What's Happening at SHMS

For more important dates, check our school calendar.

For more information about our Sports & Activities, visit our SHMS Athletics page.

WEB Winter Event!

Who: 6th Grade Students

What: 8th Grade WEB (Where Everyone Belongs) Leaders will be hosting a winter-themed event after school on Thursday, December 19th from 3:10-4:30pm in the Cafeteria. Students will be able to make a gingerbread house, color, make friendship bracelets, watch a movie, and socialize with their WEB Leaders.

When: Thursday, December 19th from 3:10pm-4:30pm

Where: SHMS Cafeteria

Cost: This is a FREE event! 6th graders just need to be registered on EduTrak by December 18th.

*Note: Students will need to have a plan for transportation home after the event ends at 4:30. Students will NOT be allowed to take the activity bus home.

Choirs

Concert

Date & Time

Where

Attire

Bring

Seating

Questions

The SHMS Classroom Level Spelling Bees will begin after Winter Break.

Now is a great time to practice the words that will be in the spelling bee!

The Word Club App introduces spellers to the Scripps National Spelling Practice Words in game-like formats.

You may also find the Scripps National Spelling Bee Practice Words in the Resources of our

Spelling Bee Schoology GROUP: 8SVM-8S24-PXTBM

Rosemount High School would like to offer our middle school athletes (7th/8th graders) an opportunity to continue their physical development through a winter Champions Club program.

FIRST COME-FIRST SERVED!

Youth Equestrian Club (ages 4-17)

Fri | Nov 29-Dec 20 | 6:30-7:30 p.m. | 4 sessions | $210 | Cornerstone on the Vermillion Horse Complex

Beginner Tae Kwon Do (ages 6+)

Mon | Dec 2-Jan 27 | 6:25-6:55 p.m. | 7 sessions | $70 | RMS

Tue | Dec 3-Jan 28 | 6:25-6:55 p.m. | 5 sessions | $50 | RMS

Candyland (ages 6-16)

Wed | Dec 4 | 6:00-7:00 p.m. | $36 | FRMS

Ribbon and Bow Making (adult and child grades K-5)

Sat | 9:00-10:30 a.m. | $35 | FRMS

Funky Tree Fused Glass Ornament (adult and child ages 11-17)

Sat | Dec 14 | 10:00 a.m.-noon | $69/pair | FRMS

Flashy Wire Wrapped Fused Glass Stars (adult and child ages 11-17)

Sat | Dec 14 | 12:30-2:30 p.m. | $72/pair | FRMS

“Shake It Off” Dance Class (adult and child ages 10-16)

Tue | Dec 17 | 6:15-7:15 p.m. | $19/pair

Extreme Coding: Artificial Intelligence (grades 3-6)

Wed | Dec 18 | 6:00-8:00 p.m. | $40 | Online

Horse Camp (ages 4-18)

Mon/Tue | Dec 30 & 31 | 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. | 2 sessions | $250 | Cornerstone on the Vermillion Horse Complex

Fewer than 5 spots left!

3-D Printing: Star Wars (grades 3-7)

Mon | Dec 30 | 9:00 a.m.-noon | $59 | Online

Dungeons & Dragons® One Shot Campaign (grades 1-6)

Mon | Dec 30 | 9:00 a.m.-noon | $63 | Online

7th Grade Boys Basketball is now open in EduTrak. Your student must have a sports physical on file in order to participate. Registration will CLOSE on January 3rd.

The season runs January 6th-February 24th.

Is being in a medical field something you’ve dreamed of?

Would you like to join an academic middle school club where you can listen to medical

professionals, learn about the field of medicine and participate in fun competitions?

HOSA might be the after-school club for you! The SHMS HOSA Club will be run by high school students who are members of their HOSA Organization and planning to enter the field of medicine! Our Club will meet once a month from December to May.

The first meeting is Wednesday, Dec. 11th! Fill out the Google Form using the QR Code to register.

You will be added to a HOSA Schoology GROUP once you register.

Mrs. Back

• Gym Shoes: I’m noticing foot injuries when students are not wearing tennis shoes for active Flex activities and Physical Education. Please remind your child to wear well fitted tennis shoes. Crocs, slides, and converse type shoes are not considered good PE shoes.
• Staying Healthy: Ensure your student gets plenty of sleep, eats nutritious meals, washes their hands well, and drinks plenty of water each day. We are entering viral season and covering your cough and washing hands helps so much!
• Sick Students: If your student isn’t feeling well, it is ok to stay home and rest so they can return to us ready to engage in their learning.

CHILDREN SHOULD STAY HOME FROM SCHOOL FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS:

· Fever of 100.4 or higher - can return when fever free for 20 hours without fever reducing medication.

