Welcome to the 2018-19 School Year

Summer flew by even faster this summer than last year. School is back in session and we are looking forward to an exciting year.

We have six new staff members this year. Mrs. Kelcy Wiegel will teach grades 5-6 at HES. She was a former teacher at Morrill Elementary and comes to us with very high recommendations. Mrs. Crystal Ivy will teach grades 3-4 at HES. She is a former teacher in Oklahoma and will bring new ideas to our school. Ms. Liz De’Medici will teach grades 7-8 at HES. She is from New York and is a registered nurse with a strong background in science. Mrs. Echo Juhnke will serve in the role of instructional assistant at HES. Her high level of enthusiasm and energy will be put to good use as she works between numerous classes. Mr. Adam Smith is our new vocal and instrumental instructor. He hails from Virginia and has extensive experience playing the oboe and conducting. He is a fan of the Georgia Bulldogs but I am confident he will be a Husker fan real soon. Mrs. Lucy Martin will be teaching the upper grades at Chalk Butte. She formerly taught in Missouri and Wyoming. Mrs. Martin lives in Torrington.

Communication

We are striving to keep everyone informed in a timely manner of our activities and events. Coaches, sponsors and teachers are required to post activity details or an itinerary at least two weeks prior to the scheduled event. The information will be posted on our school district website for everyone to view. Letters will also be sent home to parents. Coaches are using the app Remind, as a means to send text messages to parents and athletes.

The school district has a Twitter account so we can tweet messages in real time. The Twitter account is @SCS_Warriors. We encourage you to follow us on Twitter. Some of our coaches will communicate activity details via Twitter.

College Credit

SCHS juniors and seniors will be offered the opportunity to take college level English courses taught by Mr. Rohan. The courses will be offered through Nebraska Wesleyan University for college credits. The courses will allow our students to graduate from SCHS with six hours of college English credits. This is a great opportunity for our students.

School Calendar

Activities are being entered on the school website for the 2018-19 school year. The calendar lists vacation breaks, parent teacher conferences, academic events, and more. The school district calendar is available on our website. Please check our website for a listing of events, activities and special notices. http://siouxcountyschools.org.

Our fall student athletes are getting ready for the upcoming sports season. They attended summer camps and have been working out throughout the summer. Please check our website for the sports schedule and list of important dates and activities.

Stay connected with all of our scheduled activities by visiting our web site at: http://siouxcountyschools.org.

PowerSchool for High School Students Parents and students can access grades and attendance in PowerSchool with accessibility through the school website. It is recommend students and parents access PowerSchool on a regular basis to stay abreast of grades and missing assignments.

Monthly Newsletter The newsletter is mailed to each patron in the county each month during the school year. A copy can also be found on the school website. http://siouxcountyschools.org.

Dr. Brett Gies Superintendent of Schools

Mr. Barry Swisher Pk-12 Principal & Athletic Director

Welcome back Chalk Butte students and families! It sounds like you all enjoyed your summers as the students had some exciting stories to tell about their summer adventures. This year we have an enrollment of 10 students K-8. I would like to welcome Mrs. Martin who will be substituting in the upper room. We are glad to have her and I would encourage you to stop in and visit with her when you have a chance.

We are all very excited to start the school year. We will start off the school year with MAP testing. Our testing dates will be August 27 through September 7.

CHALK BUTTE

Fall Sports

Weareofftoagreatstartwithtwelvestudentsinfirstandsecondgrades.It’sgoingtobeanexcitingandbusyyear.

Reading:WehaveanewreadingseriesthisyearcalledReadyGen.Itwillbegreatatchallengingourstudentsinreading,writing,andvocabulary.Wehavealreadyreadsomeinterestingstoriesandpracticednarrativewriting.

Math:Thefirstgradersareworkingonnumbersenseanddata.Soontheywillstartadding.Thesecondgradersareworkingondoublesaddition,data,andstoryproblems.

