Seneca Middle School

As we continue in the Second Quarter, our students have already had many successes and you will see many of them highlighted here. We believe in teaching and emphasizing the whole child during the middle school years to offer a student a wide range of quality experiences. Students have been excelling in academic achievements where our students are performing at higher levels, our student athletes like our volleyball team has had an impressive and championship season and our Fine Arts students have students performing at the highest levels as we recognized many students earning the best in county award with the All-County Chorus recipients and All-County Orchestra string students recognition as well as several earning All-State Choir recognition. Several Art students work has been displayed around our new school and our clubs like the COOL Cats Club (Celebration of Other Languages) and Bobcat Journal Club are creating meaningful experiences for our students. Join us in appreciating our dedicated students and thanks to all of our families and staff members that are contributing to this success!

Sincerely,

Dr. Mike Cory, Principal

The State Department has released school results from the state testing in May 2024 and SMS students showed increases in several areas over the prior year and past results. The overall school report card increased 18% or 7 points from the prior year and it was led by our students growth or student progress in the areas of Math and English. In 2024, SMS beat out SDOC averages in 5 of 7 areas: 6th grade ELA, 7th grade ELA, 8th grade ELA, 8th grade Math and 6th grade Science that in the prior year was 1 of 6 areas. In addition, Seneca Middle improved the School Climate to "Good" and the highest performing school climate of SDOC middle schools, which is a combination of staff and students input. Our students percentage of "Met and Above" for English was the highest the school has achieved in over six years and our students writing was a significant improvement in achieving that with over 20% increase in their writing evaluation. We appreciate our student's hard work and our outstanding teachers that dedicated their year to improving learning outcomes for SMS! Congratulations SMS students and teachers, you are the best!

Over 1,298 students auditioned in South Carolina for the All-State Choir and an amazing 15 Seneca Middle School students achieved this state honor of being named to the All-State Choir! These students will join the best in the state of South Carolina for a state performance in January 2025!

SMS Volleyball Team are Champions! Congratulations to our volleyball team on their AOP Region Volleyball Tournament Championship defeating Powdersville Middle 3-1. They also won the semi-final over West-Oak Middle 2-1. Great job by all of the Bobcat Volleyball Team and Head Coach Elizabeth Riccio and Assistant Coach Skylar Stewart! Our Lady Bobcats finished their outstanding season with a 10-1 record. Special thanks to our Athletic Director, Mrs. Greenlee in hosting our region tournament and to all of Bobcat Nation and our volleyball families for all of their tremendous support this season! The first championship in our new gym. Go Cats!

Following a rigorous and competitive audition process, three Seneca Middle School

eighth graders recently learned that they have earned spots in the Region 2 Honor

Orchestra which is composed of students from Anderson, Greenville, Pickens, and

Oconee counties. Sam Wald was tapped as 2nd chair in the violin section, Zoee Palmer

earned 7th chair in the viola section, while Cooper Hicks placed as 9th chair in the bass

section. These students will participate in the Region Orchestra clinic and concert at

Furman University November 22-23 and will undoubtedly represent their school well.

David Warlick, the Seneca Middle School Orchestra Director, said, “Earning a spot in

Region Orchestra is quite an honor and testimony to each student’s hard work. I am

very proud of their accomplishments.”

Congratulations to our Orchestra strings students on being named among the best in the county and for Mr. Warlick, Orchestra Director, for his outstanding teaching and leadership with our Orchestra program in Seneca!

The All-County Orchestra students receiving this prestigious recognition are: 8th grade-Olivia Allen, Betsy Bustamente, Cooper Hicks, Aleighya Holden, Sophia Keese, Adonai Martinez, Jenna Oxford, Zoee Palmer, Sam Wald, Izabella Wynn. In 7th grade: Kynslee Butler, Ryleigh Greene, Hannah Hancox, Jordan Humphries, Audrey Ma, Margaret Nimmons, Hayden Shroyer, Brielle Sloan, Lucianna Vargas and Laura Zepeda

Congratulations to the All-County Chorus students and Mrs. Brock, our Choral Director, for her dedicated teaching and offering an award-winning program to our students! They will have their All-County clinic on Nov. 18 and the All-County concert will be Nov. 19 at Seneca Baptist Church at 7:30 pm.

