Week Three Highlights

What a busy week at Freeland Middle School! Here are a few snapshots of what your students are doing this week.

Mrs. Hannon's 7th grade Eastern Hemisphere Class

In Mrs. Hannon's class this week students were practicing their geography skills. Students have been learning about how geographers see the world.  As part of their study, students discussed advantages and disadvantages of maps and globes.  They got first-hand experience in the difficulties of making a 3D object (a globe) into a 2D image (a map) and came up with strategies a cartographer might have to use to make a useful map.

Mrs. Gott's Life Skills Class

In Mrs. Gott's Life Skills class students are continue to work on their citizenship skills by getting involved in two school related events. First, students are helping to create a positive climate and culture at school during homecoming week by putting together a Spirit Week for the school, as well as decorating lockers to support all students in the school.

Secondly, they are working on how to be a part of a larger community by beginning a Box Tops campaign on Monday, October 5th. They will be collecting box tops for a week to support our PE department equipment purchases for this year. More information on this fundraiser will be found in future blog posts.

Student Council Vote on Friday

We had over 20 people run for student council positions this year! It was an incredible pool, with 14 students who ran for the Executive Board, and many more run for grade level representatives. This year, all students who run have the opportunity to be a part of the student council representatives so that we can get as many leaders as possible involved in our school! Students did a fantastic job on their speeches Friday, and voting took place Friday afternoon. Ballots have been counted, and the Executive Board for the middle school will be announced on Monday, September 28th!

Middle School Parent Math Presentation Update

Did you miss the middle school math parent meeting? If so, attached is the PowerPoint that we used during the presentation. Also, we are putting together a Question & Answer document right now for some of the most commonly asked questions we have gotten about our math curriculum, and the Michigan math standards. In the near future, this will be available on the blog, as well as under the "Curriculum" tab of the "Parents and Community" section of the district website.

Homecoming Spirit Week

Remember, next week is HOMECOMING WEEK! We will be having a spirit week for the week. Dress up days are the following:

• Monday - Pajama Day
• Tuesday - Twin Day
• Wednesday - Superhero Day
• Thursday - Western/Camo Day
• Friday - Falcon pride Day!

There will be a certificate for best dressed on each day. If your child is interested in the "best dressed" award for a specific day, they need to see Mrs. Gotts in room 80 before school on that day! 

Enter Week Three. A focus on safety and social media.

As we begin week three I am excited to say that things at the middle school continue to amaze me. I am impressed with how the 7th and 8th grade students interact with one another in a positive way. I am excited to see classrooms that are rich with learning experiences to push students in their educational journey. And, I am looking forward to attending the volleyball games this week.

This week, I want to take a moment to focus on safety. In an effort to make our school a safe place, I will periodically use this blog to write about challenges our middle school teens face when it comes to the digital world, peer pressure, friendships, bullying, and any other topic around safety that your child could be faced with as they continue through the middle years. This weeks safety post will highlight social media use with our teens.

The middle school level is a time when all students begin to push their boundaries, and demand more independence. Often times, this is when our students are able to gain some freedom as well, and one of the ways that many students experience their first taste of independence is through the use of a personal cell phone. Cell phones are incredible devices, that allow us to stay connected with one another, explore new worlds through a simple Google search, and document anything we want on our many social media sites. However, with this device there are also many things that you can be aware of to make sure to protect your child. Common Sense Media recently released an article, "15 Apps and Websites Kids are Heading to After Facebook", all about the post-Facebook era teenager. In this article 15 social media apps/websites are described to give parents a bit more information about the type of apps your child could be downloading on their smart phones, or other electronic devices. Because this is many of our students first exposure to some of these sites, it is important to have conversations with them about the positives that come with social media sites, and the dangers of social media. A specific focus on bullying and social media, and the public nature of what is posted are great conversation starters when discussing social media etiquette.

The most common sites that come across my desk are Kik, Instagram, and Snapchat. These three social media sites tend to be the place where I have seen bullying and inappropriate posts occur. As we partner together to make sure that our students are safe both in the physical and virtual world, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns regarding social media sites and your child. I would be happy to provide you with additional resources, or to sit down with you and chat about some of the social media sites that are readily available for your child.

