The Middle School Minute

Important Dates

November 5- 8th Grade Field Trip: Career Expo at Dewitt HS
November 23- Trimester 1 Exams Early Dismissal 12:06 p.m.
November 24- Trimester 1 Exams Early Dismissal 12:06 p.m.
November 25-27- No School, Thanksgiving Break
November 30- Begin Trimester 2
December 21-January 3- No School, Winter Break
January 18- No School
February 12- No School
February 15- No School
March 11- Trimester 2 Exams Early Dismissal 12:06 p.m.
March 12- Trimester 2 Exams Early Dismissal 12:06 p.m.
March 15- Begin Trimester 3
March 26-April 4- No School, Spring Break
May 26- 8th Grade Honors Night 6:00-7:30 p.m.
May 31- No School, Memorial Day
June 4- 8th Grade Farewell Dance 7:00-10:00 p.m.
June 10- Trimester 3 Exams Early Dismissal 12:06 p.m.
June 11- LAST DAY OF SCHOOL Trimester 3 Exams Early Dismissal 12:06 p.m.

2026-2027 District Calendar (click here)

SJMS Office Hours: School days from 7:15 a.m.-3:15 p.m.

In This Edition...

New Topics

Fundraiser Update
October Students of the Month
What Are You Learning?

Old Topics

Ele's Place Group

Handbook Highlight: Toys at School
8th Grade Career Expo

Fundraiser Update

We are grateful and overwhelmed at the outpouring of support from our community! SJMS raised a net total of $30,823.55 surpassing our goal of $25,000. Congratulations to Matthew Geers for being our top donation earner for the second year in a row. Thank you to all of our participants and prize winners!

Back Row: L to R: Skylar Curtis, Faryn Belger, Lily Field, Landyn Fleischer, Caroline Gibson, Emerson Slee and Rex Ritter

Third Row: L to R: Claudia Walter, D-anthony Robinson, Logan Martens, Kyle Schneeberger and Sabine Gillespie

Second Row: L to R: Mattson Price, Eli Veliz-Figueroa, Nolan Wood and Hayden Newberg

Front Row: L to R: Theo Davenport and Matthew Geers

October Students of the Month

We're so proud of our students! Congratulations to our October Students of the Month.

6th Grade: Levi Feldpausch, Sawyer Feldpausch, Rolla Greider, Hallah Ingleright,

Ivan Jumonville, Jeffrey Kay, Reese LaRue, Chloe Rich, Harper Watts, Merida Posz,

Violet Royal

7th Grade: Phoenix Baldwin, Brooklynn Boettger, Lucas Ferguson, Freddy Martinez,

Ryder Reha, Tyler Fillwock, Morgan Weber, Madison Weber and

Reid Speerbrecker

8th Grade: Quinn Densmore, Amry Feldpausch, Elizabeth Hansen, Carter Karek,

Isla Schafer, Dax Stevens, Brody Wallen

6th Grade

7th Grade

8th Grade

What Are You Learning?

Students are 3x more likely to retain information if they can put into their own words the daily learning target for a given lesson. At SJMS, we challenge students to tell us "What are you learning?" You can support us at home and reinforce learning by asking your student what they were expected to learn in each class for the day. They should be able to tell you about the specific topic they worked on!

Handbook Highlight: Toys at School

We've seen an increase in toys at school this year and we need your help!

Per the SJMS Handbook: Toys are not allowed in classrooms. Students may use a small, non-distracting fidget as a tool for learning and focus. Fidgets should be small enough to fit in one hand, generally remain out of sight, be used by an individual, silent, and made of durable materials. Fidgets that are gel or liquid filled or cause classroom distractions are not allowed and will be confiscated by the teacher. A fidget should help a student pay attention, stay calm, and be successful in class. If the fidget is distracting the student or others, it is no longer serving its purpose as a tool.

Popular squishies, like NeeDohs, are not allowed. Gel filled toys like NeeDohs break and cause issues. Thanks in advance for your support!