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/

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!!!

PTO DONATIONS

If you haven't already made your $25 per student donation to support our PTO activities, please consider doing so.

You can make your donation via School Pay, Venmo (@SmithKnightsPTO) or by making a check out to "Smith PTO" and turning it into the Main Office.

Smith's PTO appreciates your help.

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...

Bond 2022: Safety and Security

Dear ONE Troy,

We heard it loud and clear and wholeheartedly agree--the safety of our students and staff is the top priority for parents, the school district and our community.

We continually assess and invest in the security of our buildings as well as updated safety protocols, training and technology. But the 2022 Bond Proposal gives us a new opportunity to enhance safety and security across all schools, including updated camera systems, fencing, lighting and more. We are fortunate to have the expertise of Troy Police and work in partnership with them to make our buildings as safe as possible. Security technology has changed significantly since the last bond ten years ago and this is a key focus area in Bond 2022.

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.

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.