Talking with Mr. Ellis

It's Over

2011-07-12T21:13:00.001-04:00

Well, the man has spoken. I've been told that if I want to keep blogging and have the blog promoted on our website, I must use the school hosted blog. If there's anyone out there who happens to subscribe to this blog, you can now find my postings by clicking here. Farewell Blogger...it's been fun.

At the Drive In

2011-06-25T20:55:00.001-04:00

Okay...so we had to skip something fun on Friday so we could all go to the Drive In Saturday night to see Cars 2.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Welcome Back Gunther

2011-06-21T09:00:00.001-04:00

Wow, this morning Mr. Kaar and I worked out with my old friend Gunther. He kicked out butts! I was introduced to Gunther by my good friend Mr. Fausnaught. I wonder if he's worked out with Gunther lately.

Happy Father's Day

2011-06-19T12:35:00.000-04:00

Happy Father's Day to all of our fathers out there.

Friday at Knoebel's

2011-06-17T20:18:00.000-04:00

So now that we are working 4 day work weeks, the Ellis family has decided to do something as a family on Fridays. Today was a trip to Knoebel's after our yard sale. Check back to see what other adventures we set out to do.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

What's That...There's a New Higgins in Town

2011-06-14T06:50:00.004-04:00

Congratulations to Mrs. Higgins and welcome Isaiah.

The End!!

2011-06-10T08:56:00.004-04:00

Say goodbye to another school year.

Welcome!

2011-06-07T09:25:00.000-04:00

Welcome to the middle school future Sixth Grade teachers.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Happy Birthday Owen Kaar

2011-05-28T18:11:00.001-04:00

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

PAWs Breakfast

2011-05-27T11:43:00.000-04:00

We had another great PAWs breakfast for our students' of the month. It was good to see everybody here this morning.

The Completed Michelangelo Project

2011-05-26T09:10:00.000-04:00

Check out the completed projects students did with Mrs. Krebs and Mr. Sciabica. They are outstanding!

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Scratching Away

2011-05-26T08:26:00.001-04:00

Students are doing a great Scratch Art project with Mrs. Krebs.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Honors Banquet

2011-05-24T18:27:00.000-04:00

Tonight we are celebrating our Milton Middle School students at the 12th Annual Honor's Banquet.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

The Envirothon

2011-05-20T14:41:00.000-04:00

Check out our 7th grade award winners from the Envirothon.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Reptile Land

2011-05-20T14:06:00.000-04:00

I got to spend the morning at Reptile Land with my daughter Jaime. We had a blast. They have a great new exhibit there with Dinosaurs. I highly recommend it. Check out the video below of the frog eating the cricket. You can tell at the end that I was excited to get the shot!

I'm With Great People

2011-05-19T10:26:00.001-04:00

I'm at a great conference in Harrisburg with Mrs. Fitch, Mr. Cambell, Ms. Thomas and Mrs. Doebler. We are getting some incredible information on student behaviors.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Where's the Black Panther

2011-05-17T19:16:00.001-04:00

You never know where the Panther will show up.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

More Ketchup

2011-05-15T19:32:00.001-04:00

...and Joey has discovered the joy of ketchup.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

More Pictures from "Is This the Sistine Chapel"

2011-05-11T11:41:00.000-04:00

The other day I posted about students doing a great project with Mrs. Krebs. Mrs. Krebs was kind enough to send me more (and better) pictures.

Coming Attractions

2011-05-10T11:04:00.000-04:00

Ms. Rozolis' class is creating a video on life on medieval manor. There was definitely some Oscar worth performances.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Is This the Sistine Chapel

2011-05-06T10:04:00.000-04:00

Check out our modern day Michelangelos. Mrs. Krebs has them working by candle light for their latest art project.

Happy Wedding Day!!

2011-04-29T14:45:00.000-04:00

Happy Wedding Day to the future King and Queen of England.

What Really Matters

2011-04-28T13:48:00.000-04:00

We often get upset at things that don't really matter in the grand scheme of our lives...at least I know I do. Below is a video clip from a passenger who was on the plane that crashed into the Hudson a couple of years ago. He has an unbelievable message. Take a look.

Breakfast with the Kaar's

2011-04-25T09:14:00.001-04:00

Julie, Joey and I are having a great breakfast with the Kaar's. If you ever get up to Williamsport you have to eat at Donna's.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Spring is Here...

