Issue 1, October 2013

OCTOBER 2, 2013 CONTRIBUTORS WRITERS Manaal Ali Katie Gjerdrum Angelia Berg Jaycee Hanssen Morgan Lanier HSD Staff PHOTOGRAPHY Alison Hendrix Sydney Fikse Alek Hensch Nicole Pierson Erika Kruggel JoAnne VerMulm ADVISOR JoAnne VerMulm 605.743.2567 x 5026 joanne.vermulm@k12.sd.us

Tiger

TIMES

ING M O C E M O H G BY: HARRISBUR 3 201 Katie Gjerdrum

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ost people would agree that the week of homecoming is the best week of school throughout the entire year. Each year, students are occupied with lots of activities and events during the school week. This year’s 2013 homecoming theme was “Tiger Olympics.” The dress up days included ‘Merica Monday, Toga Tuesday, World Wide Sports Wednesday, Thrift Store Thursday, and of course Friday was Tiger Spirit day. The whole week kicked off on Monday night when we had Coronation at 8:00 PM.

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his year’s homecoming royalty included Adam Holmstrom, Cade Berry, Christian Trainor, Dalton Allen, Derrick Kruetzfeldt, Abby Hatch, Alex Johnson, Hailey Axtell, Kira Loftesness, and Shaniah Koops.

The Junior ushers were Drew Andela, Patrick Wiebers, Danni Honner, and Katie Gjerdrum. Following coronation, we had the “Burning of the H” in the high school parking lot. Tuesday was the annual “Mr. HHS” pageant which took place in the High School PAC. Once Friday was here, we celebrated the day with the Tiger Olympics, and a pep rally at 11:00 AM. There was a parade in Harrisburg at 1:30.

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he homecoming football game was against Watertown.

Following the game, and putting an end to the great week, the high school students finished off the night with a dance in the high school commons. It was another great homecoming in the books and many are already excited for next year’s homecoming celebration.

FFA CHILI FEED

Join Us

High School Commons (prior to Yankton FB Game)

$5

ALL YOU CAN EAT Homemade Chili Bars & Coffee or Juice

OCTOBER 18, 2013

4:30 to 6:30pm

FFA Fruit Sales

Oct. 14-18, 2013 Apples, Oranges, Grapefruit, Pears. Also offering cheese spreads, beef sticks,& gift boxes.

Please contact any FFA member or Mr. Todd Marks, FFA Advisor. (todd.marks@k12.sd.us)

PHOTOGRAPH BY: NICOLE PIERSON

1 • THE TIGER TIMES • VOLUME 37, ISSUE 1 • October 2013

PHOTOGRAPH BY: ALISON HENDRIX

HHS ATHLETICS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE Wk

Date

Opponent

Location

Score

W/L

W/L Pts.

Bonus Pts.*

0

Aug 31

Sturgis Brown

Sturgis

12-2

W

45

3

1

Sep 06

Mitchell

Mitchell

14-21

L

25

6

2

Sep 14

Huron

Harrisburg

13-20

L

25

0

BOYS SOCCER SCHEDULE Date

Opponent

Location

Score

W/L/D

W/L/D Pts.

Bonus Pts.*

Aug 23

Groton Area

Groton

0-2

L

20

28

Aug 24

Aberdeen Central

Aberdeen

2-5

L

20

29

Aug 27

SF O'Gorman

O'Gorman

0-1

L

20

28

Aug 30

James Valley Christian

Huron

2-3

L

20

31

Sep 07

Aberdeen Central

Harrisburg

2-0

W

40

29

Sep 10

Sioux Falls Christian

Sioux Falls

0-4

L

20

30

Sep 13

Mitchell Christian/ Mt. Vernon

Mitchell

8-1

W

40

16

Sep 17

Mitchell

Pepsi Complex

4-0

W

40

18

Sep 20

St. Thomas More

Harrisburg

1-4

L

20

24

Sep 21

Tea Area

Harrisburg

1-5

L

20

19

Sep 24

SF O'Gorman

Harrisburg

0-2

L

20

28

Sep 28

Freeman Academy

Freeman

4-0

W

40

20

GIRLS SOCCER SCHEDULE Date

Opponent

Location

Score

W/L/D

W/L/D Pts.

Bonus Pts.*

Aug 23

Groton Area

Groton

3-1

W

40

21

Aug 24

Aberdeen Central

Aberdeen

0-1

L

20

32

Aug 27

Sioux Falls O'Gorman

O'Gorman

1-3

L

20

30

Aug 31

Garretson

Harrisburg

7-0

W

40

11

Sep 07

Aberdeen Central

Harrisburg

0-1

L

20

32

Sep 10

Mitchell

Harrisburg

5-1

W

40

19

Sep 13

Rapid City Central*

Harrisburg

2-2

D

30

30

Sep 17

Sioux Falls Christian

Sioux Falls

5-0

W

40

13

Sep 20

St. Thomas More

Harrisburg

0-1

L

20

28

Sep 21

Tea Area

Harrisburg

4-2

W

40

13

Sep 24

Sioux Falls O'Gorman

Harrisburg

2-2

D

30

30

Cross Country

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he cross country season is off to a great start. We have a great group of very competitive kids who have been working hard and showing steady improvement as the season has progressed.

Our transition from Class A to AA has given us the opportunity to run against some of the best runners in the state at every meet.

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e have competed in meets at O’Gorman, Brandon Valley, Nike Invitational, Huron and Yankton.

Varsity boys

runners this year are: Connor Bollweg, Cody Bollweg, Greyson Zamora, Wil Johnson, Alexander Auch, Zach Lanier and Connor Mellick.

