Clark-Shaw Magnet School

As a school of choice, our mission at Clark-Shaw Magnet School is to develop students into globally aware and productive citizens who excel academically and are responsible, courteous, life-long learners. This will be accomplished by providing a challenging curriculum in a safe and nurturing environment.

Greetings Eagle family,

December marks the ending of another year. 2021 has truly been one for the record books due to COVID-19 restrictions and education demands. However, we all persevered and are almost finished with 2nd Quarter. I want every student to finish strong! The faculty and staff work hard to provide our students with the best instructional strategies they have to offer, so students should dig deep these last few weeks. Every student should finish this quarter with high course averages and even higher expectations for 3rd Quarter. Let’s show this city and state why Clark-Shaw Magnet is the best school in Mobile County!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you! Enjoy time with family because those are the precious moments that will forever remain frozen in your memory.

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.” Dr. Maya Angelou

Wow! The Student Council Thanksgiving Food Drive was a huge success! In addition to canned food items, a total of $950.47 was donated school-wide. After buying turkeys and trimmings for five Clark-Shaw families, Student Council donated 34 full boxes of food and $700.00 to Feeding the Gulf Coast, which contributes to food pantries all across our area to help families in need. Thank you to Student Council and Mrs. Heather Mattern for organizing this event!

The final standings were:

6th grade Winner- Mrs. Bragg’s homeroom- 231 items!

2nd- Mr. Depinet- 88

3rd- Mrs. Collier- 84

7th Grade winner- Mrs. Van den Bosch’s homeroom- 303 items!

2nd- Ms. C. Roberts- 287

3rd- Mrs. Hester- 112

8th grade winner- Mrs. Holladay- 138 items!

2nd- Mrs. May 112

3rd- Mrs. Specker- 68

The winning homeroom in each grade can look forward to an upcoming Donut Party. Student Council would like to thank everyone for their generosity! What an awesome group of caring students, families, and teachers! Thank you!

It's time to play Santa! Bring in a new, unwrapped toy by Monday, Dec. 8th! When the MCPSS bus stops at our school, we want to help fill it up with toys for local children. Members of the National Junior Honor Society will be organizing the collection.

Thank you in advance!

It's that time of year...get ready with your tackiest sweater or shirt! This year there will be several opportunities to show off your tackiest holiday fashions! For $2, students may wear a sweater or shirt (with uniform bottoms and shoes) on December 3 and December 10. Santa hats, necklaces, reindeer antlers are also allowed. And stay tuned.... our PTA is also planning an event for Dec. 15 to help us get into the holiday spirit!

Scholars Bowl members, you make us proud! On November 18th, while most of us were looking forward to Thanksgiving Break, our Scholars Bowl members were engaged in their first competition of the 2021-2022 year. They took on the team from Alba Middle School and defeated them 250 to 40!

Team members are Madeline Borchert, Violet Borchert, James Colelli, Andres Gonzalez, Grant Langham, Garrett Langham, Max Norris, and Eli Weatherford, and they are coached by Mrs. Tracy Steiner and Mrs. Alecia Howell.

This year the competitions are all virtual with no spectators, but be sure to congratulate them on a job well done and wish them luck for the future. Their next competition is January 20, 2022 vs. Christ the King Catholic School. Way to go!

Eagle Wings Community Service Club will meet on Tuesday, December 7th from 2:50-3:30. See your homeroom teacher ahead of time for a permission slip to stay after school. Eagle Wings seeks to spread positivity and to uplift others by performing community service projects in our school and our communities. Eagle Wings has sponsored supply drives for the Penelope House, local children's homes such as St. Mary's and Wilmer Hall, and Alabama Baptist Children's Homes. Eagle Wings has also donated personal care items for foster children during transitions from home to home, and to our Clark-Shaw students after house fires. For questions, please contact Mr. Brian Roberts, jroberts2@mcpss.com.

Eagle Wings is looking for students with big hearts and good work ethic!

