Sugar Land MS Titan News
Week #17- December 14, 2020
Greetings SLMS Parents and Guardians,
We have reached the final week of the semester and the final school week in 2020. It has been a challenging road, but we have all made it! This week's newsletter wraps up the semester and also looks forward to the start of the next semester, which begins for students on Thursday, January 7. Although the weekly calendar is below, please remember that for F2F students, we have two early-release days this week. On Thursday and Friday, school is over at 1:20 PM. Online students' days will end Thursday and Friday at 12:15.
We also have some celebrations to share with you. We are excited to announce our 2020-21 Teacher of the Year is Ms. Tracy Anderson. Ms. Anderson is our choir director, and she will represent our campus well at the district level. Congratulations, again, go to our two Teacher of the Year finalists, Ms. Amy Wright and Mrs. Julie Pierce. Our Paraprofessionals of the Year are Mr. Cravon Rogers (ISS Monitor) and Mrs. Mary Beth LaVergne (Attendance Clerk). We also announced our HAABSE Outstanding Teacher Award to Mr. Todd Harris (7th Grade Health and Coach). Congratulations to all of these wonderful individuals for these well-deserved accolades. SLMS is a fabulous school with a terrific staff and amazing students! See below for some photos of these wonderful staff members.
If you are the parent of a current sixth grader, be sure to read the item below related to required immunizations for entering seventh grade. It is never too early to start thinking about these immunizations, as the deadline will come faster than you think!
Jumping ahead to T3 (Term 3), our incredible counselors are currently proofing the adjustments they made to students' schedules for T3, and your child's schedule will be viewable in Skyward Family Access on or about January 6 (a previous version of this newsletter mistakenly said December 24). As mentioned in last week's newsletter, it is possible that due to the complicated dynamics in shifting our master schedule to accommodate 120 new face to face students and 22 students shifting to online learning, some students who did not request a learning model change may experience an adjustment to their schedule. It is no small task to make these adjustments, and we recognize the importance of keeping any kind of disruption limited to what truly has to happen to accommodate all students' scheduling needs. If your child will be F2F (Face to Face) in January, whether you are newly F2F or returning, it will be critical that you read the item further down in this newsletter regarding F2F expectations. This information will be sent to you separately later this week, as well.
Topics in this Week's Newsletter:
- NEW - Teacher of the Year and Paraprofessionals of the Year
- Week At-A-Glance
- Upcoming Dates
- A/B Day Rotation Schedule for Semester 2
- Wellness Screener Reminders
- NEW - Immunization Reminders for Current Sixth Graders
- NEW - Free Virtual Programming (Java) for Beginners Course over Winter Break
- Revised FBISD Calendar
- 12 Days of Holiday Cheer
- NEW - Titans Got Talent - Virtual Talent Show - Submission Deadline Tues. 12/15
- Online Students' School Portraits
- Ending the First Semester
- NEW - Face-to-Face (F2F) Students in January - Important Update
Thank you for your time and support of our school. Our ongoing priority is to serve our community in the best way possible. We wish your peace, happiness, and safety during our much-needed two week break. Please return to us safely. Blessings to all!
Sincerely,
Keith Fickel, SLMS Principal
#GracePatienceOptimism
#BetterTogether
#InfinitePossibilities
#TitansOwnIt
2020-21 Teacher of the Year
Paraprofessionals of the Year
- Instructional Paraprofessional of the Year - Cravon Rogers (ISS Monitor)
- Non-Instructional Paraprofessional of the Year - Mary Beth LaVergne (Attendance Clerk)
HAABSE Outstanding Teacher Award
The Week At-A-Glance
Upcoming Dates
- December 17 & 18 - Early Release Days (1:20 PM)
- January 5 - Professional Development Day for teachers
- January 6 - Additional Student Holiday (see revised FBISD calendar below)
- January 7 - Start of Second Semester
- February 19 – 8th Grade Career Day (Moved from December 3)
Please remember that ALL students, regardless of learning model, MUST complete the Wellness Screener EVERY SCHOOL DAY and answer the screening questions honestly. Either the parent completes the screener via Skyward Family Access on behalf of the child, or the child completes the screener themselves in Skyward Student Access. Regardless of who completes it (parent or child) and regardless of learning model (online or face to face), the Wellness Screener must be completed in Skyward every single school day. Even when a child will be absent (ESPECIALLY when a child will be absent!). Thank you to those of you who have faithfully completed this task on a daily basis. More information may be found further down in this newsletter (see Student Daily Wellness Screenings and Clinic Information). Occasional automated phone calls will go out to families whose child(ren) do not complete the wellness screener. Thank you for ensuring everyone's safety by completing this task every single school day.
