Shark Bites 2013 Holiday Edition Dr. Sue Harrell, Principal
SURFSIDE SPIRIT OF THE SEASON~ This is one of the busiest and most rewarding times of the year for Surfsiders, as we participate in multiple service projects to help our community and those with special holiday needs. Surfside provided 47 baskets of food for Thanksgiving, the highest number of baskets among Beach schools; in fact, the next highest number of food baskets collected was 19! We are already into collecting canned goods for Christmas baskets, so pick up a can or two for our project as you shop....Surfside students will also be shining in seasonal events over the next few weeks as well: the Panama City Beach Christmas Tree Lighting, the Millville Children's Christmas Parade, the Panama City Beach Christmas Parade, band and choral concerts, and numerous club activities and projects. When you add it all up, you can see why we have lots of Surfside Pride in the young people you share with us! (And we definitely appreciate YOUR support of their involvement in giving back to others some of the blessings they enjoy.) We hope each of you has a wonderful holiday season filled with family, friends and blessings.
ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS~
It is exciting to see the dedication to learning that so many of our students have. The numbers are in for first nine weeks, and their performance is impressive. Forty percent (40%) of our students achieved honor roll status, with 12% of them making all A's, and 29% of them making all A's and B's. Sixth grade had the greatest percentage making the all A honor roll with 13%, and 8th grade had the greatest percentage of students achieving all A's and B's with 31%. We celebrated with honor roll ribbons which were a ticket for admission to an ice cream party on the Wednesday prior to Thanksgiving.
POSITIVE BEHAVIOR MAKES THE GRADE~
Surfside participates in a system for encouraging positive student behavior called Positive Behavior Support (or PBS, as we call it). Students who have no disciplinary write-ups through November get to participate in an afternoon field day with inflatables, dance to the tunes of a disc jockey, and socialize with friends. On Friday prior to Thanksgiving, we held this annual event and were thrilled to have almost the entire student body participate in the fun...it just goes to show what great students attend Surfside, and we are proud of them, as you should be, too!
HAMEL WHO?
Ask your student about Hamel the Camel...he visits regularly here at Surfside and adds his own special touch of fun to our days....in fact, he kicks off our Student of the Week Recognition each Wednesday. Students who are nominated by the teachers of their grade level are recognized on ITV as model Surfside Sharks weekly throughout the year. I am very proud to recognize them here as well. They include Brayden Pitts, Dawson Redd, Savannah Lockridge, Merritt Reece, Mitchell Campbell, Luke Manno, Cameron Fish, Hector Sanchez, Erin Kelly, and Jesse Chintanadilok.
SCIENCE FAIR~
Don't forget to visit the Science Fair on Thursday, December 5th, to see what incredible investigations our young scientists have completed. The Media Center will be open from 5:00 to 6:30 for visitors. We have phenomenal science teachers who organize this, guide our students' experiments, and devote lots of personal time to help them successfully design experiments and present their findings. We are also grateful to the generous number of math, science and engineering professionals in our community who come and judge the projects and share insights with our young scientists.
MRS. VICKERS GOES ON VACATION!
We are sad to lose Mrs. Pat Vickers, one of our administrators who retired at the end of November after 43 years in education. She was a terrific supporter of our students and taught them a lot of common sense strategies to solve problems. She will truly be missed by the entire Surfside Family, but we wish her well in retirement and look forward to seeing her volunteer at Surfside on occasion. Thanks to our School Advisory Council for their contribution to our retirement social for Mrs. Vickers.
LANGUAGE ARTS~ The Language Arts teachers are EXCITED about our new writing program from Vantage Learning. The software, entitled MY Access, gives immediate feedback and helps students in every phase of writing. It is aligned with the new Common Core State Standards for Florida, and is presently being introduced to our eighth grade students as they prepare for Florida Writes on February 25.
Teachers guide students through the steps of entering their written work into the program and submitting it for evaluation. Individuals immediately receive scores, tutorials, and suggestions for improvement in each of the six specified traits of writing. Reference materials and other tools are available on screen throughout the process. After students construct revision plans, they edit and resubmit their work. Papers may be edited as many times as teachers deem it beneficial. Students quickly see how “tweaking” can make a difference.
Eighth grade students may use the program at home to continue polishing their essays. They simply go to and supply the username required for logging on at school. Parents are strongly encouraged to explore this valuable resource in order to keep abreast of their child’s strengths, weaknesses, and growth as a writer. Parent Guides on the website provide on-site training and suggest ways parents may encourage and support their child’s educational efforts. “Write on,” Surfside!!!!
YEARBOOKS FOR SALE ~
Yearbooks are on sale for $40 online at Jostens.com or students may bring cash or check to Ms. Land's room at school. Reserve a copy now: prices will go up. Students may add their names to thecover or order accessories online only untilJanuary 29th.
YEARBOOK PERSONAL ADS ~
There is still some space left to buy personal recognition ads in the back of the 2014 yearbook. Please contact Ms. Land r more information. The deadline isDecember 6thor until space runs out.
KIWANIS NEWS ~
**Kiwanis beach clean-up projects are a great way to earn volunteer hours and help out our community. Anyone interested in joining Kiwanis is welcome to join us for the ongoing beach clean-up projects.
**Camo Day is coming! Start searching for your camouflage t-shirts before December. All proceeds made this day will go toward military care packages during the holidays.
GIRLS’ BASKETBALL AND BOYS’ SOCCER~
The Schedule both Girls’ Basketball and Boys Soccer for December is as follows.
Girls’ Basketball starts at4:15 , and Boys’ Soccer starts at4:00.
Tuesday December 3rdHome versus Everitt
Thursday December 5thAway versus Breakfast Point
Tuesday December 10thHome versus Bay Haven
Thursday December 12th1st round of playoffs for both sports
Friday December 13thSemifinals of Girls Basketball at Bay Haven
Saturday December 14thSemi Final and Finals of Boys Soccer hosted by Breakfast Point
Tuesday December 17thFinals of Girls Basketball at Bay Haven
GIRLS’ SOCCER TRYOUTS BEGIN RIGHT AFTER CHRISTMAS BREAK~ You must have a physical and parent permission form in order to participate in tryouts. Warm-up and work on your skills over the break. See you on the field in January.
"Famous Historical People" Pumpkinsinvaded the office during November. World History and Civics students had a great time choosing a famous person and decorating a pumpkin like them. Some of the celebrities include: Michael Jackson, Snoopy, Willie and Si from Duck Dynasty, Ozzie Ozborne, Smurfette, Sitting Bull, Miley Cyrus, Cat in the Hat, the Statue of Liberty, Lady Gaga and Abraham Lincoln. Ms. Easom’s and Mrs. Baxley’s classes had a lot of fun coming up with creative ideas.
UNITED WAY~
Surfside has had a great time during our United Fund Way campaign. Vicki McMichael, guidance secretary, has been in charge of all our activities and it was a big job. So far, we have had four fundraisers. We had a cake auction, a bake sale, contributions from students in the lunchroom, and the grand finale’, student/faculty kickball game. Our total collected is $1,093.00. We want to say a big “Thank You” to all the students and teachers who participated. GO, Sharks!
Have a wonderful holiday season…blessings to you and your families from
Your Surfside Family.
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