It’s hard to believe we are already heading into March! The school year continues to move quickly, and we have a lot of great things happening at Simmons this month.

We will kick off the month with our Student-Led Conferences on Thursday, March 5 and Friday, March 6. We strongly encourage families to attend with their child, as students will be leading you through their conference and sharing their progress. Their teachers will also be available to help facilitate conversations and answer any questions you may have. These conferences are a great opportunity for students to take ownership of their learning while keeping families connected to what is happening at school. As you plan your schedule this month, please also keep an eye on the upcoming no-school days we will have this month for Spring Break.

Throughout the month of March, our Student Senate will once again be hosting a food drive to support our community, alongside a fun Students vs. Staff Free Throw Contest.

Students are encouraged to bring non-perishable food items to school and place them in the box of the staff member or student competitor they want to support. The competitor with the most donated items in their box will earn an advantage in the free throw contest when they face off! Want to help your favorite competitor even more? Student Senate is offering a bonus advantage if students bring in one of the specific high-need food items or non-food items listed.

It’s a fun way to build some friendly competition while also supporting a great cause in our community.

Attendance continues to be a big focus at SMS, and our students have been having fun with our monthly homeroom attendance challenges. Last month, our February challenge featured cheesy Valentine’s jokes, and during each lunch, the lunch table that had the highest attendance rate will earn the opportunity to throw cheese slices at the principals later this week! We’re excited (and maybe just a little nervous) to see how that turns out!

For March, we’re turning our attention to one of everyone’s favorite things...pizza! Our March attendance challenge will be all about the best flavors of Godfather’s Pizza, and we are incredibly grateful to Godfather’s Pizza for supporting our students. Every student who has perfect attendance for the month of March will receive a coupon, and we will also draw 10 students from each grade level with perfect attendance to join us for a VIP pizza lunch on the stage, complete with pop and dessert. It’s our way of celebrating students who make attendance a priority!

As we move closer to the end of 3rd quarter, we encourage families to continue supporting strong attendance habits. Showing up each day helps students stay connected, keep up with learning, and prepare for state testing coming up in April. Let’s keep the momentum going and finish the quarter strong!

Thank you for your continued partnership and support of our students!

Dr. Colleen Murley

Principal

Mrs. Kelsey Scarborough

Assistant Principal

If you would like to take a more active role and get involved, please attend one of our monthly meetings, which take place on the 2nd Monday of every month at 6:30pm in our library.

If you are unable to take an active role, please still consider becoming a member for $10. Your membership alone helps support the PTA, and you’re welcome to simply donate without any additional time commitments.

You can click here or scan the QR code below to register online.

Throughout the school year, help your student collect Ken’s and Kessler’s grocery receipts and turn them in to the office. At the end of the year, our amazing PTA submits all the receipts and earns money back from the stores, which goes right back into supporting our students and staff.

So next time you shop, don’t toss those receipts! Send them to school with your student and help us turn grocery trips into great opportunities for us.

Starting April 8 through April 16, students in grades 6–8 will take the state assessments in English Language Arts and Mathematics during their regularly scheduled class periods for those subjects. Students in grade 8 will also take the state Science assessment later in April.

The testing schedule by grade level is listed below:

April 8th-10th   |   Math (all grades)

April 12th-16th   |   ELA (all grades)

April 20th-21st   |   Science (8th grade)

The assessments measure student achievement of our state’s standards in the areas of English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science.  In addition, score reports will provide information on student performance in the following areas:    
English:  reading, writing, listening, and research
Math:  concepts and procedures; problem-solving and modeling/data analysis; and communication reasoning
Science (grade 8 only):  physical science, life science, and earth and space science

There is no need for students to study in preparation for these assessments. We simply ask that they do their best and get plenty of rest the night before testing. It is also very important that students attend school on their scheduled testing days. Because these assessments are required, missed tests must be made up later, which can take away from valuable instructional time.

These assessments provide important information for your child, SMS, and our entire school district. Thank you for supporting your child and our school during this testing period by helping ensure they are present for their scheduled assessments. Please contact us if you have any questions. We are confident our students will show the great progress they have made in meeting our state learning standards.

Our students competed in the MATHCOUNTS Chapter competition on February 11th at NSU.  

Congratulations to Owen Entzel for finishing in 7th place for the individual competition and for placing as the top scorer for our school!

Congratulations to Owen Entzel, Owen Forsyth, Logan Henry, Manny Krause, and Coach Thompson for their 3rd place finish for the team competition, advancing them to the state tournament! 

The 23rd Annual Women in Science Conference will be held on the campus of Northern State University on March 17th.

This event brings together over 300 junior high and high school girls from the area to explore their interests in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers.

Our 8th grade girls have the opportunity to attend and spend the day learning from prominent women working in science-related fields. The conference includes small-group presentations, hands-on activities, and a keynote speaker in the afternoon.

Any 8th grade girls with questions should talk to Ms. Stenvig!