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.
Website: https://smith.troy.k12.mi.us/
Location: 5835 Donaldson Drive, Troy, MI 48085
Phone: (248) 823- 4700
DECEMBER 23, 2023
Dear Smith Families,
As we approach the holiday season, I want to take a moment to extend my warmest wishes to each of you. This time of year is not only an opportunity to celebrate traditions and create lasting memories but also a chance to reflect on the incredible community we have here at Smith.
We've had a fantastic first semester, dedicated to building a sense of belonging, maintaining and supporting high academic expectations, providing unique learning experiences outside the classroom, and creating fun and educational opportunities for our families to connect and partner with our students. Your continued support of our school, our staff, and our students is truly appreciated.
Merry Christmas and Happy Kwanzaa to all those that celebrate! Wishing everyone a wonderful New Year!
Warm regards,
Ryan
THE SMITH STUDENT COUNCIL WOULD LIKE TO...
...wish everyone a VERY wonderful break. We appreciate all of the support for the first part of the year. We have done many projects including: 4 Spirit Weeks, 2 Pep Assemblies, 1 Special Assembly, 1 VIP Lunch, 2 visits to classrooms for community building, 2 Lunch Fundraisers and the 8th Grade Sweatshirt Fundraiser, cleaned the courtyard and added new mulch, and we are working on starting two murals in the new year. These students have been meeting once a week all year and have been doing a lot to make Smith a better place. We are excited to see what the new year brings!
TROY AUTHOR VISITS SMITH
Local author, Dani Resh, spent a day with our 6th grade English classes this week sharing what it is like to be an author, how she started her career, and answering questions about the writing process. Thank you Mrs. Chatel for creating this opportunity! We even had two of our Smith 6th graders interview Ms. Resh for the TSD Torch Blog!
PTO TEACHER GRANTS!
Thank you to all our PTO families for supporting our teacher grants this year! The PTO was able to fund 15 grants for Smith staff that included classroom novels, disc golf sets, robotics kits, sensory room equipment, math curriculum supplies, music apps, and more! We so fortunate to have a community that continues to go above and beyond in supporting our school and our students!
In addition, thank you so much to the PTO for coordinating the purchase of holiday gift cards for our entire Smith staff. Thank you Smith families, it is very much appreciated!
TEACHER OF THE YEAR NOMINATIONS
We are excited to announce that we are accepting nominations for our 2023-2024 Outstanding Teacher of the Year! Please consider taking the time to nominate that special teacher who makes a difference in the lives of countless students. We look forward to celebrating our wonderful teachers!
Please feel free to reach out to Mr. Brinks or Mrs. Conaton to support you in this effort to recognize our amazing Smith teachers!
TWO IMPORTANT NOTES:
- Incomplete nomination forms will not be considered. Every question must be answered: an answer of N/A or a single word is not considered complete.
- The supporting statements CANNOT EXCEED the 500-word limit.
Please complete the following nomination form: https://forms.gle/PXNVe4RCuMtfcNvd9
TROY MLK DAY OF SERVICE
- MLK STUDENT ESSAYS/POETRY/VIDEO and ARTWORK ENTRIES NOW DUE! - Contest entries for our MLK Celebration and Day of Service will be accepted until December 31. There are multiple categories—with prizes for winning entries. See the requirements and submit your best work here: http://tinyurl.com/549cutrc
- FLEECE - YOUR FLEECE DONATIONS ARE APPRECIATED. If you will be out shopping over the next few days, please consider picking up a donation of fleece and sending it to school with your student. All donations of fleece should be in increments of 2.5 yards (so 2.5 yards, 5 yards, 7.5 yards, and 10 yards.) Thank you for your generosity.
- JOIN US ON JANUARY 15 FOR THE CITYWIDE MLK DAY OF SERVICE - Hundreds of Troy residents gather to honor the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by taking part in a day of service at Athens High School. This event, appropriate for all ages, begins with a free continental breakfast at 8:30 a.m. followed by a short program. After the program, we will tie fleece blankets, assemble hope bracelet-making kits, paint kindness rocks, create cards of joy, and donate blood. We will also be collecting new or slightly used coats, mittens, and hats for those in need. You will have the chance to take home kindness rocks to spread good will throughout the city. No pre-registration is required and there is no cost—just show up at Athens on Monday, January 15 at 8:30 a.m.