Immunization Reminders for Current Sixth Graders (Online or F2F)
Your sixth-grade child did or will receive the Tdap and the Meningitis vaccines at their 11-year-old check-up. If they have had these vaccines, please provide proof of this to the clinic when your child gets them. These are the required shots for 7th grade and providing them as soon as you get them will keep your child compliant! You may email it to julie.cutaia@fortbendisd.com or fax it to (281) 327-3091.
Our experience has been that some parents wait until the last possible minute to be in compliance with these immunization requirements. Please help us help your child be ready for next year, as it will approach faster than you think!
Free Virtual Programming (Java) Course for Beginners over Winter Break
As part of a service project, some students from Dulles and Travis HS will offer a free beginners' course on programming using Java. This course will occur over the Winter Break. Please visit http://bit.ly/ProgrammingForBeginners to find out more and to register.
12 Days of Holiday Cheer
All students and staff are encouraged to join in the fun during December. Follow the schedule shown in the picture or click this link for details.
Revised FBISD 2020-21 Calendar
Please visit this FBISD web page or click the image to see the most current version of the FBISD calendar
Titans Got Talent - Submission Deadline Tuesday, Dec. 15 at 4:00 PM
DO YOU HAVE AN AMAZING TALENT THAT YOU WILL LIKE TO SHOWCASE? Do you play an instrument, can you bring a song to life with your vocals or through your lip syncing skills, can you juggle or have a magic trick, or possibly a beautiful dance performance that you would like to share?
WELL....WE...NEED...YOU!!!!! We are looking for those students that are willing and able to display their talents. Below are the details for students that are interested in submitting an entry.
What: Titan's Got Talent (School-Appropriate Variety Virtual Talent Show)
When: Deadline for Submissions on DECEMBER 15TH by 4:00PM
Where: Recording videos at home to submit online
How: Fill out this form and attach a video that is NO MORE THAN 1 MINUTE LONG
Submissions will be previewed for appropriateness. Any item submitted that is not appropriate will be referred to campus administration
"TITAN'S GOT TALENT" SHOW WILL BE SHOWN IN YOUR ADVISORY CLASS DECEMBER 16TH.
Online Students' School Portraits -- Change in Plan
We are in the midst of identifying a "Plan C" with regard to portraits being taken for students and staff who are in the online learning model or working from home. We had initially planned to have a come-and-go portrait day on January 5, but Lifetouch has adjusted its internal procedures and will not be able to take pictures on that day. It is important for us to identify a plan for students' portraits because we want to ensure everyone is accounted for in our yearbook, even in this unusual year. Additionally, we want to ensure we have the most up-to-date student picture for every student in Skyward, regardless of learning model. Please remain patient with us as we determine a path forward that will allow us to get these portraits taken. We hope to be able to communicate a plan with you within the first two weeks of January.
Ending the First Semester
Ending Semester 1
Please download this schedule for the week of December 15-18. It details everything day by day, including the two early release days on December 17 and 18.
If your child is taking a high school credit course, he/she will have a semester exam during the final week which will count for 15% of their Semester 1 grade. This exam will be comprehensive over content learned during Term 2 (the current term), and it will be a 60-minute exam for both online and F2F students. For students taking a single-semester middle school course, like PE 7, Health 7, or Kickstart 7, there will be an assessment that counts as a fourth major grade in Term 2 (T2), which will serve as a final exam of sorts, except that it will not count 15% of their overall S1 grade, as it would for a high school credit course. For all other year-long middle school courses, there will be no final exam or extra major grade this semester. That will occur at the end of the second semester. Nonetheless, attendance is expected for both online and F2F students for the entirety of the last week of the semester. Learning will continue on these days.
Face-to-Face (F2F) Students in January
If your child will be Face to Face (F2F) starting in January, please take some time to read this important document. It will be sent separately to F2F students and their parents on or about December 18.
