The International Club met on Wednesday, February 1, with Ms. Ana Diaz. She is at Northern State University studying accounting and works at Dakota Bank. Ana is originally from Havana, Cuba. She moved to Aberdeen in the 7th grade without knowing any English. She attended SIMMONS MIDDLE SCHOOL and Aberdeen Central. She graduated high school in 2019. Ana is now bilingual, (she speaks English and Spanish fluently). She misses the beaches in Cuba, but not the political system. Cuba has a communist government, and the average person cannot speak out against the government or the president. The schools in Cuba do not have gymnasiums or elective classes. Ana said it was difficult moving to a new place especially when you don't speak the language. She was very nervous, but the students and teachers at Simmons were kind and helpful. Ana made friends and felt welcomed.
Thank you for visiting our club and school, Ana!
Middle School All State Jazz Band
Mrs. Ottenbacher’s 8th graders who dressed up as Greasers and Socs as we read the big rumble scene in The Outsiders!
Middle School All State Jazz Band. Concert starts at 3:00 pm today. https://www.youtube.com/@mitchellkernelslive4744/streams
Check out all of the upcoming events at SMS this month. The February newsletter is available at https://5il.co/1oi5x
Congratulations to our January Students of the Month! #asd61
6th Grade FACS Pillow Project
SMS families had fun at the Winter Carnival! Special thanks to Mrs. Rush for organizing the event and to our 8th grade students running the games!
The boys basketball game vs Yankton will be played on Jan 31 in GEA. Varsity game time is 5:30.
MATHCOUNTS: T-Shirt winner was Constance Reed. Congrats on the great design!
DON'T FORGET! Our Winter Carnival is tonight from 5-7 pm. There is no charge to get in. All students need to be accompanied by an adult. Tickets may be purchased at the carnival to play games. $1 for 4 tickets! Hope to see you tonight!
SMS 8th grade science students investigating properties of surface tension!
A group of 6th graders reading together in Language Arts class!
Simmons Singers is competing at Sioux Falls Roosevelt's Executive Showcase tomorrow 1/28/23! Click the link if you want to follow the event: https://www.rooseveltchoirs.com/2023-executive-showcase.html
Simmons Singers rocked parent preview night!!
Youth Power members making blankets to donate!!
Simmons Middle School is hosting a Family Winter Carnival on Friday evening from 5-7pm. Please follow the link for more information https://5il.co/1nohh. We hope to see you there!
6th graders working on their sewn pillow cases
The 6th Grade Design and Modeling students made their own shoes this term! They needed a logo and a slogan to go with their design. Their 6th grade teachers and the office staff voted for their favorite! Which one was your favorite?
The International Club's guest speaker was Mr. Ai. He was born in Shanghai, China, (population 24 million at night and 33 million during the day), and he moved to Watertown at age 15. In China, students start learning English in 1st grade. Chinese students attend middle school from 7 AM to 7 PM and then study each night. They must pass a test to get into high school and only 50% pass. Mr. Ai taught us to say hello in Chinese. Ni Hao!