· Strep throat - can return after 12 hours of antibiotics and fever free for 20 hours without fever reducing medication.

· Vomiting or diarrhea (without a known reason) - can return 20 hours after last episode.

· Rash (without a known reason) with behavior change or fever of 100.4 or greater.

· Excessive coughing that persists and makes it difficult to participate in school.

· Not healthy enough to participate in routine school activities.

• Illness Guidelines
• Illness Guidelines Spanish
• Illness Guidelines Somali

• Immunizations: Please log into Infinite Campus parent portal to assess your child(ren)’s immunization status. Our goal is to remove barriers to immunizations and connect families to resources to improve compliance, reducing the spread of disease. https://www.health.state.mn.us/people/immunize/basics/howpay.html

Minnesota Statute 121A.15 requires that all students in public schools be fully immunized or have a notarized statement exempting them from immunizations. District 196 will begin working in School Year 2024-25 to reestablish a consistent immunization noncompliance plan districtwide. The plan will include communicating expectations around required school immunizations and what happens if compliance isn’t met. If your child(ren) are showing as non-compliant and have questions, please talk to your primary care doctor or call/email Nurse Beth Gissibl: 952-423-7583; beth.gissibl@district196.org.

Speech Club

Season Date: December 9, 2024-February 1, 2025

Time: 3:20-4:45

Cost : $44

Coach: Mrs. Walton, Mrs. Toutge, Mrs. Engel

This is a great opportunity to improve public speaking ability, gain confidence, and have fun! The speech program continues into District 196 high schools where students have competed at the state and national level.

Each member will select a category of piece to perform. They will participate in the same category at all four of our meets. Most categories involve choosing an excerpt from a published work and performing an interpretive reading for 5-8 minutes. A few categories allow the student to write their own piece. More information can be found on our website. Each member will attend practice once a week after school at Scott Highlands, Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. The first few practices will involve choosing pieces and writing introductions. Later practices will involve practicing important speech skills as a large group and one-on-one private coaching sessions with one of the coaches. It is very easy to work this schedule around other school and outside activities. Practices end at 4:45pm and students ride the activity bus home if they regularly use bus transportation. If not they will need to be picked up at 4:45.

All of our meets will be held on either a Friday evening or Saturday mornings in January and February. At the middle school level, the students do not compete against each other. Rather, a judge determines how their performance compares to a standard and that is how students earn ribbons. Families must arrange transportation to meets within District 196. We will provide transportation by bus to the meet out of the district. Parents may attend the meets as spectators, or we also welcome parents to volunteer as judges. Generally, meets last from about 8:30am until around 11:30am (not including transportation time). The Friday evening meet will be from 3:30-7:00pm.

Please see the website for more information.

If interested, students should attend an INFORMATIONAL meeting after school from 3:15-4:45 on December 4, 2024 in the FACS Kitchen, Room 6. Practice starts December 9, 2024.

The meets will be held on the following dates-

• Saturday, January 11 @ Dakota Hills Middle School at 9:00 am

• Saturday, January 17 @ Scott Highlands Middle School 3:30 pm

• Saturday January 25 @ Falcon Ridge Middle School 9:00 am

• Saturday February 1 @ Northfield Middle School, Northfield (Transportation Provided)

If District 196 needs to close or delay school due to weather or another emergency, we’ll use the District 196 Emergency Notification System to contact you. If you didn't receive the test message by phone, email, and text, please check that your contact information is up to date in:

• Parents/Guardians: To update your information in Infinite Campus, follow these instructions.
• Employees: To update your information in Skyward, follow these instructions.

We encourage all staff and families to review our winter weather procedures so you are prepared in case of a delay or school cancellation.

SHMS has joined Instagram!

Follow shms_saints on Instagram for Scott Highlands updates, photos and more!

Families are encouraged to complete an Educational Benefits Application. Your children may qualify! Applications are now open.

While meals are free for all students, all families are highly encouraged to complete an Application for Educational Benefits. Your approved application provides critical funding to our school district. This compensatory aid helps increase funding for teachers, paraprofessionals and social workers to include math and reading support. An approval for educational benefits also allows families to receive discounted Activities/Community Education fees. Learn more about the Educational Benefits Program.

Questions or concerns: ask our Nutrition Services department at Nutrition@district196.org or 651-683-6958.

This is your chance to write a 300-word essay answering the question, “What does Patriotism mean to me?”

Applicants have until December 15th to mail their essay and application to the local Elks Lodge.

The contest will award monetary prizes at the local, regional, state and national levels. Last year three students from SHMS won prize money! This year, you might be a winner, too!

Ask your Social Studies or English Teacher how to download an application form, so you can start thinking and writing about What Patriotism Means to YOU!

