SMS Press

Happy Fall, SMS Families!

We have been enjoying the beautiful fall weather, and our students have had many wonderful opportunities to get outside, connect, and learn outdoors!

There is a lot going on at SMS right now as we head into the second half of October:

• Parent-Teacher Conferences: Conferences will take place on October 21st and October 26th. Please check your email for a sign-up link to choose your conference time.

• Fall Fun Fest: Join us on October 28th for our Fall Fun Fest to kick off the long weekend! There will be something fun for everyone to do.

Thank you to our students, staff, and families for making SMS such a great place to be. Keep up the fantastic work, Spartans!

One of our primary commitments this year is improving how we connect with our school community. Real progress requires closing the loop—we need opportunities not just to share information with you, but to listen and learn from your experience as well. Please complete this quick 3-question survey about teacher communications (phone calls, emails, and newsletters) to help us better partner with you and support your student!
This Form will also be available during Parent - Teacher Conferences next week. Look for the QR code during conferences!

Check your email for a conference scheduling link!

The School District of Superior is excited to share that we are now utilizing NextPath, a secure online platform that provides us with the ability to share your student's assessment results, behavior incidents, and other data, with you. Please take a minute to follow the steps below to set up your account and “claim” your student(s).

STEP 1: LOG INTO NEXT PATH

1. Open a web browser on any phone, tablet, or computer and go to nextpath.app
2. Log in using the email address you provided to the school district during enrollment.

STEP 2: CLAIM YOUR CHILDREN

1. Once logged in, click "Next" on the welcome screen.
2. Enter your child’s information to verify school records.
3. Click "Finish." You will see a "Student Verified!" message once your child is successfully linked.
4. Have more than one child in the district? Simply repeat this process for each of your children

Last week, our 8th Grade Team 3 took advantage of the beautiful weather and spent time together doing team-building activities at the Superior School Forest !

We are so grateful for this special opportunity for our students to connect, collaborate, and make memories outdoors.

We were honored to welcome environmental advocate and ocean restoration leader Alexandra Cousteau to SMS! 🌊

She spoke with our 8th-grade students about the importance of protecting Lake Superior and highlighted the powerful role each of us can play in restoring abundance in our Great Lakes and ocean ecosystems.

Located in the SMS Library

Tuesdays & Thursdays from 3:10p-5p

Free of Charge and Open to all SMS Students!

The GEARS program is open to all SMS students that wish to receive after-school homework support!

GEARS (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness in Superior) is a precollege program funded through the

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction. The program is staffed by UWS Staff, SMS teachers, and UWS

student tutors.

GEARS will run immediately after school on Tuesdays and Thursdays until 5p in the library and is free of charge to all SMS students. Students who attend each session will be entered into a drawing at the end of each month for a chance to win prizes. In order to participate, students must submit the scholarship application page of this letter; they can then attend as needed. This program is completely voluntary,

meaning students may attend based on their need of support with homework.

Students who consistently do not meet expectations will be dismissed from the program for the current day

and/or the remainder of the program. The overall expectations of GEARS are as follows:

1. The goal of the GEARS program is to help students be academically successful (improving grades and

assignment completion). Students that attend GEARS must be dedicated to working on their

homework.

2. Students must gather all materials and homework immediately after school and report to the library

by 3:10pm

3. Students are expected to work quietly on their academic work during the program. If a student

finishes their work, they will be expected to partake in another activity quietly

4. Laptops are to be used for academic work only. Playing games online and utilizing laptops for other

purposes is not allowed

5. Students are not allowed to hang out in the school without being in a supervised activity. Once students

sign out of GEARS, they are expected to leave the building

6. Transportation is not provided by the program and is the responsibility of the student and their

families

7. Student attendance will be logged electronically and sent out after each session. While

attendance is not mandatory, we hope that this attendance log will help students be accountable for

where they are supposed to be after school and gauge program effectiveness

In order to participate, please complete the attached form and turn it into the main office or guidance counselor.

By signing the application, the student acknowledges and will follow the expectations listed for

attending.

For questions, please contact GEARS Coordinator Angie Hugdahl at alindbe5@uwsuper.edu or 218-260-3181.

Attention current 7th graders! There will be an informational meeting for the 2028 Spring Break trip to DC/NY over Spring Break.

The meeting will be on October 8, 2026 at SMS in the cafetorium. Starting time is 6pm. This is only for current 7th graders. The meeting will include where we will go, what we will do and what the costs will be. Please RSVP with this link.

