Friday, January 29, 2021

Mandarino Minutes for 1-29-21

 Dear Parents/Guardians,


End of the 1st semester -

Today marks the end of the 1st semester.  It has been the most different 1st semester of any student or staff members educational career!  We are hopeful that the 2nd semester is less eventful.  😊 The semester grade is found by averaging the 1st and 2nd marking period.  As a reminder, 6th-12th grades do not print hard copies of the report cards, but the grades in PowerSchool will be reflected.  Grades for the second semester are not final until next Wednesday, February 3rd.  Thanks for your continued support!





Welcome and Goodbye-

Next week we welcome many students returning from the virtual school back to Upton.  We will meet with the students in the Maize Gym to start the morning for a brief orientation before they head to their 1st hour class.  We also want to wish the students who are moving to the virtual school the best as they transition!  




Informational Meeting for 8th grade students and parents-

CLASS OF 2025

SAVE THE DATE: 

Informational Scheduling Meeting for current 8th Grade Students & their Parents
who plan to attend
St. Joseph High School Fall 2021


Tuesday, February 2, 2021 
6:00pm

Virtual Link will be sent on Feb 2 @ 5pm

Students will receive 2021-22 scheduling materials - books & course selection forms distributed in class at Upton on Feb. 1 to be brought home for Feb 2 meeting!!
(Student and parents will want these materials in front of you during the virtual presentation)


Learn about the high school scheduling process and information from department reps will be included in the presentation! 


This is a very important informational meeting and encourage all 8th grade students
AND their parents to attend virtually!

Counselors will be hosting a Virtual 8th Grade Parent Q&A Night to follow up on the above topic:

Feb 3 @ 6-7pm

Counselors will be answering questions LIVE - 

link will be emailed on Feb 2





Late Start next Wednesday -

We do have a late start this Wednesday, February 3rd. School will begin at 8:45 AM.  Buses will run exactly one hour later and breakfast will be available beginning at 8:15 AM.





Guidance News For The Week -

Guidance News for 1-29-21 to 2-5-21





Athletic Update Today -

Please read your email that arrived in your inbox today from Mr. Schaffer, UMS athletic director, regarding girls basketball, wrestling, and competitive cheer.  These sports will all begin in some fashion next week.  Wrestling and competitive cheer are open to 6th-8th graders and girls basketball for 7th & 8th graders.







SJPS IT Position Available -  

SJPS IT Department is looking for a full time tier 1 IT Technician.  This position requires existing computer/networking knowledge and troubleshooting skills. Any coding experience is a plus.  If interested, please send a PDF resume to the Technology Director, Bryan Parsons, at bparsons@sjschools.org with a subject line of "SJPS IT Position".  As stated, the position is a full time, salaried position with benefits, starting at mid $30k per year, which is non-negotiable.  Thanks!






Quote of the Week-





Have a great weekend,
Mr. Mandarino







Friday, January 22, 2021

Mandarino Minutes for 1-22-21



 Dear Parents/Guardians,


It Was Great! - 

It was very nice to be back to 100% of our students back to face to face instruction each day!  We will continue this path as long as the numbers allow us to do so (Hopefully the rest of the school year!).





Next Week  1/2 Days -

Next we will have 1/2 days on Wednesday (27th), Thursday (28th), and Friday (29th) with a dismissal of 11:00 AM each day.  







No Late Start This Wednesday -

We will not have a late start this Wednesday, January 27th.  School will begin at the regular time of 7:45 AM.






Winter NWEA Testing -

Students will take the NWEA winter test for reading and math next week during their ELA and Math classes on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday.  Students took the test in the Fall and they will take their final test in the Spring.  





Prearranged Absence Forms-

If your child will be missing 3 or more days of school, please have them pick up a Prearranged Absence Form from the office a week before the absences.  This forms needs to be filled out by your child's teachers, signed by you, and then returned to the office.  We also ask that you call the absence in to our attendance line at 926-3400 or send a note in with your child.   Thank you for help!





In The Winter -

When the winter weather hits it may be necessary to leave your house 5-10 minutes earlier when dropping off your son/daughter at Upton.  We have an increase of traffic on winter days and thus things are slowed down.  Please do not turn left into Upton off of Maiden Lane in the morning as traffic gets backed up and cars can't exit Upton.  We depend on you to help the flow of traffic stay efficient.  Please help us out with this!





Guidance News -

Follow this link for this week's guidance news:

Guidance News for the week of 1-25-21



Reminder to Please Order Ahead of Time -

If your daughter or son is getting a school lunch please order student lunches on the following website sendmoneytoschool.com by 7:45 AM each morning.





Just a Reminder for 8th grade Parents & Students -

CLASS OF 2025 (Current 8th graders)

SAVE THE DATE: 

Informational Scheduling Meeting for current 8th Grade Students & their Parents 
who plan to attend
St. Joseph High School Fall 2021


Tuesday, February 2, 2021 
6:00pm

SJHS will soon be sending more information on this evening!





One More Week -

The 2021 Ren Baldwin Student Technology Festival logo contest is underway!  Please see the details below.  Submissions are due next Friday, January 29th and can be turned in at the Upton Media Center or by emailing techfest@stjoebears.com.  We look forward to seeing the students' creativity this year!





Quote of the week -




Have a good weekend,
Mr. Mandarino







Friday, January 15, 2021

Mandarino Minutes for 1-15-21

Dear Parents/Guardians, 


No School this Monday-

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. our students will not have school this Monday, January 18th.  




Return to Full Time Face to Face-

This Tuesday, January 19th, all in-person Upton and High School students will return full-time face to face.  Please remember to use caution, care, and patience in our drop-off & pick-up areas.




