MONTICELLO PUBLIC SCHOOLS
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Middle
Volume 8
May 1, 2016
Principal’s
By Jeff Scherber, Principal
Phase II HVAC Construction
Begins
The second phase of the middle
school HVAC renovation is under
way. Today, the last of the three
vintage boilers will be shut down.
Contractors will begin work on removing and replacing the old equipment. In a typical spring when the
weather warms up we shut down
our boilers the first week of
May. This spring we may have
some brisk mornings and the building may be a bit cool. We are asking that students please be aware
our heating system is shut
down. Students should consider
bringing an extra layer of clothing in the case of a cool morning
classroom. Our plans are to have
the HVAC renovation completed by
fall.
May 2nd marks the beginning
of "National Teacher Appreciation Week."
This week is also a good time to
contact teachers and thank them for
all they do. I have personally observed the compassion and hard
work of MMS staff. Our teachers at
Monticello Middle School are fabulous. Most have spent time away
from their families to attend an evening music performance or an activity
night. Our teachers have done all
this while accepting the daily challenges the teaching profession provides. As adults, each of us can recall those teachers that inspired
us. Teaching, more than any other
profession, can provide the biggest
impression on young people as they
make choices that could impact
them for the rest of their lives.
Students of the Month
This week, students are asked to submit a poem or lyric that honors their
favorite teacher. The poems will be
posted in the teachers’ lounge and
some selected poems will be read
during Wednesday morning’s Channel
13 broadcast.
Please take time this month to thank
the teachers that work so hard to
make Monticello Middle School a
great place. Let them know how
much you appreciate them.
Our Back to School Day on
August 16th will be held at
the High School.
Our Student of the Month Breakfast
will be Wednesday, May 25th at 7:00
a.m. in the Middle School Commons.
Parents are also welcome to come
and be part of our activities on Friday
afternoon, May 27h when we have our
6th & 7th grade carnival behind the
building and the 8th grade Picnic out
on the track.
Teacher Appreciation Week
May 2-6
Nurses Appreciation Day May 6th
Each month the Middle School chooses
seven Students of the Month. These students are chosen based on academic
achievement, citizenship and effort.
April’s-Students-of-the-Month
6-1 Zane Pemberton
6-2 Tyler Rousslang
6-3 Maddox Weckerle-Dietz
7-1 Sam Cotter
7-2 Dylan Roiger
8-1 Zach Moris
8-2 Sebastian Sievers
MAY CALENDAR
May 2—Parent Involvement room 103 at 6 p.m.
May 18—Early Dismissal 11:30 a.m. for MS
May 25—SOM Breakfast 7:00 a.m.
May 26—8th Grade Awards Night at HS 7:30
p.m.
May 27—8th Grade Picnic
May 27—6th & 7th Grade Carnival
May 30—NO School—Memorial Day
Métis Fiddling and Jazz Residency @ Monticello Middle School Orchestra by
Cristina Seaborn, Teaching Artist with the Central Minnesota Arts Board
In May 2016, Cristina Seaborn will be giving a Métis Fiddling and Jazz residency for the Monticello
Middle School Orchestra students. As a Teaching Artist with the Central Minnesota Arts Board, Ms.
Seaborn offers fiddling, jazz, composition, and helps the students meet the Minnesota State Standard for the Arts in Minnesota Native American music.
Métis Fiddling is the style which the Métis of Canada and Métis in the northern United States have
developed to play the violin. The violin bow is used percussively, and Métis fiddling is accompanied
by spoon percussion. The Métis people are a blend of First Nations, French, English, Celtic, and other ancestry. Fiddles were introduced in this area by Scottish and French-Canadian fur traders in the
early 1800s.
The jazz for string orchestra students will be using the Improvise! curriculum written by Jody Harmon. These jazz tunes are written in string friendly keys.
