The Middle School Minute

Important Dates

October 7- FALL PUPIL COUNT DAY!
October 5-9- Book Fair
October 12- Parent Teacher Conferences 3:30-6:30
October 13- Parent Teacher Conferences 3:30-6:30
October 16- No School
October 19- No School
October 30- Fun Night 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.
November 23- Trimester 1 Exams Early Dismissal 12:06 p.m.
November 24- Trimester 1 Exams Early Dismissal 12:06 p.m.
November 25-27- No School, Thanksgiving Break
November 30- Begin Trimester 2
December 21-January 3- No School, Winter Break
January 18- No School
February 12- No School
February 15- No School
March 11- Trimester 2 Exams Early Dismissal 12:06 p.m.
March 12- Trimester 2 Exams Early Dismissal 12:06 p.m.
March 15- Begin Trimester 3
March 26-April 4- No School, Spring Break
May 26- 8th Grade Honors Night 6:00-7:30 p.m.
May 31- No School, Memorial Day
June 4- 8th Grade Farewell Dance 7:00-10:00 p.m.
June 10- Trimester 3 Exams Early Dismissal 12:06 p.m.
June 11- LAST DAY OF SCHOOL Trimester 3 Exams Early Dismissal 12:06 p.m.

2026-2027 District Calendar (click here)

SJMS Office Hours: School days from 7:15 a.m.-3:15 p.m.

In This Edition...

New Topics

Parent Teacher Conferences Sign Up
Halloween Costume Guidelines
Parent Volunteers Needed
Student Council Election Information
Wrestling and Boys Basketball Sign Ups

Old Topics

Fundraiser
Book Fair

Parent Teacher Conferences

Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held on October 12th from 3:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. and October 13th from 3:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. Conferences are by appointment and will be held virtually through Google Meet. Click on the orange bar below to sign up! Sign ups will close at 7:50 a.m. each day of conferences to allow our teachers time to prepare.

Parent Teacher Conferences Sign Up (click here)

Halloween Costume Guidelines

Students are excited to show off their Halloween costumes on Friday, October 30th and we're excited to see them! If your student chooses to wear a costume to school it must:

Be free of blood and gore
Avoid promoting substances (drugs, alcohol)
Follow dress code standards to cover their body
Be free of weapons

Additionally, students will need to remove Halloween masks that cover their faces while in class. We strongly recommend that students not wear inflatable costumes. The large size is difficult in classrooms and they are nearly irresistible for middle school students to not poke at and touch. Thank you for your support to ensure a safe and fun Halloween at SJMS!

Parent Volunteers Needed

SJMS is looking for three parent volunteers to help hand out Honor Card prizes from 1:30-2:45 on Thursday, October 22. Please sign up below and report to the front office. Thanks for your support!

Sign Up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C094DA8AA23A3F5C61-66265305-honor

Student Council Election Information

If you are interested in running for this year’s SJMS Student Council, please complete the following steps:

1.) APPLICATION: Click HERE to complete our Google Form application. The deadline is Thursday, October 8th!

2.) SPEECH: Use the appropriate link below to submit your speech. The deadline is Thursday, October 8th!

SIXTH GRADE

SEVENTH GRADE

EIGHTH GRADE

3.) CAMPAIGN (OPTIONAL): Once you have completed your application and your speech, you may begin campaigning. You are allowed to hang a maximum of 8 flyers and/or two large posters (10 total) around the school. You may not hand out prizes or advertising to other students.

4.) VOTE: Our election will be held during Careers on October 14th. Six academically eligible representatives will be elected per grade.

Wrestling and Boys Basketball Sign Ups

Wrestling and Boys Basketball sign ups are available in the back office. Students must have a current year physical (after 4/15/26) by the first day of practice for wrestling and the first day of tryouts for basketball.

SJMS Fundraiser

SJMS holds ONE building wide fundraiser each year to help us provide the "extras" to our students that create lasting memories from middle school!

We're partnering with Vertical Raise with a net building fundraising goal of $25,000. Students will be entered into drawings for prizes based on participation and on how much they earn in donations. All students who provide 5 email addresses will be entered into a drawing for participation prizes.

How We Use the $ Raised:

Subsidize the 8th grade field trip to Michigan’s Adventure
New Furniture for the Library
Replacing Classroom Furniture
Class t-shirts for all students
Honorariums for guest speakers
Incentives for students (good behavior rewards, growth on i-Ready)
Support for Teddy (our facility dog program!)
Other needs that crop up during a school year

The fundraiser kicked off on September 30th and runs until October 21st. Thanks in advance for your support!

The Scholastic Book Fair is coming to our school! Get ready for an event made especially for middle schoolers, featuring the newest books, bestselling series, and beloved characters. Plus, every purchase earns funds for our school. We can’t wait to have you join us for the Best. Fair. Ever!

Book Fair Homepage - https://www.scholastic.com/bf/stjohnsmiddleschool

Families can go cash-free and worry-free with ewallet, the digital payment option that empowers students to shop independently. You can also invite friends and family to contribute.

ewallet page - https://account.scholastic.com/my-scholastic/profile/ewallet.html?fairID=6206494&sUCN=600065829

Share the Fair is the giving program that benefits students at your school who need help buying new books because no child should leave the fair empty handed.

Share the Fair - https://shop.scholastic.com/stf/fund?orgUCN=600065829