7th Grade Newsletter
7th Grade Families--Here's the update for 7th Grade from Mr. Ellestad and Ms. Rick:
5/17/2024
The middle schoolers received a paper copy of the form for their Trimester 3 Service Hours during religion class on Thursday. Here is a link to the PDF copy of the form: Tri. 3 Service Hours Form.
Please have your child fill out the 2-sided form on his/her own. The sheet's front side has the grid for the student to record the dates, activities, and amount of time for his/her service and the space for your signature [a parent signature is required]. On the other side of the sheet is the reflection which includes a space to identify which service activity the student is reflecting on and the 3 questions for the student to answer. [Here is a link to the notes on the Catholic Social Teaching themes which 2 of the questions relate to: Catholic Social Teaching Themes PDF.]
Each student needs to turn in the form (with a parent signature) by next Friday, May 24th, 2024 to his/her homeroom teacher.
NOTE: If your child still needs to complete the 5 hours of service, please remember that any work done by a student's own home does not count as service. Also, middle schoolers can't count fundraising activities for service hours. (For example, the 8th graders' activities to raise money for their D.C. trip or graduation isn't service.)
The Character Strong lesson this week focused on exploring growth mindset and how people's abilities can develop through hard work, dedication, and persistence. For the Character Dare, the 7th graders are challenged to catch themselves thinking a negative thought about themselves or others to work on reframing the language in a more constructive way.
Please check in with your 7th grader about this week's Mindfulness lesson.
5/3/2024
Reminder: If you haven't done so yet, please complete the St. Sebastian Family Engagement Survey We ask that all families complete the survey. Your responses will be kept confidential and will only be used to better serve our school community. Please complete the survey by Friday, May 3, 2024. Families that complete the survey by that date will receive a dress-down pass for each child. Plus, we will conduct a raffle and two families will win $25 scrip of their choice. Thank you! Here's the link to the survey: St. Sebastian Family Engagement Survey: Spring 2024
The 2nd lesson on conflict resolution was the focus of Character Strong this week. Students learned how not trying to solve a conflict will cause it to snowball. For the Character Dare, the 7th graders are challenged to write a note or draw a picture for a teacher. In the note or picture, the students are asked to share one thing they've learned from that teacher or something they appreciate about that teacher.
Please check in with your 7th grader about this week's Mindfulness lesson.
This afternoon, May 3rd, the 7th graders had their retreat in the Church Hall. Jon Metz facilitated this experience for our students focusing on the Road to Emmaus story from Luke's Gospel. The 7th graders considered how this story compares to their own spiritual journey and how people find Jesus in unexpected places.
Next Friday, May 10th, there is no school.
4/26/2024
For Character Strong this week, the lesson began a series on conflict resolution. Students learned about how compromise works for conflict resolution. 7th graders discussed that in comprised both sides can't get 100% of what they want because each person's needs/wants have to be honored. For the Character Dare, the 7th graders are challenged to ask a friend how he/she can be a better friend to that individual. Please ask your child about this dare.
Please check in with your 7th grader about this week's Mindfulness lesson .
Next Friday afternoon, May 3rd, the 7th graders will have their retreat in the Church Hall. Jon Metz will facilitate this experience for our students.
Service Hours Opportunity for Trimester 3: next Saturday, May 4th, the Sparkle Squad will host the Spring 4th into Service at Sebs. Volunteers are needed from 10:00am to 1:30pm. Please read over the flyer (found below) to see the various tasks to accomplish and to sign up using the QR code on the flyer.
4/19/2024
This week's Character Strong lesson was the 2nd one on assertiveness. Students learned 3 communication styles: passive, aggressive, and assertive. For the Character Dare, the 7th graders are challenged to make a "bucket list" of 3 things to do with a friend before the end of the school year. The 7th grader will ask his/her friend to add 2 other items to the list, so they can together have a list of 5 things to do on the bucket list. Please ask your child about this dare.
Mindful Molly resumed Mindfulness lessons this week. Please check in with your 7th grader about this week's topic.
