MARCH 14, 2014

Weekly Newsletter of South Charlotte Middle School

Parents:

What a week! The Science Olympiad team placed 6th in the regional competition held at UNCC. In its second year, we already have a state contending team. The state competition will be held at NC State in April. Odyssey of the Mind competed last weekend and won 1st place for their Spontaneous Event and were awarded 3rd place overall. Our National Academic League team competed against Webber High School in Utah and they WON! That was the first time I have ever seen a competition via SKYPE. They will now compete in the second round of the National Championship. Math Counts is competing at the state level today. They were a wild card pick for the competition. We use ninth block to enhance the overall academic culture at SCMS. It definitely is working thanks to our students. Congratulations to ALL of these wonderful teams and their coaches.

Our athletic teams were quite successful as well this week. Boys soccer and baseball won against rival JM Robinson. Congratulations to all athletes and coaches.

As the beautiful spring weather approaches, I ask that you review our dress code with your children to ensure they are dressing appropriately. For ladies, shorts, skirts and dresses should be no more than six inches above the TOP of the knee. We want all of our students to dress appropriately so there are no additional distractions at school. Thank you for your assistance with this.

Thank you for allowing us to serve your children each day. We are fortunate to work with such outstanding young people.

Regards,

Lisa Bailes, Principal

SHOCKER STANDOUTS

Congratulations to Robbie Thomas (6th), Alice Cheng (7th) and Rachel Kahn (8th)! They have been selected by teachers as South Charlotte Standouts for this week. South Charlotte Standouts are scholarly, honest, optimistic, caring, kind, energetic, and responsible (SHOCKER).

UPCOMING EVENTS…

3/17 Baseball/soccer @ Southwest

3/19 Home baseball/soccer vs. AG

3/20 Home track meet

3/24 Baseball/soccer@ Community House

3/25 Talent Show

3/26 Home baseball/soccer vs. Carmel

3/27 Track meet @ JM Robinson

3/28 End of Quarter

3/31 REGULAR SCHOOL DAY (Snow makeup day)

4/1 Rising 6th grade Parent Night

4/3 Rising 7th & 8th grade Parent Night

4/8 Spring Pictures

This is a “maintenance weekend” for PowerSchool. Parent Portal

will be unavailable.

Congratulations to the March Teacher of the Month:

Ms. Raffensperger 7th Grade Math

Teacher Appreciation Week Dear SCMS Parents,

Teacher Appreciation Week begins March 24th, which is approaching fast! We are

asking for your help in donating gift cards to give to our wonderful teachers and staff

at SCMS. Please follow the sign-up link below. If signing up for cash donations,

checks should be made out to SCMS PTO. Please bring all gift cards or cash

donations to the SCMS front office by Monday, March 24th.

Thank you for helping us make SCMS Teacher Appreciation Week a success!

Sincerely,

SCMS Staff Support Committee

To sign up, go to: www.SignUpGenius.com/go/10C0D4BABAE1-scms

Annual CMS Parent Survey

Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools will provide the opportunity for ALL parents to participate in the annual CMS Parent Survey administered in an online format. The sur-vey is important because it provides information from parents about how they view the environment at their child’s school. This information is shared with schools and staff to help in planning and in meeting students’ needs. The survey will be conducted March 19 through May 2. Please log on to the survey link to participate at: www.k12insight.com/CMS/Parent2014.html. Note parents who prefer to complete a paper version of this survey can come to school or complete the survey at a computer kiosk in the main office. Thank you for your help with the survey. If you have any questions, please contact Phyllis Butcher, Assistant Principal at (980) 343-3670 or by email at Phyllis.butcher@cms.k12.nc.us.

ID BADGES

Students and Staff are required to wear ID badges while at school. Some students have not yet adopted the habit of wearing them consistently, for that reason, the following policy begins Monday:

1st offense – student will be sent to the office by his/her teacher and will receive a warning and parent contact 2nd offense – student will be assigned “silent lunch” and the parent will be contacted 3rd offense – student will receive “alternative Healthy Living” and parent contact 4th offense – student will receive one day of ISS and parent contact 5th offense – student will receive one day of OSS and parent contact

SPRING CLEANUP DATE POSTPONED!

The Saturday Clean up day scheduled for this Saturday has been cancelled. It will be rescheduled in April at a date to be determined. Thank you!

CONGRATULATIONS ODYSSEY OF THE MIND TEAM!

Our OM team competed at the regional OM competition at Wingate University on Saturday. The team came in first place in "Spontaneous” and third overall.

The team performed an 8-minute skit about Alice in Wonderland visiting MySpace. For technology points, a homemade air compressor blew air through a homemade air horn, Alice's dress grew on stage as it filled with air, and a huge pop-up add flipped out as a bicycle wheel turned and pulled two scenery panels out of the way. Also, with the help of a flashlight, Plexiglas and the Cheshire Cat, a creepy illusion was created in a dark box, making it look like a cat head was floating in the air. For performance and style points, the half black/half white rabbit with a dual personality narrated the story as the Mad Hacker and his minions, Twitter Dee and Twitter Dum attempted to scare Alice away. The team members spent weeks designing, making, and decorating all of the costumes, scenery and props. The play was very funny and the actors were wonderful!

