SLMS Titan News
Week of November 27, 2023
Principal Update
SLMS Parents and Guardians,
It is December! Can you believe it?
Reminder: Students have two half days on December 14th and 15th. Students will be dismissed at 1:25 PM on Thursday, Dec. 14th and Friday, Dec. 15th.
New Items this Week:
- 2024-2025 School Calendar Options
- Sneaker Ball
- 8th Grade Panoramic Pictures
- Semester Exams
- Vaping Information from Johns Hopkins Medicine
- Holiday Break Information
Sincerely,
Dr. Latoya Garrett
Principal
#weareTITANS
At SLMS WE model the TITAN WAY
Monthly Calendar
Survey: 2024-2025 Instructional Calendar
Every fall, Fort Bend Independent School District (FBISD) extends an invitation to high school students, parents, staff and the school community to contribute their valuable insights for the upcoming instructional calendar. Beginning, November 28 through December 11, FBISD is encouraging the community to participate in a public survey to provide their feedback for the 2024-2025 school calendar.
Through the collaboration of staff, parents and community focus groups three draft calendars (Calendar A, B and C) have been developed for consideration. While each calendar contains proposed modifications, they collectively include the following:
- At least 75,600 operational minutes
- A minimum of 840 additional minutes, required by the Texas Education Agency, to use in the event of bad weather or other health and safety incidents.
- Staff professional learning throughout the school year
- Teacher planning and workdays
- Regular monthly breaks
- A week-long Thanksgiving break, two weeks off in December, and a week-long for spring break.
- The first day of school would take place before the fourth Monday of August
- The 1st semester would end before winter break
- Two days designated as inclement weather makeup days, if needed
There are, however, several differences between the calendars which can be viewed and compared in the following video or by visiting the FBISD Instructional Calendar website. After reviewing the calendar options, you may click the 2024-2025 Instructional Calendar Survey.
SNEAKER BALL IS NEXT WEEK
Our Fall Dance is a Sneaker Ball! Students can purchase tickets for $10 during lunches.
Semester Exams
Semester Exams are in a few weeks. Please see the exam schedule below. Semester exams cannot be taken early. If a student is absent for any exam, they will receive a 0 and can make up the exam upon return in January.
Vaping - Information from Johns Hopkins Medicine
A new generation is getting hooked on nicotine.
Among youth, e-cigarettes, especially the disposable kind, are more popular than any traditional tobacco product. According to the 2021 National Youth Tobacco Survey, more than 2 million U.S. middle and high school students reported using e-cigarettes in 2021, with more than 8 in 10 of those youth using flavored e-cigarettes.
According to Blaha, there are three reasons e-cigarettes may be particularly enticing to young people. First, many teens believe vaping is less harmful than smoking. Second, e-cigarettes have a lower per-use cost than traditional cigarettes. Finally, youths and adults find the lack of smoke appealing. With no smell, e-cigarettes reduce some of the stigma of smoking.
“What I find most concerning about the rise of vaping is that people who would’ve never smoked otherwise, especially youth, are taking up the habit,” says Blaha. “It’s one thing if you convert from cigarette smoking to vaping. It’s quite another thing to start up nicotine use with vaping. And, getting hooked on nicotine often leads to using traditional tobacco products down the road.”
Research from the CDC shows that vaping among youth has declined somewhat since 2020. Kids being stuck at home under their parents’ supervision during the COVID-19 pandemic could contribute to that trend.
But, Blaha says, interpreting the data is tricky, since young people change their preferences often, and, when surveyed, may not consider using disposable products such as “puff bars” as vaping. The same CDC report says disposable e-cigarette use has increased 1,000% among high school students and 400% among middle school students since 2019.
A link to the full article is below
Support SLMS PTO through Kroger Community Rewards
The Kroger Family of Companies is committed to community engagement, positive social impact and charitable giving at the national and local levels. Every community is unique, but our common goal is to partner with the neighborhoods we serve and help the people there live healthier lives.
One of the ways in which we do this is through our Kroger Community Rewards program. This program makes fundraising easy by donating to local organizations based on the shopping you do every day. Once you link your Card to an organization, all you have to do is shop at Kroger and swipe your Shopper’s Card.
Here’s how it works:
- Go to www.kroger.com and create an account or sign in to your account.
- Go to “My Account” at the top right corner.
- Go to “Community Rewards” on the left-side menu.
- Search for “SLMS PTO” or “CN110” under “Find an Organization”.
- Click “Enroll” and confirm that you are enrolled in Community Rewards with SLMS PTO
Monthly Donations to PTO
Support our students and staff by setting up a monthly donation to PTO. You can set this automatic donation starting at a few dollars. Remember that every dollar helps our PTO do AMAZING things for our community.
Order online at https://web.treering.com/1016905758343838 (account creating required)
Pre-order to ensure your student receives their copy on distribution day in May!
Upcoming Events
- Dec. 4th: Boys Basketball vs FCMS @SLMS
- Dec. 6th: Girls Basketball vs GMS @ SLMS
- Dec. 6th: Theatre Performance
- Dec. 7th: 8th Grade Career Day and Panoramic Pictures
- Dec. 7th: Winter Band Concert @ SLMS
- Dec. 8th: Titan Challenge
- Dec. 8th: Sneaker Ball
Counselor Corner
SLMS Counselors
Left to Right
Nafecia Brinson-8th Grade Counselor
Eleni Smith-6th Grade Counselor
Kimberly Seright-7th Grade Counselor
PTO Updates
A Message from the SLMS PTO
Greetings Titan Families!
