1. education
2. school

East
Middle School
Leah Gonyeau, Principal | Jackie Truckey, Asst. Principal
Important Dates
Track Meet
April 14, 2015
Orchestra/Choir
Concert
April 14, 2015
7:30 pm @ Gym
Music Festival
April 16, 2015
CMU Career Fair
April 20, 2015
Track Meet
April 21, 2015
Conferences
April 22, 2015
3-7 pm @ EMS
8th Grade Formal
Dance
April 24, 2015
7-9 pm @ EMS
Office Hours: 7:00-3:30 | 830 Gunnison Ave, Grand Junction, CO 81501
Main Office: (970) 254-5020 | ems.mesa.k12.co.us | Call in Absences Before 9am
April 2015
A Message From the Principal:
Dear Parents,
I hope you enjoyed the Spring Break weather Grand Junction afforded us
over our two week intermission. Now, a reminder of just how quickly Western
Colorado can change its mind! There are several things coming up during the
last 6 weeks of school that I would like to highlight; Besides testing – those
schedules went home to families by email and hard copy to students without
a parent email on file, but if you need a copy, please contact the main office
and we will send one home – we have loads of opportunities for students to
show what they have learned this year. On April 16th and 17th, our music
students will perform at the Colorado West Music Festival. They gain so much
experience in this and have an opportunity to shine in front of all the schools
performing. Our music directors have been working extremely hard to prepare
students for this exposure. On April 20th, our 8th grade students will be
walking to Colorado Mesa University to take part in the Career Fair. On April
22nd, we will be hosting our last Parent/Teacher Conference of the year from
3-7 PM, in each teacher’s classrooms. Please drop in to consult with teachers
to make sure we are all on the same page, regarding finishing the year strong
and supporting your student’s learning.
There is no school on Thursday, April 30th and Friday, May 1st. When we
return from that, we will be introducing our incoming 6th graders to our
campus through an orientation. The 5th graders will be bused to our building
No School
from their elementary school at 9:00 am and we will host them until 10:30 am
April 30, 2015
that day. If you know of any students who are coming to our school from out of
In This Issue:
attendance area schools, please feel free to pass this information along. That
CMU Career Fair
2 night, we will also host families of incoming students for an informational night
Course Registration 2 in our gymnasium from 6-7 PM. Students from out of area schools can also
Masonic Awards
3 register with counselors immediately afterwards.
Mrs. Quinn
3
Incoming 6th Graders 4 Enrichment Day, an East Middle School tradition, is on May 15th. Students
Enrichment Day
4 will be viewing their choices of enrichment opportunities in their homeroom
NJHS News
4 classes on Friday, April 10th, and then selecting their enrichments the following
Breakfast
5 week. Classes available include; Rock Climbing, Palisade Rim Hike, Yoga,
Dress Code
5 Scrapbooking, Ride the River Trail, and many more!
Future CHS Warriors 5
(continued on next page)
Info For 7th Graders 6
East Middle School| (970) 254-5020 | 830 Gunnison Ave, Grand Junction, CO 81501 | ems.mesa.k12.co.us| Page 1
(continued from previous page)
There is a charge and other required safety equipment for some of the enrichments so make sure your
student informs you of those. Staff and students are very much looking forward to this day. Our last
day for students includes our PRIDE Barbeque and Yearbook Party. It is with regret that in the past we
have been blessed with donations to invite family members to this lunch, but that funding is unavailable
to us now. We will have a field day and lunch for students before we send them home for the summer.
It has been an amazingly full year for us – one that I hope that your child has grown measurably and
immeasurably from experiencing. Have a great Spring!
Sincerely,
Leah Gonyeau, Principal
254-5020
CMU Career Fair
8th grade students from district middle schools will
participate in the 3rd Annual Middle School College
Day Fair at CMU on April 20th. Students will have
the opportunity to interact with representatives from
area businesses, local agencies, CMU and WCCC
programs. Summer camp information and youth
employment opportunities will also be available.
• Permission slips will be handed out to students on 4-6-2015 and will need to be returned to 4th block teacher by 4-15-2015.
