Spartan PRIDE
Supporting our school community core values.
The sixth grade band and choir concert last week was an excellent example of the importance of fine arts in schools. Both performing groups did an amazing job. Thank you to Ms. Woodard, Choir Director and Ms. Case, Band Director for their leadership. It will be a joy to watch our young musicians prepare for the solo ensemble scheduled for last next month.
Many of our students have been enjoying the intramural dodge ball tournament. Students were given the opportunity to sign up in teams of ten. 180 students organized teams and entered the tournament. We will wrap it up this week on Wednesday, January 29th. If necessary, we will finish the championship games for 6th and 7th grade on January 30th.
Sixth Grade Paper Bowl
6th grade will participate in the annual Paper Bowl on Friday, January 31st. Our students are looking forward to the much anticipated event. This is truly a community event. A special thank you to parents who prepare the food for the Paper bowl Party.
Parents and Partners: February 3, 2014
The next parents as partners meeting is scheduled for Monday, February 3 at 5:30 p.m. in the SMS Library. We will update the group on our progress related to the AdvancED survey results and discuss the important items to consider in students' transition to the next grade level.
Registration Dates and Time Line for 2014-15
6th
Grade to 7th Grade
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7th
Grade to 8th Grade
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Week of February 3-7 Classroom visits by Mrs. Doll-Dunn
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February 3-7 – Classroom visits by
Mrs. Doll-Dunn
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Mail registration forms home with Testing
Letter (Feb. 14)
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Mail registration forms home with
Testing Letter (Feb. 14)
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March 1th Registration
forms due
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March 1th Registration
forms due
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Requests for Specific Learning
Environment: Deadline is March 1st
Forms are located in the office.
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Requests for Specific Learning
Environment: Deadline is March 1st
Forms are located in the office.
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March 7th – No Changes to Registration
forms
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March 7th – No Changes to Registration
forms
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New
state test represents next generation of testing:
With the move to new
standards in English language arts (ELA) and math, South Dakota also will have
a new state assessment. The new
assessment will replace the current state test, the Dakota STEP, in the areas
of ELA and math. South Dakota will continue to use the Dakota STEP for its
science assessment.
Referred to as
Smarter Balanced, the new assessment is expected to be fully in place in the
2014-15 school year. For the 2013-14 school year, South Dakota is one of just
several states across the nation that plans to administer the new test to all
of its students in grades 3-8 and 11, if that plan is approved by the U.S.
Department of Education.
Like the Dakota STEP,
the Smarter Balanced assessment will be taken by students in the grades
previously noted.
Like the Dakota STEP,
Smarter Balanced covers the subject areas of English language arts and math.
Unlike the Dakota STEP, students will take the test completely online. And,
unlike the Dakota STEP, the new test will include more short answer and
constructed response questions, as opposed to just multiple choice questions.
While this new format
will challenge our students (and our teachers to prepare them), it offers a
more authentic assessment of student learning and of students’ ability to apply
knowledge. Because it is done online, the results should be available much
more quickly as well.
As we move to this
new assessment, there will be a natural inclination to make comparisons
regarding how students perform on the new test versus how they performed on the
Dakota STEP. Our recommendation is that
you do not make such comparisons since the tests measure performance on
different sets of standards. It would not be an apples-to-apples
comparison. There will be some who
choose to make comparisons of performance on the new and old tests. If that
occurs, the comparison will likely show that proficiency rates, as a whole,
have gone down. This happens any time a new test is introduced, as students
work towards full understanding of the concepts being measured by the test. And
it has already happened in states that have fully implemented and are now
testing on the Common Core standards in English language arts and math.
To get a better
understanding of what the new test will look like, I encourage you to view
sample test items at
www.smarterbalanced.org.
Smarter-Balanced Assessment Schedule
Please
make every effort to have your child in school during the the
respective testing window. Plan for appointments at times other than
during your child's testing window.
Testing Window: March 18 – May
16
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SMARTER-BALANCED
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D-STEP Science
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6th Grade
(six-day window)
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April 10-17
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N/A
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7th Grade
(six-day window)
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April 23-May 2
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N/A
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8th Grade
(six-day window)
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May 5-15
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April 10
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Spearfish
Middle School
Weekly
Faculty Bulletin
January
27-31, 2014
“Empowering
all students to succeed in a changing world.”
•
Preparedness • Respect • Integrity • Determination •
Excellence
1)
FLEX Time
Block
#
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Course
Description Deadline
|
Student
Registration Window
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Start
Date
|
4
|
Done
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January 13-17
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February 3
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5*
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February 4th
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February 10-14
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March 3rd
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6*
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February 4th
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March 24-28
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April 14th
|
2)
START Time End of Trimester Celebration
Activity: Paper airplane flying contest. More details to come. START Times will have 2 to 3 weeks to
establish two representatives for the finals showdown. Assembly
date is March 6th.
3)
Dodge ball
Intramural Tournament. Tuesday,
January 28, 29 & 30, 2014
4)
Technology
Requests: You may now submit your District Technology
Request via the form on our District/Forms webpage. http://www.spearfish.k12.sd.us/District/Forms/dist_forms.html
or use the direct link below:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDFaalBCYlZDSU8yOFRRNTdCYUZuQkE6MQ These requests must be submitted by February
1, 2014
Note: The
form is filled out online and received by Scott Hardesty. Software should NOT be included in the
requests, software comes out of room or building budget and approved by Scott
prior to ordering.
7) Reminder to consider application for a
Spearfish Foundation Grant. Go to: http://www.spearfishschools.org/ for more details.
9)
6th Grade Tailgate Party, January 31st,
11:30am – 12:30pm in Band Room
Upcoming
Activities
February 3 Block 4 FLEX begins
February 3 Parents as Partners, 5:30
p.m. in the SMS Library
February 4 Block 5 and 6 Course Description Deadline
February 5 1 p.m. PD Early Release
February 6 7th Gr BH Stock Show, 8:00am
– 3:30pm
February 7 Science Fair, BHSU
February 8 Spartan Learning Lab,
Saturday School
February 17 President's Day - No School
February 22 Spartan Learning Lab,
Saturday School
February 25 7/8 Band Pops Concert, 7:00pm – 8:30pm
February 28 End of 2nd Trimester
March 3 FLEX Block 5 Begins
March 5 1 p.m. PD Early Release
March 6 End of 2nd Trimester Celebration
Assembly
March 7 & 8 Drama Performance
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You gain strength, experience, and
confidence by every experience where you really stop to look fear I in the
face.... You must do the thing you cannot do.
