachers - if we're willing to pay attention to the lessons we learn, trust our positive instincts and not be afraid to take risks or wait for some miracle to come knocking at our door." 
- Marla Gibbs

Have a fantastic week,

Mr. Mandarino

Mandarino Minutes for 4-22-19

Dear Parents/Guardians,


Upton Fun Run-
Click here to be a part of the Upton Fun Run this Friday:
Upton Fun Run PDF

Salmon in the Classroom-
Just a reminder that the 8th grade classes will be heading to Flaherty Park in Watervliet, MI this Tuesday and Thursday for their salmon release and outdoor science experience.  Students should dress for the elements.
Tuesday, April 23rd-  Mrs. Francis and Mrs. Foster's science classes
Thursday, April 25th- Mrs. Milletics and Mrs. MacKellar's science classes

Late Start-
This Wednesday is a district late-start.  School will begin at 8:45 AM.  Breakfast will be served at 8:15 AM.

M-Step to begin next week-
6th and 7th grade M-Step will begin next week.  6th and 7th graders will begin their Math M-Step next week and the following week will do the ELA M-Step.

Book Fair-
The Upton spring book fair is coming! A great one-stop shop for new and exciting titles, additions to summer reading lists, and more. The fair will run next Monday through Friday, April 29th - May 3rd.   See you at the fair!

Golf Classic-
Click here for information on the 2019 St. Joseph Golf Classic:
St. Joe Golf Classic 2019

Annie Jr.-  

Quote of the week (In honor of Earth Day)-

Have a wonderful week,

Mr. Mandarino

Mandarino Minutes for 4-15-19

Dear Parents/Guardians,



Easter Donations Please-
If you are able to make a donation we have a box in the Upton office for packaged candy, Easter baskets, chocolate bunnies, etc.  These will be donated to the local shelters in Berrien County for kids at Easter.

Last Reminder on the Ren Baldwin Technology Projects due today-

Upton 3K Fun Run-
Please consider being a part of the first Upton 3K Fun Run on the grounds of UMS on Friday, April 26th.  Please click on this pdf flyer for more information:  UMS Fun Run PDF

Art Award Winners-

From the desk of Mr. Fralick:

Box Factory Community Art Show

4 of my students were recognized for their amazing artwork this year. The community show is a chance for the art department to see where we stack up in comparison to other areas schools. I'm especially proud because our students were awarded ½ of all middle school awards.

BOX FACTORY COMMUNITY ART SHOW

Ruby Rappette - 1st Place Middle School Drawing

Kendall Boersen - BRESA Middle School Award

Caitlin Sullivan -  1st Place Middle School 3D Art

CJ Gordon- 2nd Place Middle School 3D Art

Buchanan Art Center Art Show

This year we took  part in the BAC art show. As a result, 5  of our students were recognized for their work. Overall, we won 1st, 2nd, 3rd place and 2 honorable mentions. Our students really took home the hardware!

BUCHANAN ART CENTER SHOW

Ruby Rappette- Royal Lion - 1st Place Middle School

Grace Miceli -Untitled  - 2nd Place Middle School

Grace Newman - Mixed Media - 3rd Place Middle School

Maly Chandler - Horn - Honorable Mention Middle School

Grace Larson - Pages in the Wind - Honorable Mention Middle School

The last honorable mention was awarded to Xavier Schramm for his work at Water Street Glass Works. Technically, Upton students won all of the awards.

M-Step Continues and Ends-
Today and tomorrow 8th graders will continue their M-Step with their Social Studies assessments.  This will be the end of M-Step this school year for the 8th graders.  6th and 7th graders will begin their M-Step assessments on Monday, April 29th.

Late Start this Wednesday-
Just a reminder that this Wednesday, April 17th is a district late-start.  School will begin at 8:45 AM.  Breakfast will be available beginning at 8:15 AM.

1/2 day this Friday, April 19th-
Friday is a half-day and dismissal time is 11:04 AM for Upton.

Salmon in the Classroom Release Next Week-
Next week. Mrs. Francis and Mrs. Foster's classes will be doing the Salmon release in Watervliet on Tuesday, April 23rd, and Mrs. Milletics and Mrs. MacKellar's on Thursday, April 25th.  Students will need to bring a sack lunch on this day and dress for the elements as they will be outdoors.  We do not want students to wear shorts on this day.

Annie Jr. Coming Soon-

If you see an "I" in the grade book-
If your daughter/son has an "I" in the grade book this stands for incomplete.  They must work with the teacher to take care of this A.S.A.P.

SJ Football Event-
The St. Joseph Football Boosters have a fun event that anyone can be a part of called the Reverse Raffle.  Please click here to hear more about it:   SJ Football Boosters Fundraiser PDF

Chalkboard Reminders-
Thanks to Mrs. Fairchild we have secured a new reminder board for our hallways.  We have live broadcasted news, PA announcements, and now we have a new visual in the hallways as well to help students remember what is going on at UMS.  Below is a picture of this board.

Media Center closed after school tomorrow-
Please note that tomorrow, Tuesday, April 16th the media center will be closed after school.  

Rotation 4 Ends/ Rotation 5 Begins-

6th & 7th grade rotation 4 ends tomorrow, April 16th and the last rotation of the school year begins on Wednesday, April 17th.  

Quote of the week-

"The glow of one warm thought is to me worth more than money." 

- Thomas Jefferson

Have a great week,
Mr. Mandarino

Mandarino Minutes for 4-8-19

Dear Parents/Guardians,



Welcome Back-
We hope your family had some quality time together!  We are ready to finish strong here at UMS!  This is the 4th marking period, and the rest of the year will fly by!

8th graders PSAT testing tomorrow-
The 8th graders will report to school tomorrow at UMS and will be bussed over to SJHS for their PSAT test later in the morning.  They will be eating lunch over at SJHS and give bring a lunch (disposable bag) or buy it from there.  Their lunch account money will transfer over there for the day.  I will be sending an important list of reminders separately to 8th grade parents tonight to read.

UMS wins the Sportsmanship Award-
We are very happy to announce that Upton Middle School has been awarded the Dennis Kniola Sportsmanship award out of 32 middle schools that the Fruit Belt Officials Association covers.  This means that the conduct of our student-athletes, coaches, fans, and game administration acted in a professional and positive way that was deserving of the award.  Mr. Schaffer and I accepted the award just before Spring break.  

Planetarium Show tomorrow evening-
Mrs. Francis will host a community night tomorrow evening beginning at 6:30 PM in the Upton Planetarium.  The name of the show is called Black Holes: The other side of Infinity.  This show is recommended for 10 years and up.  The cost is $2.50.  Here is the trailer to the show:  Black Holes: The other side of Infinity Trailer

UPTO this Thursday, April 11th-
This Thursday, April 11th at noon is the April UPTO meeting in the Upton conference room.  Our wonderful UPTO are in the works in planning a Upton Fun Run that will take on Friday, April 26th.  More information will follow on the near future.

No Late Start this week-

The district does not have a late start this Wednesday, April 10th.

Quote of the week-

"People have to understand how important it is for kids to be nurtured by their mom and dad and get the great role modeling when they are young." - Tony Dungy