Science:Inscienceweareworkinghardonournewstandards.Wearelearningaboutsoundwithmanyhands-onexperiences.

SocialStudies:Wehavebeentalkingaboutfamiliesandcommunities,andworkingonourmapskills.

SoundExperiments:Thefirstandsecondgraderslearningaboutvibra7ons,soundwaves,volume,andpitch.

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PinkElementarywelcomesstudentsbackwithafewScienceexplorationsattheNiobraraRiver.

WilliamandJadontaughtusaboutCrayfishandPike.

Itwasfuncatchingcrittersintheriverona

hotday!

WeharvestedapplesfromourappletreeintheschoolyardandmadeAppleCrispandApplePie.

Theyweredelicious!

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The other day, after a full day of teaching, I told myself, “You’re getting OOOLLDDD.” Some of you might be saying, “Yeah, you’ve been here so long, you are old.” Others might say, “No, you’re not that old. Compared to me you’re still a young man.” So I just laugh to myself and think: Why don’t you take a nap and think about it?

Seriously, I know I am getting older because I catch myself using phrases like, “When I was your age…”, “When I was a kid…”, or “I remember when…” This is great as a history teacher because what I am relating to them is what life was like in the past for me and maybe their parents (hopefully not their grandparents). Sharing these personal, family, and historical experiences with them is fun…

When I was in high school the most advanced technological electronic equipment we students might use was a TI 92 calculator or an electric typewriter (and our school had only four of those). Computers were only found at colleges, and it was all about programming. We thought we had it pretty good back then. Today every student has a computer with more capacity than government computers of the 70s and access to more information than the entire campus faculty. What technology will my student’s children have access to?

Nowadays you can go to a fast food place and get a simple meal for $5.00 (this is a meal that would feed a bird not the growing teenagers of SCHS). Talking with my Mom she reminded me that she would spend $5.00 to get a hamburger, fries, and a small drink…FOR OUR ENTIRE FAMILY OF EIGHT! We just laughed about it and talked more about our lives growing up.

Now, most kids would roll their eyes and think, “Here we go again, ancient history.” Not Sioux County students, they will listen to the stories and ask questions. This type of history means so much more than much of the information in a textbook.

I am one person with my own personal stories. What would make class even better is if I had more stories to share with them…YOUR stories. Please help enhance our children’s learning of our great nation by sharing your stories by sending me an email or writing them down and sending them to the school. When we read them and hear them we can all have a laugh, cry a little tear, or just feel good about living in the greatest place in the world.

Dan Valenta

The importance of BOOK REPORTS: One assignment here at Sioux County Schools and across the country that has lasted the test of time is Book Reports. While many students dread these assignments, book reports can help students learn how to interpret text and what they are reading, as well as gain a broader perspective of the world around them. A book report is a tool that allows the reader to demonstrate that she/he has understood the nuances of the text he/she has just read. It is a First Grade Nebraska Standard and does not take away from the delight of a good book, for a young person to begin reading by thinking about what it is that he/she wants to enjoy, remember and understand as the main idea and the key details of a book. Parents that are concerned about Sioux County Schools’ rigor can be rest-assured that we are, in fact, starting our young people at the earliest possible grades in age appropriate critical thinking. True higher level thinking skills, which are better described in Bloom’s Taxonomy, are incredibly important in today’s society and begin the important process of wonderful objective and critical thinking in all the choices a young person makes in his/her life, and adds to the “voice of reason” in every part of one’s life.

