SMS Weekly Update
September 6 - 10
Calendar September 6-10
Sept. 6 - Labor Day
Sept. 7 - No School - Connection & Support with Families
Sept. 8 - A Day
6th Graders first day of school & New Student Orientation
Sept. 9 - A Day
First Day for 7th & 8th grade
Sept. 10 - B Day:
School Pictures
Chromebook Exchange
Upcoming Events
- Sept. 15 -- District School Board Meeting, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m., Virtual
- Sept. 16 – Back-to-School Night, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m., Virtual
- Sept. 23 – SMS Site Council Meeting, 7:15 – 8:15 a.m., SMS Conference Room
- Sept. 24 – SMS Band Performs at SHS Football Game, 7:15 – 9:00 p.m., SHS
- Sept. 25 – SMS Adv. Band Performs in Robin Hood Parade, 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
Back to School Night
Back to School Night will be held virtually on Thursday, Sept. 16th from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. This is an opportunity to hear a brief message from the Administration, then your student’s teachers will make short presentations regarding information about their classes. A document with the links to join the Zooms will be shared with families soon. We will be collecting questions via a digital form during the event. These questions will be answered in a FAQ format and shared in the Weekly Update. Back to School Night will also be recorded for those who might not be able to attend.
Thursday, Sep 16, 2021, 05:30 PM
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SMS Site Council: If you are interested in volunteering for the Sherwood Middle School Site Council, there are open positions for the upcoming 2021-22 school year. The Site Council meetings are currently held once each month from 7:15 – 8:15 a.m. the third Thursday of the month. The purpose of Site Council is to guide the school toward achieving educational goals. If you are interested or have questions, please email Jeanette Godfrey or call her at 503-825-5502.
Thank you for considering this volunteer opportunity.
Chromebooks: Please be sure your student has their chromebook at school on Friday, Sept. 10th. Sixth graders will swap their elementary chromebook for a middle level chromebook during their Language Arts class. Seventh and eighth graders new to SMS will receive their chromebook as well. Returning seventh and eighth graders having issues with their chromebooks should bring their chromebook to the Media Center so that the Tech. Dept. can repair it or provide them with a loaner.
Chromebook Protection Plan: To enroll in the Device Protection Plan for your student for the upcoming 2021-22 school year, we will be using an online platform. The 1:1 Protection Plan for 21-22 enrollment form will be available online at bit.ly/ssdprotect21. Cost of the plan for the year is $15.00 and is listed with your student fees if you would like to purchase the protection plan.
Student Pictures: School pictures will take place on Friday, September 10th. Photo packets will be distributed in class prior to picture day. Retakes will be Friday, October 22nd.
Yearbook: This school year we will again be using TreeRing, an online yearbook option for our SMS 21-22 Yearbook. As we progress through the year, we would love to have pictures you may have taken of your student and friends and their activities. Directions will be coming out so that you may submit for the yearbook. Currently, Please see the TreeRing flyer linked here for purchase information. The yearbook is currently 10% off through the end of September.
Menus: Click here for the September breakfast and lunch menu.
Back to School Information (Repeated)
Connection & Support with Families: On Tuesday, September 7th, SMS staff will be reaching out to SMS families. The purpose of the call is to connect with your family, learn about your students, and provide information and answers to questions you may have.
The first day for sixth grade and students new to SMS will be Wednesday, September 8th. Returning students should bring their school issued device and charger with them during the first week. The first day for seventh and eighth grade students will be Thursday, September 9th.
School Hours: The front office hours will be 7:30-3:40 daily. Student hours will be 8:30 a.m. to 3:20 p.m., except on scheduled early release days when students will attend from 8:30 a.m. to 2:20 p.m. Doors at the Main Entrance and the Activities Entrance will be open to students at 8:15 a.m. Students riding the bus will enter through the Main Entrance, while students who are dropped off will enter at the Activities Entrance. Students walking or riding a bike, etc. may enter at either the Main Entrance or the Activities Entrance.
Fee Payment & Lunch Deposit Process: Deposits to student lunch accounts for any extra items students may choose to purchase with their free lunch may be paid online using the PayForIt link. Payments of student fees may be paid online through ParentVue (does not work with cell phones) or in person by cash or check in the school office.
