Shepherd Middle School

Announcements, Monday, October 28... On Wednesday we will all be having a virtual presentation on your classroom digital boards from OK2SAY. This will take place during your SOAR class and will last until about 9am. After the presentation students will go to a shortened 1st hour class. Thursday is Halloween and we will be having a Halloween Costume Contest during SOAR. There will be awards and prizes for each category. The contest will be help during SOAR on Thursday. On Friday we will be having our first BlueJay Renaissance Rally of the school year. To attend this Rally you must earn a Gold, Blue or White ticket, which is based on your Academics, Attendance, and Attitude. Today during SOAR students are to be working on their ELA IXL and teachers will be starting to identify students that qualify for the BlueJay Renaissance Rally.

Announcements, Friday, October 25... Next Thursday is Halloween and we will be having a Halloween Costume Contest during SOAR. There will be awards and prizes for each category. We will share the contest rules, categories and Halloween Costume Guidelines tomorrow during announcements. Next Friday, November 1, we will be having our first BlueJay Renaissance Rally of the school year. To attend this Rally you must earn a Gold, Blue or White ticket, which is based on your Academics, Attendance, and Attitude. Locker signs from this fall's sports seasons; football, volleyball and cross country, are to be removed from the outside of lockers. They can be hung on the inside of your lockers. Any locker signs still hanging up after today will be removed and discarded. Today during SOAR, Student Council Members will be around to collect $1 if you want to wear your hat today. They will give you a ticket as proof that your paid. Hold onto the ticket today. Your teachers do have the right to request you remove your hat in their classroom. 7th graders are going to clean out their lockers. Once you are done cleaning your locker, return to your SOAR class. All teachers will also be passing out M-STEP Parent Reports from last Spring M-STEP test, to all students that did not get a copy during Parent-Teacher Conferences last week. Please up these in your locker and take them home to parents tonight.

Announcements, Wednesday, October 23... Good luck to the Cross Country Teams as they head to Chip Hills today to compete in Regionals. Runners are dismissed at 1:45 and the bus leaves at 1:55. Friday is Michigan - Michigan State Day here at Shepherd Middle School. Wear your Blue & Gold or Green & White gear that day and show which university you support. We will get a count of Friday of how many supported each school Therapy Dogs will be available to all students in the media center during A and B lunch today. Please eat your lunch first, then feel free to head to the media center and meet our furry friends The Counseling Office is closed this morning until Mrs. Bauer returns. If you need a break or are in need of something please come down to the Middle School office. Tomorrow during SOAR, 6th & 8th grade classes will be doing a locker clean-out. 7th graders will then clean out their lockers on Friday. Lunch Op for B Lunch will be in Mr. TerBurgh’s classroom today, room 315. Today during SOAR all students are to work on their Math IXL recommended skills.

Friday (10/25) is Michigan VS Michigan State Day at Shepherd Middle School. Students and staff are encouraged to wear the colors of the in-state rival that they support, in preparation for the U of M / MSU football game on Saturday (10/26). We want to see who the Wolverine and the Spartan fans are at SMS.

Announcements, Tuesday, October 22... Please check the lost & found table. All items in the lost & found will be removed after today. Friday is Michigan - Michigan State Day here at Shepherd Middle School. Wear your Blue & Gold or Green & White gear that day and show which university you support. We will get a count of Friday of how many supported each school Today during SOAR all students are to work on their ELA IXL recommended skills.

Announcements, Monday, October 21... Results from the Cross Country Invitational on Saturday at Cadillac Both the boys and girls teams took 4th place out of 22 teams that were there. Great job to all the runners. Wednesday the Cross teams compete in the Middle School Regionals which will be held at Chippewa Hills. Results of the Football Teams games on Saturday versus Ithaca The 8th grade team finished their season off with a 43-35 victory over the Yellowjackets. The 7th grade team ended the season beating Ithaca 42-12 The 6th grade team finished the season losing to the Yellowjackets 22-34 Shepherd Middle School wrestling will have its first practice today (10/21), at 3pm in the high school wrestling room. If you are having trouble finding the room, report to the high school atrium, or ask an older member of the team to guide you. Please remember, you have to have a sports physical on file in order to practice. Please check the lost & found table. Just a reminder that throughout this week, teachers and other adults may be visiting classrooms. They are observing and learning about what you do in your classrooms. There is no need for concern. Just continue on as normal. Friday is Michigan - Michigan State Day here at Shepherd Middle School. With the in-state rivalry football game being on Saturday, we want everyone to wear your colors. Wear your Wolverine or Spartan gear on Friday and show us which team you support. Today during SOAR all SOAR classes will be doing their SecondSteps Lesson.