Next Friday, April 26th, the Sebs Student Leadership Club is hosting the Spring Dance for Grades 5-8. The dance will be held in the school cafeteria from 7 to 9pm. Those attending the dance will need to pay $3 and bring in a food item for St. Catherine's Food Pantry. By Tuesday, April 23rd, students need to turn in the signed permission slip and code of conduct sheet to Mrs. Runnoe. Please contact Mrs. Runnoe (mrunnoe@saintsebs.org) if you have any questions or need the permission slip and code of conduct sheet.
4/12/2024
The Character Strong lesson this week focused on assertiveness. Students learned the difference between assertiveness and aggression. For the Character Dare, the 7th graders are challenged to help out a family member with one household task. Please ask your child about this dare.
Mindful Molly resumed Mindfulness lessons this week. Please check in with your 7th grader about this week's topic.
Service Hours: On Friday, May 24th, the middle school students will turn in the service hours form for Trimester 3 to show they have completed the 5 hours. Any work done by students in their own homes and fundraising do NOT count as service. Students should be keeping track of the service activities (including the date and amount of time). Any service done since February 27th will count for the 3rd Trimester. Here's an opportunity for students to earn service hours for Trimester 3. On Saturday, May 4th, the Sparkle Squad will host the Spring 4th into Service at Sebs. Volunteers are needed from 10:00am to 1:30pm. Please use the QR code on the flyer (found below) to sign up.
3/22/2024
For Character Strong this week, the students completed another lesson on well-being. The 7th graders learned strategies to help them increase their emotional, social, and mental well-being. The Character Dare challenges students to check in with 1 peer each day for a week and ask about the person's highlight and lowlight for the day. Please check in with your 7th grader about which classmate he or she is going to choose.
There was no Mindfulness lesson this week. Mindful Molly (Mrs. Holsen) is recovering from an injury. Mindfulness lessons should resume after Easter Break.
This past Tuesday, March 19th, Mr. Ellestad sent out an email about Wisconsin Forward Exam. If you haven't already done so, please read over his message to see the details about the assessments and the tips for successful test taking. For these assessments, every student will need plug-in/wired headphones/earbuds. Please check that your 7th grader has a pair of wired/plug-in headphones/earbuds at school. Thanks!
There will be no 7th grade newsletter next week. We wish you and your family a Blessed Easter!
3/15/2024
This week's lesson in Character Strong continued the series on well-being. The 7th graders reviewed that their well-being includes 3 components: emotional, mental, and social. They also explored ways they can support and increase their well-being. The Character Dare challenges students to pick up 3 pieces of trash around the school and to encourage a classmate to join him/her. Please check in with your 7th grader about completing this task.
There was no Mindfulness lesson this week. Mindful Molly (Mrs. Holsen) is recovering from an injury. Mindfulness lessons should resume after Easter Break.
The 7th graders are seeing The Little Mermaid at Pius this coming Thursday, March 21st. Please make sure your child brings back the permission slip for this. This trip is free of charge for all of the 7th graders.
On Wednesday, March 27th, the 7th graders will take the ELA assessments for the Wisconsin Forward Exam. After Easter Break, the 7th graders will complete the Math assessments. For the Forward Exam, every student will need plug-in/wired headphones/earbuds. Please check that your 7th grader has a pair of wired/plug-in headphones/earbuds at school. Thanks!
Starting next week (March 18th), St. Sebastian will have March Madness for Children's Books. Each week books will go head to head. Teachers will read each book to their homeroom class and then the students will vote for the best one. This competition will end the week of April 22nd. Please check in with your 7th grader this coming week about the first books we read.
3/8/2024
The Character Strong lesson began a series on well-being. The 7th graders learned that their well-being includes 3 components: emotional, mental, and social. For this week's Character Dare, the students are challenged to sit with different people at one lunch period to interact with other middle schoolers while they eat lunch. Please check in with your 7th grader about how he or she feels about sitting with a different group at lunch next week.
There was no Mindfulness lesson this week. For the next 3 weeks, Mindful Molly (Mrs. Holsen) will not be at St. Sebastian. She is recovering from a fall that she took while on vacation. Mindfulness lessons should resume after Easter Break.
