Senn-Thomas Middle School

Hello, STMS Families!

I hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween weekend! Hopefully, you also enjoyed that extra hour of sleep this morning! If you haven't already, don't forget to set your clocks back an hour.

It's hard to believe we're already in November! We have had a great start to the second quarter, and I'm excited about everything we have coming up at STMS.

This Friday, November 6, we will be celebrating our students who qualified for the first-quarter PAWS Incentive with a trip to the St. Louis Zoo! Congratulations to all our students who earned this opportunity!

We are also looking forward to our Veterans Day Celebration on Tuesday, November 10. We encourage families to invite the veterans in their lives to join us as we recognize and honor their service. Please review the flyer in this week's newsletter for additional information and the RSVP link.

Thank you for your continued support of STMS. Let's have a great week, Blackcats!

Kyle Borror
Principal
Senn-Thomas Middle School

November 6: PAWS Trip

November 10: Dunklin Veteran's Day Celebration

November 11: No School - Veteran's Day

November 25 - 27 : No School - Thanksgiving Break

We invite our STMS families to help us honor our veterans on Tuesday, November 10! The celebration will begin with breakfast at STMS, followed by a district-wide parade and assembly.

Atlas Youth Outreach will be offering two free six-week support groups for STMS students beginning Friday, November 6: Anxiety Management and Understanding Neurodiversity. These groups will provide students with opportunities to learn strategies, build self-awareness, and develop skills to help them navigate different challenges.

Students may participate in one or both groups. Please review the flyers below for additional information and use the QR code on the flyer to register your student.

After-School Study Hall is on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Study Hall provides students with additional time after school to work on assignments, complete missing work, and get caught up on their schoolwork.

Parents/guardians must complete the After-School Study Hall Form each week they would like their student to attend. Completing the form one week does not automatically register your student for future weeks.

Study Hall will end at 4:30 PM. Transportation will not be provided, so parents/guardians will need to arrange for their student to be picked up at the front of the building at 4:30 PM.

STMS is partnering with Compass Health Network to bring dental services directly to our school on December 1–2!

Students will have the opportunity to receive dental exams, cleanings, sealants, and other dental treatments during the school day. Medicaid is accepted, along with some private insurance plans, and a sliding-scale fee program is available.

If you are interested in having your student participate, please review the flyer below for additional information and registration instructions.

STMS offers several opportunities for students to get involved, meet new people, and explore their interests outside of the classroom.

If your student is interested in participating, please check out the flyers below for meeting times and additional information. We encourage all students to find something they enjoy, get involved, and try something new!

Contact the office if you have additional questions

The Jr. Blackcats Wrestling Club is gearing up for another exciting season! All K–8th grade boys and girls interested in wrestling are encouraged to join!

In-Person Registration: October 26 & 28

6:00–7:00 PM

Practice Information:

Season Begins: November 2

Days: Mondays & Wednesdays

Time: 6:00–8:00 PM

Location: Herculaneum High School Wrestling Room

Registration Fee: $100 (due November 11), which includes an AAU card, T-shirt, and uniform rental. A $30 practice-only option is also available.

Important Reminder: 7th and 8th graders may begin participating after the middle school wrestling

season concludes.

Wrestling is a great opportunity for students to build strength, discipline, confidence, and teamwork! We can't wait to see our future Blackcats on the mat!

For more information, contact Chris Bahr cbahr@dunklin.k12.mo.us

The HHS Life Skills class has started its own button-making business! Students are putting their skills to work creating buttons while gaining valuable hands-on experience.

If you would like to place an order and support our HHS Life Skills students, please use the link below!

Order Buttons Here

At the beginning of the school year, STMS provided school supplies for all students. However, we are asking families to provide a pair of headphones or earbuds for their student to use with their Chromebook.

Throughout the school day, students use a variety of instructional programs across different subjects that require them to listen to audio, videos, and other learning materials. Having their own headphones will help students stay focused, minimize classroom distractions, and make the most of these resources.

We appreciate your help in ensuring your student has the tools they need to be successful!

Instead of calling or emailing transportation changes, families can now complete the Student Transportation Form using the link below. We hope this new form makes it easier for parents and guardians to submit any needed transportation changes.

The current transportation guidelines and cut-off times remain the same:

• The daily cut-off time for STMS transportation changes is 11:30 AM. Any requests made after this time will be denied to ensure all students are in the correct location for dismissal.
• Students may have one AM bus stop and one PM bus stop. Students cannot ride the bus to a friend's home or an additional family member's home.

As always, if you have any questions or need assistance, please contact the Transportation Department.

Dunklin R-5 Transportation Contact Information:

Chris A. Harris, Transportation Director
(636) 479-5200 extension 1025
charris@dunklin.k12.mo.us

Victoria Luebbert, Transportation Secretary
(636) 479-5200 extension 1026
vluebbert@dunklin.k12.mo.us

Transportation inquiries
bus@dunklin.k12.mo.us

Infinite Campus Parent Portal

Infinite Campus is a great way to stay connected with your student's progress throughout the school year. Parents can use the Parent Portal to view grades, assignments, attendance, and other important student information.

Need help with Infinite Campus or your Parent Portal account?
Complete our Parent Portal Help Form or reach out to Kim Propest (636) 479 - 5200 ex 2 for assistance.

Not sure how to use Infinite Campus?
This Infinite Campus Parent Portal Video provides a helpful walkthrough for parents.

Google Classroom

Google Classroom is another great resource for keeping up with what is happening in your student's classes. Families can use it to better understand assignments, classroom resources, due dates, and what students are currently working on.

For help getting started, check out this Parent's Guide to Google Classroom.

Dunklin R-5 provides families with free access to Parent ProTech, a resource designed to help parents and guardians navigate the ever-changing digital world with their children. Parent ProTech provides information and guidance on topics such as social media, popular apps, gaming, screen time, parental controls, online safety, and current technology trends. It also provides conversation starters to help families talk with their children about safe and responsible technology use.

We encourage families to take advantage of this free resource and stay informed about the technology our students are using.