A Note From The Principal,

Every year Stapley is fortunate to have parents and community members donate money to our school in the form of a tax credit called the Extra-Curricular Activi-ties or ECA fund. The purpose of this article is to share a breakdown of the mon-ey donated to the Stapley ECA fund and the many worthwhile uses we have found for the funds. Here is a quick breakdown of how the use of ECA money is utilized. ECA money must be used to directly impact and benefit students at Stapley and it cannot re-place or supplant anything the district already pays for to reach regular curriculum goals (hence the name extra-curricular activities). Here is an example; a school cannot use the money to pay for teacher training but it can pay a teacher to tutor students or sponsor an after school club. We have two accounts that are ‘school wide use’ type accounts, the 8000 general and 8002 general. Examples of these two account uses are: to support student activity clubs after school, purchase tech-nology to support video production and computer lab acquisition, before and after school tutoring, etc. Those two accounts total $4,364.34 The 8002 account re-quires that our School Improvement Advisory Council (SIAC) team approve all expenditures. A majority of this money is earmarked to pay for club sponsors to work directly with students in an activity

We understand the tough economic times parents and community members are liv-ing through now. Please know that we are squeezing all the value we can out of your donations. Thank you for your generous ECA donations to keep our school programs working for our students.

Ken EricKen EricKen EricKen Erickson, Principal

February-March 2011-12

AIMS Testing

April 16 - 20th

All students will be testing during the week of April 16th-20th. Tests will be taken in the morning, with shortened classes the remainder of each day. Testing will be completed by 11:30 each day. Please try NOT to schedule appointments before 11:30 on these

dates.

Testing Week Tips

• Encourage your child to take pride in his/her performance, without creating excessive anxiety or frustration.

• Discuss the value of the test: to assess strengths and weak-nesses as well as appropriate class placement.

• Stick to regular sleeping and eating schedules making sure to include a healthy breakfast.

Show Off Stapley Open House

Thursday, February 9th, 2012 5:30-7:00

All incoming 7th graders, current Stapley students and parents are cordially invited to attend “Show Off Stapley” on February 9, 2012 from

5:30-7:00 pm. Come and check out the excellent student work and exciting performances that

make Stapley Junior High an A+ school!

In addition, an informational presentation regarding pre-

registration will be held in the Stapley Auditorium from 6:00-

6:30 for incoming 7th graders. An informal question answer

session will take place for incoming 8th graders from 6:35-

6:50. Our counselors will be available during this time to an-

swer questions.

This is a special night; please plan to attend with your Stapley student. It is with great pleasure that we “Show Off Stapley.”

PIZZA, CINNAMON ROLLS AND WATER

AVAILABLE 5:30-7:00

2nd Quarter 7th Grade Honor Roll Students

Clark B. Ahlstrom, Bryson H. Allen, Scott E. Allen, Brandon C. Allred, Jason L. Amann,

Benjamin E. Andersen, Katy N. Anderson, Leah C. Anderson, Peter M. Andrews, Annie Arnett,

Abigail J. Austin, Lauryn A. Baehr, Rebekah K. Baird, Kassandra Barrios, Hallie J. Bauer,

Bryan K. Beckstead, Amber P. Beeney, Victoria A. Berg, Gisele Bethea, Amber K. Blackledge,

Te'a P. Borquez, Rachel E. Brackney, Noah T. Branham, Adam C. Brannon, Barrett A. Brown,

Kali L. Brown, Tanner A. Bryce, Davis B. Buckhannon, Dallas Campbell, Sabrina V. Campbell,

Alexxis A. Carpentier, Yesenia A. Carpio, Victor M. Castro, Jessica N. Choules, Brandon M. Chow,

Ashley M. Church, Natalie C. Clark, Juliette T. Clermont, Riley N. Colvin, Brenna M. Condon,

Pierce T. Condon, Cameron R. Cook, Julie A. Costello, Megan M. Crockett, Kailey N. Curtis,

Brody P. Daniels, Jackson K. Davis, Tristan S. Davis, Jacob C. Dike, Dominic E. Doctor,

Michael J. Driscoll, Elizabeth H. Dutton, Cole Y. Eberson, Victoria L. Ellsworth, Devin Fahnholz,