General Announcements to Parents:

• Freeland High School Travel Club: Current 8th graders for informaiton on the 2017 London and Paris trip please visit our Travel Club site and contact Mindi Hannon at hannonm@freelandschools.net with further questions
• Please save your box tops and bring them into the middle school. We are currently collecting box tops for purchasing new PE equipment.
• There is a parent meeting for all interested 6th-8th parents on Tuesday, September 22nd at 7:00pm in the cafeteria at the middle/high school to introduce our new math program, Glencoe Math. 

Reflections on week one...

Excitement. Energy. Community. 

These are the three words that I would use to describe our first week of school. The excitement in the air as students walked through the building on the first day of school was contagious. The energy that students had throughout the week as they experienced their classes for the first time, and, the community that they are beginning to build as they take pride in the fact that they are a part of our middle school family is something that I am thrilled to see grow throughout the year.

Here is a quick recap of our first week of school...

Tuesday

We began the day with a middle school assembly to talk about the awesome year that we are going to have together. We watched a video by the Kid President, and also watched a slideshow about all the great things our students have to look forward to this year.

Wednesday

Day two was filled with lots of great things happening in classes.  Mr. LaFond's FUSE class, and Ms. Shea's Gateway class worked with students on their engineering skills when students participated in a competition in which they had to build the tallest structure using marshmallows, tape, spaghetti noodles, and string. Teachers in all classes continued to set expectations, engage in community building activities, and going over the handbook expectations.

Thursday 

We had our school picture day. All students received their ID badges which can be used for any school event this year. If students are not happy with their picture, they can get their pictures retaken on October 21st.

Friday

We had a spirit day on Friday to celebrate the Clash for the Cure game. During 2nd hour students were able to honor family and friends who have battled cancer by writing their name on a ribbon and putting it on their lockers. We had many students dressed up for the spirit day!

Let's have a great start to week two Freeland Middle School!

Middle School Post Open House Update

Did you miss the open house? 
Don't worry! We will be sending all information home to parents and students who missed the open house. Also, you can use this link to access much of the information provided at the open house electronically. If you have scheduling questions or other questions about the middle school contact the main office at 989-692-4032.

Planner Sales
Planners are still for sale in the main office. They are $3.00 each. 

Secretary Change
Mrs. Sue Paris will have her last day as the middle school secretary on Tuesday, September 8th. She will be greatly missed at the middle school! We will keep you updated on who will replace Ms. Paris in future blog posts. 

Construction Update
We are very excited about the start of school, but realize there are still many questions regarding Washington Street. Please realize that the portion of Washington from 7th street to Webster Road will be open for buses beginning on Tuesday. However, they will continue to need to close that section of the road to traffic as they work to complete the project. Though we do not see it causing a significant disruption to our busing, it is likely that the road will be closed to traffic for long lengths of time throughout the day. Please give yourself enough time if you have to use an alternate rout to "cross the tracks" and know that the detours you have been using are still available in the weeks ahead.

For more information pertaining to the construction on Washington please contact the district office at 989-695-5527. 

Athletics Announcement
Our middle school volleyball teams will start official practice on 9-8-15.Our 8th grade team, coached by coach Kearney (Flores), will have practice starting at 2:45.  Practice will run until 4:45.  Our 7th grade team, coached by coach Bowersox will begin practice at 5:00, and it will end at 7:00. Please contact the athletic office at 695-5986 or 695-5525 with any additional questions.

Robotics Announcement
There is a sign up meeting for the middle school robotics club. Both parents and students will need to be present to formally sign up for the team. Returning team members as well as students interested in joining the club should attend. There are a limited number of openings and a large number of interested students. The official first challenge season starts September 12th. 

• Date: Wednesday, September 9th
• Time: 7:00-8:00pm
• Location: Freeland Elementary Cafeteria 

Call Coach Snider if you are unable to attend. Contact information is in the middle school office.

Middle School Volleyball Information

Our middle school volleyball teams will start official practice on 9-8-15.

Our 8th grade team, coached by coach Kearney (Flores), will have practice starting at 2:45.  Practice will run until 4:45.  Our 7th grade team, coached by coach Bowersox will begin practice at 5:00, and it will end at 7:00

Please contact the athletic office at 695-5986 or 695-5525 with any additional questions