August 2013

February 2018

Katie Towler, Principal

Loren Velasquez, Assistant Principal

Rebecca Rieken, Assistant Principal

Mission Statement: W est Middle School educates the whole child with the belief that all children can learn. WMS exists to meet the social, physical, emotional, and academic needs of all students.

WMS—3301 W. 19th St.—Sioux City, IA 51103 Phone 712-279-6813 FAX 712-277-6138 www.siouxcityschools.org

Conferences:

Feb. 28 3:05-5:45 P.M.

March 1 8:00 A.M.-8:00 P.M.

No School for students March 1 & 2

We warmly welcome all parents to attend their child’s conference. Ap-pointments should be set up at

w w w . m y c o n f e r e n c e

time.com/westmiddle

Special Olympics Fundraiser

@ WMS - March 1

Cookies / Jitters Donuts $1

Koated Kernels Popcorn $5 bag

Tavern meal $6 (12:00-6:00 P.M.)

Nondiscrimination Statement: The Sioux City Community School District is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. It is an unfair or discriminatory practice for any educational institution to discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, age (for employment), disability, socioeconomic status (for programs), marital status (for programs), or veteran status in its educational programs and its employment practices. Inquiries or grievances may be directed to Jen Gomez, Director of Student Services & Equity Education at 627 4th Street, Sioux City, IA 51101, (712) 279-6075, gomezj2@live.siouxcityschools.com.

FREE TUTORING Tutoring available every day - Room 332

*Before school 7:00-7:40 A.M.

*After school 2:45-3:20 P.M. (1:45-

2:20 on Mondays)

Yearbook Sales

Students may order Yearbooks through

March 23rd. Yearbooks ordered at school are $20. Yearbooks pur-chased online are $17 at Bal-

four.com. Books will be distributed the

last week of school.

Health / Fitness Tip: Everyone can benefit from regular exercise.

Kids who are active will:

*have stronger muscles and bones *have a leaner body

*be less likely to become overweight *decrease the risk of developing type 2 diabetes

*lower blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels *have a better outlook on life

*sleep better * Information taken from kidshealth.org

Art Contest—Zoe Johnson placed 3rd in the 2018 Martin Luther King Jr.

Art Contest. This year’s theme was Love, Peace and Understanding Lead to Respect.

The winners were announced and the projects were displayed at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church on Monday, January 15, 2018, for the NAACP’s (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) Annual Community Celebration to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. They will also be displayed at the Annual

Freedom Fund NAACP Banquet on Saturday, February 17, 2018.

A note from the Principal…

Happy February! We have spent the first part of our year incorporating the Close Reading strategy into our core content areas. By the time you read this article Close Reading will be implemented in all con-tent areas at WMS, including exploratory classes. While we will continue to focus on literacy at school there are things you can be doing at home to help empower your student to become a better reader. Recently, I found a graphic that detailed 5 things we, as parents, can be doing to encourage stronger litera-cy skills. I encourage you to focus on literacy as a family. I think you’ll be surprised at what a difference

you will make! Katie Towler—279-6813

1. Value Placed on Literacy: Parents show their own interest in reading by reading in front of their children and encouraging them to read, too.

2. Press for Achievement: Parents let children know that they are expected to achieve and help them develop reading skills.

3. Availability and Use of Reading Material: Homes with reading and writing materials for children—such as books, newspapers, writing paper, pencils, and crayons— create more opportunities to develop literacy.

4. Reading with Children: Parents who read to pre-schoolers & listen as older children read aloud help children become readers.

5. Opportunities for Verbal Interaction: The quality & content of conversation between parents & children influ-ence language and vocabulary development, both building blocks for later reading success.

* Source of tips: Hess & Holloway, 1984. Family & School

as Educational Institutions

Upcoming Activities:

2/6 Orchestra Concert @ WHS 6:00 P.M.

(6th-12th grades)

2/9 PBIS Incentive Assembly @ WMS

2/13 Student Council Lunch w/Dr.

Gausman

2/21 SDQ (Teen Screen) @ WMS (8th

grade)

2/28 Conferences 3:05-5:45 P.M.

3/1 Conferences 8:00 A.M.-8:00 P.M.—No

school for students

3/2 No school—Conference Exchange day

3/19-3/28 Iowa Assessments

3/28 1:45 P.M. Early Dismissal for Spring

Break

3/29-4/2 No school—Spring Break

2

WMS WILDCAT NEWSLETTER, FEBRUARY 2018

All you need to do is SAVE YOUR HY-VEE

RECEIPTS, BOXTOPS, & POP TABS. Please send these to school as often as you like, and your child can turn them in to their Advi-sory teacher or the office.

