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.

Eagle Family,

I am here again counting down the end of another quarter. 3rd Quarter ends in a few days; make sure your student’s course averages meet the required standards for the magnet program. The quarter ends March 17, 2022.

4th Quarter launches annual state testing. The Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program (ACAP) which covers math, English language arts and science was created to align with Alabama's course of study. Students are tested in these areas; scores are then compared across the district and state. Our goal is to remain #1 in Mobile County. ACAP Testing begins March 22, 2022. I know we are the BEST middle school in Mobile County. Make sure your child understands the importance of giving 100% on each assessment. It’s time to show the state of Alabama what we already know here in the Eagle’s Nest.

“It's not how bad you want it. It’s about how hard you are willing to work or it.” Anonymous

Mrs. Taylor Jackson

The Alabama Comprehensive Assessment Program (ACAP) is the state accountability test which will be administered at Clark-Shaw from Tuesday, March 22 through Thursday, April 7. Students in grades 6, 7, and 8 will be assessed in math and language arts, and grades 6 and 8 will also be assessed in science. It is extremely important that all students are present and on time to school between March 22 - April 7. Testing will be conducted in the morning, so if medical appointments cannot be avoided, please schedule them for the afternoons if necessary. The schedule for testing is very detailed, and we would like to limit the number of make-ups for the good of our students, faculty, and staff.

Students will test on their school-issued Chromebooks with their regular teachers, who will inform them of the specific testing day. During the testing window from March 22 - April 7, instruction and classroom learning will continue while certain students are testing each day, and once students finish testing for a subject, they will continue with their regular class schedules. All classes will meet each day according to a modified rotating schedule.

As always, please remind your student to bring their fully-charged Chromebook AND charger to school each day. Students may bring with them a water bottle and a book for after the test. Please ensure that they are well-rested and ready to do their best on the test!

Congratulations to these students who successfully auditioned for the MCPSS Honor Band and were selected to represent Clark-Shaw at the 2-day clinic and concert later this month that will be comprised of students from throughout Mobile County schools. The Clark-Shaw band is directed by Ms. Crystal Reynolds.

Clark-Shaw celebrated Black History Month with a school-wide program showcasing the talents of our students and community. Sixth graders Christopher Edwards and Nathan Lord led the audience in the Pledge of Allegiance, 8th grader Morgan Zaborny sang the national anthem, and retired Clark-Shaw building engineer Mr. Jimmy Prince sang Lift Every Voice and Sing. Seventh graders Deonna Stephens and Kenadie Thomas recited the poem Still I Rise by Maya Angelou. Mr. Joe Lewis, a local alto saxophone musician, and the Clark-Shaw Jazz Band performed, and the Clark-Shaw Dance Team and the Moving Images Dance Company from Leflore High School also gave spectacular performances. Mrs. Merceria Ludgood, County Commissioner for District 1, was the featured speaker, and she spoke about the importance of preparation and persistence as well as developing a personal concept of success.

This powerful program received wide-spread praise, and we would like to congratulate all participants and the dynamic group of educators who planned it! The committee included Mrs. Veronica Bragg, Mrs. Denise Burch, Mr. Randy Reed, Ms. Crystal Reynolds, Mr. Ronald Sayles, Ms. Nicole Scott, Mrs. Makeisha Williams, and Mrs. Tamara Woods. Thank you all!

Clark-Shaw Jazz Band:

Hudson Abernathy, Danielle Adams, Emily Akridge, Jordyn Bass, Aulelia Carden, Louie Carvin, Cooper Cox, Christopher Daniel, Jonathan De La Fuente, Isabella Dunnavant, Michael Ellzey, Tyler Haskamp, Victoria Howell, Malik Hughes, Jayden Jordan, Evan Lynn, Madison McCaskey, Charlotte Milling, Natalie Morvant, Abigayle Phillips, Kaden Prowell, Aribella Shellenberger, Kenya Stallworth, Calista Swope, Liam Teat, Allison Turner, Kelsey Webb, Laura Kate Wiley; Ms. Crystal Reynolds (Director)

Clark-Shaw Dance Team:

Chloe McCutcheon, Ava Grace Gibson, Allie Armbrecht, Chyler McCutcheon, Leigha Newton, Addyson Parker, Mei-Ling Rollman, Avery Smith, Presleigh Stokley, Taylor Wells, Ashlyn Williams, Morgan Zaborny; Mrs. Denise Burch (sponsor)

It's the type of date that happens so infrequently, we had to do something out of the ordinary! We celebrated "Twosday" 2/22/22 by wearing tutus, team shirts, and tennis shoes. Students also designed special t-shirts for their math class - which resulted in some creative mathematical expressions involving the number 2! Check out some of the photos below!

