Meigs Memos

 Tuesday, September 1, 2009

A Weekly Publication of Meigs Middle Magnet School www.meigsmagnetms.mnps.org

From Jon Hubble, Principal……..Most of you are aware that the State Department of Education for Tennessee has changed its curriculum standards for math, reading and science effective this school year.   The curriculum is much more rigorous.   While it makes sense that our students should be able to handle the changes pretty easily, we do want to make you aware that many of the old standards have been pushed down to a lower grade level.   An example would be that, in the past, applying the concept of slope would have been an Honors Algebra indicator.  Now, using slope to analyze situations and solve problems is an 8^th grade math expectation.   Another example would be connecting rational numbers to locations on the number line.  Formerly, an advanced student in the seventh grade should have been able to do so.  Now, all sixth graders are expected to do so.  

Our students took a pre-assessment on these new math and reading standards this morning.  We will use this information to determine our needs and it will help drive our instruction this year. 

Thank you for your interest in academics here at Meigs!  After all, that’s the primary reason you send your child to this great school.  Right?

Have a terrific week and a restful Labor Day!

Hand-outs tomorrow:   Please be on the look out. Students will be bringing hand-outs home tomorrow regarding H1N1 flu, and a morning drop off facts sheet.

PTO NEWS

PTO Meeting: Thursday, September 10^th  is the first , and biggest meeting of the year. We will begin at 8:10am in the library, just after morning announcements. We’ll hear reports from several of our chairpersons who have been busy heading up various projects around the school. This is your perfect opportunity to get caught up on all the good work being done on behalf of all our students. We will also be presenting the PTO budget and will set meeting dates/times for the semester. All are welcome. Minutes from the meeting will be posted on the school website and on the PTO bulletin board across from the lobby about a week later.

Meigs Mart: Our spirit wear shop will be open on Thursdays from 2:50 until 3:30 in the lobby. In case you haven’t heard, Meigs Mart has been more popular than ever and has already surpassed the sales done all of last school year. Could it be our new SSA guidelines that allow for Meigs tees and hoodies? Or just that our Meigs Mart moms know what kids like! We have re-stocked, again,  and now have maroon mesh shorts in adult sizes (M, L, XL at $12) and grey or navy jersey shorts ($10) in both youth and adult sizes. The shorts are also SSA! We’ve got Youth M, L and adult sizes of tees in a variety of colors ($8). Baseball jerseys are about sold out for the season; so if an Adult M or L works, come early ($12). We also have plenty of lanyards ($3). Cash and checks made payable to Meigs PTO are accepted. Our Meigs Mart moms are looking to put together a spirit wear team of parents that can help with Thursday sales or event sales as well as those interested in helping with choosing/organizing inventory. If this sounds like something you might enjoy doing, please contact Dana Mennen at dana.mennen@uscm.org

Citipass Books and Smart Card Sale about to wrap up! Does your child want to go to a pizza party during school? How about an ice cream party? Sell three Smart Cards by September 11^th and your student will be invited to a pizza party; sell four and receive another card free. Cards are available for Davidson County as well as surrounding counties. Sell three Citipass books and your student will be invited to an ice cream thank you party. Sell five books and receive one book free. For every ten books sold, your student will receive one spin on the money wheel during the party. The top three sellers of books in the entire school will get to invite one friend for a LIMO RIDE TO LUNCH! The top selling family in the entire school will receive a “Parent’s Night Out” gift package which will include dinner for two at a nice local restaurant, movie passes and other goodies. Any student who sells 20 books will get their name put in a Nashville Citipass city-wide drawing for a 5 day, 4 night stay in Destin, Florida. (Trip subject to availability) Both of these fundraisers donate a generous portion of proceeds back to Meigs. Also, both items offer loads of discounts that pay for themselves within just a couple of uses! To qualify for prizes, we must receive your order by September 11^th! For questions about Citipass, contact Debbie Kammerman at 772-4550. For information about Smart Cards, contact Beth Anderson at 646-2199.

Directory/Database Update: Hats off to a great volunteer parent, Misa Culley, who has entered all information from the gold database forms that parents had turned in as of last Thursday. Way to go Misa! Now the vast majority of our parents should be receiving emails from the school. If you know of someone who is not, please have them contact our database manager at meigs_postmaster@evrits.com We are on track at this point to have our directory printed and ready for distribution in late September.

Communication with Teachers   Realizing that not all of our families have ready access to internet and email, the agenda is an invaluable tool for direct communication with your teachers. Agendas are a required item at Meigs and may be purchased for $6. E-mail is also an easy way to communicate with your teachers; however, please remember that most teachers respond to e-mail requests during their planning time. If there is an urgent need to deliver a message to your child before school is out, the best method is telephoning our school office and we will put a message on the message board. Your child will be called to the office during afternoon announcements to get his or her message.  Teachers will use individual teacher web sites though our school website to give classroom information. They will also post grades online through Gradespeed.  This is the second year we have used this, and you will receive information about Gradespeed shortly. Notes to your teachers will also be welcomed and we will attempt to respond within 24 to 48 hours.

