Feb 2015 - Pinellas County Schools
Transcription
Feb 2015 - Pinellas County Schools
HAWKS TICKETS: Students are rewarded with Hawks Tickets when they are observed behaving positively. These tickets are collected and weekly drawings are held. The winners are recognized on Teaching good behavior is an integral part our morning news program and awarded a of education. Students at Seminole prize. Middle School are expected to demonstrate respectful, responsible and safe behaviors. To help students HAWKS Tickets Tips for Students: There are Hawks ticket collecting incorporate these behaviors into their bins in the cafeteria, the grade lives, we have instituted Positive Behavior level offices and most language Intervention Support (PBIS). This arts classrooms. Make sure to initiative focuses on teaching and turn in your tickets! rewarding desired behaviors. Please read You can earn Hawks tickets on the on for a refresher on some of our school- bus, in the cafeterias and in the wide procedures. hallways too. Make sure to display positive behaviors in ALL areas of OUR ON-GOING MISSION: To provide a positive, safe educational environment conducive for academic growth. OUR HAWKS EXPECTATIONS: H: Have RESPECT for self and others A: Always be PREPARED and ON TIME W: Will make GOOD CHOICES K: Keep FOCUSED on GOALS S: Show RESPONSIBILITY HAWK MOTTO: HAWKS soar with PRIDE, RESPECT, DETERMINATION, and RESILIENCE! the school. HAWKS FLIGHT CARDS: Students who maintain good academic and conduct grades are rewarded with a HAWKS Flight Card each nine weeks. Earning a Flight Card awards students with special privileges to recognize their hard work over the course of a grading period. Flight Card Criteria: No Ds or Fs on report card No Ns or Us in conduct Flight Card Privileges: Leave your last class 2 minutes early on Fridays. Use to excuse 1 tardy. Attend positive behavior events Congratulations to our TSIC scholarship winners: Hilda Alcaraz-De La Cruz Sofia Orfanidis Casey Fekollari Sarah Golden Avani Davis Rachel Broomhead Michael Beasley-Kanash Delianis Olivieri Anthony Bowman Sandy Nguyen Allecia Teal Students officially join the Take Stock In Children program after they sign the contract with their parents/guardian at the contract signing on March 3rd. February is… Volunteer Appreciation Month We want to thank all of the volunteers who give so much to our students. We appreciate your time and effort! We couldn’t do it without you. TUTORS/MENTORS NEEDED! Greetings Hawks Family! Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Debbie Brakke, the new Family and Community Liaison at Seminole Middle School. I am thrilled to be a part of this great school, and am delighted to help with any of your questions. Please call me at 727-5474520 extension 2015. The number of active volunteers I've been privileged to meet already has been amazing and I speak for all the staff when I say thank you to our volunteers this month! We, at Seminole Middle School, appreciate the way you give back so generously to our school and community. Please keep in mind that we will have a small get together to celebrate your volunteering later in the year more details to follow. Please consider tutoring a student who is struggling in their academic subjects. Algebra, pre-algebra and reading are subjects most often in need of a little extra support. Training is required to become a mentor. Call 727-547-4520 or email Debbie Brakke at [email protected] to register to attend one of the mentor trainings. Parents, Please have your students check the Lost and Found (located in the 8th grade house) for all of their misplaced items. Currently, there are jackets, hoodies, sweaters, backpacks, lunchboxes, pencil bags, shoes, hair clips, library books, notebooks, eyeglasses, keys, and flash drives (smaller items are kept at Mrs. Haber’s desk). All items will be donated if not claimed by February 27, 2015. Congratulations to our 2014 -2015 PRIDE Award winners. Math Science Social Studies Writing World Language Joseph Hill Thomas Bladykas Abigail Grassick Ashlee Rice Cameron Kay Pinellas Virtual School part-time enrollment is in full swing. Pinellas Virtual School part-time enrollment for fall and spring courses for the 2015-16 school year is underway through March 27. Enrollment in Pinellas Virtual School is one way students can meet the state’s online credit requirement. Under Florida’s Digital Learning Act, students are required to complete an online course as part of the state’s 24-credit minimum needed to graduate. Honors courses and popular electives, such as HOPE and Driver's Education are offered as part-time curriculum aligned with Pinellas County Schools. Families can enroll online at www.virtualschool.pcsb.org. Pinellas Virtual School will offer students an opportunity to enroll full-time in April. Our 8th grade youth group at Anona Methodist Church has been working on a mission for an organization called Clothes to Kids. Clothes to Kids is a nonprofit organization that helps collect new or slightly used clothes for children