As part of Heart Health Month, Clark-Shaw faculty, staff, and students wore red on Fridays in February to benefit the American Heart Association. Clark-Shaw students also participated in Jump Rope for Heart and purchased candy grams through PE classes. For the past 3 years, Clark-Shaw has been recognized by the American Heart Association as the top fund-raising middle school, with all proceeds going to help fund heart research. This year we raised over $2195.00!!!! Thank you to all who donated!

These Clark-Shaw students have read over 1,000,000 words this school year!

Daniel Kim

Isabella Dunnavant

Ariana Price

Lauren Mullen

Samarrah Franks

The deadline for 3rd quarter is the last day of the quarter (March 17). The deadline for the school year is May 6.

Students who love to read are also invited to the Book Club which meets on Thursday mornings in the library from 6:50 - 7:10 am. You don't have to attend every meeting, but come when you can. We hope to see you there!

Every year, the first full week of February is celebrated as National School Counseling Week to highlight the unique contributions of school counselors in helping students achieve school success. This year's theme was "School Counseling: Better Together." At Clark-Shaw, we are lucky to have Mr. Ron Sayles and Mrs. Tamara Woods, and we know that our students are better together with these two advocating for them!

Happy Counselors' Week Mr. Sayles and Mrs. Woods! Thank you for everything you do for our students and our school!!

Mrs. Burch and her "We Build it Better" STEM class visited Flight Works Alabama, an interactive aerospace exhibition facility featuring over 40 exhibits on the science of flight, aircraft manufacturing, and careers in this industry. They also toured the final assembly line at the Airbus U.S. Manufacturing Facility, where they saw real commercial airplanes being assembled. This facility is one of only five in the world where Airbus manufactures its commercial aircraft. The We Build it Better class is an 18-week curricular program developed by Flight Works Alabama which introduces new and inventive technologies, exposes middle school students to techniques that help build new skillsets, provides hours of curriculum and activities, and promotes STEAM career awareness.

Mrs. Burch's elective class on their field trip to Flight Works Alabama and Airbus. Members of the class are Madeline Borchert, Carrington Bridges, Kimora Brown Witherspoon, Saylor Byrd, Boston Cheeseboro, Kaitlin Clayton, Daniela Colocho, Victoria Davidson, Diana Dinh, Camille Evans, Shi'Erra Jones, Aaliyah Robinson, Arryuna Robinson, Whisper Saunders, Presleigh Stokley, MacKynzie Tew, Sara Ussery, Piper Velaski, Kennedy Washam, Kelsey Webb, Peyton Williams, and Londynn Willis.

Come join us for WOW!!! WOW is a student led club on select Wednesday mornings that includes praise and worship songs, a short devotional led by our FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) student leaders, and a small treat. See Ms. Caz for a pass to place in your lanyard so you can attend our final five meetings for the year and start your day with a word of encouragement!

Time: 6:50 – 7:10am (no entry after 7am)

Place: Room 207 (Ms. Caz’s room in 7th grade hall)

Dates: March 16th & 30th, April 6th, May 4th & 18th

WOW - Worship on Wednesdays Student Leaders:

Taylor Alexander, Landyn Randall, James Pate, Kaitlyn Sauce, Olivia Watson, Whisper Saunders, and Anna Cate Smith. Not pictured - Potter Boutwell, Addison Everett, Ava Gibson, Addison Jones, and Rachael Wood.

Talk about dedication! Imagine spending your Tuesday afternoons after school learning about science, just for the fun and competition of it! Our Science Bowl is getting prepared for their competition coming up on March 12th. Pictured below are Edwin Perry, Cooper Cox, Allie Armbrecht, Victoria Howell, and Rachel Poole hard at work practicing in Mrs. Specker's room. Good luck students!

After-school tutoring in math and reading/literacy is now being offered with funds from the American Rescue Plan. To learn more and sign up, visit the following link on our school website: link. Extended Day tutoring is coordinated by Mrs. Alecia Howell, who can be contacted at ahowell3@mcpss.com.

Eagle Wings, the Clark-Shaw service organization, coordinated a supply drive in February for Penelope House. They collected a variety of supplies, including batteries, diapers, hand soap, hand sanitizer, and shampoos and conditioners. Thank you to everyone who donated!

Penelope House is an organization in Mobile which helps victims of domestic violence and their children. In addition to providing shelter, advocacy, and community education, they also operate a 24-hour crisis line at 251-342-8994 for adults who are being abused. For more information, visit https://penelopehouse.org/.

