George McGovernGeorge McGovernMiddle SchoolMiddle School

6221 W. MAPLE ST. SIOUX FALLS, SD 571076221 W. MAPLE ST. SIOUX FALLS, SD 57107

where attitude is everything, and theattitude is one of respect.November NewsletterPrincipal Mr. Tim KoehlerAssistant Principal Mr. Richie HutchinsonIntern Asst. Principal Ms. Beckie VanDrongelen

$190 bond progress – 1 year laterBy Dr. Brian Maher, Superintendent Last September, the Sioux Falls voters overwhelmingly said ‘yes’ to a $190 million plan thatwould result in three new schools and over $40 million worth of safety, security, accessibility,and equity upgrades to 14 of our already existing schools. Since that 'yes' vote only 14 monthsago, a great deal of progress has been made on the plan. You may recall that enrollmentcontinues to climb upward causing some schools to be at maximum capacity. That trendcontinues. Our o�cial Fall 2019 enrollment jumped by 196 students and put us over the 24,000

mark for the �rst time in the history of the District and furtheremphasizing the need for more space “to educate and prepareeach student to succeed in a changing world.”For months, I liked to compare the work being done on theprojects to the adage of seeing the duck on the water glidingdownstream. On the surface, it doesn't look like much ishappening, but underneath there is a lot of paddling going on.Until recently, a great deal of 'underwater' work was happening,including design development, strategy, and what’s next. Now,we are �nally starting to see the fruit of that labor.Following the groundbreakings at Thomas Jefferson HighSchool and Ben Reifel Middle School earlier this summer,construction has moved full steam ahead. Footing, foundationoutlines, and even some upward construction can be found at both Jefferson and Ben Reifel,giving the community a glimpse of what's yet to come. Site utilities at both locations are alsoclose to being complete.While the construction of the new schools was a critical piece of the bond plan, there aremany other pieces to this puzzle, including several much-needed tender love and care projectsat already existing schools.One project that has wrapped up is the much-needed music addition and renovation that tookplace over the summer at Memorial Middle School. Operational Services Director Jeff Kreiterand his team worked tirelessly over the summer months, adding on to the already existingmusic space on the north end of the school. They were able to extend the space without muchdisruption, adding practice rooms and storage spaces for instruments.I feel great about where we are at in the process. Jeff Kreiter and his team have been workingdiligently to get things done in a timely and cost-effective manner. While there is still a longway to go until all the projects are completed and the doors of the new schools open in thefall of 2021 (our �ngers are crossed for a mild winter) we are eager to report that as of now,we are both on time and budget. We look forward to the new opportunities all of thisconstruction will provide for our students in the future.

GEORGE MCGOVERN WEBSITEGEORGE MCGOVERN WEBSITE

Click here to view our website for the lunch menu, sports activities, and other things happening at GeorgeMcGovern.

george mcgovern school counselingdepartmentSteve Fisher All 7th Grade - A-I 8th GradeTina Hawkins All 6th Grade - J-Z 8th Grade

hard rockers yellowjackets wolves

6th grade news6th Grade Newsletter With �rst quarter over, it’s full speed ahead! Please check with your student to make sure thathe/she still has a supply of pencils and pens!

counselors’ cornerTo contact the counseling o�ce, please call 367-4435 Kids’ Closet At George McGovern Middle School we have a “Kids’ Closet”. In there we havewinter coats, hats, gloves and other articles of clothing. If your child needs winter clothing,please call the counseling o�ce or have him/her stop by the counseling o�ce.8th Graders Prepare for High School! The coming months will be an exciting time for our 8thgraders as they will begin preparing for their high school years. One exciting high schooloption is New Tech High. In October, students had the opportunity to hear from current NewTech High students and staff. In October, 8th graders used SDMyLife to take a career inventoryand then researched those careers that best match with their interests. On November 21st,Junior Achievement will be hosting all 8th graders for their JA Inspire Day. This is anopportunity for the students to visit representatives from industry, post-secondary institutions,and the military. Students will be invited to take part in hands-on activities.In January, Mr. Fisher and Mrs. Hawkins will present an Introduction to High School to all 8thgrade students. Lincoln, Roosevelt, Washington, and New Tech High Schools will then visit our8th graders to begin the process of high school registrationHoliday Assistance for George McGovern Families The holiday season is approaching andthere are several Sioux Falls organizations that provide extra assistance to families during theholidays. The best resource to call is the “Helpline Center” for a list of resources andinformation. Their phone number is 339-4357. You can also reach them by dialing 211. Theirwebsite is: http://helplinecenter.org/.

