Mandarino Minutes for 9-30-22

 Dear Upton Middle School Families,

Count Day Next Week -

Our first Count Day is next Wednesday, October 5th.  Please make every effort to have your children at school on this day and on time. Thank you for your help and cooperation!

A great place at UMS -

The Upton Guidance Department is extremely grateful to have received a generous grant from the St. Joseph Public Schools Foundation. With this grant, we have been able to furnish a room dedicated to helping students regulate and refocus throughout the day as needed. Students have the opportunity to try various mindfulness activities such as; coloring, breathing techniques, utilizing a weighted blanket, playing with a fidget or balancing toy, listening to calming music, etc. We are excited to be able to offer our students this opportunity at Upton!

From the Desk of the Guidance Department-

Please click on this link to read about the many student support groups that we have to offer:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tdjmUhKqaBY-mDiwiz7GIgI3T3A02gmtVJtOmqM6_Vs/edit?usp=sharing

Stock the Lounge-

It's time to stock the teacher's lounge! Check out the Amazon Wish List and have your order sent directly to the middle school. Select your item and quantity, then be sure to select the "gift registry" address for shipping at checkout. We appreciate your support!

Click here:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1Z9BLBZWOUQNE?ref_=wl_share

Learn by Heart-

Each day, our school staff make a difference in the lives of children. They teach them how to read, serve them lunch, safely transport them to and from school and make sure their learning environment is clean and welcoming. They prepare our students for successful careers and life after the classroom. They challenge students to reach their greatest potential and support them every step of the way. These superheroes make a tremendous difference, and for that, our community would like to say, "Thank you!" Join us as we celebrate the hard work and dedication of everyone on our staff by supporting the Learn by Heart campaign.

The Learn by Heart campaign is designed to increase the awareness of the dedication of our educators. The focus of the campaign will be to highlight relationships between educators, students, parents, and community members through stories. In the coming months, we will be sharing those stories with you to showcase our educators, who serve as the lifeblood that makes the district beat. Do you have a story to share? Simply send your story background, participant names, relevant pictures and any pertinent information including quotes and specific story elements to Kristen Bawks at kbawks@sjschools.org.

JoeBots-

The JoeBots are hard at work building robots, writing code, and making marketing materials for this year's challenge! Please help our teams by buying Soft Touch car wash passes for $10 each, email ftcteam8513@gmail.com if interested, and/or buying supporter T-shirts from the link below for $20 each plus tax.  https://tinyurl.com/2tnkj6wd 

Upton Soccer Club-

Both boys soccer teams beat Lakeshore on Wednesday! The Gold team won 3-1 and the Blue team won 2-1. Both great games and team effort!

NHS Tutoring Reminder -

Tutoring at SJHS Tuesdays and Thursdays began September 27th from 3-4pm.  It will take place every Tuesday and Thursday at the high school. Students must request an Academic Study Session slip from the Upton office before noon each Tuesday/Thursday that they plan to attend tutoring.  The slip then needs to be filled out by the teacher and returned to the office before a bus pass is given for tutoring.  If a student does not have a bus pass from the office, they will not be allowed to take the bus over to the high school.  

Late Start Wednesday-

Next Wednesday is a late start and Upton starts at 8:45am.  Buses run on an hour delay.  The doors will open at 8:15am. Breakfast is also available at 8:15 am.

Lunch menu next week-

Monday - SPICY CHICKEN PATTY OR CHICKEN PATTY SANDWICH, FRUIT, SWEET POTATO FRIES

Tuesday - CHEESE QUESADILLA, REFRIED BEANS, CORN, FRUIT

Wednesday - BONELESS CHICKEN WINGS,DINNER ROLL, CHEESY POTATOES, FRUIT

Thursday - MINI CORN DOGS, FRENCH FRIES, FRUIT,

Friday - BOSCO STICKS, FRUIT, CAESAR SALAD

Mandarino Minutes for 9-23-22

 Dear UMS Families,

Picture Retake Day-

Picture retake day is Wednesday, September 28th in the morning.  If you missed Start Up Day in August or want your photos retaken, plan on getting your school photo taken on Wednesday. If you want a retake, please bring in your photo packet.

Spirit Wear Orders-

Reminder: Time is running out to purchase Bear Wear! Place your orders online at https://ums2022fall.orderpromos.com/. Deadline is 11:59 PM on Sunday, September 25th. 

Appointments during the school day-

When you plan to pick your child up for an appointment during the school day, please contact the office by 9am or send your child in with a note to give to the office in the morning.  This way we can get your child a pass to come to the office and they will be waiting for you.  Thank you for your cooperation.

Medication Reminder-

If your child has an allergy or condition that warrants an Epi Pen, inhaler, or prescription medication please contact the office immediately for an Authorization to Administer Medication form.  This form needs to be filled out by your doctor.  Once we have that completed form then we can keep the medication in the office.

Tutoring to Begin next week and... -

Tutoring at SJHS Tuesdays and Thursdays will begin next Tuesday, September 27th from 3-4pm.  Students must request an Academic Study Session slip from the Upton office before noon each Tuesday/Thursday that they plan to attend tutoring.  The slip then needs to be filled out by the teacher and returned to the office before a bus pass is given for tutoring.  If a student does not have a bus pass from the office, they will not be allowed to take the bus over to the high school.  

