Hi Spartan Families! Happy New Year! I am very proud of the academic work of our students during the second quarter. Sierra had 294 students with a 3.5 GPA or higher, forty-four percent of the school. Almost seventy percent of the students had over a 3.0 GPA and ninety percent had higher than a 2.0. It is evident the students are working hard and taking advantage of all of our after school intervention programs. In the next couple of weeks Sierra will open our afterschool STEM program (Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math). This will be a weekly sign-up program for students. Sierra currently has the following after school programs up and running: • Homework Club • Math Infusion • DreamBox math intervention • English Language Learner Camp • Math Olympiad During the third-quarter there are many demanding projects for students to complete. During the next month students will be assessed using the Measure of Academic Progress and will be taking the interim SBAC test. Eighth grade promotional and seventh grade end of the year activity requirements are: • Fourth quarter GPA of 2.0 or greater • Cumulative GPA of 2.0 for the year • 95% attendance throughout the school year • Three or fewer days of suspension in the fourth quarter Please join us Friday January 19th at 7:30 for coffee with the principal and PTA. This is a great chance to check in and learn about the good things happening at Sierra or to ask any questions. On January 18th, motivational speaker Scott Backovich will be on the Sierra campus during the day meeting with students and we will hold a parent meeting on this evening at 7 PM. Mr. Backovich shares with students how they can be successful at school and in life. During the evening, he will discuss with parents how they can connect and stay in tune with their son or daughter. Please plan on joining us. Please make sure your son or daughter is at school. Student attendance is one of the top indicators for student success. In December, out attendance rate was at 95%. Our goal is to be above 97% for the school year. Please make every effort for your child to be at school on time. Great things are happening at Sierra! Keep up the hard work and effort! With Spartan Pride, Scott Tatum

DATES TO REMEMBER JANUARY FEBRUARY 9 LLL, SMS, 6pm 7 LUSD Board Meeting, TCK, 7:30pm 10 LUSD Board Meeting, JRW, 7:30pm 8 LCPTA, Brookside, 6pm (Reflections) 15 Martin L. King Jr. Day, No School 12 Lincoln’s Day No School 17 LCPTA, Claudia Landeen, 6pm 13 LLL, DR, 6pm 24 David’s Pizza Fundraiser 19 Washington’s Day No School 26 Rally, WGym, 1:30pm 28 David’s Pizza Fundraiser 28 LUSD Board Meeting, CL, 7:30pm

Parent conferences: January 29-February 9 1:30pm Dismissal

SIERRA FOOD PANTRY/CLOTHES CLOSET We are officially open. Students in need of food or uniform clothing should come to The Summit before school, at lunch or after school to get supplies/materials. We would also like to ask for donations for this cause. We have many students/families that are living below the poverty line and we try and assist/accommodate all of them. We need non-perishable food items and girls sizes small to extra large in blue, grey and tan. If you have any questions or want to coordinate drop-off or pickup feel free to email noregan@lusd.net or cmclemore@lusd.net

Sierra is also in need of uniform sweatshirts. If you have any that you would like to donate, please drop off at the front desk.

Sierra Middle School 6768 Alexandria Pl Stockton, CA 95209 209.953.8749

THE SPARTAN TIMES

JANUARY 2018 Scott Tatum, Principal

Jennifer Heck, Assistant Principal

8th Grade Day

Friday, February 2, 2018

All 8th grade students within the district will visit the Lincoln High School campus from 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on February

2, 2018.

The day will begin with a tour of the campus. During an orientation assembly, students will meet our counselors and

administrators, and be given the opportunity to learn about the various programs that are available on campus with a tour

to follow. Areas that will be highlighted include: choir, drama, Cadet Corps Program, cheer, athletics, auxiliary, band,

orchestra, government, Career and Technical Education, peer mediation and LINK Crew.

We welcome students who live in the district and are not currently attending a LUSD school. If a Parent/Guardians would

like to sign their child up to attend that day, we ask that you come to the High School Administration office and fill out an

emergency card the week prior to the event. Parents need to drop their students off in front of the school, by the flagpole

at 9:00 a.m., and pick them up promptly at 12:00 p.m. We will request that students sign in at the Administration office and

receive a Visitors pass prior to participating in the day’s activities. An Assistant Principal/teacher will supervise the student

during their visit to our school.

This will be a fun and informative day for the incoming freshman class.

Any questions, please contact Cathy @ 953-8934.

SCOTT BACKOVICH

PRESENTS A FREE PARENTS’ WORKSHOP!

And we want YOU to attend!

Featured on TV, radio, newspapers and the like, Scott Backovich is an internationally demanded youth motivational speaker and

educator who presents to hundreds of thousands of students and adults each year around the US and Canada.

Witty by nature, caring at heart: for Scott, this is merely the tip of the iceberg. Scott’s quirky yet powerful style and message speaks

to students at their own level, helping them to understand the true potential they hold.