The team members are: Lake Smith, Sam Hannon, Luke Gura, Tayo Fasan, Kate Hammermeister & Olivia Matthews.

Great job guys!

CLASSics Science Olympiad

This past Saturday, March 8th, the South Charlotte MS Science Olympiad Team participated in the Charlotte Regional Tournament at the beautiful UNCC Campus. Science Olympiad is a STEM-based competition comprised of 23 events, and requiring 2 participants per event. Subject areas ranged from Anatomy Testing and Bottle Rocket building, to solving Crime Scenes in Crime Busters to identifying Rocks and Minerals indigenous to North Carolina. The competition was fierce, with powerhouse teams like last year's Regional and State winner and National contender Piedmont IB, 2nd place Regional winner and State competitor JM Robinson, and third place Regional winner and State competitor JM Alexander. The students arrived at UNCC bright and early at 7am for a full day of competition which lasted all afternoon until 3pm, with the awards ceremony starting at 5pm and lasting until almost 7pm. When all was said and done, the South Charlotte MS Team medaled in 14 of the 23 events, and placed 6th overall out of 45 teams entered in the competition, earning an invitation to compete at the State Championship Tournament to be held at NC State University on April 25th – 26th in Raleigh. Our event medal winners at the Regional Competition were as follows:

Aniketh Dumpala - 2nd Shock Value, 8th Entomology, Sunny Zhang - 2nd Shock Value, 2nd Anatomy, Max Mavian - 5th Solar System, Mercedes Deramgozin - 8th Experimental Design, 8th Dynamic Planet, Connor Delaney - 8th Experimental Design, Gayatri Srinivasa - 8th Metric Mastery, 8th Road Scholar, 4th Rocks and Minerals, Alyssa Sharma- 8th Sounds of Music,4th Meteorology, 8th Metric Mastery, Damin Ryu - 3rd Simple Machines, 8th Heredity, Clara Wang - 3rd Simple Machines, Bansi Chhatrala - 4th Water Quality, 4th Meteorology, 8th Road Scholar, 4th Rocks and Minerals, Andrea Ward - 4th Water Quality, 8th Dynamic Planet, Lisa Cai - 2nd Anatomy, 8th Heredity, Gargi Singh - 8th Entomology, Dominik Bettini - 5th Solar Systems, Gordon Rogelberg - 8th Sounds of Music

Mr. Brown and Mr. Aubry are extremely proud of our South Charlotte Science Olympiad team for all their efforts and dedication to excellence. Hard work does pays off, and the South Charlotte MS Science Olympiad team is heading to the State Tournament! Goooo Shockers!

Do you have general questions about your child’s high school transition? We can help! High School Parent Information Night

Thursday March 20th 6:00 PM-7:30 PM--South Charlotte Cafetorium

Introduction- Jim Winnek and Elnita DaCosta (8th Grade Counselors) Current CMS High School Principals, High School Counselors for general High School Questions

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Key High School Information Dates

3/19—South Mecklenburg High School Presentation--South Mecklenburg HS counselors will be here during 9th block to speak with Rising 9th Grade South Meck. students. (Students who will be attending South Meck. will be called to the Cafetorium to hear information about the school and receive their registration cards).

3/20—South Charlotte MS General High School Parent Information Night--6 PM-7:30 PM--South Charlotte Cafetorium.

3/21—Providence registration cards given out to students. Students who will be attending Providence HS will be called to the cafetorium during 9th block to receive their Providence HS registration cards.

3/25—South Mecklenburg registration cards are due to the South Charlotte Main Office by 9AM (with student & parent signatures)

3/27—South Mecklenburg HS--Counselors will be here to do One on One registration with students (8:45AM-10:30AM in the 8th Grade Planning Room).

3/27—Providence "Panther Prowl"--6:30 PM at Providence HS--Find everything you need to know about Providence HS.

3/28—Providence HS registration cards are due back to the South Charlotte MS Main Office by 9AM (with stu-dent and parent signatures).

3/31—Final South Mecklenburg HS Parent Night at 6:00PM in the South Meck Auditorium. All the information you need to know about South Meck.

4/1—Providence HS Registration--Counselors from Providence HS will be here to do One on One registration with Providence HS students (8:45AM-11:30AM in the South Charlotte MS Media Center). We will call for students when it is their designated time to meet with counselors.

4/23—The Annual "Sabre Showcase" is scheduled for April 23rd, 2014 at 6:00 pm. This will be a chance for stu-dents and parents will be introduced to "all things South." Students and parents will be able to witness first hand some course offerings, clubs, organizations and learn about other opportunities at South Meck.

More High School registration information will provided as we receive it. Questions: Please call Jim Winnek or Elnita DaCosta at 980-343-3670.

*Parents, please refer to the South Charlotte Middle School Student Services wiki page for updated information from our counselors concerning 9th grade registration.

