From Mr. Weatherholt
October, 2019
Seward Middle School Sixth Graders Attend Outdoor Ed Camp in August
On August 21st the Seward Middle School sixth graders along with 24 high school counselors, loaded up the buses at Seward Middle School and made the trip to Camp Carol Joy Holling near Ashland, NE. Once again it was a successful three days full of fun, sun, and a lot of educational activities. On Thursday night we invited the parents out to attend our evening program. The program featured a hoop-dancing performance by Dallas Chief-Eagle and was attended by a large number of parents and other family members. Jones Bank employees served popsicles to the campers before Dallas performed and Cattle Back employees served popcorn and water to the kids afterwards.
This is the 28th consecutive year that Seward Middle School has offered a three day, two night Outdoor Education experience for their sixth graders. This experience began back in 1992 and has continued every year since. When Outdoor Ed. started it took place at Camp Easter Seal in Milford. The camp was moved to Camp Carol Joy Holling in 2000 and has been held there every year since.
Just like it has been done for the past 27 years, the sixth grade teachers as well as a few other present and past SMS staff members come out to teach sessions and spend time with the kids. Some stayed overnight and were essentially on call 24 hours a day. Hats off to all of the staff members who came out to help for a job well done.
The food was good, the weather was fantastic, and there were many great experiences that came out of our three days at Camp Carol Joy Holling. As we left on Friday the kids said goodbye to the camp and pretty sure they were ready to come home and see their parents.
With the 2019 outdoor experience behind us we are already looking forward to next year. Things are being put into place already to make 2020 a great experience as well.
College Week
During the week of Oct 14-17 Seward Middle School celebrated College Week. The focus and purpose is to get kids thinking about college and to start discussions at home with parents and other people they know who attend or has attended college. Throughout the week there were a number of activities that the students and teachers were involved with. Teachers were encouraged to talk to their students briefly about their college experiences and things that are unique to their alma mater. Some even talked about the process that they went through in picking a college. Students also participated in a mascot quiz and a college facts quiz. Winners were given prizes.
We also wanted the students to see their teachers as college graduates. Staff pictures were posted in the lunchroom identifying the college they attended. Our ultimate goal is to get the students of Seward Middle School excited and intrigued about the idea of attending college. SMS College Week was a great success with a high rate of participation amongst the students and staff.
Hints For Parents of Middle Schoolers
The middle school years can be very trying years for both the students and the parents. Here are a few hints to help students be more successful in middle school. These hints came for the publication “Middle Years, Working Together for School Success”.
Did you know?
Research shows that most middle schoolers would like to talk more with their parents about schoolwork. Ask you middle schooler to share what they are learning in their classes. Be specific: “what did you work on in Science today?” or “Tell me about the science experiment you did in lab today.”
Keep Electronics in Check
Encourage fact-to-face interaction by putting away devices (including yours) at set times, such as during meals, family outings, or game night. If you’re using a device and your child interrupts, switch your attention to him/her. You’ll help them see that the person in front of them is more important than what’s on the screen.