• EMS students will attend the afternoon session. We will walk from EMS to CMU. Students will be back at EMS in order to catch their bus.
• 8th grade students that DO NOT have discipline issues will be allowed to participate in this amazing opportunity. Students staying at EMS will be involved in an alternate activity.
6th and 7th Grade Course Registration
Counselors will be going into classes in April to register students for their 2015-16 classes. Please
contact Teresa Sheffield at 254-5020 if there are any questions. We will be changing the way we
register our returning students for the 2015-2016 school year. Please stay tuned for details that will be
communicated in the next newsletter!
Developing Self-Management Skills
July 20-21 and 23-24, 2015
Learn to: focus attention, develop social skills, manage
time, organize materials, and manage technology.
Instructor: Al Kreinberg
Get more information at www.essentialsinlearning.com.
East Middle School| (970) 254-5020 | 830 Gunnison Ave, Grand Junction, CO 81501 | ems.mesa.k12.co.us| Page 2
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Annual Masonic Education Awards
Congratulations to Patrick Roenicke for being chosen Masonic Teacher of the Year, and to 8th graders,
Spencer Hurt and Hannah Stockemer for being selected as the Masonic Students of the Year! These
individuals display excellence in and out of the classroom and go above and beyond. The staff at EMS is
proud to be represented so well at the Annual Masonic Education Awards Ceremony on April 15, 2015.
Sing-cerely Yours, Mrs. Quinn
Our festival concert will be Tuesday, April 14 at 7:30pm! NOTE THE TIME
ADJUSTMENT DUE TO A TRACK MEET! We will be able to set up the
gym during school hours for this concert, so orchestra students will need to
be in the orchestra room at 6:45pm in their performance attire and ready to
tune and the choirs need to be in the band room at 7:05pm for warm ups.
All the choirs and orchestras will be performing in the Colorado West Music
Invitational Festival on Thursday, April 16. Check the separate flyer that
will be coming home with your student along with the permission slip. WE
NEED CHAPERONES FOR THIS EVENT! PLEASE CONTACT MRS.
QUINN IF YOU CAN ASSIST. We would LOVE to see parents in the
audience as we perform for judges!!
Check the choir/orchestra room postings for camps this summer! Any
student who participated in the Rock-A-Thon AND solo/small ensemble
may apply for a scholarship in May to be used toward a summer camp or music related event over the
summer.
April
14 – Festival Choir/Orchestra Concert, 7:30pm (Gym) Time Adjustment!
16 – Colorado West Music Invitational Festival, Colorado Mesa University/Palisade
High School (See flyers!)
May
5 – 5th Grade Concert, EMS 6th Graders Perform, Morning (Gym)
5 – 6th Grade String Clinic, GJHS (Permission slips will be sent home!)
14 – Final Concert, 7:00pm
East Middle School| (970) 254-5020 | 830 Gunnison Ave, Grand Junction, CO 81501 | ems.mesa.k12.co.us| Page 3
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Information For Incoming 6th Graders
Tuesday, May 5th from 9:00-10:30 is the 5th Grade Visitation Day.
5th grade students, who will be attending East Middle School in
the fall, will visit East’s campus and become familiar with campus
wide expectations, watch some of our music groups perform,
meet with Cheetah Leadership students to play games and ask
questions, and select the music class they would like to take next
year.
That same evening is also our 5th Grade Parent Information
Night from 6:00-7:00. At that time, parents are invited to come
and visit. There will be a small presentation in the gym and then
a chance for parents to ask questions. Please contact, Dacia
Ritterbush East Middle School 6th grade counselor, if you have
questions. Dacia.Ritterbush@d51schools.org or 254-5020 ext.
33126
Enrichment Day
Enrichment Day is just around the corner (Friday, May 15th)!
We have a great selection of classes to choose from and many
community members and parents that have volunteered to host
a class. Thank you! If you would like to volunteer to help out on
the day of the event, please email Mrs. Sleigh at tina.sleigh@
d51schools.org. You can help out in a class, or you can help by
donating supplies (bottled water for staff and volunteers leading
classes or supplies for classes like yarn, pizza toppings, cookie
decorations, scrapbooking supplies, old jeans, blank canvases,
cookies). We are looking forward to this educational, fun day for
the students.