Shantel Ferrin, Tre Ferro, Tanner J. Fischbeck, Rebekah A. Fisher, James C. Flake,

Nathan G. Fletcher, Lindsey S. Freeman, Wyatt S. Funk, Mikaela D. Garcia, Amy Garner,

Nathan P. Garner, Merrigan E. Gerard, Michael J. Ghormley, McKenzie S. Gibbons,

Rachael K. Gilbert, Rachel Glauser, Brittany A. Glenn, McKinzi Godfrey, Arienne Darl B. Gory,

Logan M. Guthrie, Kyle R. Hampton, Cosette Hansen, Christopher A. Hartke, Dario A. Hidalgo,

Ryan M. Hill, Dallin C. Hooper, Jared D. Householder, Isabel E. Huish, Jade N. Humpherys,

Mathew J. Hutsko, Jared Y. Jackson, Carlos C. Jaramillo, Kallee A. Johnson, Robert E. Johnson,

Cypress R. Jones, John P. Jones, Makayla C. Joplin, Megan R. Jorgensen, Nicholas D. Jourdan,

Dysart A. Kamp, Dakota T. Karren, Hunter T. Katen, Kimberly Kempton, Erik E. Knowles, Juliana Kolb,

Sean H. Lake, Ryan J. Laura, Jamie K. LeSueur, Matthew T. Long, Czaria D. Lord-Cliburn,

Elisandra M. Luevano, Vanessa Luna, Austin T. Lybbert, Jonathon C. Mabb, Tauney R. Mack,

Angela R. Masker, Gisele L. Massaba, Alex Matsukawa, Alyssa B. Matty, Brenan J. Mayhew,

Lauren P. McAllister, Sydney T. McLean, James E. McMillen, Michael V. Meli, Devyn J. Mennenga,

Jenna S. Mennetti, Ashley C. Mikel, Taylor M. Misner, John R. Mix III, Caitlyn M. Mosher,

Lilliana B. Mosley, Lexington L. Motley, Lauren S. Murphy, Taylor Nansel, Scott T. Nelson,

Christy Nguyen, Elizabeth A. Nielson, McKenna N. Norton, Jerryck J. Ordyna, Ravin M. Ortiz,

Ellese Owens, Amanda M. Page, Rose A. Pohlen, Preston D. Proffitt, Frankincense G. Ramesh,

Kevin B. Ramirez, Stephanie K. Ramos, Virgilio J. Ramos, Jacob L. Reeb, Sarah E. Reed, Sean T. Reed,

Haley E. Reese, Taiz C. Lopez Reyes, Briggs D. Richardson, Katelyn J. Riggs, Caden G. Robison,

Morgan M. Rogers, Hunter W. Romney, Kristen N. Ruben, Chandler P. Ryder, Madison T. Ryder,

Emmerson J. Salmon, Iris A. Sanchez, Wilbert M. Sandoval, Madison M. Sato,

Matthew A. Schoonmaker, Nicholas L. Sessions, Christian J. Shaw, Brynn L. Shults, Sadie L. Smith,

Summer M. Smith, Zachary H. Smith, Kerstyn T. Soderblom, Taggart J. Stapley, Alex L. Stinnett,

Alia T. Stone, Victoria V. Stout, Samantha F. Sumakud, Christian W. Theobald, Kendall K. Tipton,

Lauren E. Tonn, Aislynn J. Trujillo, Benjamin S. Udall, Ansel R. Verhaaren Jennifer L. Vickman,

Bryce C. Viegel, Travis R. Wagner, Parker T. Wallis, Caroline E. Webb, Jax A. Webb, Katelyn N. Weed,

Christopher J. Weser, Mallory E. Whipple, Shayla A. Will, Gunner S. Williams, Hyrum F. Williams,

Sara E. Williams, Jacob T. Young and Zoe K. Zaharis

8th Grade Honor Roll Students

Rachel N. Adam, Tayt M.Adams, Ashley Avilez Alarcon, Austin J. Alder, Briana N. Allred, Bryan J. Allred, Jacob K. Amann, Abby L. Anderson, Ellery M. Anderson, Micayla K. Arata-Thomas, Adrienne P. Arnett,

