Town Crier on Tuesday, November 29, 2011.

Happy Tuesday!
November 29, 2011
We are off to a wonderful start! Together this will be a prosperous 2011-2012 School Year!
Project Christmas Cheer - Project Christmas Cheer has kicked off today. We are having a school wide Penny War in order to help out struggling families in the community. Students may bring in pennies and other monetary donations from now until December 9, 2011. All donations will go to families to help out over the holidays and provide some much needed "MCMS Christmas Cheer."
Yearbook - Yearbook 8th grade yearbook staff, please bring all collected baby pictures to the meeting Thursday. The meeting will last until 4.

7th grade students who were on the yearbook staff last year - please come to Mrs. Piner's classroom during homeroom or AC for a two minute conversation before Thursday.

Girls Basketball Tryouts – Girls Basketball Tryouts will begin on Tuesday, December 6th, Wednesday, December 7th and Thursday, December 8th from 3:10 until 4:45 pm in the gym. Please make sure all physicals forms, proof of insurance and athletic participation sheets are completed and turned in to the coach on the 1st day of tryouts. If not, you will not be able to participate.
Spirit Hoodie Sweatshirts – It’s that time of year again for sweatshirts. Pre-order a “Spirit Hooded Sweatshirt” for $25.00 right here in the office.
Just leave your name, size, and homeroom teacher. Go Minutemen!
PTO Meeting - Our next PTO Meeting will be Tuesday, December 13th @ 8:15 AM. We hope to see you here!
Hand-in-Hand Program – All Students that are in the after school Hand-in-Hand Program will meet Monday thru Thursday from 3:00 to 5:00 in room 14, Ms. Boulia room on the 6th grade hall.
Winter Sports Pictures - On Friday, December 9th after school beginning at 3:15 in the gym the following teams will take their sports pictures: Girls Soccer at 3:15, Boys Soccer at 3:30 and Volleyball Team pictures at 3:45. Mark your calendars!
MCMS Science Club – The new MCMS Science Club will have their first meeting this Thursday, December 1st. All students are invited to attend. The meeting will take place in Mrs. Purcell’s room # 22 from 3:00 to 4:00 pm. Please see Mrs. Purcell or Mrs. Dodgens for additional information.
MCMS Glee Club Holiday Tour – Get ready for the MCMS Glee Holiday Tour which kicks off with our Glee performance at the Festival of Trees on December 13th at 5:00.
Glee will practice today, Tuesday until 4:30 in the Media Center. Any Glee member interested in signing up for a solo part needs to sign up with Mrs. Lancaster today.
Boys Soccer – Next home game is Wednesday, November 30th against Newport at 3:30. Make plans to be here!
Quiz Bowl - Meetings will take place every Wednesday from 3:00 to 3:45 thru April 2nd.
Media Mania News …. Don’t get caught without a BOOK!
Don’t forget the Blizzard of Books….Snowmen and dots, any book over 50 pages, in lexile range = triple value.
Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow! The Blizzard of Books will include snowmen, red, and green polka dots. When you finish a fiction or non-fiction book of 50 pages or more, you get a snowman or a dot. If you read a fiction or nonfiction book in your lexile range of 50 points above or below your SRI score, it counts triple the amount. During week 1 and week 2(Nov. 28-Dec 9), we will select a grade level winner. Each winner will earn bucks to spend at our BOGO Book Fair. This event will run through January 13. We will recognize team winners as well. Remember, fall for an awesome book, and keep turning those pages!

Battle of the Books- Students interested in Battle of the Books need to return the signed portion of the BOB information letter to Mrs. Lancaster by December 2. Students need to read the books on the BOB 2012 list, know the titles and authors. There is an open practice on Friday, December 2 until 4 in the media center. The qualification quiz is on Monday, December 5 in Room 135 on the 8th grade hall (last classroom on the right).

Rachel’s Challenge – Rachel's Challenge will meet each Friday during AC and Lunch.

The 2010 presentation of Rachel’s Challenge is still actively at work in our school!
As you may be aware, Rachel Joy Scott leaves a legacy across all continents. Her message of treating others with compassion and kindness sounds simple. Yet, the message Rachel continues to send is so complex. Adolescents are living in a world very different than many of us experienced during our teenage years.

Whether we think it is or is not the role of schools to teach respectful behaviors, the reality is that we do this in some capacity, every day, at MCMS. We have found the common message in Rachel’s Challenge to be an extremely valuable tool to teach and re-teach the characteristics of kindness and compassion. Rachel’s message has much more impact than any anti-bullying message around. It just makes sense to our kids.

Parents Invited! - THIS FRIDAY!
Please join us for a Rachel's Challenge Presentation
Friday, December 2
8:00-9:15AM or
9:30-10:45AM

Please RSVS in the MCMS office if you plan to attend.

Check out www.rachelschallenge.org for more information

Make-up Day – Our next Make-up day for the school day we missed due to hurricane Irene is Monday, December 19th. Monday, December 19th will be an early release day also. Students will be dismissed from school at 12:00 noon. Mark your calendars!

E-Grades - Parents should visit the school website to learn how to access their student's grades.
* Please view the Parent Tools page for directions on how to access student grades."
Absences and Tardies - We’d also like to remind you of the importance of clearing absences and tardies when they occur. Students should bring notes to Ms. Becton in first class within a couple of days of the tardiness or absence. We thank you in advance for keeping our attendance records up to date.
Lost and Found Items – Parents, there is now a link on the MCMS web page that allows you to check “Lost and Found” items that have collected for a few weeks now. We encourage you to collect your valuable items before we must donate to charity organizations. The lost and found list is updated each Friday.
Box Tops for Education – Box Tops is all about the difference 1 can make. This year our goal is to raise money for materials and programs to benefit our students.
The next collection will be in February, so keep clipping those Box tops and Thank you!
Here are three easy, ways to help:
1. Clip – Clip the Box Tops from hundreds of participation products and send them to school. Each one is worth 10 cents when our school redeems them from Box Tops for Education
Shop Online – Shop at your favorite stores through the Box Tops Marketplace (boxtops4education.com/marketplace). Up to 15 eBoxTops per $10 spent on qualifying purchases is automatically donated to our school, at no additional cost to you. Plus you’ll get exclusive Box Tops deal and discounts!
2. Read – Buy books online through Reading Room, a partnership between Box Tops and Barnes and Noble. Our school receives up to 6 eBox Tops per $10 spent on qualifying purchases.
3. Sign up – It’s easy and free. Sign up to support our school at boxtops4education.com
• See how much our school is earning with Box Tops
• Enter online promotions for chances to win Bonus Box Tops and other prizes
• Print money-saving coupons for your favorite Box Tops brands
• Make mealtime easier with family-pleasing recipes
You can also sign up for Box Tops email newsletters that will keep you updated on the program, and for Marketplace newsletter with Box Tops members-only deals and discounts.

Follow our Blog – We encourage you to become a Follower of our blog to receive our Town Crier News through your email. To do this, please click on the Town Crier Blog on the left side of Morehead Middle’s Blog page. The Town Crier School News will pop up. Click on the Follower button located at the bottom of our school calendar. It will take you to a screen where you sign into an account listed or you can create a Google account to automatically receive daily updates. Fill out the necessary information. Join us! Keep in touch with what is happening daily at MCMS!

Have a Wonderful Day!