SMS Weekly Update
Dear SMS families,
It's our last week of school! Lots of fun learning activities are planned. It's a great time to get yearbooks signed and finish up any work before the last day. Let's finish strong and keep attendance a priority!
8th Grade Promotion will be Tuesday, June 18th, at 5pm. 8th graders and their families are welcome to attend and celebrate our 8th graders moving up to SHS!
There will be no school on Wednesday, June 19th, in honor of Juneteenth.
The last day of school is Thursday, June 20th, with a half day early release at 11:13am.
Fall Sports Sign Ups
Sports are wrapped up for the year. If your student is interested in Fall sports for the 2024-2025 school year, we encourage you to get signed up now! Fall sports will be: Cross Country, Football, Volleyball, and Boys Soccer.
Head to: https://sultan-wa.finalforms.com/ to log in or create a parent account. Be sure your signing up for the 2024-2025 year. Select the sport, e-sign the forms, and then your student will need to access their Outlook email to sign their forms. We encourage you to get these forms signed before laptop collection day (June 13th/14th) if you have limited online access at home.
Sports fees are $35 per sport, 4th sport is free.
For more information check out our Athletic page online at: https://sms.sultanschools.org/o/sms/page/athletics
We are wishing the best to Mrs. Harder and Mr. Bostic as they are retiring this year! Thank you both for all you've done for SMS. You will be missed!
An interview with Mrs. Harder:
How many years have you been teaching and where have you taught?
27 years, and all of them at SMS.
Why did you decide to become a teacher?
I was helping at my kid's school, and I loved it. Teachers told me I should become a teacher and I did.
What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment?
That's a hard one... I'm very proud of my own children and the things they are doing with their lives. I also am so proud of all the students that have passed through my classroom, and are wonderful citizens and members of society. It's fun to hear what they are doing in life now. Teachers, police officers, mayor, public official, fire fighters, doctors, nurses, business owners, hairdressers, and so much more. I like to think I played a small part in their success and choices they made in life.
What advice do you have for new teachers?
Laugh often! Enjoy what you do and don't think you can save the world. Rather, enjoy and celebrate the small changes you make and the way you can teach your students to learn. Try new things!
What advice do you have for students?
Learn all you can and stay away from social media. Also, remember, your teachers want you to be successful.
What has been your most memorable moment as a teacher?
When I see students later on in life or they call me, and tell me thank you for a little something they remember about my class. Also, going on the Washington DC, New York trips built so many memories.
After retiring, what are your plans?
For the most part, I plan on not having a schedule or plans. I want to travel and spend time with family and friends. I have seven, soon to be eight, grandchildren that are counting down the days until Grammi doesn't have to go to work.
An Interview with Mr. Bostic:
How many years have you been teaching and where have you taught?
I taught 5 years in Spokane and 24 years at Sultan Middle School.
Why did you decide to become a teacher?
I was able to adjust my work schedule and help out with field trips, classroom activities, and the teachers asked me if I ever thought about becoming a teacher, so I looked into getting my certification from Whitworth College.
What do you consider to be your greatest accomplishment?
The greatest accomplishment is when the lightbulb comes on for a student when learning a new concept. I like seeing a student's frustration turn to joy as he/she overcomes the challenge of something he/she didn't understand and her/his ability to explain it to another student.
What advice do you have for new teachers?
This profession is not easy and stay positive and look forward to the daily wins when they happen. These wins will always show up when you least expect them and that is what makes this profession so rewarding.
What advice do you have for students?
Always reflect on each day about something positive that happened and look forward to the next day to learn something new. Encourage other students to do their best and be positive because you never will know how a smile will change someone's day.
What has been your most memorable moment as a teacher?
The years I spent coaching girls' volleyball at the middle school. Watching the girls practice then apply their skills in a game. I enjoyed watching them play as a team and how they would overcome adversity and feel the joy of winning. Another moment was when former students would contact me to let me know what they have accomplished after they had left the middle school.
After retiring, what are your plans?
I have an opportunity to coach high school volleyball with my daughter in Montana, which I am looking forward to and of course the "honey-do" list that has been put off for quite some time. The most important is being able to ride my motorcycle at any time.
Last chance to support these students!
Seven of our SMS students placed in state and are qualified to go to TSA Nationals in Orlando, Florida!
Please consider giving a donation to help these students to attend and compete at the national level. Donations can go to the SMS office via check or cash to the TSA account.
Donate online at https://payments.efundsforschools.com/.../campaigns/TSA
or use the attached QR code.
TSA, or Technology Student Association, is a nationally recognized organization where students in middle school and high school compete in events that prepare them for careers in the future. This program is led and driven by the students. Our students were able to compete at the state level and placed in the following events; fashion design, prepared speech, leadership strategies, problem solving, and biotech.
Check out the event at: https://tsaweb.org/events.../2024-national-tsa-conference
Join us in supporting these students!