PE Uniforms Now on Sale!
Student Daily Wellness Screenings and Clinic Information
Many parents may have concerns about their students being sent home from the clinic due to the guidelines FBISD is following (based on CDC recommendations). Here are a few important points…
List of symptoms that can be present in a person who may be potentially sick with COVID19
- Runny nose/congestion
- Sore throat
- Persistent cough
- Difficulty breathing
- Headaches
- Chills
- Loss of taste/smell
- Significant muscle pain/aches
- Diarrhea/vomiting
These symptoms are also synonymous with many other illnesses or may be caused by a variety of reasons. For this reason, I would like to share a few tips!
- Make sure your child has breakfast and drinks some water every morning. This will help ward off headaches and stomachaches
- If your child has seasonal allergies, consider giving them a daily over-the-counter allergy medication to help distinguish between allergy-related or illness-related symptoms including headache, runny/stuffy nose, and sore throats from all that drainage
Please know that the nurse cannot determine whether your child’s symptoms are, or are not, COVID related. Rather, to keep all students and staff safe, it is important to strictly follow the CDC guidelines and the FBISD policy. Thank you for understanding. Please call the clinic with any questions 281-634-8745.
Parents, if your child is absent, please remember to fill out the Wellness Screening, even if you are keeping them home. Also, be sure to fill it out every day they are absent. In addition, please call or email Nurse Lincoln. Students with illness must meet specific criteria before they can return to school and Nurse Lincoln will help you through that process.
Reporting a Positive Case of COVID-19 or Exposure to a Positive Case
To ensure the safety of all staff and students, it is critical that families report all positive cases of COVID-19, or exposures to a positive case of COVID-19, immediately. If your student tests positive for COVID-19 or is exposed to a positive COVID-19 case, please notify the District by reporting within the Daily Wellness Screener in Skyward Family Access.
Attendance Information for Parents
Parent notes are required for all absences within five days from the absence date. Notes must include full student name as well as the reason for the absence (including technical difficulties). If a student misses a synchronous engagement, they are counted absent.Please email all absence notes to AttendanceSLMS@fortbendisd.com. Contact our attendance clerk, Mrs. LaVergne, at (281) 634-3089 if you have questions.
Important Contact Information
- Assistant Principal - Dr. Dawn Rogers (dawn.rogers@fortbendisd.com)
- Counselor - Eleni Smith (eleni.smith@fortbendisd.com)
Seventh Grade
- Assistant Principal - Luster Goodwin (luster.goodwin@fortbendisd.com)
- Counselor - Kim Seright (kimberly.seright@fortbendisd.com)
Eighth Grade
- Associate Principal - Monika Martin (monika.martin@fortbendisd.com)
- Counselor - Nafecia Brinson (nafecia.brinson@fortbendisd.com)
Attendance - Mary Beth LaVergne (mary.lavergne@fortbendisd.com)
Registrar - Tandi Phillips (tandi.phillips@fortbendisd.com)
Nurse - Angi Lincoln (angela.lincoln@fortbendisd.com)
Campus Secretary - Mary Connealy (mary.connealy@fortbendisd.com)
Counselor Clerk - Carmen Brantley (carmen.brantley@fortbendisd.com)
Assistant Principal Secretaries
- 6th and 7th Grade - Tina Garcia (diamantina.ibarragar@fortbendisd.com)
- 8th Grade - Sherri Woodcock (sherri.woodcock@fortbendisd.com)
Sugar Land Middle School
45 Years
1975-2020
Inspiring and equipping the young men and women of our community for futures beyond what they can imagine since 1975.
SLMS Campus Mission Statement
Working collaboratively, the Sugar Land Middle School Professional Learning Community will commit to creating a safe environment with high expectations leading to physical, social, emotional, and academic success for all Titans.
#TitansOwnIt
#BetterTogether
#InfinitePossibilities
#GracePatienceOptimism
- 8:20-4:20 Monday-Friday
Email: keith.fickel@fortbendisd.com
Website: www.fortbendisd.com/slms
Location: 321 7th Street, Sugar Land, TX, USA
Phone: (281) 634-3080
Twitter: @SLMSTitans