South Middle School
Est. 1932...The Spartan tradition continues
JANUARY 2020
Best Wishes in 2020!
Dear Parent(s) and Guardian(s),
The Sunrise Dance on Friday, December 20th was a success, thanks to our South Physical Education teachers, Mrs. Samantha Tighe, Mr. Randy Votava, Mr. Brian Halvorson and Mrs. Lisa Sinjem. The PE teachers prepared our students to line dance in PE classes leading up to the Sunrise Dance and decorated the South Gym with holiday lights. The highlight of the morning was the all-student “Flash Mob” for the staff.
Our theme for December was caring, so thank you to our students, staff and parents for their donations to the all-school food drive and a pajama drive.
January marks the midpoint of the school year on January 15th and the start of the girls and boys basketball season. Please check out the rest of this newsletter for more important reminders and information.
Happy New Year!
Dr. Joel Schleicher, Principal
EL Parent Meeting
Thursday, Jan 9, 2020, 04:00 PM
South Middle School
PTO Family Game Night
DISTRICT CALLING SYSTEM
The GF District uses an automated calling system to notify our parents whenever school is delayed or cancelled due to severe weather conditions. The automated call will occur between 6:30 – 7:00 a.m.
In the event of a two-hour delay, there would be no early morning music classes or athletic practices. Buses would run two hours later. Prime Time classes would start at 10:40 a.m.
SOUTH GEOGRAPHY BEE
Congratulations to our more than 30 South students who have advanced to the second and final round of South's Geography Bee. The final competition will be held on Wednesday, January 22, starting at 3:45 p.m. in Rm. 402. Parents and families are welcome to attend this competition! Best Wishes to all of our contestants!
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 December!
- Auroras 6: Ella Nelson and Aiden Graber
- Comets 6: Lila Jackson and Eddie Bartholomew
- Rockets 6: Marion Woolery and Julian Mallory
- Challenger 7: Preslie Gierszewski and Devon Anderson
- Discovery 7: Najma Mohamed and Blake Riedy
- Explorer 8: Selena Wu and Landyn Nelson
- Voyageur 8: Ryleigh Kindelspire and Rekesh Rai
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.
DECEMBER
- Grade 6: Ella Speidel and Kolby Koerner
- Grade 7: Maria Benavidez and Asa Berberich
- Grade 8: Sundus Hirsi and Trevor Anderson
THOR’s THOUGHTS
Hello South Spartan Families:
I hope everyone had a nice holiday break, and got to spend quality time with their loved ones. Having long periods of time with our families can be a blessing, but it can also generate conflict and stress. In Law Enforcement, we often see increases in calls for service involving domestic disturbances and unruly juveniles during our cold winter months. This can often be attributed to the fact that we can become “stuck” inside when our temperatures drop below zero. I wish I could tell you that our weather is going to cooperate with us, and an early spring is on the way….but I won’t lie. Instead, I thought it would be helpful to provide some tips on surviving teenage hormone swings, when your home doesn’t seem to be big enough. I have dealt with countless situations involving child/parent disturbances, but I am not an expert on the matter. Instead of just giving my two cents, I found a very helpful website: https://www.helpguide.org/articles/parenting-family/helping-troubled-teens.htm.
Here is the reader’s digest version, for those who don’t want to follow the link:
- Find ways to connect with your teen. It might seem hard to believe, but teens still crave love, approval and acceptance from their parents/guardians.
- Find ways to deal with your teen’s anger and violence. Establish boundaries, rules and consequences. Try to understand what is behind the anger. Be aware of anger warning signs and triggers. Help your teen find a heathy way to relieve anger. Give your teen space to retreat. Take steps to manage your own anger.
- Recognize the signs of teen depression. Indicators includes: problems at school, running away, drug and alcohol abuse, low self-esteem, smartphone addiction, reckless behavior and violence.
- Add balance to your teen’s life. Create structure, reduce screen time, encourage exercise, eat right and ensure your teen gets enough sleep.
- TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF!!! Take time to relax daily, talk it over, don’t go it alone (especially if you are a single parent), and remember your other children.
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!
Cpl. Jessica Thorlacius aka Officer Thor
School Resource Officer
MUSIC NOTES
South Band:
The High School bands and Myra Jazz Arts Band will perform on January 30. The Myra Jazz Arts Band is comprised of local educators and musicians to play as a back-up band featuring our guest artists. Our clinicians and soloists are Earl MacDonald on piano, who is a Winnipeg, Manitoba native and presently the Director of Jazz Studies at the University of Connecticut. Jon Gordon on Alto Sax is a native New Yorker and has performed in many New York City renowned jazz clubs. He currently resides in Winnipeg, Manitoba and serves as an associate professor of Jazz Saxophone at the University of Manitoba while maintaining a heavy presence in the NYC jazz scene. Our South jazz students will be attending this performance to hear authentic jazz performed by some of the very best professional jazz soloists. The concert will be held at 1:00 pm on January 30 in the Red River High School Performing Arts Auditorium and is open to the public.
South Choir All-State Honors:
Congratulations to Brooke McCarthy, Nivanthi Wijetunga, and Ashlyn Pinard (alternate) who were named to the ND All-State Honor Choir. They will participate in the ACDA All-State Choir Festival in Grand Forks In February. Great Job!
South Orchestra All-State Honors:
Congratulations to the following South students who were named to the State Middle Level Honors Orchestra 2020: Gr. 8 = Morgan Hartze; Gr. 7 = Sheigh Panos, Kai Pasch, Jack Stevens. State Honors Orchestra will take place during the weekend of January 31-February 1 in Devils Lake.
All City Orchestra Concert:
The annual All City Orchestra Concert will take place on Thursday, January 23 at 7:00pm, with guests Simply Three! MS orchestra students will rehearse from 9:00-2:00 at RRHS. Please call 746-2411 for ticket reservations.
The 6th Grade Choir began in October under the direction of Mrs. Becky Mercer. Choir practice is being held on Tuesdays in the General Music classroom from 3:35-4:20 p.m.
The South Middle School music department always welcomes the donation of instruments and old lesson books. The music department also collects General Mills Box Tops.
SOUTH SPIRIT WEEK - Deek's Pizza Fundraiser
DISCOVERY DAY: D-Day
It’s coming…South’s annual Discovery Day, our all-school activity event, will be held on Friday, February 21! The D-Day booklet, describing the variety of activities will be available soon.
As part of our South Spartan Code of Honor, respectful and responsible behavior towards self, others, and school will earn students the opportunity to participate in this exploratory day of various activities. Over the years, our South students have earned a reputation of being respectful participants at the various venues in the community and at school. This all-school activity day is considered a regular school day and attendance counts. More Information on D-Day will be available on our South Webpage. If you have any questions about D-Day, please call the school office at 746-2345.
Gr. 8 Red River HS Parent Registration Meeting
The Red River High School Registration Meeting for our eighth grade students and parents will be held on Monday, February 10, at 7:00 p.m. in the South Cafetorium. RR staff members will explain the ninth grade course options. On Thursday, February 13, the RR counselors will be at South to complete the registration process with our eighth graders.