Middle School

Seward Middle School Principal's Report

May 2008

by Steve Schrad

May 14, 2008

• It’s been my pleasure to work with Mrs. Eileen Oates the last four years. Eileen is the epitome of a great staff member and person in the business of educating students. She will be greatly missed by the staff at Seward Middle School.

• A big thanks goes out to Mrs. Tracey Thomspson. Tracey has filled in admirably as our long-term sub in a resource classroom this year. We never missed a beat with her teaching and instruction this school year. She has a great desire to see her students succeed. We will miss her as well.

• Congratulations to Mr. Sloup for being recognized at the Nebraska Action for Healthy Kids summit held April 15, 2008. Back in the fall, Mr. Sloup organized the Be Healthy Day that promoted wellness and fitness. This effort was in conjunction with the athletic department and some health and wellness classes at Concordia University. Seward Middle School was a Bronze Level Winner for its efforts of promoting health and wellness.

• The 5th grade orientation was held May 1, 2008. Fourth graders toured the building during the morning, and parents met with the 5th grade teachers that evening.

• Track and Field Day for grades 5th and 6th was held May 5 at the high school. It was a gorgeous day for the students to get out and participate in some athletic activities. A big thanks to Mrs. Oates and Mr. Sloup for preparing the students during their P.E classes.

• The middle school track ended their season with the Fairbury Invite on May 6.

• Several students will take part in the Images of Greatness Main Event of Tuesday, May 13 at 7:00 p.m. Images of Greatness is a high ability learner program for students in grades 6-8. Juanita Hill and Angela Pfieffer sponsor the program.

• Spring band and music concerts have filled several evenings. Mr. Frisbie and Miss Kottich have done well organizing and presenting the concerts this spring for grades 6-8. We were lucky to have great weather for the outdoor band concerts this spring.

• The Toptime Olympics will be held May 16. This is a great activity to introduce the 5th grade to their Toptime and build camaraderie in the school. A big thanks goes out to Mrs. Oates and Mr. Sloup for organizing this event.

• The last student day of school will be Wednesday, May 21. All teachers will be finishing the school year with a professional development day on May 22. We will use this time to review our school improvement plans. Finally, the literacy team will be working with Lynette Block from NDE on May 23 for additional reading intervention training.

Finally, it's been a pleasure serving your children the last four years as the middle school principal. I feel there has been substantial growth in student achievement. Also, the middle school philosophy has strengthened with improvements in staffing and scheduling. I feel there are some exciting times ahead for Seward Middle School. I know the best is yet to come! Have a great summer.

Steve Schrad