Mandarino Minutes for 11-27-17

Dear Parents/Guardians,


Upcoming Concert Schedule-

*** All concerts begin at 7:00 P.M. ***

6th grade Orchestra- Tuesday, Dec. 5th at Upton Blue Gym
6th-12th Band Concert - Wednesday, Dec. 13th at SJHS
6th-8th Choir & Orchestra Concert- Wednesday, Dec. 20th at SJHS

The Book Fair is here-
The book fair is here from today-Friday, December 8th in our media center.  
The online fair is at:  http://www.scholastic.com/bf/uptonmiddleschool

Upton JoeBots-

The Joe Bots Teams #8513, #11855 and #13702 will be competing in their second qualifier this Saturday,  December 2nd at Coloma High School. The opening ceremony begins at 10:00 AM.  Come cheer us on to victory!

Upton Spirit Wear-

Upton Spirit Wear just in time for the holidays!!  The spirit wear store will stay open until Dec. 10th where you can order online.  We will also accept order forms by cash or check.  These order forms are in the front office.  All items will be in by Christmas.  Please contact cindyigoe@yahoo.com with questions.

https://lazergraphicsinc.com/index.php/sale/upton.html

Upton Boys Basketball Change-
On Wednesday, 11/29 the games will now be played at Benton Harbor High School instead of Fair Plain MS. The 7^th grade "A game" will start at 4 P.M. instead of 4:30.  We’re expecting the 8^th grade A game to start around 5:15.

Honor Roll-

Honor Roll Criteria

Principals' Honor Roll:

Straight A's (or A-'s)

Honor Roll:

At least 2 A's (or A-'s) and no grade lower than a B.  This means B- or lower disqualifies.

We will be publishing the first marking period very soon.  The semester honor roll will once again be in the Herald Palladium.  

No Coder Club this week-
We will not have Coders Club this week.

Quote of the week-

"Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence."  - Helen Keller

Have a great week,

Mr. Mandarino

Other events coming up:
Late-Starts - Wednesday, Nov. 29th, Dec. 6th, and Dec. 13
7th grade vision screening- Friday, December 8th
Holiday Luncheon- Thursday, December 14th
Break begins- Friday, Dec. 22nd at 11:04 A.M.

Mandarino Minutes for 11-20-17

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Siaka Massaquoi-
Upton Middle School hit the headlines of Friday's front page of the Herald Palladium! Words do not do justice on the wonderful visit our 7th graders had with Siaka Massaquoi.  Siaka was such a dynamic, gracious, awesome, wonderful presenter!  He is overall an even better person!  The way he interacted with our kids was simply a work of art!  We were all blessed for this great opportunity!  A huge thanks to Mrs. Walsworth, Mrs. Gressley, Mrs. Gaideski, Mrs. Vukorpa, and Mrs. Cardon for all their contributions in pulling this off!  This was secret appearance to our 7th graders based on their name paper that they wrote at the beginning of 7th grade.  

Siaka with our 7th graders at lunch

Upton Robotics-

All three Upton teams made it to the final match  of the Robotics competition on Saturday! All three bought home three trophies! Our next competition is December 2nd at Coloma High School. They also have a very good chance of making it to the State finals in Battle Creek on December 16th!

Here are the statistics from our event.

Overall team 8513 was Rank 17 with a record of 2-3-0

Overall team 11855 was Rank 5 with a record of 4-1-0

Awards include:

• Finalist Alliance
• Rockwell Collins Innovate Award Winner

Overall team 13702 was Rank 22 with a record of 2-3-0

Awards include:

• Finalist Alliance

Rankings are from a total of 37 teams.

Thanks to everyone for your donations-
A BIG thank you to Interact Club, Builders Club, and Student Council for teaming up and organizing Knock-Out November in an effort to collect items for the Emergency Shelter!  This was the biggest collection to date and we look forward to doing it again next year!

Upton Book Fair-  We need you!

The Upton Book Fair is almost here!  The fair in our media center will run from 11/27 through 12/8, but early birds can visit our online fair beginning on 11/22 -- just in time to browse for holiday surprises or gather and give gift suggestions to far-flung family members.  

Online fair:  http://www.scholastic.com/bf/uptonmiddleschool

In addition, volunteers are still needed for our book fair.  Come browse the books, connect with your child at school, and help students find the books they can't wait to read.  Follow the link below to check out ways you can help.

https://volunteer.scholastic.com/#/experience/login/NuwtCGUog

If you'd prefer to email directly for times and dates to volunteer, send inquiries to Elena Neus (eldave1@earthlink.net) or Kristin Burnette (kburnette@sjschools.org).

See you at the fair!

Guidance Blog-

Check it out:  Guidance Blog Site

1/2 day this Wednesday-

This Wednesday, November 22nd dismissal for Thanksgiving break is at 11:04 A.M.  We will run all classes this Wednesday for a 1/2 hour each.  It has been an Upton tradition for a long time to dress nice on the day before Thanksgiving to honor all those things we are thankful for!

