Talon Talk

We are finally in that exciting time of year where we can see the holiday break and all of our students are getting excited for the time off. Our wrestling team will be winding down their season, and our basketball team will have a significant break before their last tournament at the beginning of January. This is a big assessment time of the year in schools everywhere. We are taking the time to see where students stand after one semester of learning. This is in each classroom and using iReady for our mid-year diagnostic testing. Please, take the time to make sure your students are aware of what they need to do in order to re-assess before the break.

This Friday, Dec. 15th is our holiday dance! The dance is from 6:00pm - 8:00pm in the middle school. Students will be excited to be a part of the dance and we hope everyone will be able to make it. The entry fee is $5, and we do serve concessions at the dance. I want to remind you of our basic pick-up procedure. Once students are at the dance, they are in our building until the end unless a parent comes in to get them. If you need to pick your child up early, please, just come in the front door and one of our supervisors will make sure your student is notified that they are leaving. If your student is leaving with another parent, please try to make the principal aware in order to make sure all of our students are kept safe and go with the appropriate people. It should be a fun night for our students and I know they will be excited.

On Wednesday and Thursday of next week (December 13 & 14), all our students will be taking our second iReady diagnostic test of the year. This helps us determine how our students have grown over the last few months of school. Parents can help support our students by making sure that they get a good night's rest and eat a good breakfast to prepare for the test - just like you would for the MAP test. Talking to your student about how important it is to do their best is another way parents can contribute. If you have any questions about testing, please contact Mrs. Fennewald at afennewald@holdenschools.org. Results will be shared after our testing concludes. Movie rewards will be offered for those that meet their goals or are on grade level.

11/6

6th Grade: Mira C., 8th Grade: Ashley L.; Explo: Lily F. (not pictured: 7th grade: Spencer A.)

11/13

Explo: Hudson J.; 6th Grade: Jabez S.; 7th Grade: Bella T.; 8th Grade: Hayden S.

11/27

Explo: Ryan M.; 6th Grade: Anna S.; 7th Grade: Jace J.; 8th Grade: Liam C.

This month our character trait is compassion. The definition of compassion is "concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others". Advisories spend time doing activities to help students learn this skill. Other areas of focus for this month include gratitude and teamwork.

This week wraps up our hallway decorating contest. Two advisory classes teamed up to decorate a hallway with a Christmas theme. Hallways were then judged by teachers to determine a winner. One of our 8th grade teams were treated with cookies and hot chocolate as the winning group.

Next week, classes will be designing and creating holiday cards to be delivered to area nursing homes. This annual activity is always a favorite of teachers and students alike!

Meet our 8th grade team! (from left to right) Mr. Herron (History), Mr. Cole (Math), Mrs. Chambers (ELA), Mr. Andes (Science)

Combined, they have a total of 47 years of teaching experience. They have earned degrees from University of Central Missouri, Western Governor's University, University of Kansas, and Mid-America Nazarene University. When asked if they would rather live in a giant gingerbread house or ride on the Polar Express everywhere they go, the gentlemen agreed the Polar Express was the way to go, while Mrs. Chambers went against the group and said the gingerbread house would be her choice.