Shelby City Schools - Middle School

Tim Tarvin
419.347.5451 Phone, 419.347.2095 Fax, (Click to email)

August 2010 ~ Principal's Corner

I was sitting around the other night flipping through the channels when I came upon the Little League World Series, which just so happens to serve as my summer alarm clock. That’s right; every August when ESPN starts broadcasting baseball from Williamsport, Pennsylvania I know that the first day of school has to be lurking just around the corner. That also means that I had better get busy on my “to do” list which includes hunting and pecking a welcome back message for the district website.

Hopefully everyone had a safe and enjoyable summer; one that was filled with family, friends, picnics, sun and lots of hotdogs. Of course, all of these sights and sounds of summer eventually give way to band and athletic practices, the county fair, back-to-school shopping and that much anticipated first day of school. I can assure you that when our students walk through the doors on August 24th they will be welcomed into a building that has been buffed and waxed from the dungeon to the third floor; the old dame looks great! Furthermore, I can also attest that the middle school staff has been busy planning for that first day and they are ready to have a fantastic year with your sons and daughters.

2010-2011 promises to be a great year at Shelby Middle School and once the school year gets in full swing everyone will be busy with school activities, homework, magazine sales and the like. When that happens and you find that you have a question or concern about your child’s progress or some other issue, please feel free to call, email or just stop by. Our doors are always open and we want to do whatever we can to make this a successful school year for your sons and daughters. In the meantime, take care and we hope to see you at a middle school event in the near future.

March 2010 ~ Principal's Corner

Accountability. Doesn’t that word just make you cringe? Growing up I had that word pounded into my head by my teachers so many times I felt like that gopher in the game at the county fair. You know the one; you plunk down your two bits and try to hammer that gopher on its noggin every time he pops his head out of a hole. Well as we all know, accountability doesn’t diminish as we grow older; it actually multiplies, just like that little gopher. Before you know it there are gophers popping up out of all of those holes at the same time and pretty soon you’re just swinging your hammer at empty air. Hey, that’s what happens when you don’t keep up with accountability…it tends to overwhelm you. That’s why at Shelby Middle School we have been planning for our state achievement test accountability since the first day of school.

That’s right, the tests are back and once our 7th graders will be taking two tests and our 8th graders three. Not to worry though. I can assure you that all of our teachers have been working since August to prepare your children for these tests. And yes, although we are optimistic that our students will do well we still must consider this fact; some students will approach the tests with a fairly high level of comfort while others will approach them with a sense of dread. So, I am asking for your assistance. We’re fortunate in Shelby to have great parents; parents who are concerned about their sons and daughters and who are active in their lives. During the next six to seven weeks leading up to these tests please continue the great job you all do in monitoring your child’s progress in all of his or her classes. With our teachers’ guidance at school and your watchful eye at home we can help ensure that our children have an excellent opportunity to be successful on these tests. That’s right; we’re planning on walloping that accountability gopher on the head each time he pops up out of one of those holes…and passing all seven achievement tests.

Now, if you would please mark these dates on your calendar.

February 2010 ~ Principal's Corner
As you begin reading this article you will probably think one of three things. One, you’re experiencing a severe case of déjà vu. Two, I’m being redundant. Or three, Tarvin has really lost it…again. Of course, you could be thinking all three of these options, but you would be wrong; I usually don’t “lose” it until about the middle of May. Ironically, the month of May is why I am repeating some of the information from January’s newsletter. Yes, the information is that crucial; plus I was having a difficult time coming up with an original thought. Anyhow, please finish reading this article and then if you have any questions about our trip to D.C., give us a call.

I don’t want to be too presumptuous, but I’m hedging my bets that if you are the parent of a Shelby Middle School eighth grader you are well aware that we will once again be journeying to our nation’s capital in May. As a matter of fact, we just had an organizational meeting that you more than likely attended and I hope it provided you with the information you need to fully understand the trip. However, there are a few things I want to reiterate. We have two main goals on this trip; make it safe and make it educational. Obviously this trip is an educational gold mine of opportunities with history, politics, military campaigns, art, music, monuments and national heroes around every corner. That is why it is important for us to try to take every single one of our eighth graders on this trip. Parents, if you are having difficulty making ends meet in these tough financial times and you’re not sure if you can scrape some or all of the money together for this trip, you need to let me know. We have never left a Shelby student off the trip for financial reasons and I have no intention of starting now. Just give me a phone call here at school and I promise you we’ll figure out a way to make it work.

