News from East Hills 3-10-17

SCHOOL NEWS

Principal's Message 3-10-17

Dear East Hills Schools Community:

Well . . .the no power days threw a wrench into many things at the end of the week, I know the power outages have affected many in our community. I hoping that everyone is staying safe and warm. We received the final tabulations from our Leukemia and Lymphoma Society fundraiser led by our East Hills student leadership. Our school community raised $1,114.50 . . . I am so very proud of our efforts. With an eye toward next week, we are very excited to host the K-8 Eastover and East Hills Science Fair on Tuesday, March 14 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. Please consider coming out to East HIlls on Tuesday night to take a look at all the amazing science projects! This week's listserv is full of many important articles and topics!

"We cannot teach people anything; we can only help them discover it within themselves."
-Galileo Galilei

Jason

Jason Rubel
Principal
East Hills Middle School
Bloomfield Hills Schools
(248) 341-6205
Twitter: @EastHills5_8
East Hills Middle School Website
"Enabling learners to become architects of their futures. . ."

Next Week's A/B Schedule:
Mon., Mar. 13 - B Day
Tues., Mar. 14 - A Day
Wed., Mar. 15 - B Day
Thurs., Mar. 16 - A Day
Fri., Mar. 17 - B Day

KEY DATES
The following are upcoming key dates for the school year, and our full calendar for the year can be accessed on our website.
-Sat., Mar. 11 7th/8th Grade Orchestra Festival Performance (Groves HS)
-Mon., Mar. 13 Course Selection Sheets Due for 5th/6th/7th Graders (Due to Power Outage and No School)
-Tues., Mar. 14 Eastover-East Hills Science Fair at East Hills (6:30-8:00 p.m.)
-Mon., Mar. 20 8th Grade Student Meeting with BHHS Counselors (1:30-2:30 p.m.)
-Thurs., Mar. 23 Incoming 5th Grade Orientation (7:00 p.m.)
-Fri., Mar. 24 8th Grade Student/Family Meeting with BHHS Counselors (7:30-10:30 a.m.)
-Mon., Mar. 27 Incoming 4th Grade Orientation (7:00 p.m.)
-Tues.. Mar. 28 6th Grade Choir Concert (7:00 p.m.)
-Fri. Mar. 31 End of 3rd Quarter (6th/7th/8th Grades)
-Fri., Mar. 31 ½ Day of School (11:35 a.m. Dismissal)-Mon-Fri., April 3-7 No School - Spring Break

Incoming 4th and 5th Grade Orientations at East Hills—Two Separate Nights (March 23 – 5th Grade and March 27 – 4th Grade)

The faculty at East Hills is looking forward to welcoming current third- and fourth-grade students and families to our school next fall. To provide you with information about East Hills, we have planned a separate parent/guardian orientation night for each grade level. The Incoming Fifth-Grade Parent Orientation Night is Thursday, March 23, and the Incoming Fourth-Grade Parent Orientation Night is Monday, March 27. Both events will start at 7:00 p.m. in the cafeteria.

Teachers, counselors, and administrators will welcome you, will share information about the upper elementary experience at East Hills, and will answer questions you may have. Families will also have the opportunity to tour the building, to receive an update on the 4th Grade Transition plan, and to speak directly with school representatives.

Both orientation nights are geared toward parents/guardians. There will be no formal childcare provided, but there will be areas (Gateway Space and Media Center) for family members to take children if they need to be in spaces away from the presentations. Fourth-grade students will have their own visitation of East Hills on Friday, May 26, and third-grade students will have their own visitation of East Hills on Friday, June 2. Each of the grade level student visits will be during the school day. For more information, see the attached letters for each grade level!