Starting Wednesday, October 5th the National Honor Society will begin coming to Upton every Wednesday from 3-4pm to tutor students.  This will be located in our Media Center.  Students do not need a pass to attend.

Boys And Girls Club Starting Soon-

The Boys and Girls Club will be starting on Monday, October 3rd.  It will run from 2:45pm to 5:45pm.  Sign up sheets are located in the Upton office.  Students can start handing in paperwork on Monday, September 26th.  Applications must be completed by the parent and please attach the $5 fee.

Studio Art Class Headed to Art Prize-

Our 8th grade studio art class will be headed to Grand Rapids next Wednesday, September 28th to enjoy the wonderful art displayed all over town.  Mr. Fralick and the wonderful art department in SJPS along with the support of the SJPS Foundation has made this possible!

Opportunity at the Maud Preston Palenske Memorial Library for 6th graders-

Late Start Wednesday-

Next Wednesday is a late start and Upton starts at 8:45am.  Buses run on an hour delay.  The doors will open at 8:15am and breakfast is available at that time.

Lunch Next Week-

MONDAY - Cheeseburger, French fries, Fruit

TUESDAY - Cheese Bosco Sticks w/Marinara, Corn, Fruit

WEDNESDAY - Popcorn Chicken, corn, mashed potatoes,

THURSDAY - French Toast, Hash Brown, Sausage

FRIDAY - Cheese or Pepperoni French Bread Pizza

Breakfast Menu-

Quote of the week-

Have a great weekend,

Mr. Mandarino

Mandarino Minutes for 9-16-22

 Dear Parents/Guardians,

Thanks for joining us Tuesday evening!

We really appreciate you joining us Tuesday evening for Back to School Night! We hope you got a taste of the way each of your child's teachers will work with your son/daughter this school year. Please make sure if you ever have a question/concern with something in the classroom throughout the school year that you email/call the teacher directly. We believe in a good partnership!

From the Desk of the UPTO -

The first regular PTO meeting of the school year is Tuesday, September 20th at 8:30 AM at Upton Middle School. We encourage parents to attend! Please see below for upcoming meeting dates and direct any questions to uptonmiddlepto@gmail.com.

Medication in Office-

If your child has an allergy or condition that warrants medication/inhaler to be taken during school, please stop by the office for an Authorization of Medication form, which needs to be filled out by your doctor’s office.  Once we receive the signed form, then we can hold the medication in the office.  This includes inhalers, EpiPens, daily prescribed medication.  If your child has a serious allergy and is prescribed an EpiPen, this needs to be stored in the office.

Cyber Safety Presentation-

We had the honor of having our Berrien County Prosecutor, Steve Pierangeli, in yesterday to talk to all three grade levels about cyber safety, cyberbullying, etc. It is unfortunately something that happens, but we talked about what happens and the idea of reporting things to a trusted adult. You could talk with your daughter/son about one thing that got from the assembly.

Coming home today with your child-

*MSTEP parent report 

*Photo books from Geskus for students/families that ordered pictures

Picture Retake Day -

We will have Picture Retake Day on Wednesday, September 28th.  If you missed Start Up Day in August or want to have new pictures taken, plan on getting retakes on September 28th.  If you received a packet of photos, make sure you bring that packet with you to turn in, in order to get new photos.

https://www.geskusphoto.com/ordering

Home Football Game Expectations-

A middle school student section is at the South end of the stadium.  We have the following rules if your son/daughter decides to join the middle school student section:

• No standing on the bleachers

• No running around the stadium/playing football behind the bleachers

• No throwing of objects

• Stay in the middle school section or sit with you

We want the students to enjoy the game and each other in a safe and respectful environment.

Parent Portal reminder-

If you have not done so already, please set up your parent portal in PowerSchool.  Instructions can be found at:

https://sjschools.org/images/Parent_Portal2019.docx.pdf

You will need your child’s student ID number.  That is found on your child’s schedule or your child should be able to provide that to you.

Dig Pink Volleyball Match-

Late Start Next Wednesday, September 21st-

The district will have a late start this Wednesday, September 21st.  School will begin at 8:45 AM.  Buses will run one hour later and breakfast is available starting at 8:15 AM.

Daily Bell Schedule -

Lunch Next Week-

19 Pepperoni Calzone Fruit Choices TATER TOTS SALAD BAR WHT OR CHOC MILK

20 BONELESS CHICKEN WINGS Fruit Choices SALAD BAR SEASONED BROCCOLI WHT OR CHOC MILK FRIED RICE

21 NACHOS WITH BEEF AND CHEESE Fruit Choices Mexican Corn SALAD BAR WHT OR CHOC MILK

22 BAKED CHIPS FRUIT CUP WHT OR CHOC MILK CHICKEN PATTY SANDWICH SALAD BAR

23 MACARONI AND CHEESE GREEN BEANS DINNER ROLL Fruit Choices SALAD BAR WHT OR CHOC MILK

Quote of the week-

Have a great weekend,

Mr. Mandarino