Sugar Land MS Titan News
Week #19 - January 11, 2021
Greetings SLMS Parents and Guardians,
We are off and running with the second semester. We hope your children had a good first two days back. We had some glitches in some places on Thursday and Friday, but the students and the staff handled the unexpected with grace and dignity. We look forward to our first full week next week. Please take a few minutes to check out the information contained in this newsletter.
If your child is an online student, please remember that attendance at and engagement in all classes is expected from every student, every day. If your family is struggling to ensure your children are in class, especially for those who are online, please reach out to us and allow us to help you. We will be in touch with families whose children missed a significant number of days of instruction and who are in danger of or already not meeting the 90% attendance rule.
Also in this edition of Titan News is information about how students in the online learning model will be able to get their portraits taken so they may be included in our yearbook, their pictures updated in Skyward, etc. Please be sure to read about that information below. This opportunity will come quickly--this Friday, January 15, from 4:30-6:30 PM, at school. Information has been sent separately to parents of online students, as well.
If you are the parent of a current sixth grader, be sure to read the item below related to required immunizations for entering seventh grade. It is never too early to start thinking about these immunizations, as the deadline will come faster than you think!
Topics in this Week's Newsletter:
- SLMS Sixth Grader - Winner in Scholastic Contest!
- Law Enforcement Appreciation Day - Officer Sammy Smith
- Week At-A-Glance
- Upcoming Dates
- Lifetouch Portraits for Online Students, Portrait Retakes for F2F Students - January 15
- Reminders and Expectations for F2F Students
- Resource for Parents of Online Students
- FBISD Filmmaker's Academy - January 30
- Immunization Reminders for Current Sixth Graders
- Wellness Screener Reminders
- and much, much more
Thank you for your time and support of our school. As always, our ongoing priority is to serve our community in the best way possible. Please continue to follow all CDC guidelines for minimizing exposure to COVID-19 through frequent handwashing, use of hand sanitizer, not congregating in groups, and most importantly, wearing a mask. It will take all of us working together to defeat this virus once and for all.
Sincerely,
Keith Fickel, SLMS Principal
#GracePatienceOptimism
#BetterTogether
#InfinitePossibilities
#TitansOwnIt
SLMS Sixth Grader Jessy N. - Winner in Scholastic Contest
Congratulations to Titan sixth grader Jessy N. for being one of the ten winners in Scholastic's Make a Difference Contest for her essay entitled "Justice for Our Natural World," which focused on beach clean-up. She will receive a History and Activism Library, and each student in her ELA class will get a subscription to Junior Scholastic Magazine. Jessy's essay will be featured on scholastic.com.
Law Enforcement Appreciation Day
Week At-A-Glance
Upcoming Dates
- January 15 - Online Student Portraits and Face to Face Student Retakes
- January 18 - Staff/Student Holiday - Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday
- January 19 - February 12 - REN360 Assessments through Math and ELA classes
- January 30 - FBISD Filmmaker's Academy
- February 19 – 8th Grade Career Day (Moved from December 3)
Lifetouch Portraits for Online Students AND Portrait Retakes for F2F Students - January 15
We want to ensure we have the most up-to-date student picture for every student in Skyward, and we want every student to be represented in our yearbook, regardless of learning model. Therefore, we have worked out a plan with Lifetouch to have them photograph our online students and conduct retakes for our face to face students on Friday, January 15. See the schedule below.
- Retakes for F2F Students - 1:00-3:30 PM (please bring your purchased package to school)
- Online Student Portraits - 4:30-6:30 PM (see details below)
Online Student Portraits - Instructions
- Sign up for a time slot using this Sign-Up Genius link
- Ensure you complete the Wellness Screener in Skyward Family Access on Friday before arriving at SLMS; be able to demonstrate the "green check mark" on your smart device showing that the wellness screener was completed for Friday, January 15. Staff will ask to see it before allowing entrance
- Students must wear a mask over their mouth and nose. They will remove their mask briefly when the photographer takes the picture, then they will put it back on afterward
- Parents, please utilize the east parking lot. Be mindful of dismissal for F2F students wrapping up if you are one of the early appointments--do not park along the bus ramp if buses are present
- Have student's temperature checked by wellness monitor at the door. Students with temperatures of 100.0 and higher will not be permitted to enter
- Enter the building through the bus ramp door closest to the gyms (northeast corner of building). Note that only students may enter the building; parents must remain in their vehicle
- Proceed to photographer in the Boys' Gym to have picture taken
- If you follow all of the procedures correctly, your entire visit should take no more than 5 minutes
- If you were a F2F student during T2 and are now an online student, your picture should have already been taken. But if your picture was not taken or you want retakes, this is your opportunity to have that done. If you are doing retakes, bring your purchased picture packet with you to your appointment
- If you wish to order portraits, visit the Lifetouch website
Important Reminders and Expectations for F2F Students
Please assist us in the following ways in order to keep all students, staff, and parents safe:
All F2F students, regardless of being a walker, bike rider, car rider, or bus rider:
- Ensure your child has his/her student ID badge, including the school-issued, color-coded lanyard
- Complete the daily wellness screener before leaving home. Parent or child may complete it in Skyward Family Access or use the wellness card. Be prepared to show proof of completing and passing the wellness screener to staff upon entry to the building
- Keep cell phones turned off and in backpacks for the entire school day. Headphones, “Air Pods”, etc. – turned off and put away in your child’s backpack (because the cell phone/device should also be turned off and in the backpack)
- Just like last school year, students needing to contact a parent during the day will request a pass from the teacher to go to an office to make a call. Parents wishing to contact their children may call the main number at (281) 634-3080 to have a message delivered during the day. Please ensure we have your current contact information updated in Skyward, as well
- Remain in vehicle until asked to exit by a staff member
- Students exit the passenger side of the vehicle only, not the driver’s side, and only in the circle drive, not along Seventh Street
- No left turns from the circle drive onto Seventh Street (it is posted, but parents are still turning left. SLPD is starting to monitor this more closely)
- Have your child’s daily wellness screener already completed and ready to show to the staff member on duty on the front circle drive, and ensure your child exits your vehicle quickly. This keeps the line moving
- No U-Turns on Seventh Street into the driveway of the district’s landscaping and maintenance facility (it is marked along Seventh Street as no U-Turns)
- Display your child’s dismissal number prominently in your windshield. If you do not have a car rider number, please complete this quick form, and we will contact you with your number
- Please do not text your child to say you are in the car rider line – their phone should be off, and they need to wait until we call their car rider number over the PA
- No left turns from the circle drive, just like in the morning
Important Resource for Parents of Online Students
If your child(ren) are online, they (and you), may struggle to make sense of everything. If that describes you, please take a moment to check out this "Online Learning: What You Need to Know" resource on the FBISD web page.
