SLA-MS Advisory Memo
SLA-MS News for the week of November 11th!
What is Advisory Memo?
On the School Calendar!
Friday, November 15:
- Professional Development Day- HALF DAY FOR STUDENTS
November 20th- 22nd:
- Report Card Conferences & 12.20 pm Dismissal for Students
Thursday, November 21st:
- Team Phoenix trip will be to the Mandell Theater to see the world premiere musical, Alien8 on November 21 at 9 am
November 28th-29th:
- Thanksgiving Holiday Break
SLA-MS is a Place of Learning!
SLA-MS is a place of learning. For students to be successful we need your support with:
- Chromebooks - Having a fully charged Chromebook at the beginning of each school day is crucial. It is a student's responsibility to have their Chromebook charged. A fully charged Chromebook should last the entire school day. If your student needs a new charger, there is information on how to order a new one at the following link: https://slams.philasd.org/chromebooks/
- We have a limited number of used Chromebook chargers available for sale. These chargers fit the 6th through 8th-grade Chromebooks (not the new 5th-grade Chromebooks, sorry!) and are available for $10 while supplies last. Please send payment - cash only - to Ms. Martin.
- The school day starts at 8:15!! Being on time is essential to students starting their day off right. Students need to have their breakfast completed before 8:15 am!!
- Student's cell phones are off during the school day. If you need to reach your student, you can call our main office at (215) 400-8320.
- Title 1 Information:
For the Parent and Engagement Policy and the School-Parent Compact 2019- 2020 School Year information is all located in the Main Office.
School Announcements
The Breakfast & Lunch menu can be found here!
Students ID: If your student needs an ID replacement, they can pay Ms. Hull $5 during Rover ONLY for a reprint of their ID. Receipts for payment will be given, exact change only.
For information on Early Dismissals, School Closings, and District Updates, please go to the School District of Philadelphia Website: Click here to learn more.
Follow us on Social Media! On Twitter: @slamiddle and on Instagram: @slamiddle
Updates to your home address or other contact information such as email need to be given to your student's advisor.
Debate Club @ SLA-MS:
Are you interested in learning more about debate and competing with other schools as well? Mrs. PH will be running Debate Club in partnership with After School Activities Partnership (ASAP) and volunteers from the University of Pennsylvania. Debate Club will occur on Wednesdays from 3:30 pm-5:00 pm in Room 204 (Mrs. PH’s classroom) and will start on December 4, 2019. Mrs. PH is also excited to invite her former colleagues from the city government to participate!
Debate Club is open to all grades!! Shout out to SLA-MS community member, Lynn Major for supporting Mrs. PH. Mrs. PH wants to get an accurate list of who will be participating so please complete this link if you are interested. Any questions can be directed to Mrs. PH at ahopkins@philasd.org.
Nakaishi's Advisory Coat & Blanket Drive:
The 6th Grade Nakaishi Advisory has partnered with a local community organization that assists less fortunate individuals and families. As the weather changes, there is an increased need for warm outerwear such as hats, gloves, scarves, coats, and blankets. Most of the people in need are adults. If you have any of these gently used CLEAN items, please drop them off in Ms. Nakaishi's room 203 and indicate your student's advisor's name.
There will be a friendly competition between advisories and the advisory that donates the most will receive a token of thanks. Please make sure these items are donated by Wednesday, November 27th. Thank you for your help!
7th and 8th Grade Families:
There will is an upcoming trip for our 7th and 8th graders.
- Team Phoenix trip will be to the Mandell Theater to see the world premiere musical, Alien8 on November 21 at 9 am
Tickets are limited, and the student will have to sign up if they are interested in going.
Chaperones will be needed for both of these trips! If you are interested please, email Ms. Sheena at shneal@philasd.org.
- 7th and 8th have two new workshops available:
Girls Justice League:
The Girls Justice League (GJL) is a girls’ rights organization dedicated to taking action for social, political, educational, and economic justice with and for girls and young women. The League is a collective of young women and their allies working to build and reinforce a culture where girls are fully empowered and where gender, race and other disparities are identified and confronted in the systems which affect their futures. GJL uses multiple mediums to tell girls’ stories, disseminate research that accurately describes girls’ current realities and, social justice organizing toward a different future for all girls. This workshop happens on Wednesday from 2 pm-3.20 pm. If your students are interested please have them contact Ms.Sheena at shneal@philasd.org.
