Weekly Top for 12-14-18

Folks,


Locker clean-out-
New rotation equals locker clean-out next Tuesday, December 18th.  Please make sure your recycling bin and trash can are right outside your door area for students to put stuff in.

Staff Party this evening-
Tonight beginning at 6:30 PM will be the staff Christmas party at Baroda Founders.  Many appetizers and desserts will tickle your tastebuds.  The company isn't bad either! 😁

Thanks for attending Monday evening-
A special thanks to our 13 staff members who attended the board of education meeting on Monday evening!  Amy and Denise noticed the strong support from the Upton staff and were very grateful!

Great concert Wednesday evening-
The middle/high school band concert was a huge success Wednesday evening!  Aaron, Rachel, and the A.I.R.'s work hard to help our students grow musically!

No meetings next week-
No staff, technology, BLT, or school improvement next week.  When we planned back in August we thought that would be a nice holiday gift to you!

Choir & Orchestra Concert next Tuesday-
Next Tuesday evening at 7:00 PM in the John & Dede Howard Auditorium will be the middle school choirs along with the 7th & 8th grade orchestras.  The concert is always very entertaining!

Breakfast next Friday morning-
The staff breakfast will begin around 6:45 AM next Friday morning in the media center.  Our social committee along with our UPTO sponsor this morning.  It is a nice time to visit and honor our right-hand people.

In-house Concert for the Student Body-
The in-house concert will begin close to 1:10 next Friday, December 21st.  The concert will go to about 2:30ish.  Our kids will be excited for the break, so they are always a little rambunctious at this concert.  

Marigolds of the week-
Our marigolds of the week are Amy Porritt-Peirce and Denise Reeves.  The two served with dignity, hard-work, humbleness, care, and love for SJPS!

Quote of the week-

Have a great weekend and see you at the staff party,
Chad

Weekly Top for 12-7-18

Folks,

7th grade vision screening reminder-

Just a reminder that we have 7th grade vision screening is this morning in the conference room.  We have no idea how long this will take, but it will go in to multiple hours.  

Staff Meeting-

This Monday at the staff meeting we have a video clip, an interesting article to read and talk about, a visit from Ann C., etc.  It will begin at 2:55 sharp.

School Board this Monday evening-

Thanks to all who have contributed to the google doc for Amy & Denise.  It is not too late, so if you would like you could add something today.  Here is the link again:  Amy & Denise Doc.   I also some of you can make the school board meeting work this Monday at 6:00 PM.  They do not last long, and as a bonus you will see Xavier Gibbons, Sonia Komdeur, and John Norland present along with Jenna Francis at the meeting.

Marigolds of the week-

This week I have two marigolds again!

Susan Hunnell along with Builders Club students made St. Joe blankets to present to our retiring board members. Susan also coordinated card signed from the students for Monday evening.

Beth Gray-Roll and the Uptones for caroling around Upton Middle School yesterday during 1st hour.  I told the Uptones it would end up being the high point of my day, and it turns out it was!  By the way, today is Beth's last day before baby #2!

Holiday Luncheon next Thursday, Dec. 13th-

Sharon, Karon, Michelle B., Michelle C., Brigitte, and Amy will be hosting their annual Christmas luncheon featuring: sliced ham/turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, sweet potatoes, roll, cake, etc.  The ladies always work hard in what they prepare for our students and staff!

Concert on December 21st-

Our in-school concert will happen during 5th & 6th hours on Friday, December 21st.  We will start calling student down around 12:55 with the hopes of beginning around 1:15.  We predict we will get done around 2:30-2:35ish. (We want to give enough time at the end of the day, so that no one misses the bus.)

Breakfast on December 21st-

For those of you that are new to UMS, our annual Christmas breakfast (Food provided by the UPTO) will be Friday before school starting at around 6:45 AM.  It is a time to gather, enjoy each others company, pay tribute to important people, and just relax and enjoy the atmosphere.

Staff Party on December 14th-

A week from today at Baroda Founders is our staff Christmas party at 6:30 PM.  When the staff of UMS gets together a ton of laughs are sure to follow.  

Wonderful 6th grade "informance"-

Rachel and Burke had the 6th graders sounding great for their 1st concert they have ever performed.  The parents, siblings, and grandparents loved the short, but sweet concert!

Band Concert next week-

Speaking of concerts, our middle school bands will combine with the HS bands next Wednesday, December 12th for their Holiday Concert beginning at 7:00 PM at the John & Dede Howard Auditorium.  

Lockdown-

We did a great job with the lockdown yesterday during the passing time.  Continue to stress the importance of these drills with your kids.  We have just a few little things to add about this on Monday.

Messages to Fred-

Former UMS volunteer of the year, Fred Alten, is in hospice care.  Our students this week wrote short little messages on a huge poster and it was delivered to him.  Fred volunteered for NLBSA for years, kept clock at our basketball games, kept clock, would put down the down markers, and announced our football games.  Fred always has a kid-first attitude.

Quote of the week-

In honor of a Yale graduate & starting first-basemen, Navy veteran during WWII, liaison to China, head of the CIA, Vice President, and President George Herbert Walker Bush.