If you have any concerns or important information to share about your child and his/her experiences here at Meigs, we want to hear about them as soon as possible. Please understand, however, that in order to protect instructional time, our teachers will not be able to hold impromptu conferences at the beginning of the school day or during class time.

H1N1 Cases of H1N1 influenza continue to be reported in Davidson County. When an ill person coughs or sneezes, influenza viruses can spread directly to others through small droplets. Students and adults who are sick should NOT come to school.

* Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

• Cover your coughs and sneezes with the crook of your elbow or a tissue.

• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. If water is not near, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

• Try not to touch your eyes, nose, or mouth. Germs often spread this way.

For more information go to:

www.health.nashville.gov/WebDocs/FluUpdates/H1N1SchoolLetter.pdf

Absence Policy   When children are absent from school, the absence is automatically considered unexcused unless parents have put the reason in writing.  We ask that children bring excuse notes to the office immediately upon arrival to school.  Parents may also fax excuse notes to 271-3223 or they may e-mail either the principal or the attendance secretary, Ms. Cindy Booker at jon.hubble@mnps.org or cindy.booker@mnps.org.  After 3 unexcused absences, a letter is sent advising parents of the possibility of an attendance review board.   If absences become frequent, even with notes, there may be a possibility for physician’s excuses stating the medical reason for repeated absences.

Tardy Students:  It is our expectation for parents bringing students to school tardy from a morning appointment to come into the office with their student and sign them in.   Students arriving with a minimal tardy time to school because of traffic, overslept, running late, etc. do not need a parent to come in with them.  Students arriving tardy for any reason after 8:30 AM should have a parent escort them into the office to sign them in.

Schedule Changes   All schedule changes must be approved by Mr. Hubble; therefore, requests should be made to him.   Schedule changes for the year will not be considered after September 12.   Most of the time, changes are requested due to some circumstance that can be addressed within the classroom.  Please speak with your child’s teacher if you have concerns in that regard. 

Vanderbilt programs for talented youth: SAVY, or Saturday Academy at Vanderbilt for the young will be offered in a fall session for the first time for six consecutive Saturday mornings from 9:00 to 11:45 AM beginning September 26^th and ending October 31^st.  For more information or to download an application visit our website at http://pty.vanderbilt.edu/savy.html. Classes are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Applications received by August 28^th will qualify for a 10% early bird discount.

National College Colors Day: Wear your college colors wherever you are on Friday, September 4, 2009 for the fifth annual College Colors Day celebration! College Colors Day is an annual celebration dedicated to promote the traditions and spirit that make the college experience great by encouraging people across America to wear apparel of their favorite college or university throughout the day of Friday, September 4.

Middle Tennessee Vocal Association auditions: for 5^th and 6^th grade students to be a part of the Elementary Honors Choir.  Any 5^th or 6^th grade General Music student is able to audition.  Auditions will be recorded in Mrs. Egerton’s room Monday, October 12^th after school. There is a $5 registration fee to audition.  The registration fee is due no later than Friday, September 18^th. Contact Mrs. Egerton (Delicia.egerton@mnps.org) to sign up or for more information.

YMCA Model U.N. Competition: There will be an organizational meeting in Dr. Pennington’s room 214 Wednesday, Sept 2^nd, for students interested in participating in the YMCA’s Model U.N. competition which will be held all day on Tuesday, November 10^th at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Cool Springs. Participation fee is $35.

Running Club: Boys who are interested in participating in the running club may join this week as long as they have a physical dated June 1^st or since. Running Club will meet on Mondays and Wednesdays after school until 4:30.

Athletic Physicals   Any 7^th or 8^th grade student wishing to compete on any of our athletic teams must have a current physical (dated June 1, 2009, or later) on file as well as proof of insurance.

Scrabble Club: will begin today after school in Mr. Haneys room. Scrabble club is open to all grade levels and will meet each Tuesday until 4:30 in room 113. No experience is necessary. Come out and learn all about Tournament Scrabble play, come by and sign up to participate.

Student medications such as Tylenol, ibuprofen, etc. that are brought to the office for your student MUST be in a brand new unopened bottle.

Jason and the Argonauts: 6^th grade, most of 5^th grade, and Latin will be attending Jason and the Argonauts on October 5.

Chess Club News: The first meeting of the Meigs Chess Club will take place Thursday, Sept 3^rd from 3:10 to 4:30 in the Library. The club is open to all students, and anyone who thinks they may be interested is welcome to come by and get information. Last year our sixth graders won the Elementary State Champsionships, and we are looking forward to another great year! Please remember to make arrangements for a ride home at 4:30.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Model U.N. Meeting                 September 2

Chess Club                              September 3

Fall Picture Day                       September 3

Meigs Mart                               September 3

National College Colors Day  September 4

PTO Meeting                            September 10

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