Eagle Wings members Jordan Brewer, Kaleigh Hetzman, and Karis Singleterry help deliver collections for the Penelope House.

The Clark-Shaw dance team marched in the Hickory Ridge Children’s Mardi Gras Parade on February 19 at 10:00am. It turned out to be a beautiful day for a parade and our students had a great time representing our school!

Our archery team's busy season has finally wound down with the rescheduled Gilliard Battle of the Swamp on March 4th. Clark-Shaw scored 3060 as a team and came in 2nd place in the middle school division. Paden Roberts earned a score of 278 (and 14 perfect 10's) and placed #1 in 6th grade boys and #2 in middle school boys. Other top archers were Evan Bonner, who scored 264 with eight 10's and placed #2 in 6th grade boys and #4 in middle school boys; Sophia Piper, who scored 268 with 10 perfect 10's and placed #4 in 6th grade girls and #6 in middle school girls; Charlotte Milling, who scored 263 and placed #3 in 7th grade girls; Brady Burkett, who scored 258 and placed #2 in 7th grade boys; Julia Panchenko, who scored 255 and placed #1 in 8th grade girls and #8 in middle school girls; Jordyn Adams, who scored 252 and placed #5 in 6th grade girls; Caroline King, who scored 252 and placed #2 in 8th grade girls; and Nathan Williams, who scored 250 and placed #4 in 7th grade boys.

A highlight of the season was their field trip during school hours to the Regionals tournament at Bryant High School on February 23. Clark-Shaw had a team score of 2994 and finished the tournament as 6th out of 12 middle schools. The top archers for Clark-Shaw were Paden Roberts (267), Charlotte Milling (259), Nicholas Thomas (255), Senad Shabaneh (254), Isabella Meade (254), and Sophia Piper (254). The archery team is coached by Mr. Jonathan Braswell.

Archery Team:

Paden Roberts, Julien Agee, Isabella Meade, Evan Bonner, Adrian (“AJ”) Alt, Sam Couch, Kaleigh Hetzman, Riley Lewis, Sophia Piper, Jordyn Adams, Bryson Dunbar, Brooklyn Constantine, Conner Reed, Julia Panchenko, Charlotte Milling, Jumorian Nettles, Peyton Foster, Landon McDavid, Eli Weatherford, Katelin Taylor, Caroline King, Nathan Williams, Kaii Phillips, Taye Phillips, Dade Suarez, Avonlea House, Aurelia Henderson, Brady Burkett, Keli’Ani Nixon, Nicholas Thomas, Carter Dunbar, Landyn Randell, James Pate, Alyssa Posey, Aiden Pickering, Mahtahseen Fatima, Chianti Minor, Sanad Shabanah; Mr. Jonathan Braswell (Coach).

Poetry is for everyone, and inspiration can be found anywhere you look! Our 7th grade language arts classes discovered that library book spines make for powerful poetic expressions. Stop by and take a look at Mrs. Mouton's display outside the library to enjoy the creativity of fellow students. A few samples follow...

Lost and found

It all comes down to this

set me free

the one safe place

the cottage in the woods.

Perfect

through my eyes

Rivals

taking sides

Putting peace first

the last ride.

Now is your time

the sky's the limit

Eyes wide open

listen to me

a long hard journey.

Get to Know.....Mrs. Tamara Dailey Woods!

It's hard to find a student at Clark-Shaw who doesn't know Mrs. Woods, our 6th grade counselor and coach of the volleyball team. She has been at Clark-Shaw for 7 years, and during that time, has made an impact on countless students who continue to seek her out well past their 6th grade year. Mrs. Woods graduated from John L. LeFlore High School in 1989, went to Bishop State for an Associates Degree in Sociology, and from there went to Alabama State University, where she earned a degree in Social Science Education. She returned to ASU for her master's degree in school counseling and later earned an Educational Specialist Degree (Ed.S.) in School Counseling from the University of West Alabama.

Mrs. Woods is married to Jerome Woods and has 2 children: Collins Woods III and Kennedy Rose Dailey. She's a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority and serves as treasurer of the Tulminville /LeFlore Alumni Association. She loves spending time with her family, Soror's and long time high school and college friends.

Mrs. Woods truly loves her students and works hard to make sure they know they can count on her to stand up for them when they are right and work to correct them when they are wrong and to see where they wrong. Her motto is "When you see someone down, lend a hand to help them up, because you never know when you will need the help."

Mrs. Woods - thank you for the special touch and grace you bring to your daily endeavors and for all that you do for our students, faculty, and staff!

