SLMS Titan News
Back to School - August 11, 2021
Greetings SLMS Parents and Guardians,
This Wednesday, August 11, will be the first day of school for the 2021-22 school year, and SLMS is ready to welcome our Titans! We know there is a mixture of excitement and anxiety, and we will be taking great care of everyone, with safety and wellness at the top of the priority list. Be sure to check out the item below titled, What Do I Need and Where Do I Go on the First Day of School? It will tell you all you need to know about making sure you and your child know what to expect on day 1. You will also want to check out the related file linked below that is the PowerPoint presentation from our Titan Camp orientations and our Back to School webpage.
Start checking off your "to do list" today by reviewing the article in this newsletter titled, "Parent 'To-Do' List". This is a big-ticket item for parents.
Please take a moment to get caught up to all the goings-on at SLMS by reading the news items below. This edition of Titan News includes information about:
- Upcoming Events / Important Dates
- Missed Titan Camp / Orientation? No Problem!
- What Do I Need and Where Do I Go on the First Day of School?
- Parent "To Do" List
- Information Regarding Academic/Hallway Lockers
- Employment Opportunities at Sugar Land MS
- Football and Volleyball Information (7th and 8th Grade Students Only)
- Class / Bell Schedule for 2021-22
Thank you for taking some time to consider the items in our Titan News. Enjoy these last couple of days before the start of the school year. Wednesday will be here before you know it!
Sincerely,
Keith Fickel, Principal
#NewBeginnings
#TitansOwnIt
#ReturnOfTheTitans
Upcoming Events
- August 11 - First Day of School - building opens at 8:20 AM, classes begin at 8:55 AM
- August 20 - Coffee With the Principal, 10:00 AM
- September 2 - Open House, 6:00 PM
Missed Titan Camp / Orientation? No Problem!
What Do I Need and Where Do I Go on the First Day of School?
- String bag (no need for a backpack today, really, but you can bring one; no rolling backpacks)
- Pen or Pencil
- Lunch (if not getting one from the lunch line)
Where to Report and What to Do:
Car Riders / Bike Riders / Walkers: Enter the building through the front door (by the flagpole on Seventh Street). Parents--if your child is a car rider in the morning but a bus rider in the afternoon, please ensure that your child knows his/her route number so we do not have confusion at dismissal.
Bus Riders: Enter through the bus ramp doors where your bus drops you off
- 6th grade - report to the Commons (cafeteria)
- 7th grade - report to the Girls' Gym
- 8th grade - report to the Boys' Gym
- All Students: once you arrive at the location above, look on the walls for listings (alphabetical by student last name), showing each student who their first period teacher is. When you find your name on the list, see who your first period teacher is. Then, find that teacher in your area, whose name will be clearly marked on signage. We will take it from there
Parents: Please DO NOT escort your child into the building. Please let them get out of the car or off of the bus, and walk into the school on their own. We do not have enough parking or space to accommodate parents, even at the entrances. We promise to take great care of your children!
Parent "To Do" List
Parents, please be sure to check these items off your list as you complete them:
- Complete the online verification of student information and enrollment in Skyward Family Access for each child in your family. Please be mindful of your permissions regarding your child's name, image, and social media, as your response might prevent your child's name and/or picture from appearing in the yearbook. Link to Skyward Family Access | Link to Enrollment Verification Flyer in English | Link to Enrollment Verification Flyer in Spanish
- Ensure you are set to receive information from the school through Blackboard Connect. Follow the instructions at www.fortbendisd.com/blackboardconnect
- Looked for your child(ren)'s bus route information, if applicable by visiting the Bus Route Info page
- Complete or renew your application for Free or Reduced Meal Program by visiting the Free and Reduced Meal program web page on the district website
- Ensure your child(ren)'s vaccination/immunization records are up-to-date. This particularly important if your child will be in 7th grade this year, as there were some updates your child needs to have before attending school. Our deadline to receive your information is August 6 in order for your child to attend school on the first day. Note that these immunizations DO NOT include the COVID-19 vaccination. For more details, see the article further down in this newsletter, or visit the district's School Health Services web page
School Supplies for 2021-22
All of the supplies your child will need are listed in the SLMS school supply list, which was created by the teachers. The only items not included are things like PE uniforms and specialty items needed for certain elective classes. PE uniform sales will begin in late July in a separate process. A list of items needed for specialty electives classes will be shared by your child's teacher once school starts.
