September 2013

Tiger Community, The school year is off to a fantastic start. The students have returned with a lot of energy and they are ready to learn. The renovated building looks great. Our students, staff, and community deserve these improvements. I would like to introduce our new Assistant Principal, Dr. Rachel Heide. Last year she was a Middle School Principal in the Greeley schools. She has brought a lot of energy and ideas that will continue to make Erie Middle School a great educational environment for our students. Please feel free to stop by and introduce yourself. Thanks to everyone who attended the Community Open House and our Back to School Night events. They were all well attended. If you would like to tour the school please let me know and I can make arrangements. A special thanks to the 8th grade WEB leaders. They came to school a few days early for a training to assist the 6th graders feel welcome at Erie Middle School. This fantastic program they put on helped the 6th graders transition into Erie Middle. Thanks to the parents for bringing these leaders into school early and the WEB staff who trained them. The 6th grade students had a fun and educational first day with our WEB team. Our annual Magazine fundraiser kicked off on Thursday August 29th and will run until Wednesday September 11th. Last year money was raised to support and enhance classroom supplies and materials. We appreciate all the support and participation that you have given us to provide high quality education to our Erie Middle School students. The participation of the entire Erie Middle School Community will make the magazine sales a success. We have many exciting events planned for this school year. From concerts to clubs to athletic events, there are many ways for students to be involved at school. We encourage all students to become active members of the Erie Middle School Community. Volleyball and Cross Country have started. Coaches and athletes are busy preparing themselves for the upcoming games and meets. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me. Todd Bissell EMS Principal

Todd Bissell - Principal Rachel HeideAssistant Principal Pat Atwood - Secretary Kimberly JacobsCounselor Genaro VillarealCounselor Website http://.ems.svvsd.org Email: last name_first name@svvsd.org Office Hours 7:00 - 3:30 pm
Each year, schools in St. Vrain Valley School District complete a process to identify students who demonstrate exceptional ability or performance in one or more academic areas and may, therefore, qualify for Gifted/Talented educational services. These students usually perform at least two years above grade level in their strength area (s) and require additional academic challenges in order to support their continued educational growth and progress. In addition, they usually demonstrate characteristics of unique creativity and high motivation in their strength areas. The search for gifted/talented students begins with an opportunity for parents and/or teachers to refer students for review. Once referrals are received, a team of educators reviews student CSAP data, standardized test scores, rating scales and other school data to determine student eligibility. If you believe that your child qualifies and would benefit from district Gifted/ Talented services, please pick up a nomination form from your school office, or contact your schools Gifted/ Talented resource teacher or liaison: Jennifer Saless 303-828-3391 Saless_jennifer@svvsd.org Nominations are due by 9/13/13

ORDER YOUR 2013-2014 YEARBOOK TODAY TO GET THE BEST DEAL!

The price will increase until it costs $30 at the end of the year, so get your order in soon! You can get an order form from Mrs. Monroe in the library or order online at jostens.com.

Capture your child's middle school memories!

DO YOU TAKE PICTURES AT ERIE EVENTS? HELP MAKE THIS YEARBOOK AWESOME! Our new yearbook adviser, Kate Kemp, and her yearbook students would so appreciate your help! If you like to click photos at Eri e events, please vi sit www.ReplayIt.com. Add the photos you are already taking to our yearbook by uploading your photos here. You can get the App or use the website. Thanks so much for being involved in our school community! We so appreciate it!

Important Dates:
September 17 - Academic Assistance 3-4 PM September 17- Cross Country Practice 3:15-4:15 PM September 17 - Volleyball Practice 3:1 5-4:45 PM September 18 - Good Movie, Better Book Club 3:15-4:00 September 18 - RE1-J Cross Country Meet @ Sunset Golf Course 3:30 PM September 18- Volleyball Game @ Westview 3:30 PM September 18 - SVVSD Board Meeting 7:00 PM September 19 - Pirates Plunder Party for selling 6 items September 19 - Yearbook Staff Meeting 7:00 AM September 19 - Prize Day at each lunch period September 19 - Academic Assistance 3-4 PM September 19 - Cross Country Practice 3:15-4:15 PM September 19 - Volleyball Practice 3:1 5-4:45 PM September 20 - Cross Country Practice 3:15-4:15 PM September 20 - Volleyball Practice 3:1 5-4:45 PM September 23 - Parent/Conferences 3:15-7:30 PM September 23 - 27 Book Fair in Library September 23 - Conferences 3:15-7:30 PM September 24 - Parent/Conferences September 25 - Cross Country Practice 3:15-4:15 PM September 25 - Volleyball Game @ Trail Ridge 3:30 PM September 26 - Parent/Teacher Conferences 3:15-7:30 PM September 27 - Cross Country - Mead Stampede @ Mead High School 3:30 September 27 - Volleyball Intramural Games 3:15 PM
LATE START DAYS: Wednesday, February 5 Wednesday, March 5 Wednesday, April 9 Wednesday, May 7

Wednesday, October 2 Wednesday, November 6 Wednesday, December 4

School will start at 10:30 with doors opening at 10:20. Buses will run 2 1/2 hours later than normal.

