Middle School Notes

Good Afternoon!

I hope this has been a good week for you and your middle-schooler!

With the outbreak of H1N1, the regular flu, and other illnesses, I figured it would be a good idea to share some information with you that I hope will be helpful.

One of our parents is a registered nurse at a local hospital, and has been sharing information with us regarding the H1N1 outbreak.  Following is a quote from a recent email she sent me.  It is used with her permission:

Some people think that Tamiflu is like an antibiotic and after 24 hours you are not contagious, but this is not true.  We need to educate our parents that the flu is still contagious until you are totally fever free for 24 hours even if you are on Tamiflu.

It is also important to note that some children with H1N1 have a very mild case, and are not presenting with very many symptoms.  If you are the parent of such a child, I encourage you to keep your student out of school until he/she is fever free, without Tylenol, for 24 hours.  This is the very best way for us to contain the virus and to keep it from spreading here at school.

On that note, we are doing everything possible to keep our campus clean and to remind our students of proper hand washing technique as well as what to do when they cough or sneeze.

Thanks so very much for your continued cooperation in this matter.  

Here are our tests for the coming week:

6th Grade

Friday - Math

7th Grade

Wednesday - Civics

8th Grade

Monday - English

Tuesday - Latin, Earth Science

Wednesday - Bible

Friday - Algebra I

I hope you and your family enjoy a WONDERFUL WEEKEND!

Middle School Notes

Happy Friday!

Well, we've made it through the first full week of school, and your kids have been outstanding!  Please congratulate them for me.  Our 6th graders are navigating the campus well, and things are settling in nicely.

Here are a few announcements:

1. Please make plans to attend our PTO night next Tuesday, August 25 at 7:00 p.m. in Willett Hall.  Our teachers are looking forward to meeting you!

2. Everyone is concerned about the spread of the Swine Flu, and we are doing everything we can to keep things as clean as possible on our campus.  Please help us out by reviewing with your child proper hand washing techniques, as well as coughing/sneezing etiquette.  If your child is coming down with flu-like symptoms, or is running a fever, please keep them home from school.  This is our best shot at containing this disease.  Thanks so much for your help!

3. Thanks for your help with our carpool line after school.  We're managing to clear everyone out a little faster than we did last year.  Your cooperation with our guidelines is most helpful and greatly appreciated.

4. I strongly encourage you to check our this blog site by Dr. Frank Buck, an expert in the area of organization.  He has recently posted a series of articles entitled "Managing School The Easy Way" that I think you will find very helpful.  Dr. Buck will be a guest on our campus when teachers return to school after the Christmas holiday, and we are looking forward to learning how we can all be more organized in our work with your children.

Here are our tests for the coming week:

6th Grade:

Friday - Social Studies

7th Grade:

Tuesday - Civics, English

Thursday - Science

Friday - Pre-Algebra/Math 7, Old Testament

8th Grade 

Tuesday - Earth Science

Wednesday - Public Speaking

Friday - History (McLemore)

Have a GREAT WEEKEND!

Middle School Notes

Good Afternoon!

I hope your first week of school was a good one!  We had a very smooth start to the school year, and your children are to be congratulated making everything work so well.

Here are some important reminders as we begin thinking about week two and beyond:

1. Please make sure that your children label all of their belongings.  With class changes and locker stops, we tend to find misplaced items in the hall.  However, it is impossible for us to match an item with the owner when there is no name written anywhere.  If your child is missing something, have them stop by the front office and look through the lost and found box.

2. In an effort to help your child learn valuable organizational skills, we are using student planners in all of our classes.  Teachers are working to ensure that homework assignments are written in planners each day, and we are asking that you check these at home each evening.  Tests will continue to be posted on this blog each Friday afternoon.

3. Please note that our tutoring fees have increased this year from $25 per hour to $30 per hour.  You may contact Connie Cantey, our middle school tutor, if you are interested in tutoring services for your child.  She may be reached at ccantey@trinitywildcats.com . 

4. Please continue to help us with carpool.  Middle school students may be picked up in front of Willett Hall.  It is very important that you pull forward as far as possible in the carpool line so we don't overflow onto Trinity Blvd.  Thanks so much for your cooperation!

Tests next week: None

Have a wonderful, restful weekend!

Ready, Set, Go!

The "Halls of Trinity" are abuzz as we work to get things ready for the 2009-2010 school year.  Our Guidance Center sponsored a locker orientation day Wednesday, and we welcomed our new teachers to campus today for their first official day on the job.  

We have three new faces in the middle school this year:

Lisa Smithson will be teaching 7th grade English.  Mrs. Smithson comes to us from Southside Middle School in Tallassee where she has been for the last couple of years.  She has also worked in the Montgomery Public Schools, Lee County Schools, Auburn City Schools, and Marion Military Institute in a teaching career that has spanned some 14 years.

Kelly Long will be teaching 7th grade math.  Mrs. Long has been the computer teacher in our Lower School for the last 15 years.  She has also taught junior high math in the Montgomery Public Schools.

Tim Bethea will be teaching middle school boys PE, in addition to serving as an assistant varsity football coach and head varsity golf coach.  Coach Bethea has coached and taught at The Montgomery Academy for the last 23 years.

As you prepare for the new school year, locker organization might be at the top of your list.  Getting the year started off right in this important area will make things run much more smoothly for everyone.  To that end, you might want to take a few moments to read and discuss this post from last year.  It includes some great tips for getting and keeping your locker neat and functional.  (Note: You'll have to scroll down a bit to get to the locker info)

Enjoy your last weekend of summer, and I'll see you next Wednesday!