Here at Clark-Shaw, we love and appreciate our substitute teachers, and we are always in need of more! Mobile County Public Schools is currently hiring substitute teachers, and they recently increased the daily pay rate (see below). If you've ever thought about working in education, or just want to earn a part-time income where your student goes to school, please consider substituting! More information and a link to the application can be found here (link). Help us spread the word!

Both the boys and girls basketball teams are having a great season! The boys team has a 6-2 record, with losses only to Scarborough and Burns. The girls are also an impressive 6-2, with losses only to Scarborough and Pillans. The teams are halfway through their season, and with only a few home games remaining in December and January, be sure to come out and give them your support! While you're there, you'll also see our awesome cheerleaders and dance team perform. Go Eagles!

There are only a few more home games left! Come support our basketball teams! From here on out, the girls basketball team will play first, followed by the boys.

To purchase home game tickets, guests should type http://gofan.co/app/event/ID Number in their browser and show their ticket verification when entering the gym. For away games, go to the GoFan website and search for the school we are playing.

Here are the ID Numbers for home games:

427868 Dec 2 vs. Semmes

427880 Dec 9 vs. Causey

427889 Dec 16 vs. Burns

427896 Jan 10 vs. Hankins

427905 Jan 20 vs. Grand Bay

Students, remember to get in rhythm each day during homeroom by going to the "Rhithm" app that's accessible via Clever. This wellness check-in tool provides a quick social-emotional learning activity along with a simple emoji assessment to let us know how you're doing mentally, socially, physically, and emotionally. The faculty and staff at Clark-Shaw care about you, and if you are struggling in any of these areas, please let an adult know. Help is available! Mrs. Tamara Woods is the 6th grade counselor, and Mr. Ron Sayles is the 7th/8th grade counselor.

Congratulations to our archery team for their performance at the North Mobile Christian tournament in early November. The team came in 2nd of all middle schools! Top archers were Paden Roberts (265), Charlotte Milling (261), Senad Shabaneh (255), Eli Weatherford (254), and Julia Panchenko (253). Paden finished the tournament as #1 in 6th grade boys and #5 in all middle school boys. Senad shot 11 perfect 10's and finished as #4 in 7th grade boys.

Our archery team's next tournament is Thursday, Dec. 2nd at the Bright Beginnings Academy Reindeer Games, which will be held at St. Mark's United Methodist Church on 439 Azalea Road in Mobile. Flight times are 6:00 and 7:00 pm, and names have been posted to Facebook.

Their next tournament will be at Semmes Middle School on Dec 9th-11th, and flights will be announced soon. All tournaments have a $2 spectator fee for adults, while children are free. To learn more, contact Mr. Jonathan Braswell at jbraswell@mcpss.com.

Approximately 40 7th graders were able to see the Alabama Supreme Court in action on November 5 at the Saenger Theater in downtown Mobile. Chaperoned by Mrs. Manley, Mrs. Martin, and Mrs. Van den Bosch, these students joined other local area high school and university students to listen to two actual cases brought before the Alabama Supreme Court, who were in town for a road-show appearance. Clark-Shaw was the only middle school in attendance, and we are proud of our students' interest and behavior. Afterward, they enjoyed a leisurely lunch at the dining hall on the campus of the University of South Alabama.

We have been so happy to get back to hosting prospective students and their families for Open House events and tours. On November 9th, our student ambassadors led many groups of visitors throughout our school to highlight our school's programs and features during our Open House showcase. If you know of a prospective student who would be interested in a student-led tour, please contact our school at 221-2106. We look forward to sharing with you what makes Clark-Shaw special!

Congratulations to these students for earning a spot on the Eagles Softball team for 2021-2022:

Kadence Coats (8th)

Alyssa Hall (8th)

Katelin Taylor (7th)

Aubri Thomas (8th)

Rachel Wood (8th)

Brenesha Battle (8th)

Boston Cheeseboro (8th)

Addison Everett (8th)

Jazlyn Taylor (8th)

Sarai Gaston (8th)

Chianne Anderson (7th)

Jordan Brewer (8th)

Stormy Rinks (8th)

Whisper Saunders (7th)

Jada Henderson (8th)

Softball Conditioning / Throwing will start on Tuesday, January 11th from 3:00 – 4:30. Players will get a schedule at the first practice. Players must have their own glove and cleats. If you have any questions, contact Coach Simmons at ksimmons@mcpss.com.

