June 3, 2026

Dear Bullpup Families Present and Future,

We are near the end of the school year! The last day of school is this Friday, June 5th. At 1:20 p.m. we will fling our doors wide and launch your kids into their summer!

Please enjoy this newsletter as it contains lots of important information.

Farewell... and Welcome!

First, this is the last SMS Newsletter for parents of 8th graders. Thank you so much for sharing your kids with us for two years and for supporting our school during that time. I always feel like I’m just getting to know a class by the time they finish their brief time at SMS; for this class, especially, I wish I had another year to help them grow and flourish. I’ll be watching them closely in the coming years because I sense they are poised to do remarkable and wonderful things as Bulldogs! Best wishes to them and you in the future!

Second, welcome to the parents of our rising 7th graders! We have a really good thing going here at SMS and can’t wait for your students to join in the fun and learning. In my experience Middle School is a time when parents tend to take a little breather from school involvement. I get it; your student is at an important and predictable stage in which they’re seeking more freedom in all things. Here’s my suggestion to you: give that freedom where you can but none at all regarding school until you’re sure they have made the transition to middle school successfully. It’s a really big change. Even if they have the freedom to figure it out for themselves they almost certainly do not have all the tools. Go ahead and be an elementary parent for a little while longer. Help them make the transition. We look forward to partnering with you at this crucial stage in your child’s life!

The Remodel & Back-to-School Dates

Thanks so much to the 35+ parents and guardians who attended “Pizza with the Principal” to learn more about the upcoming remodel of SMS. As I said there, much is still up in the air regarding how the remodel will affect our operations and that includes our Back-to-School dates. The list of dates below is pretty firm, barring unforeseen construction delays. We will send out periodic updates throughout the summer, so please check back every now and then.

SMS Front Office Opens: Monday, August 17th

SMS Open House: Tuesday, September 1st, 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.

First Day of School: Tuesday, September 8th

Consider Band or Choir

Parents, ask this of your favorite AI bot: “Is music education beneficial for middle school students’ brains?” The answer may exceed your expectations. It is settled science that making music, either in Band or Choir, has multiple benefits for adolescent brain development, both immediate and farreaching. All of our Exploratories are awesome and help in many of the same ways, but making music holds a unique and favored place in the science of brain development – remember “Baby Beethoven”? It’s not too late for your student to get into making music, but after middle school it just might be. Please talk with your student and encourage them to make the musical choice!

ISAT Results

We are proud of our Bullpups’ effort on the recent ISAT tests! Throughout the many weeks of testing, they showed up day after day with good attitudes. We know we have you parents, in part, to thank for that! The results are very solid with some real highlights to brag about.

In 8th grade Math, our students achieved 58% proficiency, which is 17 points higher than the State of Idaho as a whole. In 8th grade Science, our students achieved 54% proficiency, which is 11 points higher than the state average. In 8th grade ELA, our students achieved 74% proficiency, which is 18 points higher than the state. Overall, this was a very solid showing by this 8th grade class and continues their trend of significantly out-pacing their peers across the state.

In 7th grade, we saw some really great results. In Math, SMS students achieved 69% proficiency, which is a whopping 25 points above their peers around the state. Similarly, in ELA, 7th grade Bullpups achieved an amazing 81% proficiency, 24 points above the state. Clearly, this 7th grade class has set a high bar for themselves!

Speaking of Greatness...

Check out this great article about Mrs. Packard!

Math Intervention Next Year

While we are proud of our ISAT results, we also notice a gap between ELA and Math scores. To help close that gap, we will be adding extra Math instruction for struggling students next year. We’re still developing the program, but parents need to know that if your student achieved a Level 1 or a Level 2 on the ISAT this year in 6th or 7th grade, then they will be placed in a Math Intervention class for at least part of next year. We simply must give more instruction to students who are not proficient in Math, like we do for Reading. Unfortunately, we don’t have enough minutes in the day to just tack those minutes on; students who are assigned Math Intervention will give up a non-core class for at least 9 weeks of the year. Stay tuned for more details, but I wanted to give you an early heads-up about this change.

End of Year Events

We don’t hold a “Promotion” ceremony here at SMS. Honestly, we kind of just expect every student to make it through 8th grade. We’ll save the pomp and circumstance for 4 years from now when they graduate from high school – THAT’S the real goal! Still, we do like to recognize outstanding students and do so as a part of our Year-End Talent Show on the last day of school. Primarily, these awards are driven by the Houses but there are also some overall awards as well. The Talent Show/Awards Assembly is on the last day of school starting at 8:25. Parents are welcome to attend.

Lastly…

Wow, this was a great year. As we wrap it up I want to acknowledge the tireless, passionate work of the SMS Staff. I am blessed to serve these professionals and these students. Thank you, parents, for your energy and support this year. Have an absolutely incredible summer! See you in the Fall! 

Sincerely,

Mr. Penrose