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he girls varsity team consists of Mallory Lanier, Meagan Schenk, Taylor VanHolland, Cheyenne Selchert, Lauren VanHolland, Jasmyne Cooper and Paige Boetel. We have placed well as a team in all of our meets and show the ability to compete well with our Double A competitors.

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e are looking forward to hosting the ESD Conference meet on October 12th at Bakker Crossing golf course. Nine teams will be in Harrisburg that day and the meet begins at 11:00.

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OACH KROGER

Volleyball

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he Harrisburg Volleyball team is working hard to come together as a team on the court. We have a very talented group of girls who are trying to figure out how to play a full game to 25 with intensity.

Volleyball is such a game of momentum and once we figure out how to keep our heads up and play hard the entire game we will start to see Wins come our way.

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any life lessons of putting others needs before our own are being learned and the team will come out even better people than they already are! Winners are those who get back up each time they get knocked down and we have a team full of winners here.

There is a lot of season left and we are working together to turn that corner and play up to our abilities!

VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE Date

Opponent

Location

Scores

W/L

Seed Pts.

Opp. W-L

Aug 30

Huron

Harrisburg

(25-21) (25-17) (20-25) (20-25) (15-11)

W

50

7-2

Sep 03

Sioux Falls O'Gorman

SF O'Gorman

(16-25) (11-25) (4-25)

L

39

9-0

Sep 05

Tea Area

Harrisburg

(25-15) (25-19) (25-14)

W

42

4-5

Sep 07

Mitchell

Mitchell

(25-18) (25-21) (17-25) (14-25) (14-16)

L

33

4-5

Sep 10

Brandon Valley

Brandon Valley (22-25) (23-25) (15-25)

L

36

5-4

Sep 12

Sioux Falls Lincoln

Harrisburg

(20-25) (25-21) (11-25) (25-21) (15-17)

L

33

5-7

Sep 14

Aberdeen Central

Harrisburg

(19-25) (25-13) (8-25) (14-25)

L

39

9-2

Sep 19

Sioux Falls Christian

Harrisburg

(23-25) (12-25) (22-25)

L

37

10-1

Sep 24

Brookings

Brookings

(13-25) (25-15) (25-27) (25-18) (15-7)

W

41

2-8

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OACH COSTAIN

2 • THE TIGER TIMES • VOLUME 37, ISSUE 1 • October 2013

Clubs & S H H organizations So you ma y be wondering ...

Whatsa

’s d l a n o D c a M Old Farm

?

FFA nier Morgan La

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ld MacDonald’s Farm is an annual event for the Harrisburg FFA chapter. This year it was August 2-11. Each fall, we gather up ber animals from farms, such as horses, cows, donkeys, etc. We try our best HOSA Mem en to make a huge shed look like an actual barn to display the animals. This Jacey Hanss year we had sheep shearing demonstrations, a farmer for a day activity for the kids, and plenty of petting stations. For most of the children, the cats and dogs that they were able to pet were the best part of OSA (Health Occupations Students of America) is a the whole experience. Others liked seeing the llamas and alpacas for national career and technical student organization the first time. Parents were grateful that we were there to teach their endorsed by the U.S. Department of Education and the Health Science Technology Education Division. HOSA is a student led children what animals are and what they do on a farm. organization. It is a unique and fun way for students to learn about n the outside of the barn, we displayed tractors that were restored all the possible careers in health care! HOSA has a mission to by other chapters in the state. Our FFA chapter runs Old Macs for enhance and deliver an opportunity for knowledge, for students the whole duration of the fair. Open to close, we are mucking out stalls, to meet the needs of a health care community. This is a great organization that will look impressive on college applications. refilling water buckets, and checking on the animals. This project can here are six different categories that a student can choose be very dirty and smelly at some times, but I can honestly say that it from to do: teamwork events, health science events, health was the most fun I have ever had. Being a cowgirl for a week was so professions events, emergency preparedness events, leadership exciting! All students are welcome to come and help us during the fair. events, and recognition events. In each event there are many It is one of our biggest community service activities of the year. things that students are able to choose from. If you do not like the idea of doing an event by yourself, you can do it in a group, hinking about joining FFA now? Talk to Mr. Marks in the CTE wing or ranging from two to five. It is a great way to learn life lessons and anyone that likes blue corduroy. We love all of our new members and have a little common sense when it comes to medical terms wouldn’t turn anyone away. FFA is the biggest activity next to choir. If and what you should do when someone is in need of help. you’re bored this school year or next summer, join FFA or come and f you are interested in joining, there are monthly meetings, volunteer at Old Macdonald’s Farm. workday Wednesdays, and HOSA hands-on-nights. Monthly meetings are every month and usually in the beginning of the first week. They are at 7 o’clock PM in Mrs. Wachal’s room. Workday Wednesdays are almost every Wednesday after school in Mrs. Wachal’s room. HOSA hands-on-nights are at 7 o’clock and are determined upon availability of guest speakers and health care professionals. In order to letter in this, a student must attend 6 out of the 8 monthly meetings, and attend 5 out of the 12 workday Wednesdays. Finally, they will have to compete in state HOSA which is April 10th.

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amantha Petersen helps out at Old MacDonald’s Farm at the Fairgrounds.

3 • THE TIGER TIMES • VOLUME 37, ISSUE 1 • October 2013

PHOTOGRAPH BY: NICOLE PIERSON

STUDENT LIFE ...of a new student. ...of an exchange student.

Manaal Ali

Name: Nibila Hariadi (Vicky is her nickname!)

Grade: 12 Where she’s from: Indonesia Why did you want to come to America? I wanted to learn more about the real America- not the America depicted in movies. I also wanted to gain more friends, get a taste of what it is like to a normal American teenager, and to improve my English.

