Sugar Land MS Titan News
Summer Edition #4 - August 2, 2020
Greetings Titan Families,
This Thursday, August 6, teachers begin their professional development to help position them to be the best they can be as we start the school 100% online. Rather than preparing a physical classroom space, they will invest their time in creating meaningful, welcoming digital spaces within which to inspire and equip their students. I know you will greatly appreciate their efforts, which will be considerable, as they make sure they make the most out of this new opportunity and experience. I am excited for the prospects of learning in this new way, but I realize that this is a partnership between the school and home. We will be supporting your child's learning, and we ask you to continue to support us in helping us to make that happen. I am sure that you are anxiously awaiting information regarding the start of the school year, so this remainder of this newsletter is designed to update you on where we are in planning for the school year and what you may expect moving forward. Some of the information below may be a repeat from previous newsletters, but they bear repeating:
- Enrollment Verification and Back-to-School Readiness Forms (due at midnight, August 3)
- Laptop/Device Distribution Phase 1 - August 5 through 14
- Virtual Orientation - August 10, 11, 12, and 13
- Sixth Grade Welcome Parade - August 14 at 4:15 PM
- School Supplies
- Grade Level and Other Important Contact Information
- Immunizations (everyone, even online, must have current shot records!)
- Links to helpful pages on the district and campus websites
- Grab and Go Meals Resume
- VIDA Clinic information
Please continue to monitor your email, and visit the Fort Bend ISD and Sugar Land MS websites and social media channels, such as Twitter (@FortBendISD and @SLMSTitans) for additional updates. And remember, it is vital that parents keep their contact information (email, phone numbers, etc.) current with the district so that the lines of communication may remain open. Here is what you should expect:
- Weekly Titan News updates will continue each week moving forward, delivered directly to your email inbox, provided you maintain up-to-date contact information with us. Visit this brief explanation on our campus web page that explains how to keep information up-to-date.
- Automated phone messages may utilized if a communication is time sensitive, or requires action on your part, in addition to the message sent from the campus
- All communication from the school messaging system, Blackboard Connect, will be posted on the campus website for you to access at any time, as well as in the update section of Schoology
- Weekly Titan News updates will also be posted in Schoology (you must log in)
- Schoology, our campus web page, and Blackboard Connect (how you received this very newsletter) will be our primary means of communication this year. To better learn how to use Schoology as a parent, please visit the FBISD Technology Resources page, and scroll down to the Schoology section
Be assured that we are hard at work to ensure we are well prepared for August 17. In the meantime, our staff is available to assist you and your child. Feel free to call our main line at (281) 634-3080. It is going to be a different kind of year, but it will also be one in which everyone--students, staff, and parents--will grow. In the meanwhile, please be safe and follow all prescribed health and safety protocols. We will be in touch again soon as we enter this year of infinite possibilities!
Sincerely,
Keith Fickel, SLMS Principal
Enrollment Verification and Back-to-School Readiness Forms - Due at Midnight, August 3
As of this time this newsletter was sent out, there were still around 300 students whose Enrollment Verification and Back-to-School Readiness forms had not been completed, and the deadline is midnight on Monday, August 3. In order for our staff to prepare to instruct your child, it is important that the Enrollment Verification Form be completed in Family Access for each student in the household. The Enrollment Verification Form is how you will notify the campus of your technology needs at home, among other things. It is important that this form be completed for each of your children by August 3 in order for the campus to assist with technology needs prior to the start of the school. Through Enrollment Verification, parents may verify their contact information and fill out required forms. This year, parents will complete the following new forms:
- Back to School Readiness - Indicate your family’s needs associated with connectivity, childcare, and transportation
- Lending Library Parent Agreement & Lending Library Technology Use
- Student BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) Use Agreement
Laptop/Device Distribution Phase 1 (August 5-14)
In order for our 100% online instruction to function, every child needs his or her own device. If you would like to obtain a device(s) for your SLMS child(ren), sign up for a time using this Sign-Up Genius. Our schedule for Phase 1 of Laptop Deployment is as follows:
- Wednesday, August 5 (9:15 AM-6:00 PM)
- Thursday, August 6 (3:00-7:00 PM)
- Friday, August 7 (5:30-7:00 PM)
- Monday, August 10 (3:00-7:00 PM)
- Tuesday, August 11 (3:00-7:00 PM)
- Wednesday, August 12 (3:00-7:00 PM)
- Thursday, August 13 (3:00-7:00 PM)
- Friday, August 14 (10:00 AM - 4:00 PM)
Phase 2 will begin the week of August 17, with a schedule that is TBD. Note, also:
- If you received a device from the district during T4 of last school year, you may continue to use it. The district has record of you having that device.