Announcements, Thursday, October 17... Parent-Teacher Conferences are today (10/17) 12-3pm & 4-7pm in the HS Gym. Conferences are also tomorrow (10/18) 8-11am in the Middle School. All conferences are walk-in. No appointment is needed. Results from the Cross Country meet yesterday at Pinconning; The boys team took 3rd place and the girls team took 2nd place. The Cross Country teams go to Cadillac on Saturday for Regionals. Shepherd Middle School wrestling will have its first practice on Monday, October 21st, at 3pm in the high school wrestling room. If you are having trouble finding the room, report to the high school atrium, or ask an older member of the team to guide you. Please remember, you have to have a sports physical on file in order to practice. The fourth annual Harvest Art Fest and Food Truck Alley is this weekend! It is Saturday and Sunday in the HS and MS hallways, MS gym, and bus loop. There will be bounce houses, face painting, crafters market, caricatures, and more! Fliers are outside Mrs. Byrne's room. You won't want to miss this event and the chance to support Shepherd Theatre! We have a lot of lost items looking for a forever home on our lost and found table. There are many lost sweatshirts, t-shirts and water bottles, along with many other missing items. Please stop by the lost and found table across the hallway from the counseling offices. Today is a half-day of school with students being dismissed at 11:00. That day we will not have SOAR and each class period, 1st through 6th hour will be 25 minutes long. There will be no school tomorrow (10/18).

Announcements, Wednesday, October 16... Good luck to our Cross Country runners as they travel to Pinconning for a Jack Pine Conference Jamboree. Runners are dismissed at 2:15 and the bus leaves at 2:25 today. Any 6th-8th grade boys or girls who are interested in joining the Shepherd Wrestling team, please sign up on the flyers around school or using the link provided in your email. Official practice begins October 21st and you must have a physical on file. Please see Mr. Lentovich with questions. Any 7th or 8th grade girls that are interested in playing basketball there is a sign up sheet in the office. To be able to practice the first day you must have a physical on file through final forms. All girls who played volleyball this season, your team pictures are in the MS Office. Come down during SOAR or after school to pick them up. Art Club is today from 3-4pm in the High School Art Room. Anyone interested is welcome to join in. Over the next couple of weeks you may have some teachers come into your classrooms. This is nothing to be concerned about. They will be there to observe and learn from your teacher and classroom. The fourth annual Harvest Art Fest and Food Truck Alley is this weekend! It is Saturday and Sunday in the HS and MS hallways, MS gym, and bus loop. There will be bounce houses, face painting, crafters market, caricatures, and more! Fliers are outside Mrs. Byrne's room. You won't want to miss this event and the chance to support Shepherd Theatre! With Parent-Teacher Conferences being the end of this week, our schedule has been adjusted. Thursday (10/17) is a half-day of school with students being dismissed at 11:00. That day we will not have SOAR and each class period, 1st through 6th hour will be 25 minutes long. There will be no school on Friday (10/18). Today during SOAR, Students will check their grades in PowerSchools and email their parents. Also include in your parent email a reminder that Parent-Teacher Conferences are Thursday 12-3 & 4-7pm in the HS gym and then on Friday 8-11am in teachers classrooms

Announcements, Tuesday, October 15... Any 6th-8th grade boys or girls who are interested in joining the Shepherd Wrestling team, please sign up on the flyers around school or using the link provided in your email. Official practice begins October 21st and you must have a physical on file. Please see Mr. Lentovich with questions. Any 7th or 8th grade girls that are interested in playing basketball there is a sign up sheet in the office. To be able to practice the first day you must have a physical on file through final forms. Over the next couple of weeks you may have some teachers come into your classrooms. This is nothing to be concerned about. They will be there to observe and learn from your teacher and classroom. The fourth annual Harvest Art Fest and Food Truck Alley is this weekend! It is Saturday and Sunday in the HS and MS hallways, MS gym, and bus loop. There will be bounce houses, face painting, crafters market, caricatures, and more! Fliers are outside Mrs. Byrne's room. You won't want to miss this event and the chance to support Shepherd Theatre! With Parent-Teacher Conferences being the end of this week, our schedule has been adjusted. Thursday (10/17) is a half-day of school with students being dismissed at 11:00. That day we will not have SOAR and each class period, 1st through 6th hour will be 25 minutes long. There will be no school on Friday (10/18). Today during SOAR, with this being a short week of school, all students are to work on their Math IXL recommended skills. There will be no dismissal or tardy bells this morning due to PSAT testing in the High School.

