Sugar Land MS Titan News
Summer Edition #3 - July 28, 2020
Greetings Titan Families,
I know that many of our families are anxiously awaiting information on the start of the school year, so I am writing with a brief update following recent meetings with the FBISD Board of Trustees and the “Live Checking in with Charles” events. This week, FBISD shared the plan to start the school year 100% online on August 17 in order to protect the well-being of our students and staff. Instruction will be delivered online for a minimum of four weeks. FBISD will continue to consult with a COVID-19 advisory group and local health officials to determine when it will be appropriate to begin face-to-face instruction. As the advisory group continues its work, the District will be publicly sharing the measures and metrics that will be used to determine when schools will open for face-to-face instruction.
In this edition of Titan News there are some important updates for you:
- Enrollment Verification and Back-to-School Readiness Forms (due August 3)
- Virtual Orientation
- School Supplies
- Grade Level and Other Important Contact Information
- Links to helpful pages on the district and campus websites
- Short video to remind us not to let social distancing turn into isolation
- Replay of Dr. Dupre's most recent Live with Charles event
- Immunizations (everyone, even online, must have current shot records!)
- Grab and Go Meals Resume
- Virtual Vigil for Mr. McDaniel
- VIDA Clinic information
- SLMS is Designated as a "No Place for Hate" campus
Please continue to monitor your email, and visit the Fort Bend ISD and Sugar Land MS websites and social media channels for additional updates. And remember, it is vital that parents keep their contact information (email, phone numbers, etc.) current with the district so that the lines of communication may remain open.
Be assured that we are hard at work to ensure we are well prepared for August 17. In the meantime, our staff is available to assist you and your child. Feel free to call our main line at (281) 634-3080. It is going to be a different kind of year, but it will also be one in which everyone--students, staff, and parents--will grow. In the meanwhile, please be safe and follow all prescribed health and safety protocols. We will be in touch again next week!
Sincerely,
Keith Fickel, SLMS Principal
Orientation
Orientation - We are organizing a "virtual" orientation for our students and their parents. Orientation will last approximately 45 minutes, and will conclude with a Q&A session. Our plan is to offer these late in the early evening in order to accommodate smaller groups of attendees but also accommodate parent work schedules. These will be virtual, and not in-person orientations. The specific dates and schedule will be shared with you in the next update, but will likely be the week of August 10.
Enrollment Verification and Back-to-School Readiness Forms - Due August 3
Enrollment Verification and Back-to-School Readiness - In order for our staff to prepare to instruct your child, it is important that the Enrollment Verification Form be completed in Family Access for each student in the household. The Enrollment Verification Form is how you will notify the campus of your technology needs at home. It is important that this form be completed for each of your children by August 3 in order for the campus to assist with technology needs prior to the start of the school. Through Enrollment Verification, parents may verify their contact information and fill out required forms. This year, parents will complete the following new forms:
- Back to School Readiness - Indicate your family’s needs associated with connectivity, childcare, and transportation
- Lending Library Parent Agreement & Lending Library Technology Use
- Student BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) Use Agreement
As the communication begins to shift from the District to the campus level, here is what you should expect:
- Weekly Titan News updates will continue each week moving forward
- Automated phone messages will be utilized if a communication is time sensitive, or requires action on your part, in addition to the campus email
- All communication from the school messaging system will be posted on the campus website for you to access at any time
- Weekly Titan News updates will also be posted in Schoology
School Supplies
School supplies - Although we will start the year 100% online, students will still need school supplies at some point. Over the last few years, our school supply list has been pared down to only truly essential items and to be reasonable in cost. These items will be needed when we return to face-to-face instruction, but your child will also find them helpful during online learning. If you ordered pre-packaged school supplies from the PTO, they will be delivered to the campus in early August. We will devise a pick-up plan for them and communicate it with you when the time comes. Here is a link to our school supply list.
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)
Attendance - Mary Beth LaVergne (mary.lavergne@fortbendisd.com)
Registrar - Tandi Phillips (tandi.phillips@fortbendisd.com)
Nurse - Angi Lincoln (angela.lincoln@fortbendisd.com)
Campus Secretary - Mary Connealy (mary.connealy@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)
Some Perspective About Isolation -- Short Video
The short video below, made by a student, is making the rounds on the Internet. A well-respected Sugar Land area psychologist says this regarding what you see on the video:
I see this daily in my office, and that it has been hard to witness day in and day out. If you have kids at home or in college, check on them a lot. Make sure social distancing doesn’t turn into isolation. Hug them. Get them outside. Move around. Keep playing those board games and watching silly videos. Help point out the things and experiences all around us that there are to be grateful for. And help them remember life will not always be like this.
CHECKING IN WITH CHARLES #3 - REPLAY FROM JULY 22
Please take a moment to watch a replay the "live" event hosted by Dr. Dupre on July 22 regarding the opening of school. It begins at approximately the 5:30 mark
Mr. Doyle McDaniel - Vigil on Tuesday, July 28 at 7:00 PM
As previously shared with our community, we are saddened by the loss of our beloved friend, colleague, teacher, mentor, and crossing guard, Mr. Doyle McDaniel. To celebrate his life and honor his memory, we are holding a Virtual Vigil on Tuesday, July 28, at 7:00 PM. Mr. McDaniel’s family will be in attendance, and we invite you to attend, as well. The details are below.
Time: 7:00 PM, Tuesday, July 28
Location: on Zoom. Please use this Zoom link. You will be placed in a waiting room, and you will be admitted at the beginning of the Vigil. We also invite you to leave a tribute or your condolences at this special website: https://bit.ly/DOYLEMCDANIEL
Immunizations Must Be Up to Date -- Even When School is 100% Online
This is a reminder from our nurse that all students must have their shots up-to-date or have a valid exemption on file when school starts. This is regardless of whether instruction is online or in person. To find out more information regarding immunizations, visit the Texas Department of State Health Services web page.
Grab and Go Meals Resume
Grab and Go Meals have resumed at ten sites across the District. As a reminder, breakfast is available from 7:30 a.m. to 9 a.m., and lunch is available from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Monday through Thursday. On Thursday, extra breakfast and/or lunch meals will be provided for Friday. Visit fortbendisd.com/freemeals for the latest information.
Mental Health Partnership with Vida Clinic
We would like to welcome one of FBISD’s mental health partners, Vida Clinic to our campus. They are a resource that will offer counseling services to our campus students, families, and staff starting this summer. To schedule services with Vida Clinic, please visit vidaclinic.org or contact the Vida Clinic Care Team at 512-518-2209 or by email at vidacare@vidaclinic.org. Vida Clinic will work with each family or staff for payment of services and identify funding options to fit their unique situation.
SLMS Designated as a "No Place for Hate" School in 2019-20
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) in the Houston area works with schools to stomp out mistreatment of any kind for any reason through its NPFH, or No Place for Hate program. SLMS has been engaged in the work for many years, and was once again named as NPFH campus for 2019-20. Due to COVID-19, we are unable to receive a physical banner, but the recognition is still the same. This is work we will continue to do in the 2020-21 school year, made ever more urgent by social unrest throughout the United States this summer in the wake of the death of George Floyd. Thank you to our counselor, Nafecia Brinson, as well as the students and teachers that are a part of our NPFH Coalition, for leading this important work at SLMS and in our community.
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
Regular Office Hours - Resuming Monday, June 27
- 8:00-4:00 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