Morton Junior High School News and Notes

Red Team Parents/Guardians,  First of all, thank you very much for your support and assistance back in September for our monthly “teacher appreciation” snacks!  It was greatly appreciated.  As I stated in my email back in the fall, we are asking one team each month to consider donating.  (Each team will be asked twice.)  For this month, we are again asking the 8th Grade’s Red Team parents. Please consider donating to this committee on January 12.   Here is the link to this month’s sign-up.   Link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4AA5AF2DAAFBC43-47965611-mjhs#/   Thanks! Chris Carter Principal

Each week the counseling department will send out an article, podcast, or video designed to connect you with insights about technology, emotional health, or career pathways related to your teen. Click here to  learn more about the MJHS counseling team . 57 Open-Ended Questions to Get Teens Talking “ How”, “why,” and opinion-based questions are discussion gold. Yes/no questions, or overly-specific questions that require a lot of knowledge for lift off can prove much less fruitful.  Trust me on this, it was once my job to ask questions that actually get kids talking and thinking.  Great conversations with kids and teens are often grounded in their personal experiences, likes and dislikes, or opinions. Goodness knows those are not hard to come by with teens especially! With this foundation, teens can jump in with the confidence that their perspective is valuable and without the fear of “getting it wrong” or feeling intimidated. This curated list of 57 questions to ask teens ...

Parents and Guardians,  This is just a reminder about tomorrow’s  PTO Christmas dance .  It is from 7:00-9:00, and tickets can still be purchased at lunch for $3. Tickets cost $5 at the door.  Thank you to everyone who has  volunteered to donate snacks .  We are still looking for a few  volunteers to assist with set-up and tear - down. Please consider sharing your time and talents! If the girls' basketball team advances to tomorrow’s regional championship at Kingsley JHS, the girls can attend the dance afterwards at no charge.   Chris Carter Principal

Each week, the counseling department will send out an article, podcast, or video designed to connect you with insights about technology, emotional health, or career pathways related to your teen. Click here to  learn more about the MJHS counseling team .   DIMS Score Calculator Thinking before buying takes minutes…but can spare a young person (and their family) days, weeks, months, sometimes even years of disappointment and waste. Watch the DIMS SCORE® Calculator in Action. DIMS stands for Does it Make Sense? Click here to  learn more about the DIMS Score Calculator .

Parents and Guardians,  As part of the Help-a-Thon, students who raised $250 or more have qualified for a bonus field trip.  We are going to volunteer at the Salvation Army’s Toys for Tots sorting facility at Northwoods Mall.  All students who qualified were sent an email this week explaining the details.  I have pasted the email below.  Here is the week’s schedule: Red Team - Monday, November 17, with Mrs. Williams and Mrs. Bonich Gray Team - Wednesday, November 19, with Mrs. Getz and Mr. Bishop White Team - Thursday, November 20, with Mr. Swearingen and Mrs. Rabe Green Team - Friday, November 21, with Mr. Ames and Mrs. Cox To clarify, the school will be buying lunch for the students.   We anticipate this being a great experience for our students.  Chris Carter Principal Email sent to students, on Nov. 20 : You qualified for the Help-a-Thon’s bonus field trip to the Salvation Army’s toy sorting facility at the Northwoods Mall on______________....

Each week the counseling department will send out an article, podcast, or video designed to connect you with insights about technology, emotional health, or career pathways related to your teen. Click here to  learn more about the MJHS counseling team .   Middle School Survival Guide for Parents from a Teacher and Mom of 4 At the beginning of the school year, there was a funny meme floating around featuring a flamboyantly dressed Elton John representing an elementary teacher. Next to him is a deadpan guy looking annoyed, representing a high school teacher. And below both is a scene from a gladiator film with a sword-brandishing warrior as the middle school teacher. It’s funny because it’s true. Middle school is wild! It’s also fun, challenging, and always emotional — for kids and parents.   Click here to  learn more about how to “survive” parenting middle schoolers.