Cristina Seaborn
violin, viola, cello, bass, vocals, piano, mandolin, guitar, dobro
Expert at fiddling and jazz improvisation, Cristina holds a Bachelor of Music Degree in jazz violin performance from Berklee College of Music in Boston, and a Masters in Conducting for Orchestra, from
Saint Cloud State University. She has produced an instructional video for fiddling through Mel Bay’s
entitled Anyone Can Play Country Fiddle, CDs entitled Inside the Heart of a Musician, Seaborn
Breeze, and Spirit Wind, and many arrangements for string orchestra of fiddle music, jazz, Celtic,
Scandinavian, Cajun, and original.
She is a violinist and fiddler with over thirty years of experience. In symphonies, quartets, jazz ensembles, and folk/rock bands, her musical background includes influences in classical, jazz, Celtic,
bluegrass, Scandinavian, and Texas swing fiddle.
“This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board and the Central MN Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.”
MEDIA CENTER BOOK FAIR—VOLUNTEERS NEEDED MAY 19TH & 20TH.
Students love to get their hands on the newest, most popular titles. The
media center loves being able to get them for free. Bringing back a Scholastic Book Fair to the middle school is a win-win situation and is causing a
lot of excitement within the building. Volunteers are needed to help keep
the excitement alive. Plus, money raised during the fair will be used to get
awesome new books for the students.
Volunteers need no prior experience. Scholastic cash registers are very user-friendly and media center staff will be there for assistance at all times. Volunteers do
need to have a current background check on file with the district office.
To sign up or get more information, contact Kari Green at 763 272 2182 or
kari.green@monticello.k12.mn.us
You can also use this link to sign up for a time slot: http://goo.gl/CWtdIK
Thank you for your consideration!
HOURS: Thursday, May 19th—7:30 a.m.—3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.—7:00 p.m.
Friday, May 20th—7:30 a.m.—3:00 p.m.
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PHYSICAL EDUCATION N.E.W.S. (Nutrition, Exercise, Water, Sleep)
The Importance of Exercise and Nutrition!
According to height and weight status that respondents provided us in their survey, it
shows that 28.6% are considered obese. When you combine those who are overweight, with obese– that represents 2 in 3 adults (67.5%), here in Wright County.
Why is that?
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35.7% of people reported consuming at least 5 servings of fruit and vegetables,
meaning nearly 2/3 or our adult residents are not meeting the recommendation.
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25% of adults report meeting the federal guidelines of moderate physical activity
(30 minutes, 5 days a week, an activity that results in sweating) on a weekly basis.
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17.1% report no physical activity or exercise in the past month—Nearly 1 in 5
adults. Yet, the majority, 80.8% of people feel there are adequate programs, leaders and facilities in place for exercising.
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Nearly 1 in 10 adults (9.4%) reported no moderate activity in the past week!
Source-2015 Wright County Community Health Survey
PARENT INVOLVEMENT:
If you are interested in helping with endof-year activities AND you have completed a Background Check, we have the following opportunities:
8th grade BBQ—Friday, May 27, 12:00—2:20. We
need 8th grade parent volunteers starting at 8 a.m.
Please email Jenny Axelberg at:
jennyaxelberg@me.com to sign up.
6th and 7th grade carnival—Friday, May 27,
12:00—2:20.
6th and 7th grade volunteers please email:
Cori Anselment at anselcori@yahoo.com
8th grade parents: On Friday, May 27th the
8th graders will be celebrating the end of the year
with a BBQ! We will be grilling hamburgers and
hot dogs, there will be music, a tug-o-war contest
and other fun activities. Parents can help by donating $4 toward the cost of the BBQ as explained
in the letter that was sent
home. You are also welcome
to help that day! Please contact Jenny Axelberg at
jennyaxelberg@me.com if
you are able to volunteer. A
background check is needed
to be eligible to volunteer
that day.
We will be offering our last Thursday FOCUS
session for the year on
May 26, 2016 from 2:45 to 5:15 p.m..
The Thursday Focus session will be supervised by
teachers and administration.
