Merry Christmas!

As I wrap up my first semester as your middle school principal, I am grateful to God for the opportunity of serving here at Trinity.  This school has already blessed my life in so many ways!  I am looking forward to many years of service to you in the future.

Remember to keep focused on that most precious of Christmas gifts this season, our Savior, Jesus Christ.

May God bless you richly this Christmas!

Middle School Notes

Happy Friday!

I hope that this week has been a good one for you!

Here are some important announcements:

1. The Middle School Student Government Association is sponsoring a Movie Night tomorrow night, December 13, immediately following our varsity basketball game.  The event will be held in Willett Hall and will conclude around 8:30 p.m.  Admission is one can of food for the Friendship Mission.

2. Exams are NEXT WEEK.  Please encourage your child to study each day as we approach this most important time.  Additionally, please help ensure that your child gets plenty of rest and has a good breakfast the morning of each exam day.  

Here is our exam schedule for next week:

Monday - Regular School Day

6th grade (chapter tests)

Please note: The 6th grade will dismiss at 9:30 next Tuesday - Friday.

Tuesday - English

Wednesday - Science

Thursday - Math

Friday - Social Studies

7th & 8th Grades

Tuesday - 1st & 2nd periods

Wednesday - 3rd & 4th periods

Thursday - 5th & 6th periods

Friday - 7th period

Please note: Tuesday - Friday:

9:30 - Dismissal from first exam of the day

11:30 - Dismissal from the second exam of the day

Have a great weekend!

Middle School Notes

Happy Friday!

I hope you and your family have had a nice post-Thanksgiving week!

The first portion of this week’s set of announcements is directed toward the parents of our 8th grade students. Please remember that exams in the 8th grade will count for 10% of your child’s grade for this semester. It is very important that your child study for these exams every day between now and the end of this term. Ten percent on a single exam can have a big impact on the semester average, and the percentage of semester exams in upper school is even higher. This is an important opportunity for our students to understand the concept of taking exams and the potential consequences of not taking them seriously. We want them to be fully prepared for the upper school experience where cumulative grade point averages can be a huge factor with respect to higher education opportunities.

Here are some other important announcements:

1. Eighth grade parents: Please remember to put on your calendar our important Washington trip meeting. The meeting will take place Wednesday, December 10 at 2:15 p.m. in Willett Hall.
2. The Middle School Student Council will host a movie night Saturday, December 13 in Willett Hall. The movie will begin immediately following the varsity basketball game and should wrap up around 8:30 p.m. Admission is one can of food to be donated to the Friendship Mission. Snacks will be provided.

Here are our tests for the upcoming week:

6th Grade – None

7th Grade

Wednesday – Keyboarding, Science

8th Grade

Monday – Earth Science, History (Franklin)

Tuesday – English, History (Weeks)

Thursday – English, French

Friday – Spanish

Have a great weekend!

Important English Assignment

7th Grade Parents:

Miss Head would like for me to remind you that your children will be writing a narrative paragraph in her class this Friday. This is not listed as a test this week, but will count as a test grade, so it is important that it be taken very seriously.

Please encourage your children to do their very best on this important in-class assignment.

Have a wonderful Wednesday afternoon!

6th Grade Exam Dismissal

Parents of 6th Grade Students:

The 6th grade will dismiss at 9:30 each morning during our upcoming semester exams. Exam days this year are Tuesday, December 16 - Friday, December 19.

Happy Thanksgiving!

As we prepare for our Thanksgiving holiday, I would like to tell you just how thankful I am to be a part of the Trinity family. Thank you for your kindness and acceptance this semester. But thanks most of all for allowing me to be a part of your child's life. I count that as one of my greatest blessings!

May the Light of Christ be with you this Thanksgiving season!

The poem below is appropriate for this season and every day.

Thanksgiving

For each new morning with its light,

For rest and shelter of the night,

For health and food, For love and friends,

For everything Thy goodness sends.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

Tests for the week of December 1:

6th Grade - None

7th Grade -

Wednesday - Math/Pre-Algebra

Thursday - Geography

8th Grade -

Tuesday - Algebra I

Thursday - History (McLemore)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Middle School Notes

Happy Friday!

