Spartan News

Tuesday, October 8

Volleyball-City C tournament @ EMS-3:30

East High homecoming parade-6:00

Wednesday, October 9

Cross country meet @ Sertoma Park-3:30

Thursday, October 10

Volleyball-City A tournament @ North-3:30

Football-7th grade black vs West @ Riverside Elem.-4:00

Football-8th grade black vs West @ Riverside Elem.-5:15

Monday, October 14

Volleyball vs Norfolk @ EMS-3:30

Football-7th grade orange vs Heelan @ EMS-4:30

Football-8th grade orange vs Heelan @ EMS-5:30

Tuesday, October 15

Football-7th grade black vs SSC @ SSC-4:00

Football-8th grade black vs SSC @ SSC-5:00

Wednesday, October 16

NWIA 7th and 8th grade Orchestra Festival @ East High-During the school day

Tuesday, October 22

Parent/Teacher conferences-2:55-7:15

Thursday, Oct. 24

No School

Parent/Teacher conferences-8:00-4:00

Friday, October 25

No School-Exchange day

• Middle School hours are~Monday thru Thursday 7:45 a.m. - 2:45 p.m. and Friday 7:45 a.m.-12:45 p.m. Starting this school year all classes will be dismissed two hours early EVERY Friday for staff professional development. Middle School Dismissal 12:45 p.m. (There will not be early outs on Mondays). All schools will also have two hour early outs on the following days: November 27, December 20, April 16, and May 29.

• To see more of the 24-25 calendar click here.

• Lockers may be requested with Mrs. Modlin in the Student Center.

• Reminder: The field/events are an extension of the school day! Please help us by:

1. Attending the game with a parent
2. Sit in assigned middle school section or with your parent/guardian in the stands
3. Keep hands/feet to yourself
4. Home game – home side // Visitor game – visitor side

Lost Bus Cards~

Lost bus cards are $5.00. Students will need to bring $5.00 in before a new card will be ordered from Transportation.

Potential Bussing Delays~
Students that ride Route 54, due to road construction, pick up times will be approximately 10 minutes later than as indicated on the Transportation letter you would have received in the mail. This pick-up delay may potentially be through October.

October 16 - NW IA Orchestra Directors 7-8 Festival - EMS 7th and 8th grade orchestras are participating - event hosted by Dr. Burton at East High School during the school day.

We are in full swing with our school fundraiser! With your help, we are raising funds to help support our PBIS program to Positively Reinforce making Good Choices. We are counting on these funds for the benefit of every child. This funding does not come from other sources so your participation, at any level, is critical. Thank you for your support!

Fundraising orders are due by: Friday, October 11, 2024

Many schools have been impacted by social media threats. These threats are not funny, and they aren’t a joke. The threats cause unnecessary fear and concern for you, your friends, your families, and our staff. It is not fair to anyone in the East Middle School community, and it must stop. Enough is enough.

Students involved in making threats of any kind or resharing or reposting threats face serious consequences.

Any student who makes a threat faces disciplinary action at school, including suspension, as well as possible criminal charges. This year, the District has already had several students who have been suspended for this very reason.

But, that’s not all. Students who share or repost threats also face disciplinary action. You can face serious consequences if you share or repost a threat. It is not worth risking your future to share or repost a threat about East Middle School or another school.

Instead of sharing or reposting a threat, report it. Tell a staff member here at school about your concerns during the day or call 911 after school hours. All threats are fully investigated.

By working together, we can keep our building a safe place for all of us and make the 2024-2025 school year a great one at East Middle School.

Hello EMS Families,

Happy Homecoming Week! We are looking forward to celebrating East Tradition and showing our school spirit this week! We will have the parade tomorrow on Morningside Ave at 6 p.m. and the Varsity Football game on Friday night at 7 p.m. (please have your student attend with an adult).

We will soon be having parent teacher conferences (Oct. 22 and 24) and we would love to have you come to EMS to visit with our teachers. If you unable, please select either over the phone or computer video call. Being actively involved and supporting your child’s education will help them immensely. We look forward to partnering with you!

