SMS Student Activity Hour
The staff at Sunridge Middle School are always looking for ways to motivate students to grow academically while having a little fun along the way.
Sunridge Middle School Fisheries Field Trip
Earlier this fall, about 40 students at Sunridge Middle School went on a field trip to learn about fish management in eastern Oregon. The students are enrolled in the Fisheries and Wildlife elective class taught by Science Teacher Matt Baty.
The class traveled to Three Mile Falls Dam on the Umatilla River, near Umatilla. The students were able to tour the facility and watch the fall spawning process. According to Baty, while in the fish trap, they viewed Chinook and Coho salmon as well as steelhead coming in. Staff at the dam, including Clinton Case, explained how the trap works and guided the class through the experience. “The students got to see and touch some of the biggest fish I’ve ever seen come out of the Umatilla River,” Baty said.
The students then explored the spawning part of the facility, where the staff was spawning Coho salmon and checking for any diseases. Baty said it was great because the students got front-row seats to the entire process, and everyone at the facility came by to talk with the students about the why of what they were doing.
During the last part of the tour, the group saw the runs that hold the salmon and how that operates. “The entire tour was great, and I plan on a spring tour at either this dam or McNary Dam for semester two during the Chinook run,” Baty said.
Letter to Families – Illness and Staying Home
December 9, 2022
Dear Pendleton School District Families and Guardians –
There is a lot of illness going around our community and our schools. We hope your family is staying well, and we wish you the best. However, if your student is displaying symptoms of illness, please keep them home until they are better. To see the different symptoms of the illnesses going around, see the attached list.
PLEASE KEEP ILL STUDENTS OUT OF SCHOOL
Thank you,
Kevin Headings
Superintendent
Pendleton School District
Pendleton Early Learning Center Friendsgiving
There probably isn’t anything cuter than a group of kindergartners in handmade turkey hats.
NEW! Bus Tracking App – ParentView
Pendleton School District, along with First Student, is excited to announce the launching of ParentView, a bus tracking and parent communication app.
Letter to Families Regarding Inclement Weather
Since we will most likely have more inclement weather this winter in the Pendleton area, the district would like to explain our process for determining inclement weather decisions in the district.
Pendleton School District Seeks Input
We are asking you to help us by completing a survey.
New Teacher Feature: Laurie Cameron
The Pendleton School District is happy to feature new PSD teachers
SMS Welcomes the 2022-23 School Year
Piper Kelm, Principal of Sunridge Middle School welcomes students and families to the 2022-23 school year.
Sunridge Middle School 6th Grade Orientation Day
August 29, 2022
A little less than 200 incoming sixth grade students gathered at Sunridge Middle School on Monday, August 29th for 6th Grade Orientation Day. The day is intended for these new middle school students to explore their new school without the upperclassmen there and to learn about being an SMS Bronc.
SMS Principal Piper Kelm said the students are grouped into their Advisory Classes for the orientation and learn the layout of the school, rules, and most importantly, how to navigate lunch. Kelm welcomed the students in the morning, introduced their teachers and asked the sixth graders to look around at their fellow Class of 2029 students. “Unless you were at the PELC for kindergarten, this is the first time your class has been together. Look left, look right and see who you will be learning with and experiencing school with for the next seven years.”
Kelm said orienting the sixth graders to SMS lunch is really important because many of them aren’t used to eating in a really large group. Plus, she said “choice paralysis” happens when the students are faced with which line to get in and what to order for lunch. A practice lunch on Monday meant one less new thing for the first day of school on Tuesday.
“We really want all our middle schoolers, including 7th and 8th graders, to have a great first day, but the sixth graders feeling more comfortable on Tuesday helps them have a smoother transition,” Kelm said.