We’re thrilled to announce our upcoming trip to Thailand, including the cities of Bangkok, Kanchanaburi, Phitsanulok, & Chiang Mai in Summer 2028, and your student is invited! This life-changing experience will help students build confidence, independence, and global perspective.

Enrollment is currently open to students and families in grades 8-11. Please contact our international group leader, Leah Herman, for further information.

An informational meeting will also be held at the Superior High School on September 30th at 6:00 p.m.

Group Leader Contact: leah.herman@superior.k12.wi.us.

Our amazing social studies department has worked to bring a Kids Voting opportunity here to SMS on November 3. We have the supplies, the room, and the activities.

We need your help! To make this mock voting experience successful, we need 8 adult volunteers to run the following:

• 4 adults for registration / sign in
• 2 adults for handing out ballots
• 2 adults for Ballot Box management and giving out I voted stickers

We would need people here by 8:15 to get set up in the SMS multipurpose room and stay until 3:00pm. People can work in shifts as long as all stations have someone present throughout the day.

Please reach out to Amanda Lindquist (Amanda.Lindquist@superior.k12.wi.us) if you are able to help out!

Get ready for an exciting fall! We are thrilled to share our upcoming lineup of clubs and intramurals for September through December.

New This Year:

Families can now register for ALL September–December activites right away!

Hydration is often an overlooked but very important part of EVERY person’s success throughout a day. It helps improve concentration, memory, performance in classrooms and sports, and generally feeling your best. The health office sees a ton of students that have headaches, dizziness, fatigue, etc. and oftentimes kids don't have a water bottle or haven’t drank enough (or any) water in their school day. The health office staff encourages all kids to have a water bottle on hand or in their locker; one or two drinks at a water fountain is not enough to keep you sharp and focused throughout the day. Aim for 6-8 cups of water each day. Also, many fruits and vegetables have a naturally higher amount of water content which is a bonus for hydration and incorporating more fruits and vegetables into your balanced meals. To sum it up: drink more water!! It’s good for your health :)

At SMS for the month of October, our SEL lessons focus on kindness and inclusivity. Last week, Spartan Start classes had a challenge: create a social media post to help people accept and respect differences. Below are each grade level’s winning pictures.

Great job to all of those that participated- it was very hard to choose one winner for each grade level.

Upcoming Opportunity:

Career Exploration Opportunity with GEARS!

Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness in Superior (GEARS) offers after-school tutoring at SMS, as well as career-focused support with Angie Hugdahl, the GEARS Grant Manager.

• When: Every other Tuesday during the school day start date TBD

• What: 1-on-1 or small group sessions for career inventories and exploration

• How to Sign Up: Contact Becky Nickila at rebecca.nickila@superior.k12.wi.us if your child would like to participate. I will then send home a permission slip and we can get you in contact with Angie.

We are excited to offer this valuable opportunity to our students!

Our students worked hard during their BARR I-Time lessons in September!

6th grade students participated in an activity titled Shields. The purpose of the Shields I-Time activity is to help students and staff learn more about one another and continue to identify commonalities. On the shields participants included a place they would like to travel, their favorite movie, book or TV series, qualities friends would say about them, and one thing they like to do in their spare time.

SMS Students in grades 6-8 also participated in a BARR I-Time lesson called House Rules. Students collaboratively worked together in their ELA classes to create a set of "House Rules" for their team. These "House Rules" are the classroom expectations created by the students to ensure everyone is able to learn, be successful, and feel valued. The House Rules are displayed in classrooms and hallways.

Digital Literacy is collecting old technology for an ongoing lesson on how modern devices evolved from the "dinosaurs" of the past.

We're looking for permanent donations of:

•Phones & Music: Old cell phones, Walkmans, Discmans, iPods, MP3 players

•Media & Cameras: Film/Polaroid/digital cameras, VHS/cassette tapes, floppy disks, VCRs, DVD players

•Hardware: Game consoles/Game Boys, laptops, desktop PCs, printers, typewriters, rotary phones, Palm Pilots

Details:

•Condition: Broken/non-functional items are welcome!

•Security: Please clear any personal data before donating.

Note: Donations become part of our permanent classroom collection—please only send items you do not want back.

Items can be dropped off in the SMS Main Office. Questions? Email: kate.disrude@superior.k12.wi.us

Our PE Department is in need of new or gently used tennis shoes! They are accepting all sizes for boys & girls.

Donations can be dropped off in the main office.

Our students work hard to meet expectations during the school year and earn Spartan tickets your support can offer them more choices. Please consider purchasing from this amazon wish list.

The PBIS team also can accept clean small fidgets and items similar in nature and is always looking for used UNO, Guess who, and other simple kids games.

Please review the fan expectations below!