Scott’s mission is simple: to help students connect. In addition to speaking at school assemblies, Scott can be found helping parents

create meaningful connections between children and their campus. After all, the most successful students are the ones who truly

want to be at school. By helping to create an environment of compassion, encouragement, and service, Scott believes that we can all

thrive together.

While listening to Scott, parents and students alike will find themselves learning valuable life lessons for everyday use. They will

not only leave inspired, but they will leave knowing exactly how to get plugged -in to a campus everyone can call home.

On Thursday, January 18th, Scott will be speaking during the day at Sierra Middle School to the students about the challenges of

being a teenager today. In addition, he will be speaking to parents of Sierra Students that evening, at 7:00 P.M., in the Sierra Middle

School Multi-Use Room. We encourage you to bring your teen and join us for this fun, hands-on presentation!

Foods Class With the new semester a new group of students are starting in each period of the Foods elective. We begin with safety and cleaning routines. Students will be assessed on proper handwashing technique. All students must pass the

handwashing assessment prior to opening the kitchens for cooking. Students will also be cleaning and organizing the drawers, cupboards, and supplies, learning how to keep a kitchen orderly, clean, and safe. Syllabus must be completed and signed by a parent, indicating food allergies and dietary restrictions. 8th Grade Language Arts -- Mrs. Dillon We are finishing the final draft of our argumentative essay and beginning the autobiographical Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave. Though short, this piece of literature is dense and very intense and addresses our Unit 2 theme “What does our response to conflict say about us?” Asking questions about the book will help your child understand its importance. Questions such as “What was most confusing?” or “What was most alarming?” will open up opportunities for your child to share thoughts and feelings about the content. There is reading homework every night. We will also be taking the district assessment for Unit 2 and an SBAC Interim (practice) assessment. Please email me with any questions idillon@lusd.net 7th Grade Language Arts -- Mrs. Dillon We are finishing the final draft of our narrative essay and beginning the novel Hunger Games. Though some students may have read the novel or watched the movie, this is an excellent opportunity to better understand the theme of our Unit 2 study of “What is it like to live in an unjust society?” There is reading homework every night. After the novel, we will be taking the district assessment for Unit 2 and an SBAC Interim (practice) assessment. Please email me with any questions idillon@lusd.net Christian Club – Mrs. Dillon The club meets in room 9 every Wednesday at lunch. We are ordering club shirts – don’t miss out. Please email me with any questions idillon@lusd.net

CJSF News Seventh grade students are invited to join CJSF. Applications can be picked up from Room 7, Room 3 or in the office. Attached to the application must be their 2nd quarter grades. Please return to Mrs. Rehbien or Mrs. Miller no later than Friday, January 26th. Requirements for this year:

• At least two A’s and two B’s in academic classes

• No D’s or F’s in any class

• Six hours of community service on Sierra’s campus by May 11th unless otherwise approved by an advisor.

• Participate in the cookie dough fundraiser

• Attend all meetings (usually every other Tuesday at lunch in library) First meeting will be on Tuesday, January 30th @ lunch.

Collaboration, Conversation and Community Join us for our monthly meeting!

January 18, 2018 8:45am-10:15am

Village Oaks Boardroom 6225 N. Harrisburg Pl Suite C

These meeting are designed to support partnerships between families, school/district and the community to support our students.

Topics include… *Parent Conference Tips

* Report Cards Childcare and translation will be provided

Please RSVP by calling (209) 953-9710 Or emailing dbronson@lusd.net

Questions: Dolores Bronson

Director of Family and Community Engagement

Congratulations to the following students for being selected for our Regional

and State Honor Bands!

COUNTY HONOR BAND Carly Beckman Emma French Nicholas Ebbers Konrad Rohlf Danitza Guerrero Peyton Prior Sarah Guadagnolo Makenna Matsumoto Le’Charles Baldon Kenny Alexander Bradley Randle Previn Langham Steven Young Evan Arredando Luka Djokic Sara Rios Ryan Pham Israel Barioni Olivia VanBemmel Coltrane James Keagan Low Justin Tran Maxwell Green Aidan Retamoza Hunter Johansen Natalie Johnson Jack Gulden Eli Hancock Matt Cottman Ramon Guerra Thomas Iten Martin Diaz Lia Basalusalu Ileana Rosales Thomas Rabena Livia Williams

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA HONOR BAND Nicholas Ebbers Konrad Rohlf Israel Barioni Coltrane James Keagan Low Justin Tran Eli Hancock ALL-STATE HONOR BAND Keagan Low Justin Tran

ATTENTION: 8th Grade Parents

8th grade Day: Thursday, May 31st Where: Sunsplash, Roseville Cost: $50 Includes: Transportation, Entrance, and Lunch First payment of $25 due by February 28th Second payment of $25 due by March 30th Payment due to your homeroom teacher. Band students please pay Mrs. McCaa.

School Accountability Report Card (SARC) Our School Accountability Report Card (SARC)

is now posted on our school web site; www.sm.lusd.net

or you can find it at the LUSD home web site; www.lusd.net