Middle School Newsletter - May, 2017

from Mr. Weatherholt

May 11, 2017

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Students from SES and SMS Visit Their New School

            We have been involved with students transitioning from their current school to their new school at Seward Public Schools.  Here at Seward Middle School we have one group (current 8^th graders) leaving us next year and another group (current 4^th graders) joining us next year.   

            We hosted the current fourth graders from Seward Elementary for an orientation on April 18^th.  Mr. Weatherholt welcomed the 4^th graders to the school with a pep talk and general information about procedures and guidelines.  Mr. Gottschalk also talked to the 4^th graders about what they might expect at the Seward Middle School compared to some of the things they do now at their current school.  The current 5^th grade teachers then introduced themselves and addressed the students.  The students were then divided into groups and given a tour of the building by current 7^th and 8^th graders.

            On April 20^th SMS hosted the 4^th graders from St. Vincent De Paul Catholic School for their orientation.  This was a much smaller group, but the format was much the same.  Mr. Weatherholt and Mr. Gottschalk addressed them first and then they were given a tour.  The 5^th grade teachers then met with them at the end of their tour. 

            Both groups of 4^th graders seemed excited about the visit and eager to start a new chapter in their lives by attending Seward Middle School. 

            On May 3^rd the 8^th graders visited the Seward High School.  They got to eat lunch at the high school and also got to tour the building.  Current high school student representatives gave them tours, talked to them about organizations that they can be part of, and shared general information about what it is like to be a high school student. 

            Overall these were great days for the students of Seward Public Schools.  It calmed some nerves and gave both groups of students a glimpse of what the their new buildings look like and also a little information on what it will be like to be a student in their new school.  Both Seward High School and Seward Middle School are looking forward to having a new set of students in their building and plan to make them feel as comfortable as possible. 

8^th Graders Visit UNL

            The 8^th graders did a college visit on the UNL campus on April 19^th.  They were given information about the college first and then went on a tour.  They also had an opportunity to eat lunch in one of the dorm cafeterias.  At the end of the visit students participated in an activity which involved going to college and career planning.

            In the afternoon the 8^th graders wrapped up the day by visiting Morrill Hall on the UNL campus.  The museum houses Mueller Planetarium, a hands-on science discovery center, and the Elephant Hall, where visitors can see the world's largest articulated fossil mammoth among the collection of fossil elephants. Also featured are interactive paleontology exhibits, a dinosaur gallery, ancient life and evolution exhibits, wildlife dioramas, gems and minerals, American Indian and African exhibits, and a temporary exhibit gallery featuring rotating displays on diverse topics including photography, quilts and fine arts.

            This was a great experience for our 8^th graders.  The college visit is definitely something that we are talking about continuing to do at SMS on a yearly basis.

UNL Extension Office provides career and college information for 7^th and 8^th graders

            This spring Shelly Stitt from the University of Nebraska Extention Office came to Seward Middle School to offer career and college planning sessions to our 7^th and 8^th graders. 

            On April 12 Shelly presented to the 8^th graders.  Her presentation was focused mainly on college in preparation for the college visit that the 8^th graders were doing the next week at UNL.  It mainly involved common college terminology and what to expect in college. 

            On April 21 She presented to the 7^th graders about exploring careers.  They used the ‘Career Diagram’ that involved Career Fields and Career Clusters to help students find careers they may interested in. 

6^th graders do Education Quest “Look2College” Career Lessons

            Throughout the year Mr. Weatherholt presented career and college preparation lessons to the 6^th graders.  The lessons were provided through Education Quest.  Education Quest is a non profit organization that provides Fee services that help Nebraska students make college possible.  The name of the curriculum for 6^th graders is “LOOK2COLLEGE”.  The main focus of the lessons was to encourage students to start to think about careers they may be interested in and also provide them with information about how they can prepare themselves for college.