S.T.A.R.S. 2010 Video

Check out the short video below to see some highlights from S.T.A.R.S. 2010!

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Attention 6th Grade Girls - STARS Begins Soon!

6th grade girls interested in participating in the S.T.A.R.S. mentorship program can now pick up a permission form in the counseling office. S.T.A.R.S. stands for Sisters Together Addressing Real Situations. The idea of this group is to break the girls into small groups of 5-7 and match them up with two carefully trained and chosen 8th grade female mentors.

In their small groups, the girls will discuss and do activities centered around the following topics:
Friendship/Peer Relations
Communication
Conflict Resolution
Body Image
Self Esteem

S.T.A.R.S. will meet for six weeks on Wednesdays. We will rotate when we meet, starting with first hour on November 3rd, second hour on November 10th, and so on. Your daughter will only miss one class period of a particular class during the six weeks, but is expected to make up any work she missed.

The counselors will be supervising each session, but the 8th grade mentors will be in charge of leading the small groups. It is a great opportunity for 6th grade girls to make more connections with other girls in their grade, as well as form relationships with positive 8th grade role models.

If you have an 8th grade daughter who is interested in being a S.T.A.R.S. mentor, she may pick up an application in the counseling office as well. If you would like more information on S.T.A.R.S., please contact your daughter's counselor. We are asking that permission forms and applications be returned by October 22nd. If you plan on attending conferences, forms will also be available at that time.

Mastering Middle School Workshops

We had a great turn-out at both of the Mastering Middle School workshops last week. Parents and students learned about LMS basics, study tips, how to stay organized, and much more. It was a wonderful sight as parents and their children worked together to develop goals for the upcoming school year. We hope that the workshop was just the beginning of ongoing communication within the family. Thank you to everyone who participated; remember we will be available to help however we can throughout the school year.

Smart Start Days in August

Before the beginning of the 2010-2011 school year, LMS will be having Smart Smart days for each grade. These days are intended to give students time to pick up their schedule, receive their locker assignment, have their photo taken for student ID and yearbook (this is the only time school pictures will be offered), receive a planner, update emergency information, and more. The dates are as follows:

8TH GRADE - Thursday, August 26th (8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.)
7TH GRADE - Friday, August 27th (8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.)
6TH GRADE - Monday, August 30th (8:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.) - This will be followed by a hot dog lunch and "meet the teacher" time for 6th grade students.

Variety Show

2010 LMS Variety Show
Monday, May 17th at 7:00 p.m. at the LPAC
Admission $2.00/person
REMINDER: Students participating in the show please be at the LPAC by 5:00 p.m. for dress rehearsal.

2010 5th Grade Orientation

This week, the middle school welcomed almost 300 fifth grade students for orientation. On May 4th, students from Alto and half of Cherry Creek made their visit; then on May 5th, students from Murray Lake and the other half of Cherry Creek made the trip. The pictures below show some of the activities enjoyed by the 5th graders including: the play "The Land of Ahh's," instument demonstrations from orchestra and band students, team building in the choir room, and a delicious lunch! We would like to thank everyone who helped make the orientation days fun and memorable for our fifth graders.

5th Grade Orientation

This year, the dates and schedule for 5th grade orientation are as follows: Alto and half of Cherry Creek on Tuesday, May 4th; Murray Lake and the second half of Cherry Creek on Wednesday, May 5th. We are excited to welcome all 5th grade students for an orientation to their future school. Fifth graders will be at Lowell Middle School for an all-day event where they will be able to gather valuable information from current 6th grade students on the ins and outs of middle school life. They will also witness a demonstration of band and orchestra instruments, and meet with representatives from Marshall Music for instrument fittings. In addition, they will receive a tour of the school, participate in team building activities, and eat lunch in the middle school cafeteria. Parents will have the opportunity to be informed about LMS on Monday, May 3rd at 7:00 p.m. in the middle school cafeteria.

Cyber-Safety Presentation

The Michigan Attorney General's office will be conducting Internet safety presentations for Lowell Middle School students in grades 6 – 8 on Friday, April 30, 2010. The primary focus is to emphasize that students should: keep safe by not sharing any personal information; keep away from Internet strangers; and keep telling parents or a trusted adult about everything they see on the Internet. Students also learn about common tricks Internet predators use and appropriate responses to cyber harassment.

Handouts used during our presentations can be accessed at the Attorney General’s website – www.michigan.gov/ag

Attention 8th Graders!

Important dates for 8th graders:

Wednesday, February 10th - 7:00-8:30
8th grade Orientation at the high school

Thursday, February 17th & Friday, February 18th
High school counselors visit the middle school to schedule 8th graders for their 9th grade classes.

2010 Spelling Bee

This year's Spelling Bee proved to be yet another nail-biting event this morning. The road to the finals began with all grades competing by level in the preliminary round on January 20th. The top five spellers from each grade advanced to the finals, held today in the middle school media center. Our spellers went fifteen rounds before a champion was named. This year's winner is 8th grader, Michelle Starkey. Her sister, 8th grader Danielle Starkey, was the runner-up. Both girls will advance to the regionals, held February 23rd at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Belmont, MI. Great job girls, and good luck!

We would like to congratulate all of our Spelling Bee participants. Each of you should feel very proud for simply having the courage to try. The top five spellers from each grade were:

6th: Billy Dickson, Kaleb Fisk, Marilla Marks, Calvin Warning, Donelle Weeks

7th: Max Dean, Zachary Gordon, Emily Judd, Adrienne Rife, Francesca Robinson

8th: Paige Hale, Danielle Starkey, Michelle Starkey, Rachael Walters, Maddie Willemstein

GEARS at Wege Center

GEARS members worked hard at mastering some survival skills out in the woods at the Wege Center. They got to enjoy the fruits of their labor by roasting some delicious marshmallows. The boys also had the privilege of meeting and seeing demonstrations by rescue dogs and their trainers. They wrapped up the day by doing some team-building activities.