Announcements, Monday, October 14... Results from our Football Teams games this last Saturday in Owosso; The 6th Grade Team shut out the Trojans 28-0 The 7th Grade Team also shut out Owosso 41-0 The 8th Grade Team continued to roll with a 33-6 victory This next saturday is the last game of the Season for our BlueJay football teams as they are at home to take on the Ithaca Yellowjackets. Any 6th-8th grade boys or girls who are interested in joining the Shepherd Wrestling team, please sign up on the flyers around school or using the link provided in your email. Official practice begins October 21st and you must have a physical on file. Please see Mr. Lentovich with questions. Any 7th or 8th grade girls that are interested in playing basketball there is a sign up sheet in the office. To be able to practice the first day you must have a physical on file through final forms. Over the next couple of weeks you may have some teachers come into your classrooms. This is nothing to be concerned about. They will be there to observe and learn from your teacher and classroom. The fourth annual Harvest Art Fest and Food Truck Alley is this weekend! It is Saturday and Sunday in the HS and MS hallways, MS gym, and bus loop. There will be bounce houses, face painting, crafters market, caricatures, and more! Fliers are outside Mrs. Byrne's room. You won't want to miss this event and the chance to support Shepherd Theatre! Today during SOAR, with this being a short week of school, all students are to work on their ELA IXL recommended skills. Students are also to make sure their Chromebooks are ready for the school day. School pictures are also in and will be passed out this morning being SOAR.

Announcements, Thursday, October 10... Results from the Cross Country Invitational at Bay City Western last night; The teams ran against all division 1 schools ands; The boys took 4th place and the girls took 5th. There were also 14 PRs set last night. The cross teams run again next Wednesday in a Jack Pine Conference Jamboree in Pinconning. Good luck to our Volleyball girls as they are home tonight to take on the Sharks from St. Louis. Game time is 5pm and is in the HS Gym Any 6th-8th grade boys or girls who are interested in joining the Shepherd Wrestling team, please sign up on the flyers around school or using the link provided in your email. Official practice begins October 21st and you must have a physical on file. Please see Mr. Lentovich with questions. Any 7th or 8th grade girls that are interested in playing basketball there is a sign up sheet in the office. To be able to practice the first day you must have a physical on file through final forms. We have the results of yesterday's Battle of the Ages Day participation. Each grade level/class earns points for their overall class competition. In third place for was the 8th grade with 36% participation In second place was the 6th grade with 57% participation And in first place was the 7th grade with 73% participation Dress-Up for tomorrow is BlueJay Blue & Gold Day and we are doubling the points awarded for each class, so 6th & 8th grade, let’s make sure we are all dressing up and showing our school spirit tomorrow. The 7th graders have been kicking everyone tails so far this week in dress-up days. We will be selling BAHUNA and Eye Black and Football stickers outside the office tomorrow morning for 50 cents each. This morning during SOAR, a student council member will be around again to count the number of students participating in our Adam Sandler dress-up day today. The Student Council members will then give that number to the SOAR teacher to enter into the SOAR Advisory Staff document. Students during SOAR are to check their grades in PowerSchool and email parents. Then it is silent reading for the remainder of the class period.