Letter for Current 4th Grade Families

Letter for Current 3rd Grade Families

EHMS 5th Grade Musical Audition Information & Dates

Seussical The Musical

Seussical Cover.jpg

Auditions for speaking parts in the fifth-grade musical Seussical The Musical will be on Thursday, March 9 from 3:15-5:15 p.m. in Mr. Schumacher's drama room (room 405) by the gymnasium stairwell in 8th grade hallway. If you'd like to audition for a speaking part but CAN'T attend the after school audition please email Mr. Schumacher by Friday, March 3 at jschumacher@bloomfield.org and an alternate time/date will be set up if possible.

All fifth graders may be a part of the chorus if they choose, and no audition is required for chorus parts. All music will be taught in the fifth grade general music classes with Mr. Schumacher. Please fill out and bring the audition form with you to the audition. We are so excited for this production! Thank you all!

Some Important Rehearsal Dates for Speaking Parts:
• 3/15; 3/22; 3/29; 4/12; 4/19 from 3:15-4:4:45 PM IN THE DRAMA ROOM #405

Some Important Rehearsal and Performance Dates for All Fifth-Grade Students:
• Dress Rehearsal (with costumes) for everyone in the show:
-Monday, April 24 from 3:15-5:15 p.m. in the cafeteria
-Tuesday, April 25th from 3:15-5:15 p.m. in the cafeteria.

• In-School Performance: Wednesday, April 26 (9:30 a.m.)

•Evening Performance: Wednesday, April 26 at 7:00 p.m. (Students arrive at 5:45 p.m.)

A Few Yearbooks Still Available to Be Ordered - Last Call for Younger You Pictures of 8th Graders

There are a few yearbooks available to order at this time. If you still want one the order form can be found in the office and needs to be returned to Mrs. Tripp right away.

Also Last Call for Younger You Pictures: If your 8th grader has not turned in their "Younger You" photo it must be turned in by Monday March 13 in order to be in the yearbook. Please email or send the picture into Mrs. Tripp.

Middle School Scheduling and Course Selection Cards (5th, 6th, & 7th Grades) for the 2017-2018 School Year Due March 10

As we enter the final days of February, we have started the scheduling process for next year. Students in fifth grade, sixth grade, and seventh grade will receive their course selection sheets next week. Along with the course selection sheet, you will want to consult our Bloomfield Hills Schools Middle School Course Description Book for more information about our course offerings. Fifth-, sixth-, and seventh-grade course selection sheets are due Friday, March 10. It is important that the course selections are turned in on time as it helps in preparing for next school year. If you have any questions, please contact your child's counselor.

Anne Westphal – 5th Grade – awestphal@bloomfield.org or(248) 341-6204
Tom Kalanquin – 6th & 7th Grade Counselor –tkalanquin@bloomfield.org or (248) 341-6203

Families of 8th Grade Students: High School Course Selection Information

Counselors from Bloomfield Hills High School (BHHS) will be at EHMS on two separate dates in March to meet with 8th grade students in preparation for 9th grade.

Monday, March 20, 1:30-2:30 p.m..: STUDENTS ONLY, will receive a brief overview of 9th grade course selections, and then attend breakout group meetings with respective counselors.

Friday, March 24, 7:30-10:30 a.m. by appointment only: PARENT OR GUARDIAN AND STUDENT. This meeting will provide families with a chance to speak with their high school counselor to ask questions and to review course selections. To schedule your counselor appointment, check out the list of counselors and the alpha assignment below and go to the Sign-Up Genius site to schedule your appointment. The 8th-grade teachers know that students will be coming in and out of their classes most of the day.

BHHS Counselors and Alpha Assignment
C. Westerby (A-C)
J. Fogle (D-G)
L. Hollyer-Madis (H-K)
S. Klein (L-O)
M. Brooks (P-Si)
T. Midea (Sj-Z)

To schedule an appointment, go to Sign-Up Genius: http://www.signupgenius.com/findasignup

Go to Search by Email
Type in cweaver@bloomfield.org
Enter the Random Text Below
Find Your BHHS Counselor's Sign-Up Sheet

If you have any questions, please contact Carol Weaver in the EHMS Main office at 248-341-6200

East Hills Geo Bee Winner - Matthew Wiatrak

The National Geographic Bee is an annual competition organized by the National Geographic Society, designed to inspire and reward students' curiosity about the world. Students from 10,000 schools across the United States are competing in the 2017 National Geographic Bee for a chance to win college scholarships and the glory of being the National Geographic Bee Champion.