If you ordered the ready-made school supply kits that were on sale from late April through early June, orders will be delivered to the school and distributed to students at Titan Camp / Orientation (see previous item). If you have questions about pre-ordered school supply kits, please contact Lisa Vogel at vogelville2@yahoo.com.
PE Uniforms – available for purchase online. Link to PE Uniform Purchase Website
(note: if your child is taking Kickstart instead of PE or athletics, their uniform, called a '"Gi", will be made available to you through the instructor)
Information Regarding Academic/Hallway Lockers
SLMS, along with nearly all district middle schools, has made a decision this year to discontinue the use of the hallway academic lockers for students. We recognize that this may come as a surprise (and maybe even a disappointment) to some students and their parents. The reason for this decision has many aspects:
- We did not use lockers last school year when students came F2F, as we allowed them to carry their backpacks from class to class, and it worked very well. Students who had lockers the previous year did not miss having them
- We have pared down our school supply list significantly, even reducing the size of the AVID binder from 3" to 2", limiting what students would need to carry, which greatly reduces the weight of the backpack students will need to carry around. And not everything on the school supply list is meant to be carried around daily, anyway
- We do not issue hardback, physical textbooks to students, but rather we use class sets; textbooks are also online
- In math, ELA, and science, students have a consumable book that stays in the classroom, but for which they only tear out the pages needed, and they are placed in the AVID binder, minimizing anything that needs to be carried around
- With the continued concern regarding COVID-19/Delta variant, eliminating the locker means significantly less time being near others in a confined space between before, between, and after classes
- Students will go directly from class to class with no need to go to their locker, which means students will arrive on time and not have a stop that could make them late for class
What, exactly, will students be carrying from class to class, then? That is a great question! Generally speaking, they will have the following with them daily (some items come and go at the beginning and end of the day or the beginning and end of the week):
- Backpack itself (which should be worn properly, with both straps, not just one); please note that rolling backpacks will not be permitted this year due to the trip hazard they present to others
- AVID Binder (2") - which has tabs, pockets, etc. for all classwork to help remain organized, along with the student planner that we will issue to students on the first day of school.
- Pen/Pencil Bag (kept in AVID binder; contains pens, pencils, erasers, scissors, small calculator, wired earbuds, glue stick)
- Clear Water Bottle with Screw-on Cap/Lid (to be filled at our bottle fillers throughout the building)
- Lunch from home (if not getting a lunch from the serving line)
- Personal Laptop from Home and charging cable (optional; school-owned devices are available in all classrooms if you do not want to BYOD)
- Book from the Library (as needed)
- Students may also bring their cell phone to school (guidelines to be shared with students the first day)
Note that PE uniforms and band/orchestra instruments will be brought to school and taken home, but they will not be carried around throughout the day. Band/orchestra instruments will be be brought to their respective rehearsal spaces at the beginning of the day, and then picked up and taken home at the end of the day). See next paragraph regarding PE uniforms and lockers.
Students will continue to be issued a PE locker for their PE uniform (or an Athletic locker, if involved in they are a 7th or 8th grade student involved in a school-sponsored sport). Students will bring their washed, clean PE uniform to class on Monday and place it in their PE locker; they will take it home on Friday for it to be washed (or sooner if needed), and bring it back on Monday (or the next day).
Employment Opportunities at Sugar Land MS
We have an opening in our Special Education Department in our ABC classroom. We are looking for an additional aide to help the teacher and the students in this classroom. To find out more about this position, as well as to apply, please visit the ABC Aide Middle School information page on the district’s employment website.
We also have an upcoming vacancy for a Spanish teacher starting around September 3. To find out more about this position, such as the qualifications/licensure, as well as to apply, please visit the Teacher World Languages Middle School information page on the district's employment website.
Please email your resume to Principal Fickel at keith.fickel@fortbendisd.com if you have interest in either of these opportunities. Feel free to share with your friends/family who may have interest, as well.
Football and Volleyball Information -- 7th and 8th Grade Students Only
All students need a valid and up to date athletic physical on file before they can participate in extracurricular activities. Students can download an athletic physical form off the FBISD athletics page and bring it with them to submit to their coaches on the first day of school (or before school starts, which is better). All students need to visit www.rankonesport.com and fill out all of electronic forms (include leading zero "0" in your child's student ID number when logging into RankOne). All forms need to be submitted electronically, AND the physical form must be turned in before a student athlete is eligible to tryout/participate.