The 7th graders are attending two field trips in the next 2 weeks. They'll be going to the Urban Ecology Center on Friday, March 15th, and they'll be seeing The Little Mermaid at Pius on Thursday, March 21st. Please make sure your child brings back the permission slip for each trip. Students who aren't part of the Choice Program need to bring in $5 for the Urban Ecology Trip. The trip to Pius to see the The Little Mermaid is free of charge for the 7th graders.
Soon students in Grades 3 through 8 will take the Wisconsin Forward Exam assessments. The 7th graders will complete the Math and English Language Arts tests. For the Forward Exam, every student will need plug-in/wired headphones/earbuds. Please check that your 7th grader has a pair of wired/plug-in headphones/earbuds at school. We will send more specific information about the testing dates, times, and ways that you can help your child do his or her very best. Thanks!
3/1/2024
The Character Strong program finished with the series of lessons on empathy, focusing on how the 7th graders committing to demonstrate their empathy by taking action. This week's Character Dare encourages students to set a personal goal of improving one relationship in their lives. After selecting a relationship to focus on, the 7th graders are asked to generate ideas of 1 thing they can put into action each day to celebrate or support that person for 1 week. Please discuss with your child which personal relationship he or she wants to work on.
For Mindfulness this week, Mindful Molly (Mrs. Holsen) began a mini-unit on stress. Please ask your 7th grader about what he or she has learned about stress impacting their lives.
Next Friday, March 8th, the students don't have school. The teachers will have an in-service day.
2/23/2024
The 7th grader's Character Strong lesson had the students consider how to take action to show others empathy. The Character Dare for this lesson asks students to think of a person he or she has been impatient with or unkind to. After reflecting on the situation, the 7th graders are challenged to apologize to that individual and for the 7th grader to share with him or her how he or she is going to change his or her ways.
There was no Mindfulness lesson this week.
Please make sure your 7th grader turns in to his/her homeroom teacher the Service Hours Form for Tri. 2 by this coming Tuesday, February 27th, 2024. The form does require a parent signature. Here's a link to the PDF copy: Tri. 2 Service Hours Form PDF.
This coming Wednesday, Feb. 28th, the middle school is attending a teen choral concert presented by the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. If your student hasn't turned in the permission slip and/or $13 fee (no fee required for families in the Choice program), please send that to school on Monday or Tuesday.
2/9/2024
This week's lesson for Character Strong focused on empathy. Students learned the difference between sympathy and empathy and that empathy requires noticing and caring. The Character Dare for this lesson challenges students to write a thank you to one member of the Sebs support staff and share 2 things the student appreciates about that person.
Please ask your 7th grader about this week's Mindfulness lesson from Mindful Molly.
Service Hours: On Tuesday, February 27th, 2024, middle school students will turn in the service hours form for Trimester 2 to show they have completed the 5 hours. Any work done by students in their own homes and fundraising do NOT count as service. Students should be keeping track of the service activities (including the date and amount of time). Any service done since November 14th will count for the 2nd Trimester. The students will receive the form during religion class on Monday, February 19th. You will find a PDF of the form for Trimester 2 on the Service Hours Information page. Here's a link to get to the page: Service Hours Information
Next week the students will have school all day on Monday, Feb. 12th and Tuesday, Feb. 13th. There is a half-day of school for students on Wednesday (11:30am dismissal). Parent-student-teacher conferences (not mandatory but are highly encouraged ) are on Wednesday, Feb. 14th from 1 to 7pm and on Thursday, Feb. 15th from 8am to noon. No school for students on Thursday and Friday.
If you would like to have meet next Wednesday or Thursday with any of the middle school teachers during conferences, here are the Sign Up Genius links for middle school teacher's conference schedules:
Ms. Dahl - 6A Homeroom & Middle school Reading
Ms. Carr - 6B Homeroom & Middle school Science
Mr. Ellestad - 7A Homeroom & Middle school Writing
Ms. Rick - 7B Homeroom & Middle school Religion
Ms. Grey - 8A Homeroom & Middle school Social Studies
Mr. Nelson - 8B Homeroom & Middle school Math
2/2/2024
The Character Strong lesson for this week began a series of 4 sessions on how students can effectively engage in empathy in ways that result in helping others in need rather than just feeling bad for them. The 1st lesson focused on noticing as much as one can about others as a way to start improving empathy and perspective-taking skills. For this week's Character Dare, each 7th grader will ask a family member about his or her favorite tradition or favorite activity when he or she was growing up. The students should then ask to follow up questions to learn more.
