Sugar Land MS Titan News
Weeks #18 & 19 - January 4 & 11, 2021
Greetings SLMS Parents and Guardians,
My hope is that this message finds you and your family safe and healthy in the new year. Happy New Year from SLMS! This edition of Titan News is geared toward helping everyone start the second semester off smoothly. Please take a few minutes to check out the information contained in this newsletter.
Term 3 (T3) starts this Thursday, January 7, and your child's schedule will be viewable in Skyward Family Access on or about January 6. If your child will be F2F (Face to Face), 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 was sent to you separately on December 18, and will be re-sent during the week of January 4.
If your child will be online, they should expect to receive their Teams class meeting invitations from their teachers sometime on January 6. Attendance at and engagement in all classes, regardless of learning model, is expected from every student, every day.
If your family is struggling to ensure your children are in class, especially for those who are online, please reach out to us and allow us to help you. We will be in touch with families whose children missed a significant number of days of instruction and who are in danger of or already not meeting the 90% attendance rule.
Also in this edition of Titan News is information about how students in the online learning model will be able to get their portraits taken so they may be included in our yearbook, their pictures updated in Skyward, etc. Please be sure to read about that information below. This opportunity will come quickly--next Friday, January 15, from 4:30-6:30 PM, at school. We will send a separate message to online students and their parents about this opportunity, as well.
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!
Topics in this Week's Newsletter:
- Week At-A-Glance
- Upcoming Dates
- Lifetouch Portraits for Online Students, Portrait Retakes for F2F Students - January 15
- Face-to-Face (F2F) Students in January - Important Update/Reminders
- Immunization Reminders for Current Sixth Graders
- Wellness Screener Reminders
- and much, much more
Thank you for your time and support of our school. As always, our ongoing priority is to serve our community in the best way possible. Please continue to follow all CDC guidelines for minimizing exposure to COVID-19 through frequent handwashing, use of hand sanitizer, not congregating in groups, and most importantly, wearing a mask. It will take all of us working together to defeat this virus once and for all.
Sincerely,
Keith Fickel, SLMS Principal
#TodayIChooseJoy
#GracePatienceOptimism
#BetterTogether
#InfinitePossibilities
#TitansOwnIt
Two Weeks At-A-Glance
Upcoming Dates
- January 7 - Start of Semester 2
- January 15 - Online Student Portraits and Face to Face Student Retakes
- January 18 - Staff/Student Holiday - Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
- January 19 - February 12 - REN360 Assessments through Math and ELA classes
- February 19 – 8th Grade Career Day (Moved from December 3)
Lifetouch Portraits for Online Students AND Portrait Retakes for F2F Students - January 15
We want to ensure we have the most up-to-date student picture for every student in Skyward, regardless of learning model. We have worked out a plan with Lifetouch to have them photograph our online students and conduct retakes for our face to face students on Friday, January 15. See the schedule below.
- Retakes for F2F Students - 1:30-3:45PM
- Online Student Portraits - 4:30-6:30 PM (see details below)
Online students' parents will sign their children up for a time slot using Sign-Up Genius that we will send separately to them, once it is finalized with Lifetouch. Expect a special communication from us with details about signing up for a time and the logistics involved in coming to school and getting these important pictures taken.
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 the important document linked below. It will was sent separately to F2F students and their parents on or about December 18, and will be re-sent, as well, this week.
Face to Face Expectations - January 2021
If your child will be a car-rider, and you have not yet received a car rider number to be used at dismissal, please be sure to submit your request using this link. We will get back with you to tell you your car rider number.
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!
SLMS Titan Masks for Sale - $10
PE Uniforms on Sale
Revised 2020-21 FBISD Calendar
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.
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.
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)
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)
Attendance - Mary Beth LaVergne (mary.lavergne@fortbendisd.com)
Registrar - Tandi Phillips (tandi.phillips@fortbendisd.com)
Nurse - Angi Lincoln (angela.lincoln@fortbendisd.com)
Executive Assistant to Principal Fickel - Mary Connealy (mary.connealy@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