Athletic Physical Opportunity
Thursday, August 12, 2021
6:00-8:00 PM
Hopson Field House
3335 Hurricane Lane
Missouri City, TX 77459
Fee is $20, cash only
Bring your downloaded/printed athletic physical form (linked above) to the event
Football
The football equipment pickup schedule will be as follows after school (4:30-6:00 PM):
- Thursday, August 12 (8th Grade only)
- Friday, August 13 (7th Grade only)
- Equipment pickup will be in the boys’ locker room and will begin immediately after students are called for over the PA. If you do not have a physical please do not come to pick up equipment, as you will not be eligible
- The first day of football practice will be after school Monday, August 16
- Students will only need to purchase football cleats. All other equipment will be provided by FBISD
- If you have questions, please contact Coach Esposito at Pete.Esposito@fortbendisd.com
Volleyball
- Tryouts will occur before school (6:45-8:15 AM) on August 16, 17, and 18. Students must attend ALL tryout dates and times. Doors open at 6:30 AM
- Practices are Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 6:45-8:15 AM
- Game days are Thursdays
- Physicals and online electronic forms must be completed and submitted prior to trying out. See information above
- Contact Coach Woods at toni.woods@fortbendisd.com if you have any questions.
PE Uniforms – available for purchase online. Link to PE Uniform Purchase Website
Class Schedule for 2021-22
Our class schedule/bell schedule for the 2021-22 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-minute class periods. except for periods 1 and 7, which are 55 minutes). MWF also has a 10-minute "Titan Time" where we do announcements and other housekeeping business; this is an additional 10-minute period added to the end of period 2, and there is no transition
- Tuesday and Wednesday will have a 7-period day (45 to 50-minute class periods), with an additional Advisory period between period 6 and 7. Advisory will be used as a flexible time to conduct interventions, enrichments, as well as to show our broadcast/announcements, and even an opportunity for clubs and organizational meetings
- Students will have every class every day
- Students will have the same lunch period every day
- Transitions between class periods will be 5 minutes in length
Note the change in school start/end times. For 2021-22, the school day will begin at 8:55 (5 minutes later than last year), and the day will end at 4:10 (5 minutes later than last year).
You may download a PDF of the bell schedule by visiting this information page on our campus website. An image of the bell schedule is below.
Important Contact Information
- Associate Principal - Monika Martin (monika.martin@fortbendisd.com)
- Counselor - Nafecia Brinson (nafecia.brinson@fortbendisd.com)
- Assistant Principal - Dr. Dawn Rogers (dawn.rogers@fortbendisd.com)
- Counselor - Eleni Smith (eleni.smith@fortbendisd.com)
Eighth Grade
- Assistant Principal - Luster Goodwin (luster.goodwin@fortbendisd.com)
- Counselor - Kim Seright (kimberly.seright@fortbendisd.com)
Counselor Clerk - Carmen Brantley (carmen.brantley@fortbendisd.com)
Assistant Principal Secretaries
- 7th and 8th Grade - Tina Garcia (diamantina.ibarragar@fortbendisd.com)
- 6th Grade - Sherri Woodcock (sherri.woodcock@fortbendisd.com)
Attendance - Mary Beth LaVergne (mary.lavergne@fortbendisd.com)
Registrar - Tandi Phillips (tandi.phillips@fortbendisd.com)
Nurse - Shetal Patel (shetal.patel@fortbendisd.com)
Clinic Aide - TBD
Executive Assistant to Principal Fickel - Mary Connealy (mary.connealy@fortbendisd.com)
Sugar Land Middle School
46 Years
1975-2021
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
#NewBeginnings
#Resilience
Office Hours from Monday, July 26 through Tuesday, August 10
8:20-4:20 (closed 12:00-12:45 for Lunch)
Office Hours starting Wednesday, August 11
8:20-4:20 PM
Email: keith.fickel@fortbendisd.com
Website: www.fortbendisd.com/slms
Location: 321 7th Street, Sugar Land, TX, USA
Phone: (281) 634-3080
Twitter: @SLMSTitans