Smithsburg Middle School
April 2018 Newsletter
Principal's Message
Dear Smithsburg Families,
Welcome to Spring and the last marking period of the school year. Hopefully you have been keeping up to date with the progress of your student(s) with ParentVue, if you need assistance accessing the app, please call our front desk.
Although we only had 17 days of school in March, we were busy. The Music Department had their annual benefit concert, the students performed great and raised over $1,200 for Brooke’s House. A big THANK YOU for the generosity! The grade 8 students completed their first MISA Science Assessment, nice job students! We had 10 History Day Projects make it to the District Finals with 3 Advancing to the State Competition ,congratulations!
Speaking of State Finals, we had 2 Destination Imagination Teams also make it to the State Finals at UMBC on April 7th, Good luck! There were two other popular events last month. The first was the Orchestra Festival went well, the students performed wonderfully. Lastly, we had Corey Jones, a youth motivational speaker come and talk to the 6th and 7th grade students. There were good stories and messages shared and the students had a great time.
In April, we have the Band and Chorus Festivals as well as our grade 8 group photo. We also are hosting our last STAR Ceremony on April 9th. The students can look forward to some fun events later this month. We have our PBIS activity, a PTA sponsored Activity Night, and the grade 6 WEB Activity. We end the month we a special field trip for 88 lucky students to an Orioles Game. A random drawing will occur next week during lunch for students meeting the eligibility requirements.
Our staff looks forward to finishing the last Marking Period strong and continuing to serve you to the best of our ability. Student achievement will continue to remain our focus, especially with the PARCC Assessment right around the corner (begins May 8th). Please feel free to contact me or your child’s teacher if you have any questions, comments, or concerns.
Matt Hoffman
Principal
PTSA News
PTSA News:
- The PTSA Spring Activity night is coming up on April 20th from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm.
- If you can help, we could use chaperones and snack donations.
- Our next Dining to Donate night is at Vince’s on Wednesday, April 25th from 11 am to 10 pm, no flyer needed, and includes dine in, carry out , or delivery. This is a nice supplement to our fundraising, supports local businesses and you don’t have to cook!
- Officers Needed – several of our officers will move on to High School next year, please reach out if you’re interested!
- We welcome everyone to our next meeting April 9th and May 7th at 6pm in the Media Center.
- Don’t forget to clip those BoxTops! This is an easy way to raise funds for the school.
- For PTSA reminders, we use the Remind app. Text @af4b8d to 81010.
- Like our page on Facebook “Smithsburg Middle PTSA” and our email is SMPTSA@gmail.com
Your PTSA Executive Board,
Amy Garner, Jennifer Ashbaugh, Kim Harbaugh, Becki Holmes, and Susie Burleson
Music Notes
The SMS Music Department is getting ready for another exciting concert season!
Concerts
- Chorus Concert May 15th, 6th Gr. at 6:00 PM, 7th Gr. at 7:00 PM, 8th Gr. at 8:00 pm
- Band Concert May 21st, 7th Gr. at 6:30 pm , 8th Gr. at 8:00 pm
- Band Concert May 22nd, 6th Gr. at 6:30 pm
- Orchestra Concert May 29th, 6th, 7th, & 8th Gr. at 7:00 pm
- Chorus Concert May 31st, 8th Gr. Chorus with High School Chorus at 7:00 pm
On March 8, the Smithsburg Middle School Music Department presented a benefit concert to raise awareness and collect donations for Brooke’s House. Our chorus, orchestra, and band performed three selections each with a combined finale. Donations totaled $1,235!
Thank you for your support of this worthy cause in our community!
FFA April News
Our FFA members have been busy planting seeds. We are anticipating lots of plants to share at our Night of Excellence. May 2nd, 2018.
Our next meeting dates will be, April 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th from 7:30 AM to 8:20 AM.
Breakfast is served for FFA members.
STUDENT COUNCIL NEWS
Advisor for this year’s Student Council: Mrs. Lisa Waters WaterLis@wcps.k12.md.us
Friday’s are SMS Pride Days; the 3rd Friday is a College Pride Day,
Important Dates
• April 11th, 2018 -Student Council Meeting @ SMS
The Meeting will be in Mrs. Waters’ room after school from 3:30 to 4:30. Please see Mrs. Water's if you cannot attend. Items to be discussed are Earth Day, 2018 Elections, Teacher Appreciation, & the 8th Grade dance.
