SMS Quarterly Newsletter

Congratulations to our students that were selected for Honor Band: Matthew Mwanje, Lydia Ten Clay, Madisyn Dagel, Xeraya Henke, Asa DeHaan, David Blanton, Miah Camarena, Eloise Trego, Sylas Harrison and Katrina Huitink.

On Tuesday, November 17, Sheldon Middle School will hold its 32nd Annual 8th Grade Science Fair. The fair involves 8th grade students designing a controlled experiment to help solve a problem or answer a question. Students are busy now designing and researching their projects and getting ready to run their experiments and test. You will be able to see how their projects turned out at an event open to the public on November 17 from 6:30 - 7:30 in the MS gym. We look forward to seeing at Science Fair 2026!

Due to conferences, we will dismiss at 2:05 on October 26 and 28.

• 8th grade - Stephen Juma
• 6th grade -Emerson DeBoer
• 5th grade - Cam Claussen

🎶 Congratulations to Asa DeHaan! 🎶

We are proud to celebrate 8th grader Asa DeHaan, who prepared for his Opus Honor Choir audition in early September and earned a spot in the 2026 7/8 Grade Opus Bass Clef Honor Choir!

This is an incredible honor! More than 3,000 students auditioned for the four honor choirs, each consisting of just 180 voices. Asa was one of only 45 Tenor 1 singers selected from across the entire state of Iowa! He was also the only student from Sheldon to audition this year.

Help us congratulate Asa on this outstanding accomplishment! We are proud to see him represent Sheldon and the Orab Nation!

Get ready—the Scholastic Book Fair is coming to our school! This is a great opportunity to connect with your child over the thrill of bringing home new books to dive into again and again. Studies show that kids read more when they choose books for themselves. And fostering a love of independent reading leads to a wide variety of benefits—including academic success and improved mental health.

Here’s everything you need to know about the Book Fair:

Dates: October 26-28

Location: Middle School Library

While you’re there, set up a Book Fair eWallet, the digital payment account that allows your child to shop for books at the Fair without cash. Then share your eWallet link so friends and extended family can add funds.

Many of us still remember the rush of finding the perfect book at a Scholastic Book Fair. I hope you’ll join your child at our school’s Fair and share a reading experience they’ll remember forever. Plus, every purchase benefits our school, so you’ll be helping put books in the hands of other students as well.

Happy reading!

The middle school offers club groups. Any SMS student is welcome to attend. Art Club meeting dates are as follows from 3:30 - 4:00. Come join the fun!

Tuesday - Art Club (art room)

October 13

October 27

We are incredibly grateful for your generous donations to the Sheldon Middle School Color Run. Your kindness and support make a meaningful difference in the lives of our students and help us provide opportunities for them. Our school community is stronger because of generous supporters like you.

🚀 Learning, experimenting and reaching new heights! 🚀

Sheldon Middle School 7th grade Technology students put their creativity and engineering skills to the test!

Students recently tested different-sized bottles to see which ones would launch the highest. First they chose a bottle size and designed their own rockets. Then it was time for the big test — launching their rockets to see how high they could go! Way to go Orabs!

DID YOU KNOW? Children of parents who talk to their teens regularly about drugs are 42% less likely to use drugs than those who don’t; yet, only a quarter of teens report having these conversations. Red Ribbon Week® (October 23-31), the oldest and largest drug prevention campaign in the nation, is your opportunity to get the ongoing conversation started. This year’s theme is Life Is A Puzzle, Solve It Drug Free.™ Visit www.redribbon.org to learn more about Red Ribbon Week® and get tips for talking to your kids about drugs. SMS student council has planned activities for October 26-29 to recognize Red Ribbon Week with dress up days, a puzzle contest, and an opportunity to sign a pledge to remain drug free.