2011-04-21T10:36:00.001-04:00

I can see these trees from my office and today noticed the leaves coming out. Besides having to deal with my allergies, it is a most welcomed sight.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

States and Capitals

2011-04-20T10:00:00.001-04:00

Check out the song Mr. Edinger has his kids singing to remember the states and capitals. Great way to remember them, however Mr. Edinger looks a little shell shocked after listening to it all day.

Parts of Speech

2011-04-15T08:43:00.001-04:00

Mrs. Higgins and Miss Yoder have their students ready to ace their verb quiz.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Free Online Children's Books

2011-04-14T13:18:00.000-04:00

You may notice that at the top of my blog is a link for free online children's books. If you have younger children in your family, this is a great resource. The site is free. Check it out.

Two More Caught Caring Winners

2011-04-13T14:45:00.000-04:00

Two more $25 gift card winners for Caught Caring. As I said before whoever said doing the right thing doesn't pay....

Teachers of the Year

2011-04-12T19:25:00.001-04:00

Congratulations to Mrs. Spear and Mrs. Lilley. They were named 2010-11 Milton Teachers of the Year.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

The Decorah Eagles

2011-04-12T09:42:00.000-04:00

Have any of you seen this link to the live webcam of the Decorah Eagles. The eaglets just hatched a couple of days ago. The camera is also infrared so the nest can be viewed at night. I'm going to keep the link posted in the upper right of my blog for you to check in at any time. If the link doesn't work at school, stop by my office and see if we can see it on my computer and/or be sure to check it out at home.

Streaming .TV shows by Ustream

P.A.W.S. Breakfast

2011-04-08T08:50:00.001-04:00

Today was our P.A.W.S. breakfast. This a celebration of our students who routinely do thd right thing. It was great to see all of the parents.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Julie's Art Show

2011-04-07T19:20:00.001-04:00

Julie is showing us around her preschool art show.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Partly Cloudy

2011-04-07T15:54:00.000-04:00

Well at least the rain stopped for today. I would hate to be in the shoes of Mr. Harris trying to do all of the rescheduling. At least the teams get to practice today.

Just for Laughs

2011-04-02T14:20:00.002-04:00

Sometimes we just need to laugh and have a good conversation.

Let's Go Outside

2011-03-29T12:12:00.000-04:00

All this guy ever wants to do is go outside...

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Tapping the Maple Trees

2011-03-18T12:41:00.001-04:00

I'm with my daughter Jaime and class at Montour Preserve. We are seeing how they tap Maple Trees and then turn it into syrup.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Many Happy Birthdays

2011-03-10T12:43:00.000-05:00

Today is a special day for birthdays. My son Jack is 7. And....Mr. Turbitt is 29 today. Happy birthday to two great guys.

Trouble

2011-03-06T08:47:00.001-05:00

Now we are all in big trouble. Joey is walking all over the place.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Radon

2011-02-23T09:10:00.001-05:00

Mr. Jackson is showing students how Radon gets into homes.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Hoop for Hearts

2011-02-22T14:09:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow starts our Hoops for Hearts campaign. Students received the information from their teachers today to go out an secure donations. We will also be doing some things here at school for students, teachers, and community members.

Candy Jug guessing game during lunch. For $0.25 students will be able to take a guess to see how many pieces of candy are in the jug. There will be Hershey Kisses, M&Ms, Teddy Grahams, and Sour Patch kids.
School Wide Bingo--students will be able to purchase Bingo cards for $1.00. Each morning Mrs. Trate or I will call out 2 or 3 numbers. The winner will receive a $15 iTunes card.
Top Earners in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade will receive $15 iTunes cards, and the top earner for the entire school will receive an iPod shuffle.

There is also a way for teachers, staff and community members to participate. We will be holding a basket raffle. Tickets are $2 each or 3 for $5. Here are our baskets.

Tastefully Simple Basket #1

Liberty Mountain Camping Supplies #1

Mary Kay Cosmetics

Perkins Gift Certificates

Free Haircut at the Village Stylist

Lia Sophia Earring and Necklace Set

iPod Shuffle and $15 iTunes Card

Liberty Mountain Camping Supplies #2

Winter Wonderland?

2011-02-21T10:17:00.001-05:00

Seriously do we need anymore snow. Wasn't it just 65 degrees on Friday?

