Sierra Middle School

Thursday, January 19, marked the official ribbon cutting of Sierra Middle School's new 20 kilowatt solar panel array made possible by a $200,000 donation from PG&E.  The solar panels will save the school about $6,000.00 a year in energy costs and generates enough power for about 20 classrooms.  Additionally, the energy provided by the 44-panel structure will offset roughly a million pounds of carbon dioxide over the next 20 years that would have otherwise been released into our atmosphere.  The Kids for Solar Energy club hosted the ceremony that included Sierra science teachers and club advisors Bob Hodash and Allison Arnold, principal Tomas Prieto, Bakersfield mayor Harvey Hall, PG&E's Shawn Cooper, BCSD's superintendent Rob Arias, many BCSD school officials as well as Sierra students. (photo by Tracy Correa).

Watch the video below (courtesy of Bakersfield's Channel 17 News).

To read the Bakersfield Californian's article of Sierra's Solarbration, click here.

To read PG&E's coverage of the event, click here.

There is no school this upcoming Monday, January 16, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  This holiday is regarded as a volunteer holiday.  If you have the time, talk with somebody about volunteering at your local church, the Bakersfield Homeless Center, the animal shelter, or any other issue that you find important to you. Take a minute to watch the video below.  To learn more about Martin Luther King, Jr., click here. 

This Friday, December 23, will be a minimum day.  Students will be dismissed at 1:00.  School will resume on January 9, 2012.  Enjoy your vacation.

 

 

Sierra students are participating in a Penny War fundraiser.  Students are to bring in loose change to either deposit into their own class accounts or to sabotage another class' account.  Pennies are worth 1 positive point.  Nickels, dimes, quarters and dollars are worth their values in negative points. The winning advisory class (the class ending with the most positive points) will be rewarded with a pizza party. The purpose of the fundraiser is to raise much needed funds for the Bakersfield Homeless Shelter. So bring in your nickels, dimes and quarters to sabotage Mr. Riley's classroom (Room 4).

To learn more about Pearl Harbor and to watch more videos, click here.

On Wednesday, November 23, students will be dismissed from school at 1:00 p.m. Enjoy your Thanksgiving break.  We will see you back at school on Monday, November 28.

 

 

There is no school on Friday, November 11, in honor of the Veterans Day holiday. Enjoy your three-day weekend, but take a little time to reflect on the reason for the day off of school. Watch the video below for a quick summary on the history of Veterans Day.

 

Remember to turn your clocks BACK 1 hour on Sunday, November 6.  Enjoy your extra hour of sleep and we will see you refreshed on Monday.  Watch the short video below for a quick history of Daylight Savings.

This is just a friendly reminder that Parent/Teacher Conferences will continue for the rest of the week (Monday 10/31/2011-Friday 11/4/2011).  Drop in after school at any time between 1:45-2:45 to pick up your student's report card and talk to his or her teachers.  Hope to see you all there.

School will begin at 9:40 a.m. on Thursday, October 20.  Click on the picture below to view all the late start dates for the 2011-2012 school year.

Sierra's annual Noche de Ciencias (Math and Science Night) will be Thursday, October 6, at 4:30 p.m.  This event is completely free (thanks in large part to Chevron and the SHPE).  Pizza and drinks will be provided. The whole family is welcome to attend.  Bring your parents, brothers and sisters.  There will even be childcare provided for your very small brothers and sisters.  So join us for a night of fun-filled science experiments that include DNA extraction, straw towers, balloon rockets, marshmallow and toothpick bridge, and more. If you need further information, contact Mr. Hodash at Sierra (661) 631-5470.

To see some pictures of last year's event, click here.

Thanks to the efforts of two Sierra teachers, Mr. DeLaVega and Ms. Alvarado, Sierra received a literary incentive grant from BCSD to purchase reading books for their classrooms.  Soon, in addition to our school's library, all of Sierra's classrooms will have their own small collection of books for students to check out.

School will begin at 9:40 a.m. on Thursday, September 22.  Click on the picture below to view all the late start dates for the 2011-2012 school year.

On September 11, 2001, four U.S. planes hijacked by terrorists crashed into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania killing nearly 3,000 people in a matter of hours. Behind the staggering number of deaths are the individuals, each of whom left behind family, friends and co-workers who feel the national tragedy on a personal level. CNN established this website as a tribute to those who died.  This Sunday marks the tenth anniversary of the terrorists attacks.  It is also important to note the number of additional lives lost in the ongoing military effort in the war against terrorism. The names, biographies and hometowns of all those servicemen and -women who have lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan are listed here.