Mary Munson

Sioux County High School

September 2018

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Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

No School - Labor Day NWEA Map Testing K-10

NWEA MAp Testing NWEA Map Testing NWEA Map Testing 9:00 AM

Girls Varsity CrossCountry @ Chadron

7:00 AM

FFA EDGE Conference @ Alliance (Officers) 10:00 AM

JV/V Volleyball vs.Bayard

2:00 PM

JH Volleyball @ Morrill

2:00 PM

Varsity Football @Potter-Dix

4:00 PM

JH Football @ Morrill

Quarterly ProgressReports

9:00 AM

Girls Varsity CrossCountry @ Alliance

4:30 PM

JH Volleyball vs. Lusk

4:30 PM

JH Football vs. Lingle-Fort Laramie

5:00 PM

JV/V Volleyball vs.Minatare 8:00 AM

1:30pm Dismissal forAll Schools - TeacherProfessionalDevelopment

9:00 AM

Varsity Volleyball @Hemingford Invite

Homecoming/ParentsNight

9:00 AM

JH Volleyball vs. PHC @ Sioux County

4:00 PM

JH Volleyball vs. St.Agnes

5:30 PM

High SchoolParent/TeacherConferences

10:00 AM

County SchoolPictures

2:00 PM

Varsity Football vs.Crawford

4:30 PM

JV/V Volleyball vs.Crawford

DIBELS ProgressMonitoring (Red)

DIBELS ProgressMonitoring (Red)

DIBELS ProgressMonitoring (Red)

8:00 AM

Pink and Chalk Butte2:30pm Dismissal

9:00 AM

JH Volleyball @Hemingford Invite

12:00 PM

Girls Varsity CrossCountry @ UNK 9:00 AM

Agate Science Day -Weather K-8

9:00 AM

Varsity Volleyball @Morrill Invite

2:00 PM

JH Football vs. HaySprings

1:30 PM

Varsity Football vs.Hyannis

3:30 PM

JH Volleyball vs. HaySprings

4:00 PM

JV/V Volleyball vs.Hyannis

Check out our website! Check the GUIDANCE section on the website at http://siouxcountyschools.org/. Scholarship and college information will be posted.

Apply2College campaign in October, you’ll get help with your college applications during a school-day event.

2. Create an FSA ID. You and a parent must each create a username and password atfsaid.ed.gov that will serve as your Federal Student Aid (FSA) IDs for the Free Application forFederal Student Aid (FAFSA). You will each need your own email address to create an FSA ID.

3. Complete the FAFSA at fafsa.gov on or after October 1. The FAFSA is your application forfederal, state, and college-based financial aid. The colleges you list on the application will usethat information to determine the types and amounts of financial aid they will award you.

Get FREE help from EducationQuest

• Attend the EducationQuest Financial Aid Program Tuesday September 18th at 6pm to learnabout types of financial aid and the FAFSA. While you’re there, register to win a $500 scholarship!

• Find free FAFSA Tools at EducationQuest.org to help you prepare for and complete the FAFSA.Call EducationQuest to set up an appointment for free personal help: Scottsbluff – 800.303.3745,ext. 6654.

Meet with college reps at College Fairs, Educational Planning Programs Juniors and seniors: Attend a College Fair or Educational Planning Program (EPP) this fall to meet with college representatives. Admission is free. There will be an Educational Planning Program at Chadron State College September 11, 9:00 – 10:30 am. WNCC will be hosting one in Scottsbluff September 10th.

Before you attend, visit NebraskaCollegeFairs.org to register for a barcode. Print the barcode, or download it to your smartphone, and take it to the fair so that college reps can scan it.

Blog- Check out the EducationQuest Blog for interesting information on a variety of topics.

September “To Do” List

Juniors and seniors ... complete these college planning tasks during September: __ Seniors, apply to your top college choices. __ Seniors, create an FSA ID for you and one for a parent at fsaid.ed.gov. __ Juniors and seniors, attend the Financial Aid Program September 18th. __ Juniors and seniors, attend a College Fair or Educational Planning Program (EPP). __ Before you attend a College Fair or EPP, get a barcode at NebraskaCollegeFairs.org. __ Seniors, register by September 7 for the October 6 SAT. __ Seniors, register by September 28 for October 27 ACT.

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month

Seniors-3 must-do tasks for this Fall...!1. Apply to your top college choices. Sioux County High School will participate inNebraska’s

Counselor's Notes