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Back in Action

2011-02-17T09:23:00.001-05:00

I'm back in the classroom doing a little coverage for Mrs. Bailey.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Happy Birthday Jaime and The Week in Rap

2011-02-13T14:07:00.003-05:00

Today is my daughter Jaime's 9th birthday.

The Week in Rap Feb 11th from Flocabulary on Vimeo.

It's All about Character

2011-02-11T09:19:00.001-05:00

Students are working on character development with Mrs. Higgins.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Milton vs. Mifflinburg

2011-02-10T17:56:00.001-05:00

Our boys are looking to put it to the Wildcats.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Happy Birthday Jules Verne!!

2011-02-08T20:42:00.001-05:00

Today is Jules Verne's 183rd birthday. One of my favorite movies as a kid was 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. I used to watch it all the time. Jules Verne wrote the book.

Check out this site by National Geographic. It shows you 8 different things that Jules Verne wrote about that at the time were pure science fiction and today they are real.

8 Jules Verne Inventions that Came True

The Week in Rap

2011-02-04T12:23:00.000-05:00

Thank you to Mr. Kaar for sharing this site with me. I thought this would be a good way to end each week.

Have a great weekend!

Being Nice Pays Off

2011-02-03T12:22:00.001-05:00

Check out the 2nd Marking Period's $25 award winners for the Caught Caring/Panther Pride. The were randomly selected from all of the 2nd Marking Period recipients.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Happy Ground Hog Day

2011-02-02T21:57:00.000-05:00

Ok so Phil didn't see his shadow. What does that really mean? After the last couple of days we've had, does anyone really believe Spring is right around the corner...let's hope so.

Goallllllllllll

2011-01-31T10:06:00.000-05:00

Little bit of indoor soccer going on during 6th grade gym class.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

It's Good

2011-01-30T18:12:00.001-05:00

Some people just love spaghetti night. I'm glad I'm not in charge of baths tonight.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Doin' Some 'Rasslin

2011-01-27T18:35:00.001-05:00

Gage is on his way to a victory.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

All Thumbs

2011-01-24T19:32:00.001-05:00

No hitchhikers thumb here.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Too Many Snow Days

2011-01-21T11:27:00.000-05:00

Well another 2 hour delay. We seem to be getting quite a bit of these. This one I think we needed. Look what I found when I went out to my car this morning.

I hope everyone has a great weekend. My goal for next week is to get in more classes and get some pictures of our students doing some great things!!

Hooplas

2011-01-14T20:31:00.001-05:00

You never know who you will see at Hooplas. My good friend Brandon was winning tons of tickets.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

A Colony of Their Own

2011-01-12T10:24:00.001-05:00

Students in Mrs. Doebler's room are studying colonial history by creating their own colonies. I wonder if they will let me move into Panther Colony.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Dinner Time

2011-01-11T17:39:00.001-05:00

Grabbing a bite to eat with my good friends Mr. Parise and Mr. Slater.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Hulk Mad

2011-01-10T17:07:00.001-05:00

Now that the Hulk is in my office people will be shaking in their boots to come in here.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Dance Off

2011-01-09T21:52:00.002-05:00

Big Ed and Jaime are having a dance off. You never know what's going to happen at the Ellis House. Hope this post goes through.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

What's Wrong with this Blog

2011-01-09T21:49:00.000-05:00

I just realized that my blog is not updating when I post from my phone. I've got to figure out what's wrong because I had some good pics to post from last week. Stay tuned.

Merry Christmas....Happy Holidays

2010-12-22T22:36:00.004-05:00

I don't know if I will get an opportunity to post over the next couple of days, so I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!! I bet you didn't know that a couple of the administrators and myself have been working hard on a holiday dance routine. Check it out.

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

Ho Ho Ho

2010-12-22T09:04:00.000-05:00

Mrs. Claus made an appearance today with some great treats.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

My Kind of Tree

2010-12-20T11:22:00.001-05:00

I thought I would decorate my office this year. What do you think. It is a heck of a tree.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Winter Dance

2010-12-17T20:40:00.001-05:00

Everyone is having a great time at the dance. Rumor has it Mr. Edinger is going to offer dance lessons as a fundraiser for student council.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Mrs. Hook

2010-12-13T14:39:00.001-05:00

Students are working hard for Mrs. Hook.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Saturday Morning Basketball

2010-12-11T12:31:00.001-05:00

Saturday morning basketball with 1st and 2nd graders. It's FANtastic!

