Mandarino Minutes

Friday, September 17, 2021

Mandarino Minutes for 9-17-21

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Thanks for coming to Back to School Night -

We appreciated meeting you and getting to share a little about the school year with you! The teaching staff here will work with you in a partnership. It was a great evening all around!

All District Spirit Week -

Next week is a SJPS districtwide spirit week. All students and staff are invited to participate. See the theme each day below.

Picture Retake Day-

If your child missed Start Up Day, we have a picture retake day scheduled for Wednesday, September 29th. If you need an order form, you or your child can stop by to pick one up.

Online order information:

https://prepay.geskusphoto.com/orderSchool.asp

School web code - 3715XWPAVSAOLP

Positivity Project at UMS-

We are so excited that the positivity project is at Upton Middle School this school year! We are incorporating this into our school week several times as we know that relationships and a sense of belonging are a huge part of being successful in school and life.

This week's theme was having an "other people mindset". Next week we will explore "curiosity". The link is password protected, but the passwords is P2. The site is divided into grade level bands and have a video, quote, and 3 questions to ask around the dinner table. Here is the link to tell you more about this project:

P2 for Families Link

One Hour Delay Next Wednesday-

Next Wednesday, September 22nd is a late start. School begins at 8:45 AM. Buses run one hour later. Doors at Upton open at 8:15 AM.

Bell Schedule-

Check out the updated Upton Bell Schedule at:

https://sjschools.org/upton-middle-school/upton-daily-schedules

Mask reminders-

Beginning Monday, September 20th, neck gaiters will no longer be considered an approved mask for students. This policy is being implemented at all buildings at SJPS. This is based on a recommendation from the BCHD and research conducted by Fischer, et al. Students arriving wearing a gaiter or neck warmer will be provided a disposable mask.

Please make sure your child arrives at school with a mask daily. We have had a lot of students forgetting masks this week. We appreciate your help with this reminder. Also, please note that gaiter masks are not allowed K-12 in SJPS.

Absences for your child-

If you are calling your child in absent for a day, please leave a detailed message including the reason they will not be in school. If they are sick, please leave details. We have to report all illnesses to the Berrien County Health Department on a weekly basis. Thank you for your cooperation!

Auditorium Manager/Facility Rental Job Posting opportunity in SJPS -

Please follow the link to a job opening in St. Joseph Public Schools:

SJPS Auditorium/Facility Rental job link

Hot lunch next week-

The hot lunch schedule is also posted each week on the Upton webpage for your convenience. Breakfast and Lunch is only free to students Y5/K-12. Adult lunches are $3.95 and adult breakfast is $2.50.

Monday - Chicken tenders, fruit, ranch wedges

Tuesday - French toast sticks, hash browns, sausage, fruit

Wednesday - Rigatoni pasta, breadstick, veggie, fruit

Thursday - Hot dog on a bun, baked beans, fruit, sunchips

Friday - Pepperoni calzone, veggie, fruit

Quote of the week -

Have a wonderful weekend,

Mr. Mandarino

Friday, September 10, 2021

Mandarino Minutes for 9-10-21

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Upton Back to School Night-

Who: Upton Parents & Guardians ONLY (No students/children at this event)

What: Upton Back to School Night

When: Next Tuesday, September 14th from 6:30 PM-8:00 PM (Doors will open around 6:10 PM)

Where: Upton Middle School

How: You will follow your daughter/son's schedule and visit each teacher for 11 minutes each. You can get the schedule off of PowerSchool or your son/daughter can write it down for you. We will not be printing schedules for this.

We look forward to seeing you next Tuesday evening! If you choose to attend, remember that a mask is mandatory. Parking will be crowded, so please be careful in the parking lot.

Parking Lot reminders-

In the morning please do not park in the front lot and drop kids off unless you have office business to attend to or a student needs additional time to prepare - we would then request that the adult accompanies their student to the sidewalk. It is unsafe to have them crossing through the drop off traffic. We have timed the cycle and it takes 3 to 4 minutes on average. Please be patient and wait in line. Thank you!

Late Start Wednesdays-

Begin this Wednesday, 9/15. School begins at 8:45am. Buses run on an hour delay. Breakfast is available starting at 8:15 AM when the doors open.

Football Game Expectations-

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

No standing on the bleachers
No running around the stadium
No throwing of objects

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

News from our UPTO-

SAVE THE DATE!

UPTO General Meetings - Parents/Guardians are welcome to all general meetings

September 23rd - 1 pm - UPTO General Meeting in the Upton Conference Room
October 28th - 6:30 pm New Parents Informational Meeting / 7 pm General Board Meeting in the Upton Media Center
November 18th - 1 pm - UPTO General Meeting/Upton Conference Room

(Please note location of our meetings are subject to change per COVID restrictions)

Join UPTON PTO on Facebook (Upton Middle PTO)

2 questions required for acceptance

Last call for Spiritwear!