Please ask your 7th grader about this week's Mindfulness lesson from Mindful Molly.
No school for students next Friday, February 9th. The teachers will be attending an in-service.
Conferences are on Wednesday, Feb. 14th from 1 to 7pm and on Thursday, Feb. 15th from 8am to noon. These conferences are not mandatory for every family, but they are highly encouraged. Here are Sign Up Genius links for middle school teacher's conference schedules:
Ms. Dahl - 6A Homeroom & Middle school Reading
Ms. Carr - 6B Homeroom & Middle school Science
Mr. Ellestad - 7A Homeroom & Middle school Writing
Ms. Rick - 7B Homeroom & Middle school Religion
Ms. Grey - 8A Homeroom & Middle school Social Studies
Mr. Nelson - 8B Homeroom & Middle school Math
1/26/2024
Catholic Schools Week starts this Sunday. As part of the activities, we are asking students to bring in food items for St. Catherine's Food Pantry. The coordinators of the pantry are looking for any non-perishable food donations, but especially are in need of: peanut butter, jelly or jam, cereal, and canned soup (preferably soup which doesn't need water added and has a pull off top). Students can bring the items to their homeroom class. We appreciate any donations that our families can make to help out people who need help with feeding their families.
Please read over this week's St. Sebs Good News for the special dress days and activities for Catholic Schools Week.
This week the 7th graders learned about the importance of making social connections with others in the Character Strong lesson. The Character Dare challenges the 7th graders to write down their favorite quote which would be encouraging to a classmate and leave that quote on the classmate's desk. Please ask your child if he or she has a favorite quote which fosters encouragement and which classmate he or she would share that quote with.
For Mindfulness, Mindful Molly (Mrs. Holsen) continued with her lessons on the mind. Please check in with your 7th grader about what he or she learned about the mind, how it works, or how it differs from the brain.
1/19/2024
The past 2 Character Strong lessons have focused on stress. Students gained a better understanding of stress and learned (or reviewed) ways to cope with stress. The most recent Character Dare challenges the 7th graders to find out a new piece of information about either a staff member or another student. Please ask your child if he or she has completed the dare and ask what new information he/she learned about an individual at school.
LAST week's Mindfulness lesson began a set of sessions on how the mind works. Mindful Molly (Mrs. Holsen) had the students complete 2 mindfulness practices related to their thoughts. Please check in with your 7th grader about these practices.
The next Pizza Lunch Fundraiser is Friday, Jan. 26th. Students have received order forms from their homeroom teachers. The money and form is due this Monday, Jan. 22nd.
1/5/2024
This week's 7th grade Character Strong lesson was the final of the 5 sessions related to emotion understanding and emotion regulation. In this session, students worked on thinking through how they'd handle emotional challenges presented in scenarios. Students have been challenged this week for the Character Dare to write a thank you note, write a review, or thank in person one business of their choosing which deserves positive recognition. Please ask your student about the scenarios in the lesson and which business he or she thinks is worthy of recognition for the Character Dare.
No Mindfulness lesson this past Monday because of New Year's Day. Mindful Molly (Mrs. Holsen) will present her next lesson this coming Monday, January 8th.
Service Hours Reminder: All middle school students have to complete 5 hours of service for Trimester 2 as part of the religion curriculum. The form is due on Tuesday, February 27th, 2024. [This date is a correction from the original handout we gave out in September.] Any work done by students in their own homes does NOT count as service. Also, middle schoolers CANNOT count fundraising activities as service. The students will receive the form during religion class the week of February 19th. Students should be keeping track of the service activities (including the date and amount of time). Any service done since November 14th will count for the 2nd Trimester.
12/15/2023
This week's 7th grade Character Strong lesson this week was the 4th one about emotions. Students learned and/or reviewed several strategies for regulating their emotions. Please ask your 7th grader if he/she recalls any of the 3 strategies shared during the lesson. Students are challenged for this week's Character Dare to do one thing to improve the vibe/mood of one school area. Please check in with your 7th grader to see if he or she has been able to complete the dare.
