Town Crier on Thursday, December 1, 2011,

Happy Thursday!
December 1, 2011
We are off to a wonderful start! Together this will be a prosperous 2011-2012 School Year!
FRONT PARKING LOT SAFETY - Due to safety concerns in the MCMS front parking lot, the parking lot exit nearest Barbour Road will be blocked during school hours. Visitor parking spaces will continue to be accessible during the day. Visitors will need to exit, backtracking in the lot, and circling in the carpool line in front of the building. We thank you for your cooperation in keeping all of our students safe while they enter and exit our school!
Band Concert - All 7th and 8th grade band students are reminded of their combined band rehearsals TODAY, Thursday. 7th and 8th Grade band students will meet during their FIRST ENCORE on Thursday. Students are asked to come quickly to the band room in order to begin their rehearsals on time.
*All staff and students are invited to the band concert on Tuesday, December 6th at 7:00 pm. The 7th and 8th grade bands will perform, as well as the jazz band. The concert begins at 7:00 in the gym and will last approximately 45 minutes. Please come out and enjoy an evening of music.
Project Christmas Cheer – MCMS Project Christmas Cheer has kicked off. We are having a school wide Penny War in order to help out struggling families in our 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 today, Thursday. The meeting will last until 4:00 pm.

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 the end of the day today, Thursday.

Girls Basketball Tryouts – (Notice the change in date) Girls Basketball Tryouts will begin on Wednesday, December 7th, Thursday, December 8th, and on Friday, December 9th 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.
*There will be an interest meeting for anyone interested in trying out for basketball today, Thursday, December 1st right after school in room # 7, the health room.
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. The sweatshirts are gray with red lettering. We need at least 25 orders to place an order for the shirts to be printed. This will make a wonderful Christmas gift to yourself.
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 – Tomorrow, 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 today, 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 - Glee…soloist will be notified by Friday, December 2 of this week. All members are encouraged to bring in blank CS’s to get a copy of the music to practice at home. Our first performance is Tuesday, December 13th at the Crystal Coast Civic Center at the Festival of Trees. Make plans to attend the 5:00 performance.
Boys Soccer – The soccer team lost yesterday against Newport Middle with a score on 2-0 but we will get them next time around!
*Please release the soccer team at 2:45 today for their away game at Broad Creek Middle.
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!
Holiday BOGO Book Fair starts Wednesday, December 7 after school with the teacher preview kick-off event. Teachers will make wish lists. Students will preview the fair and can make purchases on Thursday, December 8. We will have a wrapping station to meet holiday needs.
We are in need of some more parent/guardian volunteers. If you would like to volunteer, please contact Dega Lancaster (dega.lancaster@carteretk12.org)

Forget Rudolf the Red-Nosed Reindeer, at MCMS, it is Rudolf, the Well-Read Reindeer. The competition is off to a great start. Sandpipers currently lead followed by the Staff followed closely by the Seahorses. Remember, as you finish a book that has at least 50 pages, fill out a snowman or a dot. Include your name and team name, the title of the book, the author, and rate the book on a scale of 1 -10 with a few words why. If the book is within 50 points of your lexile, include the lexile of the book for triple value.

We have even more new releases in our media center. Be sure to check out the media mania highlights on our school web page found under the media center tab!

Battle of the Books- Battle of the Books will practice on Friday, December 2 in the media center until 4:00. The qualification quiz to qualify for the School BOB team will take place on Monday, December 5 in room 135 on the 8th Grade hall. Most students will finish the quiz within an hour, so parents should plan to pick up approximately 4:00 pm.

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 TOMORROW!
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!