Immunization Reminders for Current Sixth Graders (Online or F2F)
Your sixth-grade child did or will receive the Tdap and the Meningitis vaccines at their 11-year-old check-up. If they have had these vaccines, please provide proof of this to the clinic when your child gets them. These are the required shots for 7th grade and providing them as soon as you get them will keep your child compliant! You may email it to julie.cutaia@fortbendisd.com or fax it to (281) 327-3091.
Our experience has been that some parents wait until the last possible minute to be in compliance with these immunization requirements. Please help us help your child be ready for next year, as it will approach faster than you think!
SLMS Titan Masks for Sale - $10
PE Uniforms on Sale
Revised 2020-21 FBISD Calendar
Student Daily Wellness Screenings and Clinic Information
Many parents may have concerns about their students being sent home from the clinic due to the guidelines FBISD is following (based on CDC recommendations). Here are a few important points…
List of symptoms that can be present in a person who may be potentially sick with COVID19
- Runny nose/congestion
- Sore throat
- Persistent cough
- Difficulty breathing
- Headaches
- Chills
- Loss of taste/smell
- Significant muscle pain/aches
- Diarrhea/vomiting
These symptoms are also synonymous with many other illnesses or may be caused by a variety of reasons. For this reason, I would like to share a few tips!
- Make sure your child has breakfast and drinks some water every morning. This will help ward off headaches and stomachaches
- If your child has seasonal allergies, consider giving them a daily over-the-counter allergy medication to help distinguish between allergy-related or illness-related symptoms including headache, runny/stuffy nose, and sore throats from all that drainage
Please know that the nurse cannot determine whether your child’s symptoms are, or are not, COVID related. Rather, to keep all students and staff safe, it is important to strictly follow the CDC guidelines and the FBISD policy. Thank you for understanding. Please call the clinic with any questions 281-634-8745.
Parents, if your child is absent, please remember to fill out the Wellness Screening, even if you are keeping them home. Also, be sure to fill it out every day they are absent. In addition, please call or email Nurse Lincoln. Students with illness must meet specific criteria before they can return to school and Nurse Lincoln will help you through that process.
Please remember that ALL students, regardless of learning model, MUST complete the Wellness Screener EVERY SCHOOL DAY and answer the screening questions honestly. Either the parent completes the screener via Skyward Family Access on behalf of the child, or the child completes the screener themselves in Skyward Student Access. Regardless of who completes it (parent or child) and regardless of learning model (online or face to face), the Wellness Screener must be completed in Skyward every single school day. Even when a child will be absent (ESPECIALLY when a child will be absent!). Thank you to those of you who have faithfully completed this task on a daily basis. More information may be found further down in this newsletter (see Student Daily Wellness Screenings and Clinic Information). Occasional automated phone calls will go out to families whose child(ren) do not complete the wellness screener. Thank you for ensuring everyone's safety by completing this task every single school day.
Reporting a Positive Case of COVID-19 or Exposure to a Positive Case
To ensure the safety of all staff and students, it is critical that families report all positive cases of COVID-19, or exposures to a positive case of COVID-19, immediately. If your student tests positive for COVID-19 or is exposed to a positive COVID-19 case, please notify the District by reporting within the Daily Wellness Screener in Skyward Family Access.
Attendance Information for Parents
Parent notes are required for all absences within five days from the absence date. Notes must include full student name as well as the reason for the absence (including technical difficulties). If a student misses a synchronous engagement, they are counted absent.Please email all absence notes to AttendanceSLMS@fortbendisd.com. Contact our attendance clerk, Mrs. LaVergne, at (281) 634-3089 if you have questions.
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)
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)
Attendance - Mary Beth LaVergne (mary.lavergne@fortbendisd.com)
Registrar - Tandi Phillips (tandi.phillips@fortbendisd.com)
Nurse - Angi Lincoln (angela.lincoln@fortbendisd.com)
Executive Assistant to Principal Fickel - Mary Connealy (mary.connealy@fortbendisd.com)
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
#InfinitePossibilities
#GracePatienceOptimism
- 8:20-4:20 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