I hope you and your family have had a nice week. It has been a good one here at Trinity!

We had some very distinguished visitors on our campus this week in conjunction with our 7th grade drug education program sponsored by the Alabama National Guard. Joining us were Col. Carle, national head of the Counter Drug Program for the National Guard. He was visiting from the Pentagon and decided to drop by Trinity to check out our classes. Joining him was Col. Hoult, state head of the National Guard’s Counter Drug Program, among others.

Many thanks to Sandi Faulkner who has done an outstanding job of putting this program together this year.

Here are some important announcements:

1. As we enter the Thanksgiving and Christmas season, please remember to give my office at least one week notice when requesting special absence excuses. Thanks in advance for your cooperation.
2. Please encourage your children to study for their upcoming exams. Eighth grade exams will count 10% of the semester grade, so they are especially important.
3. Eighth grade parents: Please remember to put on your calendar our important Washington trip meeting. The meeting will take place Wednesday, December 10 at 2:15 p.m. in Willett Hall.
4. Remember that we are out of school next Wednesday through Friday in observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.

Here are our tests for the upcoming week:

6th Grade

Tuesday - Math

7th Grade

Tuesday – Old Testament

8th Grade

Monday – English

Tuesday – U. S. History (Weeks), Pre-Algebra

Have a great weekend!

Middle School Notes - Late Edition

Hello, Everyone!

Please excuse this tardy posting of our weekly Middle School Notes. I have been away at Camp Cosby with our 6th grade.

Here are a few photos of our trip.

Many thanks to Kay Kirtland and Ahna Baggett for putting together a memorable experience for our students, parents, and teachers. In addition to learning a great deal about science and the outdoors, we used the trip as an opportunity to grow closer to God and to build on our relationship with Jesus Christ. As the year continues, we will use our chapel services to continue this Spiritual development.

Here are just a few important announcements and reminders:

1. On Tuesday, November 18, all 7th, 8th, and 9th graders will attend
A Christmas Carol: The Musical at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. We will leave school at 8:45. Moms are providing the transportation. 7th graders will load in the carpool circle below Willett Hall, and 8th graders will load in the circle outside of the new gym lobby. The performance will conclude at 11:45. After the performance, all 7th and 8th graders will eat lunch at the food court at Eastdale Mall and will return to school around 1:20.

Chapel dress is required for this event. We also request that students do not bring cell phones to school that day so that the phones do not become a distraction inside the Shakespeare Festival.

We are looking forward to this event and know our students will behave in an appropriate manner.

2. Key Club invites MS/US students to wear a college t-shirt of their choice as well as any outerwear and shoes they wish on Friday, November 21. Each out-of-uniform item worn costs $1. Students must wear uniform pants/skirts. All proceeds will benefit Common Ground Ministries. Students who choose to participate in this semi-out-of-uniform day must come to the courtyard before 1st period on Friday morning to pay and receive a bracelet to designate that they may be out of uniform.

3. The Alabama National Guard will be providing free drug education in conjunction with our physical education program this week. This has been in place at Trinity for many years, but I would be remiss if I didn't publicly thank our Guardsmen for their tremendous effort in this important area.

Here are our tests for this week:

6th Grade

Thursday - Social Studies

7th Grade

Thursday - Keyboarding

8th Grade

Wednesday - Latin, U. S. Hisotry (Franklin)

Friday - U. S. History (McLemore)

Have a great week!

Middle School Notes

Happy Friday!

I hope you and your family have had a nice week. It has been a good one here at Trinity!

Here are some important announcements:

1. Please remember that we have school this Monday, November 10. However, we will observe Veteran’s Day Tuesday, November 11 – there will be no school.

2. Our seventh-graders will begin a drug education program sponsored by the Alabama National Guard starting next week. This program has been in place at Trinity for the last several years and is an excellent opportunity for our students to learn about the dangers of drug addiction.