At East Hills, we are proud to honor our 2016-2017 Geo Bee winner - 8th Grader Matthew Wiatrak. After an intense final round, Matthew prevailed and we are extremely proud to celebrate his achievement

Spotlight on the IB at East Hills Middle School

IB Learner Profile of the Month: Open-Mindedness

"Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in awhile, or the light won't come in."
-Isaac Asimov

Open-minded students know that all people are different. They listen to the points of view of others and consider many possibilities before making a decision. They respect, appreciate and celebrate the differences that make all people unique.

How can parents help to develop this Open-Minded trait at home?

Encourage your child to try new things-new foods, new games and new activities.
Expose your child to different festivals, celebrations and traditions and be sure to present them in a non-judgmental way.
Encourage your child to really listen to other when they speak.
Introduce literature about many different cultures into your home library.Be sure it is appropriate for grade-level comprehension and content and reflects the culture in an appropriate way.
- Goodreads has a list of multicultural children's novels with parent and teacher reviews.
- The Cooperative Children's Book Center also has multicultural books broken down by age and reading level (ages 3-13 yrs).

We appreciate your efforts at home to help support the Learner Profile Traits each month!

Julia Beattie
IB-Teacher-Leader
East Hills Middle School

March Winners' Circle - March 29 - 7:00 a.m.

The March session of the Winners' Circle is Wednesday, March 29. We are very excited to have Mr. Steve Kives as our next presenter. Please see his bio below.

Steve Kives Bio
Mr. Steve Kives grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and graduated from St. Ignatius High School. Steve was awarded a full football scholarship to Boston College where he played on the varsity for three years. Being influenced by his uncle and grandfather who were both Cleveland Police Officers, Steve was attracted to law enforcement and after graduating from BC worked three "experience building" jobs before becoming a Special Agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. After assignments in four different U.S. cities, including Detroit, he retired from the Bureau in 2001 and has been working on the Global Security team at Cigna, a major health insurance company for the past 15 years.

Bus Change Information - Bus #66 is Now Bus #7

Beginning Monday, March 6, Bus #66 will permanently be replaced with Bus #7

3rd Quarter Progress Reports - Grades 6th/7th/8th

Third quarter progress reports for students in grades 6, 7 and 8 are now available for viewing. To access those reports go to the My Bloomfield - Parent Portal, log in, select your student's name and click on the "Marks" tab on the left. Progress reports are paperless. If you would like a progress report mailed to your home, please contact the main office at (248) 341-6200.

EHMS 7th/8th Grade Band & Orchestra Festival Information

Band & Orchestra Festival Performances in March

Band - Thursday, March 9 - Waterford-Kettering HS - performance at 12:50pm
Orchestra - Saturday, March 11 - Birmingham Groves HS - performance at 8:25am

Note: School buses will transport students to/from the festival performances.

What is Band & Orchestra Festival?
Since 1935, the Michigan School Band and Orchestra Association (MSBOA) has run festivals for school ensembles. This is not a contest. Rather, student groups are graded in five categories: Tone, Intonation, Rhythm, Technique, and Interpretation.

How are the students judged?
Three adjudicators judge the concert portion of the festival. They are veteran teachers or professors who have been certified by MSBOA to judge Band & Orchestra Festivals. Each judge grades the groups on a scale of I-V, with I being the highest rating. Those three ratings are then averaged into a Concert Rating, which in turn is averaged with the Sight-Reading Rating for the Final Rating.

What is Sight Reading?
After the group performs on stage, we will be ushered into a different room for Sight Reading. Students will be asked to perform a new piece of music they have never seen or played before. We have 5 minutes to discuss the selection before we perform for the judge.