• Use the link and sign up with your student's advisory teacher - www.myconferencetime.com/eastmiddle

With conferences, we will have no school on Thursday, Oct. 24 and Friday, Oct. 25. If you are interested in donating for conferences to our awesome teachers – please volunteer https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F49ACAB2DA6FEC07-51733247-east!

Thank you so much for your help with our new State Attendance Law and having your student/s come to school regularly- It is greatly appreciated! If your child misses’ school, please call our office712-274-4030 and let us know. If they are gone for a day or longer, please have them log on to Canvas and stay on top of what is going on at school; when possible; this helps them not fall behind. When students are missing work, they are encouraged to work on it during Advisory (30 min each day). To help support students, we also do WIN (What I Need) time a couple times during the semester to allow time within the school day for students to complete work or take a test. Helping children form good study habits and responsibility will allow them to be successful. Thank you for your assistance as well.

EMS has an awesome parent group (PAC) that has supported students and staff and celebrated achievements along the way. If you are interested in participating in this group, that would be outstanding. Our meetings are only once a month and will last an hour or less. If you would like to join, our next meeting is October 21st from 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.

We value creating a safe, respectful, learning environment where we can protect instructional time in the classroom for our children. So we would like to take a moment and THANK YOU for being part of our solution with students with our school policies! We have had an exceptional start to the school year and we appreciate and recognize your part as our students have had minimal situations. To celebrate we will have our first PBIS Incentive this Thursday!

Thank you for allowing us to educate your child each and every day. Communication is very important to us, so if you have questions or concerns, please let us know. Our phone numbers is 712-274-4030 and you can always make an appointment in you would like to sit down and talk face to face. Together we can help our students be successful.

Mrs. Somsky

somskye@live.siouxcityschools.com

Principal

Character Strong is a partnership between schools and families to help students develop skills and learn to be their best selves. It's based on the idea that students can be successful in their lives if they have a sense of belonging, are well, and are engaged. Character Strong's three main goals for students are to be kind, be strong, and be well.

• Engaging lessons are delivered and implemented weekly by advisory teachers.

UPCOMING LESSONS and ACTIVITIES:

• Building our community through safety and respect.
• Bust middle school myths by addressing student worries, focusing on fitting in and belonging at school.
• Community Agreement for a safe and productive classroom.
• Learning how to be an advocate for self and others

Every day we are looking for students who exhibit strong character and learning habits in the classroom. Each month we will select a boy and a girl 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 September we acknowledged the following students:

6th grade white selected - Serenity Richer and Emiliano Moreno-Acevedo

6th grade black selected- Annie Towler and Damien Hahn

6th grade orange selected- Thaleia Kafka and Aiden Joaquin

7th grade white selected - Avery TenHulzen and Kambal McCaslen

7th grade black selected- Valeria Ramirez-Cruz, Rebecca DeLaCruz and Filip Thawng

7th grade orange selected- Cassandra Robles and Nicholas Hansen

8th grade white selected - Aliana Chavez and Aiden Chop

8th grade black selected- Ellyson Rysta and Christopher Robles

8th grade orange selected- Lily Larsen and LeBeau Miller

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

Mrs. Geary is a wonderful teacher who has an infectious positive attitude and a willingness to help anyone who needs it. Students love seeing her in class every day and teachers enjoy interacting with her. Mrs. Geary is always creating a "handy dandy" as she calls them to assist any student who needs it. She demonstrates exceptional hospitality by making her students feel supported and welcome. She greets everyone with a smile or melody each day and is a ball of energy in class. She puts in extra effort to build relationships with all students that last past the 7th grade. Her colorful posters bring a smile to her students' faces, and they love being a part of the process. Mrs. Geary also helps her team by gathering and organizing important information, saving her team members time and effort, which is greatly appreciated! We are so grateful for Mrs. Geary and all that she does to make East Middle a wonderful place to learn and work.

