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The General Gist (Week of November 21, 2022)

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The General Gist Weekly Newsletter
Dream Big Dare To Fail - Generals

This Week’s Message
Thanksgiving week is a great time to slow down and reflect on all the blessings we have in our lives.  These past two weeks have reminded us just how blessed we are by our Sedgwick family and community, as we have collected enough food for 57 holiday meals!  Thank you for your generosity!

This Week’s Events
Nov. 22: PTSA Pie Fundraiser Pick-Up, Commons, 3:00-6:00 pm
Nov. 23: Early Release, 11:25 am, No Late Start (Half Day Schedule)
Nov. 24-25: Thanksgiving Break (No School)

Events on the Horizon (Tentative)
Nov. 29: District-Wide Earthquake Drill, 9:30 am
Nov. 30: WEB Winter Wishes Launch, Advisory
Dec. 8: Winter Band Concert, JSMS, 6:30 pm
Dec. 13: Winter Orchestra Concert, JSMS, 6:30 pm
Dec. 19-21: Winter Spirit Week
Dec. 19: Winter Choir Concert, JSMS, 6:30 pm
Dec. 21: Holiday Extravaganza, (Early Release)
Dec. 22-Jan. 4: Winter Break (No School)
Jan. 16: MLK Day (No School)
Jan. 21: OMEA Honor Groups Festival, SKHS, All Day
Feb. 2-3: Frozen Junior, Commons, 6 pm
Feb. 4: Frozen Junior, Commons, 1 pm
Feb. 20-21: Presidents’ Day Break (No School)
Feb. 25: OMEA Instrumental Solo Ensemble Festival, CKHS, All Day
Mar. 4: All District Choir Festival, SKHS, TBA
Mar. 7: OMEA Large Group Orchestra Festival, CKHS, All Day
Mar. 14: OMEA Large Group Band Festival, CKHS, All Day
Mar. 15: Spring Choir Concert, JSMS, 6:30 pm
Mar. 16: Spring Band and Orchestra Concert, JSMS, 6:30 pm
Mar. 17: OMEA Large Group Choir Festival, CKHS, All Day
Mar. 28-31: Spring Conferences, Early Release, 11:25 am
Apr. 3-7: Spring Break (No School)
May 29: Memorial Day (No School)
May 31: 8th Grade All-Music Extravaganza, SKSD, 6:30 pm
Jun. 3: Music in the Parks 8th grade fieldtrip, TBA
Jun. 5: Final Choir Concert, JSMS, 6:30 pm
Jun. 8: Final Band and Orchestra Concert, JSMS, 6:30 pm
Jun 16: Last Day of School, Early Release, 10:45 am

*Events added to The General Gist this week

Holiday Food Drive
Thank you for all of the donations toward our Holiday Food Drive.  Because of your generosity, we will be able to provide 57 holiday meals!  The winning Advisory class was Ms. Johnson’s.  They have earned donuts and hot chocolate!  Although the food drive competition is over, any future donations can be delivered to the main office for our winter holiday food baskets.  Excess food will be donated to SK Helpline prior to Winter Break.

 

Holiday Help

In addition to feeding our families in needs, we are assisting with purchasing gifts for the children in those homes.  If you would like to make a monetary donation toward this cause, you may do so through our Web Store.  Just select “John Sedgwick Middle School” for the School and “Families in Need” for the Activity.

Winter Wishes
We are so enthused to launch our Winter Wishes holiday gift-giving campaign!  Winter Wishes is a WEB service project based on our Five Guiding Principles of work, fun, service, safety, and pride.  During Advisory on November 30, each student and staff member will fill out an online questionnaire in which they can request one gift for themselves and one gift for someone else.  Once we have collected all the Winter Wishes, we will publish the list for our student body, staff, families, and friends. 

We have found that it’s best to have families and friends grant wishes that our students and staff have requested for themselves, and it’s best to ask our students and staff to grant wishes they have requested for others.  We will publish the Winter Wish lists in next week’s General Gist and also send out a separate email with more details.

Winter Spirit Week
Our Winter Spirit Week will be December 19-21.  It will feature dress-up days, music and games at lunches, and a culminate with a Holiday Extravaganza schoolwide assembly on the December 21 half-day.  Stay tuned for more details!