For Mindfulness this week, Mindful Molly (Mrs. Holsen) shared with the 7th graders how coloring can be a way to calm the mind and bring relaxation to the body. Please check in with your 7th grader about the mindfulness lesson.
Next week, St. Sebastian has school only on Monday (12/18), Tuesday (12/19), and 11:30 dismissal on Wednesday (12/20), so we will not have a middle school newsletter update next Friday. Students will return to school on Wednesday, Jan. 3rd.
11/10/2023
For the 7th grade Character Strong lesson this week, the students reflected on how their can live out their values.
The 7th graders continued with learning about the brain In Mindfulness this week. Please ask your 7th grader about the new information he or she learned about the brain and how it works.
The service hours form for students to complete is due this coming Tuesday, November 14th, 2023 to your child's homeroom teacher. This form does require a parent signature. Please make sure your child has completed the 5 hours of service. Please remember that any work done by students for their own homes does not count as service. Also, middle schoolers can't count fundraising activities for service hours. Here are 2 links: one for the form students fill out Service Hours Form and the sample that presented to the students during religion class Sample Service Hours Form.
11/3/2023
We are collecting Thanksgiving food items for St. Catherine's Food Pantry. Each grade has been assigned a specific item to donate. 7th grade students will be bringing in boxes of instant mashed potatoes. The pantry does also need cans of ready-to-eat soup (with the pull of top), so Sebs families can donate those too. All food items are due by Friday, November 10th. Thank you in advance for helping out our neighbors to have a delicious Thanksgiving meal.
This week's Character Strong lesson focused on what we value might be the same or different from others' values. The Character Dare for this week is to ask a family member about his or her day and then ask one follow-up question to learn more. Check in with your 7th grader about his/her experience with this Character Dare.
In Mindfulness this week, the 7th graders learned about how their teenage brains are developing. Mindful Molly handed out a packet about the brain and its key players: the Prefrontal Cortex (PFC), the hippocampus, and the amygdala. Ask your 7th grader to share what he or she learned about these important parts of the brain.
10/26/2023
Because of the shortened school week, there was no Character Strong lesson this week. Next week the 7th graders will share how they did with the Character Dare for this week of holding the door open for at least 3 people and learning individuals' names.
Please check in with your 7th grader about this week's Mindfulness lesson.
Next Tuesday, October 31st, we celebrate Halloween at school. Students would like to dress in costume are encouraged to come to school dressed in their costumes. No masks, weapons, fake blood, or violence of any kind will be permitted as part of Halloween costumes. The school-wide Halloween parade will begin at 1:50pm. The plan is to have the parade outdoors, weather permitting.
Please read this message from Mrs. Mintz, the music teacher:
K3 - 5th grade classes are preparing for our Christmas concert on December 19th at 6pm. I would like to invite any students (including middle schoolers) who have been learning an acoustic instrument for at least one year to come play for me next week. I know we have some pianists, violinists, and others at school who could perform between (or with!) class songs. Would you please encourage your child if you think they would enjoy adding to our celebration of music? Students may bring their instruments to the music room on Monday or Tuesday, October 30th/31st and I will work out a time to meet with them privately during those days. Students do not need to have a Christmas song prepared yet, any music will do for me to assess their readiness. There will be opportunities later in the year as well to showcase solo and small group instrumentalists and singers. Thank you and I look forward to meeting you all soon!
10/20/2023
For the Character Strong lesson this week, the 7th graders completed a value tree on which they identified one important value in their lives. They then wrote out who or what influenced this value. To finish the tree, the students listed 3 to 5 ways they can practice living out the value in their lives. The Character Dare for this week is to hold the door open for at least 3 people and learn the individuals' names. Please check in with your 7th grader about what value he or she identified from this week's activity and ask how he or she is doing with the Character Dare.
In Mindfulness this week, the 7th graders did partner work guided by Mindful Molly (Mrs. Holsen) focused around comfortable and uncomfortable sensations in their bodies. The students also identified the patterns they noticed with their sensations in correlation to their emotions. Please ask your 7th grader about the connections he or she made between sensations and emotions.
