EdisonEcho
Edison Middle School
Mission: To Prepare students to succeed academically, responsibly, and socially in an ever-changing world.
Office: 605-367-7643
Email: SFSDEdisonOffice@k12.sd.us
Counseling Center: 605-367-8331
Fax: 605-367-8457
Edison is now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
Facebook: @WeAreTheCats
Twitter: @EdisonCats
Instagram: @sfsdedisoncats
Newsletter Date:
April 1, 2021
Volume 1, Issue 9
Dates to Remember...
- South Dakota State Assessments
April 21
- PTO Meeting
May 26
- Last day of school
Principal's Corner
Hello Edison families,
Welcome to our future 6th grade families! We are excited to welcome you into the Edison family! We are busy planning activities for the transition of not only our incoming 6th graders, but new 7th and 8th grade students joining Edison Middle School next year! Incoming 6th grade families, please note the Running Start information located in this newsletter. Running Start is a summer program geared to 6th grade students to prepare them for the transition to middle school. I highly encourage you to sign your student up for this program. It is great preparation for middle school, as well as a chance to meet other Edison Middle School students.
Testing season is upon us! In April, we will be taking the South Dakota State Assessment. Please see the schedule below. More details regarding the test will come prior to the testing dates.
Edison Middle School South Dakota State Assessment Schedule:
• April 19-23: 8th Grade Science in Science classrooms
• Monday, April 26: 9:00-11:00am Math (6th, 7th, and 8thgrades)
• Tuesday, April 27: 9:00-11:00am Math (6th, 7th, and 8thgrades)
• Wednesday, April 28: 9:00-11:00am English Language Arts (6th, 7th, and 8th grades)
• Thursday, April 29: 9:00-11:00am English Language Arts (6th, 7th, and 8th grades)
Virtual Academy students will take the assessments April 22-30. See previous email with further information and sign up for a time to take the assessment. VA Testing Signup Link
We begin our fourth quarter and are prepared to end the school year strong! Thank you for your continued diligence with our COVID-19 safety protocols. We look forward to the Spring, and completing the 20-21 school year with you!
Sincerely,
Amber Blume
Principal
March Student of the Month
6th Grade
Addisyn Anderson
Dena Tarrell
Lindsey Ohling
Autumn Bailey
Andrew Friez
Raelyn Sieler
7th Grade
Victoria Deng
Brooklyn Duffy
Madyson Jarrott
Kevin Figueroa Leal
Elwood Face Jr.
Keller Wagemann
8th Grade
Isabelle Knutson
Sasha VanVeldhuizen
Melisah Masah
Shawn Brovold
Ryder Syverson
Carson Hughes
News from the Counseling Office
Current 8th grade
PARENT INFORMATION: will be virtual this year due to COVID-19. Please check with your student’s high school for more information. The high school webpages will continue to update you with information regarding your future freshman so it is important to refer to this website:
Jefferson High School – https://www.sf.k12.sd.us/jefferson/home
Lincoln High School - https://www.lhscounseling.com/
Roosevelt High School – https://sites.google.com/k12.sd.us/sfroosevelt/home
Washington High School – http://www.whscounseling.com/
New Tech High School - https://www.sf.k12.sd.us/new-technology/home
Registration is now open for High School Summer School – check the link for classes and registration https://www.sf.k12.sd.us/schools/summer-school-high-school
Current 8th graders should strongly consider taking High School CONNECTIONS class! It is designed to assist students in making a smooth transition to high school by providing connections with math, reading, and writing skills. The class incorporates a variety of activities which provide students with an opportunity to improve their academic skills, as well as to familiarize them with their new high school, expectations, procedures, opportunities available, and organizations/clubs/activities. This is an excellent opportunity for students to get a head start as they enter high school.
Students who successfully complete the class will earn .50 elective credit toward their total high school credits.
The course will include math and language arts units which will help prepare students for high school. You can sign up here: https://www.sf.k12.sd.us/schools/summer-school-high-school
CTE Academy Information
For more information about CTE Academy please check out the website! There are several courses available to freshman second semester. https://www.sf.k12.sd.us/cte/departments
REGISTRATION is complete!
We have completed registering students for next year! All Edison students have registered for 7th, 8th or 9th grade! If you have questions regarding registration please contact your child’s school counselor.