- If you received a device from the district last year but need additional devices for additional children, you may get them, as well, subject to #4 below
- Hotspots are limited, so we ask that only those with a true need request them. One hotspot will work multiple devices
- Campuses like SLMS will only distribute devices to students enrolled at that particular campus. If you have children at multiple campuses, you must go to those campuses to get a device(s) for those children (i.e. Kempner HS for KHS students, Sugar Mill ES for SME students, etc.)
Visit the district's Technology Resources page, and scroll down to the FAQ section. Look for the topic "Devices", and read the threads there. It is rich with information. If you are wanting to purchase a device for your child that he/she could bring to school when BYOD happens (bring your own device) upon return to face-to-face instruction, visit the district's BYOD resource page.
Titan "Virtual" Orientation
We are organizing a "virtual" orientation for our students and their parents. These will be particularly important for our new students--incoming sixth graders--as well as our new seventh and eighth graders. Orientation will last approximately 45 minutes, and will conclude with a Q&A session. Our plan is to offer these multiple times in the evenings throughout the week in order to accommodate smaller groups of attendees, accommodate parent work schedules, and to provide choice as to which fits best into your schedule, given that we are simultaneously distributing devices during these same times. These will be virtual, and not in-person orientations. Our dates and times are below. They will be conducted on Zoom (download the client at zoom.us). We will post links to these orientation sessions in next week's Titan News. A tremendous number of teachers and staff members are involved in creating this experience, and we are excited to bring it to you!
- Monday, August 10 - 6:00-6:45 PM
- Tuesday, August 11 - 6:00-6:45 PM
- Wednesday, August 12 - 6:00-6:45 PM
- Thursday, August 13 - 6:00-6:45 PM
We will also record these sessions, and post the recordings on our campus website after the final one is over.
Sixth Grade "Welcome" Parade - August 14 at 4:15 PM
We want this to be on the radar for our incoming 6th grade students and their parents. We are in the planning stages for having a first-ever "welcome parade" for you! We will provide a map in our next newsletter, but essentially it is an opportunity for you to follow a path around the building in your car, while SLMS teachers and staff cheer you on and welcome you to middle school, while maintaining physical distancing. Stay tuned for more details, but put it down on your calendar -- Friday, August 14 at 4:15 PM!
School Supplies -- Slight Revision
School supplies - Although we will start the year 100% online, students will still need school supplies at some point. Over the last few years, our school supply list has been pared down to only truly essential items and to be reasonable in cost. These items will be needed when we return to face-to-face instruction, but your child will also find them helpful during online learning. If you ordered pre-packaged school supplies from the PTO, they will be delivered to the campus in early August. We will devise a pick-up plan for them and communicate it with you when the time comes. Here is a link to our school supply list.
Note: while not on our school supply list linked above, you may wish to consider these optional technology items suggested by the district:
- Universal Stylus Touch Screen Pen (Passive) (For use with touch screen devices)
- BYOD (Bring Your Own Device): Refer to “Guide to Student BYOD Devices” on Fort Bend ISD webpage: https://www.fortbendisd.com/Page/105736
- Headset/Headphone with mic (must be compatible with iPad 6th generation or greater & Windows 10 computers)
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)
Attendance - Mary Beth LaVergne (mary.lavergne@fortbendisd.com)
Registrar - Tandi Phillips (tandi.phillips@fortbendisd.com)
Nurse - Angi Lincoln (angela.lincoln@fortbendisd.com)
Campus Secretary - Mary Connealy (mary.connealy@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)
Immunizations Must Be Up to Date -- Even When School is 100% Online
This is a reminder from our nurse that all students must have their shots up-to-date or have a valid exemption on file when school starts. This is regardless of whether instruction is online or in person. To find out more information regarding immunizations, visit the Texas Department of State Health Services web page.
Grab and Go Meals Resume
Grab and Go Meals have resumed at ten sites across the District. As a reminder, breakfast is available from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m., and lunch is available from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday through Thursday. On Thursday, extra breakfast and/or lunch meals will be provided for Friday. Visit fortbendisd.com/freemeals for the latest information.
Mental Health Partnership with Vida Clinic
We would like to welcome one of FBISD’s mental health partners, Vida Clinic to our campus. They are a resource that will offer counseling services to our campus students, families, and staff starting this summer. To schedule services with Vida Clinic, please visit vidaclinic.org or contact the Vida Clinic Care Team at 512-518-2209 or by email at vidacare@vidaclinic.org. Vida Clinic will work with each family or staff for payment of services and identify funding options to fit their unique situation.
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
Regular Office Hours - Resuming Monday, June 27
- 8:00-4:00 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