Cougar News
The Weekly Newsletter of Clint Small, Jr. Middle School
Newsletter for February 20th - February 24th
Letter from Principal Nelson
Cougar Nation-
As part of Small’s belief in giving back and paying it forward, we have had the honor of hosting two visiting Principals from Uruguay these last two weeks. It’s been a whirlwind of activity for the two, Leticia and Ana Luisa, as they have been staying with me, shadowing our administration team and teachers, and also paying visits to our sister campuses (BIG Ups to Austin High, Mendez MS, International High School, and Oak Hill). Other than the take-back that “all Texas food is too spicy,” here are a few of the favorite scenes/activities/incidents/systems/processes/’A ha’ moments/successes they witnessed:
- Teachers in the halls high-fiving kids as they enter classes and greeting each student by name. This is unique to them as the roles are reversed in their schools; the kids stay in the room and the teachers rotate from class-to-class.
- Electives are amazing! Kids are engaged, on task, working in groups, and having fun! They’ve seen Green Tech, PLTW, our Fine Arts programs and our awesome LOTE classes in action and can’t wait to share.
- The performances and breakfast at Austin High were a tremendous opportunity to allow students to present their passion and a perfect way to show teachers they are appreciated. I attended this event with them and plan on making it back every year...as well as creating a way to replicate it here on campus.
- Our teachers embrace technology! They have technology in Uruguay, almost at a 1-to-1 ratio in secondary, but there are issues with infrastructure (internet access) and in professional development for teachers. Teachers are hesitant to allow kids to use the technology in the classroom, and almost never let them on their phones. If you can picture a mind being blown, do so now as you picture what they witnessed in Mr. Kernan’s Algebra class. We walked in and every student had their phones out and were sitting in groups talking! Dios mio! However, upon further inspection they saw the students were on Kernan’s Edmodo website and were working on practice questions for a test. They had his notes pulled up, a picture of the white board, and were even looking at videos of Khan Academy. Que rica!
- Mr. Nelson spends entirely too much money on gadgets such as robot vacuums and wireless earbuds. They were able to figure out almost immediately why my refrigerator was empty; too many toys.
- Teachers all over the school use our Teach Like a Champion attention-getting signal of “Give me 5” when it’s time to listen. They also saw evidence of this at Oak Hill Elementary in a 4th grade classroom.
- Texans love their flags, Lone Stars, and way too many sugar skulls for their liking.
It was a wonderful opportunity for all of us to learn from one another and share best practices. I knew my staff and students would make them feel comfortable, because that’s the Cougar way, but I never anticipated the other schools and events to be so accommodating. These two visitors from another country saw nothing but kindness in their travels and were able to see why our state derived its name from the word friend. I’m reminded that being helpful and polite is the Texas way.
I told them on their last night here in town, eating food deemed too spicy, that after two weeks spent shadowing my staff and I, there were really only three things I hoped they took back to Uruguay:
- A positive culture on campus, with teachers and students who are happy, is not innate; it’s a skill that must be developed and practiced daily. We make sure to celebrate our successes, to add time during the day for fun, and to allow each student to be the best versions of themselves daily.
- Students do not learn from their teachers: they learn for their teachers. It’s all about building relationships. When kids know we are there for them, that we care, and that they are free to make mistakes and learn, they can do anything. It’s not about building a relationship with a class; it’s about building a relationship with each student.
- Pretty much any time you see “Texas” near an item on a menu, chances are it’s gonna be spicy.
Have a great week! Enjoy your Monday at any of the various mattress sales around town.
Matthew Nelson
Principal
Small Middle School
(512) 841-6505
@smallprincipal
New! Ultimate Frisbee Club
Announcing Small Middle School Ultimate Frisbee Club!
https://sites.google.com/view/smallultimate
After-school twice a week starting in mid-February through May - check website for latest info
Cost is $38 and includes a jersey - first 25 to join also gets a free Clint Small Cougar disc!
Go to the website above to register!
CSMS Cap10K Team
When you sign up, search for the team called: Clint Small Cougars
Green Project
Mr. Brooks 7th grade Nature Tech classes are starting an upcycling project. We will be building benches for outside seating using different types of used plastics. We are trying to collect 16 oz plastic bottles and stuff them full of soft plastics (wrappers, saran wrap, chip bags, etc.) We will be filling the used bottles with soft plastic items to make a solid green building material that will be strong and very long lasting at a very low cost.
If you are interested in setting aside these items for our project, please let us know and we can come by your class to collect.
We very much appreciate your donations!
Here are some pictures of what some similar projects look like using the same method of upcycling design.
Volunteer Corner
February Volunteer: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090949acaf29a2fd0-csms2
Message from the PTA
The following openings are the one we will have for the 2017-2018 school year: Vice-President Position, Treasurer Position, Cougar Cage Chairperson, and, Spring Carnival Chairperson.
Please contact Alyson Spier, alysonspier@icloud.com or 512-965-4251, at your earliest convenience for more information.
Be a Career Day Presenter
https://docs.google.com/a/austinisd.org/forms/d/1dg2g_xiSqAcquSP4nfviQeN3lLq9oNbMQr2FEXtg4Mc/prefill
Clint Small, Jr. Middle School
Email: jennifer.newell@austinisd.org
Website: http://www.smallmiddleschool.org/
Location: 4801 Monterey Oaks Boulevard, Austin, TX, United States
Phone: (512) 841-6700