WEB
The 7th grade teachers and WEB advisors will be in the process of selecting 7th grade students who would make great WEB leaders next year. WEB Leaders are positive role models who help make 6th graders more comfortable in middle school. They participate in various leadership activities throughout the year and must attend the mandatory training next August. WEB Coordinators will be talking to 7th grade pro-times on Tuesday, April 20th during pro-time. Students can apply online on the library home page, under Counseling Links by April 23rd!
Welcome to Edison 5th grade families!
It is hard to believe that soon we will be registering your child for middle school! Unfortunately, we are unable to have our wonderful parent sessions this year but we will provide you with important information regarding your child’s transition to Edison! Near the end of April, you will receive an email with several links for you and your child to go through. This will help answer any questions you might have. The Edison counselors will also be visiting Garfield, Lowell, Laura Wilder, JFK and Sonia Sotomayor the first week in May to give students a presentation and register for classes! Your child will get to choose if they want to register for Band, Orchestra, Chorus and/or Directed Studies.
WEB DAY!
ATTENTION - All Incoming 6th Graders
PLEASE join us… ON AUGUST 12th from 8:30 am – 11:30 at Edison
for 6th grade WEB Celebration and Orientation Day
All incoming 6th graders are strongly encouraged to attend this event! You will meet your WEB leaders and Pro-time (1st period) classmates!!
Wear casual clothes and be prepared to HAVE FUN! Games will be played, and tours given (and much more!!)
PARENTS please drop your child off at the North door parking lot off 29th street and pick them up at the same location!
* A snack will be provided
* Please no hats, bags, or anything valuable
WEB is a program in which 8th grade WEB leaders help incoming 6th graders make a smooth transition into middle school.
New to Edison as a 7th or 8th grader?
Students and parents are invited to an afternoon orientation on August 12th to learn about Edison and get a tour! More information to come!
Running Start
Use the following link to register online!
http://bit.ly/edisonrunningstart2021Edison Student Council
The goals of Edison’s Student Council are to build school spirit and pride, to assume responsibility as citizens in our school and community, and to promote a safe, caring environment.
Let’s Go Green Day – We raised $186.03 for the GFP pollinator plot at Sertoma.
GFP will be seeding a pollinator plot on the east prairie here in Sioux Falls at Sertoma Park. This is an approximately 7-acre piece of land on the east side of the park. They have done some soil preparation and plan to seed the area this spring. Our financial donation will be put towards purchasing seed. When you visit the park, you can see where the funds were spent and how our local flora and fauna benefitted.
Thank you to everyone who donated!
Bingo – If you or you know a local business that would be willing to donate prizes, please let Mrs. Sherard or Mrs. Carlson know.
We are planning to start BINGO on April 14. Every student in school will be given a BINGO card. If anyone wants to purchase another card, it will cost $1.00. The extra cards will be available in the counselor’s office. Money raised from extra cards sold will benefit local foster children.
Each day during PRO, we will announce 2 numbers that you can mark off your card. If you get BINGO, bring your card to the counselor’s office to receive your prize. Prizes so far include Dairy Queen gift cards, Amazon gift cards, and wireless speakers.
Pop tabs for the Ronald McDonald house. Please collect pop tabs and deliver them to room 144. These pop tabs are recycled and help support the Ronald McDonald house which provides a temporary home for families who have seriously ill children.
Next meeting date: April 13
Edison's PTO
WELCOME all incoming 6th graders and families. The Edison PTO would like to invite you to get involved in our organization. As an incoming 6th grade family, you will automatically become a member of the PTO, but we would love to have you (and current Edison parents and guardians) attend the next PTO meeting on April 21.
The Meeting ID is: 766 2166 3468
The Passcode is: 679743
We meet every 3rd Wednesday of the month. Join the Zoom and find out why Edison is such a great place to be!
We are so lucky to have such an amazing staff at Edison Middle School!
Wednesday, April 21st is Administrative Professionals Day and May 3-7th is Teacher Appreciation Week. You can mark these days for your children and family to do something special. The PTO is also making plans to commemorate the days. If you have an idea for how the PTO can celebrate these important days, please email us at: edisonsiouxfalls@gmail.com
Don't forget about AmazonSmile when shopping! Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of your purchase to the charitable organization of your choice. Just start your shopping at Amazon Smile and choose Edison Middle School of Sioux Falls.
Thanks from the PTO for all your support! :)
Go Cats!