Can Parents Attend?
YES! Please do! Band and orchestra students will need parent support in the audience and throughout the entire festival process. In addition, we need 3-4 parents to chaperone. Information about joining as a chaperone will be sent home in February, along with a detailed map and itinerary.

Student Responsibility
Students should be practicing their parts every day – as music performance is a team effort. Our students are terrific young people, but it takes the efforts of all students to have a successful performance. This includes both class and at home practice. Every student's effort and attendance at rehearsals, clinic, and concert will contribute to a successful festival performance and experience.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact your child's director.

Kind regards,

Mr. Nathanael Erde, Director of Orchestras - nerde@bloomfield.org
Mr. Travis Cook, Substitute for Mrs. Lucas, Director of Bands - tcook@bloomfield.org

Farm T-Shirt Design Contest

ATTENTION STUDENTS: Bowers School Farm is holding a t-shirt design contest!

First Place – design will be featured on all of our 2017 summer camp shirts. First place will also receive a shirt with their design, as well as a $5 Starbucks gift card
Second Place – $5 Starbucks gift card
Third Place – $5 Starbucks gift card

Submission Deadline: March 15. Designs must be emailed to mgolembieski@bloomfield.org (in a JPEG or PDF file). Please include your full name and grade level in your email.

Families of 8th Graders Interested in the IB Diploma Programme at BHHS

On February 15, many parents attended the informational meeting about the IB Diploma Programme before moving on to the Parent Orientation held the same evening. The DP Coordinator, Mrs. Carrie James, is asking students and parents to complete the DP Application & Interest Form (attached), if you are still considering this option. The due date is March 15.

8th Graders - Send in Pictures of When You Were Young

All 8th Graders - please send in a picture of you when you were young for the yearbook. If you can just email it, that would be preferred. It can be sent to ttripp@bloomfield.org. If not, bring the picture to Mrs. Tripp - Room 204. All pictures need to be turned in ASAP to be included in the yearbook.

Attention Parents of Class of 2021

Parents of Class of 2021:

If you were unable to attend parent orientation on Wednesday evening, you may find the presentation HERE or on Bloomfield Hills High School website under School Life in the left-hand column.

The PTO Needs Your Help - Please Consider Making a Donation!

Dear EHMS Families,

The PTO has received a wonderful number of memberships this year, so thank you for your continued involvement! Sadly,
we still have a deficit in our budget for this year. Please click on the appropriate grade level link below for more information about how you can help.

Again, thank you for all your support!

Truly,

Wendy Schwartz
2016-17 PTO President

8th Grade Information

7th Grade Information

6th Grade Information

5th Grade Information

National Junior Honor Society - 8th Grade Students

Dear Families of 8th Grade Students,

This week, Mr. Kalanquin spoke with the eighth-grade class about National Junior Honor Society. This is a national program of recognition for students who achieve well during their eighth-grade year. Students in the eighth grade are eligible to be considered for National Junior Honor Society if they accomplish four separate criteria.The four criteria are: 1. Maintaining a 3.5 grade point average or better throughout their eighth-grade year; 2. Achieving all 1s and 2s in citizenship throughout their eighth-grade year; 3. Writing a one-page essay in which they describe in detail how they showed leadership during their eighth-grade year; 4. Accomplishing 20 hours of community service outside of their school day.

Any eighth grader who accomplishes these four criteria will be admitted to the National Junior Honor Society. The students are acknowledged at the eighth-grade recognition program on the last day of school and receive a National Junior Honor Society certificate.

The forms with the criteria listed and a community service log were made available to all eighth-grade students in their core academic classes. Additional forms are linked below or can be picked up from Mr. Kalanquin. The essay and 20 hours of community service are due by the Tuesday following Memorial Day weekend.

NJHS Criteria
NJHS Community Service Log

Athletics Pay-to-Participate Information

Families must pay the Pay-to-Participate fee before participating in any sport, which includes try-outs. This fee can only be paid online (click here) or through the Athletics and Recreation Department located at the Doyle Center.

