Cougar News
Week of 10/12/20 - 10/16/20
Side note to Mr. Nelson's letter
Jenn~
Letter from Principal Nelson
Cougar Nation-
Please note that tomorrow is a traditional (in a sense) school day and not a student holiday. The scheduled Staff Development/Student Holiday that was marked for 10/12 has been moved to Tuesday, November 3rd; Election Day. It’s a bold, new move by AISD and a few surrounding districts and one of the first steps taken towards making this day a National Holiday.
Last week we opened our doors to students who had selected “on-campus learning” as their choice on the AISD Learning Preference Survey. We were excited to have students on campus for the first time since March 12th and spent the last week ensuring our systems were in place and that staff and students are aware of and always practicing social distancing guidelines. With our boots on the ground systems check, we were able to see all of our planning and preparation in action and are ready to add a few more ways for kids to engage. We now have special areas for students in Band, Orchestra, and Choir to perform/practice without disturbing others or feel embarrassed, as well as areas for students to participate in PE and Athletics. It’s not ideal, but it does allow a student to work on their craft in a manner that is not disruptive.
As we progress through the semester and you wish to change your current learning placement, please email jennifer.newell@austinisd.org and we will make sure to update your preference. If you chose to work remotely and wish to return to campus, please know that it will take a few days for us to complete the process to ensure there is space and coverage. If you chose to return to campus and wish to stay remote, which is perfectly acceptable as well, simply let us know so that we can update our internal records.
Whether remote or on campus, all students will be learning tomorrow from 8:20 a.m. until 3:51 p.m. The schedule for last week went well and we do not foresee any drastic changes anytime soon. That being said, please email me any concerns or questions you may have about the schedule, asynchronous learning versus synchronous learning, or about Fridays.
Have a great day and remember the student holiday slated for tomorrow is moved to Election Day for a reason, so that as many people as possible can vote. Small Middle School will be a voting station so feel free to come up on that day to let your voice be heard. Regardless of who you vote for, please share the experience with your student and remind them that voting is a civic duty we all share.
Sincerely,
Thank you,
Matthew Nelson
Principal
Small Middle School
(512) 841-6705
@smallprincipal
Donate to Families in need at Small
Because of COVID-19, there are 21 families within our Small community who have expressed a need for assistance with rent and/or bills to our school counselors. Many families have also expressed a desire to help. This fundraiser has been set up as a way for us to make this happen. The goal is to raise as much money as possible to be distributed equally among those who need it. If you are able to contribute, any amount will help!
Donations will be accepted through Friday October 16th, and then all funds raised will be distributed to families by the school counselors. This is a great chance to make a big difference to people struggling within our school community.
Thank you!
7th & 8th grade GIRLS BASKETBALL TRYOUTS
7th & 8th grade GIRLS BASKETBALL TRYOUTS
OCTOBER 19, 2020
4:00-5:30 IN THE GYM
ALL Athletes will enter the gym on the second floor using the bus ramp stairs.
Bring appropriate workout clothes and shoes.
COVID PROTOCOL must be followed:
Must wear mask at ALL times
Screening will take place using AISD APP.
And temperature checked
MUST HAVE ALL PAPERWORK TURNED IN
Bring your own Water JUG,
Small water bottles will not be enough
Athletic Reminder
PROTOCOLS FOR ATHLETICS/SPORTS: Non-negotiables
ALL paperwork must be turned in prior to first practice: Medical History, Physical, Online Portion, Covid waiver. Please Click here for more instructions regarding these forms.
Pink Patch Project
A/B Calendar
Clubs at Small
More clubs have been added to the list and many are starting next week. Be sure to checkout our list of clubs and email the club sponsor if you are interested. They will add your student to the club blend page that will then appear in their blend dashboard.
Art & Anime Club
Who: ALL currently enrolled CSMS students of interest in one or both art & anime- regardless of experience.
When/Where: Fridays via Zoom from 10:10-10:55 (F2F meetings will be determined at a much later date - announcements will be made then).
Clint Small's Art & Anime club will begin meeting virtually on Fridays during your asynchronous learning time.
If you don't know what anime/manga is and want to learn more, this is a great place to be! Even if you've got shelves and shelves of manga and are a long time subscriber to crunchyroll- this is STILL the place to be! Expand your knowledge or share your expertise! This time will also be for art students to meet and discuss different art strategies they're using or different artists that they may be admiring online or in real life here in Austin. See you all on Friday!
Free COVID-19 Testing
Free testing available for those who:
- have COVID-19-related symptoms
- have had close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19
- have traveled outside of Austin/Travis County in the last 14 days
Steps:
- Click on “take a self-assessment” at: https://www.austintexas.gov/covid-testinfo
- If this is your first time to request a test through Austin Public Health (APH), you will have to create an account through the APH website in order to take the assessment. You will see the following:
- After you have created and verified your account, you will click on “schedule a test.”
- Complete all the information requested to determine if a COVID-19 test is recommended.
- If a COVID-19 test is recommended, you will be prompted to enter your zip-code/address to schedule COVID-19 testing at a testing site near you.
To view FREE testing sites provided by APH, go to: Free APH Testing Sites
Find COVID-Related Resources here: https://www.austintexas.gov/department/covid-19-information/covid-19-reso urces
Safety Tools
Crimestoppers Reporting Tool: https://new.tipsubmit.com/en/
AISD Safety Resources: https://www.austinisd.org/police
Check out this weeks Living Room Library from Ms. Sylvia.
Address the CAC Committee
If you are interested in speaking to our CAC using our Citizen Communication time, please email our CAC chair Emma Renault-Varian emma.renaultvarian@austinisd.org or Co-Chair Chasee chappellhudgins@mac.com for the meeting Zoom details.
Citizens Communications. For all regular and other plenary meetings of the CAC, time at the beginning of the meeting shall be set aside for citizens communications. This time is specifically for non-members to make comments to the CAC. The Co-Chairs may limit the time for citizens communications and the time given to individual speakers. The Co-Chairs shall ensure that the district’s “Citizens Communications and Visitor Guidelines” are applied. Under these guidelines, except for requests for clarification, dialogue shall not occur between speakers and members. If the CAC is interested in hearing more from a speaker, the speaker may be invited to a future meeting and placed on the agenda specifically for that purpose. Or, the CAC may call a special meeting specifically for the purpose of open dialogue with non-members (e.g., a “community conversation”), but it must be posted for discussion on a specific topic or topics.
Update your Contact Info
Did you know that parents can update their email preferences by signing into their Parent Cloud Account my.austinisd.org -------> Parent Self Serve------->Student-------->Edit Contact Info and Notifications (See below).
Make sure your Contact info is always up to date!
Discipline Matrix
Ever wonder how Small handles Discipline? Click here to read our Discipline Matrix
Distance Learning Attendance
If you have any questions, contact our new attendance clerk Bettina Schmitz at 512-841-6702 Icela.schmitz@austinisd.org
Attendance Video - English
Attendance Video - Spanish
Clint Small, Jr. Middle School
Email: jennifer.newell@austinisd.org
Website: http://www.smallmiddleschool.org/
Location: 4801 Monterey Oaks Boulevard, Austin, TX, United States
Phone: (512) 841-6700