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Mr. Slater

2010-12-09T11:31:00.001-05:00

Down in Harrisburg with my good friend Mr. Slater. We are having a great training.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Google Books

2010-12-06T12:09:00.000-05:00

Google has launched its ebookstore. Of course it doesn't work with the Kindle which is another reason I want to throw that thing through the window. Just an fyi...public libraries have thousands of books you can borrow on ebook readers for up to 2 weeks. However, the system they use to do this does not work with either the iPad or the Kindle. Looks like I'll be putting mine up on eBay.

Anyways, check out Google's Bookstore.

Going to the Island

2010-12-06T11:22:00.000-05:00

Students are working on the second round of Study Island Benchmarking. It's nice going to the islands...especially when you can see the snow falling.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Do Not Open Until X-Mas

2010-11-30T21:19:00.000-05:00

I can't believe it. My Kindle came today. On Friday, Amazon had an awesome deal where they offered the Kindle for $100 off it's list price. The sale started at 12:00 P.M. and starting at 11:30 A.M., I stared at the screen watching the countdown. The minute the countdown clock hit 0 and the "Add to Cart" button appeared, I hit the button and added it to my basket. Within 5 minutes, all of the Kindles available for the sale were sold out.

Now, here's the problem. I was able to get one because I sold Mrs. Ellis on the idea that it would be for the "whole family," and now I have to wait until Christmas to open it. There's no way I can make it 25 days. I've wanted one of these since they came out, and now it's here...in my house...sitting 2 feet away from me...all wrapped in a box...that cannot be opened. Bah Humbug!

Another Ellis Adventure

2010-11-28T16:09:00.001-05:00

Well Mrs. Ellis found another way for the Ellis family to have "fun.". I tried to explain that there was a reason people cut the trees down for you. Luckily we all made it without any cut fingers or broken bones.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Happy Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T10:46:00.001-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I have a ton to be thankful for this year and am very fortunate to have an awesome Ellis family and an awesome school family. I hope everyone enjoys their days off and comes back energized and ready to go...3 weeks until Winter Break. :)
The Ellis kids would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving.

Jaime, Julie, Jack and Joey

Edible Cells

2010-11-23T13:47:00.001-05:00

Edible cells in Mrs. Bailey's room. There's always room for cells.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Team All-Stars

2010-11-22T15:11:00.000-05:00

Check out our Team All-Stars. Sometimes it pays to continually do the right thing. Great job guys!!

One of My Favorite Days

2010-11-19T20:21:00.001-05:00

This day is one of my favorite days of the school year. I love the Sixth Grade Thanksgiving Feast. Thank you Sixth Grade for another great year. Mrs. Reynolds was a little nervous this year but she did a great job!! Take a look at some pictures of the day.

More food for a Feed a Friend Barrel.

Namaste---Miss Rozolis and her class.

Now just who do these two think they are?

Even more food...we did an outstanding job.

Check out some of the pictures from the feast.

How Cool is This

2010-11-16T17:29:00.001-05:00

Ya know...sometimes students do the nicest things for us. Check out the awesome mug I got today.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Happy B-Day

2010-11-16T10:55:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday Miss Brown and Mr. Slusser.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Let's Get Together

2010-11-15T10:48:00.001-05:00

Mrs. Doebler and Mrs. Reynolds brought down the wall to work on their projects.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Sixth Grade Science

2010-11-15T10:46:00.001-05:00

Mrs. Haines has her students ready for their big science test.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

DA DA DA DA

2010-11-12T20:26:00.000-05:00

Okay, how could I not post this video. I would like everyone to know, especially Mrs. Ellis, that there was minimal coaching from me.

Sky Dunkin

2010-11-11T15:52:00.004-05:00

We had a great show from the Sky Dunk team. I can't believe the high flying act they put on. I don't know which was better. The dunks or the dance off between Mr. Turbitt and Mr. Bruno. Here's a video from the show. Check out the dance moves about midway through.

Check out the video Alex put together. Just close your eyes during the dance contest.

Gym Class Badminton

2010-11-10T13:37:00.001-05:00

These two are having way too much fun missing the birdie.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Big Time Caught Caring Winners

2010-11-08T08:27:00.000-05:00

Check out Lance and Gabby. They're our big time Caught Caring/Panther Pride winners. Their names were randomly drawn out from all of the Caught Caring students for a $25 gift card to Wal-Mart. I hope they remember me when they go to spend that cash!!!