• April 20th, 2018 - Earth Day-Help End Plastic Pollution.
Students and Staff who purchased Earth Day shirts will wear them to support the Recycling/Reuse/Reduction of Plastic. A specific color will be chosen for students and staff who did not purchase shirts. Listen to Morning Announcements for details. Thank you for your support in helping end Plastic Pollution.
- There will be no WCASC county meeting for the month of April.
• 8th Grade Dance Theme: A Night on the Town Date: May 18th, 2018 at Smithsburg Middle School from 6:30-8:30. Help from parents to bake/donate snacks, decorate, set-up/tear down and chaperone are needed in order to make this night a success. Please contact Lisa Waters at waterlis@wcps.k12.md.us if you are able to help/support this event.
Latin Club
Night of Excellence
Save the Date!
Night of Excellence will be held May 2nd , 2018, from 5:30 -7:30 pm. We will showcase work created by Smithsburg Middle School students. Please plan to attend to celebrate the amazing work of the students, teachers and staff of Smithsburg Middle School.
SMS Book Fair
Smithsburg Middle School will be hosting a Buy One Get One Free (BOGO) Book Fair from April 30th to May 4th. For every book or item a student buys, they will be able to select another item for free.
Students will have a chance to preview the items in the book fair through their Language Arts classes. Students who wish to buy will be given time later in the week to make their purchases.
Parents, relatives and community members are welcome to browse the fair and purchase items during the Family Night at the Book Fair which will run from 5:30 to 7:30 on Wednesday, May 2nd, 2018
So plan on attending the Smithsburg Middle School Night of Excellence and stop by the book fair to see all the great deals on books, posters and more.
The cost of the free item must be equal to or less than the purchased item.
BOOK FAIR VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
If you would be interested in volunteering to help with the book fair during the school day or during Family Night on Wednesday, May 2nd, call Mrs. Aughinbaugh at 301-766-8357 during school hours.
See you at the fair!
National Junior Honor Society
Application Process
Phase 1
Attendance and Scholarship Requirements are used by the Faculty Council Members to determine the names of the students that should be invited to apply for membership in the Smithsburg Middle School NJHS.
Attendance Requirements
Student must have attended Smithsburg Middle School for the equivalence of 1 semester (2 Marking Periods or 90 continuous days).
Exception: Due to changes caused by military orders, students may be inducted prior to the first semester mark if their previous school’s principal, counselor, or chapter adviser recommends to the Principal of Smithsburg Middle School that the students be inducted.
Sixth grade students cannot be inducted until the second semester of their 6th grade year. This gives the students time to establish themselves academically and the teachers/faculty to get to know them.
Scholarship (Academic) Requirements
Students must have an 85% or higher in all classes every marking period. Meeting this grade requirement makes a student eligible for consideration, it does not guarantee selection. Once inducted into the NJHS, the student must maintain 85% or higher in all classes every marking period.
Behavior Requirements
Based on Smithsburg Middle School’s behavior matrix, students must not have any administrative or bus referrals. Once inducted into the NJHS, the student must maintain a no administrative or bus referral status.
Phase 2
Students who meet the eligibility criteria listed above will be invited to apply for membership by completing an application based on the following areas. This application completed by the student will then determine acceptance in the Smithsburg Middle School NJHS:
Leadership
Students are required to hold some form of a leadership position. This is defined as any position that they are directly responsible for motivating or directing others. Examples of this can be team captain, class officer, committee chair, section leaders in band or chorus.
Service:
Any action completed by a student where they were not compensated with money or materials. This can be any contribution made to the school, community, and classmates.
Citizenship:
A student demonstrates citizenship by having a high regard for freedom and justice. They will participate in activities with maturity and responsibility and understands the importance of civic involvement. In younger students this may be characterized by behavior and integrity in his/her daily life/responsibilities at home, school and in the community.
Character:
NJHS follows the six pillars of character – trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness,
caring, and citizenship. Students need to be able to take criticism willingly and accept recommendations graciously. They will be held to the highest standards of honesty and reliability.
All four areas above will be reviewed and voted on by the faculty council members. This information is then reviewed by the principal for final approval into the NJHS. All reviews and selections will be free of speculation and rumor.
Questions or concerns may be directed to Mrs. Courtney Kelley or Mrs. Helen Wintle, Smithsburg Middle School NJHS Chapter Advisors.