D'Chesney C. Arnwine, Jonathon R. Atha, Nathan M. Baker, Anastasia A. Barnes, Victoria A. Baxter, Lizeth N. Delgado Becerra, McKelle Beck, Kathrine E. Bergen, Kristian T. Berger, Cierra L. Berry,

Hannah R. Blair, Elise J. Blaser, Jeremy D. Boehme, Tanner J. Bohn, Kelsey P. Brown, Megan M. Burke, Anna M. Butler, Sandra R. Cadiente, Jacob D. Callister, Anjellica R. Campbell, Kelcie S. Campbell, Sadie R. Campbell, Lily J. Candland, Robert R. Canfield Jr., Destiny M. Carr, Elisabeth J. Carrasco,

Ian R. Carver, Brooke L. Cassaday, Olivia F. Cava, Isabel Ceja, Ilija D. Chabarria, Alyssa L. Chandler, Linda A. Church, Sophie Collins, Katelyn R. Connelly, Jaclyn Contreras-Herrera, Stephaine G. Contreras-

Herrera, Kaila R. Cross, Lily J. Candland, Robert R. Canfield Jr., Destiny M. Carr, Elisabeth J. Carrasco, Ian R. Carver, Brooke L. Cassaday, Olivia F. Cava, Isabel Ceja, Ilija D. Chabarria, Alyssa L. Chandler, Linda A. Church, Sophie Collins, Katelyn R. Connelly, Stephaine G. Contreras-Herrera, Kaila R. Cross,

Brian R. Jr Daniels, Kennedy A. DeJong, Brecken A. Diperi, Caeden J. Donaldson, Benjamin K. Duchrow, April M. Durnell, Joseph M. Elio, Rachel J. Elliott, Cristina A. Errickson, Steven N. Errickson, Madeline

G. Evans, Rylan I. Evans, Devin R. Farr, Avery N. Fleming, Liev A. Fletcher, Tatum L. Foster, Matthew T. Fukumoto, Michael G. Gaines Jr., McCauley J. Gibbons, Logan B. Giles, Kyle G. Goff,

Alexandra D. Graziani, Cooper J. Gregory, Gretchen K. Gronberg, Taylor R. Hammond, Quinn Y. Hanks, Kylie C. Heckman, Emma M. Henrikson, Sebastian M. Hidalgo, Julia A. Hillock, Garrett G. Hoffmann, Star R. Holloman, Kaylee Holt, Sara E. Huddleston, Chandler R. Hughlett, Tamra B. Hunt, Mitchell R.

Jacobson, Landen N. Jennings, John Paul Jr Jones, Ashley R. Judd, Dallin R. Judd, Clayton P. Kerr, Connor R. King Thomas C. Kuhse, Faith L. Larson, Alison J. Le Compte, Emily M. Leanos, Taylor M. Lee, Raylee J. Lovelace, Lauren A. Ludwig, Cooper H. Luke, Samantha M. Magallanes, Audrianna R. Markham,

Ellery A. Martin, Keith D. Martindale, Jake R. Mason, Paden J. Mason, Ciera N. McAnlis-Logan, Samuel R. McGehee, Daniel E. Meza Zubieta, Daniela Enriquez Millanes, Monica Y. Manjarre-Miramontes,

Jesse A. Miritello, Kathryn R. Moore, Luis Alexis Morales, Jared A. Moreno, Katelyn K. Nakatsu, Siena R. Namie, Landon K. Nicoll, Hunter M. Nielsen, Madison L. Nigh, Bryson C. Oar, Olivia N. Osborn,

Tyler M. Passarella, Jessica J. Pauley, Kimberly A. Pearl, Emma Perkinson, Aubri J. Petersen, Brookelyn C. Petersen, Annemarie C. Pico, Emily V. Porter, Riley B. Price, Kennedy C. Prock,

Janie L. Reavis, Ellen W. Rees, Kimberly A. Renfrow, Andrea T. Rex, James A. Rhead, Gavin K. Rickeberg, Willie F. Rivera, McKenna R. Rodham Alexis M. Ryan, Jenessa R. Salanga,

Joseph D. Scaven, Eric Y. Schneck, Jenessa R. SalangaJoseph D. Scaven, Eric Y. Schneck, Rylan K. Schwan, Travis J. Scott, Hope Y. Segal, Silvia G. Senour, Carli M. Shockey, Claire Y. Shurtz,

