HOMECOMING!

Homecoming is right around the corner here at the HOME OF THE ORABS!!!!  Yesterday the SMS Student Council voted on dress up days for homecoming week, as well as signed up to sell buttons.  If your student is new to SMS, they will soon find how popular our homecoming buttons are!  We have four new styles to choose from this year and they are on display on the bulletin board in the SMS commons.  They are $1 each...WHAT A BARGAIN!  Buttons officially go on sale Friday, September 7th and will be available until homecoming on Friday, September 14th! 

CATCH THAT ORAB SPIRIT!!!!!

Dress Up Days Homecoming 2012

Monday:  Hawaiian Day
Tuesday:  Red, White, and Blue Day (September 11th Memorial)
Wednesday:  Nerd Day
Thursday:  Multiplicity Day
Friday:  Orange and Black Day

Readers=Leaders

At Sheldon Middle School we are constantly trying to help our students become better readers!  Programs like Accelerated Reader, Fusion, and AR Partners are just some of our efforts to help improve students fluency and comprehension when reading.  We know that if a student can read, THEY WILL SUCCEED!  This article gives some great examples of how some of the most successful people in the U.S. are avid readers!  Check it out!

Readers=Leaders Linked HERE

Dealing With A Loss--Helping Families Through Grief

This "helping families grieve" conference was just brought to our attention, so we thought we would share this resource with the families in our district.  Over the past few years, we have had several families who have had to deal with the loss of a loved one.  Hopefully this conference can be a source of healing and education.  Please let us know if you have any questions.  The guidance staff is always here to help with loss as well!  Don't be afraid to call and let us know, so we can support your student and family.

 Information:

2nd Annual

Helping Families Grieve
Together
C o n f e r e n c e

Saturday, September 22, 2012

8:30 am - 12:00 pm

First Reformed Church

Sioux Center, Iowa

CALL: (712) 722-8108

Creativity

Check out this video about creativity and tolerance from the students at Linn-Mar High School in Iowa!  So cool!  Very inspiring and helps us to remember that all students have amazing talents to bring to the table!

Create Video

It's That Time of Year...Magazine Sales!

SMS will be kicking off our annual magazine sale fundraiser next Friday, August 31st!  This fundraiser allows us to do so many neat things here at SMS and provide so many opportunities for our students that the general budget would not allow for.  If you would like to get a head start on your shopping, or just want the security of online purchases, please use this link to go to the Great American School Store and support SMS!  You can also pick what individual student you would like to support by entering their name...that way they get the benefits and incentives that go along with the sale :) 

HERE IS THE LINK TO THE GREAT AMERICAN SCHOOL STORE:

GA School Store

HERE IS THE SHELDON MIDDLE SCHOOL CODE TO ENTER SO YOUR PURCHASE SUPPORTS OUR SALE:

2540532

THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR SUPPORT!  IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE LET US KNOW BY CALLING 324-4346!

What Is Your Mindset?

We had a great discussion in 8th grade guidance about mindset today.  Do you believe you are born with a set amount of talent?  Or can talent be improved?  One of the 8th grade students even reminded us about a great quote.  "Hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard."  Kevin Durant, an NBA player, recently got this quote back in the spotlight, but it has been around for ages!  What about intellect?  Again, this was up for discussion.  At SMS, we believe that if students put forth a positive effort, we can help them be successful!  If we can help students change their mindset about their intellect and talent, we feel that they can achieve!

What is your mindset?  Check out this quiz from the book "Mindset" by Carol Dweck.  Hopefully each SMS student can develop the "growth" mindset that will help them overcome any obstacle!

Mindset Quiz HERE

We Made It!

What an amazing first day here at SMS!  The morning started with a flag raising ceromony and whole school assembly.  The students were awesome and the day went smoothly!  Here are the class pictures of the 5th graders on their first day of middle school!  It was the end of the day and they were still smiling :) 

                                                                       Mr. Fitz's Class

Miss Pruiksma's Class

Mrs. DeZeeuw's Class

First Day of School!

Tomorrow is the big day!  Here's to hoping that your kids are as excited about the first day as Nemo!  We are looking forward to seeing all our SMS students tomorrow and kicking off another great year!

Don't forget Open House tonight from 5-6:30 P.M. and 7th Grade Transition meeting at 6:30 in the MS gym!  See you there!

Participation Matters!

During our inservice at the start of each school year, we go through the list of students who were not involved in any type of extra curricular activity the previous year.  Our goal is to help each of those students find an activity that they enjoy and can become a part of.  As a staff we feel that having a connection to school and being involved benefits a student in so many ways.  Check out this article that reinforces our philosophy on participation at SMS, as well as these pics of some of our students in action!

Participation Article

                                                                SMS 7/8 Choir 2011-12

SMS 7/8 Boys Track 2011-12

SMS 7 Girls Volleyball 2011-12

2011-12 Winner of SMS Science Fair

Quiz Time!

As we begin the school year, parents often ask how they can help improve their student's study habits.  As we increase our use of technology here at SMS, we would like to offer additional technological resources for parents.  Here are just a couple of handy websites that we have found that our students really enjoy using when studying for tests.  Both Quizlet and Studyblue are free sites where students can browse electronic flash cards or create their own custom electronic flashcards.  What a fun way to study!  It feels more like playing a video game :)  Enjoy! 

Quizlet
Studyblue

We're Here To Help You!

If you watched the coverage of the Olympic balance beam competition last night, you witnessed a true advocate in action!  An advocate is someone who works for the interests of a group or individual.  After it appeared that U.S. Olympic gymnast, Aly Raisman, would have to settle for fourth place in the beam competition, her coach filed to have her score reexamined.  Thanks to his advocacy, Raisman ended up on the medal podium with a medal in hand. 

Likewise, as a staff, we are here to do what is right for your student.  We want to help each child be successful here at SMS.  Let us know when you have questions or concerns...everyone needs a hand once in awhile!

Finding Your Greatness

No matter what you do this school year, or in life for that matter, make sure you are giving it your all!  Check out this clip that has been showing during the Olympics...and go be an ORAB! 

Are Your Kids Ready For School?

We hope that you have had a great summer break! We are looking forward to kicking off the start of a new school year here at SMS and wanted to share some tips to help parents and students be prepared for the start of the year. In this article from WebMD, Nicole Pfleger, the ASCA 2012 School Counselor of the Year shares some ideas to ensure you and your student will have a successful school year.

http://www.webmd.com/parenting/family-health-12/back-to-school-prep?page=1

We also wanted to remind you of the dates of registration...

Sheldon Community School District 2012-13 Registration Information:

Registration Dates for School 2012-13
**Thursday, Aug. 2nd @ Sheldon Community High School - 12:00 - 7:00 p.m.
**Monday, Aug. 6th @ Sheldon Community High School - 12:00 - 7:00 p.m.
**Tuesday, Aug. 7th @ Ashton State Bank - 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
**Wednesday Aug. 8th @ Archer - 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.