Favorite sport? Swimming What is your favorite thing about America? The freedom to express ourselves and the pop refills!

Your least favorite? Perhaps the weather because the cold is a little foreign (pun intended) to me and the fact that America doesn’t use the metric system!

How does it compare to your country?

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Angelia Berg

have only moved once but my experience here in Harrisburg is the best one yet. I used to live in a big school that had about

200-250 seniors per year; then I went to a smaller school that had about 120 seniors graduating per year, so it was a big change.

The smaller school

that I moved to didn’t really help me or my

siblings. Here in Harrisburg they have been really helpful. The only thing that I had to adjust to would be the use of computers.

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hen I was a freshmen, I went to a bigger school where they had laptops. The when I was a sophomore I moved to a smaller

school where everything was by hand and there was no computers; I stayed there my Junior year as well. When I moved to Harrisburg, I found out that I might need a few more credits, which I had originally figured. The counselor was here was very helpful in leading me in the right direction. I like using My Big Campus at the high school because it’s kind of like Facebook. It allows us students to connect with our teachers and to connect with one another if we need to. It is also

In Indonesia we only have two seasons, dry and monsoon, and it’s humid and warm all year round. Here, the summer is dry and the fall is pretty cold. Another major difference is found in school.

Back at home, I wore uniforms and my schedules were already set by my school- I couldn’t pick what I wanted to study.

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What is your favorite American food? Five guys Burger and my host mom’s Tater Tots Casserole.

school just has a more fun vibe to it than any other school I have ever attended. This is because I have received more help from not

What is the strangest/funniest experience you've had since you were here? When I was at Scheels, I started singing the Afro Song from the Madagascar movie quite loudly and this lady told me: “Would you stop singing that please? It’s gonna get stuck in my head!” I just blinked and immediately apologized and she said it was fine. A moment later she turned to me again, “But now it’s stuck in my head though.”

only the teachers, but also my fellow students. I have always felt

a good way for people to always know what their homework is. ven though I am having to take more classes my senior year than I originally thought I would have to take, I like it; this

welcome at Harrisburg High School and that is why I like it here.

Have you been to America before? Where else have you traveled?

No, America is my first time abroad but I have traveled within Indonesia a lot. I have also been to London and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.

Are you a native English speaker? What other languages do you speak?

English is my second language. I speak fluent Indonesian and slight Japanese since my descendants came from Japan.

If you could tell Americans one thing about your culture, what would it be?

Do you ever get homesick?

I miss my family, the warm climate, and some of the food from back home.

What about your country do you think would surprise Americans the most?

Indonesia has over 17,000 islands, over 300 traditionalized tribal cultures, and more than 700 native languages and dialects.

We also have Wendy’s and McDonald’s over there- we’re not completely isolated like some people might think.

How is school different in your home country? Is it easier? Harder?

In my home country, students can’t choose what they want to learn; they must learn everything. High school has two majors: Natural Science and Social Science. You can choose either of the two to major in. Our schedules change everyday and high school actually starts our sophomore year. School in America is slightly easier than the school at home. Aside from the language barrier, it is more fun here.

¡AVENTURA EN EL EXTRANJERO!

¿Tienes interés en tomar un viaje a un país hispanohablabte en el verano del 2015? Hay una reunión informativa en la sala de Sra. Murphy (A218) a las 7:30 de la mañana el jueves, 17 de octubre.

DON’T GET IT? SEE BELOW FOR TRANSLATION, BUT YOU MIGHT WANT TO BRUSH UP ON YOUR SPANISH...

Anyone interested in taking a trip to a Spanish-speaking country during the summer of 2015 meet in Mrs. Murphy’s room (A218) at 7:30 am on Thursday, October 17.

We eat A LOT of spicy foods- with chili peppers in almost everything- so beware!

4 • THE TIGER TIMES • VOLUME 37, ISSUE 1 • October 2013

SOUTH MIDDLE SCHOOL F R O M

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e are well into the first quarter of our school year and it has been a great start!

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he office staff of South Middle School wants to inform you of opportunities to receive information regarding school events and learn about our staff and buildings. At your fingertips is the Harrisburg School District website with a tab for the South Middle School.

Within this tab will be access to events, information, and information from your child’s Team. If you do not receive News From the Middle, please provide your email address to Mrs. McKnight, HSMS Administrative Assistant, at maria.mcknight@k12.sd.us.

You can also access your child’s grades via Parent Portal.

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Contact Carol Bucholz, School Registrar, at carol.bucholz@ k12.sd.us to receive your login information if needed.

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n regards to students, please remember that our policy states students should not arrive before 7:30 a.m. unless they have an appointment with a staff member or it has been communicated with the office.

Additionally, it is best practice to call Mrs. McKnight before 9:00 a.m. when your child is sick or will be absent.

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y the time you receive this letter, we will have or would have had our second parent meeting regarding our Math curriculum, digits on October 2.

We appreciate the support from

O F F I C E

our parents and continue to work to create interventions to achieve mastery in our students.

There is a digits tab on our website to help with technical issues and navigation of available tools in the program.

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oming November 7 will be Parent-Teacher Conferences from 2-8:30 p.m. The conferences will be Student-Led, which means your child will lead the conference with his/her advisory teacher being a facilitator.

Parents and student will report to the student’s advisory teacher for the conference.

When the conference is finished, parents may visit with other staff as their schedule allows if they need more information or have

concerns.

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here have been several “non-curricular” events so far this year.

Advisories completed Banana Relays in late September, plus we had our Tiger Olympics to complete Homecoming Week (see attached pictures). Our after school clubs are in their second month with great opportunities for your child.

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hank you for your continued support of our students’ education.

It’s been an awesome start to the school year.