PTO OFFICERS:
Co-Presidents: Nikki Schmaltz and Allison Pay Crawford
Treasurer: Kristina Sipma
Secretary: Katie Sumey
Book Fair: Karen Walters
Spiritwear: Mary Grandi-Koball
Contact us
edisonsiouxfalls@gmail.com
www.edisonsf.org
Edison Middle School on Facebook
For the latest info, past minutes of meetings and
budget information, visit our website at edisonsf.org.
Music Notes
**Important Concert Announcement -
The spring band, chorus, and orchestra concerts will be virtual. We will record our concerts during class and share them through Schoology, like we did for our first semester concerts. Information will be shared by your child’s director. The only in-person performances will be for some of our smaller groups and are shared in separate announcements below.
Musician of the Month~
Each month the band, orchestra, and chorus areas will each recognize a 6th, 7th, and 8th grader that shows exceptional dedication, responsibility, and character each and every day.
Musicians of the month for MARCH are:
Band: Leah Mannes & Griffin Downey (8) Chase Martin (7) Brody Nour (6)
Chorus: Lincoln Schumacher/Skylar Johnson (8) Victoria Deng/Emily Piper (7)
Abigail Eastman/Kacie Adler (6)
Orchestra: Lucas Douville (8) Lily Sheets (7) Alana DeBacker (6)
WELCOME 5th graders!!!!
We hope many of you 5th graders are considering signing up for BAND, CHORUS, and ORCHESTRA! These performance groups meet for one period every other day, during the school day. 5th graders can sign up for two of these groups in any combination: band/chorus, band/orchestra, or chorus/orchestra. If you sign up for one music group you will have Directed Studies on the opposite day. We hope you decide to participate in one or two of our music groups! Please contact any of the directors with questions. (Directors and their emails are listed below.)
Brio! Jazz Band & Wind Ensemble Concert April 13th!!
We will be having a LIVE Ensembles Concert on April 13th in the EMS Gym. Brio (orchestra) will perform at 6:30 followed by Wind Ensemble and Jazz Band at 7:00. This was the original date of our spring band concert, so we hope that there are no conflicting activities. Each family will be given 2 tickets, we will be sending those home with your student. We cannot allow any more than two people (this includes children) per family to attend. The concert will be recorded and posted to the student’s Schoology account at a later date.
Illuminations & Inventions Concert on May 7!!
On Friday, May 7, the Edison Illuminations & Inventions ensembles will perform the show they have been working on all year. The performance will be in the gym at 7 p.m. and singers should arrive by 6:30 p.m. We are required to allow a limited audience so we cannot open this performance up to the public. Ticket information will be shared with parents by the directors of the groups.
High School Band Auditions~
Students are not required to audition for band classes and marching band at the Sioux Falls public high schools; however, students may choose to audition for an upper level band class instead of the normal Freshman Band. Auditions for the most part are now finished for LHS, so if there is a problem, please contact Mr. Rygg. Audition music for Roosevelt and Washington is available, so interested students should obtain that music as soon as possible. Students are encouraged to get help on their music in private lessons or from Mr. Rygg/Mrs. Gage.
Private Lessons~
Now is a great time of year to consider starting private lessons on your instrument/voice. Individual lessons with a skilled teacher are a great way to learn, grow, and excel as a musician. The private lesson list can be found on the Edison Music Dept. website at http://emsmusicdept.weebly.com/private-instructors-list.html
Cleaning Your Closets?
The Sioux Falls School District is always on the lookout for donations of gently-used band and orchestra instruments. Given our funding challenges, this is a great way to increase our instrument supply and allow more students to play in band and orchestra. Please contact Mrs. Sip or Mr. Rygg for more information.
Edison Music Department Website~
The Edison Music Department has a website! Refer to this website for information and dates.
http://emsmusicdept.weebly.com/
“Like” us on Facebook!~
Edison Music Department has a Facebook page! This page will be used for informational purposes only. You can check concert dates, rehearsal dates, practicing tips, etc. on our page. We will NOT have any pictures of students posted, it will strictly be used for getting information out to you!
The page is: www.facebook.com/EMSMusicDept
There are other Edison schools out there so check before you “like” our site!