Students can even

All-City Honor Band The following West Middle students were selected to partici-pate in the All-City Honor Band:

Teachers’ Professional Development

2/5 @ WHS Amber Lawrence: Youth Standing Strong Against Human Traf-ficking

2/12 Team Collaboration

2/19 IPDP (Individual Professional Development Plan)

2/26 Conference Prep

Home to School Communication Tool

If you have questions about your child’s progress in school, please feel free to contact your child’s teacher or their counselor at 279-6813.

6th grade A-L last name counselor—Jen Petersen

6th grade M-Z last name counselor—Vicky Galloway

7th grade counselor—Jen Petersen

8th grade counselor—Vicky Galloway

Graduation Coach counselor—Alison Benson

8th Grade Highlights

The Eighth graders had the great privilege of visiting the Career Pathway Academies on January 19.

They spent the morning touring and learning about the opportunities they will have as high school stu-

dents. The tour included the Harry Hopkins center where the students were able to see welding, the

automotive field, and carpentry. The downtown visit included culinary, robotics, interior design, and

many more opportunities. Then on January 25 and 26 the eighth graders began the process of register-

ing for their high school classes. Make sure to ask your student about both experiences.

The Sweet Art of Persuasion... Sixth grade students in Mrs. Fairchild’s room focused on the sweetness of persuasion by doing a candy bar persuasive paragraph. Six different types of candy bars were distributed to the students. Students then brainstormed all the positive characteristics of their candy bars. Once they had finished brainstorming, they reviewed the OREO persuasion technique, broke into groups based upon their candy bars, and wrote a group paragraph on post-ers. They had to persuade the other groups why their candy bar was the best with their opinion, reasons, and examples. Each group then presented to the

class. It was fun and tasty!

7th Grade Adrianna Rodriguez

Jesse Mills Valeria Alcala Amy Orellana Marin Frazee Anh Nguyen

Shianne Marsh Abby Hammer

Patrick Baughman Jordy Cambara Blaisen Rogers

8th Grade Sara Hill

Gisselle Ayala Garcia Holly Duax

Thomas Tran Zach Pies

Elias Vargas Jonathon Jones Iris Engelhardt

Elks Club Essay Contest Congratulations to Marygrace Fairchild for her third place win in an essay contest! The focus of the essay was, "The American Flag: What it means to me". A big thank you to the Sioux City Elks Club for making this oppor-tunity available to sixth graders across the Siouxland area.

Student Council Community Service Project

Student Council is collecting plastic grocery bags for a 4-H group that is making sleep mats for the Warming Shelter. We would love to take any extra bags off your hands. Please bring/send them to WMS by Friday,

February 9th.

3

WMS WILDCAT NEWSLETTER, FEBRUARY 2018

Share Your Feedback in the District and School Climate Survey

Every voice matters in the Sioux City Community Schools. That’s why we need to hear from all parents and guardians. Please, pro-vide feedback using our District and School Climate Survey, which is open Feb 8 – March 2. The survey is available in English or

Spanish.

Parents can take the survey on the District website, www.siouxcityschools.org, or by picking up a paper survey from the school. All survey responses are strictly confidential. The Dis-trict has partnered with an independent research and communica-tions firm, K12 Insight, to administer the survey and compile the results. With your candid feedback, the District will continue to provide all our students with the best possible education and give

your child a road map to a successful future.

Mensaje de la Encuesta para Padres

Ya Está Abierta la Encuesta del Clima Escolar y del Distrito

Cada voz cuenta en las Escuelas de la Comunidad de Sioux City. Por eso, necesitamos escuchar a todos los padres y guar-dianes. Puede proveer comentarios en la Encuesta del Clima Escolar y del Distrito, que está abierto del 8 de febrero al 2 de

marzo. La encuesta está disponible en inglés y español.

Los padres pueden tomar la encuesta en el sitio web del Distrito, www.siouxcityschools.org , o puede recoger una copia de papel en su escuela. Todas las respuestas se quedarán estrictamente con-fidenciales. Trabajaremos con una firma independiente de investi-gaciones y comunicaciones, K12 Insight, para administrar la en-cuesta y compilar los resultados. Con sus comentarios sinceros, el Distrito continuará en proveerles a todos nuestros estudiantes con la mejor educación posible, y darle a su hijo un plan para un

futuro de éxito.

Incentives Earned for Positive Behavior

West Middle’s motto is “We Are WEST”...Welcoming, En-gaged, Safe & Trustworthy. Students can earn WEST cards for positive behavior at West Middle. The cards have been counted and the results for January 2– Febru-

ary 5 are below.

7th grade – 380 cards - They earned a Free day – Soccer / Basketball / Volleyball / Dance in the Gym during one class

period on February 8.

6th grade – 280 cards - They earned Free Sit at lunch on

February 8.

8th grade – 77 cards

Congratulations students...way to go!