Speaking of children. Our country recently honored Dr. Martin Luther King and all that he accomplished in his too short life and I was once again reminded of his historic impact on our country. “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character”. What a beautiful notion. Although not as eloquent as Dr. King, here a few more thoughts on children that may trigger a special thought or memory for each of you.

January 2010 ~ Principal's Corner
It really makes no difference where you grew up or where you attended high school, we all had traditions that we hold near and dear to our hearts. Whether it’s walking to Willard in the dead of winter, attending a homecoming or prom dance or walking across the stage for graduation; these are all experiences that we will remember for the rest of our lives. Of course, my favorite tradition and memory of high school is saucy franks for lunch; man, I miss those things! Anyhow, I’m confident one of the most enduring memories and traditions that our students will take with them from middle school will be the annual 8th grade trip to Washington D.C. Hey, I know it’s only December, but May will be upon us before we know it so I want to start laying the groundwork for the trip now. In order to accomplish that I want you to stop reading my ramblings right now and go circle the 19th of January on the calendar hanging in your kitchen. Done? Good. The 19th of January is important because we are hosting a Washington D.C trip information meeting at 6:00 pm that night in the middle school auditorium. Now, my goal is to have every single 8th grade parent and student at this meeting so they can receive all of the vital information that pertains to the trip. As a matter of fact, I am so adamant about making sure that every parent and student is at the meeting on the 19th that I have included in this newsletter a one page insert detailing the D.C. trip. So no, you are not experiencing déjà vu when you start reading the insert. It’s just me and my obsessive compulsive behavior.

Continuing on the topic of tradition; all around the world the holidays are celebrated with meaningful and ingenious customs. Children in Belgium leave hay and carrots outside the house on Christmas Eve because they believe Saint Nicholas arrives by horse. In a festive display, folks in India adorn their homes with mango leaves and decorate banana trees. Interestingly, the first record of a decorated tree comes from a diary dated 1605 in what is now Strasbourg, France. In fact, many believe this tradition was later brought to England by Prince Albert who had roots in that region of Europe and missed the ritual of decorating a tree. You see, traditions exist everywhere and many of them are very similar. That’s what is unique about people…for all of our disagreements we still have more similarities than we have differences. So as you and your loved ones celebrate the holidays and all of your family traditions; whether it’s singing carols on a snowy night, baking cookies in a crowded kitchen, trimming the Griswold Christmas tree with ornaments passed from generation to generation, or just enjoying the company of loved ones, keep in mind; traditions, no matter how simple or how extravagant, are the ties that bind. From the Shelby Middle School staff to all of you have a safe and merry Christmas and a joyous New Year.

November 2009 ~ PRINCIPAL’S CORNER
Be careful what you wish for. We have all heard these words of wisdom at some point in our lives. It’s very possible my parents first gave me this piece of advice at some stage of my adolescence; they dispensed advice on a pretty regular basis and I needed every bit of it. Shocking, I know. Anyhow, isn’t that one of the “jobs” of a parent; to guide their gaggle through one turn in the road, and then another and another? Of course it is. And I am eternally grateful for their words of wisdom; although, when I was seventeen I never would have let them know it. So, many years later here I sit in front of this giant paper weight some call a computer trying to channel my parents’ wisdom in my attempt to word this article just right.

My father will turn 80 this winter and has spent all but four years of his life in this community. When he was of elementary school age he attended a one-room school house on the edge of Shelby and has fond memories of his time there. Those wonderful memories continued into his teenage years, when in the building which I now work, he attended high school and graduated in 1948. He went on to attend Bowling Green State University where he met my mother and upon graduating from BGSU he promptly brought her back to Shelby to raise a family, much like his father had done decades earlier. Indeed, my grandfather moved here in 1920 and built a house on West Gaylord, a block from where I now reside. Isn’t it funny how life is circular? We grow up in a small community where in the summertime it’s safe to leave windows open to catch the evening breeze. Where you can hop on your bike and get to your little league game in a matter of minutes. Where you can go to one of our local stores and know nearly everyone there by his or her first name. And then at some point, you question whether you want to spend your life in your hometown, so you up and move to a place with more “action”, more attractions, more restaurants, more everything. Of course, as you fight rush hour traffic you hope like crazy that you did not leave a door unlocked or a window open at your house and you dream wistfully of an easier time. And then it happens; one day you find yourself back in the community of your youth and everything seems so familiar again. The faces at the games, the storefronts, the tree lined streets; everything is right in the world.