who are in situations where it is hard for them to get clothes. Clothes to Kids gives these children the clothes they need free of charge. They collect clothes for children of all shapes and sizes. Clothes to Kids is an amazing organization that has helped many kids. They make it easy to help and make a difference. The students kicked off this project by brainstorming ways they could expand our already successful mission into an even better one. They decided they could try to spread the help to their schools! After several weeks of planning and preparing for the clothing drive, they made posters and advertisement videos to play for their schools. On January 6th, the 8th graders began collecting. They spent two weeks collecting at Seminole, Morgan Fitzgerald, and Oakgrove Middle Schools as well as at church. By the end of the collection the students had several vans full of clothing! The 8th grade small group of Anona United Methodist Church is honored to have been able to take part in such an experience. The group is so happy that we have been able to take a mission from our church and expand it to our local middle schools. With such a great success this year we are excited for our next clothing drive. The youth group works their hardest to get out into the community to help make a difference. The accomplishments that have been made are amazing and are hopefully changing the lives of kids in their community. If a child you know is in need of clothing, please do not hesitate to get a letter of referral and make an appointment with Clothes to Kids, and visit their website for more information. http://www.clothestokids.org/ Every year all 8th graders learn about budgeting and financial planning through their Social Studies classes. At the end of the 5 week curriculum all 8th grade students are expected to attend Finance Park at the Gus A. Stavros Center in Largo. Permission slips will be handed out in April and lunch will cost $2.50. To attend, we need parent volunteers to sign up and attend with their student’s teacher. All volunteers must be registered with SMS before they can go. If you are interested, please contact your student’s Social Studies teacher or SMS. Here are the dates each teacher’s classes are going to Finance Park: May 1st-Wright, Moore, Reybitz May 4th-Burdette May 5th-Schlierer May 6th-Gluck Happy Photo February! This month, the yearbook staff is collecting photos of YOU outside of school! You can email your pet pictures, travel pictures, or outside of school photos to [email protected] to be featured in the yearbook! 8th graders only, send in your baby photos. Don't forget yearbooks are always on sale online at ybpay.lifetouch.com and during lunch on Wednesdays. Much Love, The Yearbook Staff MR CARVER’S CLASS Congratulations to the following students for having their artwork accepted into upcoming exhibitions: Kelly Campagna, Xaviar Rivera, and Mary Powell have work that will be on display at the “Taking Shape” exhibit at the Dunedin Fine Arts Center. Their work will be on display from February 21-March 29 at the Dunedin Fine Arts Center, located at 1143 Michigan Blvd in Dunedin. Haley McHale and Evan Gordon have work that will be on display at the Clearwater Arts Alliance exhibit “March Is Youth Art Month" at the Clearwater Library. We are very proud of our students’ hard work and their achievements. On January 21st, students in Mr. Carver’s classes welcomed Dr. Barbara Zorin, USF St. Petersburg Professor of Math Education who introduced them to the math game “Integer Bones,” a fun game that helps students reinforce their skills with integer operations. Students had a great time while building their skills in math! Mrs. Guth, the 8th grade counselor, visited all 8th grade history classes in February to help students develop a 4 year plan for high school. In order to be promoted to 9th grade, all public middle school students must complete a Career and Education Planning Course which is included as part of their history class. In this course students will create a plan for high school using Counselor Connect which can be accessed through Focus. The 4 year plan will guide them in choosing all required courses and allow students to plan elective courses related to their career cluster and long term goals after high school. Students can make changes to their plans and review their transcripts directly from their account. A completed 4 year plan needs at least 24 credits planned. Actual registration for high school will take place in March. Please review your child’s plan and check out the website. It contains valuable information to prepare students for life beyond high school. Visit Counselor Connect to: Create a high school academic plan Track progress toward graduation Check eligibility for Bright Futures Scholarship Awards Learn about Florida’s post secondary programs Apply online to state universities and colleges Apply online for state and federal financial aid (FAFSA) Mrs. Guth will be going into science classes the week of February 16th to discuss high school registration. Students will receive their course request form which will include the teachers’ recommendations for the core academic courses. If the parent disagrees with the teacher recommendation, the parents should talk to the high school guidance counselor about making any changes. Students will be given the form to take home to make elective choices. Forms should then be returned to their science teacher. If the student is attending Seminole High School, the top copy should be taken to the school during their curriculum night on March 26 from 4:30-6:30. This is a time to talk with the guidance counselor and learn more about the electives and clubs offered at Seminole High School. All other forms will be sent directly to the high school. If you have any questions about high school registration, please contact Mrs. Guth at 547-4520. Dear SMS Parent/ Guardian: SMS will be conducting screenings Mon & Tues. Feb 23 & 24th. This screening will be for 6th Grade and any student that is new to the Pinellas County School district. This will consist of vision and hearing screenings, a scoliosis evaluation, and a Body Mass Index assessment. If you choose not to have your student participate in this screening, please submit your request in writing and have your student bring it to the grade level house - Attention: School Nurse. It is very important that your student is not absent during the screening dates. Also, if your student wears glasses or contacts, make sure your student has them on the day of screening. Sincerely, Susan Todd, RN SMS School Nurse 727-452-1496 The intent of the immunization and physical examination is to assure a healthy, protected school population and to identify and correct any problems or potential problems that might interfere with learning. Entrance requirements are based upon Florida Statute, regulations of The Department of Health and policies of the Pinellas County Schools Board. We are encouraging parents/guardians to know their student’s immunization status. If your student has an immunization status labeled with “Temporary Medical Exemption”, please note expiration date. Immunization(s) must be given before that expiration date. Also, any time your student receives an immunization, please bring copy of immunization record to the school. If you are not sure of your student’s immunization status or immunization compliance please contact your physician.” All immunization dates must be on Florida Certificate of Immunization (DH680) All Pinellas County Health Department Centers provide free immunizations For immunization information, contact your physician or the Pinellas County Health Department Clearwater Center 310 North Myrtle Ave. (727) 469-5800 Pinellas Park Center 6350 76th Ave. N (727) 547-7780 Mid-County Center 8751 Ulmerton Rd. (727) 524-4410 St. Petersburg Center 205 Dr. MLK St. N. (727) 824-6900 Tarpon Springs Center 301 South Disston Ave. (727) 942-5457 News Congratulations to Ashleigh Butler, Amyia Brown, and James Ingram for being chosen for the 30th Annual Joseph L. Carwise Minority Student Achievement Awards. The awards ceremony hosted by the Superintendent's North County Minority Advisory Committee will be held on Saturday, April 18, 2015. This event gives public recognition to minority students attending northern Pinellas County Schools who have demonstrated excellence in scholarship. Would you like to play sports after school? We are excited to introduce Intramural Sports (within our walls) at Seminole Middle School. There are no cuts, all grade levels are welcome, and we host a different sport/tournament each month. This is a fun way to stay active, meet others, and compete against friends that you can’t in PE. Dates: Informational meeting, February 24, 2015 (Tuesday) from 4-5PM in the gymnasium. All interested players will get to meet the coaches and receive individual and team sign up paperwork at the meeting. All interested participants must meet all criteria by March 6th and the first evening of fun (4-6PM) will be on March 10th, 2015. If you cannot make the meeting, please pick up participation packets at grade level offices on February 25, 2015. Thank you, LETS PLAY! For more information please contact: Coach Hastings- [email protected] Coach Rayel- [email protected] Meet Your Legislator Session at SMS On February 23rd, Representative Larry Ahern will participate in a “Meet Your Legislator” session at Seminole Middle School. The event is cosponsored by the SMS PTSA and SAC, and will run from 6-7pm in the cafeteria. Parents, teachers and students are all welcome to attend to meet Rep. Ahern and share their questions and concerns in an open Q & A session. A table will also be set up at the event so those attending can sign up to receive legislative alerts. Hope to see you there! PTSA is collecting Labels for Education. These labels can be submitted as points to purchase items from LFE catalog. The labels can be found on a variety of Campbell’s, Pepperidge Farms, Bic, Prego, V8, Pace, Danon, Pop Secret, Glad, Post, and Swanson products. Collection box is located in the front office. Please make sure to include the UPC (barcode) with your label. Test Taking Tips as FSA Approaches: 1. Show up on time. Get the test off to the best possible start by getting there on time. 2. Stay focused and relaxed. Keep your mind on the test, but don’t tighten up. Try to stay loose and cool so you can move through the questions one by one. If you feel anxious, take some deep breaths and then get right back to the test questions. 