Published: September 09, 2007 12:18 am            

School Happenings for 9-9-07

MIDDLE SCHOOL

• Meet the Teacher Night — The Middle School staff will hold Meet the Teacher Night from 6 to 7 p.m. Monday. Parents may visit one or all of their child’s seven classrooms.

Teachers will be waiting at their doors at 6 p.m.

• UIL Tryouts Begin — Elkhart Middle School started the year off with our UIL tryouts. This year the UIL contest will be for 6th, 7th, and 8th grades altogether at Leon on Feb. 5 and 9.

In junior high there are 16 contests in which we participate. They are Art, Calculator Applications, Dictionary Skills, Editorial Writing, Impromptu Speaking, Listening, Maps, Graphs, and Charts, Mathematics, Modern Oratory, Music Memory, Number sense, Oral Reading, Ready Writing, Science, Social Studies, and Spelling. This year our schedule allows us to have practice on Monday and Wednesday during Activity Period.

The students not participating in UIL will take part in DEAR, which is Drop Everything and Read.

• One-Act Play — The Elkhart Middle School Theatre Department will hold auditions in September for its U.I.L. One-Act Play production of “Alice in Wonderland.” The play will be directed by new facility member Clee Quisenberry and will include a cast of six to 10 performers and a complete technical crew. All students are encouraged to come and try out this month.

The show will premier in December of this year.

• Football Festivities Kick Off! — The Elkhart Middle School will have its first pep rally at 9:45 a.m. Thursday.

The 2007-2008 seventh- and eighth-grade cheerleaders are ready to cheer. Seventh graders include: Jayme Irvin, Holly Ware, Jessi Ballew, Larami McAdams, Taylor Mathis, Tasha Champagne, Melody Lamaster, and Tiffany Thomas.

Eighth graders are: Haley Grant, Shayna Perkins, Katy Jones, Carmen Ashley, Nicole Calloway, Sarah Fincher, Brittanni Johnson, and Maci Gibson.

The seventh-grade football game begins at 5 p.m. in Elkhart against Trinity. Come support the Middle School football teams and cheerleaders!

• Peer Pressure Reversal — Mrs. Fincher’s sixth-grade classes learned all about how to turn the tables on peer pressure this week. Mrs. Holloway presented the students with 10 foolproof responses that will allow you to say no to friends who are pressuring you to make bad choices and still look cool. Some of the responses include making a joke, using flattery, suggesting a better idea, and acting shocked.

The students also role played several scenarios and practiced what they would do in various situations.

The kids had fun, but also took away valuable lessons in how to reverse negative peer pressure and turn it into positive peer pressure.

If parents would like information on the PPR responses or resources they can use at home please contact Mrs. Holloway at the MS office or at mholloway@elkhartisd.org.

• Elk Packs Still Available — We know that store shelves are bare and your kids may still be in need of those last minute supplies.

The Middle School still has plenty of Elk Packs to go around.

The cost of each Elk Pack is only $25 and includes an entire year’s worth of school supplies. If you have already purchased the campus wide student planner you will receive $5 off your Elk Pack purchase.

Also, the mandatory planners are on sale in the Middle School office. The cost of the planner is $5.

• Grade Speed — Don’t forget, you can go to www.elkhartisd.org to sign up for your online Grade Speed access.

This access allows you to view your child’s individual grade reports, as well as email information for each teacher. For assistance, you may call the Middle School office.

• Important Dates — Monday, Meet the Teacher Night; Thursday, first middle school pep rally; Friday, six weeks progress reports.

        

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