Last fall, now eighth grade student Izabella Wynn entered the Fleet Reserve Association’s (FRA) annual Americanism Essay contest hosted locally by Branch 15 in Walhalla. After a multi-step judging process spanning the months since her submission, Izabella’s moving essay about “What Memorial Day Means to Me” was eventually judged as third best in the entire nation. To recognize this amazing achievement, representatives from Branch 15 recently travelled to the school for a small award ceremony to honor Izabella and her accomplishment. In addition to a monetary prize, Izabella was presented with a commemorative plaque and a framed copy of her essay.

Asked about her impressive showing in the essay contest, Izabella said, “I have always liked writing and respected our veterans and active service members. When I entered the contest, I had no thoughts of winning, I just wanted to honor their service."

Our 8th grade students enjoyed touring the Hamilton Career and Technology Center to support their transition to the 9th grade and all the opportunities available to them at HCTC and Seneca High School. The programs available to them as 9th graders are:

• PLTW Pre-Engineering Honors
• Graphic Communications
• Architecture and Mechanical Design

Spirit Week activities included dress up days, a pep rally, a school dance and on the concluding Friday a special program for our 8th grade encouraging students to stay in school and be successful. Several coaches and members of the Clemson men’s’ basketball team

visited the school and spoke to the entire 8th grade as part of the National Association of

Basketball Coaches (NABC) Stay in to Win program. Clemson’s is one of over 5,000 basketball

programs across the country taking part in this program designed to motivate and encourage

students to stay in school.The basketball players spoke about decision-making, perseverance, hard work, goal-setting and dedication to the work needed to achieve those goals. They even shared some of the hurdles and challenges that each has faced as they worked to achieve their dreams of playing basketball at an elite level.

Afterwards,the players graciously answered questions and greeted each student with a smile and a fist bump as they exited the program. They even “made the day” for a few students as they signed

autographs on anything at hand, shoes and backpacks included. No doubt the Seneca Middle

School students will long remember their visit and hopefully their important messages as well.

The Clemson basketball program members in attendance were players Chase Hunter, Myles

Foster, Asa Thomas, Jaeden Zackery, Victor Lakhin, and Jake Heidbreder as well as Coach of

Player Development Terrell McIntyre and Director of Basketball Operations Andy Assaley. We appreciate Clemson University's Basketball Team for all of their support of our students!

Seneca Middle School may be in a new building, but many traditions remain, regardless

of the location. One very important tradition of the school is to show honor and respect

to veterans in the Seneca community at a special Veterans Day assembly. Students

invited veterans to the school for a breakfast at which they had the opportunity to mingle

and swap stories of their military experiences. Afterward, the veterans were honored at

a schoolwide assembly featuring moving performances of patriotic music given by the

school’s band, chorus, and orchestra. Following the stirring performances, each of the

more than 50 honored guests was individually recognized and escorted out of the

assembly by the student who invited them. While the school location was different and

spaces inside new, this tradition was time-honored and still as moving as ever.

Our Parent Organization/SIC (School Improvement Council), is a school-based organization with a mission to make SMS a better place for students to learn and staff to work.

Our school fundraising campaign has begun and one way you can support our Parent Organization will be in your giving that can support our students and staff. Families can give on the online payment system of My School Bucks. There are giving levels for various amounts from $10, $20 and $50. We appreciate families giving financial support, volunteerism or your time to support Seneca Middle School!

Mrs. Lamb, 7th grade Social Studies, introduce her social studies students to the Día de los Muertos or Day of the Dead, a traditional Mexican and Mexican-American holiday celebrated on November 1-2. This holiday is one that celebrates and honors dead loved ones, often with food offerings deposited at gravesites or at altars called ofrendas in their homes and one such traditional offering is sugar skulls. Each student used ingredients to create and design their own skull.

Of course, these creations weren’t just a fun activity out of the blue for her students. They were part

of a unit of study about North America. As Ms. Lamb stated, “My seventh-grade Social Studies class recently explored World Geography by studying the cultural heritage of North America, focusing on Central American countries. Students researched individual nations and examined key concepts of cultural assimilation, diffusion, and appropriation through the lens of Día de los Muertos. To conclude the unit, they created calaveras, or sugar skulls, honoring their loved ones and celebrating the traditions of this important holiday.”

Sixth graders at Seneca Middle School have spent the past months adjusting not only to a new

environment - a brand new school, new peers from different feeder schools, a different teacher

for each subject - but also to the additional rigor of middle school academics. For some, these

expectations might seem daunting. However, sixth grade science teachers Jennifer Padgett

and Kayla Crooks, have developed a lab that helps dispel any worries about these new

expectations while incorporating a healthy dose of new content about heat transfer and the

scientific process. Plus, it comes along with a measure of fun and tasty enjoyment.