Mighty Writers:
Hip- Hop Graphic Novels! Join artist, producer & founder of the hip-hop animation “The Sure Shot” for an introduction to graphic novels. Learn animation techniques and write your graphic novel inspired by your life! This workshop happens on Wednesday from 2 pm-3.20 pm. If your students are interested please have them contact Ms.Sheena at shneal@philasd.org.
SLA-MS Yearbook Club: Parent Volunteer is still NEEDED!
We are currently looking for 1 to 2 Parent Volunteers to help assist a group of our 7th - 8th-grade students with creating SLA-MS 1st Yearbook EVER! Yearbook Club will be held on Wednesdays from 2 pm-3.20 pm. If you are interested, please contact Ms.Sheena at shneal@philasd.org.
Community Exploration and Mini-Course volunteers are needed! We need SLA-MS family and community members to volunteer during the "Community Exploration and Mini-Course" time on Wednesday, 2 pm-3:20 pm. We need at least five volunteers to be with students during this class time. If interested, contact Ms.Sheena Neal, Community Partnership Coordinator, shneal@philasd.org.
Whats Happening in the Community?!
16th District Police Community Meeting
Location: Dornsife Center's Ryan Hall
Date: Tuesday, November 19th
Time: 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.16th District Police Community Meeting informs community members about issues pertaining to their local neighborhoods (ex. crime, community events, etc). This month’s meeting will be held on Tuesday, November 19, 2019, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
- Free Music Program for Youth
Dates: Fall ‐ Oct 1 to Nov 21, 2019
Time: 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.
- SQUASHSMARTS:
SquashSmarts is a free, intensive out-of-school time program changing the lives of Philadelphia’s public school students.
SquashSmarts works with 5th-12th-grade students who are selected based on commitment, effort, and attitude, not athletic or academic ability. Operating out of two facilities, The Lenfest Center and Drexel University, students attend practices three days each week focusing on building complete student-athletes. Students participate in competitive squash opportunities, community service projects.
For more information, go to www.squashsmarts.org, email info@squashsmarts.org, call 215.221.6860, or get a permission slip from Ms. S!
- BIG BROTHERS BIG BIG SISTERS INDEPENDENCE REGION:
Big Brothers Big Sisters Independence Region provides students with one- to- one mentoring relationship with adults from the community, right in your child's school. When they meet, Bigs and Littles read together, play sports and games, work on homework, or talk about things that are happening in their lives. To apply, please see Ms.S (Sheena) for an application.
- SUNRISE AFTER SCHOOL:
Sunrise is a free after school program that runs Monday-Friday from 3:20 pm - 5:45 pm. For students and parents interested in learning more about the program, please reach out to kkushin@sunriseofphila.org. All students must submit a complete application and receive confirmation of enrollment before they can start Sunrise After School. Space is limited, so sign up FAST! For applications, go to www.sunriseofphila.org/programs.
- Stay tuned to School District of Philadelphia's The Notebook for current articles on district happenings.
- The blog for the School Districts Office of Family and Community Engagement can be found with this link.
Narratives at SLAMS
Rationale:
The purpose of narratives is to communicate information about student progress and achievement concerning areas of proficiency, areas of challenge and examples to demonstrate those points.
Process:
The report will include course descriptions from all teachers outlining the major projects and events. Additionally, each core subject teacher will craft a narrative for each student twice per year (after the first and third quarter), students are then given a narrative report card in addition to their school district report card. During family-advisor report card conferences, advisors, families, and students go through their report cards for each class, and the narrative serves as a means for a better understanding of the grades entered on the traditional report cards.
Students are graded on the 5’s at SLA-MS. Exceeding Expectations would equal a 95, Meeting Expectations equal an 85, Approaching Expectations would equal a 75, Not Approaching Expectations 65
SLA- MS Sports Schdule
Basketball Season starting SOON! TBA!
Trivia Question!
6th Grade: What do you call a magical person that can morph into an animal at will?
7th Grade: What is the name of Ron's pet rat?
8th Grade: Who plays Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter?