Wow!
What a weekend!
To the Cards Fans- I feel your pain. After a handling the Cats for nearly the entire game, Russdiculous and company let Kentucky take over at the end. Very sad and disappointing. But we've got to remember that the Cards have been on a wonderful three-year run. A Final Four in 2012, a championship in 2013, and a Sweet Sixteen in 2014... not too shabby!
To the Cats Fans- Good luck in Dallas. After dropping ten games during the season, your group of fabulous freshmen have really gotten their act together in the post-season. Your big win over the Cards was followed up by another solid performance against Michigan. The Final Four should be very entertaining. Good luck to Cat Nation.
To the folks that aren't basketball fans- Who cares about the madness? I hear you, too. If basketball is not your deal, there is still something to learn from March Madness.
To survive and advance in the tournament, teams have to work hard and play well together.
We've had our own "March Madness" this year with the extended schedule. As we finish the month today (we've survived and advanced), let's work hard and play well together. Bring your A game today. Help your teammates/classmates to do their best as well.
Congrats on finishing our own March Madness. Good luck in the next tournament. April Madness. Yes, we've got one more month of extended days. Survive and advance. Survive and advance.
And to the Lady Cards Fans- Good luck in the Elite Eight on Tuesday! Go Cards. Take down the Terrapins!
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Hacked
We had a problem on MBC last week. Somebody hacked an account and posted some unpleasant comments on a discussion board.
To the person that had the account hacked:
I'm really sorry that this happened. We know that you did not make those comments. Now that you have a new password, it is doubtful that this ever will happen again. While there is one person that acted cruelly, remember that a whole bunch of kids immediately helped you by flagging the comments.
To the people that flagged the offensive comments:
Nice! You did exactly the right thing. You saw something wrong, and you acted immediately. Your decision to flag the comments helped us to quickly remove them. I know some of you would have liked to join in on the commenting, but the flag action was the right move. I'm proud of all of you that did this!
To the hacker:
Immature. Disrespectful. Cruel. Stupid. There are so many ways to describe the action you took. I hope that this moment of character lapse is just that… a moment. A single mistake. I hope that this doesn't happen again. I hope that the words that describe this action don't turn into words that describe you.
To everybody else:
Hacking isn't funny. Hacking is a violation of the Responsible Use Agreement. Good digital citizens don't even attempt to enter the accounts of others. Thanks to the 605 of the 606 of you that are following the rules.
To the person that had the account hacked:
I'm really sorry that this happened. We know that you did not make those comments. Now that you have a new password, it is doubtful that this ever will happen again. While there is one person that acted cruelly, remember that a whole bunch of kids immediately helped you by flagging the comments.
To the people that flagged the offensive comments:
Nice! You did exactly the right thing. You saw something wrong, and you acted immediately. Your decision to flag the comments helped us to quickly remove them. I know some of you would have liked to join in on the commenting, but the flag action was the right move. I'm proud of all of you that did this!
To the hacker:
Immature. Disrespectful. Cruel. Stupid. There are so many ways to describe the action you took. I hope that this moment of character lapse is just that… a moment. A single mistake. I hope that this doesn't happen again. I hope that the words that describe this action don't turn into words that describe you.
To everybody else:
Hacking isn't funny. Hacking is a violation of the Responsible Use Agreement. Good digital citizens don't even attempt to enter the accounts of others. Thanks to the 605 of the 606 of you that are following the rules.
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Handbook 2014
In the next few weeks, we'll be examining our school handbook and recommending changes for the 2014-2015 school year. During this review, we'll be seeking input from students, parents, and teachers. We'll start with some surveys!
SMS students will be asked to take a survey during Connect next Monday. We will be asking questions about our schedule, our technology program and rules, the our dress code, and our discipline program.
If you have time this week, open up your current SMS Handbook and review our current rules. You have access to the handbook on our school web site and also as an iBook on your iPad. If you could change some things to make our school better, what would you suggest?
Get ready for the survey next week!
Get ready for Spring Break in two weeks!
And, oh yeah, good luck with ISTEP+ this week!
SMS students will be asked to take a survey during Connect next Monday. We will be asking questions about our schedule, our technology program and rules, the our dress code, and our discipline program.
If you have time this week, open up your current SMS Handbook and review our current rules. You have access to the handbook on our school web site and also as an iBook on your iPad. If you could change some things to make our school better, what would you suggest?
Get ready for the survey next week!
Get ready for Spring Break in two weeks!
And, oh yeah, good luck with ISTEP+ this week!
Sunday, March 2, 2014
March Madness
March Madness is upon us, SMS! And I'm not just talking about a basketball tournament!
A quick glance at the March calendar shows quite a bit of madness. We've got lots of activities, sixteen extended hour school days, one dance, one massive test, and a week of spring break! Add on top of that the start of the basketball tournament that for which March Madness was named and we've got quite a bit going on this month!
First things first. Let's talk ISTEP+. The first half of our state test is coming up soon. We're planning on taking the Applied Skills test on Wednesday and Thursday, March 12th and 13th. Everybody will get a booklet and a pencil… it's old school. Sixth, seventh, and eighth graders will start with a math exam that will include a few multi-step math problems. Test evaluators will look at the answer and the process. It is important to remember that the answer alone will not earn full points. Students get points for the answer and points for the steps. Show your work. Show your work. Show your work!
Right after the math exam, students will take an English/Language Arts exam. Typically, students are given a short story or article to read and then are asked to write something in relation to the article. Although the topics vary, the expectations remain the same. Read carefully, do a quick 'pre-write' to make notes about how you will answer, and then write a response that answers the questions. In this test, the evaluators will only grade your actual answers on the lined portions of the book. Your pre-write isn't graded, so don't get too wrapped up in that! Do take time to edit your work for capitalization, punctuation, spelling, sentence structure, and word use. And of course, write neatly so that test evaluators can read your work!
On the second day of testing, we will start with another 55 minute E/LA exam. Sixth and seventh graders get one more brain-drain with science and social studies tests respectively. These tests are typically short answer. Read carefully and answer fully. No problem. Eighth graders do not have a third subject exam. Life is good in 8th grade!
Thanks to each of you (in advance) for giving your best effort on each exam. Your Applied Skills test will be combined with May's Multiple Choice test to get one score. Before we get your scores in June, have fun at the dance, learn all you can in our extended days, attend all of your club meetings, and pick the right teams to get to the final four!
I'll share my basketball picks after the brackets are announced.
I also look forward to bragging about your scores when they are announced.
Good luck, SMS!
A quick glance at the March calendar shows quite a bit of madness. We've got lots of activities, sixteen extended hour school days, one dance, one massive test, and a week of spring break! Add on top of that the start of the basketball tournament that for which March Madness was named and we've got quite a bit going on this month!
First things first. Let's talk ISTEP+. The first half of our state test is coming up soon. We're planning on taking the Applied Skills test on Wednesday and Thursday, March 12th and 13th. Everybody will get a booklet and a pencil… it's old school. Sixth, seventh, and eighth graders will start with a math exam that will include a few multi-step math problems. Test evaluators will look at the answer and the process. It is important to remember that the answer alone will not earn full points. Students get points for the answer and points for the steps. Show your work. Show your work. Show your work!
Right after the math exam, students will take an English/Language Arts exam. Typically, students are given a short story or article to read and then are asked to write something in relation to the article. Although the topics vary, the expectations remain the same. Read carefully, do a quick 'pre-write' to make notes about how you will answer, and then write a response that answers the questions. In this test, the evaluators will only grade your actual answers on the lined portions of the book. Your pre-write isn't graded, so don't get too wrapped up in that! Do take time to edit your work for capitalization, punctuation, spelling, sentence structure, and word use. And of course, write neatly so that test evaluators can read your work!
On the second day of testing, we will start with another 55 minute E/LA exam. Sixth and seventh graders get one more brain-drain with science and social studies tests respectively. These tests are typically short answer. Read carefully and answer fully. No problem. Eighth graders do not have a third subject exam. Life is good in 8th grade!
Thanks to each of you (in advance) for giving your best effort on each exam. Your Applied Skills test will be combined with May's Multiple Choice test to get one score. Before we get your scores in June, have fun at the dance, learn all you can in our extended days, attend all of your club meetings, and pick the right teams to get to the final four!
I'll share my basketball picks after the brackets are announced.
I also look forward to bragging about your scores when they are announced.
Good luck, SMS!
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