Travis A. Simpson, Hannah M. Skogebo, Jason L. Smith, Sam A. Smith, Jordan A. Smout, Jordan M. Southwell, Cami M. Staker, Bailey C. Stalcup, Sarah R. Stapley, Julie Stone

Kalela Stone, Latasha R. Stout, Shandee L. Stratton, Victoria X. Tang, Brooklyn J. Taylor, Geoffrey Q. Taylor, Blake A. Tetlow, Cassandra M. Thompson, Lyric M. Thruston,

Michael A. Thurber, Breanna L. Tieman, Darin S. Tingey, Nicole Tingey, Megan M. Tobler, Jacob C. Toller, John S. Trendler, Scott J. Tucker, Moeaki R. Tulikihakau, Paulina Chavez Vazquez,

Samantha Villalobos, Brynne E. Vincent Jadie Wagner, Ryan D. Waite, Katelyn L. Wall, Cooper B. Wayment, Dalton W. Webb, Kristina Whipple, Darren W. Whiting, Cassandra M. Williams,

Cassie N. Williams, Kade S. Williams, Maren C. Williams, Ellise A. Wilson, Paige R. Wind, Tyler J. Winder, Chandler Wolfe, and Paighton C. Wright

STAPLEY STREET FAIRSTAPLEY STREET FAIRSTAPLEY STREET FAIRSTAPLEY STREET FAIR

On Friday, March 2, 2012, from 5:00-7:30 PM, Stapley Jr. High will host its 1111stststst

annual “Stapley Street Fair.” This will be a fun night for families to come and

enjoy great music, food, and activities. Outback Steakhouse will be on the patio

cooking. Meal tickets will be available for pre-purchase at the Stapley Junior

High front office.

The Stapley Choir, Orchestra, Band and Drama will be performing at various

times throughout the evening; art students will display work and demonstrate

clay making; various vendors will be there selling fun and original items. Booth

space is still available if you have items you would like to advertise or sell. We

are looking for crafts, candles, books, treats, etc. The options are endless! Booth

space costs $25, which will be used for Stapley activities. You keep whatever

money you make that evening. You will need to provide your own table, chairs,

and “easy-up” (if you want one). A limited number of booths will have access to

electricity and will be given on a first-come first-served basis. If you are inter-

ested in having a booth, please contact Karen Amann at karen.amann@cox.net

Booth rental can be paid at the Stapley front office. Checks should be made to

Stapley Booster Club.

Dinner and booth information:

The Outback Dinner will cost $10.00 for Adults and $6.00 per child 12 and under

if pre-purchased at the Stapley office. If purchased at the fair the cost will be

$12.00 and $8.00 respectively. The choices for the adult meal includes steak or

vegetarian pasta with salad, roll and green beans. The kid’s meal will include

chicken fingers and french fries. Drinks will include lemonade, fruit punch and

iced tea, with one free refill. Water bottles will be available for $1.00.

You must pre-purchase your meal tickets by February 16th. If you would like to

volunteer at the fair, please contact Joni Nielson jnielson9@cox.net

The Mesa Public Library will be offering

several teen programs. For more information

please contact Shari Brown

Mesa Public Library (480) 644-4090

ART DEPARTMENT

NEWS Parents and staff, THANK YOU

for your contributions, ($$$, fabric, egg car-tons, calendars, plastic bottles...) to the art department. There wouldn't be an art pro-gram without you. You are wonderful! Michele Judge/ Art Teacher

National Junior Honor Society

Applications will be available in the Counseling Office beginning Tuesday, February 21st. Complet-ed applications are due in the Counseling Office no later than 4 pm on Friday, March 9th. New Member Induction Ceremony will be Thursday, April 19, at 6 pm in the auditorium. Eligible students must earn a 3.5 GPA for the first three quarters of the current school year.

