OCTOBER 30, 2015

Weekly Newsletter of South Charlotte Middle School

Dear Parents,

It has been a great week celebrating spirit week and enjoying games, pep rallies, and more. As I have discussed with the students, having fun at school is a part of what we should be doing, of course only second to academics. I do want to commend the students for participating this week. There has been a lot of great school spirit.

On November 10th we will host Marvin Ridge Middle School’s administrative staff and several teachers. They will be here to observe our single gender program and other programs particular to South Charlotte. We are excited to have such a well-recognized and high performing school wanting to emulate our best practices. We are preparing so they leave with a lot of valuable information that they can apply to their programs.

November 11th is Veteran’s day and a holiday for students. Please make note of this on your calendars. We have just submitted our application for re-designation as a School to Watch in North Carolina. South Charlotte remains as one of the very first schools to be named nationally as a School to Watch. Our student and staff performance continues to exceed expectation; therefore, we are hoping to receive the re-designation once again this year. We will keep you updated on our progress.

We are aggressively looking for reading mentors for our students. If you are interested and can give ANY of your time, that would be great. It does not have to be a set amount each week/month/etc. Having caring adults in a student’s life is so very important for success. We can provide you information to assist you while you are with your assigned student.

Thank you for allowing us to serve your students each day. I hope you and your students have a wonderful weekend.

Best,

Lisa Bailes, Principal

UPCOMING EVENTS…

11/2 Softball/Volleyball @ Comm House

11/4 Softball/Volleyball @ Southwest

11/6 Report Cards

11/6 Shakespeare Club Meeting

SHOCKER STANDOUTS

Congratulations to Kaija Hite (6th), Aarnav Patel (7th) and Ellie Cotton (8th)! They have been selected by teachers as South Charlotte Shocker Standouts. South Charlotte Shocker Standouts are scholarly, honest, optimistic, caring, kind, energetic, and responsible (SHOCKER).

"To Be.....or Not To Be : That is the Question." - William Shakespeare

Any Student interested in joining the Shakespeare Club, please attend our first meeting on Friday, November 6 @ 7:30am in Mrs. McMahan's room P7 (Seventh Grade Hall-way). Any Questions Please see Mrs. McMahan on "B" days.

I have been living in the Charlotte area for most of my life. After graduating from High School and attending some college, I decided to enlist into the US Army. After spending 13 months in Iraq, I decided that the Army wasn't something I wanted to do my entire life and went back to school. Pursuing a degree in Special Education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, I graduated in the Spring of 2015. I am also heavily involved in Music Composition and Arranging in the Charlotte area. As a composer and arranger, I write for or have written for over 15 Marching Bands throughout the Southeast. Music and

teaching young people are two of my biggest passions in life.

featured teacher

Mr. Booth

7th Grade

The 2015-16 Shocker student directories have arrived! Be on the lookout in your child’s backpack in coming days for your copy. If you did not order a directory, the school store has a small supply available for $5 each. Many thanks to PTO volunteer Erika Kunde for her hard work on this project.

PTO Fall Newsletter Has Arrived The link to the PTO fall newsletter, The Shocker, has been distributed via email. In it you will find information from your child’s teachers and important calendar events as well as updates regarding FAN, Booster Club and other school happenings. If you did not receive The Shocker, please let the office know and provide them with your email address. You can also view the newsletter on the PTO website.

Paving the Way for the Future

South Charlotte Middle School Annual Fund

Thanks to the generosity of our South Charlotte families, we have received donations totaling just under $29,000 for the Annual Fund. These funds allow us to put much needed resources into the hands of our teachers, staff, and students. This year we are focusing on updating the Media Center with a flexible learning space in order to maximize the use of 1:1 technology.

Please help us reach our $35,000 goal and support the Annual Fund. No amount is too small, and you can donate at any time during the year. Visit the PTO website to donate. Many thanks to the 218 families who have given to the campaign so far.

Want to give back this winter season? Volunteer to be a part of this year’s year's Angel Tree collection at SCMS. We need volunteers to help with money collection, shopping nights, sorting gifts and transporting them to Salvation Army. This is a BIG project and we need as much help as we can get! We are in particular need of people with minivans and bike racks to transport large gifts. Collection information will be coming home with your students next week. Visit http://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040f45a4ae292-scms1/1772861 to sign up. Questions? Contact Stacey Ellis at staceyellis11@gmail.com.