6th Grade: Brian Buechner

(952)-423-7602

brian.buechner@district196.org

7th Grade: Sarah Blasing

(952)-423-7603

sarah.blasing@district196.org

8th Grade: Ashley Welke

(952)-423-7608

ashley.welke@district196.org

From left to right: Brian Buechner, Sarah Blasing, Ashley Welke

Hundreds of District 196 students have completed EmpowerU with incredible improvements in confidence, mental health and motivation. This program will help your student learn the skills they need to become more self-directed and motivated in school and life. The program is:

• Easy-to-use/self-paced and online
• Supported by a 1:1 online coach with expertise in student resilience
• Goal driven- 90% of students make progress on goals
• Click here to find out more

The program is FREE with limited seats available. Students will be selected for the program on a first come, first served basis. Please fill out this brief survey if you are interested in getting your student started with EmpowerU. Deadline to sign up is November 26th .

Attention 8th Grade Families here are some upcoming dates for High School Registration – Mark your calendars.

25-26 High School Registration

Middle School Dates

Parent Registration Nights

Apple Valley- Wednesday, January 22 - 6-7 PM, Theatre

Eagan - Tuesday, January 21 - 6-7 PM Auditorium

Eastview- Tuesday, January 21 - 6:30-8:30 PM PAC (tentative date)

Rosemount - Thursday, January 16 - 6:30pm-8:30 PM PAC

High School Visits to the Middle Schools

All High Schools will be visiting the middle schools on Thursday, January 23.

Spring Visits - Middle Schools travel to High School

Valley MS – Travel to Apple Valley on May 13 - 10 AM

Healthy eating is so important for children. At Scott Highlands Middle School, we work hard to ensure students receive a healthy breakfast and lunch each day to support their developing brains and bodies. Research shows that children who eat regular, nutritious meals are more likely to attend school and be engaged in learning.

We are excited to partner with Every Meal to offer a free weekend meal program to all our students.

Every Meal is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to fight child hunger through community and school partnerships. They strive to make a difference in children’s lives by focusing on food gaps like weekends, school breaks, and summer when they can’t receive food in school. Here are some important things to know about Every Meal:

• Free for all families
• No qualifications required
• Students enrolled in the program will receive a 4-5 pound bag of nutritious, nonperishable food each week
• Every Meal does not collect information from families; privacy is protected
• Families may choose to participate in the program anytime throughout the school year
• Families may choose from a variety of different weekend food bag options

If you are interested in receiving food from Every Meal, please fill out this google form: Every Meal Electronic Enrollment

The first bags of food will be delivered in early October. If you have any questions, please reach out to Sarah Blasing, the 7th grade counselor, at sarah.blasing@district196.org.

Versión en español de este mensaje

Fariintan oo Soomaali ah

If you have a student who is dealing with the loss of an immediate family member (sibling, parent, grandparent, caregiver) or individual who significantly influenced your student and feel they would benefit from participating in Park Nicollet's Growing Through Grief group, we would like to offer your student this grief group opportunity.

Scott Highlands Middle School will be hosting this group again; this year it will be facilitated by Jenny Simmonds, a licensed grief therapist through Park Nicollet. Group sessions will be held during the school day and will run throughout the school year. Our hope is that this group would begin sometime in October. If you are interested in having your student participate, please email your student's school counselor with the name of your student and they will contact you to provide further information.

Community Resource Guide Dakota County - this guide includes information on health care, dental, women’s health, food, housing, special needs/disability, and other supports for families

FastTracker MN - a behavioral health search tool that allows you to filter services based on your search criteria, which can include free and sliding fee services available.

Virtual Calming Room - designed to assist in identifying different strategies for managing emotions, this webpage includes links to calming tools and other resources for youth and families

Worried about your student’s OR your own mental health?

Dakota County Crisis Response: Call 952-891-7171

National Crisis Text Line: Text SCHOOL to 741741

Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: Call or text 988

To report an absence, send an email to shms.attendance@district196.org (preferred) or call the 24 hour attendance voicemail number at 952-423-7587. Please provide the following information:

• Student’s Name (please spell the student’s first and last name)
• Grade
• Name of person reporting absence
• Reason for absence

**The direct line to Beth Gissibl, school nurse, is 952-423-7583

You can also report an absence by filling out this form: Report an Absence

We are a GREAT School because we are:

Respectful

to all people in the building

Responsible

with ourselves and our belongings

Ready to Learn

by being prepared and present in the learning environment

Website: https://shms.district196.org/
Location: Scott Highlands Middle School, Pilot Knob Road, Apple Valley, MN, USA
Phone: 9524237581
Instagram: shms_saints