The online store will close this Sunday! Click on the link to make your purchase!

https://ums2021fall.orderpromos.com/

News from the Lunch Room-

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.

9/13/21 – Cheeseburger, French Fries, fruit choice and milk.

9/14/21 –Ham & Cheese Calzone, Broccoli, fruit choice and milk

9/15/21 – Nachos, Refried Beans, fruit choice and milk

9/16/21 – Chicken Patty, Sweet Potato Fries, fruit choice and milk

9/17/21 - French Bread Pizza, vegetable sticks, fruit choice and milk

Sandwiches and Salads will also be available daily as an entree.

Ala carte items will be available for

purchase soon!

Quote of the week-

Have a wonderful Friday and weekend,

Mr. Mandarino

Thursday, September 2, 2021

Mandarino Minutes for 9-2-21

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Welcome Back! -

We want to welcome you back to the 2021-2022 school year! The staff at Upton Middle School is ready for a wonderful year! We so look forward to meeting and working with your child/children this Tuesday, September 7th! Here is a quote to sum up our thoughts about this school year: John Wesley said, “Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can.”

School Day Starts/Ends-

Our school day begins at 7:45 AM and ends at 2:42 PM. On late starts school will begin at 8:45 AM. Breakfast is available each morning free of charge beginning at 7:15 AM.

Masks are required-

Masks are required during the school day inside the building in St. Joseph Public Schools. As you probably ready recently this is also was passed by the Berrien County Health Department for all schoolsin Berrien County. We will expect them to be on during class, passing time, etc. Please help us by having this conversation with your daughter/son before the first day of school.

Pick up and Drop off procedures -

Please refer to the email Mr. Jeffers sent out this morning regarding morning drop off and afternoon pick up. The two graphics really describe the process really well. The biggest thing I want to stress is take your time and be watchful for "our kids".

Free Breakfast and Lunch again this school year -

We are pleased to inform you that St Joseph Public Schools will be participating in the Seamless Summer Option as part of the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs for the School Year 2021-2022.The GREAT NEWS is that ALL students enrolled at our district can receive a healthy breakfast and lunch at NO CHARGE to your household each day. All menus are posted on our website.

To help assist in our production and parent planning we have implemented an online ordering system from www.sendmoneytoschool.com where meals can be ordered up to five days in advance at the Elementary Schools and Middle School.

We have a short Youtube video on the website to instruct on how to set up your Account.

Ala carte items will be available for purchase at Upton and St. Joseph High School. Students must have money in their food service accounts to purchase these items. Parents may put money in their student accounts online through www.sendmoneytoschool.com or send check/cash with the student.

Breakfast and Lunch are FREE to ALL but we still need your household to fill out and sign the Free and Reduced-Price Meal Application (if applicable). Applications can be found online at www.lunchapp.com or a paper copy from your school. This information is critical in determining the amount of money that our

school receives from a variety of State and Federal supplemental programs like Title I A, At-risk (31a), Title II A, E-Rate, etc.

If you have any questions please contact the Food Service Director, DemrhyYoungquist at 926-3127 or by email dyoungquist@sjschools.org

Medication Forms in the Office-

If your child needs to take any kind of medication (prescription, inhaler, epipen, etc.) during the school day, an Authorization to Administer Medication form must be completed by your doctor, along with the medication. Please stop by the office for a form.

Bus Routes -

If you have any questions about your bus stop, check out the routes/times listed on our website:

https://sjschools.org/about-upton-parents/transportation

Save the Date! -

First Upton PTO Board meeting - Thursday, September 23rd - 1 pm.

All are welcome and it will be live streamed on our FB page as well.

More information to come.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT! -

The Upton PTO is extremely appreciative of your generosity! This year we raised over $5,000 which will go directly to providing support to our Upton teachers, faculty, staff and students. Our mission is to promote open and positive communication between parents and staff of Upton Middle School. Our efforts as an organization serve to enhance and maximize the education of every student while helping them achieve their highest potential.

UPTO (Upton Parent Teacher Organization) Spirit Wear Sale-

The Bear Wear/Spirit Wear store is officially open! Go to this link to place your order:

Https://ums2021fall.orderpromos.com/

The online store will close on Sept. 12th. Items are expected to be delivered to Upton in approximately 4 weeks. We appreciate your support! Go Bears!

Did your child forget something at home? -

If your son/daughter forgot an item we will have a table in the vestibule for you to set the item down at. You will simply buzz in at the front door, the secretary will let you in, and you will set the item down on the table, and your child can check in at the office for the item. We are limiting the visitors inside the building.