A Healthier You

Let us take steps to encourage our South Charlotte Middle School family to be the best we can be. Please share your favorite fitness/health app, heart-healthy family recipe and student/family active fitness photos by emailing entries to kristin.kissmann@cms.k12.nc.us_______________________________________________________________________

Dogs Have Amazing Abilities!

“Man’s best friend” may have lifesaving capabilities beyond alerting you if the house is on fire, finding his way home from hundreds of miles away and detecting explosive devices and drugs. Studies are beginning to show that dogs might have a more prominent place in the diagnosis of disease and illness than we ever anticipated. Some dogs can detect cancer cells, alert a person about low blood sugar levels and even predict seizures. Check out this cool WebMD article. http://pets.webmd.com/features/pets-amazing-abilities __________________________________________________________________________________________

Motivational Moments I am using short 2-3 minute clips (On The Road CBS Nightly News, for ex) to start class occasionally. If you see a particularly good story, please share it with me. Restoring faith in humanity one news clip at a time. Check this one out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RYKKqkBK40 __________________________________________________________________________________________

Charlotte area upcoming events: http://www.charlotterunning.com/racecalendar.html

These are just some of the many offerings in the area. Check out the address above for more activities.

10/31 Pumpkin Run Mooresville, NC 11/1 Fight The Flame 5k race/walk Charlotte, NC McAlpine Creek Park 11/1 Charlotte Youth Fit Fest Charlotte, NC 11/21 Turkey Chute Charlotte, NC 12/5 Run Run Rudolph 5k/10k Charlotte, NC 12/12 Jingle Bell Run/Walk Charlotte, NC 2/7 Super Bowl 4 Miler Charlotte, NC 2/27 Krispy Kreme Race- Run for Reading Rock Hill, SC 3/19 Dash for Down Syndrome 5k Charlotte,NC

SHOCKER SPORTS

WINTER TRYOUT INFORMATION

Try outs for Basketball and Cheer are scheduled to begin November 16, 2015. Signups will occur November 9-12 during lunch in the cafeteria.

ALL PAPERWORK MUST BE CORRECTLY COMPLETED AND PRESENT TO SIGN UP FOR TRY OUTS. STUDENTS WITH INCORRECT, OR INCOMPLETE PAPERWORK WILL BE ASKED TO RETURN WITH CORRECT INFORMATION.

No late paperwork will be accepted due to checking eligibility status, and try out preparation. Due November 13, 2015.

Students who participated in fall sports tryouts, DO NOT need to fill out additional paperwork. Just double check physical date to make sure it is current (within 365 days).

Try out specific information will be handed to students at sign ups to inform them on what is needed, assessed, expected, and details on the process.

There will be a tryout information assembly for students during 9th block on November 13, 2015.

NO PAPERWORK can be turned in at the front office or Faxed in; it must will only be accepted at one of the times/dates listed.

Coaches reserve the right to closed tryout sessions. No photography or filming is permitted at try outs. Any of those in violation will be asked to leave.

Physicals must be within 365 days of completion of sport season. Students may use their Primary Healthcare provider, or if insurance has calendar limitations, are suggested to use the CVS Minute Clinic with no appointment for a out of pocket fee of $40.

Contact Coach Sprenger with any individual questions/inquiries.

Required forms include:

CMS Athletic Pre-Participation Form SCMS Athletic Discipline Policy Travel Release Form (golf only) Athletic Honor Code Notice and Release Form (football only) Notice and Release Form (all other sports) Concussion Statement Participation Fee Waiver (if applicable)

FOOTBALL

SCMS vs. CHMS

10/29/2015 Highlight Reel

Shockers Play for Largest Crowd of the Season

On an afternoon, when the weather could not decide if it wanted to rain or shine, the South Charlotte Middle School Football team played Community House Middle

