Otsego Middle School
October 7, 2022
Mark Your Calendars
Oct. 10-14 - Safety Week
Oct. 10 - Volleyball vs. Niles - 5:00 p.m. - Home
Oct. 11 & 12 - Parent-Teacher Conferences - 5-8 p.m. (see sign up below)
Oct. 11 - Football vs. Three Rivers - Home - 5:00 p.m.
Oct. 12 - Delayed Start - 1st hour starts at 9:15 a.m. - Doors open at 8:45 a.m.
Volleyball at Paw Paw - 5:00 p.m.
Oct. 13 - XC Wolverine Conference Meet - Home - 5:00 p.m.
Oct. 14 - Be Nice t-shirt & sweatshirt orders are due
Oct. 17-21 - Intersession Week
Oct. 25 - M & M - Monthly Meeting - 9:00 a.m. - Media Center - Topic Assessments
Congratulations to our October Students of the Month:
6th grade - Kennison Williams & George Whitaker
7th grade - Eve Weaver & Blake Schultz
8th grade - Alexis O’Connell & Truman Thomas
Thousands of Thanks!!
Boo Bash is Back!
The OMS Student Council invites our students to its annual Boo Bash celebration! The event will take place on Friday, October 28th from 5:00-8:00 PM at the middle school. Tickets will be sold online only, and are $6. Tickets will be sold until 3:00 PM on Thursday, October 27th. Thank you in advance for purchasing by the deadline so that we are able to know who to expect at the event! You can access the online ticket form by clicking on this link: https://otsegopsorg.finalsite.com/forms/~form-uuid/301e9af1-9a25-4abb-acd8-73680340f304
Boo Bash is a Halloween-themed party, and will have games, snacks, music with a DJ, a movie, an optional costume contest, and an optional pumpkin contest. Parents, we would love your help at the event. If you are unable to help, perhaps you are able to donate an item or two. You can sign up to help or donate by clicking on this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0E48ACA92AAAFF2-boobash
District-Wide School Calendar Survey - Input Wanted
In the past, Otsego Public Schools has started school prior to Labor Day to include Intersession weeks in October and February.
This is possible because the Allegan Area Educational Service Agency (Allegan Area ESA) has been granted a Pre-Labor Day waiver through the Michigan Department of Education. Regardless of the school year start date, the district is required by state law to provide 180 instructional days and 1098 hours of instructional time.
This year, we would like to gather feedback from parents and guardians on our school calendar to consider for future years. Please take a few minutes to complete this survey by Saturday, October 15, 2022. Your input as we consider future calendars is much appreciated!
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/calendarpgops7th Grade PE Classes Head to Revel & Roll for a Bowling Lesson!
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Mrs. Starr, OMS School Social Worker, will be hosting parent/family meetings during Parent-Teacher Conferences on 10/11 and 10/12. You can enjoy a protected time to talk about school issues, friendship issues or family stress. These confidential meetings will be scheduled in 30 minutes increments. Spots are still available! Please email her at astarr@otsegops.org to reserve a spot today.
Tuesday, Oct 11, 2022, 05:00 PM
Classrooms at Otsego Middle School
Choirs Give Outstanding Concert!
Fall Intersession
Parents of eligible students received an email last week with registration information. If an email address was not provided in Infinite Campus, letters were sent home with eligible students on Monday.
Books Arrive!
Career Exploration:
8th Graders will be attending the MiCareer Quest on Wednesday, Oct. 26th. We are looking for 5 parents or guardians to join us in the fun. If you are interested in chaperoning, please fill out the form.
Winter Session I Sports to Begin End of Oct.
October's CKH Word of the Month.....Self Direct
Student Support Services Spotlight (aka social/emotional health)
GRIT
The book Grit by Angela Duckworth describes an extensive psychological study of what makes people successful. The one quality that consistently stood out as necessary for success was "grit." Grit is described as passion and perseverance. Grit is the "never give up" attitude. Top leaders in business, athletics, entertainment, law, and medicine had this quality.
How can we teach it to kids? Grit is a mindset. The idea that anything is possible if we work hard, stay focused, and practice. Duckworth says that we often get sidetracked by talent. We think that if we don't have natural talent in an area, it is not meant for us. Have you ever heard your child say, "I wish I was better at _____?" The reality is, we may have to work hard to develop a talent in an area. Passion and perseverance can overcome any obstacle.
Duckworth suggests the following ways to build grit in kids (and adults!):
allow for interest development: have many hobbies, interests, passions
set goals
plan to work toward those goals
look for opportunities to stretch yourself/take risks
when challenges occur, don't give up! Look for the lesson.
One of the quotes in the book is "Success is never final and failure is never fatal. It's courage that counts." As we continue this new school year, look for ways to support your child's grit. We can do it!
Orders Being Taken for Be Nice Gear Until Oct. 14th
The Scoreboard
Cross Country
The boys cross country team had a solid performance at the Bulldog Invitational on Saturday, placing 9th and racing against 24 other schools. Scoring for the boys team were Dillon Slemp, Trevor Meyer, David Patin, George Whiteaker, and Blake Mathieu. Blake cam in 10th place overall out of 209 runners in the Varsity race. Personal best times were run by the following runners: Blake Mathieu, George Whitaker, Liam Raseman, Archer Wilson, Navene Town, Quinn Sheridan, Jaxon Brown, and Emmett Wilson.
