SMS GIANT News
April 21, 2023 #32
4th Quarter Principal Assembly- Review of "the Sequoia Way"
Upcoming Dates
4/25 & 4/26 Student assemblies
4/25 Site Council Meeting on Zoom at 3:00
4/26 Office hours for students at 1:10
4/27 Early Release Day
4/28- School Recess- no school
5/1-5/19 CAASPP Testing
5/10 Open House at 6:30-8:00pm
5/12 Annie Jr Play at 7pm in MUR
5/16 Spring Music Concert. MUR @ 7pm (note date chance)
Teacher Appreciation Week- Please help support!
Please join the PFC in showing our appreciation to the facilitators and staff for all that they do to help our children become learners and future leaders.
We have a special week planned and need your participation to help make it the success it deserves to be. PFC Thanks all the Parents for their wonderful support! Click below to see how you may be able to help out!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C094FAAAA23A0F8C25-staffApril is Arab American Heritage Month
Ideas for including Arab American history and culture in current curriculum:
The MDUSD school board just passed a resolution recognizing April as Arab American Heritage Month. Like the state of California, our SMS learning community reflects a broad range of students whose rich cultures enhance our school-community experience. We appreciate the contribution of the many diverse cultures that strengthen the fabric of our SMS community.
Young Writer's Contest Winner from SMS
I am happy to announce that one of our very own has recently earned a great distinction and honor to represent our school in the Young Writers Contest (which was founded back in 1995 by the Mt. Diablo Branch of the California Writers Club).
Almost all of the other student winners come from neighboring school districts in Walnut Creek, Alamo, Lafayette, Orinda, Moraga, San Ramon, and Danville. To be eligible for this contest, a student has to reside within and go to school in Contra Costa County.
This amazing student is the only one selected from our school, and (as far as I know) is one of only a FEW to be selected from ALL of MDUSD!
There are four categories for this contest: poetry, personal narrative (memoir), short story, and humor.
Our student not only received Honorable Mention for her 8th Grade Personal Narrative titled, “Blooming Again,” but she also won a 3rd Place finish in poetry for her 8th Grade poem titled, “Pinprick On The Ground.” Our sole SMS student to keep the streak of four consecutive years of SMS winners alive is none other than 8th grader Sanvi Panda!
We are so proud of her!
Important message from our Attendance Secretary- Karla Inieguez- REPOST
Effective April 10, 2023, if a student is chronically absent, the parent/guardian must:
provide medical verification for future absences to be excused. Chronic absenteeism
means that a student has missed 10 percent or more of school days(to date) due to
absences for any reason—excused, unexcused absences and suspensions. Absences can
cause students to have difficulty learning to read by their third-grade benchmark
assessments, affect academic achievement in middle school, or affect student
motivation to do the work required to graduate from high school.
Per MDUSD Board Regulation 5113 “If a student shows a pattern of chronic
absenteeism due to illness, district staff may require physician verification for further
absences to be excused.”
Remember “Every School Day Counts. Attend today, Achieve for a lifetime!
Spring Fling Permission Slip for 7th and 8th graders
Click the link below for this year's CAASPP Testing Schedule! Testing in the first several weeks in May
For families of Current 6th graders- Message from our Attendance Secretary Karly Inieguez REPOST
Students Starting 7th Grade Need:
Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis (Tdap) —1 dose (Whooping cough booster usually given at 11 years and up) Varicella (Chickenpox) — 2 doses (Usually given at ages 12 months and 4-6 years)
In addition, the TK/K-12 immunization requirements apply to 7th graders who previously had a valid personal beliefs exemption filed before 2016 upon entry between TK/Kindergarten and 6th grade.
Please contact Karla Inieguez ex 5609 if you have any questions. You can either email (inieguezk@mdusd.org) or drop off the immunization records. If you have submitted proof of these immunizations please disregard this message.
Out and About on Campus
Donating instruments
Pink out day
Mr. Minglana sports his pink on pink out day!
Anything but a backpack
Treats from our School resource officer
Anything but a backpack
Some more options for a backpack
Sledding books to school in April
Soccer mom spiritwear
Peer Nomination Award Recipients for Courage
6th
Avalon Bailey
Chase Christiansen
Erik Getty
Olivia Parra
Melissa Harris
7th
Brooklyn Millar
Melina Flores
Khalil Jones Bey
Lillie Fries
Al Ramahizuzu
Kimberly Locatelli
Brody Wells
8th
Alex Picon
Artessa Barrettova
Olivia Smith
Kaitlyn Boggs-Andronis
DAILY VIDEO BULLETIN
REPOSTS
Adult Ed Classes for Parents and Students- Repost
ADULT Education
Adult Education has resources for MDUSD families, for example, workshops for parenting and anger management. Please see the flyers in English and Spanish below.
Certificate Parenting In-Person Jan-June 2023.docx
Clase Para la Crianza de los Hijos April-June 2023 docx.docx
Certificate Parenting Flyer Winter Online January-March 2023.docx
Anger Management Flyer-In-Person January-June 2023.docx
Clase Para el Control de la Ira April-June 2023(Repaired).docx
Anger Management Flyer- Winter Online Class January-March 2023..docx
PARENTING CLASSES- English and Spanish Flyers
ANGER MANAGEMENT CLASS- English and Spanish Flyers
TITLE IX NON-DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT
The Governing Board is committed to providing equal opportunity for all individuals in education. District programs, activities, facilities and practices shall be free from discrimination, harassment, intimidation, and bullying based on actual or perceived ancestry, age, color, disability, gender, gender identify, gender expression, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sex, sexual orientation, actual or potential parental, family, marital status, or association with a person or a group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics (Governing Board Policy 0410).
Contact Us / How to File a Complaint
For questions, concerns or complaints regarding student harassment, discrimination, intimidation and bullying, please contact Jennifer Sachs, Chief of Educational Services, at sachsj@mdusd.org or by phone at (925) 682-8000 x4016.
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Sequoia Middle School
Email: keckl@mdusd.org
Website: sms-mdusd-ca.schoolloop.com/
Location: 265 Boyd Road, Pleasant Hill, CA, USA
Phone: 925-934-8174
Twitter: @SequoiaMSGiants