Announcements, Wednesday, Ocotober 9... Results from the Volleyball matches at Standish-Sterling last night; The 7th Grade B Team lost 18-25 & 19-25 The 7th Grade A Team split 9-25 & 25-21 The 8th Grade B Team lost 25-23, 18-25 & 3-15 The 8th Grade A Team lost 26-24, 13-24 & 14-16 The girls play again tomorrow at home in the HS gym at 5pm versus the Sharks of St. Louis. Good luck to our Cross Country runners as they travel to an Invitational at Bay City Western tonight. Runners are dismissed from class at 2:25 and the bus leaves at 2:35. Any 6th-8th grade boys or girls who are interested in joining the Shepherd Wrestling team, please sign up on the flyers around school or using the link provided in your email. Official practice begins October 21st and you must have a physical on file. Please see Mr. Lentovich with questions. Any 7th or 8th grade girls that are interested in playing basketball there is a sign up sheet in the office. To be able to practice the first day you must have a physical on file through final forms. We have the results of yesterday's Twin/Squad Day participation. Each grade level/class earns points for their overall class competition. In third place for was the 8th grade with 66% participation In second place was the 6th grade with 70% participation And in first place was the 7th grade with 76% participation Dress-Up Days for the rest of this week are Thursday - Dress Like Adam Sandler Day Friday - BlueJay Blue & Gold Day This morning during SOAR, a student council member will be around again to count the number of students participating in our Battle of the Ages dress-up day today. The Student Council members will then give that number to the SOAR teacher to enter into the SOAR Advisory Staff document. Students during SOAR today are to work on their Math IXL Also during SOAR today, remember to check to make sure you have your Chromebook and that it is charged and ready for the school day.

Announcements, Tuesday, September 8... Good luck to the Volleyball Teams as they travel to Standish-Sterling tonight to take on the Panthers. Bus leaves at 3:15. Dress-Up Days for the rest of this week, as selected by our Student Council is as followed; Wednesday - Battle of the Ages Day 6th Grade - Babies 7th Grade - Working Adults 8th Grade - Senior Citizens Staff - Middle School Students Thursday - Dress Like Adam Sandler Day Friday - BlueJay Blue & Gold Day We have the results of yesterday's Pajama Day participation. Each grade level/class earns points for their overall class competition. In third place for 1 point with 73% of the class participating - The 8th Grade In second place for 2 points with 79% of the class participating - The 6th Grade And the winners with 82% of the class participation and 3 points - The 7th Grade First through third place in the Door Poster Contest will be awarded points for their class and the first place SOAR class will also receive a prize on Thursday. Door Posters were judged yesterday and we have our winners. In 3rd Place and 1 point is Mrs. Smith’s 6th grade SOAR Class In 2nd Place and 2 points is Mrs. Bowman’s 6th Grade SOAR Class And the Winner of the Door Poster Contest with 3 points and a prize coming on Thursday is Mrs. Pramuka’s 7th grade SOAR Class. Teacher, please count the number of students who participated in our Twin/Squad dress-up day today, and enter that number into the SOAR Advisory Staff document. Today during SOAR all students are to work on their ELA IXL Also during SOAR today, remember to check to make sure you have your Chromebook and that it is charged and ready for the school day.

CHECK IT OUT, SAVE THE DATE!!! Join us for the 4th annual Harvest Art Fest and Food Truck Alley! 🗓️October 19 from 10 AM to 6 PM 🗓️October 20 from 10 AM to 4 PM 🆓Entry is FREE!!! 🛍️-50+ Talented artists selling their handcrafted goods and wares 🏰-A gym packed full of bounce castles, games, slides, obstacle course, velcro wall and more Bounce House Pricing $5 - 30 minutes $10 - 1 hour $20 - unlimited wristband (daily) 🍴- Popular local food trucks featuring an array of various cuisines -🎨 - Face painting ✍🏽-Caricatures and more! All proceeds support Shepherd middle and high school theater programs. Shepherd Community Arts Support Team - CAST