Sixth Grade Sadie Horner is a pleasure to have in class. She has a smile on her face every day and is ready to learn. Sadie comes prepared to class with supplies, homework, questions. Way to ROAR, Sadie! Mitchell Maddox is off to a fantastic start as a sixth grader at Erie Middle School. Mitchell is friendly, polite, and well-organized, His teachers are impressed by his ability to ROAR. Way to go, Mitchell!

Seventh Grade Bailey Pitts comes to us as a new 7th grader, and she brings lots of smiles and cheer with her. Bailey takers her academics seriously, is always positive and is a great helper to her teachers in class. If you haven't met Bailey yet, you're missing out! We're happy to have you at EMS! Hayden Dickinson is our 7th grade boy student of the month. From the first day this year, Hayden has been proactive, always checking in with his teachers and making sure he is doing what he needs in order to excel. He is an avid reader, and always has his book handy. Hayden has a great attitude and is kind to others. Keep up the good work, Hayden!

Eight Grade Sierra Thompson has come to school this year ready to work and succeed. She has been friendly and kind and comes to class prepared daily. Sierra sets high goals and has a positive outlook that will help her accomplish those goals. She has been friendly and helpful in the hallways and in class and is proud to be a part of our school. Sierra exhibits outstanding traits of an Erie Tiger! Miguel Bartrez always has a smile on his face. In the classroom he participates, stays on task and works hard. In addition, he is respectful and kind to his teachers and peers and maintains a positive attitude. He is always prepared, ready to learn and gives 100%. Miguel is an Erie Tiger who always ROARS. Keep up the good work Miguel!

Each of these students have been honored with a free pizza for lunch on the last Friday of the month. Please congratulate these students if you see them!

A message from Activities 4 All

Do you know a kid who would love the opportunity to play a sport, participate in the performing arts but does not have the financial means? Activities 4 All is dedicated to giving every child a chance to play sports and participate in youth activities by removing the barrier of registration fees and

equipment costs. Applications are available for kids, kindergarten through high school, on our website at www.a4aerie.org We hope that you will consider joining us Sunday, September 22nd for our fall fundraising event: The 1st Annual Briggs Street Bomb Longboard race in Erie. All proceeds will go directly to helping kids in Erie. Registration is available on line and on site on race day. For info: www.facebook.com/A4AErie

Counseling Corner Role of a Middle School Counselor

Middle school is a very difficult time for most students. It is a time of personal exploration, a time to seek out one's own identity, and physiologically a time of rapid growth. Coupled together, these two attributes of the middle school aged student produces much insecurity and fear. The middle school counselor provides expertise in establishing program development, design of program implementation, and evaluation of everything from large scale education programs to dealing with particular ailing individuals. Typical middle school counseling involves assessments of current situations in school, in particular programs and in the individual. The goals are to create an environment where each and every student is able to find confidence in themselves and believe in their own competence as learners.

Middle School Counseling Services

Middle school counselors provide support and services in a variety of ways. In the educational environment, the middle school counselor will provide academic skills support, study and test-taking skills, and will occasionally discuss career options even though students may be years away from stepping out on their own. Career planning has proven to be a successful motivator for many school counselors. In the student management areas, middle school counselors will provide information about coping strategies for students who have undergone some element of stress or tragedy. They will also aid in the development of students' abilities to create positive peer relationships. A difficult problem for any parent or educator of middle school students is the fact that during this age, many students begin relying more heavily on other students for guidance and acceptance than parents. Therefore, helping create strong decision-making abilities is a high priority for middle school counselors. One further task that has unfortunately become a higher priority for middle school counselors is sex education. Promiscuity for middle school students has steadily been on the rise. In an effort to reduce teenage pregnancies, middle school counselors have been needing to step up their efforts on sex education and development of self-confidence in order to help students make better decisions for themselves.

Lunch Secondary - $2.75 Reduced: Grades K-2 - No Charge / Grades 4-12 - $.40 Individual Milk, Juice, or Water (for sack lunches) - $.50 each