Smallville-

Summer is here. We’ve made it through the most tumultuous time in education in our lifetime and are finally nearing normalcy. The lessons we learned can only strengthen our resolve for next year when we can all come together on campus in August.

If you are worried about your student being prepared for the next school year, you are not alone. Several of our students’ gains were minimal, and some may have even regressed. This summer must be a “working summer” to fill in the gaps created by the Pandemic. We need our students to address deficiencies in reading and math for the upcoming school year. Of the two disciplines, reading is by far the simplest one to address. All that is required is that your student read daily. Read anything, and everything h/she can get their hands on: books, magazines, comic books, graphic novels, blogs, novellas, poems, anything and everything with printed words will work. Then, to up the level, ask questions after reading to check for understanding and comprehension.

Math is the one subject we are most worried about for next year for all of our students. The reason being, math typically only happens in math class. Whereas reading takes place in all courses, electives included, math, unfortunately, does not lend itself to all the courses on your student’s schedule. The excellent news about math is that there are still only four basic operations (addition, subtraction, division, multiplication) but how and where we use them keeps changing. So first, make sure they get plenty of math operations reps this summer. At Bats, if you will. Second, allow them to assist you with all of your “real world” math problems you face every day; budgeting for food, figuring out 20% for a tip, deciding which fabric softener costs less per unit, etc., allow them the use of a calculator if need be. What’s important is that they learn what operations to use and how many steps are involved in your real-world word problem.

Here are some helpful sites for math activities and games for your student this summer:

Illuminations

Cool Math

Much like reading, any math will help. Find ways to get your student not only to use math on a daily but also to discuss why h/she is using it and what operations are required.

Also, AISD allows students to access iReady for the entire summer (hoorahs from teachers, noticeable groans from students)! So please have your student go to the cloud to log into iReady this summer to continue their ELA and Math lessons. Only this time, not assessment unless they so desire.

Hopefully, we can avoid the notorious summer slide after our 15 months of Pandemic learning and hit the ground running come August. Be creative in how you challenge your student and continue to explore ways to engage them in academic conversations, even if only for a bit; when it comes to filling in the gaps, every tiny bit matters.

Have a great summer!

Matthew Nelson

Principal

Clint Small Middle School

(512) 841-6705

www.smallmiddleschool.org

matthew.m.nelson@austinisd.org

As you may have heard, most middle and high school students don't shop for school supplies until after the first day of school. The reason is, every class has their own needs.

This is a little frustrating for those parents that want to get a jump on the good deals that go on during summer and not wait until everything is sold out. We have created a basic sample list to get you started. If you see a good deal, go ahead and pick up some of the items below.

School Supply List BASIC ITEMS TO GET YOU STARTED until class specific lists are received:

• Pencil pouch
• Poly folders with pockets and brads, various colors
• Blue or black pens
• #2 pencils
• Colored pencils
• Markers
• Highlighters – six colors
• Ruler
• Scissors
• Glue/Glue sticks
• Notebook paper
• Composition books (not spirals, one per class)
• Binders, dividers
• Backpack (large enough for supplies as no lockers are assigned)
• Earbuds
• Hand sanitizer

NICE TO HAVE and may or may not be required:

• dry erase markers
• pencil sharpener
• planner
• index cards
• flash drive
• wireless mouse
• tissue
• combination lock for gym locker
• water bottle

Note: what is also different in Middle School is that you keep your extra supplies at your house and restock through the year as needed. Please do not bring all your supplies to school like you did in Elementary. Keep everything at home, stock your backpack with what you need and then re-stock as needed.

• August 2nd - 11:00 am - 1:00 pm - Mr. Nelson Meet and Greet Q & A and Tour
• August 4th - 12:00 - 12:30 pm Tour (On-Campus Only)
• August 6th - 12:00 - 12:30 pm Tour (On-Campus Only)
• August 9th - 8 am - Principal Coffee

Both of the events with Mr. Nelson (8/2 and 8/9) will be on campus AND on Zoom. To Register for any of these events, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/GzGZFWdEoDHpWb1L6

These events are in addition to our 6th & 7th grade transition events.

• Cougar Camp and Tour happening July 27, 28, & 29th.
• Parent Camp on August 12th

Check out this Student Council designed Summer Board Game

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1pLMP1AjQG59PJoZ2EzKmuASFM2yIONtU2HIY9b9MmUg/edit?usp=sharing

We also will need you to turn in your Chromebook and charger, and any hotspots, instruments and library books you may have.

There will be someone in the office until June 9th, 2021 to drop your items off to come anytime between 8am and 4pm.

When: June 28 – July 1

Where: Small Middle School gym

Who:

• Boys and Girls entering 3rd – 5th grades 9:00 am – 12:00 noon
• Boys and Girls entering 6th – 9th grades 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm

Cost: $100 per camper

The Austin High Basketball Camp will focus on teaching the fundamentals of basketball and will provide campers the opportunity to improve and have fun with the game. Each camper will receive individual as well as group instruction from professional coaches. Coach Brad Ingram, head boys basketball coach at Austin High, will be the Camp Director. All equipment will be provided. Students will need to bring their own water bottle.

Sign up online at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfI2AXbNcpoAvgQIcS-SKnkh2owOX_TIYkmqaDhCyvcUj2png/viewform link and pay at https://austinisd.schoolcashonline.com/ (search for Austin High Basketball Camp)

Parents, are you looking for a way to give back to teachers and staff at Small Middle School?

We (A handful of Small Parents) have found a free and very effective way to show some love and thought we would share it with you all.

RAVE: Recognizing All Valuable Employees

Let's send some sparkly gratitude to our faculty & staff this holiday season with an AISD RAVE submission!

• Does your student have a favorite teacher?
• Has someone at Small (or any other AISD School) gone above and beyond for you and your family?
• Do you want to support teachers and let everyone (Teacher, Principal, AISD District) know about it?

All of our faculty and staff have gone above and beyond this semester. The best free, easy, sparkly way to show our gratitude is via the RAVE form on the AISD website (link below.) It only takes a couple of minutes to complete!

This form is received by AISD administration. RAVE submissions mean a lot to teachers and staff. It's equivalent to a virtual hug! And, there's never been a better time to remind the Superintendent how indispensable they all are.

Please submit a RAVE for any teacher or staff member (current or from school years past.)

Maybe send one or two a day! You do need the first and last name of the employee you wish to RAVE about. Those can be sourced on Small's Staff Directory :

https://www.austinisd.org/schools/small/directory

Flooding AISD administration with positive feedback will make an important and lasting impact. Let's make this holiday season sparkle a little extra with RAVES!

https://www.austinisd.org/hr/customer-service/rave

Thank you,

Small Parents