WEST MIDDLE SCHOOL                 ANNOUNCEMENTS                     3/10/2015

Today is a BLUE Day!

Upcoming events and dates to remember:

Mar. 10 – Parent/Teacher conference 4:00pm to 7:30pm

Mar. 10 – Band concert 7:00pm Lg gym

Mar. 12 – 2 hour early dismissal

Mar. 12 – Parent/Teacher conference 1:45pm to 3:45pm

Mar. 13 – NO SCHOOL

Mar. 16 – 20 SPRING BREAK – NO SCHOOL

Parents, we need your help!

Iowa Assessments will be taken on March 25th-27th. Eating a nutritious snack before testing helps students concentrate and keeps them energized for the duration of the testing session.  Please consider donating the following items to help us provide students with nutritious snacks during testing that week:

• Granola bars
• Goldfish
• Peanut butter cracker sandwiches
• Cheese cracker sandwiches
• Rice Krispie Treats
• bottled water

We have 630 students, so every donation will make a difference. These donations may be dropped off in the main office March 9-13th and March 23rd. Thank you for your support!

To any boy or girl interested in participating in track, the first day of practice will be Thursday, March 26th at 3:30.  Please report to the large gym on the 26th if you plan on participating.  You MUST have a physical, waiver AND concussion form on file to participate.

The Muscatine Community YMCA will be holding daily Spring Break Programs for Middle School Students. There is still time to register for Sports Camp which will run M-F 8:00am-12:30pm. Free activities for members and nonmembers from 1-4pmare as follows. Friday the 13^th: Karaoke and Ping Pong, Monday the 16^th: 3 on 3 Basketball, Tuesday the 17^th: Card Games and Trivia, Wednesday the 18^th: Nerf Gun Wars, Thursday the 19^th: Dodgeball Challenge, Friday the 20^th Kinect Sports Challenge. For more information on any of these activities contact Amy Hessel at the YMCA, 263-9996!

The WMS band concert will be Tuesday evening at 7:00pm in the large gym. Students need to be here by 6:30pm.

Parent Teacher Conferences: West Middle School will have conferences on Monday, March 9 and Tuesday March 10 from 4:00 to 7:30.   Parents can pick up their students report card as they enter the building and then visit teachers as needed. Teachers will be in their classrooms.

In conjunction with conferences next week, we would like to ask each student to bring in a non-perishable food item. You may bring it to school at conferences or bring it in anytime during the school day. There will be an Easter basket in the office to collect the items. All items will be donated to our local food pantry.

United Way of Muscatine invites you to participate in our 8^th Annual Day of Caring on Thursday, April 10, 2015! This is a unique opportunity for students to complete a meaningful service project for a local nonprofit agency or an area resident who needs a hand.  If you are interested in volunteering, please sign up in front of the guidance office by March 10^th.

If you are interested in being part of the Muscatine-Japan Youth Exchange Program and would like to know more about possibly hosting a middle school Japanese student for a week this summer, please plan to attend an informational meeting on Thursday, March 26th at 6pm at West Middle School.  This opportunity is open to any student from WMS or CMS.  See Ms. Blanchard for more info.

Muscatine Youth Baseball signups are just around the corner! MYB is a non-profit organization that helps put baseball in the lives of our youth from ages 7 to 17. We want our kids to have fun and learn about the great sport of baseball. First year players need to provide a birth certificate upon signing up. Cost is $50.00 per player for the 2015 season. Sign ups will be at the Muscatine Mall on the dates below:

Wednesday, March 11^th       5:30pm to 7:30pm

Saturday, March 14^th            10:00am to 3:00pm

Saturday, March 21^st                        10:00am to 3:00pm

We want every player to be eligible to play, so NO PLAYER WILL BE TURNED AWAY. Payment arrangements can be made.

Any 8^th grade boy interested in trying out for the MHS high school baseball team will have the opportunity to do so on May 4^th. If you have any questions, please contact Coach Colón at West Middle School (563) 263-0411 or edwin.colon@mcsdonline.org

The Muscatine Community Y is having a sports camp over spring break! Join the Y staff for some fun and games, team building and fitness. $60.00 for members, $90.00 for non-members. Check the main office or call the Y for more info.

There seemed to be technical issues when placing orders on the Muskie Baseball on-line store. It seems to have been resolved and you can now place orders at the following link: https://breedlovesports.tuosystems.com/stores/muscatine-baseball  If you still have difficulties please email
dan@breedlovesports.com or contact Coach Colón at edwin.colon@mcsdonlinle.org

Attention 6^th graders: Time to register for the Youth Sports Foundation Spring Co-Ed Track & Field. You can register anytime at the YSF office Monday, March 9^th thru Friday, March 20^th (deadline). Office hours are 9:00am to 4:30pm and is located at 2923 Cedar St. Suite #3. Cost is $35.00 and includes a team t-shirt. Call Joni Kerr at the YSF office (563-288-2541 for more information.

For your convenience all athletic and activity events can now be found on the WMS calendar.  This one stop convenient calendar will make it easy for staff, students and parents to access dates and times for all activities. Just click on the “School Calendar” tab at the top right.

The Attendance Office has purple NIKE athletic bags for sale for $30.00. Stop by to take a look.

If you have any questions or if your child will not be at school for any reason, you can e-mail me at krista.hartman@mcsdonline.org or you can call 563-263-0411 anytime after 7:30 a.m.

LUNCH TODAY: BBQ Pork Rib Sandwich or Cheeseburger

3/11/15: Chicken Softshell Taco