Kraft Meadows Middle School
February 2021 Newsletter
From the Principal
I hope this newsletter finds everyone doing well throughout these winter months. There are many great things that are going on here at Kraft Meadows. Academically, we are over halfway through the year and we are encouraged by the academic growth that we are seeing with our students. This spring our 6th and 7th grade students will be taking the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress (M-Step) and our 8th grade students will be taking the PSAT. We are in the process of developing schedules for administering these assessments, so please look for more information regarding this in our March newsletter. In addition, we are preparing for next school year as Kraft Meadows will be transitioning to the 5th/6th grade building. Hopefully, many of our parents were able to watch the virtual district town hall meeting that took place last week in regards to the new configurations at KMMS and DLMS.
Last but not least, I would like to welcome Patrick Stecco to Kraft Meadows Middle School as our new assistant principal. Mr. Stecco comes from Forest Hills where he served as a middle school teacher, and more recently, as an elementary principal. We are thrilled to have him working with our students, parents, and staff at Kraft Meadows and Caledonia Community Schools.
Again, it is great to see our students in the hallways each day and I thank-you for your continued support and patience as we navigate this school year. As always, feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns that you have.
Go Scots!
Steve Uyl
Calendar of Events
2/8/21 - Virtual 8th grade parent information night for CHS (Details shared via email)
2/17/21 - 1/2 Day for Students (Staff Professional Development)
2/18/21 - No School (Snow Make-Up Day)
2/19/21 - No School (Snow Make-Up Day)
3/5/21 - 1/2 Day for Students (Staff Records Day)
3/15/21 - Parent-Teacher Conferences (Times & Format TBD)
3/17/21 - Parent-Teacher Conferences (Times & Format TBD)
4/2/21 - No School (Spring Break Begins)
Support Room
If your child needs any medication at school, please send it in the original container with your child and be sure the medication is not expired. The Medical Release Form on the school website (For Students and Parents tab) must be filled out completely for us to be able to give the medication to your student.
Please continue to contact the Support Room if anyone in your family is getting tested or has symptoms of COVID. The best way to do so is to complete the Daily Health Screener on-line.
Dress Code reminders: Crop tops are not considered acceptable according to our dress code. Even with high waisted pants, a cami should be worn so no bare skin is visible.
Hoods/Hoodies or hats may not be worn in the building.
Clothing with adult themes or trademarks do not belong in middle school.
Your child's cell phone must be turned off and in their locker or backpack throughout the day. Please do not text your student during the school day. If you need to get a hold of your child for any reason, please call the school. In turn, your child may not call or text you from a cell phone during the school day.They should come to the Support Room to call home.
If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Hullinger in the Support Room. 616.891.8649 x2340 hullingerl@calschools.org
March 5 – CHS Freshman Student Council Apps due by the end of the school day.
Caledonia High School Student Council - For Incoming Freshman 2021-22
Current 8th Grade students interested in being part of the CHS Student Council are encouraged to fill out the application online. This application is due by Friday, March 5 at the end of the school day. No late applications will be accepted.
https://sites.google.com/calschools.org/chs-student-council/home/chs-sc-online-application
Please note that the application process is a vital part of being selected and forms should be completed thoroughly and according to the directions. The CHS Student Council positions are limited. Students that are selected will also be required to take the Student Council class for one trimester their freshman year.
NATIONAL JUNIOR HONOR SOCIETY – Adviser Mrs. Jill Maas
NJHS is the nation’s premier organization established to recognize outstanding middle level students. More than just an honor roll, NJHS serves to honor those students who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of Scholarship, Leadership, Service, Character and Citizenship. NJHS website: www.njhs.us
6th grade is a qualifying year for NJHS. Students must maintain a 3.5 grade point average and participate in at least 6 hours of volunteer service for the community and/or schools to be invited to apply. Current members must also maintain the 3.5 GPA and complete 6 hours of service for the year to remain members in good standing.
This year we will not be collecting service hours due to Covid.
Study Table has started meeting on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This is an after school class where you can work on your homework. If you attended before break you are all set to stay. If you would like your child to stay after school please email Mrs. Maas Maasj@calschools.org Just a reminder that there is no bussing for this.
Athletic Director: Angie Stauffer: stauffera@calschools.org
Phone: (616) 891-1380 ext. 7115
Athletic Coordinator: Karen Sundberg: sundbergk@calschools.org
Phone: 891-8649 ext. 2316
LOOKING AHEAD: (all dates subject to change)
Winter II Season:
Girls Basketball (7th/8th grades): MS Girls Basketball will begin non-contact tryouts/practices on Monday, February 8, 2021. 7th grade tryouts/practices will be held at Kraft Meadows MS from 3:00 – 4:30 PM. 8th grade tryouts/practices will be held at Duncan Lake MS from 3:00 – 4:30.
Wrestling (6th/7th/8th grades): Wrestling will begin non-contact practices on Monday, February 8, 2021 at Duncan Lake MS.
There will be a shuttle bus to take the athletes from Kraft Meadows to Duncan Lake.
Spring Season:
Track (7th/8th grades): March, 2021…exact date to be announced
Tennis (6th/7th/8th grades): March, 2021…exact date to be announced
All student-athletes are required to be registered in our online athletic registration program. We are partnered with FinalForms, an online forms and data management service. FinalForms allows you to complete and sign athletic participation forms for your students online. The most exciting news is that FinalForms saves data from season-to-season and year-to-year, meaning that you will never need to enter the same information twice! You will review your information once per school year to verify the information is correct and sign the forms. Please take a moment and sign up your athlete for the upcoming 2020-21 Sports seasons. Using FinalForms is a one stop shop for the entire registration process. Please use the Athlete Registration link that is provided on the Athletics Homepage and create a new account under the "Parent Login" portion. On the Athletics homepage, you will also see a link for the "Parent Playbook" which gives you step by step instructions through the registration process. You do not need to pay the athletic fee until the season you are registering your athletic for begins. The registration link is: https://caledonia-mi.finalforms.com
There is an Athletic fee of $75.00 per athlete per season, with a $250.00 limit collected per family, per academic year. (Middle School participation fees are separate from high school fees.)
From the Library
SORA eBook and Audiobook
POSTER CONTEST
Dates of Contest: February 3-February 28
Rules:
Student must read an entire eBook or Audiobook before February 28th.
Student must prove that they completed the reading by using the Sora App to verify the number of pages and time they spent reading the book.
Winners are first come, first serve. Once 20 posters have been given out, the contest will be done.
Winners:
The first 20 students to read an entire eBook or Audiobook will win a poster of their choice.
How to claim your prize:
Take a screenshot of your SORA webpage that shows # of pages read and time spent reading. The page should look like image below. This SORA page is located under “ME” in bottom menu.
Email the image to Mrs. Alexander in the library at alexandere@calschools.org or bring your computer to the library (with teacher permission) and show Mrs. Alexander the page.
Pick out your poster in the library. If you email your page to Mrs. Alexander - she will coordinate a time for you to come and pick out the poster.