Announcements, Monday, October 7... Results from our Football Teams this past Saturday The 6th Grade Football Team lost: 30-0 The 7th Grade Football Team beat the Marauders 16-8 The 8th Grade Football Team hung on for the win; 21-19 Next Saturday the teams travel to Owosso to take on the Trojans This week we have some fun and exciting activities planned, but this is a privilege. There will be times to have fun and times we need to focus on class work. Students that are not able to handle themselves properly and are inappropriate or out-of-control, they will not be allowed to participate in some of our activities and there will be disciplinary consequences. So, make sure we are handling ourselves maturely and act appropriately. Dress-Up Days for the rest of this week, as selected by our Student Council is as followed; Tuesday - Twin or Squad Day - Pick a friend or group of friends to dress alike with Wednesday - Battle of the Ages Day 6th Grade - Babies 7th Grade - Working Adults 8th Grade - Senior Citizens Staff - Middle School Students Thursday - Dress Like Adam Sandler Day Friday - BlueJay Blue & Gold Day Remember that each grade level will be competing against each other in the percentage of your grade level who participates in dress-up days. The points earned will go toward your classes overall points during our class competitions during our assembly next Friday. Help your class win by participating in dress up days. We will be counting participants each day during SOAR. Today during SOAR everyone needs to be finishing up their Door Posters. Finished or not, the posters MUST be completed and hung up on the outside of your SOAR classroom door on Monday morning at the end of SOAR - 8:25am. Also during SOAR today, let’s remember to check to make sure we have our Chromebooks and that they are charged and ready for the school day.

Announcements, Friday, October 4... Results from the Volleyball teams matches versus Beaverton last night; The 7th Grade B Team won 25-8 & 25-19 The 7th Grade A Team won 25-12 & 25-10 The 8th Grade B Team lost 18-25 & 20-25 The 8th Grade A Team lost 23-25 & 18-25 The Volleyball Teams play again next Tuesday at Standish-Sterling Good luck to our football teams as they travel to Ovid-Elsie tomorrow to take on the Mauraders. Next week is Homecoming Spirit Week and we will be participating in some fun and exciting activities, BUT this is a privilege. There will be times to have fun and times we need to focus on class work. Students that are not able to handle themselves properly and are inappropriate or out-of-control, they will not be allowed to participate in some of our activities and there will be disciplinary consequences. So, make sure we are handling ourselves maturely and act appropriately. Dress-Up Days for next week (Oct. 7-11) as selected by our Student Council is as followed; Monday - Pajama Day - Shoes must be worn Tuesday - Twin or Squad Day - Pick a friend or group of friends to dress alike with Wednesday - Battle of the Ages Day 6th Grade - Babies 7th Grade - Working Adults 8th Grade - Senior Citizens Staff - Middle School Students Thursday - Dress Like Adam Sandler Day Friday - BlueJay Blue & Gold Day Remember that each grade level will be competing against each other in the percentage of your grade level who participates in dress-up days. The points earned will go toward your classes overall points during our class competitions during our assembly next Friday. Help your class win by participating in dress up days. We will be counting participants each day during SOAR. Today during SOAR everyone needs to be finishing up their Door Posters. Finished or not, the posters MUST be completed and hung up on the outside of your SOAR classroom door on Monday morning at the end of SOAR - 8:25am. Also everyone needs to check to see if they have their Chromebooks with them this morning and if they are charged and ready to be used in class. If not, SOAR is the time that this needs to be taken care of. And finally, today is High-Five Friday. Between each class period, let’s make it all of our goal to give 2 different people a High-Five between each class.

Announcements, Thursday, October 3... Cross Country results from last night's Jack Pine Conference Jamboree here in Shepherd. The girls team finished in 5th place The girls team finished in 3rd place Good luck to our Volleyball teams as they take on Beaverton here at home tonight. Matches will be played in the HS Gym and start at 5pm. Next week (Oct. 7-11) is Homecoming Spirit Week and our Dress-Up days as selected by our Student Council is as followed; Monday - Pajama Day - Shoes must be worn Tuesday - Twin or Squad Day - Pick a friend or group of friends to dress alike with Wednesday - Battle of the Ages Day 6th Grade - Babies 7th Grade - Working Adults 8th Grade - Senior Citizens Staff - Middle School Students Thursday - Dress Like Adam Sandler Day Friday - BlueJay Blue & Gold Day Today during SOAR all students must start by checking their grades and emailing parents, then they are to either work on their Door Poster or silent read. Also during SOAR this morning, and every morning during this time, students need to check to make sure their Chromebooks are charged and ready for the day. If a student does not have their Chromebook or the battery is dead or about to go dead, SOAR is the time to take care of this issue and be ready for the rest of the school day. This is when you can go to the Media Center to take care of these issues.