Athletics
Please click on this link for a listing of all our Winter 1 Sports Schedules.  Be sure to click on each event to verify the level and location of each event.

Clubs
After school clubs are a great way for students to explore their interests and connect with peers.  We will provide a list of active clubs in The General Gist, on our website, and on our TVs in our commons.  Please make sure you pick up your student promptly at the club’s end time.

Anime Club meets every Monday from 3-4 pm in Portable 2.  Join the club’s Google Classroom: LTYU556.  Ms. Chalmers is the advisor.  For more info, contact chalmers@skschools.org.

Art Club meets every Monday and Wednesday until 4:30 in Room A123, starting on December 5.  Ms. Million is the advisor.  For more info, contact million@skschools.org.

Chess Club will start November 1 and meet every other Tuesday in Room C-206 from 2:50-4:00 pm.  Ms. Cave is advisor.  For more info, contact cave@skschools.org.

Dance Club will now meet every Tuesday from 2:50-4 pm in Room A-246.  Ms. May is the advisor.  For more info, contact may@skschools.org.

Diversity Club meets every Wednesday from 3-4 pm in Portable 4.  Ms. Steen is the advisor.  For more info, contact steen@skschools.org.

Magic: The Gathering Club meets every Thursday until 4:30 in Portable 1.  Mr. Musselman is the advisor.  For more info, contact musselman@skschools.org.

National History Day Club meets every Thursday until 4 pm through March 2023.  Ms. Falla is the advisor.  For more info, contact falla@skschools.org.

Photography Club will begin meeting every Friday from 3-4 pm in A-233 starting on December 2.  Mr. Durham is the Advisor.  For more info, contact durham@skschools.org.

Pickleball Club meets every Tuesday morning from 7-8 am in the Gym.  Ms. Langhorn is the advisor.  For more info, contact langhorn@skschools.org.

STEAM Club meets this Wednesday in C-215 and then the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of every month thereafter.  Mr. Lantz is the advisor.  For more info, contact lantz@skschools.org.

Yearbook Club meets every Monday and Thursday until 4:30 in Room C-206.  Ms. Cave is the advisor.  For more info, contact cave@skschools.org.

AVID
Learn more about AVID and what it can do for students in this article from US News.

STEAM
Why STEAM?  Check out this article from Best Colleges to learn more.

PTSA
Membership: Our PTSA is healthy because of our strong membership.  You can become a member for only $10.  To learn more about how you can be involved, visit our PTSA website.

Pie Fundraiser: Pie pick-up will be this Tuesday, November 22 from 3:00-6:30 pm in the JSMS Commons.

School Entry
On school days, our doors open to students at 7:30 (8:15 on late start Wednesdays).

Student Drop-Off and Pick-Up
If you plan to drop-off or pick-up your student in a personal vehicle, please follow the directional signs upon entering school property.  Here are the basics:

  1. Turn RIGHT upon entering the school.
  2. You may drop-off or pick-up your student in the roundabout OR the parking lot.
  3. If you are dropping off, picking up, or planning to park in the parking lot, USE THE THRU LANE ON THE RIGHT.
  4. If you are dropping off or picking up in the roundabout, USE THE LEFT LANE UPON ENTERING, THEN MOVE OVER TO THE CURB WHEN TURNING INTO THE ROUNDABOUT.

Most importantly, DO NOT BLOCK TRAFFIC IN THE RIGHT-HAND THRU LANE.  Instead, continue into the parking lot to drop-off or pick-up.  If you park in the lot at the end of the day, please be aware that you will be blocked in until around 2:50 pm.

Celebrations and Thanks

  • Congratulations to this week’s Caught Being a General drawing winners: Logan C. (6th Grade), Jacklynn S. (7th Grade), and Ryder S. (8th Grade)!
  • Congratulations to our Girls Soccer and Boys Basketball teams…both earned their first wins last week!
  • Thank you to everyone who donated to our Holiday Food Drive!
  • Thank you to everyone who came out for our Turkey Trot!

Quote of the Week
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them.” — John F. Kennedy

Stay Connected
We love keeping in touch with our families!  Here are some ways to stay up-to-date on important information and events throughout the year:


Links to Important Resources
JSMS Website
General Guide
Skyward Family/Student Access
HelloID
Meals
Transportation

 

 

Dan Novick

Principal

 

  • General Gist
  • JSMS