Jon, Wade, and Tanner are picking out of the prize box. Jon's hoping he gets the free pass to where a hat for the day.

Chorus Channels the Police

2010-11-03T15:26:00.001-04:00

Chorus has a Message in a Bottle.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Caught Caring Celebration

2010-11-02T11:00:00.001-04:00

Congratulations to our Caught Caring Winners. This round the winners got a pizza party. This is a big week for Caught Caring. On Friday we will draw 2 winners for a $25 Wal-Mart Card. All students who received a Caught Caring card are eligible.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

2 K and Counting

2010-10-31T13:04:00.000-04:00

I can't believe that we've had over 2000 people view the blog. Some people have even viewed it from India and Trinidad and Tobago. I will do my best to keep updating with the great things happening at our school and even a couple posts on what the Ellis family is up to. Thanks for viewing.

Trick or Treating in So. Williamsport

2010-10-30T18:12:00.000-04:00

We're out having some Halloween fun with our friends the Koropchak's. The Ellis' get to enjoy two nights of fun. That means double the candy I get to sneak out of the kids bags

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Camouflage Day

2010-10-29T14:38:00.002-04:00

I couldn't see anyone today because everyone was wearing their camo. gear. What an awesome week it's been. The students have done a great job dressing up and supporting Red Ribbon week. Here's a picture of the sixth graders in their gear. Thanks Mr. Slusser for the picture.

Orange and Black Forever

2010-10-28T20:17:00.000-04:00

Check out the seventh grade winners from today's Orange and Black day. What a great way to show support for Red Ribbon Week and our school. Mr. Turbitt has gone above and beyond this year and has come up with some great ideas. I know he really appreciates have Mrs. Specht here to help him. If you come to MMS tomorrow don't be surprised if you can't see anyone...it's camouflage day.

Red Red Everywhere

2010-10-27T15:58:00.000-04:00

Today was wear red day in support of Red Ribbon Week. Check out our winners for wearing the most read in 8th Grade. That's quite a crew!!!

Science Class

2010-10-27T08:55:00.001-04:00

Hanging out with my good friends Brent and Marty in Science class.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

My Future's So Bright....I Gotta Where Shades

2010-10-26T15:10:00.001-04:00

Somewhere Frankie Goes to Hollywood is proud of us. Today was sunglasses day. Don't forget that tomorrow is "Wear Red Day."

Revise Revise Revise

2010-10-26T13:39:00.001-04:00

Mrs. Reynolds is going over some great writing strategies.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Blackout Day...How Can Your Read the Post???

2010-10-25T21:27:00.003-04:00

Today is Blackout to Drugs Day at Milton. We had a ton of students dress in black to show their support. Great job everyone. Can you actually believe that Mrs. Doebler tried to tell me that Johnny Cash sang the song "Folsom Prism Blues." C'mon Mrs. Doebler...it's "Folsom Prison Blues." Can't wait to play my favorite Corey Hart song for tomorrow's theme!!!

Johnny Cash was the Man in Black

New Bleachers

2010-10-20T10:01:00.000-04:00

Our new bleacher are almost completely installed. They're looking fantastic.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Conquistadors are Not California Girls!!

2010-10-15T12:12:00.000-04:00

Check out the great song Mrs. Doebler's social studies class sang. Focus on the students not the bad video work.

Panther Pride Sundae Party

2010-10-08T17:18:00.000-04:00

We had our first Panther Pride winners' celebration today. These students all received a caught caring card for doing the right thing at our school. For doing the right thing, they all earned an Ice Cream Sundae party. Nice job and congrats to the following: Keisha, Alexis, Cody, Matthew, Maddie, Allison, Bri, Kory, Madison, Tieranny, and Christian. Great job everyone! You're making Milton proud!

The Other Bill Clark

2010-10-06T12:43:00.000-04:00

I'm at a training today and guess who I'm sitting with...Bill Clark. No not that Bill Clark, former Milton Superintendent, but another Bill Clark who is an Assistant Principal in Athens. Small World.

Jim Ellis
Asst. Principal
Milton Middle School

Miss Appel's Room is Riding High

2010-09-30T11:11:00.000-04:00

Miss Appel and her students are jacked up! The elevator is finally working which is good because there is basically a monsoon outside. Logan and Nellie told me they were about to start cracking some heads if the elevator didn't get fixed soon.

Look Miss Appel got the first ride.