3. I am looking forward to attending Camp Cosby with our 6th grade students next week! Kay Kirtland and Ahna Baggett do a fantastic job of making this a memorable experience for our students, parents, and teachers. I hope to give you a full report of our activities next weekend in a delayed Middle School Notes publication.

Here are our tests for the upcoming week:

6th Grade – None

7th Grade

Monday – Pre-Algebra, Old Testament

Wednesday – Math, English

Thursday – Science

Friday – Geography Map Test

8th Grade

Monday – None

Wednesday – Algebra I, Science

Thursday – U. S. History (Weeks), Pre-Algebra

Have a great weekend!

Middle School Notes

Greetings from "The Mile High City!"

I am currently attending the 35th annual National Middle School Association conference in beautiful Denver, Colorado.  Much like your children, I have spent the last couple of days in class, and have learned some exciting things that I plan to bring to Trinity.  The highlight of the trip so far was a motivating keynote address by Jim Collins, author of the best-seller entitled Good to Great.  Jim took his landmark five-year study on what makes corporations go from good to great and showed us all how that can be accomplished in our schools.  We all left feeling pumped!

Additionally, I have attended classes on topics such as organization and time management for administrators, what brain research tells us about the learning styles of middle-schoolers, writing across the curriculum, teacher observations, incorporating technology into every class, and how to have a culture of academic achievement in a school.  Tomorrow, I'll be attending three more classes plus a closing general assembly featuring Academy Award-winning actress Marlee Matlin.  

Needless to say, this has been time well spent, but I am looking forward to getting back at it Monday morning!  

I hope you and your family enjoy a wonderful weekend!   

PS - You can see a report on the opening day of this conference by clicking here.

Middle School Notes

Happy Friday!

Congratulations to the following art students who received awards last night from the Montgomery Advertiser’s “Design an Ad” contest: Madison Cornett won 2nd place in the 4-6th grade category for her ad designed for McPhillips and Shinbaum, LLP, of Montgomery. Mary Elizabeth Newman won 3rd place in the 7-9th grade category for her ad for Hardee’s Restaurants. Both students received US Savings Bonds as a prize.

Of the 1,202 students who entered the contest, 150 were from Trinity. Considering these numbers, we should be very proud of Mrs. Bricken and these two talented students!

I should also mention that Josey Aughtman, a 5th grader in our Lower School, had her ad selected for publication by Southern School and Medical Uniforms. Way to go Josey!

You can access a full article detailing the “Design an Ad” contest here.

We’ve had a good week here at Trinity. I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Tests next week:

6th Grade:

Monday – None

Tuesday – Social Studies, Math

Wednesday – None

Thursday – None

Friday – Social Studies

7th Grade

Monday – None

Tuesday – Geography (Part I), Science

Wednesday – Geography (Part II)

Thursday – None

Friday – None

8th Grade

Monday – Science

Tuesday – U. S. History (Franklin)

Wednesday – Christian Studies

Thursday – None

Friday – U. S. History (Weeks)

Middle School Notes

Happy Friday!

Please give your children a big pat on the back for their cooperation as we administered a round of standardized testing Tuesday and Wednesday. The students seemed to take the test seriously, so I feel like they earned their two half days!

I am also happy to report that we have no middle school students assigned to Detention Hall this week. Overall, discipline referrals are down sharply from last year as are deficiencies. Translation: We’ve made great strides with respect to classroom discipline and academic success. Way to go!

As we continue through the year, please encourage your child to read, read, read. This skill is perhaps the single best indicator of future academic success. Our Accelerated Reader program is designed to help students develop a life-long love of reading. I encourage you to turn off the TV, crack open a book yourself, and model this for your children. Believe it or not, they still watch what you do and really look up to you. This is just one more way that you can partner with us as we work to educate your child.

Along this same line, please help us out with respect to attendance. It is most important that your child be in school as much as possible. If it becomes necessary for your child to miss for family reasons, please notify my office in writing at least one week in advance. This also applies to check-outs. Rather than simply making arrangements with the last period teacher, please follow the procedure of written notification to the principal’s office one week prior if at all possible. Thank you so much for your cooperation.

