Letter from Mr. Sammon
Dear Smallville Community,
I hope all of you were able to get through the challenges of this past week. This winter storm created so many issues for us all both physically and mentally and many of us are still dealing with the damage the storm left. Our goal is to help transition our staff and students back into school and find ways to provide a safe haven for them as we make our way back into a more regular routine. The pandemic paired with the impact of a storm system that Texas does not usually endure created a week of struggle. Good news is that the beautiful weather is back with lots of blue skies ahead.
This will be my last newsletter, thank you all for taking the time to read them and finding ways to support our campus while Mr. Nelson was gone welcoming his new baby into the world. The past months have been filled with lots of challenges and triumphs. Our dedicated staff and the perseverance of our students and community is what made it possible. I will continue to be around and find ways for us to make this campus the best it can be. Thanks again for allowing me to be a part of the leadership team here at Small.
Speaking of Mr. Nelson, he will be back on campus starting tomorrow, Monday February 22nd. It has been awhile since he has been on campus so I have arranged for a New Employee Orientation for him that will include a scavenger hunt for people and places, a name tag so people will know who he is, and lots of planned breaks since a full day of being a Principal is very exhausting. We welcome him back and will continue to give him a hard time because that’s how we show affection (and it’s fun and easy to do with him).
Reminders / Announcements
First and foremost, teachers and staff will be working hard to allow students opportunities to make up any missing assignments and to most importantly support them as we transition back to school
Monday and Tuesday- NO SCHOOL (remote staff workdays that include planning, grading, meetings, etc.)
Wednesday-Thursday are REMOTE SCHOOL DAYS with synchronous instruction
Friday is an asynchronous day
NO NEW CONTENT in classes until March 1st for our students
In person students will NOT be back on campus until March 1st
Kids first, grades second. We will continue to do all that we can to support your kids, please reach out to admin, counselors, or staff if you have any additional needs.
David Sammon
Administrator
Small Middle School
(512) 841-6708
Motion Cameras
Update: We are up $718.00 towards our goal of $4392. Thank you to those of you that have donated. We can now purchase 13 more cameras!
SEL Mural Project
The Small Middle School counselors are super excited to star a special community project. We are hoping to paint two murals in front of the counseling office in collaboration with Small Middle School families. The murals will be made in efforts to promote unity and celebrate diversity.
We are in need of donations that will help in painting the murals and are looking for volunteers to come in shifts and help collaborate in making the murals come to life. Please review the available slots below and click on the button to sign up to donate or to volunteer. Thank you!
Click here to check out the murals we will be recreating
Click here to see what they need and/or to volunteer to help:https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0F49A4A72BA6FE3-selmurals
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Green Academy Blog
In case any of you are interested, here is our Green Academy Newsletter. We call it the Green Leaf. It is just a basic updated on projects and fundraisers.
https://insmallgardens.blogspot.com/?zx=e3249402c1fb022c
We are also beginning to take orders for our Handmade soap. We are calling it "Clint's Small Batch". We have 22 different options. They are in relative short supply, as we only have about 12 of each type. If the soap sells well we will make some more. We will also try and make more of the "best sellers". The soap still needs a few more weeks to finish curing. We will begin selling start March 8, the week before Spring Break. Bars are $5. If you have friends or families interested, please share the link. I will be willing to ship bars in packs of 2 for $5 to cover shipping and packaging. Order Soap Here: https://forms.gle/LaqhPWT22FGWKLAM9
Thank you for your interest and support!
NJHS
Congratulations to this year's NJHS inductees!
- Miles Leifeste
- James Peterson
- Drake Farris
- Landen Schipper
- Braden Hawn
- Sebi Segura
- Lily Phelan
- Mateo Sanchez-Olazaran
- Harper Lang
Please congratulate these students who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of scholarship, service, leadership, character, and citizenship. Mark your calendars for the evening of May 20th where we will celebrate via Zoom the induction of NJHS members from this year AND inductees from Spring 2020. More information on this event will be forthcoming.
Parents may pick up certificates at CSMS curbside on M-F from 8am - 4:30pm, or if you'd prefer to have the certificated mailed to you, please email christie.manners@austinisd.org.
