SFMS students gave back in a big way last week during our "Pay It Forward" event! From planting flowers around town to cleaning up the golf course and picking up trash along the highways, our students made a meaningful impact on the Fredericksburg community.
Shoutout to our incredible SFMS strength and conditioning athletes! This group has shown serious dedication all year long—most of them missed fewer than FIVE sessions the entire year! That level of commitment is rare and worth celebrating!
We had three main goals this year:
1. Build a solid foundation for athletic development
2. Focus on proper lifting technique, speed & agility, and injury prevention
3. Make it FUN so students actually want to come back each day!
These athletes crushed it and set the tone for an even stronger future! We ended the year with a homemade breakfast from Coach Kenan to celebrate everything this group has achieved. We can’t wait to see you all in the weight room this summer—let’s keep the progress going!
Congratulations to the following local winners in The Soil and Conservation poster contest!
1st - Caleena Scott
2nd - Swayzee Jangula
3rd - Connor Rucker
Thank you to Jackie Kush, director of Upham Memorial Library, for coming to FES today to talk about the Summer Reading Program. This year it is a gaming theme called "Level Up at Your Library." Registration forms were sent home with FES students last week, and kids must be registered in order to participate. If you need another form, you can pick one up at Upham Memorial Library. Mrs. Kush is sending home today a list of activities going on at the library for the month of June. She does a tremendous job and has all sorts of activities available for students at the library...go check it out!
Best of Luck Class of 2025!
Best of luck to the Class of 2025! Thank you for coming to walk the halls of Durant one last time as a group. The students look up to you and love to see you.
FES had a great Cougar Track and Field Day! Thank you to the Shiver N' Squirrel for providing our students with a cool treat on this special day. Your generosity is much appreciated!
📢 Important Traffic Alert for Durant Elementary Parents! 📢
Heads up, Durant families! 5th Street between Polk and Division will be CLOSED starting this Monday, May 19th, for a long-term bridge replacement project (anticipated until at least late October 2025).
What this means for drop-off & pick-up (starting MONDAY for the last 3 days of school):
🚗 Please approach the school by traveling EAST on 5th Street. ➡️ After dropping off your child(ren) (including preschool!), please turn NORTH onto Polk Street. ⏰ To keep things moving smoothly and safely, please stay in your vehicles during drop-off and pick-up. 🅿️ The City of Sumner will also be restricting parking on 5th Street in front of the school to help with traffic flow.
Important Note for the Fall: With this closure extending into the next school year, further adjustments to our pick-up/drop-off procedures may be necessary. We will keep you informed of any changes well before the start of the new school year.
Thank you for your patience and cooperation as we work together to ensure the safety of all our students during this necessary infrastructure project! #SumnerIowa #DurantElementary #TrafficAlert #SchoolNews #BridgeReplacement
A few more Spring Program pictures.
Our Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grade students did a fabulous job presenting their Spring Program yesterday. Thank you to Mr. Jurgenson for all of his hard work in preparing, the students for learning their songs and lines, and parents for attending. It was a cute one!
Huge thank you to Maya Nuss for coming in to speak with our Middle School Strength and Conditioning athletes about health and nutrition! Our students walked away with valuable knowledge on how to properly fuel their bodies before, during, and after workouts, events, and recovery time. Maya covered essential topics, including:
- The importance of MyPlate meals to get the right nutrients and energy for practices and game days.
-Hydration strategies throughout the day and around performance times.
- Balancing carbohydrates, proteins, and fats — and when to eat them before, during, and after workouts.
-The role of meal and snack timing to support performance, recovery, growth, and gains.
We’re grateful for her expertise and the impact it had on our athletes' understanding of how nutrition plays a key role in their performance!
On Tuesday, our 5th graders had an amazing outdoor adventure at Alcock Park! Thanks to the incredible efforts of the Bremer County Conservationists and many dedicated volunteers, students got hands-on experiences with a wide variety of activities. From archery and canoeing to river studies, fishing, yoga, disc golf, and more — our students explored the outdoors in meaningful and memorable ways. They even learned to identify rocks, fossils, and roadside plants!
We’re so grateful for the time, expertise, and enthusiasm of all the presenters who made this day such a success. What a fantastic way to learn outside the classroom!
The 6th grade students took a field trip to Decorah that was packed with fun, learning, and adventure! They explored the rich history and culture at the Vesterheim Museum, enjoyed a picnic lunch at Phelps Park, experienced the wonders of space at the Luther College Planetarium, enjoyed delicious ice cream from the Sugar Bowl, and wrapped up the day with a visit to the Decorah Fish Hatchery to feed the trout.
A huge thank you to all the students, families, and staff who volunteered and supported our chicken dinner fundraiser—your efforts made this incredible learning experience possible.
Students in grades 5–8 participated in the "SHIP the CHIP" challenge, learning how engineers design packaging to withstand real-world stresses. Using only recycled materials, teams planned, built, and tested their packages by dropping and kicking them to simulate shipping conditions. Each design had to fit within a 10" x 10" size and stay under a $9 shipping cost. This engaging STEM activity encouraged problem-solving, creativity, teamwork, and real-world application of engineering principles.
More Durant Track and Field Day fun!
Durant had a perfect day yesterday for Track and Field Day. Big thanks to Mr. Coyle for all of his planning, staff for leading students through the stations and parents for joining us.
It’s time to celebrate the achievements of the Class of 2025! 🎓✨
Join us for our Graduation Ceremony SUNDAY at 1:00pm in the High School Blue Gym. Let’s come together to cheer on our seniors as they take their next big step!
CONGRATS!
Thank you to Sam Streeter, Katie Gilmore, and Allan Westin from the Chickasaw County EMS for visiting FES today. They talked to K-2 about their medical equipment and the use of 911. They did a second presentation for 3rd and 4th graders where they discussed hand-washing and other ways to stay safe. This was a great opportunity for FES students to learn about emergency medical services and meet local EMS personnel. Thank you to all EMS workers for the work you do in our communities!
Today was a fantastic day of collaboration and creativity! The 3rd and 4th graders also shared their poetry and fiction writings. Our 7th grade students partnered with the 3rd and 4th graders from FES to share their original fiction picture books. Each story was written and illustrated by the 7th graders with younger readers in mind. It was so rewarding to see stories come to life and connections grow between grade levels!
The 6th graders made fictional story books and shared them in class on Friday. They had a great time creating their writing pieces, including designing their own pictures.
