Spartan News

**Dates and times are subject to change.

Saturday, February 8

6th-8th Grade Band Solo & Ensemble @ EMS-9:00-12:00

Monday, February 17

No School-Teacher Professional Development

PAC Meeting @ EMS-6:00

Thursday, February 20

Show Choir~Spartan Spotlight @ East High-7:00pm

Saturday, February 22

Show Choir-Shake the Lakes @ Spirit Lake-9:25am

Friday, February 28

Show Choir~Crusader Classic @ Bishop Heelan-TBD

• Please Keep Contact Information Updated:The District and our school are continuously updating families on important school information, closings and cancellations, and other announcements. Information is shared through email, phone calls, and text. Make sure we can connect with you by keeping your contact information updated in our records. If you need to change your contact information, please contact the school office.
• The main doors do not unlock before 7:10 am. Breakfast is 7:10-7:40 am. Please do not expect students to get into the building before this time. Students should not be in the halls or classrooms before 7:45am and after 2:45 pm unless they have a pass from a teacher or are involved in the current season’s activity. At the end of the day we expect students who are not involved in school activities to leave the school grounds by 3:00 pm or 1:00 pm on Fridays.

• Any students wanting a locker, please see Mrs. Modlin in the Student Center.

• Lost bus cards: Students will need to bring $5.00 in before a new card will be ordered from Transportation. See Mrs. Davis in the front office if a new one is needed.
• We have a lot of lost and found in the front main hallway, if anyone is missing anything they may want to check it out.. We will be donating all items left on February 14th.
  

The month of January seemed to go very quickly and soon we will be printing out 1st Semester Honor Roll Certificates. Our students worked extremely hard first semester and a high majority will be receiving an Honor Roll certificate in advisory soon. We want to thank you for your encouragement and support as students are reminded to complete homework, read, and practice skills as they prepare for district common assessments (DCAs). Making your child’s education a top priority and instilling a good work ethic will pay dividends in their future.

We will not be printing report cards for 1st semester; however, you can see your child’s 1st semester grades on Infinite Campus. If you do not have the Infinite Campus App, please ask your child to show you their grades. Conferences for 2nd semester are on March 25 and 27th, please save the dates! Please know that we will continue to check grades weekly and you can too in Infinite Campus.

Over the past couple of weeks, we have seen an increase in illnesses this cold and flu season, please remind your students to wash their hands and use sanitizer regularly to help reduce the spread of germs.

Thank you for all that you do to support your child/children, our school and staff. We have great students and wonderful support. We are working diligently to meet your child’s needs. If you have questions or concerns, please reach out, so we can help.

Mrs. Somsky

Principal

Somskye@live.siouxcityschools.com

The following lessons are this month’s focus for Character Strong. Middle school can be tough—growing and learning can be hard and kids make mistakes, and learn from them. Together, we are focusing on being KIND, STRONG and WELL.

February Lesson Focus 6th:

S19: Learning How to Resolve Conflict

S20: How to Apply Conflict Resolution Strategies (P.E.A.C.E)

S21: Making Friends

February Lesson Focus 7th:

S19/20: Learning and Applying Empathy

S21: Understanding Mental Health and Wellbeing

February Lesson Focus 8th:

S19/20: Regulating Emotions and Strategies to Help

S21: What is Being Impusive? How does this pull us away from our Values?

Every day we are looking for students who exhibit strong character and learning habits in the classroom. Each month we will select students from each team from each grade who demonstrate these traits. We are looking for students who are reliable, hardworking, kind and respectful to staff and students. In the month of January we acknowledged the following students:

6th grade white selected- Mia McDaniel and Antolin Ramos Morales

6th grade black selected- Marley Embke and Kale Salmen

6th grade orange selected- Lucy Jacobs and Sam Elder

7th grade white selected - Lydia Gillespie and Noah Walker

7th grade black selected- Rubimae Swenson and Erik Gomez Gonzalez

7th grade orange selected- Stephanie Virula and Neymar Sarceno

8th grade white selected - Demitra Margellos and Lionel Murray

8th grade black selected- Aliyah Aguayo and Angel Santos

8th grade orange selected- Alexis Goodman and Michael Heim

These students are leaders in the classroom and exemplify what East Middle School stands for! Congratulations .

