SAMS Newsletter Are Available in the Middle School Main Office

Hard Copies of SAMS Newsletter are Available in the Middle School Main Office

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SAMS NEWSLETTER

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER

Seals of Excellence Winners INSIDE THIS We have more “Seals of Excellence” (SOE) ISSUE: winners at the middle school this school year. Spelling Bee 2 This program is a Positive Behavioral Sup- port Program that places an emphasis on Student Council Projects 2 encouraging and rewarding students who exhibit responsible, respectful, and safe Weather Emergency? 3 behaviors and attitudes towards their peers and adults alike. The program is coordinated Freaky Friday Winners 4 through the Principal’s office. After students receive and submit their card to the main office, the “Proudly Announcing” cards will News from the Nurse 4 be mailed to each student’s home to inform you of the positive actions your student is exhibiting here at the middle school. SAMS CALENDAR O F E V E N T S This year we will be giving away 2 Trek mountain bikes one to a boy and one to a girl. Each time a student is given a SOE card they are entered in the drawing for one of these bikes. A big November THANK YOU goes out to “River’s Edge, Peddle and Paddle” on Market Street in Sunbury for donat- ing these bikes for our students and the Selinsgrove Area Middle School. 13 School Board Meeting Bucknell AMC8 Math Com- 14 petition 17 Dance 28 PTSO Meeting October Students of the Month The Selinsgrove Area Middle School announces the Students of the Month for October 2017. The Stu- December dents of the Month are selected by the grade level teachers for this award. The students chosen demon- 4 School Board Meeting strate good effort in class, a positive and cooperative attitude, respectful behavior, and helpfulness to 7th, 8th Grade and HS Band others. October 2017’s Students of the Month are: 14 Concert 7th, 8th Grade Band Snow 6th Grade 7th Grade 8th Grade 15 Date 21 Grade 8 Career Day Hayden Ryan Michael Quinn Johnson- Zhihang Jackie Auman Gavason Tejada-Dubon Thomas He Jiang 25— No School Janurary 1 &2 No School 10 7th & 8th Chorus Concert 7th & 8th Grade Chorus 11 Snow date Kimberleigh Eveline Mckenna Ainsley Isabella Haley 12 Dance Hurlburt Straub Parker Mikhail Ivankina Berge 23 PTSO Meeting 6th Grade Band/Chorus 25 Concert 6th Grade Band/Chorus 26 Snow date SAMS NEWSLETTER Page 2

The 90th Scripps National Spelling Bee! This year’s Spelling Bee qualifier required interested students in each grade to try out with a written test of 50 words. The results of their tests were tallied and four students emerged as the top spellers at SAMS: Tori Ross, Jayden Bloch, Haylee Nava and Emerson Zobal. Congratulations to these students! They are now registered to participate in a regional competition to be held Sunday, January, 21, 2018 at the WITF Public Media Center in Harrisburg. Winners of that competition will meet in Harrisburg for the Grand Championship, with the winner travelling to Washington, D.C. for the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Good luck spellers!

Tori Ross Jayden Bloch Haylee Nava Emerson Zobal Red Ribbon Week

Selinsgrove Area Middle School celebrated Red Ribbon Week in various ways. Selinsgrove Area School District works to stop the usage of drugs. Mrs. April Metzger, a 6th grade math teacher helped organized Red Ribbon Week along with students from her 6th grade club. The club decided that the theme would be “ITune Out Drugs”. The club encouraged the rest of the school to wear music themed outfits to school each day of the week. On the final day of Red Ribbon Week, all students and staff were invited to “wear red”. Everybody that wore red participated in creating the red ribbon around the seal at the Selinsgrove football stadium. Celebrating Red Ribbon Week continued into the Seals football game. A small group of students in Mrs. Metzger’s club wrote “SEALS BE DRUG FREE” on the fence at the stadium with help from Mrs. Metzger and middle school principal, John Bohle using over 1,000 red and blue plastic cups. Red Ribbon Week was made possible by all of the dedicated students and teachers who fight to prevent the use of drugs. A special thanks to all of the Selinsgrove students and staff members who participated in Red Ribbon Week.

