Weekly Announcements for City High Middle School For Friday, February 2, 2018 Email: [email protected] TESTING The winter testing window ends February 16. Please look for MAP test reports to come home with your student on Thursday, February 22. Please direct any questions around MAP to Mrs. Modzeleski, [email protected]. WELCOME We enthusiastically welcome Crisol Beliz to City High Middle School as the Second Secretary. Cris is a City High Middle School graduate, and more recently, an alumna of Grand Valley State University. We are thrilled to have her as part of our office team. Cris is currently helping with attendance, and is often the voice who greets you on the phone. Please feel free to introduce yourself to Ms. Beliz through email at [email protected], or take a minute to speak with her the next time you stop into City High Middle. MIDDLE SCHOOL VALENTINE DANCE FOR GRADES 6 - 8 February 8, 2018, at City High Middle School 3 -5 PM Activities Pass or $3. Concessions will be for sale. There will be a photo booth. All CAS hours must be competed to attend. SWIRL FOR GRADES 9 - 12 HURRY! The last day to purchase tickets for Swirl is Monday, February 5. See flyer below. BAND CONCERT February 13, 7 PM in the auditorium. Please note this change as the concert was previously posted as February 15. COUNT DAYS, FEBRUARY 14 & 15 Count Day (February 14) is when all public schools across Michigan tally the number of students attending school. This attendance information is essential to districts because each student translates into state funding. In a school where the day is broken up into class periods, student count is done for each section. Since City has a unique block schedule on Wednesdays and Thursdays, this requires our count day to extend over a two day period so that hours one, three, five and seven are counted on Wednesday, February 14, and hours 2, 4, 6, 8 are captured on Thursday, February 15. When possible, please schedule appointments and other activities around these dates, February 14 & February 15, so that students are able to attend all classes listed on their schedule. If your child is absent due to illness, or some other reason, please call 616-819-2381 to report and excuse the absence, or send a signed and dated note excusing your child from school. OHHS SPORTS SWIM TEAM INFO Congratulations to the OHHS Men's Swim and Dive team on their wins over both West Catholic and Fremont last night (2/1). Individual event winners were Dawson Eriksen, Caleb Hekman, and Andrew DeBoer. 1st Place relay finishers were Dawson Eriksen, Adam Kuzee, Andrew DeBoer, and Griffin Halloran. The team will be hosting the Ottawa Hills Invitational on Saturday at 11am. Good luck guys! MIDDLE SCHOOL COUNSELING NEWS from Ms. Tamara Johnston STRESS / ANXIETY GROUP Great news for all students. Lunch groups are starting Mid-February. Students often experience stress and anxiety both at home and at school. Arbor Circle is coming to City to do a group around stress/anxiety to answer student's common questions: How does my body respond to stress? What is the difference between stress and anxiety? How does anxiety affect me? How can I respond to stress and anxiety? Interested students please come down to the counseling office to sign up and pick up a permission slip. PRE-COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITY Great news 7th grade parents! If your child has mostly A's and can demonstrate financial need, you will want to apply for this scholarship. https://youtu.be/CDO5CXbcDRQ The benefits last 7th through 12th grade. The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Young Scholars Program offers a unique pre-college scholarship and advising program to high-achieving, low-income students. From 8th grade through high school, Cooke Young Scholars join a community of ambitious peers and receive academic and college counseling, financial support for academic and extracurricular enrichment, and a pathway to college success. The application is open to 7th grade students from January 17, 2018 through March 21, 2018: http://bit.ly/2ArI5fk. For help applying, here are some helpful webinars to watch. https://outreach.jkcf.org/webinars/ HIGH SCHOOL COUNSELING NEWS from Ms. Danielle Ralston PRESIDENT GERALD R. FORD STUDENT ESSAY CHALLENGE Do you know a talented student writer who could use $1,000 for college? Do you know a teacher (maybe yourself!) who could benefit from a $500 gift card for classroom supplies? Read on to learn about the President Gerald R. Ford Student Essay Challenge! Each year students are invited to reflect on an important part of Gerald R. Ford's character. High school students nationwide are invited to participate in the