Get a Jump Start on Immunizations & Screenings

Iowa immunization laws require certain immunizations and screenings for students. These requirements are listed on the District website. We encourage you to contact your student’s doctor soon to schedule any required immunizations or screenings so your student is prepared for next fall. See more information here.

Iowa Immunization law requires that all students entering 7th grade have both a Meningococcal vaccination and a Tdap (Tetanus, Diphtheria, and Pertussis/whooping cough) vaccination before school starts in the fall.
Pertussis (whooping cough) is a very contagious disease that causes violent coughing fits that make it hard to breathe. Meningococcal disease is a life-threatening illness that is caused by bacteria that infects the brain, blood, and spinal cord. It easily spreads in crowded settings.
What does this mean for you? You will need to call your physician’s office to make an appointment for these vaccines. You will need to check your home records or call your physician’s office to see what your student’s status is. If you do not have insurance, you can contact the Siouxland District Health Department at 279-6119. Please send a copy of your student’s updated immunization record to the school nurse prior to the first day of school. Thank you in advance for your cooperation in this matter.

Keep others well by keeping your child home when sick. For your child’s health, stay home if:

1. A fever of 100.4 degrees or higher
2. Vomiting or diarrhea
3. Symptoms that keep your child from participating in school, such as:

• Cough that he or she cannot control
• Headache, body aches, or earache
• Sore Throat—a little sore throat may be ok for school, but a bad sore throat is not.

The 24 hour Rule is good:

1. Fever: Keep your child home until fever has been gone with no medicine for 24 hours.
2. Vomiting or diarrhea: Keep your child home for 24 hours after the last time he or she vomited or had diarrhea.
3. Antibiotics: Keep your child home for 24 hours after the FIRST dose of antibiotic.

Listed below are a few ideas about deciding if a website is one you can trust for health information. If you have more questions about these, please click the link for further details: https://nnlm.gov/initiatives/topics/health-websites

Here are some questions to ask when getting started:

• Why did the person create the page?
• What's in it for them?
• Are they trying to sell me something?

Check for:

• Accuracy – opinions vs. cited studies
• Authority – personal website vs. research website
• Bias/Objectivity – one point of view or advertisements vs. other insights
• Currency/Timeliness – how old is the information
• Coverage – one part of information vs. complete information

Apply for free and reduced meals here

https://www.myschoolapps.com/

If you have SNAP, food assistance, you will click on the FIP button and then if you do not know your snap case number fill in with zeros.

Click the link above or scan the QR code to get started.

The District is committed to providing all students with a safe learning environment in which everyone is treated with dignity and respect. The District’s Anti-Bullying, Harassment, and Hazing policy defines bullying and harassment as well as the procedures for reporting and investigating bullying or harassment complaints.

Bullying and harassment are defined as any electronic, written, verbal, or physical act or conduct toward a student which is based on any actual or perceived trait or characteristic of the student and which creates an objectively hostile school environment that meets one or more of the following conditions:

· Places the student in reasonable fear of harm to the student’s person or property.

· Has a substantially detrimental effect on the student’s physical or mental health.

· Has the effect of substantially interfering with a student’s academic performance.

· Has the effect of substantially interfering with the student’s ability to participate in or benefit from the services, activities, or privileges provided by a school.

If your student feels they are being bullied or harassed, encourage your student to visit with the student involved and tell them to stop. They should also tell a teacher, principal, or trusted adult at their school. An online discrimination, bullying, harassment, and hazing complaint form is also available on the District’s website and may be completed by the student, parent, or school employee.

Fall Conferences – No School Days

Parent/teacher conferences will be held on Tuesday, October 22, and Thursday, October 24. There will be no school for students on Thursday, October 24 and Friday, October 25.

Thank you for partnering with us in your child's education.

Parent volunteers are needed to join the District’s Grassroots Advocacy Committee. As a volunteer, you will receive email updates about important legislative events that could impact public education and be asked to contact our legislators to advocate for our schools. Tips are provided to help volunteers connect with legislators. Volunteer today and let your voice be heard! Contact Communications@live.siouxcityschools.com to volunteer.