South Middle School
Est. 1932...The Spartan tradition continues
March 2020
Dear Parent(s) and Guardian(s),
Congratulations to members of South’s VEX Robotics Team who have qualified for the VEX Robotics World Championship in Louisville, Kentucky. Outstanding job to the qualifying students and all students who participated in the VEX Robotics Team this year. See the photo and information in this newsletter.
Spring is always a busy time of year for schools, as well as for families. Parent-Teacher Conferences will be held on Thursday, March 5 and Tuesday, March 10 as we approach the end of Quarter 3 on Tuesday, March 24. The 2020 NDSA (North Dakota Student Assessments) in math and reading will be given to all students during the last week in March and first week in April. Our Choir Concert with students in grades 6-8 will take place on March 9 and mark your calendars for South's Spring Musical, Lion King Jr., on Tuesday, March 31 and Thursday, April 2. More information and details for each of these upcoming events can be found in the newsletter.
Sincerely,
Dr. Joel Schleicher, Principal
Parent-Teacher Conferences
· Thursday, March 5, 4:00 – 7:00 p.m.
· Tuesday, March 10, 4:00 – 7:00 p.m.
Directions to sign up: Click the Scheduling Conferences button below
6th grade parents: please sign up for one 10 minute conference appointment with your student’s reading teacher only. Conferences will be held in that teacher’s classroom.
7th and 8th grade parents: please sign up for one 10 minute conference appointment with your student’s team. Pick ONE 10-minute slot. More information about conference locations will be in the team’s hallway on the day of your appointment.
When you sign up, please leave your student’s name in the comment space.
Conference Meal Sign Up
PTO is looking for volunteers to bring food items for the teachers on the nights of March 5th and March 10th parent teacher conferences. Just click on the link below to sign-up for this event.
https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/10c0c49aeab2ca5fa7-parent
Cross Country Skiing and Snow-Shoeing
their physical education classes during the weeks of March 2 - March 13, 2020. Depending on
weather, your student will go out at least twice during that two week time period. Students
MUST have the following clothing available at school for physical education class during that
entire time period:
-Gloves
-Winter Jacket
-Snow pants OR extra sweat pants to wear over top of regular clothes
receive participation points for that day. Please contact your student’s physical education teacher with any questions or concerns.
Mr. Halvorson
Mrs. Tighe
State Testing in Math and ELA
2020 NDSA TESTS: The North Dakota State Assessments (NDSA) in math and ELA (English/Language Arts) will be given to all students in grades six, seven, and eight on the following days: Math = March 25 and March 26; ELA = April 1 and April 3. On the days of the state tests, students are encouraged to have a good night’s sleep and to eat a healthy breakfast.
STUDENTS OF HONOR
Each month, teams select a boy and girl who exemplify the Spartan Code of Honor: Respect Self, Respect Others, Respect School and are positive role models. These students are given a Spartan Code of Honor T-Shirt, and their picture is taken for the display case by the office.
Congratulations to the following students for being chosen as our Students of Honor for the month of February!
- Auroras 6: Abraham Tussler and Madeline Look
- Comets 6: Gage Baldock and Greta Boen
- Rockets 6: Jarrett Jonasson and Ahva Gamliel
- Challenger 7: Tighe Hrabchak and Daryn Daku
- Discovery 7: Ishaan Aryal and Aspen Coss
- Explorer 8: Zachary Oehlke and Jocelyn Schiller
- Voyageur 8: Seth Fontaine and Dana Chahal
Book Fair
Library Media Center
Mar. 3 - Mar. 11
Thank you for visiting our homepage! Every purchase from the book fair earns rewards for our school. Please stop by the fair or order online.
South Spartan Clothing
If you are interested in purchasing “South Spartan” clothing, please use the web address below to order and pay online. The deadline to order is March 15th with product delivery to South Middle School around April 1st. The company that we are going through is Probitas Promotions.
https://probitasstore.com/southapparel/
If you have questions please contact Mr. Votava
SUPERNOVA
Students of Character
Congratulations to the following students for being chosen as “Students of Character” by the Supernova, allied arts, teachers. All of these young adults have shown a respectful and trusting attitude. They are also very helpful, kind, and fair toward their peers and teachers. Their photos are displayed near the front entrance of the school to recognize these wonderful achievements. The students will also receive a coupon for an a la carte item.
FEBRUARY
- Grade 6: Abby Boe and Theodore Sandberg
- Grade 7: Madison Hess and David Galdamez
- Grade 8: Makenzie Wavra and Rekesh Rai
Congratulations to Our Math Students!
GF County Spelling Bee Championship!
Congratulations to our South students who competed in the GF County Spelling Bee on February 28. Eighth graders, Selena Wu and Owen Hull, and Becca Sather as alternate competed in the 7th-8th grade category. Both Selena and Owen advanced to the Final Four Oral Spell-down. Pictured below are Selena, Owen and Becca.
VEX EDR Robotics Champions!
State STEM Project Champions
Congratulations to South’s team for winning 1st place in the State STEM project competition held at Red River HS on Saturday, February 22! Members of South’s first place team include Gavin Omdahl, Adam Lindblad, Sam Wu, Selena Wu and Zach Martin. We are very proud of our students’ outstanding achievement! The South team advances to the VEX IQ World Robotics Tournament held in Louisville, Kentucky held on April 26th - 28th.