We at the middle school see this as a great opportunity to
give extra help to those students who have fallen behind. It
also gives students help who need to complete work in
order to be promoted to the next grade and avoid retention.
We will be contacting the parents of students who
need the extra time to get caught up. We expect those
students with failing grades from any of our first three
quarters to attend the Thursday Focus session. If you
receive a call from administration or staff members,
we strongly suggest that your student attends.
You must RSVP to Mr. Grams, Targeted Services
Coordinator @ 272-2208 by Tuesday, May 24.
Teachers need time to prepare lists and resources for
missing work.
All students who RSVP will be expected to be at
the Thursday Focus School on May 26.
Mr. Grams and Mr. Coalwell
8th GRADE AWARDS NIGHT
Thursday, May 26 at 7:30 p.m. at the Monticello
High School Auditorium. Invitations have been
sent home in the mail. All students will be recognized for accomplishments in the middle school.
Every student will be recognized.
Refreshments will follow on Main Street in the High School.
DRESS APPROPRIATELY
FOR SCHOOL
As the warm weather approaches, parents please
remind your children about appropriate dress for
the middle school. See website for more details:
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No Sagging or Low Slung Pants
No Clothing That Exposes Cleavage
No Exposed Midriffs
No Visible Underwear
No Holes in Jeans with Exposed Skin
Above the Knee
No Exposed Shoulders (No Tank Tops,
Tube Tops, or Bra Straps Showing)
All shorts and Skirts Must Be No Shorter
Than A 3” Post-It-Note Above The Knee
If your clothing is deemed inappropriate, you will be asked to change or
have parents bring in other clothes.
Thank you for collecting and turning in your Box Tops, Milk Caps,
Ink Jet Cartridges and Coke product tops and box flaps this
school year. We exceeded our goals in Box Tops Collections.
Please continue to save all items over the summer.
Your efforts help to support our students at the
Middle School.
Every dollar earned goes directly back to the students.
Midterms:
Will be available to view on line
Tuesday, May 3 after 4:00 p.m.
Monticello Middle School
800 East Broadway
Monticello, Minnesota 55362
Phone:763-272-2100
ATTENDANCE HOT LINE: 763-272-2110
APRIL STUDENT OF THE MONTH WRITE UPS:
6-1 Zane Pemberton—Zane has excelled in the classroom throughout the year and is an excellent
role model. He enjoys hockey, soccer, tennis, piano and beating the drums in band! His career goal is
to become a mechanical engineer. Zane’s Advice: “If you don’t ask your questions they won’t
get answered.”
6-2 Tyler Rousslang—Tyler has a positive impact on everyone, he is kind-hearted and compassionate towards all students. He is a hard-working and enjoys playing cello in orchestra. He is involved
in church groups and plays tennis. He also enjoys playing outside with friends or ping pong with family.
Tyler’s Advice: “Accept others and you will be accepted.”
6-3 Maddox Weckerle-Dietz– Maddox is creative, hardworking, and self motivated. She is involved in gymnastics, soccer, yearbook staff, Interact, and Peer Leaders. She enjoys reading, writing
and drawing. She would like to become a young adults fiction author or an actress. Maddox’s Advice: “Strive for progress not perfection.”
7-1 Sam Cotter—Sam is a hard working student and a wonderful person. She is thoughtful
& considerate to her fellow classmates & teachers. She enjoys volleyball, reading, watching
Netflix, cooking, photography, gardening, and practicing her Cello and painting. Sam’s Advice” You’re Not Alone, So Always Keep Fighting.”
7-2 Dylan Roiger—Dylan was chosen because he demonstrates outstanding leadership skills. He
enjoys playing baseball and Mario Brothers video games. At his church he enjoys the energy and enthusiasm of the Sunday School students in the class he teaches every Wednesday! Dylans Advice” Failure is just a pathway, so keep on trying and you will eventually succeed.”
