Dear Parents/Guardians,
Heavy Hearts- Update on Keys family- (from e-blast that went out on 9/23)
Sylas Keys will always have a place in our hearts at Upton Middle School! Sylas was an awesome young man with a wonderful personality and sense of humor. The last several days have been extremely difficult for the students, staff, and families in SJPS. We are extremely grateful to our guidance team for their expertise. They have been working tirelessly to support our students and staff.
Sylas’s younger brother, Elliot, is a third grade student at Lincoln Elementary. He is currently in Ann Arbor where he is receiving medical care to ensure he continues to heal to prepare for upcoming surgeries. The outpouring of care and concern from the St. Joseph Public Schools community has been wonderful. Many are asking how they can support the Keys Family. One way to offer support to the family, if you are able, is to donate to the GoFundMe account that was set up by her friend. Additionally, the family continues to request our prayers for Elliott’s recovery.
Lory’s Place message from the Guidance Team -
We know that this has been an extremely difficult week for Upton Middle School as we grieve the loss of Sylas Keys. We will continue to keep the Keys family in our thoughts. Upton will be partnering with Lory’s Place to provide our students with grief & loss support during the school day. The group will meet once a month for the remainder of the school year beginning in October. For more information on signing your student up to participate in Lory’s Place, please visit this link: Information About Lory's Place at Upton.
Here is a link to the parent permission form: Lory's Place Permission Form. Completed forms can be dropped off in the main office.
If your student would prefer to meet outside of the school day, please contact Lory’s Place at: (269) 983-2707 to get more information.
Additionally, please keep in mind that our Guidance Department is able to support students. If students would like to schedule a time to speak with a counselor or social worker, have your student sign up in their grade level google classroom under “Guidance Department Check-In”.
Upton Guidance Department
Suzi Schweir: (A-K)
Victoria Mulliner: (L-Z)
Beth Fairchild (social worker)
For more support on grief & loss, please explore these resources:
Spanish Club-
Mrs. Cynthia Ellspermann is the club advisor of our Spanish Club. This is a really wonderful club for students to really get a great introduction to the Spanish language and culture. We are pushing back the start date in order for more students to join. We have sheets in the office for signup. Here is sheet with more information:
Stock the Lounge -
We are happily collecting individually wrapped snacks as well as hot beverage K cups to keep our wonderful staff going!
Donations can be dropped off in the main office or you can order on Amazon.com to be delivered to Upton Middle School, in care of Laura Koetsier. Thank you for your support!
Picture Retakes next Wednesday-
Just another reminder that if your daughter missed startup day their school picture will be taken this Wednesday, September 29th. Here is the link to the order form and school web code:
https://prepay.geskusphoto.com/orderSchool.asp
School web code - 3715XWPAVSAOLP
We Wish You The Best! -
Next week will be Mrs. Ross's last week at Upton Middle School. Mrs. Ross will be retiring after many years in our kitchen staff & lunchroom supervisor staff. Karon is a person that is just wonderful with people, but especially our students. She is always positive, upbeat, and caring. She will be greatly missed by our Upton family!
Obtaining a Passport to Leave the School -
If your daughter/son has to leave Upton Middle School for an appointment during the school day here is the procedure:
- Please have your daughter/son bring a physical note to the office in the morning on their way to first hour.
- We will provide them a passport to leave.
- The student comes to the office at the designated time.
- A parent/guardian will sign them out in the office.
- The student drops the passport in the wire basket by the door and exits.
- Upon return (if they return to school that day) the student will grab their passport as a pass back to class and they will sign themselves back into school at the front desk.
If you have any questions about this process, please contact Mrs. Conway, attendance secretary. Gconway@sjschools.org
Save the Date -
- UPTO is hosting a Welcome to SJPS & Meet the Administration Night at 6:30 pm on October 28th, all new parents to the district are invited to come and have your questions answered! The general meeting will begin right after at October 28th at 7 pm.
- UPTO had it’s first general meeting on Thursday, September 23rd. Meeting minutes can be accessed in the main office on the Upton PTO bulletin board or on our FB page.
Late Start Wednesday-
This Wednesday, September 29th is a late start. School begins at 8:45am and buses run an hour later. The Upton doors open at 8:15am.
Student Drop Off-
Please have your students ready to exit the vehicle when you pull up and pull forward as far as you possibly can (to the stop sign). This will help to alleviate much of the drop-off backup. Also, drop-off traffic is lightest between 7:15 and 7:25 if you can move your schedule up.
This is the heaviest traffic we have seen in a number of years. Student numbers are back up this year and fewer students are riding the bus leading to an increase in traffic. We are considering a number of options to try and get everyone in the building by 7:40 as the school day STARTS at 7:45. Please continue to be patient and drive safely.
Football Games -
At our home football games we need out students to either be sitting with you or in the Upton Middle School football section at the South end of the stadium. We do not want students wandering the stadium. We also ask that students do not stand on the bleachers, don't throw items, and are respectful during the national anthem. Any help with a conversation before the game is greatly appreciated!
Mattress Fundraiser-
Below is a special coupon for you to use at our upcoming mattress fundraiser sale. Please come check us out on Sunday, October 24th from 11-4pm at the St. Joseph High School. All faculty will receive 10% off their entire order and you can help our programs raise money. If you do not need a mattress, we will also have adjustable bases, premium pillows and sheets available too. Please join our Facebook page at the link below for more information. https://bit.ly/StJosephBandOrchestra
We would like to remind everyone that breakfast and lunch are FREE again this year to every St. Joseph Public School student. Please try to remember to preorder your student’s lunches when they are going to participate in lunch. This helps speed up the morning lunch count process. You will be allowed to order the Friday before the next week using www.sendmoneytoschool.com.
Due to the supply chain issues we are having with our vendors and food outages we will be providing a one week menu on our website and Principal blogs on the Friday before the next week. This will alleviate us having to make constant changes to a monthly menu and keep you better informed.
9/27/21 – Chicken Patty, Waffle Fries, fruit choice and milk.
9/28/21 – Grilled Cheese, Tomato Soup, crackers, fruit choice and milk
9/29/21 – Beef and Cheese Nachos, Refried Beans, fruit choice and milk
9/30/21 – Hot Dog, French Fries, fruit choice and milk
10/01/21 – Pepperoni or Cheese Pizza, Corn, fruit choice and milk
Sandwiches and Salads will also be available daily as an entree. Ala carte items will be available for purchase soon!
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