Get to Know.....Mrs. Alecia Howell!

Mrs. Howell is an 8th grade history teacher who has been teaching for 6 years. This is Mrs. Howell's 2nd year at Clark-Shaw, but she was once here as a student-teacher! She's a native of Semmes and a graduate of MGM high school (Skol Vikings!). She earned a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's degree in secondary social science education from Spring Hill College. She worked for a private psychologist for five years, and due to her personal interest in spies and espionage, she started a "history of espionage" elective at Clark-Shaw this year! She loves hand-on projects and using educational technology, and you can also find her helping with Scholar's Bowl and NJHS.

Some FUN FACTS about Mrs. Howell: she is married with a cute pup....she loves window shopping at antique stores..... she enjoys reading young adult (YA) and contemporary fiction.... she's an active vacationer who loves to wander and pack in lots of activities and search for things off the tourist path (especially in NYC!).... and she started a nonprofit organization with a friend from college called the Empowerment Approach. Ask her about it!

Mrs. Howell, thanks for being a dedicated teacher and colleague!

Try-outs were held for the baseball team in early November, and the following 7th and 8th grade students were selected for the team. Congratulations! If you have any questions, contact Coach Mattern by email: tmattern@mcpss.com.

Our 7th grade students, under the instruction of Mrs. Denis Burch and Mrs. Patricia Houston, recently extracted DNA from strawberries during science lab. Ask them about what they learned! (photos below)

8th grade students in Mrs. Holladay's Accelerated Math 8 class recently solved systems of linear equations using a maze activity that was rumored to be extremely fun! (photos below)

7th grade students in Mrs. VdB's civics class finished up their law unit recently with a mock trial. After spending one day developing their evidence-based arguments, they used Friday for oral arguments, witness questioning, and a few reenactments! They concluded the lesson by voting on the most convincing prosecution and defense arguments of their peers. We wouldn't be surprised if a few of these students put law school into their future plans! (photos below)

Mrs. Angela Hansen's 6th grade students (pictured above) recently played "Amazing Race: Ocean Currents!" Students had to complete learning tasks while also receiving challenges such as building domino towers, solving puzzles, or speed-stacking cups. When students completed a center, they had to decode a secret message! Winning groups are pictured below.

Try-outs for the boys track team will be held December 9th and 10th from 2:50 - 4:30 pm. You are required to attend 1 day, but you may attend both. All Dragonfly paperwork and requirements must be complete and your $10 tryout fee paid by December 7th. If you have already paid a tryout fee for another sport this school year, you don’t have to pay. If you have questions, please see Coach Winfield.

Try-outs for the girls soccer team will be held December 7th, 8th, and 15th from 3:00-4:30 pm. All paperwork must be completed in Dragonfly by Friday, November 19, 2021. A $10.00 tryout fee (non-refundable) should be turned in before trying out. ***You must have a physical in Dragonfly. *** Contact Coach Angela Taldon at 251-221-2106 or ataldon@ mcpss.com if you have any questions.

Try-outs for the boys soccer team will be held December 13th and 16th from 3:00 - 4:30 pm. A tryout fee of $10 is due by December 16 and can be paid to Mr. Faralli. All paperwork must be uploaded to Dragonfly by December 13. Questions? Contact Mr. Faralli at sfaralli@mcpss.com.