Language Arts/Reading – This month, we will begin discussing informational text. The themeof our new unit is Animal Allies. While we do not have many homework assignments, it ishelpful that your child reads 10-20 minutes every night. Research shows that this is the bestway to improve reading skills. Math – We will be working with long division, ratios and rates, unit rates, and an introductionto negative numbers. Science – We have been studying the Theory of Plate Tectonics. We next move into our studyof earthquakes and volcanoes. Our classes have a quiz nearly every Friday. Reviewing withyour student the night before can help them prepare. Social Studies – We will be learning about ancient Egypt in class including mummies,pyramids, their kingdoms, and much more. Then we will be moving onto the ancient Israelites. The 6th grade teams will be doing a team fundraiser starting November 4st with all orderforms due on November 15th. The orders will be here before winter break! Proceeds from thisfundraiser will be used for team celebrations and �eld trips!

george mcgovern middle school celebrates student ofthe quarterCongratulations to all of our students who were nominated for Student of the Quarter! Thank you for representing George McGovern Middle School in a positive way.

6-1 wolves student of the quarterAwesome job Sean Khanthavong, Gabriela Juarez Ardon,Kennett Reyes Zuniga, Josalyn Sybesma, and Damian Wheeler.You have transitioned well into middle school and we are gladto have you here at George McGovern!

6-2 hard rockersCongratulations to Gisella Rodriguez Guardado, Kyler Boyd,Sage Harrison, and Jacob Cantral! We are so glad you are hereat George McGovern and appreciate all you do to make thisschool great!

6-3 yellowjacketsWay to go Treyton Brower, Cameron Scott, Jynesha Frazier, andMegan Haensel . Keep rockin' the great attitude and hard work.

7-1 cougars student of the quarterCongratulations Gaby Donis, Darleen Larreynaga, Carter Tetzlaff,and Adrian Donis. We are thankful to have your here atMcGovern.

7-2 vikings student of the quarterWay to go Sam Pineda Giron, DJ Beltran, Wren Bergstrom andKelsey Hybertson (not shown). Your leadership and hard workhas really paid off.

7-3 lancers student of the quarterCongratulations Leslie Rodriguez-Guardado, Salim Sisto, KevinValenzuela Santos, and Zaylah Chohon. Your positive approachand hard work is surely noted at George McGovern.

7th grade news7TH GRADE MATH - Mrs. Hieronimus, Ms. Wenzel, Mrs. Hancock We are currently �nishing up our Accentuate the Negative Unit. We have been teaching thestudents how to use the Order of Operations with integers, and also discussed the DistributiveProperty. We've also used all four math operations while working with rational numbers, andcontinue to practice these skills in our daily warm-ups and during Directed Math. We will startour review of the unit at the end of October through the beginning of November.

