Smith's Knightly News

Smith Middle School

Mission: The purpose of Smith Middle School is to ensure learning for all members of our school community.

Vision: Smith will be a safe environment where diversity is embraced, and the needs of the whole child are met through innovation and collaboration. With the resources available, the Smith community will strive to provide an engaging, challenging academic experience, while promoting a balance between emotional, academic, and social needs, contributing to the success of all students.

5835 Donaldson Drive, Troy, MI, USA rbrinks@troy.k12.mi.us (248) 823- 4700 smith.troy.k12.mi.us/

Our PTO Needs Your Help!

Dear Smith Families:

We are excited to host our second annual Fall Dance on Friday, Oct. 28 from 3-4:15pm on the football field at Smith! Tickets are $2 and will only be sold at lunch on Oct. 28. Pizza will be sold at the dance for $1/slice and students will receive a donut and cider with their ticket. We need your help to make the dance a success! Please consider signing up to help using the link below.

Thank you,

Smith PTO

Sign-Up Link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F49ABAD2EABF94-smiths

8th Grade Washington DC Trip:

Please continue to check your email for specific updates and reminder regarding the 8th grade Washington DC trip.

8th grade Sweatshirt Orders:

Orders are due by Tuesday, October 25. We know this is short notice, but we know students would like to have them for the DC trip. Please use the link listed below or you can find the link to the form to pay by cash or check on the Smith website.

Link to order on SchoolPay: https://www.schoolpay.com/pay/for/8th-Grade-Sweatshirt-Order/ScnHPVs

Halloween Costumes:

Students are welcome to wear their Halloween Costumes to school on Monday, 10/31. As a reminder:

School Dress Code must still be followed.
No masks covering a student's face.
No costumes that reflect violence or themes unsettling to others. No blood or gore, fake weapons, horror movie characters, etc.
Costumes should not be offensive or reinforce harmful stereotypes based on race, ethnicity, religion, culture, body shape, etc. (e.g. pope, fat man, Native American, turban).

Respecting Others' Personal Space and Boundaries:

We have had a great start to the year, but as students get more comfortable at school, we are asking for you to help with some reminders at home. Please chat with your child about keeping hands to themselves, not rough-housing or running in the halls, taking items that aren't theirs, and respecting others' personal space. Hopefully, conversations and reminders can help diminish some of the accidents and hurt feelings between classmates and friends that can occur.

October 17-22 is Digital Citizenship Week:

Having conversations with your child on how they use social media and checking up on their usage is an important part of making sure they are being safe and appropriate online. This week is Common Sense Media's Digital Citizenship Week and they have a collection of resources to help families engage in those conversations, including a Family Media Agreement, tips for Safe Online Behavior, and a packet of family conversation starters on specific social media topics.

Food Deliveries:

As a reminder, students cannot use Door Dash, Grub Hub, Uber Eats, etc. to have food ordered and delivered to school. All deliveries will be turned away.

Student ID Cards:

Students buying breakfast or lunch from the cafeteria need to bring their Student ID Card to the cafeteria every day. This makes it easier for our kitchen staff to check out our students and will speed up the lunch lines. Thank you!!!

Bond 2022: Strong Schools = Strong Property Values

The 2022 Troy Bond will impact every school in the TSD and will allow the community to make a lasting investment in our schools and our city. Realtors tell us buyers will pay more for homes located in the Troy School District. As a destination district, we have families from all over the world who want to send their kids to our schools. This is what helps to maintain high demand and high property values in our city. Listen as a top realtor in Troy explains how strong schools equal strong property values.

What are the highlights for Bond 2022?

Future-Ready Learning Environments

Create innovative and engaging educational spaces that foster collaboration and critical thinking, preparing students for college and careers of the future. These spaces will uphold the tradition of academic excellence and community engagement that drives families to Troy.

Infrastructure & Sustainability

Ensure critical improvements to address aging and outdated schools and facilities, with a focus on increased operational efficiency and healthy, productive environments for students, staff, and community.

Program Enhancement

Develop and upgrade spaces for community and student programming, with an emphasis on STEM-based learning, robotics, athletics, recreation, fine and performing arts. Continue to build on partnerships with business and industry to offer opportunities for career and in-demand skills.

Safety & Technology

Enhance security measures at all levels, including fencing, secure doors, upgraded camera systems and other safety infrastructure. Upgrade network/phone/ technology infrastructure to ensure that students and staff are connected to advanced resources needed for research, innovation and cutting-edge tools that enrich learning and achievement.

We have a great online spirit wear store with a number of new modern styles and items for purchase. You can either pick them up or utilize the option of having your orders delivered directly to your home for a small fee.

Click on the link below to check out the wide variety of styles and prints.

https://smithknights.itemorder.com/shop/home/

Below is a sample of the logo choices for most items...

For past 11 years, Smith Middle School has participated in Science Olympiad, one of the nation's premier science competitions and Smith has been recognized as one of the top programs in Michigan

Our previous parent volunteer coaches have moved on now that their children have graduated from Smith and we are looking for some new parent volunteers this year to organize and coach our Science Olympiad Club.

This is a great opportunity to get involved at Smith and continue to build on our successful Science Olympiad program. Coaches at our other Troy middle schools will also be available as guides and mentors.

If you are interested in serving as a coach, please reach out to Mr. Brinks (rbrinks@troy.k12.mi.us) as soon as possible. We hope to have the team up and running in the next few weeks.

A big congratulations goes out to Aurora Williams, 7th grader at Smith, on earning the title of Mountain Bike State Champion in her age division this year in the Michigan Scholastic Cycling Association competition! Thank you to her coach, Karen Eckel, for sharing this with us.

We would love to highlight competitions and programs that our Smith Knights have been involved in. If you'd like to share your Smith Knight's successes in our newsletter, please feel free to sent a picture and summary to Mr. Brinks (rbrinks@troy.k12.mi.us)

8th Grade Families,

Enrollment for the International Academy East Class of 2027 will be opening soon. IA East is a Troy high school that provides:

A world-recognized International Baccalaureate curriculum
Small school environment
High-quality music program with over 65% of students participating in a music ensemble and the opportunity to study music history, theory, and composition at a collegiate level
Four-year art program allowing students to explore a wide range of media through university-level projects
Successful drama and performance program including theatre productions and competitive forensics and poetry clubs
Character education program designed around the International Baccalaureate Learner Profile with students participating in "Houses" designed to foster deeper social connections
College-level course work in the 11th and 12th grade IB Diploma Program with students earning college credit through their IB examinations
Focus on service-learning in our community
Dozens of opportunities to participate in competitive clubs, enrichment experiences, and travel abroad
The ability to continue to participate in athletics for Troy High School or Athens High School

Upcoming 8th Grade Informational Meetings:

November 16, 2022 from 6:00-7:30pm
January 18, 2023 from 6:00 - 7:30pm

Deadline to submit online application: January 29, 2022 at 11:59pm

These meetings are open to current 8th-grade students and their families. It is a great opportunity to learn more about the IA and the International Baccalaureate Program.