Cybercat Cafe Links

For Homework Help and Extra Teaching Tips use the link below:

http://www2.mpsaz.org/stapley/parent-info/

cybercats_cafe/

FROM THE HEALTH OFFICE: The control of communicable (catching) disease through the school year can be a difficult problem and an important responsibility. Especially, as we start into the flu season, it is important to know that the implementation of simple, protective measures are important to help control the spread of disease in the school setting. Some very common problems we see in school that are easily spread are flu, colds, conjunctivitis (pink eye), chicken pox, ringworm and impetigo. More serious com-municable diseases include MRSA (methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus) and streptococcal (strep) diseases. Since parents know the “normal” appearance of their children and should be the first to detect signs of illness, the first responsibility to prevent the spread of diseases rest in the home. Please keep the following in mind:

1) Your child should remain at home if he/she exhibits any signs of illness (such as fever, diar-rhea, severe sore throat, draining wound or vomiting). Also, any student with a fever (100.0°F or higher) needs to remain at home until they are “fever-free” without the aid of fever-reducing medication (such as Tylenol or Ibuprofen, etc).

2) When questioning illness, your family physician is the appropriate person to contact to de-

termine whether or not your child should be in school. Please stress the following simple precautions with your children and the spread of many communi-cable diseases can be averted:

1) AVOID CLOSE CONTACT: Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick, too.

2) STAY HOME WHEN YOU ARE SICK: Stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. Keep sick children at home. You will help prevent others from catching the illness.

3) WASH YOUR HANDS OFTEN!!! This cannot be stressed enough! Washing your hands will help protect you from germs.

4) AVOID TOUCHING YOUR EYES, NOSE OR MOUTH: Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.

5) PRACTICE OTHER GOOD HEALTH HABITS: Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.

Charisse Brown, RN Diane Hunt, Health Assistant Stapley Health Office 480-472-2798

Medications All medications must be kept and administered in the health office. When necessary, provisions may be made for stu-dents to carry asthma inhalers or topical medications. Whether a prescription drug or an over-the-counter drug, the medication must come in the original container and be la-beled for that particular student. Parents must provide writ-ten and signed direction to the school for any administration of medication. If your student needs to take medication dur-ing the school day, have the pharmacy provide you with a school bottle correctly labeled. This will make it easier for you to send only the amount to be administered at school.

(Stapley Library Advisory Club)

The SLAC’r’S began a fundraiser called “Pennies for Pets.” The club collected coins, dollars, dog and cat food for three weeks. The Sabercats were very generous in their donations for such a worthy cause. All proceeds are being donated to Desert Paws Rescue. The SLAC’rS would like to thank everyone who participated in this very successful event. THE TOTAL AMOUNT DONATED, which includes the food, is: $1,823.66 First Place went to Nora Stiles class with a donation of $376.00

Stapley's first Science Fair is just around the corner!

We will be showcasing projects on Thursday, Feb. 9th

during Show Off Stapley. Mrs. Fortner's 7th and 8th

grade students, along with Mrs. Kimzey's SC20 stu-

dents, have been conducting experiments and re-

search at home since the fall. All 8th graders will

compete and have an opportunity to advance to the

District Science Fair. This is also part of each stu-

dent's science grade for the 3rd quarter.

Hope to see you there!

The Mesa Police Department will appreciate your assistance in providing the following information to MPS junior high and high school students. Please consider publication on your website and/or in your student newspaper and parent newsletter: Teen Connection is a new section of the Mesa Police Department’s website. You can read and download educational brochures, submit a tip, sign up to receive police alerts or submit a question to a crime prevention officer. Check it out at: http://www.mesaaz.gov/police/teen-connection/default.aspx. Teen Connection es una sección nueva del sitio de internet del Departamento de Policía de Mesa. Puede leer o imprimir folletos educativos, compartir información, registrarse para recibir alertas de la Policía o someter preguntas a un oficial de prevención de crimen. Visítanos al: http://www.mesaaz.gov/police/teen-connection/default.aspx. Contact: Patty Gallagher, crime prevention officer Mesa Police Department 130 N. Robson Mesa AZ 85201-6697 (480) 644-2033 The district's silent witness program, Take a Stand, is available 24 hours a day to report campus con-cerns anonymously to the MPS Security Department: (480) 472-STOP or (480) 472-7867.