Gavin Omdahl, Adam Lindblad, Sam Wu and Selena Wu. Not pictured: Zach Martin
Hello South Spartan Families,
A topic that I often discuss with students is what I refer to as “cyber bullying.” One recent change I have made in this conversation with students is adjusting the use of the term “bullying.” You might wonder why this is important, or necessary. What I often see does not fit our definition of “bullying.” For someone to be considered a bully, they need to have more power over the other person, and it needs to happen more than once. Most of the issues that I become involved in are what we refer to as conflicts. They occur between students that have equal power, and they only occur one time.
Since students are educated so heavily on “bullying,” they all could probably recite the definition by heart. What they often miss, is the fact that conflicts need to be avoided too. When students have the comfort of their screen in front of them, they become empowered to say things that they would never say to someone’s face. Adults can also be guilty of this! As humans, it is natural to avoid conflict with someone face to face. With the safety net of our devices, we feel empowered to say what we really feel. My advice for students (and parents) is to remember that once we hit send, we can’t take it back. I encourage students to think about what their mother/father/grandparents/etc. would think if they saw the message. If they don’t want their guardian to see the message, then they shouldn’t be sending it.
As parents/guardians, remember that you hold the power over their devices. You have full authority to look at everything on their device, and monitor what they are posting/chatting/etc. Think about creating a contract with your student, so they know their boundaries with their devices. Most devices also have the ability to set time limits and remotely shut them off, so learn how to have control over your child’s device. Students regularly tell me that they wouldn’t tell their parents if someone was saying something harmful to them on-line, as they don’t want their devices to be taken away. Most incidents are discovered by parents that are doing their due diligence, and checking their child’s device. Have you checked your student’s phone lately?
As always, if you ever have questions, concerns or ideas for me, please don’t hesitate to contact me. My cell number is 701-740-8079 and my email address is jthorlacius150@mygfschools.org. Thank you for letting me be a part of your students life!
Officer Thor
Additional Resources: I am not expert on this subject – I have just gained a lot of experience over the years. I found these helpful articles, which contain some additional information.
https://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-apps-to-manage-your-kids-phone/
The Lion King, Jr
All South 7th and 8th grade students are invited to participate as cast or tech crew. Practices for all begin Monday, Feb 17 after school from 3:30 -5:00 p.m. in the choir room. The full rehearsal schedule and registration form will be available in the office and from Mrs. Black Erickson. The activity fee is $50 with checks made payable to GFPS. You may also pay your activity fee online through myschoolbucks at https://www.myschoolbucks.com/ver2/login/getmain?requestAction=home.
Contact Mrs. Black Erickson at ablack110@mygfschools.org with any questions.
MUSIC NOTES
Band: Congratulations to eighth grader Nivanthi Wijetunga, who will participate in the North Dakota Middle School Band Festival in Mandan on March 13 and 14. She was one of 90 musicians selected out of 369 who auditioned across the state. Bravo, Nivanthi!
Choir: Congratulations to eighth grader Nivanthi Wijetunga, seventh grader Brooke Noffsinger, and eighth grader Ashlyn Pinard, as an alternate, for being named to the 2020 North Dakota American Choral Director’s Association Honor Choir held in Grand Forks on February 7 and 8. Mrs. Angie Black Erickson is the Choir Director. Great Job!
Orchestra: Congratulations to the following students who participated in the State Middle Level Honors Orchestra 2020: Gr. 8 = Morgan Hartze; Gr. 7 = Sheigh Panos, Kai Pasch, Jack Stevens. The all-state event was held in Devils Lake during the weekend of January 31-Feb 1. Mrs. Rebecca McFarlane is the Orchestra Director. Super Job to our musicians!
Summer School 2020
Registration Window: January 10th to May 15th, 2020
- Middle School Students wanting to enroll in Global Education should use the high school registration link.
- Applications received after the May 15th are not guaranteed to be placed
- Enrollment in classes is limited, therefore, register early for a desired class.
- Classes will be offered with sufficient enrollment of students (at least 15- High School).
Middle School Registration Link (Opens April 1st)
High School Registration Link
School Social Worker Corner
Hello South Families!
In addition to March being National Social Work Month, March 1-7, 2020 is National School Social Work Week. We are so fortunate in the GFPS to have 12 passionate school social workers serving our 18 campuses! Day to day you can find us collaborating with our school teams, providing evidence-based interventions for students, managing crises, and helping families remove barriers so their children can receive an education (among many other things!). School social workers in the Grand Forks Public Schools are trained mental health professionals with a degree in social work and licensed through the state of ND. We provide services related to a person's social, emotional and life adjustment to school and/or society, as well as provide consultation to school staff regarding child welfare matters. School social workers are the link between the home, school, and community in providing direct as well as indirect services to students, families and school personnel to promote and support students' academic and social success. Take a look around our school social work webpage on the GFPS website: Social Work Program / Social Work Program.
The school social workers also collaborate frequently with the many other mental health professionals in the district to aid in student well-being and mental health care. You can find our school district’s mental health hub here: Families / Mental Health Hub. Please take a few minutes to look through the information and resources provided; there is plenty of information for parents that can help you to help your student’s overall well-being. I’d like to inform you of an exciting kick-off event happening this month! Mental Health Matters is a community collaborative that is promoting resilience, strength, and emotional well-being for people in the Grand Forks community through education and collaboration to increase awareness and access to mental health resources.
Heather Skogen, LBSW
South PTO Fundraiser
Taco John's is sponsoring a Community Impact Night on Thursday, March 5th for 6th grade, Thursday, March 19th for 7th grade and Thursday, April 2nd for 8th grade! South will receive a percentage (50%) of the sales on these days. This is an easy way to help PTO provide classroom materials, field trips and supplies for our school.