Again, we’ve had a great week here at Trinity! I hope you enjoy your weekend!

Here are our tests for next week:

6th Grade – None

7th Grade –

Monday – Geography (Map)

Tuesday – Old Testament

Thursday – Math, Pre-Algebra

Friday – Geography

8th Grade –

Monday – English

Wednesday – U. S. History (Weeks)

Thursday – French

Friday – U. S. History (McLemore), Algebra I

Middle School Notes

Happy Friday!

Check out these pictures of our Rolling Tones ensemble field trip to Atlanta to see Wicked. The day started Thursday at 6:45 a.m. as we had a brief organizational meeting followed by prayer in the Choral Room. We then departed for Atlanta, and arrived in time for lunch at the world-famous Varsity. After lunch, we headed a couple of blocks over to the historic Fox Theatre for the production which was absolutely fabulous!

Immediately following the musical, several actors and tech personnel met students from several schools at the foot of the stage for a brief question/answer session. Following this, we all piled into our cars and headed for home, arriving almost exactly twelve hours after we left.

Several of our seventh grade students joined Miss Head’s evening Pizza and Parts of Speech study session as seen in this picture. This was a creative way to prepare for an important test!

Here are a few important reminders and announcements:

1. Please help us by giving at least a one-week notice for any absences that require prior approval by the administration. You may submit your request to me in writing.
2. Please help us in the carpool line by pulling as far forward as possible when picking your child up from school. This will help prevent cars from backing up onto East Trinity Blvd.
3. Monday is a holiday, and we will dismiss at 12:00 noon on Tuesday and Wednesday due to standardized testing.
4. Please ensure that your child gets plenty of sleep, eats a good breakfast, and comes prepared for testing Tuesday and Wednesday. Students are required to bring two #2 pencils and a calculator, as well as a snack for our sessions.

Here are our tests for the upcoming week:

All Grades

Tuesday & Wednesday: Standardized Testing – Noon dismissal

6th Grade

Thursday – English (Holes)

7th Grade – None

8th Grade

Friday – English

Have a GREAT Weekend!

Creative Learning

Students in Mrs. Bowden's Old Testament class came up with some pretty cool depictions of the Creation, as well as a couple of outstanding scale models of Noah's Ark, for a recent assignment. Students used their math skills to make these models to scale.

These projects were presented in class today, and I was very impressed with the presentations.

I'll have more pictures when all of the projects are in and on display. Great job, kids!

Middle School Notes

Happy Homecoming!

Thanks for your support of our Homecoming activities this week. The kids seemed to have fun with each of our daily themes. As this is being written, we are gearing up for our parade, pep rally, and early dismissal.

Here are a couple of important reminders:

1. Our Homecoming game vs. the Beulah Bobcats will be tonight at 7:00. Come early as parking will be limited.

2. Please encourage your children to attend our 5th Quarter immediately following the game tonight in Willett Hall. This event, sponsored by three local youth pastors, will begin immediately following the game, and will end promptly at 11:00 p.m. Please make every effort to pick up your child as close to 11:00 as possible. Admission to this event is free, and is open to Trinity students in grades 6-8.

3. Please remember that we are back to normal dress code for next week. As I said in last week's post, our kids have done a great job in this area this year. Please help us get a more "normal" week off to a great start Monday morning.

4. Please keep in mind that we have a school holiday Monday, October 13, followed by half-days for testing on Tuesday and Wednesday, October 14 and 15. You will be given more information regarding our standardized testing next week.

Here are the upcoming tests for the week ahead:

6th Grade

Monday - Science

7th Grade

Tuesday - Math/Pre-Algebra

Wednesday - Keyboarding

Friday - English

8th Grade

Tuesday - Pre-Algebra, Algebra I

Thursday - US History (McLemore & Franklin)

Have a great weekend! GO WILDCATS!!