Next week, Wednesday and Thursday, October 25th and 26th, we look forward to meeting with families at parent-teacher conferences. Thanks to all of you for signing up to meet with your child's homeroom teacher. If you still need to sign up, here are the links:
We have had many middle schoolers ask to 'check-out' Chromebooks from their classrooms, and this is not something we can sustain because we need them all to remain in classrooms for use each day. The school has about 30 used Chromebooks that are outdated and no longer able to update for some of the programs we used at school. School administration would like to offer them, free of charge, to families with middle school students who do not have a computer at home. The Chromebooks work fine for google platforms and could be used for homework, studying, paper writing, etc. at home. Please email Mrs. Immen directly (kimmen@saintsebs.org) if your family would like one of these computers; they are available on a first come, first serve basis.
10/13/2023:
This week's Character Strong lesson focused on habits and how developing habits focusing on character-building can help people achieve their goals, boost their self-esteem, and positively affect others in their community; this lesson also introduced the 1st Character Dare, a specific task students are encouraged to accomplish over the next week to build healthy character habits. Ask your 7th grader about how he or she is doing with meeting a new person each day at school, learning the person's name and at least one detail about that person. The goal is to get to know 5 new people in the school community.
Mindful Molly (Mrs. Holsen) continued the body unit in Mindfulness focusing on how people's bodies, minds, and hearts work together and how to listen a little closer to the sensations they feel in their bodies. Please check in with your 7th grader to see what new knowledge he or she has gained about how his or her body, mind, and heart work together.
Reminder: all 6th, 7th, and 8th graders need to complete 5 service hours each trimester. The form for the 1st trimester is due Tuesday, Nov. 14th. Students will receive the form the week of Nov. 6th. Check out this flyer about the Sparkle Squad, a group working on monthly projects right here at Sebs.
10/6/2023:
The 7th graders didn't have a Character Strong lesson because of the short school week.
In Mindfulness this week, Mindful Molly (Mrs. Holsen) began the body unit covering exteroception [awareness of external stimuli] , proprioception [the awareness of where one's body is in space], and interoception [awareness of what is going on inside one's own body]. The students will be learning about how reconnecting with their bodies is a key component of self-awareness and mindfulness. Please check in with your 7th grader about what they have learned so far about these 3 awareness of awareness.
If you haven't taken a moment to see the newly added embedded Google calendar on teachers' Homework Hub pages, please scroll through the menu on the left side of this page. Click on the v-like symbol next to a teacher's name to access his/her Homework Hub page.
9/29/2023:
The Character Strong lesson in 7th grade focused on developing classroom agreements to create safe and productive classroom communities. Please ask your 7th grader about the 3 statements his/her homeroom chose for the classroom agreement.
The 7th graders didn't have mindfulness this week because of Monday's afternoon field trip to see the play "Tolton: from Slave to Priest".
If you haven't signed up yet for the Catholic Soles Walk which will take place this coming Tuesday, Oct. 3rd, you can find the sign-up links in the school newsletter.
This coming Wednesday, Oct. 4th is Grandparents'/VIP Day at Saint Sebastian. The morning will start with our All-School Mass at 8:15. After the Mass, our guests will enjoy fellowship and refreshments. Here's a link to the Google Form to RSVP if you haven't responded that your family's grandparents/VIP's are coming: RSVP for Grandparents/VIP Day .
Also on Wednesday, Oct. 4th is an 11:30am dismissal.
Students won't have school on Thursday and Friday, Oct. 5th and 6th because of teacher-in-service days.
NEW on each teacher's Homework Hub page is an embedded Google calendar which shares the daily information about each middle school subject. Please take a few minutes to check the calendar out by scrolling through the menu on the left side of this page. Click on the v-like symbol next to a teacher's name to access his/her Homework Hub page.
9/22/2023:
The 7th graders' Character Strong lesson focused on making more connections with classmates to continue our progress in developing strong relationships and creating safe community in our classrooms. Please ask your 7th grader about new information he/she learned about his/her classmates.
During mindfulness this week the 7th graders finished their classroom agreements guided by Mindful Molly (Mrs. Molly Holsen). Please ask your 7th grader about what words his/her classroom put on the homeroom agreement.
This coming Monday, September 25th, the middle schoolers will see the play "Tolton-From Slave to Priest" at Marquette High.