contest. Finalists are chosen and recognized at a special awards program at the Museum. Students from Michigan who submit their essay are eligible to receive the following awards: First Place: $1,000 plus a $500 gift card for student's teacher Second Place: $750 plus a $250 gift card for student's teacher Third Place: $500 plus a $100 gift card for student's teacher Up to 4 Honorable Mentions: $250 each * One $500 award will be given to a submitting student living outside of Michigan. Special thanks to Meijer for providing the teacher gift awards! CLICK ON THIS LINK TO Submit Your Entry Today ! https://geraldrfordfoundation.org/student-essay-challenge The writing prompt for the 2018 Essay Challenge is: President Gerald R. Ford lived what many people would define as a life of courage. From overcoming family adversity as a child to standing up for his beliefs in college to becoming President of the United States during a time of deep political divide and social unrest, President Ford demonstrated tremendous courage. Examples of courage can be found all throughout our history as well as in our own, everyday lives. Is there someone in history or in your own personal life that you believe exemplifies this character trait? Reflect on your interpretation of courage and share your thoughts in an essay. For a Complete list of rules and guidelines and submission information visit: geraldrfordfoundation.org/student-essay-challenge/ Click Here to Download a PDF of Rules and Guidelines Timeline Essays must be received on or before March 12, 2018. THERE IS MORE BELOW Including the Swirl flier, PTSA News, and important reminders. Cordially Invites All High School Students to the Annual For Students in Grades 9—12, THE LAST DAY TO PURCHASE February 10, 2018 TICKETS IS FEBRUARY 5! 7:00—10:00 PM The Ballroom at McKay Tower 146 Monroe Center NW Tickets: $20 or free with Activity Pass. Tickets will be sold during lunch CAS hours must be up to date to attend All guest pass applications must be complete and received in the main office by February 8—sorry, no exceptions. PTSA ANNOUNCEMENTS (FOR SPANISH, CLICK HERE) CHILI COOK-­‐OFF A WONDERFUL SUCCESS!! Thank you to everyone who cooked, attended or donated to the Chili Cook-­‐off Fundraiser!!! With all your help and a portion of sales donated by Tip Top, we raised about $1,000 for the Principal’s Fund and the Guidance Office. We couldn’t have done it without you! MINUTES FROM LAST PTSA MEETING AND COFFEE WITH PRINCIPAL Did you miss our last PTSA meeting or want to know what was discussed at the coffee with Principal Ryan Huppert last week? Fear not, they are linked below. The next PTSA meeting is February 21. Mark your calendars! ● CLICK HERE to see the draft of minutes from the PTSA meeting. ● CLICK HERE to see the notes from the coffee meeting. DALE HOVENKAMP $1,000 SCHOLARSHIP ESSAY CONTEST The deadline to submit your application and essay for the $1,000 Dale Hovenkamp Scholarship is April 16. You can find all details and the application on the City PTSA website. The scholarship, which is funded by the PTSA, is open to all college-­‐bound seniors who meet the requirements. Applicants are asked to write a two-­‐page, MLA-­‐format essay on the following prompt: A new student is thinking about transferring to City. The student and her/his family don't understand CAS or its purpose. In your essay, explain why City has CAS and explain its importance in your education, focusing on the effect SERVICE has played in your life. Be specific, detailed and reflective about your most important service activities. An outside group of judges will determine the winner, which will be announced May 16 at Senior Recognition Night. SENIOR GRAD KICK OFF TO GRADUATION CELEBRATION Secret plans are in the works for a fun, all-­‐night Senior Grad Celebration to follow the Senior Recognition Night on May 16. The cost for those who didn’t meet the early bird deadline is $175 and can be paid online by clicking “Donate” at cityptsa.com and selecting “Senior Grad” as the category, or you can pay by check made out to City High Middle PTSA and put “Senior Grad” in the memo line. All payments in full need to be received by April 1. Checks should be left in the PTSA mailbox in the school office. Please send scholarship requests directly to the City office, or our PTSA Treasurer: Donna Justice Van Gessel no later than March 1. No student will be turned away due to financial need. Also, senior parents and guardians (NO STUDENTS— IT’S A SECRET!) please ask to join our CLOSED Facebook group to help with communication: City HS Senior Grad Party (NOTE: This event is different from the all-­‐night Six Flags trip being planned by students with Mr.