Middle School Notes

Happy Friday!

I hope everyone had a great week and is looking forward to a beautiful weekend!

Here are some general announcements:

1. You might want to take a look at this publication by the National Association of Elementary School Principals regarding study habits. The NAESP is an organization dedicated to the improvement of elementary and middle schools, and frequently publishes information for parents. As I run across things that you might find useful, I'll be sure to pass them along.

2. Please give your kids a big pat on the back for their cooperation with our dress code policy. As we near the end of September, we have had absolutely zero demerits issued for dress code violations!! We have managed to do this even when we have tossed in a couple of Spirit days. For that matter, all of our demerits are down significantly from last year, and I couldn't be more pleased! It looks like a reward is in order if this keeps up!

3. Please remember that we will have a 5th Quarter event immediately following our Homecoming game next Friday night. The program will begin in Willett Hall at the conclusion of the ball game and will end at 11:00 p.m. Please make every effort to have your child picked up as close to 11pm as possible. Admission to this event is free, and the program will be put on by the youth ministers at First Baptist, Frazier, and First Methodist.

Finally, thank you so much for the many calls and emails of support and encouragement I have received from many of you as we have started this school year. Please remember that our teachers thrive on that sort of affirmation as well, so if you feel that they are doing a good job, please do not hesitate to tell them so. I am convinced that each member of our faculty is totally dedicated to seeking the Lord's guidance in doing what is absolutely best for your child. When they hear you express your appreciation, it is like wind beneath their wings!

The upcoming tests for next week are listed below. I hope you and your family enjoy a restful and relaxing weekend!

6th Grade

Thursday - Math, Social Studies

7th Grade

Monday - Science

Thursday - Geography

8th Grade

Monday - U.S. History (Franklin), English

Thursday - Earth Science

Today's Chapel Service

Parents,

Please be sure to check your email for an important message regarding this morning's chapel service.

Thanks, and have a wonderful afternoon!

Middle School Notes

Happy Friday!

Here are some important reminders and announcements pertaining to our middle school program:

1. Some of our English teachers have sent AR point notification letters home. Please look these over carefully and keep up with where your child is now and needs to be in the near future with respect to AR points. Keep in mind that AR tests can be taken during class, before or after school, during break, or during lunch. Also, the last day to take an AR test for this nine weeks is Friday, October 10. This date is posted on Edline, and it is also posted on the board in the classrooms.

2. If you are the parent of an 8th grade student who is wrapping up our Abstinence Education program next week, you may stop by my office beginning next Wednesday to sign out your child's completed workbook. If you do not wish to have the book, that is fine as well. However, these will not be released without parent signatures.

3. Congratulations to our newly-elected Middle School Student Council, advised by Mrs. Dorothy Bradshaw: President - Mason Hallford, Vice President - Tanner Cox, Secretary - Becca Murdoch, Treasurer - Jack Albritton, 8th Grade Representative - Cole Farris, 7th Grade Representative - Kendall Williams, 6th Grade Representative - Reed Grice. Thanks also to the many fine candidates who ran for office. Please encourage your child to consider participating in future SGA elections.

4. Please be reminded that teachers in our middle and upper schools do not send completed tests home with students. If you are interested in viewing a test that your child has taken, please contact the teacher, who will make arrangements to show the test to you.

5. Good luck to our "Wildcat Pride" Marching Band. These students will be participating in the inaugural "Huntingdon First" Invitational Marching Band Competition, sponsored by the Huntingdon College Marching Band, tomorrow at Charles Lee Field on the Huntingdon campus.

Check out these pictures of our 6th grade art class interacting with kindergarten students earlier today. Jennifer Bricken, our middle school art teacher, invited our "Little Wildcats" to join her class as they created artwork featuring Noah's Ark and God's promise as demonstrated through the rainbow. What a great opportunity for our older and younger students to work together and get to know each other. Way to go!