There is no school on Monday, September 5 in honor of Labor Day. To learn about the history of Labor Day, click here.

August 22 marks the first day of school for the 2011-2012 school year.  We hope you had a restful summer vacation.  There have been a couple new changes.  We have added 8 "late start" days to the school year in which we will follow the Foggy Day bell schedule.  Click here to view those dates.  We are also welcoming many new teachers and staff members to the Sierra family.  We look forward to meeting all of you and having a memorable school year.  Go Spartans!

June 2 is the last day of school.  Enjoy your summer vacation.  The first day of school for the 2011-2012 school year is August 22.  Click here to see the entire 2011-2012 academic calendar.

 

.The 8th grade graduation is this Thursday, June 2, at 8:30.  Each graduating student's family will only receive 2 tickets.  Seating will be conducted on a first-come first-serve basis.  Strollers are not permitted on the field.  They will have to be left at the gate.  If you have any questions, contact Mr. Soto at (661) 631-5470.

 

There is no school on Monday, May 30, in honor of Memorial Day.  On this day, we pay tribute to all the men and women who have lost their lines defending our country.  Click here to watch videos and pictures honoring those soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice.  Enjoy your day off, but take a moment to reflect on the true purpose of this holiday.

On Tuesday, May 24, from 7-8 p.m., Sierra will hold its Spring Concert.  Come watch your Sierra Spartans perform in their last concert of the school year.  For our graduating 8th graders, this will be the last time they play in a concert as a Spartan. The concert will be held in the auditorium.  If you have any questions, please call Sierra at (661) 631-5470.

On May 20, Sierra will have an academic awards assembly for those students who are deserving and distinguish themselves from the crowd.  This end-of-the-year awards assembly will commend those students who receive honor role, subject awards and other accolades.  6th and 7th grades will have their assembly from 8-9:30 a.m.  8th graders will have their assembly from 9:45-11:30 a.m.  All parents and families are welcomed and encouraged to attend. If you have any questions, or to find out if your student is receiving an award, please call Sierra at (661) 631-5470.

 

Enjoy your spring break.  We return to school on TUESDAY, April 26, 2011.  Remember to complete your CST review packets and study for your tests.  CST testing will begin the week you return from break.  Good luck.

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This year, Sierra's 6th grade class participated in BCSD's annual math bowl.  Under the leadership and guidance of math teachers, Mr. Orozco and Mr. Ribaudo, our 6th grade team took 3rd place in the power relay.  There were close to 20 schools participating.  We are proud of our Sierra students and look forward to their continued successes.

Click here to read more and see additional pictures from the event.

On February 23, four prominent members of our community spoke to a group of Sierra Middle School students.  They were Mrs. Guadalupe Perez, Probation Supervisor and Coordinator for the Victim Witness Program, Mr. Andrae Gonzalez, Bakersfield City School District Council Member, Rudy Salas, Bakersfield City Council Member, Ward 1, and Alejandra Ulloa, Petroleum Engineer at Aera Energy.  The event was hosted by the Spartan Scholars.  Students were able to listen to each speaker and ask questions themselves.  The speakers were excellent.  We look forward to hearing from them again soon.

Click here to see more pictures from the event.

Pi is the symbol for the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. Pi Day is celebrated by math enthusiasts around the world on March 14th (3/14). Pi = 3.1415926535…

With the use of computers, Pi has been calculated to over 1 trillion digits past the decimal. Pi is an irrational and transcendental number meaning it will continue infinitely without repeating. To learn more about Pi, visit the following links:

http://www.piday.org/

http://www.joyofpi.com/

In honor of Black History Month, a group of Sierra Middle School students created short videos about various African-Americans who have made an impact in our country. To view the entire collection of student-made films, click here.

There is no school on Monday February 21 in honor of Presidents Day. Click here to learn more about all the men who have served as President of the United States.

Click here to take an interactive tour of all the presidents using Google Earth.

This video ends with President Bill Clinton. Can you name the other presidents who came after him?

There is no school on Monday, February 7.  We will be celebrating Lincoln Day in honor of the 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln. Watch the video below to see an actor's portrayal of Lincoln's Gettysburg Adress.

 Click here to learn more about President Abraham Lincoln.

 

Black History Month is a remembrance of the events in the history of African Americans. Since 1976, it is celebrated annually in the month of February in the United States.

Click here to watch videos, read bios and learn more about Black History Month.