The deadlines for Science Fair are just around the corner! Make sure you are making adequate progress and will be ready on the following dates:

Wednesday, December 1 - Data Checkpoint due

**Grade 8 must submit student-created Data Table plus minimum of 10 pictures

Monday, December 13 - 8th grade Display Board, Composition Log Book, & Abstract due (each component counts as a 3rd Quarter MAJOR GRADE)

**Grade 8 Math Component due to math teacher (3rd Quarter math test grade)

Tuesday, December 14 - 7th grade Display Board, Composition Log Book, & Abstract due (each component counts as a 3rd Quarter MAJOR GRADE)

**Grade 7 Math Component due to math teacher (3rd Quarter math test grade)

Wednesday, December 15 - 6th grade Display Board, Grade-Level Log Book, & Abstract due (each component counts as a 3rd Quarter MAJOR GRADE)

**Grade 6 Math Component due to math teacher (3rd Quarter math test grade)

It's time for the annual Clark-Shaw Spelling Bee! This year's school-wide event will be held in the library on December 6th. (Sorry, no spectators.) We look forward to hearing how well each of our class winners does in the school-wide competition and to naming a champion who will represent our school in the county-wide bee. Good luck students!

Attention all 8th graders and parents/guardians! The deadline for applying to a high school's signature academy is December 10. Mobile County Public Schools allows students to apply to high schools outside of their zoned school through the signature academy program. To apply for a signature academy, go to https://www.academiesofmobile.com/apply. More information about signature academies and how to apply can be found here. Don't miss out!

Friday, Dec. 17: last day of school for 2nd quarter

Dec. 18 - Jan. 3: Christmas Break - NO SCHOOL

Tuesday, Jan. 4: Teacher Work Day - NO SCHOOL

Wednesday, Jan. 5: 3rd Quarter begins

Monday, Jan. 17: Dr. Martin L. King, Jr Day - NO SCHOOL

PE is going to start allowing students to dress out for PE when we return from Christmas break. Therefore, students will need to purchase a PE uniform. We will begin selling uniforms when we return from Thanksgiving break during your PE classes. Shirts are $10.00 and shorts are $10.00, for a total of $20.00. Students must have the correct Clark- Shaw issued PE uniform and tennis shoes to dress out in when we return from December break. Dressing out will be part of their participation grade in PE. When we get back from Thanksgiving break we will start issuing lockers and let students practice using a locker. We look forward to dressing out when the New Year starts!!

Be sure to reserve your spot before December 17th! Parents and families of current 8th graders may purchase personal ads for their students for the 2021-2022 yearbook. The current cost is $30 for a 1/4 page ad, $50 for 1/2 page ad, and $100 for a full page ad, and the cost of the yearbook is $35. Prices will go up after the end of 2nd Quarter. Send payments (cash or check payable to Clark-Shaw) to Mrs. Van den Bosch, Room 209. Requests can also be sent to dvandenbosch@mcpss.com. Online sales for yearbooks only (no ads) can be done using a credit card at www.yearbookordercenter.com, using school code 21021.

Orders can now be placed for the 2021- 2022 yearbooks. The cost is $35. Payments can be made by cash or check (made payable to Clark-Shaw) and given to Mrs. Van den Bosch, Room 209. Please include the student's name and homeroom when turning in your payment. Orders can also be placed using a credit card at www.yearbookordercenter.com, using school code 21021.

Menus for breakfast and lunch for the month of December can be found at this link. Please note that menus are subject to change due to deliveries & commodities.

Don't miss out! Catch the latest announcements, Dad jokes, lunch menus, student interviews, birthday announcements, and other entertaining features from Mr. Sikes' broadcast team. Click the link here or the button below to watch our daily broadcasts via YouTube. You can also participate in their weekly poll question on the Clark-Shaw homepage.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clarkshawmagnet

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clarkshawmagnet_eagles @clarkshawmagnet_eagles

Twitter: https://twitter.com/clarkshaweagles @clarkshaweagles

Website: https://clarkshawmcpssal.schoolinsites.com/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCH5jO4hJwMgEawGLisFn4Lw/featured

Your child's teachers and the entire staff here at Clark-Shaw are committed to your child's success. Please let us know how we can serve you!

Timesha Taylor-Jackson, Principal

tltaylor@mcpss.com

Website: https://clarkshawmcpssal.schoolinsites.com/
Location: 5960 Arlberg Street, Mobile, AL, USA
Phone: 251-221-2106
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/clarkshawmagnet
Twitter: @clarkshaweagles

Newsletter compiled by Dena Van den Bosch, dvandenbosch@mcpss.com