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e Are…. TIGERS!

Picking Up Digits, Our New Middle School Math Curriculum

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ith each new school year, we evolve and develop our strategies to better prepare our students for an everchanging future. The challenge this year and in the near future is to prepare our students for the rigor and demands of the Common Core State Standards, enabling our students to compete with students around the country. Our middle school math curriculum is meeting these needs with our new curriculum, digits.

identified the instructional goals and the achievement expectations of students at each grade level. The digits curriculum delivers integrated technology, differentiation and personalization for each student, flexible technology implementation options for school and home, and a personalized study plan for intervention for every student.

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s with all changes, there is a learning curve, for students, teachers, and he development of digits families. The implementation of was driven by the Common this curriculum has added daily Core standards, which have online homework to the agenda of the students in the middle school.

Students going into their homework each night will not only be able he Special Education department to access the lesson and is adapting well to the 2 new examples from the day in curricula that started this year at class, but they will also be

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From the SPED Department

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the middle school.

Both DIGITS (math) and Springboard (ELA) have presented some challenges but the students are all responding well to 2 great new ways to learn math and ELA. n the Life Skills room, they have been on fractions making taco and cheese pizza. We checked out how matter changes form when we made Ziploc bag ice cream. n resource room math, we have been discussing rational numbers and using them within story problems.

We have also introduced the dreaded Algebra to our students. n Reading/Language Arts, the students have been adjusting to the Springboard curriculum and have been reading the book Hatchett.

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able to do their homework or access a study plan that helps them to fill in areas of need to better succeed in the class.

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he online homework has been “under construction” as teachers, students and parents are learning the paths to student success.

As we are gaining familiarity, the students are beginning to utilize the program to its full potential. Each assignment is individualized after identifying if the student is at grade level expectations or still getting there. The assignment portal offers students the opportunity to view examples of similar problems to the one they are attempting, watch a short instructional video on the topic, and also has a “help me solve this” tab that guides them through the steps of the

problems. For technical issues at home, we will be creating a tab that will be linked to each team’s website with ideas of how to combat these issues.

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igits definitely has the ball rolling in the right direction to leading our students to success and offering them the supports needed along the way to get there. It is a tremendous response to the new demands of rigor and problem solving skills that are to be implemented across the nation. With the adoption of the Common Core State Standards and new Smarter Balanced testing, Harrisburg students will be in a situation like never before, they will be able to identify their standing not only with the other schools in the state, but across the nation.

COUNSELING

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reetings! My name is Betsy Atwood and I'm the new school counselor for Harrisburg South Middle School. I've been a counselor for over 9 years. Prior to this, I worked as a middle school counselor in the Canton school district and as the Director of Prevention for Carroll Institute. In addition to being a school counselor, I'm also a licensed mental health counselor (LPC) and a certified chemical dependency counselor (CCDCIII). I'm excited to be part of Harrisburg South Middle School and to get to know your students! e have so many exciting things connected with counseling at HSMS,

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including: • Small Groups/Lunch Bunches: Students have the opportunity to meet in the counseling office once a week for small group sessions, usually over lunch. Small groups are a wonderful way to learn and practice friendship skills, coping and communication skills. Specific groups will focus on different themes. Themes include: Social Skill Development, Girl's Groups, Changing Families and Stress Management. Parents will be contacted for permission before students enroll in a small group.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

5 • THE TIGER TIMES • VOLUME 37, ISSUE 1 • October 2013

SOUTH MIDDLE SCHOOL CONTINUED FROM PAGE 5

Carroll Institute Prevention Services: We are excited to welcome Taylor Funke, Carroll Institute Prevention Counselor, to Harrisburg South Middle School this fall semester. Mrs. Funke will be working with our 7th grade PE and music classes on substance abuse prevention and 6th grade computer/PE on cyberbully prevention. Mrs. Funke's lessons include important information on tough topics as well as fun, skill-building activities.

She is available to complete substance use assessments with students in need and to meet individually for a variety of other reasons. She will also be involved in prevention activities and events throughout the school year. If you have questions about these services, you may contact Mrs. Funke directly at 336-2556 or contact Betsy Atwood, Harrisburg South Middle School Counselor. Welcome Mrs. Funke!

Backpack Program: The Connection continues to support area families through the Backpack Program. Packs of food are sent home with students in need to help support their nutrition over the weekend.

• Character Counts Kids: Every year, middle school staff nominate students to be involved in Character Counts. These student leaders help to lead substance abuse and bully prevention celebrations and assist with programs like the Angel Tree. s always, I'm available to support and help students and families with a variety of personal, social, family and academic issues. If you have questions about any of the programs listed or you would like to refer your student for counseling support. Please contact me at Harrisburg South Middle School.

B etsy Atwood, School Counselor South Middle School 605-743-2567 Ext. 3088 betsy.atwood@k12.sd.us

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7th Grade Math Update

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e are now wrapping up our second sub-unit in the Digits math program.

The students have spent the majority of the first month of school on reviewing basic ratios and proportions and exploring more complex, real-world problems with fractions. While there have been some frustrations with the changes and “newness” of it all, it is great to see the students taking ownership in the program and realize that with the challenge comes life-long learning. They are seeing math used in ways that directly apply to problems they will be facing in future careers and tasks.

Each of the units we explore are directly tied to the new Common Core State Standards, and with the way the Digits program is designed, I truly believe we are preparing our students to be competitive in the global marketplace. ou can expect your students to have anywhere from 5-15 problems in math on most nights, depending on their abilities and mastery of the topic. There are tools within the program to help the students walk through example problems or rewatch the online lessons we used in class for that topic. There will continue to be occasional frustrations with logging in or network issues from time to time. This, unfortunately, is sometimes out of our

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control, but each time the students log on they are getting more comfortable with the program and learning their own tricks to solving problems that may arise. This, too, teaches independence and problem solving. ith each topic we will have an assessment, which should take place approximately every two weeks. I have allowed students to go back on each of their assignments and continue to rework the problems until they get a score they are satisfied with. It is my hope that this teaches them that their efforts are rewarded and that student mastery of each of the standards is our ultimate goal.