Our soccer teams are off to an exciting start to their seasons! In the season opener, our girls team defeated Semmes Middle School 1-0 with the lone goal scored by Karis Singleterry, while the boys team played Semmes to a 0-0 tie in a game dominated by defense. More recently, our boys team played Barton Academy, defeating them 4-1, with Joshua Barahona scoring 3 goals and Carlos Benitez one goal. Check the GoFan website (link) to purchase tickets and come out and support the Eagles!

Girls Soccer Team:

Carrington Bridges, Lacie Brown, Diana Dinh, Megan Dodds, Brayleigh Ellzey, Jamyra Holt, Sophia Irby, Rebekah Johnson, Kylah McCants, Tiang Mdluli, Kaylee Nguyen, Jaylah Reese, Karis Singleterry, Michayah Tarleton, Aubri Thomas; Angela Taldon (Coach)

Boys Soccer Team:

Joshua Barahona, Laith Shabaneh, Sanad Shabaneh, Adam Almashni, Alejandro Serrano, Carlos Benitez, Henry Sprague, Taye Phillips, Kaii Phillips, Vinny Palazzo, Terrance Mack, Brandon Whitfield; Mr. Steven Faralli (Coach)

Our baseball, softball, boys and girls track, and boys and girls soccer teams would love your support at their games and meets. March is a busy month for all teams. Tickets to games are sold through GoFan, which can be found here: link.

The baseball schedule can be found here: link and the softball schedule can be found here: link. Soccer and track dates are listed in the graphics below.

Guests from the Mobile Baykeeper organization visited Mrs. Burch's and Mrs. Houston's 7th grade science classes this month to discuss how to protect the beauty, health, and heritage of the Mobile Bay Watershed and our coastal communities. They demonstrated a watershed model to the students and talked with them about ways to keep pollution out of the watershed. More information about their organization can be found by clicking here: link.

A quick walk around campus shows that our science labs are busier than ever! On any given day, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students are gaining hands-on experience applying scientific concepts. Check out some of these photos from various labs, including 8th graders studying Newton's laws of motion and conservation of momentum using Newton's Cradles, 7th graders observing microorganisms in pond ecosystems, and 6th graders learning about planetary motion.

Law Day is an annual national event celebrating the role of law in our society. This year’s theme is Toward a More Perfect Union: The Constitution in Times of Change which challenges us to explore how a changing U.S. Constitution affects our society. The Mobile Bar Association brings awareness to Law Day in several ways, including an art contest for elementary students and an essay contest for both middle and high school students. Each category winner will receive a small prize and an award at the 2022 Law Day Luncheon. Contest submission details (ex: rules, required forms, essay prompts) can be found here: link. The deadline for submissions is Monday, April 4. Please see your Social Studies teacher for more details.

Last year we had several students submit essays to this contest, with 2 students receiving recognition at the the Law Day Luncheon award ceremony at the Battle House Hotel. Maddi King won 1st place and Mary Pownall won 2nd place in the middle school category. We hope to see many more entries this year!

Mrs. Hansen’s 6th grade earth science students participated in a "Junior Astronaut" break-out activity hosted by Mrs. Mouton, our library media specialist and graduate of the Space Academy for Educators at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville. Several of Mrs. Hansen's student groups successfully solved all the puzzles and broke out!

Mrs. Hansen's students also participated in a Team A contest to design and construct Moon habitats for astronauts. The following students won top honors:

1st place - William Jordan (pictured above)

2nd place - Thuy Pham

3rd place - Jordyn Gable

Calling all math students! The ASMS & USA Statewide Math Festival 2022 will be March 19. REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN but closes March 18 (for those submitting challenge question responses deadline to register is Wednesday, March 16). You can learn more or register by visiting: https://www.asms.net/outreach/math-festival

The daily schedule for Saturday, March 19 is as follows:

8:45am - 9:00am – Virtual Check-in

9:00am - 10:30am – Middle School Math Olympiad

ASMS invites students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grades to participate in the third annual Math Olympiad for middle school students. The Olympiad is a fun, one-hour written examination whose problems will require students to use imagination and creativity rather than advanced mathematical skills. Prizes will be awarded to all students achieving Honorable Mention in the Math Olympiad. There is no entry fee.

10:30am-12:00pm – Math Festival (open to all Middle School and High School students)
Mathematics Festivals inspire students to explore the richness and beauty of mathematics through activities that encourage collaborative, creative problem-solving. The Festival introduces kids to the beauty of mathematics by providing interesting, inspiring, engaging, thought-provoking problems in a social and cooperative atmosphere. It’s an event at which students play with mathematics.