Here are our upcoming major tests for next week:

7th Grade

Tuesday - Old Testament

Wednesday - Keyboarding, Geography

Thursday - Pre-Algebra

Friday - Math

8th Grade

Monday - English, French

Tuesday - Algebra I/Pre-Algebra

Thursday - US History (McLemore/Weeks)

Friday - English

Have a great weekend!

RSS Feeds

Good Afternoon!

It has been brought to my attention that some of you are having trouble getting this blog in your email inbox via RSS. I posed this problem to Dr. Frank Buck, a fellow administrator and friend. His response appears below. I hope it helps!

For parents who use Outlook, the program I use is called intraVnews. It’s free and can be found here: http://www.intravnews.com/ The RSS feeds go directly to e-mail. To me that’s the easiest thing since people are going to check their e-mail anyway and they are automatically going to get the RSS stuff without even having to think about going anywhere else.

As far as something web based, Bloglines is good. (http://www.bloglines.com) You set up a free account, add your feeds, and each time you visit, you click on the feed and you will see everything that has been posted since last time you checked. Hope this helps.

Have a great day!

Middle School Notes

Happy Friday, Everyone!

Before I go any further, I am well aware of the confusion regarding our Abstinence Education program, and have had the opportunity to speak with many of you regarding this. You should receive an email today that should clear things up. If you still have any concerns or questions, please do not hesitate to contact me -- I am more than happy to meet with you. I would also like to remind you that this program is optional, and your child does not have to participate.

Here are some important reminders:

1. Our "Blue Jean Bash" is tonight immediately following the varsity football game. This event will be held in Willett Hall, and ends at 11:00 p.m.

2. Please remember that we have a half day next Tuesday, September 16, in order to accommodate our Upper School College Day. School will dismiss at noon.

Tests for the upcoming week:

6th Grade -

Friday - Social Studies, Math

7th Grade

Monday - History

Tuesday - Old Testament

Wednesday - Math

* Reminder - Cell project is due September 19!!

8th Grade -

Monday - Algebra I

Have a great weekend!

3rd Half

Parents,

Please remember that we will be having our "3rd Half" immediately following tomorrow night's varsity football game. The festivities will begin in Willett Hall right after the game, and will end at 11:00 p.m. The YMCA will be running the event, and our social committee, along with some teachers and administrators, will chaperone.

If your child is planning to participate in youth activities planned by First Baptist and Trinity Presbyterian churches, their youth leaders have indicated that Trinity students are welcome to join their events after our "3rd Half."

Have a great Thursday!

Noon Dismissal Next Tuesday

Parents,

Please remember that the Middle School will dismiss at noon next Tuesday, September 16 in order to accommodate College Day for our Upper School students. Lunch will not be served next Tuesday.

Thanks!

Middle School Notes

Happy Friday!

Here are a few reminders as we enter the weekend:

1. Please look at this post regarding communication here at Trinity.

2. All of our teachers should have updated grades on Edline by Monday, September 8. Grades will be updated every second and fourth Monday.

3. Please schedule all conferences with our teachers through the Guidance Center. In order to make these sessions as productive as possible, we would like to have them scheduled rather than occurring on a "spur-of-the-moment" basis. Thank you in advance for your cooperation with this.

4. Congratulations to our middle school volleyball and football teams for big wins this week!

5. The YMCA is sponsoring a "3rd Half" event for our middle school students immediately following next week's varsity football game. More information will follow early next week.

Here are our upcoming tests for the week:

6th Grade:

Monday - English

Wednesday - Bible (Fussell)

Thursday - Social Studies

Friday - Science

7th Grade:

Tuesday - English

Friday - Pre-Algebra and Science

8th Grade:

Monday - U. S. History (McLemore) and Earth Science

Wednesday - U. S. History (Weeks) and French

Have a wonderful weekend!

Check This Out!

We had an exciting afternoon here at Trinity Middle School!

Scott Dudley proposed to Miss Emily Head in her 7th period class. He came dressed as the school mascot, and we told Miss Head that we needed to get some pictures for the yearbook. Everyone, especially Miss Head, was shocked when Scott took off the Wildcat head and presented her with a beautiful ring.

