NSSD MIDDLE SCHOOL ATHLETICS UPDATE
JANUARY 21, 2022
BOYS BASKETBALL
Dear Parents,
By now, the first few days of boys basketball practice are underway! I’m excited to see our boys competing again…FINALLY! With COVID cases back on the rise, it will be important for you to be aware of any changes that may happen. We will send blasts out to parents using FamilyID if a game or practice is canceled due to an outbreak within our team or others. Our girls’ basketball team and wrestling team finished the year abruptly due to contact tracing and other schools not being able to compete. We nearly made it through the season without a cancellation, which I’ll take after the fall season had so many changes and cancellations. Please be patient with us as we are confronted with these issues.
I spent the girls’ basketball season officiating our games with a couple of wonderful community members as well as with Mr. Proctor. The Salem Basketball Officials Association does not have enough officials to meet the needs of middle school teams in our area. I’m excited to be able to do this again for the boys’ season. It was a blast!
Masks
Any spectator, student, or student-athlete (not actively participating in games or practices) MUST wear a mask. Again, as COVID cases increase, so does the possibility of games and practices being canceled due to exposure or contact tracing. When you are in our gyms masks are required. Please wear a mask at all games and when in the gym to pick up your child. One exposure has the potential of taking out an entire team. It’s my goal to make sure that our season has as little disruption as possible.
We have close to 70 student-athletes participating in boys’ basketball this year! That’s amazing, but it also increases the risk of shutting down a single team or the entire grade level of boys’ basketball. We are problem-solving the number of student-athletes in our gyms for practice in order to reduce the number of student-athletes in the gym at any given time. We will let you know when a solution has been finalized. I’m currently working on the possibility of a team practicing at Sublimity in order to reduce those numbers, but there are some logistical issues that need to be addressed. Stay tuned!
Schedules:
Here is the LINK to our boys’ basketball schedule. You will always find the most recent schedule on the Stayton Middle School Athletic website. This is a great resource to find all of our Athletic Update newsletters and any information you may need.
Transportation Form
The North Santiam School District requires that you fill out the Student-Athlete Transporation form on away games if you are wanting your child to ride home with someone other than a parent-guardian. Students are always welcome to ride the bus home from games, but if you need to make other arrangements, this form must be completed and turned into your student’s school office OR emailed directly to me 24 hours in advance. A phone call, text, or email will not be accepted. This form is a requirement.
If you have any questions regarding boys basketball, please feel free to email me and I’ll be more than happy to answer any of your questions!
BOYS BASKETBALL PARENT MEETING
Due to COVID cases on the rise, please watch this prerecorded version of our parent meeting HERE. This is the general information meeting that I share with parents at the start of every season. If you have any questions after watching the video, please email me at matthew.olson@nsantiam.k12.or.us
HELPFUL LINKS FOR ALL ATHLETICS
Here are some helpful links:
DANCE TEAM
We are gearing up for the dance team! When COVID-19 shut down our athletics in March of 2020, the Dance Team was the first athletic program I had to inform. I will never forget seeing the disappointment on their faces. It’s seared into my memory. I’m so excited to start this program again. We have hired a new coach, Renee Gilbreth, who is a 4th-grade teacher here at Stayton Intermediate School. She has a ton of dance experience, teaching in a number of different formal dance studios in both Texas and Oregon, and also studied Dance for her Bachelor’s Degree. I can’t wait to see what she brings to the program!
This year, our dance team is open to all 6th-8th grade students! We will not be a competitive team this year, but will focus on building their dance skills and choreography. They will be building some routines and will most likely perform at an assembly and/or at a basketball game. We definitely want them to have something to look forward to and work towards.
Practice begins on January 24th from 3:15-5:00 with the athletic shuttle leaving Stayton Middle School at 5:15 for students needing to return to Sublimity and Mari-Linn. Here’s the practice schedule:
January 24th-February 16th
Every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 3:15-5:00
February 22-March 17th
Every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 3:15-5:00
Monthly Calendars will be provided to dancers on the first day of practice as well.
Please note that practice is REQUIRED. If your student-athlete cannot attend practice, please email Coach Gilbreth at renee.gilbreth@nsantiam.k12.or.us.
Coach Gilbreth would like dancers to use Jazz Shoes for dance. I’ve checked with Stayton Sports and they carry them. The cost for Jazz Shoes is $30. If your family is not able to purchase shoes, please contact me (matthew.olson@nsantiam.k12.or.us) and we will use the Ty Hart Foundation in order to help supply them. It’s a very easy and anonymous process.
Masks - Masks are required for everyone inside our school buildings. Our dancers will not be required to wear them while actively practicing but will need to put them on before and after practice, as well as during times when they are not actively practicing. Please wear a mask if you are entering our building for any reason. Masking will prevent unnecessary quarantines from school.
Again, I can’t wait to see our dance team finally take shape again. I’ve had a number of conversations with our students about the dance team and I can tell they are excited! It’s going to be great! If you have any additional questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me and I will be more than happy to answer them! Also, don’t forget to watch the parent information video!
DANCE TEAM PARENT MEETING
STAYTON INTERMEDIATE/MIDDLE SCHOOL
Assistant Principal/Athletic Director
Email: matthew.olson@nsantiam.k12.or.us
Website: http://sms.nsantiam.k12.or.us/
Location: 1021 Shaff Rd, Stayton OR 97383
Phone: 503.769.2198
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/staytonintermediatemiddleschool
Twitter: @SMSMattOlson