Announcements, Wednesday, Ocotber 2... Results of our Volleyball Teams matches at Harrison last night; The 7th Grade B Team won 25-17 & 25-22 The 7th Grade A Team won 25-5 & 25-20 The 8th Grade B Team lost 10-25 & 15-25 The 8th Grade A Team split 19-25 & 25-16 The Volleyball Teams play again tomorrow night at home versus Beaverton. Matches begin at 5:00pm. Good luck to our Cross Country teams as they run at home tonight in a Jack Pine Conference Jamboree meet. Message from the Native American Office: Mike from Behavioral Health will be here today during lunch. Grab your lunch and head to the Native American Office to join in. Today is Custodian Appreciation Day and I would like to thank the custodial staff here at Shepherd Middle School, who take pride in keeping our building clean and safe. To keep a school running, it takes a village. As much as teachers deserve praise and support for all of the work that they do inside and outside of the classroom, there are other unsung heroes that walk the halls every day making sure our students have a safe space where they can learn. School custodians are one group of professionals that are those heroes. Custodians are responsible for more than just sweeping floors, wiping tables, and hitting the lights at the end of the day. They are a schools’ first line of defense against viruses, harmful bacteria, and disease. In providing a clean and safe environment, custodians help enhance the physical well-being of all students. So to Mr. Mike who is here during the school day and you all see in the hallway and in the cafeteria, and to Ms. Sarah, Ms. Kathy & Ms. Dondi; our evening custodians, who work from the end of the school day until late into the evening to keep our school clean for the next day: Thank you for your dedication. Thank you for being caring. Thank you for putting our students first. Thank you for being a role model, and Thank you for all of the hard work that you do for our schools. You are appreciated by all of us here at Shepherd Middle School. Band practice during SOAR is canceled for today (10/2). Today during SOAR students are to either work on their Math IXL or continue working on their Spirit Week Door Posters.

Announcements, Tuesday, October 1... Good luck to our Volleyball Teams as they travel to Harrison tonight to take on the Hornets. Bus leaves the school today at 3:45. Yesterday, September 30, is recognized as Orange Shirt Day, which promotes awareness about the residential boarding school system and its impact on Native American communities in the United States and Canada, which is still felt today. Known as National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the day honors the children forced into these boarding schools. In addition, the day also remembers those who never returned home. We are observing Orange Shirt Day today. Wearing an orange shirt shows you support for those in the Native American community and those who survived this traumatic experience, as well as the thousands who did not survive. Today during SOAR students are to either work on their ELA IXL or work on designing their Spirit Week Door Posters. The theme of this year's posters are “Countries of the World” and yesterday every SOAR class selected the country they will include in their poster.

Announcements, Monday, September 30... Cross Country results The Cross teams next meet is Wednesday at Harrison Results from Saturday’s Football games versus the Hemlock Huskies The 6th Grade Football Team lost 0-6 The 7th Grade Football Team won a close game; 14-12 The 8th Grade Football Team shut out the Huskies 12-0 This next Saturday the teams travel to Ovid-Elsie to take on the Mauraders. Today is Picture Day and we will be calling students out of class down to the MS Gym for their pictures. Pictures are being taken on the stage and students are asked to go up the ramp onto the stage, entering down by the girls locker room. Orange Shirt Day Today is recognized as Orange Shirt Day, a day to honor the Indigenous children who were taken from their families and sent away to residential schools all across North America. These Native American children were not only forcibly separated from their family, but they were forced to change the clothes they wore, the language they spoke, and the culture they knew, along with many enduring horrible physical and mental abuse. These boarding schools for Indigenous children took place from the mid-1600 until the 1970s. Around 200,000 children were sent to these schools and one of these schools was in Mt. Pleasant, from 1891 to 1943 and the buildings of that school still stand today. The orange shirts are a way to honor and remember all of these children who suffered through this cruel and traumatic experience, which had lifelong effects, some of which have been carried down to their children and grandchildren. With Picture Day being today, we are going to observe Orange Shirt Day tomorrow (10/1) and ask everyone to wear an orange shirt or something with orange in it. This last week, the Native American office sponsored a Poster Contest, which we held during SOAR. The Theme of the posters was “Every Life Matters” and the posters were hung on your SOAR classroom doors. Friday afternoon the posters were judged and here are the results; 3rd place....Mr. TerBurg’s 8th grade SOAR 2nd place....Mrs. Pramuka’s 7th grade SOAR 1st place...Ms. Smith’s 7th grade SOAR