Congratulate the soon-to-be Mrs. Dudley when you get a chance!

Llanfair Gate Reminder

Good Tuesday Morning!

You should have received a letter from Mr. Neu over the weekend regarding the temporary opening of the Llanfair Gate on our campus to accommodate our construction. Here are the main points to remember regarding how this gate effects our carpool situation. I have included requirements for student drivers since many of you have children in the Upper School:

- The gate will open Wednesday, September 3 at 7:30am.

- The gate will be open from 7:30-8:00am and then again from 2:30-3:45pm daily.

- All parents who enter through the Llanfair gate in the morning MUST proceed behind the football field and through the LS carpool line. Do NOT enter the south (Fine Arts) parking lot to E. Trinity Blvd.

- We strongly encourage LS parents to use the Llanfair gate to pick up after school.

- All parents picking up MS/US school students ONLY should enter from E. Trinity but may exit through either E. Trinity or Llanfair.

- All student drivers have the option of using the Llanfair or E. Trinity entrance in the morning, but MUST exit via Llanfair after school.

- All student drivers who speed and/or drive recklessly will be given one warning (including a call home) and then driving privileges will be revoked for one week.

Here are just a few more nuggets that will help make all of our lives easier as we move on and off campus:

- In an effort to ease congestion on E. Trinity, turn right on Lomac to Woodmere instead of going all the way to the light.

- Be good neighbors: let people in and out of their driveways.

- After carpool finishes, students who have not been picked up will either be in the LS office (after 3:30) or in the hallway outside the MS/US office (after 3:45).

Thank you in advance for your cooperation with these guidelines.

Middle School Notes

Happy Friday!

We have had a great week here at Trinity Middle School! Here are some highlights:

- We had our first pep rally of the year

- Our volleyball teams played their first home games of the year

- Our students got to use Mac mobile laptops for the first time

- Our marching band students performed their halftime show for the first time

- We enjoyed a fun-filled Spirit Day

Here is a shot of our halls on a typical Friday afternoon - I think "crowded" would be an understatement! However, the students are getting much better at navigating their schedules.

Just a few reminders:

1. Remember that next Monday is Labor Day -- NO SCHOOL!

2. If you haven't already done so, check out this great new blog by Miss Emily Head, our 7th grade English teacher. She is encouraging her students to comment on the blog site and interact as they learn English the 21st century way. Way to go, Miss Head!

3. Please make sure you read this post regarding our communication policy.

4. Picture day is next Wednesday, September 3. Young men will wear uniform pants and oxford shirts with a Trinity tie (or red and blue tie ONLY), blazers are optional. Young ladies will wear a uniform skirt or jumper with a uniform blouse (oxford or Peter Pan).

5. The YMCA will be sponsoring a "3rd Half" social after the varsity football game Friday, September 12. There will be no admission charge, and the school will be providing chaperons. I will give you further information regarding this exciting event next week.

6. Tell your Middle School children to check out this new blog made just for them. I decided to do this after some of the kids asked if they could comment to my blog as they do Miss Head's. I will post pictures, questions, polls and other fun stuff just for our kids, so encourage them to visit it often!

7. The following major tests will be given next week in the Middle School:

6th Grade -

Thursday - Social Studies

Friday - Math

7th Grade -

None

8th Grade -

Wednesday - English and Algebra I

Thursday - Bible

Friday - Spanish

I hope you and your family enjoy a wonderful Labor Day Weekend!

GO WILDCATS!

Spirit Day!

Parents,

Tomorrow, August 28, is SPIRIT DAY here at Trinity! Here are our dress code rules for the day:

1. Students may wear a Trinity uniform shirt or a Trinity t-shirt.

2. Students may wear blue jeans provided that they do not have holes in them.

3. Students must wear uniform shoes - no crocks or flip-flops.

We will be having a pep rally at the end of the day tomorrow, and encourage each of you to come out and support our Wildcats as they take on St. James at 7:00pm. Our volleyball teams will be playing tomorrow afternoon as well, so please try to catch those if you can.