7TH GRADE SOCIAL STUDIES ~ Mr. Moulton, Mr. Maier, Mr. FlockIn 7th Grade Geography class with Mr. Flock, Mr. Maier, and Mr. Moulton we will be learningabout Mount Everest and the challenges of hiking to the summit. Then students will beginlearning about the 8 elements of Culture; Social/Ethnic Groups, Language, Religion, History,Daily Life, Arts, Government, and Economy. We will look into more depth about each one ofthese elements and how they impact the lives of people in a culture.The signi�cant task of 2nd quarter is to do a research project on a country and describe thatcountries cultural element. Students will gather research and then put that information into apresentation. Students will also become more familiar with the United States map byidentifying the states, capitals, and some signi�cant landforms. They can usepurposegames.com to practice the states locations. 7TH GRADE SCIENCE ~ Mrs. Kruse, Mr. Helget, Mr. Josephson During the month of October the students studied the topic of Populations and Communitiesalong with a STEM activity about animal crossings called To Cross or Not To Cross. Next upwas a unit of study on Ecosystems and Biomes. This involved looking at the energy �ow in anecosystem which included food chains, food webs, and energy pyramids. The students alsoprepared their �rst presentation of the year on biomes. Some students also created excellentbiome models that were displayed at school.The focus for November is on the Earth's resources and how they are used, using them wisely,and looking at the energy resources found on Earth along with alternative sources of energy.The students are also continuing their hard work on their Code To the Future websites. Theepic build will continue into December when the students will reveal their websites at theshowcase. 7TH GRADE ELA ~ Mrs. Dossett, Mrs. Huwe, Mrs. Kriz-Hurley, Ms. Rabon (Student Teacher) We had a great time reading The Outsiders! We have been working on various activities to goalong with the novel, such as creating a Funko Pop based on our character trait work and awebquest where we learned more about the author S.E. Hinton Ask your student how old shewas when she wrote the book. You may be surprised at the answer! Also, ask your studentabout the differences between Socs and Greasers, who they would rather be, and why. We arerealizing that everyone has a story and you cannot judge a person before you know them! All students visit the library every other week and have the opportunity to check out up tothree books. They should have their chosen book with them in every class, howeverencourage your student to bring their book(s) home and read as well. We are currently workingon completing a novel for the purpose of a book review. Please remind your students not toprocrastinate, but to keep reading daily to make this goal. Continue to foster that love ofreading by sharing a book, asking questions, and modeling good reading habits. The road tobecoming a lifelong learner is paved with books!

jackrabbits student of the quarterCongratulations to Leonardo Mendez, Kieran Weigelt, HannahLetsche, and Ariana Edwards. Your leadership, kindness, andenthusiasm here at George McGovern is appreciated.

coyotes student of the quarterWay to go Seth Williams-Dale, Boas Yoweli, Cassie Schultz, andEmily Redlin!! George McGovern is thankful to have yourepresent us in such a positive manner.

greetings from the coyotes/jackrabbits eighth gradeteamsThe excitement of Halloween is over. Second quarter has just begun. The school year isspeeding along, but the excitement for teaching and learning together continues into thesecond quarter. It was wonderful meeting and sharing student progress with you, our students’parents, at Parent/Teacher/Student conferences. We wish you to know that we are alwaysopen to further communication with you. Please contact us with any of your concerns or needfor information about your child.The end of the �rst quarter is a good time to check in with your child about their learning goalsand attitude toward their education. Do they have goals to improve their reading and mathscores? Have they made goals to improve their study skills and relationship building? Are theygetting their assignments completed on time? Help them to embrace this next quarter withenthusiasm and con�dence.The students have completed their South Dakota My Life searches. The information theydiscovered helped students identify possible career interests. Later this month, on the 21stthey will participate in Junior Achievement Inspire day. The students will go to the Convention

