October Newsletter 2020
Memorial Middle School
Note from the Principal
Dear Memorial Middle School Parents,
Memorial will be conducting virtual fall conferences on Tuesday, October 6th and Thursday, October 8th in 15 minute time periods from 4:15 to 8:15 p.m. Parent teacher conferences are a great time for teachers and parents to connect. These short, virtual conversations will allow teachers to share student’s academic progress and for parents to share information about the student’s strengths, needs, and learning styles.Teachers have sent communication to parents regarding each student’s conference date and time. Please contact the Memorial School Office at (605) 362-2785 with your questions about conferences.
Students completed the fall MAP Growth Assessment in Reading, Math, and Language Usage. Please note that teachers will send home a paper copy of the MAP Assessment results with students on Friday, October 2nd or Monday, October 5th. Please use this link to access additional information about the assessment and results:
· Parent’s Guide to MAP Growth: http://bit.ly/2zqYiRa
On October 19th, Memorial Middle School will be kicking off our annual Butter Braid school wide fundraiser. The money raised will be used to positively impact students and enhance instruction within their classrooms. Students will bring home a Butter Braid sales form on Monday, October 19th. The last day of sales will be Monday, November 2nd, and Butter Braids will be delivered to school for pick up on Monday, November 16th.
We thank you for all that you do to support your children and Memorial Middle School. Again, we look forward to our conversations at fall parent teacher conferences.
Sincerely,
Nancy Hagen, Principal
Memorial Middle School
Memorial Middle School thanks American Bank & Trust for their generous gift of 260 masks for our students! An extra special thank you to Mr. Verhey from American Bank & Trust for delivering these masks to us!
Memorial Administrative Assistants
As Administrative Assistants these individuals organize, assist, plan, solve, simplify, and coordinate multiple things each day at Memorial all with a smile on their face! We deeply appreciate their commitment to students and their dedication to our entire Memorial Community.
September Student of the Month
Mackenzie Baker
Jack Zinter
Harper Hoffman
Benjamin Hewitt
Olivia Farnsworth
Samuel Odland
Alaina Lammers
Landen Madsen
Lyla Wittrup
Noah Lamb
Ava Gintvainis
Alex VandenHeuvel
Hayva Larson
Alexzander Godes
Megan Buck
Brody Hoeck
Nardos Meshessha
Bode Bonsor
Counselor Connections
MMS Counseling Office: 605-362-2789
Renae Halde 6th grade
Alex Dobbs 7th grade
Kerri Andela 8th grade
Social Media is a constant topic of concern for our youth. The use of technology is high as students are at home and in-person social distancing. The main concern is how social media is affecting the mental health of young teens.
Lower self-esteem, rate of happiness, and life satisfaction : as hours of screen time on smartphones, laptops, and other devices increase, the above decreases
Lack of quality sleep : excessive screen time erodes the ability of good sleep, which then negatively affects one's mental health
Negative interactions on social media can often lead to self-harm in teens or negative self-talk to oneself.
For adolescents today, who have not known a world without social media, digital interactions are the norm. They use various apps and platforms to interact with their “peers.”
TikTok : biggest concern is all accounts are default set to “PUBLIC”
Snapchat : unless screenshot is taken, image/message disappears allowing for inappropriate conversations and photos to be shared
Instagram : make sure child’s location is BLOCKED, so they cannot be located by users
Houseparty: no screening and video is live. There is no feature from keeping friends of friends from joining the group
App to Help Monitor Child's Screen Time and Activity
Bark App ($14/month)
Monitor your child’s texts, email, YouTube, and 30 plus other apps that are on the device. Monitors for signs of sexting, cyberbullying, thoughts of suicide and depression, potential drug use, and online preditors.
Qustudio (free)
Allows you to monitor texts and social media posts. One can also block contacts from specific phone numbers
CDC Covid-19 Guidelines
Potential School Status Changes
Modified On-Campus
Lifetouch Picture Retakes will be on Tuesday, October 20th
Contact Us
Office Hours are 7:30 am to 4:30 pm (Monday - Friday)
After Hours: (605) 362-2792
- Press 1 for attendance
- Press 2 to leave a message
Cafeteria: (605) 362-2799
Counseling Office: (605) 362-2789
After School Program: (605) 370-9649
Website: http://www.sf.k12.sd.us/memorial/home
Location: Memorial Middle School, 1401 S Sertoma Ave, Sioux Falls, SD 57106, USA
Phone: (605) 362-2785
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MemorialMSSF/
Twitter: @MemorialMSSF