Success is not measured by the number of problems solved nor students’ speed, but rather by how long students stay engaged and persevere with activities and by the breadth and depth of their explorations and insights. Festival activities are designed to open doors to higher mathematics for students – doors that are not at the top of the staircase, but right at street level. Cost: Free

If you have any further questions please email kwebb@asms.net.

Special thanks to our organizers and supporters: Alabama School of Math and Science, University of South Alabama Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Mobile Math Circle, Alabama Space Grant Consortium.

It's a boy! Mrs. India Collier, 6th grade math teacher, gave birth to a healthy baby named Fredric O’Neil Collier on February 28, 2022. Clark-Shaw teachers and staff honored Mrs. Collier with a Baby Sprinkle just one week before.

Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Collier and big brother Gus!

It's YOUR yearbook... we want you to be in it! Share your own personal photos for this year's yearbook. Since our photographers can't be everywhere, we need your help to make sure we include as many students as possible. Do you have pictures of the first day of school, sporting events, spirit week, tacky sweater days, or anything else featuring Clark-Shaw eagles? Share it with us so we can include it in the yearbook.

Submitting photos is easy! Simply go to this link (click here), fill out the information (be sure to tell us who you are and what you're doing in the photo), and submit! Please submit soon since we are designing the yearbook right now!! For questions, email Mrs. Dena Van den Bosch at dvandenbosch@mcpss.com.

On February 21, 2022, the Board of Education for the Mobile County Public School System approved the following school year calendar for 2022-2023. Students and parents - the first day of the new school year is August 4, 2022! Next year's calendar features 178 instructional days from August 4, 2022 through May 26, 2023. Holiday breaks will include a full week each for Thanksgiving, Mardi Gras, and Spring Break, along with Christmas break from December 17th - January 4th. Please refer to the calendar below for specific dates and information.

Parents, it may be time to replenish some of your student's school supplies. It is common for students to be in need of pencils and notebook paper at this time of year. Please check with them and help them to be prepared for learning!

On March 3, 2022, Superintendent of Mobile County Public Schools Chresal D. Threadgill sent the following system-wide message:

#TeamMCPSS, I hope that each of you had a great Mardi Gras break. As you may know, the CDC has rescinded some of its facemask recommendations, including those regarding certain forms of public transportation. Therefore, MCPSS will no longer require that masks be worn on school buses. Rather, masks will be strongly encouraged. We are glad to have our students back at school today. Let's encourage all of them to continue to do their best as we wind down the third quarter. Let's #FinishStrong.

If you have any questions regarding Covid or medical needs, please do not hesitate to reach out to our Clark-Shaw nurse, Mrs. Jolene Walker, RN at jhwalker@mcpss.com or by calling the school at 251-221-2106.

The Eagle Eye News crew has been hard at work this year producing daily newscasts and interviewing students around campus. Make sure to participate in their weekly poll question on the Clark-Shaw homepage. Catch the latest announcements, Dad jokes, lunch menus, student interviews, birthday announcements, and other entertaining features from Mr. Sikes' broadcast team every day!

Thursday, March 17: Last day of 3rd Quarter

Friday, March 18: Teacher Work Day - NO SCHOOL

Monday, March 21: 4th Quarter begins

Tuesday, March 22 - Thursday, April 7: ACAP Testing

Monday, April 18 - Friday, April 22: Spring Break - NO SCHOOL

Orders for the 2021- 2022 yearbooks are due April 1st. 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.

Don't miss out! The deadline to reserve a personal ad for 8th grade students in the 2021-2022 yearbook was December 17. You may contact the yearbook adviser to see if space is still available, but a late fee of $15 now applies. The 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. 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.

Check the breakfast and lunch menus for the month of March at the following website: link. Please note that menu options may change without notice.

Calling all rising 7th - 9th graders! Summer camp is back in-person at ASMS! Register NOW for the ASMS STEM Leadership Academy summer camp! Sign-up for one of two sessions being offered June 6-10 and June 13-17.

From our 3D Printing, CyberPatriots Cyber Program, Block-Based Programming with Scratch, and Code a Micro:Bit courses, to Marine Biology, All About Animals, and Python Basics, it's engaging, enriching, and exciting STEM-based learning at its best!! Limited Spots Available, so register now by clicking on the following link: click here.

Students, remember to get in rhythm every morning 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.

Our PTA is up and running and we need you! Get involved today! Have a question? Email them at ptaclarkshawmagnet@gmail.com.

To join PTA: https://clarkshawpta.memberhub.com/store/items/28462

To volunteer at Clark-Shaw: https://forms.gle/vcLRW66jdJ56gXW36

Link to PTA's December newsletter: https://www.smore.com/uf6ez

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