Have a great weekend,

Chad

Weekly Top for 11-30-18

Folks, 

Technology Meeting on Monday-
We have several items on the agenda for the technology meeting on Monday.  We will begin as close to 2:50 as possible.

6th grade "Informance" on Tuesday-

Our 6th grade orchestra students will perform next Tuesday evening at 7:00 PM in the Blue Gym.  It is always neat to see the growth!

The Ultimate Gift-

You should have now read through page 60 (I know many of you already read the whole thing).  This month we look forward to seeing how JB, MacKellar, & Khan bring the gift of problems & Ian, Kristin, Torrey, and Joanie bring the gift of family alive at UMS!

Looking forward to Observations-

Craig and I are doing our observations starting next week.  If you have a lesson in particular you would love for us to see give us a few options for different hours to view it and we will do our best.

Marigolds of the week-

Our custodial crew & Ann St. Amand on Monday did an awesome job of dealing with electrical outages, removing snow, and doing their best to keep "our salmon eggs" alive.  We really appreciate our hardworking crew!

Quote of the week-

Have a great weekend,
Chad

Weekly Top for 11-16-18

Folks,



No meeting Monday-
No Monday meeting (staff, school improvement, tech.) for our short work week.

BLT Tuesday-
Our BLT team will meet on Tuesday, November 20th from 2:50-3:35 PM.  We have a few interesting topics.

1/2 day-
It will be all classes for 30 minutes each on Wednesday, November 21st.  The high school is also running all classes for 1/2 the time.

Conferences-
Thanks again for your time, great conversations, and insight you shared with parents last week at conferences.
Here are the statistics:
6th grade-  53% (121)
7th grade-  49%  (127)
8th grade-  50 % (114)
362 of 714 students represented for 51% overall.

Our assembly this week-
We had four follow-up cards that Sportsworld returned to Upton Middle School from the Todd Jadlow talk. Torrey & Amy will see all four students.  This assembly provided the opportunity to catch these 4 students and see what is going on, and hopefully they can be helped.

Staff meeting this week-
I hope you found the staff meeting as informative as I did.  Dr. Flynn is a very nice lady and is always willing to help if needed.  We had a mom talk to me this week about her child wanting to harm himself.  

Marigold/s of the week-

Teri retrieved a suspicious envelope out of recycling.  It turns out it was a BOP fundraising envelope with money in it! Teri also compiled our conference data from above.

I would also like to thank our kitchen ladies for their turkey luncheon on Wednesday.  They always provide service with a smile.

Quote of the week-

Keep shooting and never give up! You will eventually succeed!

Have a wonderful weekend,

Chad

Weekly Top for 11-2-18

Folks,


End of the Marking Period/Grades due-
Today is officially the end of the 1st marking period.  Wow, where did the time go?  Grades are now due Tuesday, November 6th by 4:00 PM.  It would be great that when we run the verification report Wednesday (Nov. 7th) morning it says, "100% submitted!"

Parent-Teacher Conferences-
When:  Thursday, November 8th  12:30-4:00 PM and 5:30-8:30 PM
Where: St. Joseph High School Student Center
What:  A chance to talk to each parent for 5 minutes or less.

We will also have a community resource fair in the hallway between middle school and high school conferences.  High School conferences are in the SJHS Field House.  Our awesome UPTO group will also be sponsoring a meal between afternoon and evening conferences.

BLT Tuesday-
BLT will be Tuesday, November 6th from 2:50-3:35 PM

Career Day-
Renee, Torrey, Amy, Beth and Craig have planned a very nice career day for next Friday, November 9th.  Hopefully you had the chance to read Torrey's email from Tuesday afternoon with all the details.  If you haven't read it, please do so today.  The email contains the schedule, room assignments, etc.

Picture Retakes-
Picture retakes will take place on Monday, November 5th in the morning.  Students will bring their picture packets back with them and turn them into the picture company, Geskus.  This is also an opportunity for students who have not yet had their pictures taken for one reason or another to have it done.  If you have not had your picture taken this is the last time for yearbook purposes.

Guest Speaker on November 14th-
Just a reminder that we will have a guest speaker, Todd Jadlow, former Indiana, New Jersey Nets, and European basketball player talking to our students on Wednesday, November 14th at 9:00 AM.

Marigold of the week-
Kelsey Griffith for doing a phenomenal job student-teaching at Upton Middle School!  She was a part of every thing we did at UMS, did a great job helping Dana get through her pneumonia so that the students didn't miss a beat, and also assisted other staff with various roles.  We wish her the best in her next adventure!

Bark in the Park 5K-9 Run/Walk-

The Interact Clubs of Upton Middle School and Lake Michigan Catholic Middle School and the Children’s Advocacy Center of Southwest Michigan are excited to invite you to the First Annual Bark in the Park 5K-9 Fun Run/Walk!  The race will be held on Saturday, November 10.  The run/walk will begin at 9 a.m. at Riverview Park in St. Joseph.  Please click on the link for registration and more information:
First Annual Bark in the Park 5K-9 Fun Run/Walk Link





Quote of the week-

Have a wonderful weekend,

Chad