Sparta School District
March 2018
HOME OF THE TROJANS
Empower all students to be lifetime learners who are responsible, productive citizens in a changing, global society.
Email: enews@sparta.k12.mo.us
Website: www.sparta.k12.mo.us
Location: 217 Division Street, Sparta, MO, USA
Phone: 417-634-4284
KINDNESS WEEK
FIRST GRADE MUSICAL
COX HEALTH DIRECT CONNECT
Basketball Winds Down
It has been a busy and productive year thus far for our young student-athletes and coaches. It all began with our PK-2nd grade basketball league back in November. After they finished up, 3rd-6th grade basketball took over in January. These teams represented Sparta very well during regular-season games as well as in tournaments. We are very proud of all these student-athletes! A very big thank you goes out to all of our coaches, officials, scorekeepers, gatekeepers, concession workers, custodians and parents who have helped make this youth basketball season a success!
It’s rewarding to see the excitement around our youth athletic program. We're looking forward to what the future holds for this program and the opportunities it provides our student-athletes.
FIRST YEAR FOR YOUTH VOLLEYBALL
BASEBALL, SOFTBALL & T-BALL REGISTRATION NOW OPEN
As the weather warms and the grass starts to grow, we turn our attention to spring and summer outdoor sports. That’s right, baseball, softball and t-ball are right around the corner. Registration for these sports is NOW! Information and registration forms went home with students in PK-6th grade starting last Friday (Mar 2). These forms are due back March 21st.
MATHLETES 2018
Sparta Middle School students competed in a mathematics competition in Billings on March 5. Our students placed 2nd overall, and individual honors went to Gage Wigton (3rd in 7th grade math) and Shayln Morris (2nd in the 8th grade algebra). Others that took part were Carson Ball, Anthony Wilson, Hudson Kissee, William Nichols, Payton Beeler, William Brooks, Gracie Ramos and Zane Wigton.
TWAIN & TRUMAN READING PROGRAMS
Fifty Sparta Middle School students participated in the Twain and Truman reading programs this school year. Twenty of these 50 students have read the required number of books to be invited into the library for a pizza and voting party on Friday, March 9th. Congratulations to these students who have put forth effort to read!
MAKERSPACE CLUB
Makerspace Club is finishing up the year with second round of Junk Box Wars. These 5th through 8th grade students have been challenged to engineer bridges from boxes of junk that can span a distance and bear the load of Ollie robots. This week their designs will be put to the test!
ARCHERY
HOW DOES YOUR GARDEN GROW?
The seventh grade world hunger PBL unit is underway at Sparta Middle School as a collaborative effort between Ms. Johnson’s social studies classes and Mr. Jessen’s science classes. Projects range from school gardens to student-designed apps to a hygiene bus that could serve our community. Students are gaining real-world problem-solving skills in this unit that will be showcased in Shark Tank-style presentations on March 22nd.
SWCL MUSIC & MATH CONTESTS
MUSIC CONTEST
The Choir received a 2 (Outstanding) rating, and Kacey Pearman and Mikayela Stutesman each received a 1 (Exemplary) on their solos.
The 8th Grade/HS Band received a 1 (Exemplary) rating, and Alliah Adams-Smith, Amber Gibbs, Cody Browning and Julia Scherer all received I (Exemplary) on their solos.
Congratulations! Mrs. Nichols & Ms. Ray are extremely proud of all the performances.
MATH CONTEST
On March 5th Billings High School hosted the SWCL math contest. Ten middle school students and 8 high school students participated. Each test consisted of 20 questions and students were given 30 minutes for each test. The results were as follows: Gage Wigton finished in 3rd place for the 7th grade, Shayln Morris finished in 2nd place for the 8th grade algebra, the middle school team finished 2nd place overall and Julia Scherer finished 2nd place in algebra II. This was a great experience for all those involved, and students are looking forward to next year's competition.
FRESHMEN ELA
GATEWAY READING
LOCAL AUTHORS DISCUSS WWII
Dennis Naber, whose father was also a Silver Star recipient, presented to our students as well. He does Civil War and WWII reenactments. It was an honor to hear from both of these community members who made history come alive by sharing stories about their heroic loved ones.
Character Kids
Students from left to right- Bottom Row- Riley Johns, Cole Harris, Alan Gonzalez, Liam Lapthorne, Ty Sherman, Ileigh Butler, Elynn Lowery, Bentlee Roberts. Second row- Harmony Rogers, Avery Finny, Ardyn Makhdoom, Katelyn Edwards, Savannah Clark, Eli Brynildson, Paisley Phillips, Aiden Weter. Top row- Wyatt Tackitt, Jace Davis, Evan White, Sicily Cole, Lily Applegate, Payton Taylor, Kahlen Humble, and Tyler Apple
ART SHOW
“When we strive to become better than what we are, everything around us becomes better, too.”
The quote above has been a goal for curriculum, instruction and assessment during the 2017-18 school year. Throughout our curriculum process, we continue to look for ways to improve what we are currently doing as a result of data we have collected through assessments. I am excited about the course descriptions being discussed and the growth of opportunities made with our assessments. We have increased rigor and aligned to proficiency scales to provide us with more accurate and valid results of concept mastery.
Summer School
It’s about that time again! Be on the lookout as we begin to share details for summer school shortly after spring break! We are going to be providing many different projects for students K-8 to choose from and a variety of online opportunities for our students 9-12. We will be offering incentives for enrollment and prizes throughout. You will be receiving information about enrollment and courses offered by the beginning of April. We hope you join us as we experience a fun summer of learning!