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February 2018 - Posts
Dear Parents/Guardians, Important happenings at the MHS: * After the tragedy in Florida, all districts are reviewing safety and security practices. Our school has done well with security drills: lock-downs, shelter-in-places, and evacuations as well as our mandated fire drills. Two weeks ago we invited the coordinator for the South Amboy Office of Emergency Management, Mark Herdman, in to our school and he monitored both a shelter-in-place and a lock-down drill. This coordination with the City is most important for our security efforts. We also run our drills in concert with the SAPD who is always a support for our school. As we move forward, we are looking to make adjustments to two of our practices and need the support of the school community in order to do so. We will be asking students to not wear heavy coats or jackets while in school. These should be placed in a locker and left until the end of the day. Sweaters and sweatshirts as well as light jackets will be allowed. This can become confusing as to what is a light jacket and what is heavy? Any coat/jacket made to be worn outside in the cold weather would definitely meet the heavy coat/jacket  description. Discretion will play a role in this. Please know this is an effort to ensure safety and not to limit student dress. We will also be focusing more on students wearing school identifications. Every student was provided an identification and a lanyard. It is necessary for them to wear it in school. We will be looking at this beginning on Monday; however, we will not be penalizing students who are not wearing them. Some have lost them and need replacements. This week, anyone needing a replacement will need to see our media specialist, Mr. Ghezzi. As of Monday, March 5, 2018, we will be responding to students not wearing their school identification. Tomorrow administration will be speaking with all students about the above. These are efforts to keep our children safe. We, the school, cannot do it alone. We need your support. * Look for interims this week. We will have them available at the end of the day on 3/1/18 via Parent Access. * The musical, "The Little Mermaid" is coming! The performers are getting ready. Dates are: 3/9, 3/10 and 3/11. Please contact the school or Mrs. Stratton directly for tickets. * There will be a short session day next month on 3/16/18 to allow for staff in-service training. * You can always check our website and online calendar to see what is happening at the MHS.If you have any questions, please call so we can assist you. Thank you, Dr. McCabe
Posted by pmccabe  On Feb 25, 2018 at 1:45 PM
  
Dear Parents/Guardians, Interesting happenings at the MHS: * It is a short week this week. Monday - President's Day - school closed. Enjoy the time off. * We had a very successful Middle School Dance on Thursday. Thank you to all who supported the event. The kids had a    great time. * Look for interims next week. We will have them available on 3/1/18. * The Musical is coming! The performers are getting ready. Dates are: 3/9, 3/10 and 3/11.  * There will be a short session next month on 3/16/18 to allow for staff in-service training.  *You can always check our website and online calendar to see what is happening at the MHS. If you have any questions, please call so we can assist you. Thank you, Dr. McCabe
Posted by pmccabe  On Feb 19, 2018 at 10:56 AM
  