Emergency Communications Mesa Public Schools wants to keep communication open between home and school. In the event of an emergency during the school day, there are two new tools to provide you with information about lockdowns, utility problems or stranger danger incidents. Visit the district Web site at www.mpsaz.org and click the “Alert” button or dial the Parent Infor-mation phone line for a recorded message at (480) 472-1175

Research confirms that when parents are involved in the education of their child, that child is more focused, comfortable, trusting and excels in both aca-demics and social behavior. Parent University offers sessions that provide opportunities to learn more about child development and effective guidance. Please check out the classes available at www.mpsaz.org/parentu.

Thursday, Jan 19th MVHS 5-8:30pm (perform at 7:30pm) 5th Hour Wind Ensemble Thursday, Feb. 2nd SJHS 1st-2nd Hour 5th Hour Wind Ensemble Thursday, Feb. 9th SJHS 6:00-7:30pm (perform 6:00pm) Jazz Band Friday, March 2nd SJHS 4:30-7:00pm (performance times TBA) 5th Hour Wind Ensemble

Thursday, March 8th SJHS 6:15-8:00pm (perform at 7:00pm) All Bands Tuesday, April 24th Time/Location TBA ABODA Festival Tuesday, May 8th SJHS 6:15-8:00pm (perform at 7:00 pm) All Bands PLEASE CHANGE YOUR CALENDAR ACCORDINGLY. SOME OF THE DATES MAY HAVE CHANGED.

Stapley Choir March 6th 7 p.m. Combined Choir Concert First United Methodist Church

All

May 4th All Day State Junior High Choir Festival Adv

Church of the Beautitudes in Phx May 10th 7 pm. Awards Concert Stapley Auditiorium All

May 11th

1st & 2nd periods Choir Assemblies Stapley Auditorium All

Bold-All choirs

“An Awesome Place To Sing”

Builders Club

The Builders Club is currently having a sock drive for the homeless of our community. They are planning an Easter project for March and April. Box Tops update… Second hour classes donated almost 1,700 box tops last semester to the Builders Club. That is $170.00 that is deposited into our account which helps the club with all of our com-munity service activities. Mrs. Higgenbotham’s 2nd hour class won a treat for both quarters this past fall, collecting over 1,200 of the 1,700 collected. Box Tops continue to be collected during 2nd hour classes. The class with the most box tops wins a treat each quar-ter. Thank you for your support. Builders Club members continue to recycle paper for the school each Friday. Students collect paper from teachers each week. All proceeds go directly into the Builders Club fund. Parents, you can help us too! Please drop off your recyclable paper into the yellow and green bin , on the west side of the north parking lot. All paper, magazines, and flattened cardboard are accepted. And did you know that if you tell your favorite pizza shop that you want your pizza in a recyclable box, they MUST place a piece of foil or paper under your pizza so it does not seep onto the box! Now, your pizza boxes will be recyclable as well. We thank you in advance for mak-ing the conscious effort in helping us improve our paper recycling program.

WE NEED YOUR HELP Problem: Special Education Buses transporting our disabled students morn-ing and afternoons have experienced great difficulty entering the south parking lot. This hazard has been created by parents dropping off and picking up students in front of the school rather than in the back. If an emergency arose, emergency vehicles would not be able to enter the park-ing lot. Solution: Please drop off and pick up your students in the north parking lot, in the back of the school. It is designated as the drop-off and pick-up area for students. Red fire lanes and cross walks have been painted to make the area safe and accessible. Vehicles should not be entering the BUSES ON-LY area.

Service Learning Silver Service Award

Current 7th and 8th grade students can start working on their college application re‐quirements by getting involved in the community through service. More and more col‐leges are requiring that students demonstrate not only good grades and good SAT scores, but aslo service to their community in some capacity.

The Silver Service Award will be awarded to students for their completion of 50 hours of unpaid service during their 7th and 8th grade years of junior high. Those hours in‐clude preparation, action, and reflection. Students may earn hours from the first day of 7th grade through 8th grade. Students may earn hours from a combination of curricu‐lum‐based and extracurricular service. (8th grade students will need to only earn 25 hours for this award for this year ONLY)

If your son or daughter works as a volunteer at a hospital, church, zoo, school or does any service activity where there is not pay, he or she can receive credit for his/her time by filling out an application, keeping track of the hours on a timecard and completing a reflection activitiy in April. Applications must be completed PRIOR to the activity to receive credit. If your child would like to pick up an application or wants to be involved in an activity but doesn’t know how, please encourage them to contact Mrs. LeRoy in room 119.

