Town Crier on Monday, January 30, 2012.

Happy Monday
January 30, 2012
Together this will be a prosperous 2011-2012 School Year!

Rachel’s Challenge Thought for the Week! – “Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do.
So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
Rachel's Challenge will meet each Friday during AC and Lunch.
Check out www.rachelschallenge.org
Proctors Needed - Proctors are needed to assist with Access Testing from February 6th through February 24th. Testing sessions will run from 9am -12pm. Please contact Lori McNiel or one of the counselors at 726-1126 if you are free and available on any of those dates. We would love to have you.
*Proctors Needed: If you are free and available any of the following dates/times, we would be grateful for your time:
February 6:10-11:30am
February 7: 8-9:30am
February 8: 9-10:30am
February 9: 1-2:30pm
February 13: 10-11:30am
February 14: 8-9:30am
February 15: 9-10:30am
February 16: 1-2:30pm

PTO MEETING - Our next PTO meeting will be Tuesday, February 14th at 8:15AM.
Athletic Booster Meeting - Athletic Booster is meeting is today, Monday, January 30th @ 6:00 PM in our cafeteria lobby. Parents are encouraged to attend.
Winter Wonderland Dance - Oh, I want to dance with somebody!
On Feb. 10 from 3-5, MCMS will be hosting a Winter Wonderland Dance! The entrance fee is $5.00. We will have several activities such as a "Who Glued My Igloo?" Competition, Twister Competition, Whimsical Winter Photo (small fee), a cupcake decorating room, Karaoke, Wii, and other activities. Tickets will go on sale beginning Wednesday, Feb. 8th, 9th, and 10th during lunches. No tickets can be purchased at the door.
*Parents will be needed to help make this dance an exciting time. Please email or call Jenny Bell, jenny.bell@carteretk12.org, or 726-1126, if you are available to help out or donate items. As the dance nears, more information and items needed will be posted in the Town Crier.
Baseball/Softball Skill Sessions – Baseball/Softball skill sessions will begin on Monday, February 13th and Tuesday, February 14th from 3:30-5:00 on our Soccer Field. The skill sessions will be open to everyone (all grades, boys and girls) interested in improving their baseball/softball skills.
Baseball/Softball gloves and tennis shoes are required.
BASEBALL TRYOUTS – Baseball tryouts will begin on Thursday and Friday, February16th and 17th from 3:30-5:30 pm at Swinson Park.
PTO Candy Gram’s for Valentine’s Day – Valentine’s Day is just around the corner! MCMS parents are encouraged to let your Minuteman know they are special! Parents may purchase candy grams in our office on Wednesday-Friday, February 8-10. Just stop by the front office and purchase your candy gram.
Students will be able to purchase candy grams February 8-10 during lunchtimes. All candy grams will be delivered during homeroom on Valentine’s Day, Tuesday, February 14th.
Sport Picture Day – Sports pictures will be taken on Friday, February 23rd for the following teams:
Girl's basketball 3:15
Boy's basketball 3:30
Wrestling 3:45
Spring Photos – S-M-I-L-E…. Individual Spring photos are taking place on Feb. 23 during your scheduled lunch period. Please bring your picture order form and payment on the day on the day pictures are taken. Pictures can be pre-ordered online at payments.lifetouch.com
Sports Recognition Program - Parents are invited to attend a recognition program of our athletes in the sports of football, girls and boys soccer, boys golf, and volleyball. This event will take place in our gym on tomorrow, Tuesday, January 31 @ 1:30.
Wrestling News – The wrestling team will have their next match on Wednesday, February 1st at Newport Middle School at 4:00 pm.
Basketball Game – The Minutemen won another game in an outstanding fashion. Behind their best team effort of the year, the team was able to put Tucker Creek away late in the 3rd quarter and cruise to a victory.
The Minutemen basketball teams will be back on the court tomorrow, Tuesday, January 31st facing Down East. Game time is at 4:00 pm. Please, come out and cheer!
Glee Club – All Glee members will have a meeting on Wednesday, February 1st in Ms. Hopkins room # 135 from 3to 4 pm. We will be meeting with our groups for talent show preparations. Glee members should work on assigned talent show jobs.
Quiz Bowl – Meetings will take place every Wednesday from 3:00 to 3:45 thru April 2nd if not cancelled beforehand.
Media Mania News …. Don’t get caught without a BOOK!
Blizzard of Books - Are you ready to rock into 2012 with our Blizzard of Books?
Summer Middle School Engineering Camp –
The NC State College of Engineering and Craven Community College will offer an exciting, weeklong summer day camp this June 25 – June 29 for middle school students (rising 7th, 8th and 9th graders) at Havelock campus of Craven Community College.
Cost for the camp is $250 per student. Scholarships may be available for students with demonstrated financial need.
The application process will be open until April 17. To apply, go to www.engr.ncsu.edu/mes and follow the “Explore” link for the Havelock Middle School Camp.

For more information, contact Bill Fortney or Susan Lloyd at (252) 444-3357 or wbfortne@ncsu.edu .
*Automated Phone System - In an effort to better communicate with our parents, we’d like you to be aware that on Monday, January 9, we began using our automated phone system to alert parents if a student has been marked absent for that school day. Parents can expect the phone call at approximately 9:00 AM each morning a student is marked absent from homeroom. As you are aware, our homeroom meets at 7:45, so those students who arrive late to school will have been marked absent and parents will be notified.
As with any new initiative, we will listen to you and learn what we may need to do to make the process work for our school personnel as well as our families. We thank you in advance for your patience as we launch this new communication initiative.

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 been collected. We encourage you to collect your valuable items before we 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 Great Day!