Center (along with all the other eighth grade middle school students in Sioux Falls.) There,they will meet and talk to multiple professionals in different careers to get more of a feel forwhat a day in the life of that job would be! It’s going to be an exciting informative day. Yourchild will not want to miss it! Here is the news from the core classes:English Language Arts— Mrs. Freese & Ms. VanMaanen— We wrapped up our �rst read aloudand have moved on to reading the �rst book in the Harry Potter series together as a class.Students �nished their �rst essay for this school year by writing about a signi�cant rite ofpassage in their lives so far. To start the second quarter, we began work in our informationaltext unit using articles on the topic of forensic anthropology.Math— Ms.Schrier & Mr. Knapp— Students are learning about scatterplots and correlation. Weare exploring different relationships like height and shoe size to see if there is a relationship.Students will look at scatterplots and draw lines of best �t. They then will be able to use thatline to make a prediction. We will also talk about two way tables and probabilities of certainoccurrences. We will then dive into the wonderful world of equations. At the end of this unitstudents will be able to solve equations with one step, two step, multiple steps, and variableson both sides!Science— Mr. Aisenbrey & Mrs. Schroeder-- This month, our students will learn about atomicbonding. We will dive deep into the periodic table and determine which elements can bond witheach other. Then, we will focus on how those elements can attach themselves to each other tomake new things that we use everyday.Social Studies—Mr. McIntyre & Mrs. Case --Students will �nish their study of the AmericanRevolution and the beginning of the United States. After that the students will begin learningabout the framing and importance of the U.S. Constitution.

sioux falls new technology high schoolAttention 8th Graders who are interested in New Tech High School for School Year 2020-2021If you are interested in or planning to attend New Technology High School next year, there isone more Visitation Session on Tuesday, November 7 from 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. These arerequired for your application to be considered in the lottery. We can’t wait to meet all of ourfuture Titan families! Click below for more details.

pdf 8th grade recruiting poster 2019 (1).pdf Download1.3 MB

physical education news This past month, students participated in a variety of new activities including brännbol, andcapture the football.

Hopefully your student has shared with you about the new heart rate monitors that they wearin PE. Although students will not be able to wear the monitors every day, on the days that yourstudent wears the heart rate monitors, you should be receiving an emailed report of theirphysical activity during the class period. Please share this data with your student. Our hoperight now is that each student spends at least half of the class period in either the “yellow” or“red” zones. If your student is ill or injured and needs to sit out of class, please send a note for them to beexcused. If the injury requires the student to sit out for more than two class periods, pleaseprovide us with a note from a doctor to excuse the student. Please check with your student and make sure that they are wearing appropriate shoes toclass that allow them to participate to the best of their ability. We have been seeing a lot ofstudents choosing to wear sandals/slides instead of tennis shoes. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your child’s teacher:Mike Greco michael.greco@k12.sd.usJon Sannes - jon.sannes@k12.sd.usJulie Smith - julie.smith@k12.sd.us

gmms music news

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athletics informationClick on link below for information regarding:Girls Basketball SchedulePhysicalsWrestling

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code to the futureAll 6th, 7th and 8th grade students have been coding in their science classes and havedeveloped a coding project that they would like to share with you. The students at GMMS will

32nd annual teacher of the year

information - click below

be hosting a Code to the Future Showcase to display their work on Friday, December 13, 2019,from 9:00 AM to 9:45 AM. Please join us at 9:00 AM for a short presentation on coding. Thenat 9:15 AM all parents will be dismissed to go to their child’s Alt PROtime room to view theirchild’s work. Please join us!

substitute teachers wantedThe Sioux Falls Public School District is looking for substitute teachers. If you enjoy workingwith students, this might be what you are looking for. Click on the link below to learn more.

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native american heritage month eventsSee the �yer below on events coming up for Native American Heritage.

pdfLIB19_521 Native American Mo letter �yer.pdfSee below for more information on events coming up.

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project warm-up volunteers neededPlease click on the link below to help support.

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pta informationAll staff and all students should have received an email with the PTA online Spiritwear link.This is our Fall Fundraiser and is sure to be a good one! If you have misplaced the link pleaseemail us at gmmssfpta@gmail.com and we will get you what you need! The store is open untilNovember 15th. Your items will be back to GMMS the �rst week in December. Our next meeting is November 12th at 6:30pm at the HyVee Marketplace Grille on 10th andKiwanis. Please come and see what we are up to! To contact us:GMMSSFPTA@gmail.comFacebook: George McGovern Middle School PTATiffaniee Cope – PresidentCrystal Aman – Vice PresidentVictoria Bergman – TreasurerJennifer McKee - Secretary