Media Center Information

* Stapley library is open everyday from 8:30 am – 4:00 pm. * Students must have an ID to check out books. * Books are checked out for two weeks and may be renewed once. * A limit of two items may be checked out at one time. * Drinks and food are not allowed in the media center.

The Stapley Junior High “Parents News Feed”

is now available!

In an effort to improve school-home communications we are encouraging parents to sign up for our News Feed. This will deliver updated important information to you automati-cally via email.

To Annie Pico who placed 2nd

in the 7-8 grade division of

Mesa’s Martin Luther King,

Jr. Writing Contest. Annie is

an eighth grader in Mrs. Julie

Miller’s English class. Annie

and the other writing contest

winners were honored on in

the Nesbitt-Elliot Playhouse

at the Mesa Arts Center.

OPEN ENROLLMENT

Open enrollment allows Arizona students to attend public schools outside their attendance area or district. Mesa Public Schools offers many choices in education and welcomes open-enrollment students from another Mesa school or another district. Applications are available in school offices and at www.mpsaz.org/parents/open_enroll. Solicite la matrícula abierta La matrícula abierta permite a los alumnos de Arizona asistir a escuelas públicas fuera del área o distrito que les corresponde. Las Escuelas Públicas de Mesa ofrecen muchas opciones en educación y da la bienvenida a los alumnos de matrícula abierta de otras escuelas de Mesa o de otro distrito. Las solicitudes están disponibles en las oficinas de las escuelas y en el sitio Web www.mpsaz.org/parents/open_enroll.

Spirit Day is Every Friday

Show Your Spirit and Wear Your Shirt

Spirit Shirts

HOODIES & T-SHIRTS: We have a new order of hoodies and v-neck t-shirts in the front office, all sizes are available. Hoodies are $20, v-neck tees $15, crew neck tees $10. Parents are encouraged to wear them at games and events!

The 2nd semester of the 2011-2012 school year is off to a great start! Stapley Jr. High School’s CTE (Career and Technical Education) Department has more than 175 students ac-tively partaking in one or more of the following classes offered this semester: CB02 – Com-puter Essentials; CB04 - Web Creations; CB05 – Animation Studio; and CB13 – Computer Graphics. Outlined below are several class highlights for each of the aforementioned exciting classes!

CB02 – Computer Essen�als: The students in CB02 are very busy learning the home row keys and are focused on touch typ-

ing which means that they are attempting to not look at the keyboard when typing. Students

are moving-right-along in the Micro Type program we use to complete some of the keyboard-

ing lessons. Our students are focused first on accuracy and then on improving their speed/

GWAM (words-per-minute). In addition, students are practicing proper keyboarding tech-

nique. This includes sitting-up straight, feet flat on-the-floor, having the proper fingers on

home row and not resting their wrists on the keyboard and/or desk. Our next venture includes

CB02 students working in Micro Type to learn touch typing, while improving their ac-

curacy/speed!Foreground left: Iram Jaquez Medina playing a Micro Type keyboarding

basketball game.

CB04 – Web Crea�ons: The students in CB04 have been actively discussing, researching and reporting on the history

of the World Wide Web as well as related current events (i.e. the Stop Online Piracy Act

[SOPA] and Protect IP Act [PIPA]). Students are creating PowerPoint presentations to show-

case their research findings and are encouraged to express and provide supporting information

for their personal opinions regarding all internet current event topics. We will soon be work-

ing in Dreamweaver to develop personal student web pages and will continue to study those

individuals who have had a tremendous impact on developing and improving our world’s tech-

nology. Fun stuff!!

CB05 – Anima�on studio:

The students in CB05 have been actively discussing, researching and reporting on the history

of Animation. This includes a current student activity of researching and reporting their find-

ings on the contributions of Walt Disney to the world of animation and beyond. Students will

soon be presenting their PowerPoint presentations to the class. In addition, we will be watch-

ing the original 1937 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to observe, critique and discuss histor-

ical animation and compare/contrast our findings to that of today’s full length feature animat-

ed films (i.e. Toy Story, Cars). Lastly, we’ll be working in Alice 2.0 to create our own story

boards and related animation!