If the work gets to be too much on any given assignment, please contact me. It is never my intention for math to consume their life outside of school. I want students to be kids and enjoy time with friends, family, and activities. With that said, the bar has been raised and expectations are high for our middle school students. here will be tough assignments and concepts that are difficult to understand on the first try. Because of this, we have a tutor available to work with small groups, a computer lab manned by myself during directed studies, before and after school Power Hour, and we will be adding a tab

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S t

si ’ f f tu

The B • s l es o o

•

•

to the

middle school websites to include tips and hints on logging in and to offer possible quick fixes to technical issues. The students are expected to be taking notes during class and following along in their companion books so that they have written explanation and examples above and beyond what it is provided online. They will need to take responsibility by having hard copies of their homework when they believe there may be technical issues at home or if they are going to be away from a computer when traveling for sports or family activities. Our upcoming units this quarter will be dealing with percents, simple and compound interest, mark-ups and mark-downs, and percent of increase and decrease - all very applicable to real life.

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Mentoring through Lutheran Social Services: Mentoring is linked to increased self-esteem, improved academic skills and a heightened sense of citizenship. Volunteers spend one hour a week one-on-one with students in the school setting. Mentoring opportunities are available throughout the Harrisburg School District. For more information, contact Lutheran Social Services at 605-221-2403 or complete an application at mentoring.LssSD.org.

Adults specifically interested in mentoring at a Harrisburg Middle School can contact Krista Groeneweg, North Middle School counselor, or Betsy Atwood, Harrisburg South Middle School counselor.

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•

8th Grade

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ighth grade English/ Language Arts is off and running for the school year. This year all of the students are using the Springboard curriculum. This curriculum has been used in the Advanced classes for many years, and is now being used by all the students. It aligns to the Common Core standards and will help to prepare our students to take the Smarter Balanced Assessment in the spring. The curriculum is varied and keeps the student’s interest.

The students have been reading poems, excerpts of stories, news articles, and learning how to “read” films. This is a great addition to our middle school and will help prepare our students for high school and beyond.

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n science class we have been learning about the scientific process. We have also been studying atoms and the parts of an atom. We have had labs based on this subject. We have also CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

6 • THE TIGER TIMES • VOLUME 37, ISSUE 1 • October 2013

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6 had labs on mixtures, elements and compounds. The 8th grade students just took a test on chapter 2 and they did phenomenal! I am very proud of them and they should be proud of themselves.

Great job!

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omputer class has been off to a fast start. We have spent a lot of time working with My Big Campus. This site allows students to submit assignments to their teachers electronically. The students can Blog, share messages back and forth with their teacher, and check-in with their classmates. Our second big adventure has found us developing a video advertizing our classroom as “paperless”. The videos should be uploaded and available on Mr. Dick’s You Tube Channel.

in t h e

Eighth grade U.S. History is off to a great start!

Students are actively engaged in historical analysis of the highest level by acting out plays, written response, and the creation of their own song. The kids started the semester by learning about the formation of the thirteen colonies

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his year the focus in 8th grade math has been on the transition to Common Core Standards. Designed to challenge students and increase their ability to problem solve in the real world, the Common Core Standards focus on helping students develop the skills necessary to persevere through the problem solving process.

To help support this transition the district has adopted a new curriculum, digits. The digits curriculum provides students with numerous online support tools and immediate feedback to help students recognize and improve their weak areas and to continue to help them strengthen their strong areas. While the transition to Common Core is not without its challenges, students have continued to persevere. Be sure to check out the school website for more information on the transition to Common Core Standards and for more helpful resources.

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NORTH MIDDLE SCHOOL WEB (Where Everybody Belongs)

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his year HNMS and HSMS started a new orientation program known as WEB (Where Everybody Belongs). As educators, we know that a positive transition into middle school is crucial to the success of sixth grade students’ school careers, and this program aims to make the middle school transition positive and exciting.

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ll sixth grade students were sent postcards inviting them to the WEB orientation on August 20th, the morning before our first day of school. Eighth grade student leaders (who were selected in the spring) took two days out of their summer schedule to prepare to welcome sixth graders to middle school. Our 60 WEB leaders greeted students at the door, cheered as they entered the gym, helped them find name tags, and sat by sixth graders on the bleachers.

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and will end the quarter discussing the events leading up to the American Revolution. We will continue to recreate historical events through group work and discussion. I am very proud of the work ethic and attitudes of the kids and look forward to a great semester!

he Harrisburg North and South Middle Schools will be enjoying an Encore performance again this year!

Middle school is an exciting time for students as they really begin to explore their interests and it is a great time to expose students to some of the unique opportunities in curriculum that they will get to choose from as they progress towards high school.

These exploratory classes in Harrisburg are

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he morning started off with Mrs. Groeneweg and Mrs. Semmler leading games and activities to get the sixth graders excited about middle school. The sixth graders were also introduced to administration as they ran through the crown spraying the students with silly string.

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he eighth graders were then paired with a group of ten sixth graders and were assigned classrooms throughout the school to begin the activities that they spent two days learning. These activities helped to create a bond between the sixth graders and their WEB leaders, while teaching valuable strategies for success in middle school. This was a great opportunity for the eighth graders to begin to mentor a small group of sixth graders.