It’s never too late to get involved with PTO! Whether you want to be in the know on school happenings, lend a hand at the school or simply donate to an event - we accept membership involvement of all shapes and sizes. We’ve provided all the LINKS below to get you going! The PTO Newsletter has begun so please make sure to check your spam/promotions folder! As a reminder, our goals this year are to bridge the gap in funding, increase parent involvement (#1 ask of educators) and continue our campus beautification efforts (SLMS turns 50 in 2025). We couldn’t make it all possible without the support of our membership!
How can you help?
- Become a PTO Member - membership is free and includes access to our monthly newsletter
- Become an approved Volunteer - all volunteers must complete an annual district background check
- Make a one time donation via Cheddar Up or a recurring donation via PayPal.
- Upcoming Spirit Nights
- Papa John’s Pizza - Dec. 14th
- Lopez Mexican Restaurant - Jan. 15th
- Upcoming Volunteer Opportunities - click the link to sign-up
- Donate to the 12 Days of …Holiday Cookies! (12/4)
- Help treat the SLMS Staff to a delicious holiday cookie spread. Whether they are home baked or store bought they are sure to delight the Titan Staff. Click the link above to sign up.
- Ongoing Volunteer Opportunities:
- Mentor a student at SLMS - complete form and return to kimberly.seright@fortbendisd.com
- Help in the library
- Purchase Spirit Items through our Cheddar Up Store - starting October
- Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter) and bookmark our website: www.slmspto.weebly.com
Questions? Contact us at slmsmembership@gmail.com. Volunteer questions? Contact us at slmstitansvips@gmail.com
Together we are TITANS!
SLMS PTO
Campus Information
Absence Notes
Absence notes are required for all absences within five days of the absence. Please send all absence notes to:
FBISD Health and Safety Protocols & How to Report Testing Positive for COVID-19
The health & safety of students, teachers, and staff is the District’s foremost priority. Students and staff should stay home when sick and if they do test positive for COVID-19 self-report using the FBISD Wellness Screener. Individuals can return to school/work once they meet the following requirements: five days have passed since the start of symptoms (if no symptoms, five days after testing positive), improvement of symptoms, and the individual has been fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications.
Links: FBISD Health & Safety Protocols Webpage; FBISD Wellness Screener
Club Shirt Monday
College Shirt Wednesdays
Titan Spirit Day on Fridays
Student Dress Code
All students must adhere to the student dress code. Highlights include:
- Clothes may not show the midriff, undergarments, chest, or posterior
- Unsafe footwear is not permitted (house shoes, slippers)
- No depiction of alcohol, drugs, tobacco, weapons, and more
Please see the attached information regarding dress code.
Cell Phones Policy
Students may bring a cell phone for communication before/after school. During the school day, cell phone access is restricted and cell phones must be off and placed in backpacks. Cell phones not adhering to the school policy will be confiscated and students can pick them up at the end of the school day (for the first and second confiscation).
On the third confiscation, a parent will be required to pick up the cell phone and pay a $15 fee to SLMS. The district cell phone policy can be found in The Student Code of Conduct. Click here to access the FBISD Student Code of Conduct
If a student needs to make a phone call, we have office phones that can be accessed with permission.
Lunch Deliveries and Parent Visits During Lunch
Make sure you communicate to your student if you are going to deliver a sack style lunch.
Parents are welcome to come and eat lunch with their student. We have seperate seating available. Parents will need to check in at the front office and only bring lunch for their child.
Class Schedule
Our class schedule/bell schedule for the school year features the following:
- 7 class periods daily, with an additional Advisory period on Tuesday and Wednesday
- Monday, Thursday, and Friday will have a 7-period day (50-55 minute class periods)
- Tuesday and Wednesday will have a 7-period day (45 to 50-minute class periods) with an Advisory period between period 2 and 3. Advisory will be used as a flexible time to conduct interventions, enrichments, and campus focused lessons.
- Students will have every class every day
- Students will have the same lunch period every day
- Transitions between class periods will be 4-5 minutes in length which is enough time as the majority of student do not use a locker
Important Contact Information
- Assistant Principal - 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)
Counselor Clerk - Carmen Brantley (carmen.brantley@fortbendisd.com)
Assistant Principal Secretaries
- 6th and 7th Grade - Tina Garcia (diamantina.ibarragar@fortbendisd.com)
- 8th Grade - Mayra Morales (mayra.morales@fortbendisd.com)
Attendance - Mary Beth LaVergne (mary.lavergne@fortbendisd.com)
Registrar - Tandi Phillips (tandi.phillips@fortbendisd.com)
Nurse - Gwendolyn Davis (gwendolyn.davis@fortbendisd.com)
Clinic Aide - Cathy Tekrouri (cathy.tekrouri@fortbendisd.com)
Executive Assistant to Principal - Mary Connealy (mary.connealy@fortbendisd.com)
Principal - Dr. Latoya Garrett (latoya.garrett@fortbendisd.com)
Sugar Land Middle School
48 Years
1975-2023
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.
#weareTITANS
Office Hours
8:20-4:20
Email: latoya.garrett@fortbendisd.com
Website: www.fortbendisd.com/slms
Location: 321 7th Street, Sugar Land, TX, USA
Phone: (281) 634-3080
Twitter: @SLMSTitans
Principal of Sugar Land Middle School in Sugar Land, TX. Home of the Titans!