CB 13

– Computer Graphics: The students in CB13 are also very busy putting their creative and artistic talents to use in

Microsoft Paint. Students have researched, discussed and reported on this history of graphics

(through the ages) and computer graphics. We frequently discuss the value of adding “small

details” to their graphic designs in order to create viewer interest. Also, we’ve been discuss-

ing the One Second Rule which means that the graphic design should create immediate inter-

est within the first second of viewing it. Lastly, to keep the creative-edge alive and well, the

class recently had a just-for-fun competition related to creating a unique and intriguing

“Deserted Island” with some designs having an “alien flair!” Check-out the winning designs

below. From left to right: 1st Place – Jacob Baird; 2nd Place – Jacob Amann; 3rd Place –

D’Chesney Arnwine and Honorable Mention – Gavin Muggy. Congratulations all!

Attendance at School Attendance at school is very important for your child’s success. Excessive absences often result in poor school work. When an absence is necessary, please call the attendance office by 9:00 a.m. on the morning of the absence. Absence excuses can be left 24 hours a day on the attendance line (472-2785). If a parent is unable to call, a note should be brought to the office on the day the student returns to school. After 24 hours an unexcused absence may be considered a truancy. Teachers may choose not to accept or award credit for work missed because of truancy. It is a students responsibility to request makeup work and make necessary arrangements with teachers when absent. Stapley JHS is a closed campus. Students may only be checked out for

lunch by their own parent.

We appreciate parental support in this matter. Students who live close to the school and prefer to eat lunch at home must obtain a lunch permit from the office. Otherwise, all students are expected to remain on campus. Students will only be released from school to their own parent/guardian. Al-low time to come to the office to sign your student out. In emergency situa-tions, students may be checked out of school by others only with written per-mission from a parent. This procedure is for your child’s protection. The education of your student is extremely important to us. If you have

any questions or concerns, please contact the attendance office at

472-2785 or your student’s counselor at 472-2790.

Cafeteria News If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s meal account, please call us 472-2724. During breakfast and lunch serving times, we operate a special window marked “Problems and Prepayments”, to assist students who have questions or concerns. Students are encouraged to bring prepayments to this window during breakfast.

SIAC The Stapley School Improvement Advisory Council meets on the 1st Monday of each month, at 4:00 p.m. The meetings are held in the media center and are open to the public. If you would like to place an item on the agenda, forms are availa-ble in the front office. Agenda items must be submitted one day prior to the scheduled meeting. For more information, call the activities information line. (472-2800)

Bus Behavior Expectations We are constantly examining our rules, regulations and ways of doing things so as to provide students with a safe, healthy place to learn. We are always concerned with the behavior of students on the school buses. It is important that each and every rider behaves in a manner that ensures the safe movement of the bus to and from school. The driver’s energies and attention need to be focused on traffic conditions. When a student misbehaves the lives of others are endangered. Riding a bus is a privilege, not a right. The privilege can and will be taken away when students disobey the rules. Such disobediences could result in one of the following penalties: 1. First Infraction - following the first written infraction, the student may be suspended from all buses for a minimum of one (1) day. 2. Second Infraction - the second written infraction may result in a minimum of a three (3) day suspension from all buses. 3. Third Infraction - the third infraction may result in a five (5) day suspension from all buses. 4. Fourth Infraction - the fourth infraction may result in a suspension from all buses for the remainder of the semester or for one month, whichever is longer. 5. Reasonable Requests - student refusal to give correct name, accept temporary seating assign-

ment or give positive response to reasonable requests will be grounds for suspension of bus privilege. With the cooperation of all concerned, we will have safer transportation conditions. Thank you for your support.

ON-LINE GRADE CHECK

Welcome to My MPS Parental Portal your school /Home communication tool.

Review and monitor your child’s grades, attendance and other education-related information from your home or work computer. To begin your my MPS account, please visit the school office to pick up your activation key. If you have children at more than one school in the district, you will need to visit only one of the schools; one activation key will give you access to all the children in your fami-ly. For further information please visit http://www2.mpsaz.org/mymps or contact Stapley Junior High at 480-472-2700.

ATTENTION DRIVERS

We ask that you drive slowly through the parking lot when dropping off students. THIS HAS BECOME A SAFETY ISSUE.