The Otsego girls cross country team took 4th against Division 1 and 2 teams at the Bulldog Invitational. Scoring for Otsego was Skylar Mejeur, Adelyn Verhage, Madeline Goodwin, Brenna Yocum, and McKenna Wesseldyk. Running personal best times were McKenna Wesseldyk, Addelyn Sabatke, Brooklyn Cockerel, Alexandra Alderman, Addison Maisel, and Khandice Sheffer.
The Otsego girls cross country team dominated Three Rivers and Plainwell. Otsego’s first eight girls-Skylar Mejeur, Sydney Timmons, McKenna Wesseldyk, Adelyn Verhage, Brenna Yocum, Madeline Goodwin, Eve Weaver, and Alayna Verhage-all crossed the finish line before any competitor’s first runner. Running season best times were Sydney Timmons, McKenna Wesseldyk, Adelyn Verhage, Brenna Yocum, Madeline Goodwin, Alayna Verhage, Taylee Fox, Victoria Sparks, Olivia Witteveen, Addison Maisel, Junie Sisson, Abigail Gallup, Makenna Leonard, Khandice Sheffer, and Lydia Longcore.
The boys cross country team also dominated the course, defeating Plainwell and Three Rivers convincingly. Seven bulldogs finished in the top 10 runners! We had 11 of the top 15 spots! There were many PR's. Scoring for the bulldogs were Dillon Slemp, Trevor Meyer, Kaleb Koestner, George Whitaker, and Blake Mathieu, who finished in 1st place. Athletes who ran PR's las night were George Whitaker, Kaleb Koestner, Dillon Slemp, David Patin, Navene Town, Liam Raseman, Archer Wilson, Zeik Clark, Jack DeBoer, Jaxon Brown, Oliver Stassek, Gunnar Djerf, and Kelan Brady. The boys travel to Portage tomorrow morning to run in the Portage Invitational.
Football
Otsego took on the Vikings from Niles this week. The first half was dominated by the Vikings who went into half with a 22-0 lead. In the second half, Otsego came out fired up and scored 24 second half points. Otsego had a tremendous second half effort, but it just wasn’t enough for Niles who won 42-24.
Brody Smith led the way on offense with 43 yards, Ryder Balkema with 30 yards, and Carson Brooks with 24 yards and a touchdown. In the Air, Owen Santman completed 6 passes for 95 yards. Nate Maisal had 54 yards receiving and one touchdown. Leeland Longcore also returned a kick for a touchdown for 75 yards. On defense, Carson Brooks had 8 tackles, Alex Babin and Merrill Bailey with 5,and Owen Meech with 3.
Otsego takes on Three Rivers next Tuesday at Bulldog Stadium at 5:00.
Volleyball
Both of our volleyball teams defeated Edwardsburg!
8th grade highlights include:
Kills: Stella Houseman (11), Brooke Smalldon (8), Madden Fiztpatrick (4), Olivia Klimp & Mya Engbers (3). Sara McCaw, Malania Miller & Peyton Johnson also contributed attacks during the game. Maddy Littel assisted all of our hits with excellent sets and played great defense for our team.
Both of our volleyball teams defeated Plainwell! The 7th grade volleyball team beat Plainwell in all 5 sets. The team was on fire behind the line with 61 aces. They played as a team with every single player contributing to our success.
Our 8th grade girls dominated in their match against Plainwell last night! They swept the first two sets to win the match 25-15 and 25-8. The serving was outstanding with 34 aces contributed by Maddy Littel, Mya EngBers, Olivia Hildebrand, Brooke Smalldon, Madden Fitzpatrick, Stella Houseman, and Annika Quakenbush. The offense was on fire with 28 attacking kills last night. Leading in kills were Brooke with 10 and Madden with 7. Maddy Littel assisted all hits with outstanding setting assists. The defense was strong with excellent passes from Stella, Brooke, Madden, Peyton Johnson, Annika, Sara McCaw, Rachel Breeses, and Abbey Christman.
It was truly a whole team effort! Thank you to those who came out to cheer them on!
Their next game is Monday at home against a tough Niles team.
Attendance Line - 269-694-7580
RESOURCES FOR MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT:
988--Suicide Prevention HotlineThe 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline is a United States-based suicide prevention network of over 160 crisis centers that provides 24/7 service via a toll-free hotline with the number 9-8-8. It is available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress
Gryphon Place: 269-381-4357 (HELP). Gryphon Place is a 24/7 service for immediate emotional support or crisis.
Text Hotline: Text the word HOME to 741741. This is a resource for texting support when someone is in emotional distress.
Otsego Middle School
Email: mkoenig@otsegops.org
Website: www.otsegops.org
Location: 540 Washington Street, Otsego, MI, United States
Phone: 269-694-7500
Twitter: @mkoenig72