South Lake
Middle School
NEWS
St. Clair Shores, MI
FOCUS ON THE MIDDLE
Fall 2014
Eighth Graders Take on DC
Inside
SOUTH LAKE OPENS
HOMES TO STUDENTS
FROM CHINA
3
4
The 2014 Washington, DC trip was a great start to the new school
year with 33 eighth graders, 5 parents and 2 teachers. We traveled
to a lot of historical museums and learned many things that brought
our country to be a free nation. Some of the main things we saw
were the White House, the Capitol, the Tomb of the Unknown
Soldier, the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument and much
more.
5
The trip began on Monday, September 29. We departed St. Clair
Shores at around 7:00 pm and drove through the night until we
arrived in Philadelphia. There we saw where the Constitution was
signed and visited the Liberty Bell. Then we all left Philadelphia and
headed to Washington, DC.
Find out how our visitors spent
their days
SLMS SPORTS
Take a look at how our
athletes are doing.
UPCOMING EVENTS
In DC, we saw lots of monuments and
memorials, the White House and the U.S
Capitol Building.
Conferences, band concerts
and more
HOMECOMING FUN
Everyone got in the spirit of
Homecoming.
By: Virginia Goodrich (2019), Marcayla Armstrong (2019), and
Layla McMurtrie (2019)
6
5
By winning an essay contest, Delaney Caldwell, Mary Dupuis,
Madison Elya and Nolan Girven earned the honor of laying a wreath
at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, on behalf of all South Lake
Middle School students. That evening, the students went on a cruise
where we ate, danced, and had loads of fun.
(Continued on Page 5)
Fall 2014
Fall 2014
A Message from Your
Principal
Dear Students and Parents,
This & That
Drop Off/Pick Up
Procedures:
For the safety of our
students, please do not
drop off or pick up on
California. You can pull
into the parking lot near
the gym and circle
around to do this. If you
prefer, you can also use
Maxine Street. Please do
this on the south side of
Maxine so our students
do not have to cross the
street. Thank you for your
help in keeping our
children safe.
Absences and Tardies
It is important that
students are in school
every day and on time.
However, when they can’t
be please call our
attendance line at (586)
435-1350.
Remember, too many
absences and/or tardies
can result in a report to a
truancy officer.
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I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Cavalier community
for the warm welcome after being appointed as the new principal of
South Lake Middle School. I am thrilled to be part of your team and
look forward to the many challenges. I plan to continue developing
rapport with the students and treating them with care, respect and
dignity.
I have been very impressed with the overall
caliber of the student body here at South Lake
Middle School.
I have witnessed how a caring faculty and staff have contributed to the
success of the students. The teachers show their genuine concern by
intently carrying out their day-to-day duties. The students are always
their first priority. The teachers know their students so well, and
collaborate on a daily basis to ensure that the best educational
decisions are made for them.
The first quarter of the school year will be drawing to a close
November 7th. The football and volleyball seasons are also winding
down. The student athletes truly demonstrated what is known as
Cavalier Pride. I would like to thank the players, parents and coaches
for their contributions to the team effort that allowed these programs
to be so successful. The boys’ and girls’ basketball seasons are just
around the corner. Make plans to attend as many games as you can.
Your support makes all the difference.
We plan on letting the students have a little fun
at the Halloween dance on October 30th.
Students will be allowed to dress up on Halloween Day, October 31st,
but costumes must meet the dress code. Students will not be allowed
to wear masks or excessive makeup. We have to be able to easily
identify who they are for safety reasons.
I hope to see all of our parents on November 11th and 12th for
parent/teacher conferences. Encourage your students to stay focused
on their schoolwork.
Michael Bruce,
Principal, South Lake Middle School
It Is a
Small World
After All
By Fang MacCalllumMhor
Mandarin Teacher
South Lake Opens Homes to Chinese Students
On September 25 South Lake Schools welcomed
teachers and students from our sister school in
Xi’an China. Life as an American student began
as soon as they walked off the airplane.
Everything was new and different to them; they
had much to see and learn during their short stay
here in Michigan. South Lake arranged a variety
of activities and learning opportunities for them
while studying in school. During the day, the
Chinese students were assigned to South Lake
students and followed them throughout the day
and going to classes. After school, the students
stayed with their host families.
They also enjoyed many field trips including the
Detroit Zoo and Science Center.
It was a great season in Michigan
for apples.
The Chinese students and teachers visited Big
Blake’s Cider Mill where they enjoyed the warm
donuts and freshly squeezed apple cider; they
picked apples and enjoyed the corn maze and hay
ride; most of all, they screamed through the
haunted barn.