CONGRATULATIONS!
Smith Robotics - Magmatrons
Congratulations to the Magmatrons on a strong performance at the robotics state championship! They were also recognized with the "Innovate Award" for the most innovative and creative robot design.
Smith Competitive Cheer
Our Smith Competitive Cheer Team participated in their first competition at Troy High this month and took 3rd place at the event! Congratulations girls!
Knights of the Month
Congratulations to the following students for being recognized as Knights of the Month: Samhita Mahender, Eva Cooper, Oliver Kohl, Joshua Zoura, Sam Lopez, Oliver Stegman, Lucas Crespo, Hoban Bang, Caitlin Simms, Christian Kaiser. Thank you for being great role models in our building and consistently exhibiting our character traits of Respect, Responsibility, Compassion, and Perseverance.
Formula 4 Racer
Congrats to Ian Osuna Cepeda on earning his Formula 4 Driver Certification from the Skip Barber Racing School this month in Austin, Texas - taking cars over 120 mph! Looking forward to continuing to follow your racing career!
We love to share out the exciting things our students, teams, and clubs are participating in. Feel free to send updates and pictures to Ryan Brinks at rbrinks@troy.k12.mi.us
2024-2025 WASHINGTON D.C. TRIP
Homework Help Club
JANUARY - MARCH DATES
All 6th - 8th grade students are welcome to attend Homework Help Club, meeting most Tuesdays and Thursdays after school. Mrs. Bell supervises the sessions and high school students from Troy High and IA East will be available to provide tutoring and homework support.
SMITH HOLIDAY SEND-OFF
For the last hour of the day on Friday, we held our Smith Holiday Send-Off. Teachers hosted a variety of activities in the building for students to participate in and have some fun before heading out on break!
GOLD CARD RAFFLE
Every day at Smith, students have opportunities to earn "Gold Cards" for exhibiting our school character traits of Respect, Responsibility, Compassion, and Perseverance. Students turn these cards in to the office and at the end of each month we hold a Gold Card Raffle in the cafeteria. Student names are put on a digital spinning wheel and if your name is selected, you get to claim a prize!
SPIRIT WEEK FUN
STUDENT EDPs
This past Monday and Tuesday all students at Smith worked on their EDPs (Educational Development Plans) in their social studies classes. EDPs are living documents that students return to annually from 6th grade to 12th grade to help in identifying career goals and creating action plans in alignment with their growing interests and abilities. EDPs are required by the State of Michigan and help students think about long-term education and career plans. By going through this process, students learn more about themselves, consider different options for their future, and develop a more specific path for preparing for their career choice.
TSD GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
2024 TSD PRESCHOOL INFO NIGHT
JOIN THE IA EAST CLASS OF 2028
The application to join the International Academy East Class of 2028 is now open! Our 90 day application window will close on January 29, 2024 at 11:59 pm.
We will be having an informational night for all new families interested in applying on Wednesday, January 10 from 6-7:30pm at IA East. (Located at 1291 Torpey Drive). This event is open to both students and families and will include tours, Q&A, and general information about our program of study.
TROY HIGH BAND BOOSTERS INFORMATIONAL OPEN HOUSE
THURSDAY, JANUARY 25TH 7PM
The Troy High Band Boosters would like to invite 7th and 8th grade students (and their parents/guardians) to attend their Informational Open House on Thursday, January 25th at 7:00pm in the Troy High Auditorium. This program is designed to give students who are considering registering for Band or Color Guard during their high school years more information to assist them in the decision making process. An overview of the Band and Color Guard programs will be presented. Current TC band members and boosters will be on hand to answer questions about the band and color guard programs. To RSVP for this event Control/Click on the following link:
https://forms.gle/ZN1gcKt1GLr2cEWR7
Questions regarding this program can be directed to thbb_president@troycoltbands.org
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...