Wednesday Late Start -

This upcoming Wednesday, January 20th will be a late start.  School will begin at 8:45 AM.  Bus routes will run one hour later as well.




Ren Baldwin Technology Festival Logo Contest-

The 2021 Ren Baldwin Student Technology Festival logo contest is underway!  Please see the details below.  Submissions are due Friday, January 29th and can be turned in at the Upton Media Center or by emailing techfest@stjoebears.com.  We look forward to seeing the students' creativity this year!


Ren Baldwin, Retired Technology Director



Girls Basketball Meeting -

Who:  ANY 7th or 8th Grade girl interested in playing basketball

What: Upton Girls Basketball Sign ups

Where: Upton Cafeteria

When: 7:30 AM (Before school starts) Thursday, Jan. 21 




Upcoming 1/2 Days -

We will be having 1/2 days of school to end the first semester.  Dismissal time will be 11:00 AM on the following dates:

Wednesday, Jan 27th- 1st & 2nd hours
Thursday, Jan 28th- 3rd & 4th hours
Friday, Jan 29th- 5th & 6th hours

For the second year in a row we also will not be having cumulative end of the semester exams.



Guidance Resources -

Here are a few links to the latest guidance resources:

Guidance Resource Link #1

Guidance Resource Link #2

Virtual Tutoring Resource





Quote of the week -





Have a wonderful weekend,
Mr. Mandarino









Friday, January 8, 2021

Mandarino Minutes for 1-8-21

 Dear Parents/Guardians,


Schedule for next week -

Monday January, 11th: All students will be remote and meet with their teacher over Google Meets (link in Google Classroom) in the morning and work asynchronously in the afternoon.

9:00 - 9:23

1st Hour Morning Meeting

9:30 - 9:53

2nd Hour Morning Meeting

10:00 - 10:23

3rd Hour Morning Meeting

10:30 - 10:53

4th Hour Morning Meeting

11:00 - 11:23

5th Hour Morning Meeting

11:30 - 11:53

6th Hour Morning Meeting

 

Tuesday, January 12th: Maize Day- students with last names beginning A-K report to the building and follow the normal daily schedule. *If your family has multiple last names, please attend on the “color day” that corresponds with the oldest child’s last name.

Wednesday, January 13th: Blue Day- students with last names beginning L-Z report to the building and follow the normal daily schedule. *If your family has multiple last names, please attend on the “color day” that corresponds with the oldest child’s last name. (*NO LATE START SCHEDULE FOR 6-12 grade)

Thursday, January 14th: Maize Day- students with last names beginning A-K report to the building and follow the normal daily schedule. 

Friday, January 15th: Blue Day- students with last names beginning L-Z report to the building and follow the normal daily schedule.





No Late Start next - 

As stated above, we do not have a late start this Wednesday, January 13th for 6th-12th grades.





Breakfast & Lunch Going Forward -

FREE MEALS for all students during the 20/21 school year.

Breakfast and lunch will be FREE for the entire school year, thanks to the extension of the Summer Feeding Program offered by the USDA.   Please remember to login into your www.sendmoneytoschool.com account to order up to a week's worth of student lunches. 

We are still asking families to still apply for Free/Reduced meals through www.lunchapp.com.   Other programs also use this for free or reduced fees, but we need to have an application on file for your student to qualify.    If you have any questions please contact Demrhy Youngquist at dyoungquist@sjschools.org.





8th to 9th grade Meeting Reminder -

CLASS OF 2025 (Current 8th graders)

SAVE THE DATE: 

Informational Scheduling Meeting for current 8th Grade Students & their Parents 
who plan to attend
St. Joseph High School Fall 2021


Tuesday, February 2, 2021 
6:00pm

Location TBD





From The Guidance Department -

Guidance News

Week of 1/11/21

GOOD SLEEP

 

As we enter our second week back at school after the holiday break we hope that you are getting back into a good routine and building good habits.  An important part of any schedule is SLEEP.

 

We’d like to share a few resources to help your family get enough and quality sleep. 

These are also available on our family google site:

COVID-19, Guidance & SEL

 

Check these out in the Self-Care & Wellness section:

Check out this TedTalk Series: 

“Sleeping with Science” 

 We spend one-third of our lives doing it, but what exactly do we get out of it? And how can we do it better? In this new TED series, sleep scientist Matt Walker uncovers the facts and secrets behind our nightly slumber. Tune in weekly for better zzz's! 

 

Stop sacrificing sleep & get the rest you need!

Each of us has unique sleep needs - here are 4 strategies that can help you figure out the best plan for you. 

 

Science of Sleep Infographic

 by Happify has great tips!

Check these out in the Apps section:

Relax Melodies 

 Sleep to your own beat - endless relaxation, sleep  & meditation

 

Dreamy Kid

 In just minutes every day, help your kids live healthier and happier lives with DreamyKid, The Kids Meditation App.

 

 

Monday afternoon secondary SEL opportunities:

We are hosting various sessions for secondary students to encourage social connection, provide support and/or share SEL/college/career information.

 These opportunities are shared with students through their school email and grade level google classrooms.  

These sessions are recommended - please encourage your student to participate :)

 

Please remember we are here to support you - reach out if you have a question/concern:

guidance@stjoebears.com

 




Reminder on Free Tutoring -


If you daughter/son is in need of some academic support please consider the following resources:

St. Joseph High School National Honor Society Students:

https://forms.gle/J18HhF5Gx5mTJN7U8





No School on Monday, January 18th-

We will not have school K-12 on Monday, January 18th in observance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.





Quote of the day -




Have a wonderful weekend,
Mr. Mandarino






Mandarino Minutes for 6-9-23

  Dear Upton Middle School Families, Thanks! - We thank you for sharing your daughter/son with us this school year!  We also appreciate your...