Please check the school newsletter for the sign-up links for your family's participation in the Catholic Soles Walk, which is on Tuesday, October 3rd.
9/15/2023:
This week the 7th graders focused on "Building Connections" for their Character Strong lesson to help them develop strong relationships and to create a sense of safety and community in our classrooms. Please ask your 7th grader about this week's lesson.
This past Monday, the 7th graders began their mindfulness lessons with Mindful Molly (Mrs. Molly Holsen). During the 1st lesson, Mindful Molly gave the students introduction to my class, had them write a 6-word personal essay, and built classroom agreements about how we want to act/behave with one another. Check in with your 7th grader about Mindfulness.
This coming Monday and Tuesday, Sept. 18th and 19th, the 7th graders will be taking the iReady tests for reading in Ms. Dahl's class. This online testing program assesses students' progress in 6 areas of reading The 7th graders will then take, on Thursday and Friday, Sept. 21st and 22nd, the iReady tests for math which assesses their progress in 4 areas. When completed, the results give teachers specific data about students' strengths and instructional needs.
Come on Tuesday, September 19th from 6 to 7pm to the school cafeteria for our Catholic High School Fair. Students attending with their parent with receive a dress-down pass.
St. Sebastian School will be observing and celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month by focusing on the culture and traditions of Latin America. Included in the activities will be a door decorating contest, Hispanic Dance recital by The Salsabrosa Dance Company featuring current Marquette University student and St. Sebastian alumni Natalia Beans, and much more! Be sure to ask your student what they learned about the incredibly rich and varied Hispanic culture!
Dear St Sebastian Families:
As you might be aware, Mrs. Hentges, one of our 5th grade teachers, suffered from a stroke earlier this school year. Karrie had her summer break wrapped up and her classroom ready to welcome her new class for the year—plans changed when she suffered from a stroke on the first day of school.
Karrie has taught at St. Sebastian School for over 10 years. Many of the St Seb community have had the opportunity to have her as a teacher for their K5 and/or 5th children. Karrie has three boys of her own at home, along with her husband.
As Karrie recovers, the incredible village of St. Sebs has been praying and asking how else we can help during her recovery. Gift cards to restaurants, grocery stores, DoorDash, or a cash donation of any kind will help to make it easier for her and her family.
Please feel free to send these gift cards and/or well-wish cards in an envelope to the school labeled “Mrs. Aronin” and it will be delivered to Mrs. Hentges and her family.
Thank you for keeping Karrie Hentges in your prayers as she recovers.
-Jen Volz, mom of Ruby (6th) & Olive (DSHA)
In a few short weeks, on Tuesday October 3, please join us for the Catholic Soles Walk. This walk is a great way to strengthen our Catholic identity and our ties within our school. The Walk starts with a blessing at 5:45 from Father Peter Patrick. Then at 6:00, we start our walk together down Washington Boulevard where we will have different stations for families and students to check in and receive goodies. Our goal is to raise $15,000 for new classroom resources and materials. Please help us reach this goal by signing up and creating a team at this website. We understand that each family contributes in different ways, so please consider signing up to help volunteer your time at this event. Please watch the Good News Letter from Mrs. Immen for links to do that. We look forward to seeing every family at the event!
9/8/023:
This week the 7th graders began the Character Strong program in their respective homerooms. This is an online program of 35 lessons focusing on a social-emotional learning curriculum that impacts engagement, belonging, and student well-being. Week 1's Character Strong lesson is "What Is Happening Here?" explaining the what, why, and how of the program. Please ask your 7th grader about this week's lesson.
This coming Tuesday, September 12th is St. Sebastian's Mandatory Parent/Guardian Meeting. It will start in the Church Hall at 6pm. Mrs. Immen and Mrs. Runnoe will share our vision, expectations, and information for this school year. You will also have the chance to connect with other parents and guardians within your child(ren)'s grade bands. At 6:45, the middle school teaching staff will present a short presentation in the church hall, including details on the middle school behavior system, the St. Sebastian Middle School Google Website, the Character Strong program, and service hours requirements. You will receive an information packet which will have handouts from each middle school teacher regarding his/her particular subject.