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ast of all, the eighth graders took all sixth graders on a tour of their schools. The eighth graders had themes and costumes for the sixth graders as they toured the halls of the schools. This gave the sixth graders one more opportunity to find their way around before the first day of school. All in all, the day was a huge success.

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he WEB leaders will continue meeting with their group of sixth graders throughout the year. It will be a great opportunity for our eighth graders to learn valuable leadership skills, while fostering positive relationships with our sixth graders.

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e want to thank the Explorer PTO, MS PAWS, and Journey’s PTO for their generous donations that made this a great experience for all!

called the Encore classes and consist of 6 week rotations through Art, Spanish, Tech.

Ed., FACS, Health, and Current Events.

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hese classes are not meant to create experts in these content areas, but instead to give students a brief look into the diverse and exciting things they may want to take later on. Students will be building robots, flying rockets, cooking, career planning, using paint and clay, exploring

cultures, connecting globally, and learning about being stronger, more confident people through their rotations in Encore.

We look forward to having your students in our classes and hope that a spark may be lit that will carry on towards their futures. (We would also like to remind parents that the Encore grading windows will differ slightly form the other 9 week based classes.)

6th Grade

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ll aboard! The 6th grade team wants you to get ready for maize, archeology, artifacts, and culture. The 6th grade will be venturing 70 miles west to the home of the world’s only corn palace in Mitchell, South Dakota. The field trip will consist of a tour of the Prehistoric Indian Village, where students will partake in an archeological dig, archery station and tour of a prehistoric life.

Students will then rotate to the Corn Palace to watch and view the history of this “amaizeing” and unique place.

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inally, students will go to the Dakota Discovery Museum on the campus of Dakota Weslyan University to explore Native American culture and South Dakota history. This will include artwork, a blacksmith, who is an artist in residence and pioneer life. We plan to depart at 8:15 am on Friday, October 4th and will return by dismissal time. Students will be asked to bring their own lunch or may receive a school sack lunch. This guarantees to be a full day of learning, cultural immersion and fun.

7 • THE TIGER TIMES • VOLUME 37, ISSUE 1 • October 2013

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NORTH MIDDLE SCHOOL

7th Grade Excitement!

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t is an exciting time at Harrisburg North Middle School…new curriculum, a new building, new opportunities, and most importantly new students. We, the seventh grade team, are very excited that we have been given the chance to partner with students and parents alike as we collectively blaze the trail for the upcoming year and strive to develop a school climate that will be the year’s true legacy.

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chance to read/revise a peer’s paper in ELA, your child is going to have access to knowledge that many can only dream of having and it will enhance school for your child.

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hat is the goal for the 7th grade team—enhancing your child’s experience—and we know that we are going to do just that.

Thanks for allowing us to be a part of your child’s life and partnering with us on this venture.

ne of the best ways that we can effectively create this positive climate is through communication. In order to maximize the experience of each student, our team has put together a website— which is a work in progress—that will be our main avenue for communication home. On this site, we will be placing assignments and assessments for the week upon a calendar. If for some reason there is a problem, our e-mails are listed on the left-hand side and this communication tool is the best way to contact us. The seventh grade’s mission is to help your child be as successful as possible at school and home, and we take this very seriously.

Let’s have a great year!

The 7th Grade Team Mrs. Kelly Andrews Mrs. Cathee Bruinsma Mrs. Erin Duncan Mr. Jarryd Haag Mr. Brad Hartzler Mrs. Melissa Hofer Mr. Tim Homan Mrs. Nola Jones Ms. Melissa Olson Mrs. Juanita Yellow Wolf

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n order to help your student be successful, they must begin to learn to become self-dependent. Our team has made it a priority to help develop this self-dependence by holding students accountable for their preparation for class. We feel that this is the greatest gift that we can give in preparation for the new educational model at the high school. Some of the measures that we use at the school to ensure this are: extra help with homework through ZAP and tutor room assistance, tracking promptness (tardies), and holding students accountable for their collaboration and pacing on projects. By using these tools, we believe students will continue in their transformation into successful adults.

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he final item—and one of the most exciting—is that across the district we are going to begin having much more technology at our fingertips. There are going to be numerous opportunities for your son or daughter to safely explore the world through the power of the internet and its educational tools that the district has provided its educators. Whether it is: the new Digits Math curriculum on-line that gives the instant feedback needed to “click”; the opportunity to do an online dissection in Science; experiencing a virtual tour of another part of the world in Geography; discussing a musical piece after viewing online in Music class; visually tracking their progress towards their fitness goals in PE; or being given the

8th Grade - Exciting Curriculum Change for ELA When eighth grade English/Language Arts students were assigned their textbook this year, it was not the traditional, bulky, hardbound book of years past. Instead, they were each given Spring Board, a consumable workbook published by College Board. Last year, Harrisburg’s administration and ELA department made the decision to go with the Spring Board program after a successful pilot of the material in each grade level. The focus of College Board, the organization that creates Springboard, is to prepare students for success in college and is heavily based on the state Common Core Standards for English/Language Arts. The curriculum covers standards in literature, writing, and

grammar. Springboard is set up for a combined reading and language arts class, which is what Harrisburg moved to when it created the ELA block during the 2012-2013 school year. Students have been receptive to the change. Eighth grader, Kyja Norris, shared, “I enjoy Springboard activities more than what we did last year. I think it is easier to learn and it is fun!” Each grade level’s curriculum contains five, themebased units which last the length of the school year.

8 • THE TIGER TIMES • VOLUME 37, ISSUE 1 • October 2013

ENDEAVOR E T E

ndeavor is the Harrisburg School District’s newest elementary school. It has approximately 380 students.

he school had a ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony to celebrate the new beginning.

ndeavor Participates in homecoming week!