SJPS Community Corkboard-

Have you checked out the SJPS Community Corkboard lately?  It has various items like:  a cool Krasl Art Center project, opportunities for middle school students at the library, etc.  Here is the link:  https://www.sjschools.org/sjps-parents/community-cork-board-district

Quote of the week-

"All I ever wanted really, and continue to want out of life, is to give 100 percent to whatever I'm doing and to be committed to whatever I'm doing and then let the results speak for themselves. Also to never take myself or people for granted and always be thankful and grateful to the people who helped me." - Jackie Joyner-Kersee

Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy your family time,

Mr. Mandarino

Mandarino Minutes for 11-13-17

Dear Parents/Guardians,


Book Fair Volunteers-

The Upton Book Fair needs YOU!  Volunteering at the Book Fair is the perfect way to stay connected to your child at school and help students find the books they can't wait to read.  Follow the link below to check out ways you can help.

https://volunteer.scholastic.com/#/experience/login/NuwtCGUog

Upton Book Fair -- 11/27 through 12/8, in the media center 

If you'd prefer to email directly for times and dates to volunteer, send inquiries to Elena Neus (eldave1@earthlink.net) or Kristin Burnette (kburnette@sjschools.org).

See you at the fair!

Late Start-

We have a late-start this Wednesday, November 15th.  Buses will run one hour later, and breakfast will still be served at Upton. We do not have one next week Wednesday, November 22nd.

Thanksgiving Lunch this Thursday, November 16th-
We have a turkey, stuffing, mashed potato, corn, cranberry, etc. luncheon this Thursday, November 16th at Upton.  The rate is the regular hot lunch price.

Thanks for Coming to Conferences-
The staff at Upton Middle School would like to thank you for making a connection last Thursday afternoon/evening at SJHS at parent-teacher conferences.

Food Drive for the Less Fortunate-
The Knock-Out November all school food drive is still going on and the last day is Wednesday, November 15th.  The winning homeroom with the most items will win a donut or bagel party!  Please consider donating a few non-perishable items.

UPTO Meeting-
UPTO will meet this Thursday, November 16th at noon in the conference room.  Please come check out what is going on around Upton Middle School!!

Thanks for coming to the Wizard of Oz-
The cast and directors would like to thank you for attending the Wizard of Oz this past weekend.  The students Kindergarten-12th grade really enjoyed performing, and the audiences were very supportive.  Thanks for your support!  From the St. Joseph Musical Boosters

Chess Club-
Chess club through December will be this Thursday, November 16th, November 30th, and December 14th.  Chess club will be over at 4:45 P.M.

Coders Club-
Coders Club dates through December will be this Thursday, November 16th, December 7th, and December 21st.

Quote of the Week-

"The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have." - Vince Lombardi

Mandarino Minutes for 11-6-17

Dear Parents/Guardians,


End of the 1st Marking Period-
It is officially the end of the first marking period.  Wow!  Where did it go?  Today is the start of the 2nd Marking period.  The grades you see in PowerSchool tomorrow for the 1st marking period will be the official grades.  Remember hard copies are only sent at the end of the school year in grades 6th-12th.

This week's agenda-

Monday, Nov. 6th-  

• Start of the second marking period

Tuesday, Nov. 7th-  

• Chip Minton at 8:00 A.M. to address the student body.  Chip is a former olympic bobsledder.  Chip will speak about being positive, a good classmate, goals, etc.

Wednesday, Nov. 8th-  

• No late start.  School begins at 7:45 A.M.
• Students will got to SJHS to watch a sneak peak of The Wizard of Oz performance at SJHS.

Thursday, Nov. 9th- 

• 1/2 day- Hours 1, 2, and 3.  Dismissal at 11:04 A.M.
• Conferences from 12:30-4:00 & 5:30-8:30 P.M. at SJHS

Friday, Nov. 10th-  

• 1/2 day- Hours 4, 5, and 6. Dismissal at 11:04 A.M.

Upton Book Fair-

The Upton book fair is coming! A great one-stop shop for new and exciting titles, holiday gifts and more. Mark your calendars for November 27 - December 8, and stayed tuned for more information and opportunities to volunteer and join in the fun. 

Chess Club Update-

Chess club will now be ending at 4:45 P.M. every other Thursday. Therefore, for the rest of 2017, the remaining dates will be November 16, November 30, and December 14.  Check Mate!

Flu Shot Clinic-

Saint Joseph Public Schools is offering a one day flu shot clinic through Lakeland Health  at SJPS Administrative Offices on Wednesday, November 8th from 2:30pm - 6:00pm for parents of all students at SJPS. 

Please register at:  https://goo.gl/forms/dN2RHZzB5uUfUaKv2

Insurance will be billed (bring insurance card) or you can pay $30 cash.

Your help, if you haven't done it yet-

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  Thanks so much to those who have already taken the time to give us your feedback!  We will keep the survey open until this Wednesday, November 8th.

Quote of the week-

"We don't develop courage by being happy every day. We develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity." 

- Barbara DeAngelis

Have a great week,

Mr. Mandarino