Weekly Spartan Blog, February 25-March 1, 2013

Spartan PRIDE

Supporting our school community core values.

Planning for 2013-14
 

It is the time of the year when we start planning for next school year.  Planning includes student registration for classes, development of the master schedule and other steps to ensure we have programming in place for our students.  Parents may wonder how students are placed in classrooms or teams.  As a staff we fully understand the importance of assigning students to homeroom teachers and teams and that endeavor is taken very seriously.  Grade level teams, special education staff, counselors and specialists work diligently to develop the schedule.  The goal of the placement process is to create heterogeneous class units.  This requires balancing the unique needs of each child with the overall school need for cohesive homeroom and classroom sections.  We believe that if we are successful in creating equal homeroom situations, all students in each class will have the best chance for learning and success.  

In early spring, staff begins to develop the school’s schedule for the 2013-14 school year.  If you feel your child has an educational need which should be considered when we place students, please stop by the middle school office to pick up and complete a Request for Specific Learning Environment form.  The form must be returned to the office stating this need by April 23, 2013.  Due to retirements and change in staff assignments, your request should be focused on educational need rather than a specific teaching team.  Only requests focused on educational need will be considered.  

 Community Event:

"How underage drinking effects YOU"

 An Informational Forum About Underage Drinking in Spearfish/the Black Hills"

What: Hear from South Dakota native Joyce Glynn as she discusses her personal experience of underage drinking and how her role in introducing a Social Host law is impacting underage drinking in South Dakota. The panel will also feature representatives from the Spearfish Police Department, an insurance company representative, and a judge, who will discuss the implications of providing a place for youth to drink alcohol and/or allowing youth to drink elsewhere. A representative from the Lawrence County District Attorney's Office will also be on hand to answer your questions. Information will be presented on the underage drinking problem in Spearfish as well as what changes you can make!

When: Tuesday, March 19th @ 5:30 pm

Where: Spearfish City Hall - Council Chambers

Who: Open to the public

Cost: FREE

Why: Take this opportunity to learn about underage drinking in our community, how we can make our community a safer place for our youth, the effects of a social host law, and voice your opinion and ask questions regarding these topics.

Sponsored by the Spearfish Community Coalition

For questions, please contact Nancy Wietgrefe @ 642-5198 or rsvp@bhsu.edu to learn more.

THE SPEARFISH SCHOOL DISTRICT NEITHER ENDORSES NOR SPONSORS THE ORGANIZATION OR ACTIVITY REPRESENTED IN THIS DOCUMENT. THE DISTRIBUTION OF THIS MATERIAL IS PROVIDED AS A COMMUNITY SERVICE.

Spearfish Middle School

Weekly Faculty Bulletin

February 25 – March 1, 2013

“Empowering all students to succeed in a changing world.”

• Preparedness  • Respect  • Integrity  • Determination  • Excellence     

1)      3^rd Trimester Begins, Monday, Feb. 25, 2013

2)     2^nd Trimester Grades are due by 3:30 on Monday, February 25th.

3)     6-8 CC ELA meeting, Monday, Feb. 25^th,  3:20-4:00 p.m. in the SMS Library

4)     Scheduling Meeting, Feb. 26 at 3:20 p.m. in the SMS Conference Room.

Note:  Teams need to discuss the possible structural changes defined in the Feb. 12^th scheduling minutes prior the next scheduling meeting scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 26^th

5)     Building Leadership Team Mtg. (Cancelled due to scheduling conflict), 3:15-4:30 p.m. in SMS Library

6)     Team Leader Meeting, Thursday, Feb. 28^th, 7:30 a.m. in Conf. rm.

7)     6^th Grade Transition Planning Mtg,  Thursday, Feb. 28^th, 1 p.m. in 6^th gr. TPC

8)     8^th Grade Dance, Friday, March 1, 5-7 p.m. in the commons

                                                                               

Upcoming Activities: March 4                                Parents as Partners, 6-7 p.m. in the SMS Library March 5                                Scheduling Meeting, 3:20 p.m. in the SMS Conf. Rm. March 6                                2 p.m. Early Release (K-12 Curriculum) March 6                                Spring Track Meeting for athletes and parents, 6-7 p.m. in the SMS Gym March 7                                Faculty Meeting, 7:30 a.m. in the SMS Library March 8                                7th grade dance, 4-6 p.m. in the SMS Commons March 11                              Track Practice Begins March 13                              Building Leadership Team Meeting, 3:15-4:30 p.m. in SMS Library March 14                              SciGirls Meeting, 3:30-4:30 p.m. March 16                              Northern Hills Solo Ensemble Contest, SMS March 21                    SMS Team Leaders' Meeting, 7:30 a.m. in the SMS Conf. room March 22                    Regional Science Fair, Rapid City March 26                    Building Leadership Team Meeting, 3:15-4:30 p.m. in SMS Library March 27-April 1            1 p.m. Early Release – April 1st Easter Break

See Upcoming Activities Below:

In a time of drastic change, it is the learner who will inherit the future        -Eric Hoffer