Lots of school spirit was seen throughout the week. Thursday’s dress up day was NEON! The school was bright and bold as most of the students and staff participated. Students were excited to begin the day with a Pep Rally! They enjoyed seeing the High school kids and got into the spirt with cheers and the school song.

E N D E A V O R E L E M E N T A R Y

Scan the QR Code to go to Endeavor’s Facebook page.

EXPLORER

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tudents from Explorer Elementary jumped into the school year with technology fun. Students in Mrs. Haensel’s room have created their own class Facebook page. As students came to Open House on August 15, 2013, they were able to create information on their Facebook bulletin board outside Mrs. Haensel’s room. They then brought their page to life with an authentic class Facebook page and are connected with their families and friends.

and what to expect when they returned on August 21, the first day of school. Students from Ms. Iken’s classroom shared some thoughts on their Open House experience: Grace thought, “The bar codes were very creative.” “We learned where we were sitting and some nice friends too.” replied Madison D. “It helped us ,” explained Madison G., “find where everything was in the classroom.” Weston mentioned, “I had never scanned a code so I thought it was fun!”

Explorer PTO presents:

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ach week two students are designated as “record keepers.”

They are responsible for deciding what four pieces of information are posted to the page.

This is an effective tool to stay connected with parents AND students at the same time using social media. Pictures can be posted and shared so people who have liked the page will get an automatic notification that something new has been added. Once the students get used to giving information they will eventually be the ones typing up the information directly onto the site. This is a fun, contemporary way to keep in touch with parents and students alike.

Hullabaloo Fall Festival When:

Friday, October 18, 2013

Time:

6:30-8:30pm with food being served starting at 6:00pm

Where:

Explorer Elementary School

What:

Games, horse/wagon rides, photo booths, cake walks and more!

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hile Mrs. Haensel’s room was busy working on their Facebook page during Open House, Ms. Iken’s 4th grade room was busy learning about their classroom by scanning QR codes. As students scanned a QR code with an iPad, they were informed of where to put their school supplies, finding out about different parts of the room

9 • THE TIGER TIMES • VOLUME 37, ISSUE 1 • October 2013

Fun for the whole family!

FREEDOM

The bombing lasted for 25 hours, but when the dust finally cleared, the American flag was still waving. Francis Scott Key, a 35 year-old American lawyer, watched the attack of Fort McHenry from eight miles away. He wrote a poem about what he saw, which later turned into the StarSpangled Banner. s. Nelson stressed the importance of learning the Star-Spangled Banner: “I believe it is important for students to know the Star-Spangled Banner for multiple reasons. Not only does it help students learn the words at a young age, it is reinforcing the idea of patriotism and country. In class we have been singing the song daily, as well as learning the history of it. We are not just learning the words, but we are learning what it means and what it symbolizes.

Another r e a s o n is that, according to some research, only 1/3 of

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n Wednesday, September 18th, Freedom Elementary students in third, fourth, and fifth grade gathered around the front entrance to sing the StarSpangled Banner by the flag. s. Nelson, a second-year music teacher, filled the students in on the history of our national anthem. In 1776, America declared its independence from the tyranny of Great Britain, and ultimately won its freedom in the Revolutionary War. Great Britain, still upset with America, attacked again in 1814 at Fort McHenry in Baltimore Harbor.

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JOURNEY

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reetings from Journey Elementary School! This year we are pleased and excited to have many new staff members join the Journey Elementary School family. In the lower primary grades we have three new additions. First of all, Kayla Serocki, a veteran teacher who previously taught kindergarten at Harrisburg Freedom Elementary, has joined the staff at Journey. In addition, Deb Burwitz has taken a position as a first grade teacher. Deb is an experienced educator who comes to us from LeMars, Iowa where she taught first grade and special education classes. Kristi Short is our newest kindergarten aide. Kristi most recently operated her own in-home day care in Canton. In the intermediate primary grades Todd Smidt, who taught third grade for several years in the Lennox School District at Worthing, has joined our staff as a third grade teacher.

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e also have a new elementary guidance counselor this year, Janel Magnus. Ms. Magnus was with the Canton School District for many years serving as their counselor. In addition, Beth Wells is our new elementary librarian; having held a similar position in the Sioux Falls School District at Jane Adams and Renberg Elementary Schools. You may also have seen Mrs. Wells at the Harrisburg Community Library where she also works part time.

Americans know the words to the national anthem. I want my students to increase that statistic and share their knowledge of the Star-Spangled Banner with many others.” tudents took part in many different activities in the first few weeks of school to learn more about our national anthem.

Ms. Nelson stated: “Some activities we did in class were using the SmartBoard to play some fill-in-the-blank word games.

We also did centers, where students had a partner and participated in activities that expanded their knowledge of the song. In one lesson, we watched various videos that showed appropriate and inappropriate ways to sing the Anthem.

Students were able to decide whether the person sang the song respectfully or disrespectfully.”

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ur kitchen staff at Journey also has some new faces this year.

Christina Ahlers is the new kitchen supervisor, while Karen Kieffer and Ronnell Sattler round out the new team members.

Further, Ron Mueller has joined the staff as a new custodian and Corey Johnson is driving our second school bus route.

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e want to welcome these new staff members to our school and wish them all a pleasant and productive first year with

us.

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e have experienced many positive changes over the summer to our school and the park area that lies adjacent to it. The inside front entrance of the building has undergone some modifications with the movement of the second set of doors leading into the foyer area. For security purposes these doors are locked during the day and all visitors must go through the office in order to enter the main building. Improvements to the Prairie Meadows Park are also nearing completion with a new walking path, backstop, and picnic shelter. We are grateful for these new features and look forward to the enjoyment they will bring to the school and the neighborhood.