Dear Parents/Guardians, I want to bring to the attention of our school community the new trend in smoking. Many of you may already be aware that nationally the use of e-cigarettes is on the rise. South Amboy is not insulated from this. What are  electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes? Electronic cigarettes, also known as e-cigarettes, e-vaporizers, or electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), are battery-operated devices that people use to inhale an aerosol, which typically contains nicotine (though not always), flavorings, and other chemicals. They can resemble traditional tobacco cigarettes (cig-a-likes), cigars, or pipes, or even everyday items like pens or USB memory sticks. Other devices, such as those with refillable tanks, may look different. Regardless of their design and appearance, these devices generally operate in a similar manner and are made of similar components. More than 460 different e-cigarette brands are currently on the market. How do they work? Most e-cigarettes consist of four different components, including: 1) a cartridge or reservoir, which holds a liquid solution (e-liquid or e-juice) containing varying amounts of nicotine, flavorings, and other chemicals 2) a heating element (atomizer) 3) a power source (usually a battery) 4) a mouthpiece that the person uses to inhale In many e-cigarettes, puffing activates the battery-powered heating device, which vaporizes the liquid in the cartridge. The person then inhales the resulting aerosol or vapor (called vaping). Is it legal for people under 21? No and it is also not permitted for students to use or possess on school grounds. This will result in suspension from school and possible drug testing. These devices can also be used to deliver marijuana and hash oil to the user. When you smoke a cigarette, it smells. Aren’t they easy to detect? No, they are not. These devices can give off odors as the user may select from a multitude of flavors; however, some of the devices can give off very little smell and smoke. Users can, especially with the Juul devices (a type of e-cigarette), blow the smoke into their hand or clothing and possibly go undetected. These devices can also look like everyday items such as pens, USB memory sticks and lipstick to name a few. What can the school do? First, provide information such as we are today. Second, speak to our students to educate them and provide facts about this trend. Lastly, address the behavior when it occurs by taking the appropriate action and providing support and guidance afterwards. As a parent, what can I do? First, educate yourself on the topic. I have included a good number of resources below. These are short articles and a youtube video. They are all worth your time. Second, talk to your child; ask questions. The time you spend with him or her building and maintaining a strong relationship allows for meaningful conversations to happen. This resource from the Surgeon General may prove helpful:   https://e-cigarettes.surgeongeneral.gov/documents/SGR_ECig_ParentTipSheet_508.pdf . Lastly, if you need help, ask. If you need support, call us. We are in this together as one school community. If, after reading this and viewing the resources below, you have any questions or suggestions, please call the school. Thank you, Dr. McCabe Online resources: https://e-cigarettes.surgeongeneral.gov/knowtherisks.htmlhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iz67IqkLwYs&feature=youtu.be https://www.fda.gov/tobaccoproducts/labeling/productsingredientscomponents/ucm456610.htm http://www.refinery29.com/2018/02/190089/what-is-juul-e-cigarette-vaping-teenagers https://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/drugfacts/electronic-cigarettes-e-cigarettes https://www.app.com/story/news/education/2018/01/24/vaping-jersey-shore-schools-administrators- crack-down/1055400001/ http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2018/01/17/nj-schools-crack-down-on-vaping/ https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/12/04/568273801/teenagers-embrace-juul-saying-its- discreet-enough-to-vape-in-class
Posted by pmccabe  On Feb 11, 2018 at 4:51 PM
  
Dear Parents/Guardians, Important happenings at the MHS: *Please see the letter I emailed to the parent community, it is also posted on this site, regarding e-cigarettes. It is important. *We had a very nice turnout for parent/teacher conferences, thank you for attending. Please remember, conferences do not have to be limited to these scheduled events. A parent/teacher conference can occur at any time during the school year. All you need to do is contact the teacher or your child's guidance counselor. *If you have not already, please take time to view the videos on our school website about our Comprehensive School Status. It can be found if you go to the About Us title on the school web-page. *Middle School Dance this Thursday from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Reminder: when the dance is over, parents must come in to sign their children out. *School is closed on Friday, 2/16/18, and the following Monday, 2/19/18, for President's Weekend. *You can always check our website and online calendar to see what is happening at the MHS. If you have any questions, please call so we can assist you. Thank you, Dr. McCabe
Posted by pmccabe  On Feb 11, 2018 at 11:09 AM
  
Dear Parents/ Guardians, Important happenings at the MHS: Marking period two report cards are available on Parent Access. If you need help accessing it, please call the school. Parent/Teacher conferences are this Wednesday from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. We will have a short session day for students with a 12:15 pm dismissal. If you have not scheduled an appointment already with a teacher, he/she might not be available that evening. Parent conferences with teachers can happen anytime during the school year. If you contact the teacher or guidance, a meeting can be set up for you. Comprehensive School Status: starting at 5:30 pm during the evening of conferences, building administration will be available if any parents have questions about our comprehensive school status. There will be two videos made available to parents shortly: one is a presentation explaining our comprehensive school status, the other is a Q and A with our PTO president, administration and two of our teachers about the school status. There is a middle school dance on 2/15/18 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. Signed permission slips and ticket fee of $5.00, are due by 2/9/18.  You can always check our website and online calendar to see what is happening at the MHS. If you have any questions, please call so we can assist you. Thank you, Dr. McCabe  
Posted by pmccabe  On Feb 04, 2018 at 1:17 PM