Summerland
Middle School
December
Newsletter
School Website: www.summerlandmiddle.com
E-mail Address: [email protected]
School Phone: 250-770-7685
Principal: Jason Corday
Vice-Principal: Darryl Tenisci
~From the Desk of the Principal~
Greetings from Summerland Middle School,
It is hard to believe that December is upon us already and there are only three weeks of classes
prior to Christmas Break. It seems like yesterday that we were welcoming eager and excited
students through the doors for their first day of classes in September.
It has been a wonderful fall full of celebrations, activities, triumphs and learning. As the Winter
Break approaches, I want to extend an appreciation to all SMS staff for their never-ending
commitment, passion and care for our students; each day every adult gives their all and works
tirelessly to create a great school experience for students; the SMS staff is truly second to none.
I also want to extend an appreciation to our students. As a group, they have worked hard in the
classroom, demonstrated great spirit and energy each day, and connected as a community; this
helps to create the positive school tone that exists at SMS. I need to articulate that visitors to
our school consistently articulate the sense of community and respect that is part of the fabric of
SMS.
Finally, I want to extend an appreciation to Ross Alger and Richard Madsen, the two gentlemen
who have just completed the transformation of our gym. Thanks to these exceptional painters,
our gym is now illuminated with our school colors (and logos to come). The energy of a school
emanates from the gym, and we truly now have a gym that is reflective of who we are…the SMS
Wave! Please pop in and check out the amazing new colours.
Mr. Jason Corday
~From the Desk of the Vice Principal~
Hello Everyone!
It is hard to imagine that we are already in December but with the business of Summerland
Middle School time flies. The month of December will be no different as we gear up for the
holidays.
With December comes the wrapping up of our first term which concludes on Friday, Dec. 5th.
This means that students will begin their term two exploratory on Monday, Dec. 8th and Tuesday,
Dec. 9th. Students are excited for the new experiences but are also working very hard to
complete their term one final projects.
The term changeover also means report card time. Report cards for first term will be going home
the last week of school before the holidays. The information on the report card will include a
letter grade, teacher comments and effort mark. This information provides a snapshot of how
your child is doing in their courses at this time. A student who receives all ‘G’s on their report
card will qualify for the Effort Roll. Any students who receive an ‘A’ or ‘B’ in all courses will
qualify for the Honour Roll. We encourage parents to review the information from report cards
with their child and reflect together on the progress of first term. It is time to celebrate successes
and set goals for term two. We are extremely proud of the work ethic and achievement in all of
our students as they work towards meeting the potential!
Have a restful and relaxing holiday!
~Mr. Tenisci
Follow us on Twitter…. “Like us” on Facebook
Summerland Middle School has its own Twitter and Facebook accounts. Sign up to follow this
account to receive regular updates on school events, activities, success stories and other
important information. The Summerland Middle School Twitter account
(https://twitter.com/#!/SMSMiddle) and Facebook account
(http://www.facebook.com/pages/Summerland-Middle-School/252676834844603 ) can also be
accessed through our home page http://sd67.bc.ca/schools/sms/ .
Athletics - Extracurricular
Our fall seasons of play have finished very successfully. Our Grade 8 Boys Volleyball Team,
coached by Mr. Lemire, finished their season undefeated and captured the fourth consecutive
District Championship! Our Grade 8 Girls Volleyball teams, coached by Ms. McElhinney, had
success in the playoff round.
Our Grade 7 Girls team, coached by Ms. Currie (Coach Ann), enjoyed great success at their two
play days. The Grade 7 Boys Volleyball team, coached by Mr. Lodermire, attended several play
dates and showed great progress. The Grade 6 Girls team, coached by Mr. Corday, Mrs. Walton,
and Mrs. Hughes (with help from Brittany Parliament and Hannah Walton) hosted a playday and
developed greatly in terms of skill. Lastly, our Grade 6 Boys volleyball team, coached by Mr.
Tenisci showed great skill and promise during their play days.
Our Cross Country Team, coached by Mr. Berrisford and Ms. Manuel, participated in 3 meets
and had much success at each event.
A huge thank you to all of our coaches and sponsors!
Summerland Middle School Grade 8 Boys and Girls Basketball Schedule
Basketball season is underway. Our Grade 8 Teams have begun and are coached by: Mrs. and
Mr. Corday. Mr. Gibbings is coaching our Grade 8 Boys.
Mark these dates on your calendar and come out to the Summerland Gym to enjoy some great
basketball:
Tuesday, December 2nd
Thursday, December 4th
Tuesday, December 9th
Tuesday, January 13th
Tuesday, January 20th
Thursday, January 29th
Tuesday, February 3rd
Tuesday, February 10th
Host Princeton
at Osoyoos
at Keremeos
at Holy Cross
Host KVR
at SLMS
at McNicoll
Host KVR
.
Grade 6 and 7 Basketball will begin shortly, our coaches are as follows:
Grade 6 Boys: Mr. Lodermeier
Grade 7 Boys: Mr. Tenisci
Grade 6 Girls: Mr. Mullin
Grade 7 Girls: Mr. Corday
If you have questions regarding our basketball program, please contact Mr. Louie Lemire,
Athletic Director at [email protected].