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The students were really impressed by the art
collections at the DIA. They spent time walking
around Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford
Museum as well as shopping at the Partridge Creek
Mall. We introduced them to a little taste of
Germany in Frankenmuth, and they were slightly
confused about the wooden shoes. They visited all
the schools in the district and participated in the
South Lake High School Homecoming parade and
pep rally.
On the weekends, their host family also planned
fun activities for them to do and see; they really
experienced what it is like to be a Michigander.
(Continued on Page 5)
Fall 2014
Continued from page 1
DC Trip
Fall 2014
SLMS Sports
Upcoming
The next day, we went to the Smithsonian Museums for a few hours.
It would have taken a lot longer to see everything there was to see.
One of the favorite stops was when we went to
a mall bigger than our school.
Events
Football Off to a Great Start
Everyone arrived back in St. Clair Shores in the early morning of
By Jaden
Allison (2019)
andwith
Jordan
Williams
(2019)
October
3, exhausted,
but filled
great
memories
of our 8th grade
The
Middle
School
football
team
is
1-2.
SLMS
won
against
New
Haven and lost against Harper Woods and
trip. Nancy Goodrich, one of the parent chaperones on the trip
said,
Clintondale.
the losses,
theI will
team
still forget.
stayed strong
during
“Thank
you forDespite
a wonderful
trip that
never
The kids
were,the game and Coaches Shawn and Berry
were
proud
of
the
players.
Their
philosophy
is
hard
work.
The
season
is going well so far.
in my opinion, well behaved and represented South Lake proudly.”
Parent/Teacher
Conferences
The team captains are eighth graders Austin Shaffer, Jordan Williams, Aaron
Grimmet and
Joey Tringali.
Tuesday,
November
11
Austin Shaffer plays outside linebacker and corner and Jordan Williams plays
middle
linebacker
and
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
fullback. Aaron Grimmet is our defensive tackle and
In the gym
also plays offensive line. Our quarterback, Joey
Tringali, also plays safety.
The first game was against New Haven
Middle School. The team won 38-32.
The running back scored four touchdowns. Jordan
Williams scored two extra points, on two different
Wreath
Laying
drives. The
coaches
wereCeremony
very proud.at the Tomb of the
Wednesday, November 12
5:00 pm – 8:00 pm
In the gym
Band Concerts
Unknown Soldier
Even though the next two games were losses, the
team stillfrom
keeps
their
Continued
page
3 heads up and focuses on the
next couple
of games. As Coach Martin said to the
Visitors
from China
Thursday, October 30
Fall Pops Concert
7th & 8th Grade Bands
team, “Through hard work and effort, anything in life can be obtained.”
The exchange program brought the two schools closer together and
7:00 pm
the students enjoyed spending time and learning from each other
SLHS Auditorium
Girls Volleyball
and their cultures. When the time came to say goodbye, many
students
were sad; they hope to see each other again. For some of
Our 7th and 8th Grade Girls Volleyball teams have a lot to be proud of. Despite
injuries both
on and off16
the
Tuesday,
December
my Mandarin students, the opportunity will come when they visit
court, they worked hard and made us proud. Coach Quick saw lots of growth
among
the
team
and
everyone
Winter Band Concert
China during spring break.
had a great time.
SLMS Bands
A huge thank you to our host families: Maurice, Vivian and D’Artist
7:00 pm
Cotton; Josh, Shauna and Elise Rhodenizer; Charles, Jennifer Giles
SLHS Auditorium
and Angelina Chenault; Kathryn and Demia Frison; Lesley and Blake
Discher; John, April and Caden Lucas; Jacqueline and Lillian
Crachiola; Kathy, Robert, Andrew and Madeline Yonkers; Kelly and
Logan McCrillis; Linsha Li; Sandy and Fred Stanley.
Koffee Klatch
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We also want to thank Fran Houghton for packing lunch and Renee
Monaco for taking care of the transportation every day. Thank you
Carmen Kennedy, Bob Beato, Chef Darrel, members of the high
school student council, Michael Fringer, John Thero, Angie Skiba,
Denise Scheffler, Rosemary Kaminski and all of the middle school
staff for your help and support. Once again, thank you to our entire
South Lake family!
Thursday, November 20
9:00 am and 6:00 pm
Media Center
Homecoming Festivities
Homecoming isn’t just for the high school. It’s a time for everyone in the district to
celebrate being a Cavalier. On Friday of homecoming week, the high school
marching band, cheerleaders, and football players came for the annual pep rally. It
got the school spirit flowing. That evening our WEB leaders and our visitors from
China participated in the homecoming parade, which was followed by a successful
homecoming football game. Our Cavs won 25 – 20 over Mt. Clemens!