8-1 Zach Moris—Zach enjoys football, baseball, hunting, and fishing. He would like to become a
carpenter. His heros are teachers because they dedicate their time to nurture the youth. Zach’s Advice” Don’t wish for it. Work for it.”
8-2 Sebastian Sievers– Sebastian enjoys Soccer, Culinary Club, being outside with friends, playing
video games, and hanging out with friends & family. He would like to become a Software Engineer.
Sebastian’s Advice: “Be helpful, friendly and always have a smile on your face.”
As school is starting to wind down, just a reminder to all families…
Starting on May 1st students will not be allowed to go negative on their lunch accounts for the
remainder of the school year. I encourage all families to check their child’s lunch account on
School View/ Parent Portal. Please call our office if you have any questions or concerns.
Joe Happe, Food Service Director
STUDENT OF THE MONTH BREAKFAST
On Wednesday, May 25th— 7:00 a.m.—7:40 a.m. Students and Parents of this
year’s “Student of the Month” are invited to a breakfast honoring the
selected students.
If you have not received your letter call 763-272-2103 or have not RSVP’d please
do so today—we need your confirmation by Monday, May 9th.
August 16th from 7 AM to 7 PM we will be hosting a Back to School Day AT THE HIGH SCHOOL
(do to construction at the MS). We are offering this date to make our Open House experience more welcoming for
parents, students, and staff alike. Please plan to attend an informational presentation regarding chromebooks & blended learning environment—presentation times to be determined.
On this day, it is our hope that all parents bring their student in anytime to complete the following:
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Take their Fall Student Picture (students should dress up!)
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Update Health Office Information (immunizations, medications forms, etc…)
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Receive Parent Portal Code
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Deposit money in student’s lunch accounts
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Purchase Phy Ed Clothing
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Pay Student Activity Fee
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Fill out and sign emergency card & other important documents
We hope to see you there!
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Receive Bus Info
7 AM TO 7 PM Stop by anytime!
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Sign up for Fall Sports (7th & 8th grades only) - Forms on line for MMS
DONATE YOUR OLD
DIGITAL CAMERA TO THE
MIDDLE SCHOOL
If you have a camera you are not
using, we would like to use them
in the classroom. Just drop off at
the Middle School Office.
Digital Photos WANTED for end
of year slide show.
Do you have photos to be included in
the "all school slide show"? Any photos from school sports, activities, or
events would be greatly appreciated.
Please email them to Mrs. Macki
jennifer.macki@monticello.k12.mn.us
THANKS!
CHECK OUT OUR
“LOST AND FOUND”
TABLE/COAT HANGER
ANY ITEMS LEFT AT
THE END OF THE SCHOOL YEAR,
WILL BE DONATED TO THE
CLOTHING SHELF.
AUGUST 16- AT THE HIGH SCHOOL
Ask Any questions!
This month students will be completing an anonymous questionnaire on bullying to provide data on the extent of bullying behavior
in school. To preview the survey, you may do so by going
to http://www.obqsurvey.org and enter the following: Username: eSampleSurvey Password: Olweus
If you prefer your student not participate, please contact Therese
Olson - 763-272-2105 with your child's name and grade.
Clarinet in the closet? Bassoon in the basement? Trumpet in the trunk?
Breathe fresh life into once-loved instruments by donating them
to "Play it Forward", the statewide used-instrument drive created
by Classical Minnesota Public Radio and the Minnesota Music Educators
Association (MMEA).
Bring your clean, gently-used and playable instruments to the Middle
School office May 1-31 during normal school hours. We are in need of any
classroom instruments: woodwinds, brass, strings, drums, etc. We'll put
them in the hands of kids that need them!
Tax receipts will be provided.
YEARBOOK DISTRIBUTIONS & SALES:
8th graders will receive their yearbooks on Thursday, May
26th during M&M
6/7th graders will receive their yearbooks on Friday, May
27th during M&M
A limited number of extra books were ordered and will be
available to purchase at the 8th grade award night, and during
school on Friday, May 27th for $30.00.