For the most part that’s the Shelby we all know. It’s a wonderful community where we go about our private lives trying to raise families and do well at our jobs; and all the while we have a hand extended. However, that hand is not extended to take something; rather it is a hand extended to give. That is what I know and love about this community. We have the ability to band together and help a neighbor or a friend in a time of need. Historically that is what the town of Shelby has been for decades. We are a community of givers. And now we are at a crossroads in our community’s collective consciousness. We are in the midst of tough economic times, but yet the state says this is our chance to take advantage of a 50/50 state split in the funding of new school construction in Shelby. Tough question. Understand, I am not attempting to tell anyone how to vote. That is our right as Americans, to vote as we see fit. Whether we are Democrats, Republicans or something in between, thank goodness we have that right. On November 3rd all of us in Shelby should exercise that right by going to the polls and voting our hearts and conscience. Your vote is not inconsequential. It counts. One way or another it matters. Who knows, maybe the votes cast will ultimately decide whether a young man or woman going off to college, or the service or to find employment elsewhere will one day come full circle and return to this community to raise a family and build a life. After all these years maybe my parents’ advice wasn’t so far off the mark. Perhaps we should be careful what we wish for.

October 2009 ~ PRINCIPAL’S CORNER
Holy cannoli. Talk about a good start to the school year! Every year in September I’m always asked, “how’s school going so far?” And you know what; it’s nice to tell parents and community members that the school year is off to a great start because we have two really good groups of kids working hard in the classroom and getting involved in school activities. And it’s true, we do. Here’s the deal though. I’m not saying I’m old, but I’ve been around long enough to know that this sort of thing doesn’t just happen. It occurs because of good parenting, community support, and teachers and kids working together towards common goals. So, thank you. Thank you for helping us get this school year off to a great start by providing us with a fantastic group of kids to work with, as well as your continued support at home.

For those of you new to the whole middle experience allow me to shed some light on how our students and teachers are organized into teams here at SMS. First of all, we have three core academic teams made up of five teachers, each of whom is responsible for instruction in either: language arts, math, reading, science or social studies. The Mustangs is our pure 7th grade team, the Eagles, our pure 8th grade team, and the Sharks, our split 7th/8th grade team. Now, each of these teams has approximately 115 students who simply rotate between the five team teachers for their core classes. But hold on, if you are not confused yet, you may be soon. Each student also attends two classes a day that are independent from his or her team. These are elective classes and consist of: art, band, choir, computers, family and consumer science, French, health, physical education, pop culture, read 180, sci-tech and Spanish. Throw in a period for lunch and there you have your child’s day at Shelby Middle School.

Throughout this school year your son and/or daughter will have a bazillion opportunities to immerse him or herself in a variety of middle school activities. And when I say variety, I mean variety. Of course, the fall sports season is nearly over, but students at SMS can still get involved in power of the pen, basketball, student council, wrestling, Paws Press, cheerleading, quiz bowl, Destination to Stardom, FCCLA, track, the 8th grade trip to Washington D.C., and many other pursuits as well. Now, my advice to kids has gone unchanged for many years and it’s really quite simple. I want kids to get involved in as many activities as possible so long as their grades and homework can be maintained and their responsibilities at home are not forgotten. Parents, if there is anything specific I can do to help your son or daughter to accomplish any of these goals, just let me know.

One more thing. Most of you know me and probably are guessing that I am going to support the levy in November. However, I hope you also know me well enough to realize that I have never tried to tell anyone how to vote and I certainly won’t start now. I will say this though. Whether your vote is yes or no I want you to be informed. So…if you have questions about the levy or the building project, please give me a call here at school.

Hold it! Hold it! One more final thing. Parents, with all of the activities going on throughout the year I want to extend an open invitation on behalf of Shelby Middle School. That is, whether you have a concern, a comment, or a question for me, or for any of our staff members, please do not hesitate to give us a call, email or just stop by so we can work together to help your child be successful.

As always, be safe and we hope to see you at one of our numerous middle school events in the near future.

Back to School ~ 2009-2010
Isn’t it amazing how certain smells and sounds can evoke such wonderful memories? Driving down Smiley Avenue I can hear the marching band tuning up for their weekly open-air performance under the lights at Skiles Field. Kids on our athletic teams seemed to have just pulled themselves from Seltzer Pool, drenched from the August heat and another practice. And as I sit here in my office readying for the school year I can hear our future Friday night football players struggling to move the blocking sled; their shoulder pads making that awkward clunking sound as they run; their cleats clickety clacking on the pavement as they make their way to the “dungeon” which, as we all know, is infamous for its very own smells and sounds. What a wonderful time of the year to live in a small town such as Shelby! With that being said, as we get ready to open the ‘09-‘10 school year let me share a couple of thoughts concerning Shelby Middle School.