3. Sit comfortably. Don’t hunch over the test or stiffen up. Sit in a relaxed way and keep your posture loose. 4. Expect and accept a little bit of stress. Don’t worry if you still have some stress while you begin the test. Almost everyone feels this…it’s there because you want to do your best and get a good grade. The key is to accept it and not let worrying about the stress make you even more stressed. Tell yourself, “I’m a little worried, but that’s okay. I’m going to do well on this test because I’m prepared.” 5. Read the directions. Take a minute to read the test instructions before you get started. This will keep you from making simple mistakes and guarantee that you won’t have to waste time going back and redoing any work because you didn’t understand the directions. 6. Pace yourself. Your test will be timed. Know ahead of time how many questions there are and how quickly you will have to move through each one. Don’t focus on the clock as time ticks away, but glance up every once in awhile to make sure you’re not falling behind pace. 7. Don’t rush. Try to keep a good pace…but never rush through a question. Make sure you understand what is being asked, and then make sure you think clearly about your answer. 8. Don’t get distracted. Keep your eyes on your paper, unless it’s to glance at the clock occasionally. Don’t look at the students around you, this could take your mind off the test. Another good reason to stay focused on your own test is that if you start looking around the room, a teacher might think you’re trying to cheat. 9. Focus on the stuff you know. What happens if you come across a question that absolutely stumps you or seems impossible to answer? Pass on the questions like these and come back if you have time. You might come up with the answer to the hard question while you’re answering an easier one! 10. Use all your time. If you happen to finish the test before time is up, don’t sit there staring into space. Go back over the questions, especially the ones that seemed hard, and check your work. Fixing obvious mistakes can help boost your grade and is better than just waiting for the clock to run out. 2014-2015 Track Team Congratulations to the following students 2015 SMS Boys Track Team 2015 SMS Girls Track Team 1. Bradley, William 2. Breaziel, Joshua 3. Brugueras, Isaiah 4. Clemons, Vernell 5. Dayton, Chadwick 6. DeMarzo, Tristan 7. Ewing, Connor 8. Holman, Anthony 9. Howard, Shawn 10.Hulsebosch, Sheldon 11.Jackasal, Mykah 12.Joyner, Alex 13.Long, Andrew 14.McClary, Zuri 15.Newsome, Malik 16.Outlaw, Cameron 17.Pollard, Alexander 18.Prestipino, Griffen 19.Siragusa, Logan 20.Wallace, Diego 21.Workman, Sam 22.Yawn, Caleb 1. Miranda Bornhauser 2. Megan Bradley 3. Ariana Centanni 4. Sarah Coco 5. Brynnley Connell 6. Chelsey Garrett 7. J’maya Henderson 8. Anastasija Jokanovic 9. Taylor Malz 10.Victoria Mcdevitt 11.Jessica Mutnansky 12. Grace Palmer 13.Taylor Richardson 14.Emily Strobhor 15.Rachel Strobhor 16.Shannon Strobhor 17.Ky’jah Triplett 18.Hailey Underwood 19.Megan Reed 20.Taylor Stone 21.Monique Gray 22.Mckenzie Stubbs 2015 Seminole Middle School Boys and Girls Track Schedule Thursday, February 26 Largo @ Seminole Middle School *meet at Seminole High School Thursday, March 5 Oak Grove @ Seminole *meet at Seminole High School Thursday, March 12 Seminole @ Osceola Middle *meet at Osceola Middle Thursday, March 19 Pinellas Park @ Seminole *meet at Seminole High School Districts will be held at Clearwater High School, with Largo and Oak Grove Co-Hosting Monday, March 23 and Wednesday, March 25 Meets start at 4:30pm 6 6 17 21-22 23 23-24 26 28 Progress Reports No School SAC Meeting – 7pm Solo Ensemble – Gibbs HS Meet your Legislator Rep Ahern 6pm 6th Grade Vision and Hearing Track Meet – Seminole High School 4:30 World Language Day - Meadowlawn 2 AVID Parent Meeting 6pm 3 FSA ELA Writing 6th & 7th Grade 5-10 FSA Writing 8th Grade 5 Track Meet – Seminole High 4:30pm 14 Pow Wow Parade 14 Truck Pull – Seminole Library 13 End of Report Period 12 Track Meet - Osceola Middle 4:30pm 16 No School 17 Spring Pictures 18 6th Grade Orientation 6pm 19 Track Meet-Seminole High 4:30 23&25 Track District Meet - Clearwater High 24 NOPE Presentation 25 Report Cards 27 Colorguard FFCC Championship Daytona 30 Spring Break Begins 6 24 21 28 School Reopens Mid-Term Progress Reports SAC Meeting 7pm AVID Carnival 6pm 1,4,5,6 1-2 8 15 19 25 29 Finance Park Festival Disney Chorus 8th Grade Celebration Universal 8th Grade Dance 7pm SAC Meeting 7pm No School Universal Studios – Chorus