The sixth grade will be taking a field trip on Wednesday, April 9th to Hiddenite Gems Emerald Hollow Mines in Hiddenite, NC. Due to the distance and the amount of time needed while we are there, we will leave BEFORE the school day starts. Therefore, ALL students will need to be dropped off at school by 7:30 am. The buses will need to leave campus before 7:45 when the school buses arrive to drop students off for the regular school day. If your child rides the bus to school, they WILL NOT arrive in time. They must be dropped off by 7:30 am. We will return to school around 3:00, so the students will go home their normal way.

The cost of the trip is $44.00. This includes the cost of the bus and admission into the gem mine. Stu-dents will bring a bag lunch. 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 convenience. 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. Payments will be accepted online from 2/10 to 3/10. Dates that payments will be col-lected by the teacher are given below. If you would like to donate to a scholarship fund, please check the box below and enter the amount included in your payment. Information about the trip will be sent home the week before our trip.

Please sign the permission slip and send in with your first payment. If you would like to be a chaperone, please check the box below. You will be contacted if we need you. Chaperones will need to pay $12.00 for entrance into the Gem Mine. This can be paid on the day of the trip.

I give my permission for _________________________________ to attend the field trip on April 9th

to Hiddenite Gems.

(your child’s first and last name)

I understand that I am responsible for bringing my child to school by 7:30 am.

Parent/Guardian signature X __________________________________________________

*Payments will be collected on Wednesday, February 19th

and on Friday, March 7th.

Amount included __________________ Scholarship Fund ________________

_____ I am available to chaperone

Name: ______________________________________________

Contact information: email ____________________________________ ph ______________________

SIXTH GRADE FIELD TRIP

TUTORING

Miss Butler is offering tutoring for students taking Standard Plus Math or Algebra I. Contact Miss Butler at c.warner@cms.k12.nc.us. Mrs. Titus is offering tutoring for Language Arts and Social Studies. Contact Mrs. Titus at tri-cia.titus@cms.k12.nc.us. Miss Raffensperger is offering tutoring for students taking Standard Plus Math or Algebra I. Contact Miss Raf-fensperger at jessicar.raffensperger@cms.k12.nc.us. Creative and effective Tutoring for 6th and 7th Graders! Contact Mr. Brown, a South Charlotte MS 7th grade edu-cator, Science Olympiad Coach, and Agent Einstein STEM Summer Camp Director. Keep your child performing well all year long! Email: scotta.brown@cms.k12.nc.us or call 704-622-3624 Miss Oaks is offering tutoring in Language Arts and Social Studies. Contact Miss Oaks at

abigails.oaks@cms.k12.nc.us. Mrs. Gallagher will offer private tutoring after school for Language Arts. Parents can contact here at

lisab.gallagher@cms.k12.nc.us. Mr. Getsinger a teacher with 17 years of experience teaching World and American history, English language and study skills is available to begin tutoring students in the sixth, seventh and eighth grades. If your child is having problems getting the grades you know they are capable of and you wish to see them fulfill their potential, please email me at norman.getsinger@cms.k12.nc.us. Thank you and I look forward to working with you. Ms. Conlan is offering math tutoring. Please contact her at karenw.conlan@cms.k12.nc.us.

Panthers on the Prowl – Rising 9th

grade Orientation at

Providence High School

On Thursday, March 27, at 6:30pm, Providence High School will host “Panthers on the Prowl.” This is rising 9

th grade

orientation to high school. We will start promptly at 6:30pm in the auditorium with a discussion about the differences between middle school and high school and our school expectations. Then, parents and students will be able to visit with clubs, athletic teams, band, orchestra, NJROTC, and other extra-curricular groups to begin exploring what areas interest them. You don’t want to miss the first opportunity to visit Providence High School.

Date: March 29, 2014 - 9:00 AM Location: UNC Charlotte Student Union Multipurpose Room, 3rd Floor Time: 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Baseball Camp held at Providence High School An intense 4 day baseball camp held at the Providence High School Baseball Stadium. Learn the drills and experience the same instruction that has helped develop six high school All-Americans.

Summer Camp Dates 2014

June 16th – 19th July 14th – 17th August 4th – 7th Who may attend: The camp is designed for baseball player’s ages 9-14.The pace of the camp will be

similar to the everyday practices that the Providence Baseball team experiences. Space is limited on a first come first serve basis.

Application can be found on www.myprovidencebaseball.com click Camp for details.

South Charlotte is a member of the South Learning

Community. (980) 343-1463

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.

Please remember to re-link your

Harris-Teeter VIC card!

Our TIE number is 1933.

Ask your cashier or you can do it online (with your VIC card#)

http://www.harristeeter.com/community/together_in_education/

link_to_your_school.aspx

(Each card can be linked to up to 5 schools)

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—4:15 pm

REPORT AN ABSENCE

Please let us know as soon as possible if your child will not be attending school

for the day. The school attendance email is scms.attendance@cms.k12.nc.us

or you may phone the school at 980-343-3670.

On-Line 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 convenience. 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. It is rolling out in all CMS schools this year. Through the year, events will be added including field trips, textbooks, fees, and other payments.