The floors are waxed, a fresh coat of Whippet red paint has dried and student schedules are finalized; just waiting for our teachers and students to get down to business on August 26. That business of course is helping the youth of Shelby to reach their full potential as students and citizens of this community. To help ensure your child’s success we have a number of points of emphasis at SMS but, as always, academics are our primary focus day in and day out. As most of you probably know, students at the middle school are required by the state to take achievement tests each year and we have traditionally done very well on these tests. Of course, now we need to continue that success and keep that momentum moving in the right direction so I will ask for your assistance now, nine months in advance. That’s right; at the end of April your child will be taking achievements tests in various subject areas so whatever support you can lend over the coming school year to help us maintain our success would be greatly appreciated. Thank you in advance for your help!

Our second point of emphasis at SMS is community service. The citizens of Shelby have given our children a wonderful community in which to grow up. Consequently, the middle school staff believes it is our responsibility to give back when and where we can. Therefore, throughout the school year SMS students will be busy organizing and leading activities that give back to the fine people of Shelby. Activities such as raking leaves, collecting food and clothing for the less fortunate, visiting nursing homes, raising money for cystic fibrosis, plus many more are all on the agenda for our 7th and 8th graders this school year.

Another area in which we will continue to concentrate our efforts is PSI (positive student interaction). PSI is very simple in context, but anyone who can remember what it is actually like to be a teenager can also remember how difficult school and life can be at that age. In short, the staff at the middle school works diligently to make sure that all students can spend their days at SMS free from some of the worries of adolescence, such as bullying and harassment. At Shelby Middle School, PSI is a high priority and I think you will find that the environment of SMS is one in which your child will feel safe and comfortable so that he or she can make new friends, experience new cultures and concentrate on his or her academics.

As always, we do have some dates and times that you can mark on your calendar for the upcoming school year. Seventh grade orientation is at 6:00 pm on Monday, August 17th and the 8th graders will meet at 6:00 pm on Tuesday, the 18th. These two evenings will give SMS students the opportunity to meet their teachers, receive their schedules and tour the school. And of course, the traditional cookout will follow at approximately 7:00. The other date that you need to put on your calendar and circle four times in red ink is May 12-15. That’s right; our annual 8th grade trip to DC is scheduled to pull out at 9:00 pm on the 12th of May and will be returning at 6:00 am on the 15th. Start resting up now.

Finally, those of us at Shelby Middle School are looking forward to a successful and rewarding school year and I would like to extend an invitation to all the folks of Shelby; feel free to stop by the middle school anytime to catch a game, or a choir concert, or to see what is happening in our classrooms. I think you will be pleased with what you see. Until then, be safe and I hope to see you soon at an SMS event.

April 2009 ~ Principal's Update
Redundancy; doesn’t it just drive you bonkers when you have to repeat yourself a bazillion times to make a point? Of course, if you have a teenager you understand that this may be the only way to make sure that he or she actually heard you the first time, or the second time, or…well, you get my point. Actually, the rumor on the street is that husbands may fall into the same category as teenagers, but there’s no way I’m going down that road; too many potholes. Now, I know I addressed the whole testing issue in last month’s newsletter so I apologize for repeatedly being redundant. I mean, who knew I was so anal about achievement tests? Don’t answer that. Anyhow, I just want to take a moment to remind everyone that your sons and daughters will be taking state achievement tests the last two weeks of April. If you have any questions about the testing schedule or the tests themselves, please give us a call at your convenience.

On an equally important note, in a few weeks we will be leaving for Washington, D.C. on our 8th grade class trip. That’s right; we are taking 175 of our 8th graders to tour our nation’s capital and I am confident that this trip will be both culturally and educationally rewarding for all those involved. That being said, I also understand that sending your teenager off on a trip such as this is tempered with a little bit of trepidation. Furthermore, I also understand that my words probably cannot erase the unease you may feel about sending your son or daughter away on such a trip. However, please be assured that we have taken every step imaginable to help ensure a safe and rewarding trip for everyone involved. That being said, if you have any questions or concerns between now and May 13, please feel free to call, email or just stop by the middle school when you get a chance. Oh, one more thing. Every student should have received a packet of information at our DC orientation meeting back in January. If for some reason yours did not make it back to your house (gasp) or has since been lost forever (shock), swing by SMS and we’ll get you another one.