SMS Survivor Challenge
The SMS Survivor Challenge has been going on for the last two weeks at noon hour in the
common area. The event was created and organized by Mr. Lemire who wanted to provide a fun
activity for students while our gym was closed for painting. The event was open to students and
staff from all grades as it saw representatives from each division squaring off in a number of fun
events such as: musical chairs, relays and food challenges. The final event will be held on
Monday, December 1st during the grand opening assembly of our newly painted gym. A special
thanks to all participants, and Mr. Lemire for all of his hard work in making this event such a
huge success!
Grade 8’s Visit the Summerland Research Station
On November 7th, over 100 SMS Grade 8 students attended the Open House at the Summerland
Research Station. Students participated in a wide variety of activities including a DNA
Extraction, Crime Scene Investigation, Hands on Entomology and Apple Breeding.
Here are two student’s reflections on the trip we took to the Summerland Research Station.
Science Field Trip Reflections – Olivia Corps
Last Friday our grade eight group went to the Research Centre in British Columbia.
It was so fun! Our station group went to the two lectures to start off. For the first one they talked
about citrus fruits and how they grow. They also showed us
what they're trying to create with fruit, like finding a way to
use orange peels as fuel for your car.
The second lecture was on insects, how they live and how they
reproduce. As well as how the Research Centre works on
getting rid of foreign insects brought over from other countries
by accident.
After that our group was sent to three different stations. The
first one was using special equipment to find out the
real amount of sugar in different drinks. Which was okay, but
there wasn’t a lot of hands on work. The second one was
learning about how apples grew and seeing how the scientists use different tools. It was the most
fun out of all of them because we did a lot of cool, hands on activities. The last station was
learning how they tested the ripeness.
Science Field Trip Reflections – Jasmine Plant
I really enjoyed going to the Summerland
Research Center, it was fun and I had a great
time. I got to do science stuff and I have never
tried that before, I got to experience different types
of science experiments and meet new people. I
really enjoyed it. I really liked how we got to try
some of the experiments by ourselves instead of
just watching. I really liked all the projects we did,
for example, the pop can with the sugar and the
one where we got to see our body heat which was
really cool. I really enjoyed the trip and I think
they should do it again sometime so other kids could learn and have a great time as well.
Aboriginal Cultural Presentation for Grade 7’s
On Tuesday, November 25, our grade seven students attended a presentation put on by the
district Aboriginal Education team. The presentation focused on the Food Chiefs; reciprocity as
a way of life; and cultural artifacts. Students were excited and appreciative to be able to taste
food from the Food Chiefs that was prepared as part of the presentation.
Winter Concert
Come and enjoy an evening of music as the Summerland Middle School Band present their
winter concert on Thursday January 15th@ 6:30 pm. Admission by donation to the
Summerland Food Bank.
Bannermania
On Friday, December 12th, SMS students participated in the annual Bannermania event. Each
division presented their banner after the performance of creative and entertaining productions. This
longstanding tradition is integral to our pro-active work around building inclusion and community.
Special thanks to Ms. Steves for coordinating this event.
Safety: Parking Lot Guidelines
Due to concern for student safety and general congestion, parents and visitors are not permitted
to park (even for short bit) in the non-designated open areas of the school parking lot. (Painted
yellow areas along the sidewalks) It is essential that parents please use the parking spots
allotted at SMS or one of the parking areas along our side streets when waiting for their children.
Many thanks to our SMS families for abiding by this rule!
Summerland Celebrates Science
2014-2015 Yearbooks
We have started this year’s SMS Yearbook. It will be delivered early in June of 2015. Student
editors will be busy creating class spreads for each division. We offer the yearbooks for $35.00 if
they are purchased before the end of the year. Once 2015 is here they are $40.00.
Order forms can be found on our website at http://www.summerlandmiddle.com/yearbook.html
French Immersion 2015-2016 Registration (For Parents of Current Grade 5 Students)
For Parents of current Grade 5 students:
Information sessions for parents of Grade 5 students regarding registration for September 2015
Grade 6 Late French Immersion classes will be held as follows:
Wednesday, January 21, 2015, 7:00 p.m., KVR Middle School
Wednesday, January 21, 2015, 7:00 p.m., Summerland Middle School
A letter, along with an application form, regarding next September’s grade 6 French Immersion classes
will be available January 16th at all elementary school offices, the Okanagan Skaha School District No.
67 Board Office (425 Jermyn Ave., Penticton), or on the district website at www.sd67.bc.ca
Deadline for applications is 12:00 Noon,
Monday, February 2, 2015
The program is available to all students residing in the Okanagan Skaha School District entering grade
six in September of 2015. Students outside the district are permitted to enroll on a space-available basis
(ie., after Okanagan Skaha School District students have been accommodated).
Please note: these will be the only information meetings scheduled regarding French Immersion
Gift Card Fundraiser
December/January dates to mark on your calendar
December 3rd
December 6th
December 8th
December 12th
December 16th
December 18th
December 19th
Summerland Celebrates Science
Grade 8 Girls Basketball Tournament
Start of Term 2 (Exploratory Rotation)
Bannermania
Report Cards sent home
Grade 6’s to H2o
Last day of classes prior to Winter Break
Winter Dance/Holiday Activities
January 5th
January 7th
January 14th
January 15th
School Re-Opens
Parent Advisory Council Meeting
Parent Workshop: Cyberbullying 6:30 pm
Winter Concert @ 6:30 pm
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