Have a great afternoon, and GO WILDCATS!

Communication Reminder

Parents,

As educators, we want to partner with you in helping your child succeed here at Trinity. Along those lines, we will be very proactive with respect to communication of academic requirements and expectations. At the same time, we will be helping our students become more responsible as we encourage the use of academic planners that are in use throughout the Middle School.

Here are the things that you can expect from us with respect to academic communication:

1. I will post a list of upcoming major tests for the next week to this blog each Friday.

2. Teachers are required to post updated grades to Edline every second and fourth Monday beginning September 8. You will notice that some grades have already been posted. You should have a very clear picture as to where your child stands as of the 8th of September.

3. Students are required to write homework assignments in their planners each day and are expected to keep up with these planners. Some teachers may elect to post homework assignments to Edline, but as of this year this is not a requirement (please see the Trinity Handbook, p. 8).

4. I am encouraging teachers to make contact with you whenever your child begins experiencing problems in the classroom with respect to academics or discipline.

Should your child begin experiencing academic problems, we encourage you to schedule a conference with the teacher, or perhaps all core teachers. We want to work with you to ensure that your child reaches his/her full potential here at Trinity.

Please bookmark or subscribe to this blog. I will update it frequently with important information pertaining to our Middle School program. As I have said before, please feel free to contact me with questions, comments, or concerns.

Have a great day!

The Future is Now!

Here are some pictures of Ms. McLemore's students using our Mac notebooks for a geography project earlier today. These laptops are part of our mobile laptop cart, and are connected to the Internet and a laser printer via a wireless connection.

Students were working in groups as they answered a series of geography questions and created posters with various land masses, etc. They used the Internet in their groups for research without ever having to leave the classroom!

We are encouraging our teachers to make use of this technology along with the Smart Boards that are found in every classroom in our Middle School. The kids seem enthusiastic about this technology integration, and our teachers seem to be enjoying it as well.

Learning is FUN at Trinity!

Thank You!

A very big THANK YOU to our teachers and students for the amazing level of cooperation during yesterday's severe weather outbreak. As you know, our series of tornado warnings occurred at one of the worst possible times - the opening of the school day! As I walked into the building, I found teachers calmly directing students to safe places, and students cooperating fully and without disruption.

Give your child a big pat on the back for doing such a great job yesterday! They certainly deserve it!

Middle School Notes

Good Afternoon, Parents:

This is the first installment of a weekly update on things going on at Trinity Middle School. I hope you find this communication tool to be helpful!

Our classes are off to a great start, and our teachers are doing a fantastic job. As of this afternoon, I have had the chance to visit nearly every middle school classroom. The quality of instruction is outstanding and the students seem engaged and cooperative. We're beginning to feel like a real middle school, and I'm excited about the year ahead!

Let me encourage you to attend our PTO Back to School night next Tuesday, August 26 at 7:00 p.m. This is an important opportunity for you to go through your child's schedule and meet the individual teachers. Please understand that this is not a time for individual conferences. Those may be scheduled by contacting the school. Back to School night is designed for you to get an overview of the various subjects that your child is taking, as well as the classroom expectations of each teacher.

In an effort to be open with regard to communication, I will be posting upcoming tests each Friday. There should be no more than two major tests scheduled for any school day in the Middle School. Teachers post these tests weekly, and I will make that information available to you so you will know what is upcoming. However, please understand that there are times when test dates have to be moved for various unforeseen reasons. Posting of tests will begin Friday, August 29.

One final note: You might want to check out Miss Head's English Class Blog. It can be found here.

Here are some upcoming events that you don't want to miss next week:

Tuesday, August 26

4:30pm - MS Volleyball vs. ACA (Home)

7:00pm - PTO Back to School Night

Thursday, August 28

4:30pm - MS Volleyball vs. Prattville (Home)

5:30pm - Tailgate Party

7:00pm - Varsity Football vs. St. James (Home)

Thanks for your support as we have cranked things up this year.

GO WILDCATS!