April Fool’s Day. I deliberately try not to celebrate this “holiday” too often. I mean, I don’t need anymore help than I already have at making a fool of myself. However, here are some quotes with the word fool in them that you might enjoy.

March 2009 ~ Principal's Update
Mother Nature really has a sick sense of humor, doesn’t she? The other day it was 60 degrees and I was thinking about grilling out. Unfortunately, I had to settle for a bowl of Fruit Loops. Little tip for you; that little ’04 stamped on the package of your Bahama Mama Kielbasa is fairly accurate. Yikes. Anyhow, getting back to Mother Nature. My lower lumbar is already locked up tighter than a cell at Shawshank. Apparently my back has heard the rumors of more snow. Sigh. Yes, there is a lesson to be learned here, two actually. One, I should buy an industrial size snow blower and two; life is a lot like shoveling snow. You have to work really hard to stay ahead of it. You can’t procrastinate and let the snow drifts of life get the better of you. You have to keep shoveling those drifts until one day, probably in May, you can see the pavement of your driveway again. Well, that’s what we’ve been doing for the past few months at Shelby Middle School; we’ve been shoveling. No, not snow, but academics so to speak. You see, during the last two weeks of April our students will be taking the state achievement tests and the results will be recorded on our district report card. Now, our teachers and your sons and daughters have been working diligently to prepare for these tests, but I am asking for your assistance. We’re fortunate in Shelby to have great parents; parents who are concerned about their children and who are active in their lives. During the weeks leading up to these tests please continue the great job you all do in monitoring your child’s progress in all of his or her classes. With our teachers’ guidance and your watchful eye we can make sure that when we take these tests in April your child will be wildly successful and those snow drifts will be gone for good; at least until next winter. Hold it; what am I thinking? We live in Ohio. Let’s just shoot for Labor Day.

We may be more than halfway through the school year but we are not slowing down. Spring will be here soon with warmer weather, lots of sunshine, and of course, lots of activities for your sons and daughters. Until then, be well and we hope to see you at one of our many events. Now, in anticipation of St. Patrick’s Day here are a few Irish blessings. Erin go bragh!

February 2009 ~ Principal's Update
Holy moly, it’s cold outside! Actually, it’s cold inside too! But that’s because I’m cheap and I live in an 80 year old house with drafty windows. Those curtains aren’t suppose to be blowing like that with the windows shut, are they? Sorry, but I’m sitting here on a Sunday night contemplating my evening options. I could go shovel more snow, but I ran over the shovel with my truck. Yes, it was on purpose. I could tune in to the Steelers/Ravens game, but that almost seems traitorous as I wait yet another year for my beloved Brownies to play a game in late January. Sigh. I’ll just flip through the channels for a few minutes and see what I can find. Basketball, crocodiles sunbathing, someone flipping a house, someone building a house, someone wishing they hadn’t bought a house, Beyonce` at the Lincoln Memorial, 90210 the original, 90210 the remake. Hold it. Beyonce` is performing at the Lincoln Memorial?! Of course, the inauguration; I nearly forgot. No, not the inauguration; my newsletter article is due and this is the perfect opportunity to remind parents about a few key components of this year’s eighth grade trip to Washington D.C.

If you are the parent of a Shelby Middle School eighth grader you are well aware that we will once again be journeying to our nation’s capital in May. As a matter of fact, we just had an organizational meeting that you more than likely attended and I hope it provided you with the information you need to fully understand the trip. However, there are a few things I want to reiterate. We have two main goals on this trip; make it safe and make it educational. Obviously this trip is an educational gold mine of opportunities with history, politics, military campaigns, art, music, monuments and national heroes around every corner. That is why it is important for us to try to take every single one of our eighth graders on this trip. Parents, if you are having difficulty making ends meet in these tough financial times and you’re not sure if you can scrape some or all of the money together for this trip, you need to let me know. We have never left a Shelby student off the trip for financial reasons and I have no intention of starting now. Just give me a phone call here at school and I promise you we’ll figure out a way to make it work.

Speaking of children. Our country recently honored Dr. Martin Luther King and all that he accomplished in his too short life and I was once again reminded of his historic impact on our country. “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character”. What a beautiful notion. Although not as eloquent as Dr. King, here a few more thoughts on children that may trigger a special thought or memory for each of you.

16 Park Avenue Shelby, OH 44875 / 419.347.5451

16 Park Avenue
Shelby, OH 44875 / 419.347.5451