Sunridge Middle School – 5^th Grade Parent Night
Discovering what the first year of middle school will be like is the purpose of a May event at Sunridge Middle School. All fifth grade students and their parents in the Pendleton School District are invited to 5^th Grade Parent Night on Tuesday, May 23^rd from 5 to 7 PM at SMS.

Fifth graders who will be attending the school, along with their parents, will meet sixth grade teachers, take tours of the building, watch a slideshow about electives offered at Sunridge and have hamburgers.

SMS Principal Piper Kelm said the event is a great opportunity for the school to communicate “What does Sixth Grade look like at SMS?” Kelm said, “This is the first time these students and families will all be together as their class, the one they are in from sixth grade through the end of high school. We want them to experience the building and share a meal together.”

Native American students and their families are invited to a special presentation at 4:30 PM in addition to regular Parent Night activities.

For more information about 5^th Grade Parent Night, visit the Sunridge Middle School website at https://sms.pendleton.k12.or.us/.

Posted 5/19/2023

Next school year, Sunridge Middle School students will have increased opportunities to explore STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) learning thanks to a $13,300 grant from GO-STEM. SMS Principal Piper Kelm said the grant allowed the school to purchase Virtual Reality (VR) headsets that students will use for computer coding and creating virtual spaces.

During the 2023-24 school year, sixth-grade classrooms will be able to use the equipment, which Kelm said she hopes builds interest in those students getting involved in the school’s Robotics Club for seventh and eighth graders. “We hope and anticipate this STEM grant will serve as a pipeline for our students to become interested in computer science here at the middle school and beyond in high school robotics and computers,” Kelm said.

Three other PSD schools also received GO-STEM grants: Pendleton Early Learning Center ($1,800), Washington Elementary ($8,800), and Pendleton High School ($19,000).

According to their website, GO‐STEM is a regional partnership cultivating a community that values STEM learning, prepares youth for successful STEM careers, and builds pathways and pipelines to meet workforce needs. Learn more at https://go-stem.org/.