Our January staff member of the month is: Jennifer Bruening

Mrs. Bruening has the utmost patience for her job. She is always kind and helpful to all students and staff. She uses academic games to keep the students engaged and willing to learn. Class is well constructed and there is always a schedule to follow which makes it easy for students to keep focused and know what is expected. We also had a few students make the following comments: Mrs. Bruening is a great leader for the black team, helps out a lot and a great math teacher and home room teacher. She is very helpful and kind and mindful.

The 7th and 8th grade Math competition was held on January 22nd. Our students did a great job! Congratulations!

• 8th grade was overall Jeopardy winners
  
• Lucas Redwine placed 2nd for individual 7th grade
• Calen Perera placed 3rd for individual 8th grade
• Rhys Macomb placed 1st for individual 8th grade
• 8th grade placed 1st overall in team competition

All students entering 7th grade must show proof of having the Tdap and Meningococcal vaccines prior to the first day of school.

Currently the state of Iowa does not offer any grace/extension period for the implementation of this requirement. Local physician offices along with the Siouxland Health Department (see criteria below) are accepting appointments for these vaccines.

Please contact your physician about receiving these vaccines during this school year. It becomes difficult to get an appointment during the summer, as the health department and doctors’ offices have full schedules.

Siouxland District Health Department

1014 Nebraska St. Sioux City IA 5105

712-279-6119

Vaccines are provided for children who meet one of the following criteria.

• Students with no health insurance
• American Indian or Alaska Native
• Vaccines aren’t covered in students’ insurance plan

If your 6th grade students have already received the 7th grade vaccines, please disregard this notice.

Feel free to contact me with questions.

Thank you for your help,

Bonnie Ryan RN-BSN

Sioux City Community School District

School Nurse- East Middle Schools

Ph: (712) 274-4030

ryanb@live.siouxcityschools.com

Frostbite is a condition in which skin or part of the body becomes partially frozen due to exposure to cold. Body parts most likely to be frostbitten are the fingers, toes, ears, nose and cheeks. In the beginning stages of frostbite, the skin will become very red and then pale.

DO:

· Do bring the child indoors.

· Do warm the area in a pan of lukewarm water.

· If hands or feet are affected, elevate them above the heart level.

· Keep exposed areas dry to help prevent more frostbite.

DO NOT:

· Do not rub or massage the area.

· Do not warm with a heating pad.

· Do not break blisters that have formed.

CALL YOUR DOCTOR IF:

· The skin blisters.

· The area feels numb after 15 minutes of warming.

· The skin is cold, white, hard and waxy feeling. This usually means the frostbite is severe.

PREVENTION:

· Protect children from cold, wind and moisture.

· Dress them in proper clothing:

• Dress your child in several layers of light, loose clothing rather than one heavy garment.
• Protect the child’s head and neck with a hat and scarf and his/her face with a mask.
• For outdoor play, boots high enough to cover the ankles, two pairs of socks and mittens or gloves should be worn.
• Try to make arrangements for your child’s transportation to and from school, instead of walking, on extremely cold days.

School will not be in session on Monday, February 17 due to staff professional development.

The District provides every student with a device to enhance the overall learning experience. When a student receives their device, it is their responsibility to take appropriate care of the device. Unfortunately, the District has hundreds of devices damaged or destroyed each year.

Damage to devices or lost devices could result in fines and reduced Internet access. Detailed information on fees is available in the Parent/Guardian and Student Handbook on the District website. We encourage you to remind your student about the responsibility that goes with having a device.

The District’s mobile app provides quick and convenient information at your fingertips. Download the mobile to receive push notifications from the District about closings and cancellations and stay updated on today’s school lunch menu, upcoming events, and school news. Look for Sioux City Community Schools in your app store today!