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he special education department at Journey also has several new additions. Melissa Andree is the new special education Exceptional Learning Center (ELC) teacher. Previously she worked at Children’s Care Hospital and School (CCHS). Joining her is Gina Severtson the new ELC aide who also has prior experience working at CCHS. Nichole Fevilien is the new K-5 special education teacher.

She most recently lived in Joplin, Missouri where she taught special education classes and Haiti where she taught 4th grade. Amanda Trapp, who also has recent experience at Children’s Care Hospital and School, is working as a special education aide with Mrs. Fevilien. Karalee Taylor, who served as a long-term substitute at Journey last year in Mrs. Feeldy’s classroom, is now also working as a special education aide. Last, but not least, Elly Swartz is drawing upon her past work with pre-school children while as an aide in the special education pre-school.

10 • THE TIGER TIMES • VOLUME 37, ISSUE 1 • October 2013

LIBERTY Academic Options for Advanced Learners in HSD In the Harrisburg Public Schools the following ideas are fundamental to providing equitable educational services and programs to highly-able/gifted students: • Like all students, advanced learners have a right to an appropriate education, one grounded in the recognition of individual differences and unique learning needs. The learning in the advanced program will stretch the capable student to develop their potential while interacting regularly with intellectual peers.

• The highly-able learn best in an instructional environment that insures significant challenges with advanced content, inquiry, critical thought, divergent thinking, professional thinking, and problem-solving.

The advanced program at the elementary level focuses on serving students who score in the top 2-5% on academic achievement tests, an individualized IQ test, a Creativity assessment and a parent and/or teacher checklist of characteristics. Students can be referred for an assessment by either a teacher or a parent.

See harrisburgadvancedclasses@shutterfly.com for forms.

Tiger Reserve is the full-time option available to identified students in grades 2,3,4 and 5 from any Harrisburg elementary building.

Students and families electing to join a full-time Tiger Reserve option need to know that students are expected to work hard to develop the following academic behaviors and habits: • produce quality work and participate actively in class

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complete nightly homework and long term projects, demonstrate an intense desire to be challenged by breadth and depth of course content • work at a faster pace and complete learning tasks at least a year or two above their grade level • Transportation is provided to sites at Liberty and Endeavor.

• Tiger Trek is the send-out and revolving door option available at the elementary level at each building for identified students in grades K-5. Students participate in academic enrichment/extension lessons for 75 minutes once a week within a multi-age grouping.

At the Middle School and High School level, advanced/Pre-AP and AP classes are available in all core academic areas. Students at the Middle School level need to meet three of four criteria yearly to participate. See harrisburgadvancedclasses@shutterfly. com for details on criteria for participation and the advanced curriculum at grades 6-8. High School students in the HSD have the option to take advanced or AP classes or dual credit options for high school and college credits for completing advanced coursework.

Any questions regarding the HSD programs for advanced learners can be directed to Dr. Laurie Wenger at laurie.wenger@k12.sd.us.

HSD Trivia Did you know?

For 108 years the ENTIRE school district fit into ONE BUILDING, now Liberty Elementary School. In 2002, a new high school (now South Middle School) was built, and in 2005 a new elementary (Explorer) was established to accomodate the growth in the northern portion of the district. Since then, we’ve added five more buildings!

11 • THE TIGER TIMES • VOLUME 37, ISSUE 1 • October 2013

TIGER PRIDE Showplace is proud to support our communities.

HSD Trivia Did you know?

The first three transportation routes in the Harrisburg School District were drawn by horses!

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iger Nation, your Harrisburg booster club for all

volleyball cour t, on a wrestling mat or jumping a hurdle.

extracurricular

High

Some life lessons are learned in a musical or dramatic per-

School, believes that education involves learning

formance or a debate competition. We can make an impact in

all of life’ s lessons. Many of these lessons are not

these life lessons!

activities

at

Harrisburg

learned in a classroom, but on a soccer field, on a

Have questions on how to join or get involved?

Contact

a

Tiger

Nation

Board Member or visit the website:

A few examples of what Tiger Nation has provided…

• Tent to keep our Cross Country & Track Athletes warm and dry • IPad and case for the Track and Cross Country coaches used to video athletes and keep stats • Choir robe bags and transporting boxes to keep the robes in good condition during travel • Assisted with expenses associated with the Spring Musical Play • Spike trainers & 4 block stands for our volleyball team • Green fees paid so our state boys golf team could play the course ahead of the state tourney • Basic equipment for fall school softball team • Tiger Vision crew T-shirts and a software upgrade

• Travel costs for a Wrestling team camp in Nebraska for two consecutive years

www.WeAreTigerNation.com Board Members:

• Funded the TIBBS position camp for all HS Girls basketball players for the past two years

President, Aaron Ellingsen

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Vice President, Vicki Lanier

Funded the Boys Basketball team Jackrabbit Satellite Camp held at HHS

SDSU

• Funded boy & girl soccer players at a full camp, thanks to scholarship dollars offered • Impact Baseline Concussion testing software – still available to every Harrisburg Tiger athlete • Travel dollars to assist with the Debate and Oral Interp Teams to two National Tournaments • 100 Yards of turf on our state-of-the-art football field • 700 Seats in one of the finest high school auditoriums in the state

12 • THE TIGER TIMES • VOLUME 37, ISSUE 1 • October 2013

(605-360-1951) (605-351-2927) Treasurer, Lorna Severy (605-261-6722) Secretary, Deb Johnson (605-351-3632) Board Member, Steve Harris (605-321-3725) Board Member, Jeff Gross (605-321-9672) President Emeritus, Jeff Gould (605-201-5147)