Happy New Year!

I hope that you and your family had an enjoyable holiday season.  I wish you all the best in 2012!

While the students were home with their families, the middle school had a couple of improvements done.  The restrooms in our building are lacking in aesthetic appeal.  More important than that, we are experiencing a significant amount of water waste and paper waste due to antiquated faucets and the use of paper towel dispensers.  We are in the process of addressing these issues.  We started this over break.  The restrooms near classrooms 41 and 42, the seventh and eighth grade restrooms, were remodeled over break.  In addition to replacing old and faltering floor tiling, we added a fresh coat of paint.  This is in addition to our replacement of old sinks and faucets and replacing them with motion sensor faucets that limit water use/waste and added air blown dryers to replace paper towel dispensers.   The results are stark.  They look fantastic (if you can say that about restrooms).  Over time, we hope to continue to update our facility to provide a more appealing and cost effective experience.

In addition, thanks to monies from Sparta Education Foundation, building resources and a generous contribution from the Student Government, we have purchased and are in the process of installing five SMART Boards to be used to enhance educational outcomes.  There will be two multi use rooms that have SMART Boards available to staff as well as three dedicated classrooms.  Minimally, on any given day over 300 of our students will have the opportunity to experience the opportunities SMART Boards can provide the learning process.  As we grow our capacities at using these tools even more effectively, the impact of these tools will grow as well. 

Many thanks to the many individuals responsible for these improvements to Sparta Middle School.