Help! Yearbook Pictures
Please take a quick moment to upload a current picture of your student into this form and we will put that picture in the yearbook. Enter your pictures here: https://forms.gle/FVhSBupWdgnPRDnk9
Questions? Email thomas.shoptaw@austinisd.org
Advanced Art
Applicants must have had at least 1 semester of art
Yearbook Pictures
This is the announcement requesting pictures from Small families:
Please send pictures of your students or share them to Google Drive:
- camp outs
- trips
- backyard gardens
- next to Austin landmarks and murals
- with pets
- baby pics with name of student
- anything celebrating student success and creativity:
- costumes
- customs
- sports
- art
- playing an instrument
- holding up a favorite book
Our yearbook will be a colorful keepsake of the good things that happened this year.
It will be unique. But, this year our campus is Austin, our neighborhoods, cougar homes, and wherever our cougars roam.
We are looking into doing a drive by Picture Day - Look in future newsletters for more details.
Clubs at Small
There are a lot of Clubs To choose from. Click Here to see a list and how to join.
Remember that these clubs are an extra service the teachers are offering you and that all school rules apply. Please come and take advantage of the extra social time with other students who are interested in the same thing as you are!
If you have questions, please email the club sponsor.
Small PTA Info
PTA Hassle-Free November Fundraiser
This has been a crazy year for all of us, and Small’s PTA is no exception. Our Spring Carnival, which provides over half our annual budget didn’t take place, and it’s unlikely to happen in 2021. Our school store, the Cougar Cage, is closed indefinitely. We need your help more than ever!
The PTA budget will be used to fund unique supply needs of pandemic-era classrooms like chargers, extension cords, and headphones. We’ll provide guest speakers for parents - coming November 18th, Dr. Mike Brooks on screen time - and we’re working on creative community-building events that can be done virtually.
We hope to raise $30 per child. We know it's a hard time for many families in our community, and we appreciate any donation you can make. And don’t forget corporate matching if your employer participates. Thank you for your ongoing support!
Questions about the PTA? Contact SmallPTA2020@gmail.com
Address the CAC Committee
If you are interested in speaking to our CAC using our Citizen Communication time, please email our CAC chair Co-Chair Chasee chappellhudgins@mac.com for the meeting Zoom details.
Citizens Communications. For all regular and other plenary meetings of the CAC, time at the beginning of the meeting shall be set aside for citizens communications. This time is specifically for non-members to make comments to the CAC. The Co-Chairs may limit the time for citizens communications and the time given to individual speakers. The Co-Chairs shall ensure that the district’s “Citizens Communications and Visitor Guidelines” are applied. Under these guidelines, except for requests for clarification, dialogue shall not occur between speakers and members. If the CAC is interested in hearing more from a speaker, the speaker may be invited to a future meeting and placed on the agenda specifically for that purpose. Or, the CAC may call a special meeting specifically for the purpose of open dialogue with non-members (e.g., a “community conversation”), but it must be posted for discussion on a specific topic or topics.
PARENTS CAMPAIGN TO RAVE!
Parents, are you looking for a way to give back to teachers and staff at Small Middle School?
We (A handful of Small Parents) have found a free and very effective way to show some love and thought we would share it with you all.
RAVE: Recognizing All Valuable Employees
Let's send some sparkly gratitude to our faculty & staff this holiday season with an AISD RAVE submission!
- Does your student have a favorite teacher?
- Has someone at Small (or any other AISD School) gone above and beyond for you and your family?
- Do you want to support teachers and let everyone (Teacher, Principal, AISD District) know about it?
All of our faculty and staff have gone above and beyond this semester. The best free, easy, sparkly way to show our gratitude is via the RAVE form on the AISD website (link below.) It only takes a couple of minutes to complete!
This form is received by AISD administration. RAVE submissions mean a lot to teachers and staff. It's equivalent to a virtual hug! And, there's never been a better time to remind the Superintendent how indispensable they all are.
Please submit a RAVE for any teacher or staff member (current or from school years past.)
Maybe send one or two a day! You do need the first and last name of the employee you wish to RAVE about. Those can be sourced on Small's Staff Directory :
https://www.austinisd.org/schools/small/directory
Flooding AISD administration with positive feedback will make an important and lasting impact. Let's make this holiday season sparkle a little extra with RAVES!
https://www.austinisd.org/hr/customer-service/rave
Thank you,
Small Parents
Clint Small, Jr. Middle School