Students spent their science period working at three different lab stations in order to test methods of heat transfer - all centered around big puffy white marshmallows. At each station, the students speared a marshmallow on a skewer in order to test and record their observations regarding how each marshmallow fared with different types of heat transfer. The final observation, of course, involved eating the marshmallow. Padgett said of the activity, “In this fun and educational lab, students learned about the three types of heat transfer: conduction, radiation and convection. They put these concepts into practice by roasting marshmallows using three different methods to represent each type of heat transfer. After roasting, students observed how each marshmallow looked, felt, and tasted, comparing the effects of the different heating methods. This hands-on activity helped them understand how heat moves in everyday situations, all while enjoying a tasty treat!”

You may contact Nurse Tate with any needs or questions at 718-5378.

SMS Librarian, Ms. Cassie Owens-Moore is one of 48 educators nationwide named @travelersinsurance Award for Teaching Excellence recipients. She will travel to Washington, DC, for the NEA Gala in February to celebrate with other educators. Congratulations to our award-winning Librarian, Ms. Owens-Moore!

"One Seneca" is an initiative that partners the Seneca administrators and schools in grades K-12 to support and serve our greater Seneca community. Administrators of each of the three elementary schools, middle school and high school meet monthly and coordinate planning and activities for our Seneca families. In October, "One Seneca" collected canned goods and paper products for the Collins Home. In November, we showed appreciation to our bus drivers for all that they do serving the Seneca community.

If you have questions or need any assistance regarding bus transportation, please call Teresa Warren, transportation supervisor, at the Seneca Bus Office at 864-718-5525.

We would like to thank Mrs. Stephens, Library Assistant, who produces the Seneca Middle School News Releases to the Journal that are included here in our newsletter for all families! Mrs. Stephens supports our award-winning library while also coordinating news releases, honor roll lists, our school laminator and poster maker as well as other contributions like programs including our Veterans Day Program and end-of-year Academic Award Programs. Thank you Mrs. Stephens for over two decades of Seneca Middle support!

November 18-21 Swim lessons with Mrs. Williams class and YMCA

November 18 All-County Chorus Middle School Clinic during day Seneca Baptist

November 19 Volleyball Banquet 5:00 PM SMS Cafe

November 19 All-County Middle and High Choral Concert 7:30 Seneca Baptist

November 19 Winter Guard Camp 4:00-7:00 pm SHS

November 20 Project Lit Meeting 8:05 am-8:30 am Library

November 20 SMS Pageant Information Session SMS Café 6 pm

November 20 Basketball Scrimmage with SHS JV vs SMS 6 pm

November 21 Football Banquet 6 pm SMS Café

November 21-2 Band Limestone Honor Band Clinic Limestone Uni.

November 21 Winter Guard Auditions 4:00-700 pm

November 22-23 Region Orchestra event Furman

November 26 Basketball Jamboree Scrimmage with Walhalla and Gettys 5:30

November 27-29 Thanksgiving Break

December 2-6 Winter Sports Spirit Week

December 2 Basketball vs. Edwards 5:30 PM Edwards Middle

December 3 SMS Pageant 6th grade practice 4-6 pm SMS cafe

December 5 Pep Rally 2:30 pm

December 5 Basketball vs Robert Anderson 5:30 PM Home

December 6 SMS Pageant 7th grade practice

December 9 Basketball vs Glenview 5:30 Glenview Middle

December 9 Chorus Concert Dress Rehearsal

December 10 Chorus Christmas Concert 6:30 and 7:30 Utica Baptist

December 12 Basketball vs. Edwards 5:30 PM Home

December 13 SMS Pageant 8th grade practice

December 14 Walhalla Holiday Basketball Tournament

December 16 Basketball vs West-Oak 5:30 PM West-Oak Middle

December 17 Band Christmas Concert SMS 6:00 PM

December 18 Project Lit Meeting 8:05 am-8:30 am Library

December 19 Strings Orchestra Concert SMS 7:00 PM SMS

December 19 Basketball vs. Walhalla 5:30 PM Walhalla Middle

December 20 Last Day with students prior to Break-Half Day 11:45

December 20 Last Day of Second Quarter and First Semester

Email: mcory@sdoc.org
Website: https://sms.sdoc.org/
Location: 15440 Wells Highway, Seneca, SC 29678
Phone: 864-886-4455
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SenecaMiddle
Twitter: @SenecaMiddle