NJHS News
NJHS members have been busy with service projects. 8th
grade members have performed over 258 hours of service and
7th grade members have performed over 122 hours of service.
Members have been helping out during
swim meets, serving at their church,
managing the wrestling team, fostering
animals for Roice Hurst, baking items for
fundraisers and performing many other
acts of service.
This month we will be helping restore
trails during Community Stewardship
Days sponsored by Mesa Land Trust and
cleaning up the highway for CDOT. Be
sure to check the NJHS bulletin board for
service projects!
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Breakfast Is The Most Important Meal of the Day
Studies show that breakfast is the most important meal of the
day, especially for children. Eating school breakfast improves
children’s educational performance, behavior, and health.
WHY INCREASE SCHOOL BREAKFAST
PARTICIPATION
• Children who eat a complete breakfast make fewer mistakes and work faster on math tests than children who eat a partial breakfast.
• Children who eat breakfast at school, closer to class and test-taking time, perform better on standardized tests than those who skip breakfast or eat breakfast at home.
BREAKFAST IMPROVES CHILDRENS’ OVERALL HEALTH
• Children who eat breakfast tend to have more adequate nutrient intake than children who do not.
• Children and adolescents who eat breakfast are more likely to maintain a healthy body weight.
Dress Code Reminders
As the weather continues to warm up, please remind your student of our dress code expectations. In
general, we expect all students to maintain good grooming and dress in a way that creates a safe and
focused learning environment. In addition, no holes in the clothing above the knee that expose skin in
pants or shorts are permitted. Shorts and skirts may not be shorter than mid-thigh and/or must be longer
than the end of the person’s fingertips when they put their hands down to their side. We appreciate you
helping your student with these dress code expectations before they leave for school each morning.
Information For Future CHS Warriors
During the month of March some of our 8th grade students met with counselors from Central High
School to prepare for the transition to high school. Students attended a presentation about the
requirements for graduation and were given materials to complete for preregistration for their freshmen
year. If your student has still not completed the paperwork for Central or any other high school, please
return the materials as soon as possible. Central will be hosting a Freshman Open House for students
and families on Thursday, April 16. Open House from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. in the Main Gym. Pre-AP/
AP Open House from 6:15 p.lm. to 7:15 p.m. in the Library and Fetter Hall.
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Information For 7th Grade Families
Dear Families,
Every year, our team plans an end of the year raft trip for all 7th
graders. We use a professional company, Adventure Bound River
Expeditions, and hope to have all students participate. We have
confirmed the trip information and wanted to pass it along to you as
soon as possible. The date of the field trip is Tuesday, May 19.
The students will be transported by bus from East Middle School to
the Blue Heron boat ramp to meet with the raft company by 9:15. We
will leave from there and float to the Fruita boat area, where the buses
will pick us up and bring us back to EMS.
An alternative field trip is a hike from the Bangs Canyon trailhead to
the Mica Mines. The bus schedule will be the same and all students will return to campus between 1:001:30 that afternoon.
The cost of the raft trip is $38 and checks must be made payable to Adventure Bound. The hiking field
trip is $3 and students may bring cash (we will issue a receipt), or please make checks payable to East
Middle School. All students will need to bring their own lunch. Our school cafeteria will offer sack lunches
for anyone who pre-orders and provides lunch account information.
Permission slips and information forms were handed out to the students April 9, and all papers must
be signed and returned to 2nd Block teachers no later than May 1. Any student having missing or
incomplete paperwork by 3:00, on May 1, will be offered an alternative activity on school campus for May
19th.
We are hoping that all students
will have the opportunity to go
on a field trip. We realize that
the cost may be prohibitive to
some families and are asking for
scholarship funds if any families
are able to contribute. Students
that would like to apply for a
scholarship may speak to their
2nd Block teacher and will be
required to write a request.
If you have any questions,
please feel free to contact us
directly. Thanks!!
7th Grade Team
Mike Warner, Mickey Mantlo,
Taylor Hale, Julie Elliott, Larkin
Beaman, Nancy McFarlin
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