Band directors-
- Jason Rygg - Jason.Rygg@k12.sd.us
- Holly Gage - Holly.Gage@k12.sd.us
Chorus directors-
- Amber Sundvold - Amber.Sundvold@k12.sd.us
- Mollie Weflen - Mollie.Weflen@k12.sd.us
Orchestra directors-
- Stacy Sip - Stacy.Sip@k12.sd.us
- Shannon Abels - Shannon.Abels@k12.sd.us
“I don't sing because I'm happy; I'm happy because I sing.” - William James
Library News
The library will once again be doing Food for Fines in honor of National Library Week, April 5th-9th. Students that owe money for lost or damaged books can reduce or erase their fines by bringing nonperishable food items to the library anytime between April 5th and the 9th. One food item equals one dollar off a fine. This is a limited time offer. No food will be accepted after Friday April 9th.
Gifted Education
PI Day Champions
National History Day Competition
National History Day Competition Winners
Congratulations to the following 6th and 8th grade Honors students. Their National History Day (NHD) projects won at the NHD Regional Competition and will advance to the NHD South Dakota State Contest. This year’s theme was Communication in History: The Key to Understanding. We are excited for them to represent Edison and we wish them the best luck at State!
Performances:
* “Compton's Cafeteria And The Development Of Trans Rights” - Jenna Cwach, Kaylee Ford, Ava Johnson, and Elizabeth Spencer
Papers:
*“43°51’58”N 103°31’54”W: Communications from Prejudice to
Equality” - Sarah Ulin
Websites:
* “Rosie the Riveter” - Annika Kvale and Vanessa Ung
Documentaries:
* “The Code Breakers in the Battle of Midway” - Hayes Petersen, Quinton Hollan, and Liam Nielson
* “Project Nim: How Two Species Redefined Communication” - Sara Newitt
* “1968 Fair Housing Act: How a Miscommunication Failed to Desegregate America” - Hannah Basel, Marjorie Carazo Ruiz, Jacob Pagone, and Katya Surendran
Exhibits:
* “White Rose Resistance Group that Defied Hitler” - Joslynn Herrera, Kacie Adler, Sage Gripkey, and Saphera Reid
* “Singing to Freedom”- Leah Mannes, Olivia Raveling, and Scarlett Petesrson
Athletic Information
EDISON ATHLETICS
SPRING – a great time of the year. Track practices have begun. We have over 175 seventh & eighth graders participating this year. That is an EXTREMELY EXCITING NUMBER OF STUDENTS TO HAVE REPRESENTING EDISON.
COVID Guidelines will be adhered to. Each participant has received two spectator wristbands. Anyone who attends the meets must have one of the wristbands…one of which must be a parent/guardian. Any siblings must have a wristband and they must sit/stand with their parent/guardian.
Your son/daughter should have received their spectator wristbands on Thursday, April 8th. Please check with them – if you have not seen them. Remember, they can NOT be replaced.
Looking ahead to our first competition, there are COVID Guidelines for attending all middle school track meets. At Howard Wood Field, spectators will enter the stadium through the ticket booth area on the southeast side of the field and will be seated on the Press Box side of the bleachers. Athletes will enter on the north side of the stadium and their “Team Box” area will be on the bleaches across from the Press Box.
When attending field events at each of the middle schools, there will be unique spectator viewing areas. For example, at Edison, when watching the shot put and/or high jump on the north end of the field; spectators will be expected to stay “outside of the fence”. When watching the long jump, on the south side of the field; spectators will be expected to stay on the south side of the track – away from the competitors. Lastly, we are still thinking through some possibilities when it comes to spectator viewing areas when watching the discus competition on the north side of Edison Middle School.
Thank you in advance for helping us have a safe, healthy, and successful track and field season.
“GO CATS!!!!”
Lincoln High School Golf
Girls living in Lincoln High boundaries for 21-22 school year and interested in participating in Girl’s Golf can use the following link to sign up.
***Students will still receive free breakfast and lunch for the remainder of the school year. Ala Carte items will be at an additional charge***
Box Tops!
YOU CAN SCAN ANY RECEIPT FROM PLACES LIKE TARGET, WALMART, HY-VEE, SAMS, COSTCO, ETC. AND IT WILL TELL YOU IF YOU HAVE ANY BOX TOPS ITEMS!!!
Contact us
Email: SFSDEdisonOffice@k12.sd.us
Website: https://www.sf.k12.sd.us/edison/home
Location: 2101 South West Avenue, Sioux Falls, SD, USA
Phone: 605-367-7643
Facebook: facebook.com/WeAreTheCats
Twitter: @EdisonCats