Principal’s Message:

Attendance Rates, Sleep & Achievement, Is there a connection?

During the month of March, MHS will hold its first March Madness Attendance Tournament. Homerooms will be competing against other homerooms based on attendances rates. The champion will be crown at the end of the tournament and have a breakfast catered by Manhattan Bagels. Our goal is to promote coming to school on time and every day. We know that habits are formed before our students attend MHS. However, we still have time to help them develop good habits before they enter the next phase of their lives where they may not have the structures to remind them to get to school or work on time. We want to set the standard that attendance is vital for success.

The idea of developing good habits led me to thinking about how many hours of sleep do our high school students get every night. I know many of our students are involved in many activities connected to the school, community or other institutions. They commit a lot time to their activities and academics and sometimes forget about the importance of sleep. Many of them feel they can function on a minimal amount of sleep but let’s ask the question, how many hours of sleep do they get? What is an ideal amount for our high school students? I found this article on sleep deprivation and it shared that the CDC recommends 8–10 hours for adolescents. When you do get an opportunity to talk to your adolescent child, please mention the importance of sleep.

Engagement in their academic lives is important to us as educators as it will impact achievement of both academic and personal goals. However, we have to be aware of the messages we send in the process. At the end of the day, we all want our students (your child) to be successful. We want to connect learning to a larger purpose and instill in students a sense of personal responsibility and self motivation on their journey to success.

Middlesex High School will present the musical CHICAGO: High School Edition on March 14, 15, and 16 at 7pm. This Kander and Ebb/Bob Fosse musical was first produced on Broadway in 1975 and features great songs such as All That Jazz and Razzle Dazzle. The current revival has become the second longest running show in Broadway history. But who needs to go to New York when you can see it right here in Middlesex! Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for students and senior citizens. Due to its mature subject matter, the production is not recommended for younger audience members. Mark your calendars now and come out to see CHICAGO at MHS!

Vote for MHS!! Help MHS as being the High School that puts on the best musical in NJ! Follow the like to vote!

https://www.nj.com/expo/news/g66l-2019/02/7229112b1b7360/vote-now-to-help-us-pick-the-hs-that-puts-on-the-best-musical-in-nj.html

Check out how our stage and how it's coming to life!

Our student from Peer Leadership Trip at their conference on February 1 through the 3rd. The conference was held at the Ocean Place Resort in Long Branch, NJ.

Key Club

The Key Club rasied money this Valentine's Day by making handmade flower bookmarks . The money they collect will help purchase backpacks and books for children in the FISH House. Taylor Fleming and Tulika Desai put in endless hours creating and decorating these flowers. Each bookmark was beautifully unique.

Mr. I ran into Scott Jennings at the Raritan Valley Symphonic Band Concert! He was still on stage playing French Horn!

Do you know of an alumni who would like to be in the spotlight? If so, please contact Cathy Sue Kotch at kotchc@middlesex.k12.nj.us

Samantha Nordhaus for being accepted to the National Youth Leadership Forum for the Washington Youth Summit on the Environment held at George Madison University.

Alyssa Falgares for being accepted to the National Youth Leadership Forum for Criminal Scene Investigation held at George Madison University.

The advanced ceramics classes are selling soup bowls to raise funds for a local soup kitchen. The soup bowls come in a variety of shapes and sizes.

Our Foods Class was featured on NJ-flavor.com! Check out the article below!

https://www.tapinto.net/sections/nj-flavor/articles/in-nj-schools-kids-who-choose-cooking-classes-learn-skills-for-a-lifetime​

Our foods classes had a visit from Chef Mark Ferro. Chef Ferro is the owner of Salted Lime, Uproot, and INC.

Recipe of the Month! Here is a simple recipe that the advanced foods class made this month: Chocolate Lava Cakes!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YtaUKVWklLtbSN4Gq_ZMsssS3vTFRJ2Grko9YTfaSCY/edit?usp=sharing

Mr. Inciong currently has an open project to fund a new wifi audio mixer for our students to use for our live performances. If you are in a position to help, or know someone who is, please follow or share the link below! https://tinyurl.com/DonorsChooseMixer

For more information about the projects at Middlesex High School, please visit DonorsChoose.

Please enjoy this video presentation showcasing Unlock Learning which was created by our Middlesex HS students and Mr. Inciong! It was truly a great day of learning!