If your child will participate in a sport or club at East Hills Middle School this coming school year, you can get a jump start by submitting your Pay to Participate fee to the Bloomfield Hills Athletic Department now. This district-wide fee is required for our students in grades 6, 7 and 8, who participate in any EHMS sport or club. The Pay-to-Participate fee should not be submitted to the EHMS office. Instead, please submit it directly to the athletic department. Options and instructions for payment are explained in the attached documents. Fifth-grade students who participate in a multi-grade sport or club will be advised by the coach or club sponsor when fees are required, so please do not pay fees for your fifth-grade student in advance.

Additionally, students must have a current athletic physical form on file in the EHMS office before participating in any EHMS team sport, in any manner, including tryouts or practices. A physical is considered current if it took place on or after April 15 of the previous school year. The district form, available at the link below, must be completed and signed by your physician. Incomplete or unsigned forms will not be accepted.

Athletic Physical Form

Pay-to-Participate Form

Attention Students and Families!

Do you ever wonder what opportunities and pathways are available for students entering high school? Click here to view the 2016-17 High School Opportunities Packet.

Student Pick Up after Club or Sport

If your student participates in a club or sport, students must be picked up immediately after the meeting or practice has ended. Students who have no transportation waiting will be sent to Kidz Zone in the media center, where they must be picked up by a parent/guardian. The fee for students attending Kidz Zone is $15.00 per child. Students will not be allowed to wait at the front/back of the school, to go down to the gym to wait for a sibling, or to watch a sporting event without parent supervision. For their own safety and your peace of mind, we want our students to be under supervision at all times.

Cavalier Fund Information

To further our mission for equity and inclusion, the East Hills Global Education Team (GET) is pleased to share information about the Cavalier Fund. The purpose of this fund is to provide access for all students to enjoy school activities (e.g., field trips). As a school community, our desire is for all students to have these learning experiences. Our intention is to provide families with a chance to give funds to assist our students in a direct and meaningful way. Look for upcoming forms regarding field trips, school events, and other specific enrichment activities for opportunities to donate. You may specify how your funds will be directed through future communication (field trip forms and other specific events and opportunities). Click on this link to see more details and review an example of how you will be able to participate and to give toward this new fund.

District Food Service Updates

Welcome back families and students! Here's a quick update on what's going on in food service this year:

We have a new web version of the free/reduced app! Parents can go to https://webconnect.bloomfield.org/fsonline/Main/Lo... to fill it out. It's quicker than paper! You must reapply every year. All apps need to be completed by October 1 or they will return to paid status.
For any student with a food allergy please fill out the food allergy form found on the www.bloomfield.org site under the lunch tab. It must be filled out by a physician and turned in to the food service office. For questions regarding allergies please call the food service office at 248-341-5671.
All menus will be on the Bloomfield website under lunch as well as coming soon to the http://bloomfield.schooldish.com/ site.
There is no longer a charge to put money online using Parent Connect for school meals! This is a great way to check your student's balances as well as check to see what they are eating.
To buy meals and a la carte items you must have money on your student's account. If you are in the negative this amount needs to be paid off at the start of school.
Field trip meals are available to order online on our website as well. Please allow 72 hours for orders.
At BHHS we will soon offer after school meals & snacks to order on the go! Check our website for upcoming details.
Look for new menu items, features and more at all schools! Check your student's menu and the website for more details!

East Hills is a Nut-Restricted School

Please remember that nuts of all kinds are restricted at East Hills because of students with severe and life-threatening allergies. The restriction is in effect in the entire building and at all times, including the school day, after school, evenings and weekends.

East Hills Middle School became a nut-restricted school in January of 2013. As a result, please carefully read and review all food packaging prior to sending food items to school. For further information on food allergies, consult www.foodallergy.org We appreciate in advance your full cooperation.

Nut Restricted Letter Summer 2016

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