By, Murphy O’Brien

CASS (Creating a Safe School)

On Monday, October 30th, 69 7th and 8th grade CASS Club members delivered their annual anti-bullying program to 234 6th grade students at the Selinsgrove Area Middle School. CASS stands for Creating a Safe School and the Club is overseen by Mr. Smolleck. The primary purpose of the CASS Club is to prevent and stop all forms of bullying. Other specific goals of the club, as defined by CASS Club bylaws, are to promote a sense of belonging and acceptance and to empower bystanders by providing them with knowledge about how to intervene when they witness bullying. In addition to delivering the anti-bullying program to the 6th graders, the CASS Club members recently participated in Red Ribbon Week activities (designed to combat drug and alcohol use) and in November will be trained by staff members from the Central Susquehanna Valley Mediation Center to become the first peer mediators at the Middle School. The learning objectives of CASS Club’s 6th grade anti-bullying program were to teach the students to identify and provide examples of 4 types of bullying behaviors, the 3 major roles that individuals play in a bullying situation, ways students can be empowered bystanders, why is it important to stop and prevent bullying, and what is difference between reporting and tattling. The CASS Club members were split into 5 Teams and had around 15 practices before the program, starting in September, so they were well prepared. The Team captains (Madison Dominick, Tate Fordyce, Tori Ross, Leah Kloostra, Haylee Navee, and Ainsley Mikhail) provided excellent leadership and acted as facilitators for many of the activities such as skits, personal bullying stories, and object lessons that demonstrated how kindness is powerful/ remembered. All the CASS Club members were involved in the small group activities with the 6th graders and played key parts in the program as well. Overall, the program went well, with engagement and active participation from the 6th grade students and the dedication of the CASS Club members. V O L U M E 1 7 - 1 8 , I S S U E 3 Page 3

WHAT HAPPENS DURING A WEATHER EMERGENCY? WHO IS WATCHING THE WEATHER? WHAT IS THE EARLY DISMISSAL SCHEDULE? School district personnel maintain a careful watch of the weather When it becomes necessary to dismiss schools early, the Superinten- during the winter season. Adverse weather conditions and the time dent, together with school district personnel, determines the dismis- of day they occur affect the operation of school and bus transporta- sal times. All necessary information is given to each building, local tion. radio and television stations.

WHERE DO THEY GET THEIR INFORMATION? HOW CAN PARENTS BE READY? School district sources of weather information are local radio and Parents should be prepared for an early dismissal by having identi- television broadcasts as well as the National Weather Service. fied a procedure for their child to follow in the case of an early dismissal. In the case of an early dismissal, it is requested that parents do WHAT FACTORS GO INTO MAKING THE DECISION not drive to school to pick up children who normally ride the school TO CLOSE SCHOOLS? buses. The additional traffic this creates around the schools and on 1) Weather forecasts from radio and television stations local roads only makes the safe transportation of students to their 2) Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, and State Police homes more difficult. assessment of road conditions 3) School district’s assessment of school parking and accessibility WARNING of buildings A severe storm could develop unexpectedly during the school day. 4) Time snow is expected to start and end Despite an early dismissal, weather conditions and resulting traffic 5) Amount of snow accumulated and predicted problems could result in children arriving home past their normal 6) Expected impact on traffic delivery time. 7) Weather conditions expected after the snow If this type of situation should occur, school district personnel will continue to monitor the situation until all buses have completed their WHO MAKES THE DECISION? routes and returned to the bus lots. The final decision to alter the school schedule is made by the Super- intendent in consultation with other school, transportation, and law EMERGENCY CLOSING/DELAY INFORMATION SOURCES enforcement officials. SCHOOL DISTRICT INFORMATION LINE (570)372-2224 http://www.seal-pa.org WHEN IS THE DECISION MADE? The decision to close or delay school must be made by approximately WNEP—Channel 16 WGAL TV—Channel 8 WYOU—Channel 22 5:30 a.m. in order that radio and television stations can be notified WBRE—Channel 28 WPMT TV—FOX 43 WQKX—94.1 FM and other procedures initiated. EAGLE—107 FM WVLY—100.9 FM WKOK—1070 AM WBGM—88.1 FM WMLP—1380 AM FM HOW IS THE PUBLIC NOTIFIED? Local radio and television stations, and PowerAnnouncement , are www.wqkx.com www.wyou.com the official sources for notifying students, parents, and staff that schools are closed or delayed because of weather conditions. A list- www.wnep.com www.whptv.com ing of the radio and television stations used by the school district is Parents and students should not telephone the schools or the district included in the next column. office for information pertaining to the operation of schools on these days. These calls can delay proper notification of the school staff DELAYED OPENING OF SCHOOL and public, and can interfere with the handling of school operations. Weather conditions may require delaying the opening of school by Information concerning delays, cancellations and evening activities one or two hours. In the event of a delayed opening of school, buses can be found by calling the Information Line at (570)372-2224 will arrive at stops one hour (or two hours for a two hour delay) later (touch tone phone only) Option 1. This line is available 24 hours a than usual and school will begin one hour (or two hours for a two day. hour delay) later than usual. Announcements concerning changes in school operations will be broadcast by 6:30 a.m. and as soon as possible if schools are to be Level 2-hour delay dismissed early. To prevent unauthorized statements concerning the operation of the public schools, radio and television stations have High School 10:20 a.m. established a code system that must be used in notifying the commu- Middle School 10:25 a.m. nications media of changes in school operations. Radio and televi- Intermediate School 10:30 a.m. sion stations will not accept calls unless the proper system is used. Selinsgrove Elem. 10:25 a.m. We hope this brief brochure assists you in understanding what is Breakfast is not served on days when school is on a one or two-hour involved in a school district’s attempt to deal with winter storms and delay. provides you with necessary information to prepare for the winter season. WHAT HAPPENS IF THE WEATHER BECOMES SEVERE DURING THE SCHOOL DAY? We will also utilize the Sapphire Announcement system. Please note It may become necessary to dismiss students one or two hours earli- that if the Sapphire Announcement message goes to an answering er than normal. Information on road conditions is received from the machine and you pick up prior to completion of the message, the Department of Transportation and Pennsylvania State Police to deter- recording will be cut off. A 5 second delay may occur prior to the mine the best time for dismissal. start of the message, so please refrain from repeating “hello?”