We will be hosting a simple Veterans Day ceremony on November 11 at 8:30 in the MS gym. Part of our program will be honoring our students' family members who are veterans in a picture slideshow. If your child has a family member who is or was a veteran, we' d love to add their photo to our slideshow. Please drop off a picture or email it to cindy.barwick@sheldonschools.com. If you have already brought a photo, we keep them from year to year, so no need to bring it in again. The public is welcome to attend our short program on November 11.

Boys' basketball began on October 19 right after school. Practices typically run from 3:30 - 5:00 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and 6:30 - 7:30am on Wednesdays. Coaches for boys' basketball are Alex Hansen (8th), Andy Cooper (8th), Thad Dykstra (7th), and Seth Oetken (7th). (Girls' basketball will begin in January.)

The girls’ wrestling season began on October 19 and run through the middle of December coached by Kylee Cooper. (Boys' wrestling will begin in January.)

As a reminder, students must have a current physical in order to participate, and must also be registered on Bound. Best wishes to our athletes during this early winter season.

Our Middle School student council for the 2026-2027 school year.

Grade 5: Brynley Cooke, Kenly Doorenbos, Braylee Fuerstenberg, Ellie Groote, Emery Meinders & Bridget Sexe

Grade 6: Jackson Blankers, Junior Camarena, October Charbonneau, Jack Gottula, Weslynn Gruis, Makenzie Johnson, June Schilling, Shae Slykhuis & Aryn Smith

Grade 7: Alli Boone, Camila Moreno, Collin Mouw & Alan Ramirez

Grade 8: Miah Camarena, Ella Meinders, Presley Meyer & Kelvany Rodriguez

Vision Screenings - Vision screenings will be conducted for all students who are not currently prescribed glasses or contact on November 18.

Water Bottle Reminder- We encourage students to drink water throughout the day. They may carry a water bottle with them, and use our fountains to help stay hydrated.

*Meal prices are $1.75 for breakfast and $2.75 for lunch.

*Ala carte items may be purchased at an additional expense.

*Check your food service balance on the Infinite Campus portal.

A Free & Reduced meal application may be completed at registration or any other time during the school year that there is a change in the financial situation of the home. Families that qualify for Free & Reduced meals will receive carry over benefits for 30 operating days into the 2025-26 school year. Applications are available on the school website and in each building office, or an online application may be submitted here.

Classes dismiss at 3:25 (2:05 on Wednesdays)

*End of the Quarter - October 21

*Conferences - October 26 and 28 (Book Fair is also these days.)

*No School - October 30

*November 11 - Veterans Day

*8th Grade Science Fair - November 17

*No School - November 25-27 (Thanksgiving)

The Parent Portal is a great tool for looking at your student’s attendance, assignments and grades. This can be accessed on the sheldonschools.com website, clicking on the Parents tab and then Parent Portal. From the Parent tab, existing students can also be registered. If you need assistance accessing your parent portal, please give us a call at 712-324-4346. We can look up your username and reset your password if you’ve forgotten it.

Email: melanie.hedberg@sheldonschools.com
Website: sheldonschools.com
Location: 310 23rd Avenue, Sheldon, IA, USA
Phone: 712.324.4346
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/smsorabs

Board Policy – Code No. 102.E1 Students, parents, employees and others doing business with or performing services for the Sheldon Community School District are hereby notified that this school district does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age (except students), religion, national origin, creed, sex/gender, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or socio-economic status in admission or access to, or treatment in, its programs and activities. The school district does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age (except students), religion, national origin, creed, sex/ gender, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or socio-economic status in admission or access to, or treatment in, its hiring and employment practices. Any person having inquiries concerning the school district's compliance with the regulations implementing Title VI, Title VII, Title IX, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), § 504 or Iowa Code § 280.3 is directed to contact:

Cynthia Barwick, MS Principal Sheldon CSD
310 23rd Avenue Sheldon, Iowa 51201 712-324-4346

Cynthia Barwick, Middle School Principal, has been designated by the school district to coordinate the school district's efforts to comply with the regulations implementing Title VI, Title VII, Title IX, the ADA, § 504 and Iowa Code § 280.3 (2007).