School in their final game of the season in front of the largest Shocker Nation crowd to date. Coming straight from the Pep Rally, there was certainly a buzz in the air for football. The Shocker’s cheerleaders welcomed the team on the field with an awesome

banner that the players ran through just before kickoff. Highlights of the first half included a great punt by #33 Holland Stallings. Solid tackles were made by #59 Stavros Boardman, #30 Andrew Sarno, #10 John Albertson, #31 Noah Rupp, and

#47 Matthew Diamantis. #40 Jordan Boddie-Kelly had a couple of nice runs from the fullback position and also had a nice kick-off return after a Community House score. #42 Trevor Reames covered a kick off for the Shockers. The half-time show was amazing

with the Honors Dance Team performing. The second half highlights started with a kick off cover by # 49 Jackson Liebau. #1 Cooper Wilson had a 5 yard rush and #31 Noah Rupp ran hard. Second half tackles were made by #11 Charlie Stamps, #40 Jordan

Boddie-Kelly, #59 Stavros Boardman, and #10 John Albertson. The Shocker D held Community House out of the end zone with a forced fumble and fumble recovery by #19 Juan Palma. After getting the ball on the 2 yard line, the Shockers got a big first down

on a pass from wing back #1 Cooper Wilson to #25 Thomas Courtney. Not much was cooking in the end zone for the Shockers and the final score was 30-0. This Shocker team learned about determination, perseverance, and how to pick up

each other after adversity. 8th graders #12 Matthew Gormley, #77 Julian Swann, #5 Luke Cheramie, #21 Cameron Poimboeuf, and #44 Ben Foesch were all missed in the

season finale due to injury. Shockers stay together through adversity, learn from their mistakes, and strive to play competitively with good sportsmanship. We want to thank all the coaches for their help with this team. Congratulations for working hard this

season Shocker players! Shocker Nation be proud of your 2015 football team for representing you well with character and integrity. They are: Cooper Wilson, Luke Cheramie, Alex Holcomb, Andrew Jackson, Jonathan Albertson, Charlie Stamps,

Matthew Gormley, Juan Palma, Patton Lanier, Cameron Poimboeuf, Davis Barber, Thomas Courtney, Nathan Skudlarick, Andrew Sarno, Noah Rupp, Patrick Hicks, Holland Stallings, Jackson Liebau, Jordan Boddie-Kelly, Trevor Reames, Ben

Foesch, Matthew Diamantis, Nevin Williams, Drew Bauer, Damon Dixon, Stavros Boardman, Josh Bass, Josh Adams, and Julian Swann.

TENNIS

GO Shocker Tennis! The girls won their last 2 matches 9-0. This ended the first ever girls shocker tennis season 3-4! SCMS is proud of these girls!

The girls celebrated their inaugural season with a pizza party at Mario’s Pizza! We will miss our 8th graders but will be excited to come back as an experienced team next year!

In compliance with federal law, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools administers all education programs, employment activities and admissions without discrimination against any person on the basis of gender, race, color, religion, national origin, age or disability.

SOUTH CHARLOTTE MIDDLE SCHOOL 8040 Strawberry Lane Charlotte, NC 28277 Phone: 980-343-3670 Fax: 980-343-3725 Office Hours: 7:45 am—4:15 pm Phones answered from 7:45 am—4 pm

GOOD to KNOW...

South Charlotte is a member of the South Learning Community. (980) 343-1463

To report an absence email scms.attendance@cms.k12.nc.us or you may phone the school at 980-343-3670.

Online School Payments (OSP) - CMS has provided us with the opportunity to accept payments for school events on-line. It is much like Athletics Pay-to-Play, comes with a fee (4%), and allows you to pay at your con-venience. If you choose to pay on-line, it also relieves our teachers from the time taken to do the paperwork and to receipt and turn in money or checks. Teachers will continue to take cash and checks as they always have.

Just sign in to: osp.osmsinc.com/CMS

Choose your student’s event and homeroom teacher, and make payment.

The teacher and Financial Secretary are sent advisements of your payment.

We hope you will take advantage of this opportunity. Through the year, events will be added including field

trips, textbooks, fees, and other payments.

Re-link your Harris Teeter VIC card! Our TIE number is 1933. http://www.harristeeter.com/community/together_in_education/link_to_your_school.aspx

Need a tutor? Check out our website for a great list.