SAMS Freaky Friday Winners

6th Grade 7th Grade 8th Grade Prettiest Sarabeth Reynolds Macy Corl Kirsten Biddinger Scariest Emerson Zoble Kayla Masters Devin Eppley Famous Look-Alike Haley Young / Madison Bucher Connor Andretta Quincy Baker Ava Blair / Regan Drasher / Most Original Erika Meiser Nelson Masters Alexis Savidge

Funniest Carsten Pryor Kylee Hessek Germain Whilby

6th Grade Winners 7th Grade Winners 8th Grade Winners NEWS FROM THE NURSE’S OFFICE The Flu: A Guide For Parents

What is the flu? Influenza (the flu) is an infection of the nose, throat, and lungs caused by influenza viruses. There are many different influenza viruses that are constantly changing. They cause illness, hospital stays and deaths in the United States each year. The flu can be very dangerous for children. Each year about 20,000 children younger than 5 years old are hospitalized from flu complications, like pneumonia. How serious is the flu? Flu illness can vary from mild to severe. While the flu can be serious even in people who are otherwise healthy, it can be especially dangerous for young children and children of any age who have certain long term health conditions, including asthma (even mild or controlled), neurological and neurodevelopmental conditions, chronic lung disease, heart disease, blood disorders, endocrine disorders (such as diabetes), kidney, liver, and metabolic disorders, and weakened immune systems due to disease or medication. Children with these conditions and children who are receiving long-term aspirin therapy can have more severe illness from the flu. How does the flu spread? Most experts believe that flu viruses spread mainly by droplets made when people with the flu cough, sneeze or talk. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby. Less often, a person might get the flu by touching something that has flu virus on it and then touching their own mouth, eyes or nose. What are the symptoms of the flu? Symptoms of the flu can include fever, cough, sore throat, runny or stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills, fatigue and sometimes vomiting and diarrhea. Some people with the flu will not have a fever. How long can a sick person spread the flu to others? People with the flu may be able to infect othersby shedding virus from 1 day before getting sick to 5 to 7 days after. However, children and people with weakened immune systems can shed virus for longer, and might be still contagious past 5 to 7 days of being sick, especially if they still have symptoms. PROTECT YOUR CHILD, How can I protect, my child against the flu? To protect against the flu, the first and most important thing you can do is to get a flu vaccine for yourself and your child. Vaccination is recommended for everyone 6 months and older. It’s especially important that young children and children with long term health conditions get vaccinated. (See list of conditions under “How Serious is the Flu?”) Caregivers of children with health conditions or of children younger than 6 months old should get vaccinated. (Babies younger than 6 months are too young to be vaccinated themselves.) Another way to protect babies is to vaccinate pregnant women because research shows that this gives some protection to the baby both while the woman is pregnant and for a few months after the baby is born. A new flu vaccine is made each year to protect against the flu viruses that research indicates are most likely to cause illness during the next flu season. Flu vaccines are made using strict safety and production measures. Over the years, millions of flu vaccines have been given in the United States with a very good safety record. IF YOUR CHILD IS SICK, What can I do if my child gets sick? Talk to your doctor early if you are worried about your child’s illness. If your child is 5 years and older and does not have other health problems and gets flu-like symptoms, including a fe•ver and/or cough, consult your doctor as needed and make sure your child gets plenty of rest and drinks enough fluids. If your child is younger than 5 years (and especially younger than 2 years) or of any age with a long term health condi•tion (like asthma, a neurological condition, or diabetes, for example) and develops flu-like symptoms, they are at risk for serious complications from the flu. Ask a doctor if your child should be examined. Can my child go to school, day care or camp if he or she is sick? No. Your child should stay home to rest and to avoid giving the flu to other children or caregivers. When can my child go back to school after having the flu? Keep your child home from school, day care or camp for at least 24 hours after their fever is gone. (Fever should be gone without the use of a fever-reducing medicine.) A fever is defined as 100°F (37.8°C) or higher.