SMS Panther Nation Staff Newsletter
By Jason Myatt, Mark Letterer, and Rachael Anderson
Student-Led Conferences - Monday 10/12
Purpose of Student-Led Conferences:
• When students conduct their own conferences, they gain ownership of their learning and feel
empowered in charting the course of what they need to do in order to be successful academically.
Role of the Teachers:
• Before the conferences, teachers help students prepare their conference portfolios and instruct
on presentation techniques.
• During conferences, teachers act as timekeepers to keep the conferences on schedule.
• Teachers also act as facilitators when students need assistance.
Reminders:
The teacher is more of a facilitator not the speaker. We are there to make sure what we want said is said as well as correcting anything that needs to be corrected. We stay with a family for 4ish minutes then go to an empty table that has our student and do it over again. If you teach more than one grade, then that teacher will need to pick and choose where they need to go. Elective teacher won’t be able to go to all of the conferences.
Students with No Conference:
For the students that don’t have a conference, they will get to take their folder home with the sheets in it, so that they can have a “mini” conference of their own with their parents.
Panther High Fives
Ashlee Glasco... CTA Extraordinaire!
Email: ashlee.glasco@pisd.edu
Phone: 469.752.6406
Panther Student Events
Panther Band
Come out and support our Amazing Panther Band. You have two opportunities to hear them play this week. They have been working hard and would love to see you there!
- 7/8 Band will be performing at the 8th grade football game on Tuesday.
- 7/8 Band Concert in the SMS cafeteria Thursday, Oct. 8th @ 7:00.
Panther Football
Panther Volleyball
Our volleyball girls have a break this week. They will be working hard to get ready for next weeks matches against Frankford.
Panther Priorities
Avid Site Team Meeting
D120
3:30
Report Cards
Wednesday, Oct. 7th
2nd period
Picture Day
Wednesday, Oct. 7th
Cafeteria and 8th grade commons
Science
Leadership Meeting
D124
3:30
English MESH
STUCO Kindness Challenge Continues
Student Council will be starting a kindness challenge for all of our students.
How is this going to work, you ask? The teachers will have strips of paper and when a student sees another student doing something kind, they will ask a teacher for the paper. The student will put the other student’s name on the strip and then give it back to the teacher. Student Council will start a chain going across the atrium, and we are hoping that it will go around it a few times. The paper chains will serve as a reminder to be kind to all. Each link will symbolizes a random act of kindness that has been noticed by teachers or students. Let’s cover Schimelpfenig in kindness!
Join the SMS PTA
$5 for lifetime members
SMSPTA.org
Sunshine Committee
$25
Fun Halloween Facts
- Halloween was influenced by the ancient Roman festival Pomona, which celebrated the harvest goddess of the same name. Many Halloween customs and games that feature apples (such as bobbing for apples) and nuts date from this time. In fact, in the past, Halloween has been called San-Apple Night and Nutcrack Night.
- Halloween is thought to have originated around 4000 B.C., which means Halloween has been around for over 6,000 years.e
Teaching is more than imparting knowledge, it is inspiring change. Learning is more than absorbing facts, it is acquiring understanding.
William Arthur Ward