Knowledge Seekers. Our Brother's Keepers. Difference Makers.

Sion Middle School students have been working very hard to become more knowledgeable across a range of disciplines, as they engage in issues that have both local and global significance. As stewards of our Mission, students have been giving back to the community to make a positive difference in the lives of others, and leave their fingerprints on the world. Thus, learning the importance of balancing various aspects of their lives (intellectual, physical, spiritual, social, and emotional) to achieve well-being for themselves and others. Please find below a few highlights of the second quarter. Vive Sion!

Academics

Sion Debate Team
Our Middle School Debate Team, led by Mr. Kaspzyk, recently competed in this year's Debate Kansas City season opener, a debate tournament hosted by Arrowhead Middle School. Students competed in Student Congress debate as well as Policy debate.  The team of Alex and Owen (8th grade) placed 10th and the team of Grace and Julian (6th grade) placed 7th out of 60 teams. Grace later received accolades for accumulating the 4th most speaker points at the tournament (4th out of 120 debaters). Congratulations to our NDS debate team! The next tournament will be held at Coronado Middle school, November 10th.

Science Olympiad
Sion's Science Olympiad team, led by Mr. Flournoy and Mr. Eikermann, attended the first Invitational Meet on Saturday, November 5 at California Trails Middle School. All of our 18 students participated in 20 events. A total of 520 students attended the event from both sides of the state line. The weather made it a perfect day for science! We obtained medals in Mission Possible, Meteorology, Bottle Rocket, Crime Busters, and Reach for the Stars. It was a great day of scientific inquiry, learning, making new friends, and lots of fun! Thanks to all the parents who provided transportation and refreshments.

Math Olympiads
Middle School students have been practicing in class to participate in the Math Olympiads for Elementary and Middle Schools (MOEMS) competition. There are five monthly contests (November - March), consisting of five non-routine problems. The goal is to stimulate enthusiasm and love for Mathematics, acquire strategies in problem solving, deepening the study of Mathematics, and fostering Mathematical creativity, among others. To learn more about MOEMS please click here.

Student Life

All Saints' Day Mass
Our Grade School celebrated All Saints' Day on November 1 with a beautiful and inspirational service led by Fr. Thomas. Thanks to our 6th and 7th grades "Día de los Muertos" altars, we remembered and honored two very important women in our community: Mary Shanahan and Louise Human. Likewise, our 5th grade Spanish class created "ofrendas" to remember their loved ones. A special thanks to Mrs. Pearson, Sra. Gonzalez, Mrs. Stafford, and Mrs. Robards for all their help in the planning process.

Maisons
Our Maisons started their service rotation in the month of October. Blue and Green House students visited Bishop Spencer Place on Friday, October 21 and November 4 respectively. Students chatted with the residents, played Halloween and Thanksgiving themed games, and made a “thankful” chain with green pipe cleaners.  Everyone made a circle from a pipe cleaner.  On tags, everyone wrote things for which they were thankful, and then tied these to the individual circles.  Then, everyone joined their circles together and read all the “thankful things” for their table group. 
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The schedule for the next visits to Bishop Spencer Place for this school is as follows:
Orange House - Dec. 9
Purple House - Jan. 6
Red House - Mar. 31
Yellow House - Apr. 28

Thanks to all the parents who provided transportation for these brief field trips. We are still in need of parent drivers for the upcoming visits. Please contact Mrs. Pearson if you are available to drive when your child’s House takes this trip.

Trunk-or-Treat & Halloween Parade

Sion's first Trunk-or-Treat took place on Friday October 28, and our annual Halloween parade on October 31. The Sion faculty dressed up according to this year's theme: board games. To view the complete gallery of photos, please click here. In addition, middle school students enjoyed their first dance. Thank you to all 6th grade parents and room coordinator for all their support with the Halloween Dance.

Athletics

The 8th grade girls placed first in the 7th/8th Grade Girls division at the championship meet for Cross Country on October 10th. The girls received their trophy today. Congratulations to Sophie, Olivia, Caroline, Abby, and Gabby. Way to go!

Our Volleyball team has had an amazing season and we are extremely proud of their accomplishments! The 4th grade team finished on a high note, while the 5th through 8th grades started playing their post-league tournaments on November 6. Grade 7 and 8 teams will continue playing until November 19 at different gyms throughout the city. Boys and Girls Basketball season started this week. We wish our Sion athletes continued success on their upcoming matches. Go Lions!

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Upcoming Events

• November 9 - Mom's Night Out (5:30-8:30 pm).
• November 12 - Book Fair at Barnes & Noble in the Plaza & Parochial League Volleyball Tournament.
• November 17 - Grade School Open House, Pasta Dinner, and Holiday Lighting (4:00-6:00 pm). Please help us spread the word about this wonderful opportunity to visit and experience first-hand the Sion difference! 
• November 18 - Grandfriend's Day.
• November 21-25 - Thanksgiving Break.