Breakfast is free to all students this year. Students eating breakfast may go directly to the cafeteria upon arrival at school, keeping in mind the building opens to students at 8:15. Students should allow themselves enough time to eat and be on time to their first class beginning at 8:30 a.m.
Lunch will be provided to all students this year at no cost. Lunches will return to the hot lunches as previously served rather than the bagged lunches provided this past year. Extra items such as chips, muffins, and more are available; however, these items are not free and can be purchased using your Nutrition Services account.
Students will be distanced 6 feet apart any time they are eating. For at least the start of the school year when the weather is nice, we will maximize the opportunities to eat outside for breakfast, snack, and lunch. This may mean students will be eating on our grassy field areas, covered play areas, or other large outdoor spaces with room for students to spread out and eat 6 feet apart.
Recess: Students will have recess daily after lunch and may spend it outside on the field or under the covered areas. Students will not be required to wear a mask while outside but will be expected to maintain a social distance of 6 feet. If students are playing team games outside, they will need to wear a mask.
Early Release: The District will have one-hour Early Release days each Wednesday throughout the 2021-22 school year beginning on September 15th. Please refer to the 2021-22 District Calendar for the scheduled Early Release days. Dismissal for those days will be at 2:20 pm.
Dressing down for PE: Students will not be changing into PE clothes for PE class this year. Students should wear clothing and shoes appropriate for outdoor activities on the days they are scheduled to participate in PE.
Attendance Procedures: If your student will be absent, please call the attendance line at 503-825-5510 by 8:30 a.m. to leave your name, your student’s name and the reason for the absence. This is a 24-hour line. Parents of students who are absent each day will be called if the school has not been notified.
Familias ahora tienen la opcion de reportar una ausencia llamando a una linia telefonica dedicada en español al (503-825-6480).
Illness at School: Students who are not feeling well, and/or exhibiting any of the symptoms associated with COVID-19 (CDC symptoms list) should not attend school. Our district will continue to use exclusion and isolation protocols for sick students and staff, as well as for those individuals who have a confirmed positive case of COVID-19. Additionally, our school nurses will be working closely with Washington County Public Health to identify and quarantine students and staff exposed as close contacts to a confirmed COVID-19 case. If your student has tested positive or been exposed to a confirmed positive case, please keep your student home and contact the school office for more information. Additionally, in an effort to protect others in our community, as well as to minimize student and staff out-of-school quarantines, please respond quickly to any contact from our schools or school nurses related to contact tracing follow-up.
From time to time students become ill while at school. Upon such an occasion, students may have their temperature taken by a staff member, and will be quarantined until a parent can be contacted and home care can be arranged. It is important that the office has up-to-date work and home phone numbers of parents and emergency contact phone numbers.
Students who are running a fever of 100 degrees or more will be sent home. Parents with questions about this policy should contact the school office or District Nurse, Lisa Church at 503-825-5456.
School Administered Medication: Oregon law and Oregon Administrative Rules require that all prescription and nonprescription medicine be administered to students by trained school personnel.
Parents must complete and sign a Medications Form authorizing school staff to administer any prescription or non-prescription medications. This form is required for all medications, even cough drops! (click here for medication forms)
Parents must deliver and pick up all medication. Medication must be in its original container (pharmacies will issue a transport bottle if requested when having the prescription filled.)
Written physician instructions (prescription label) are required for all requests to administer prescription medication. Instructions must include: name of student, name of
medication, dosage, route, frequency of administration and any special instructions.
Important Information From Last Week
Cleaning: We will continue to have students wash or sanitize their hands frequently and all school spaces will be cleaned and disinfected regularly.
Face Covering: On August 11, Governor Kate Brown announced the implementation of a statewide mask requirement for all adults and children over the age of 5 in indoor public spaces. In alignment with that change, our district will be upholding this requirement for staff and students, during all hours the building is open (not just school hours).
Families who do not want their student to wear a mask to attend school in-person will be provided with an option to continue their student’s education virtually. According to the guidance provided by the Oregon Department of Education, “Schools cannot serve a student in-person if they or their family choose not to wear a face covering. Schools may offer a remote or online school option for the student.” Please review the Friday, September 3rd District Updates newsletter for more information on the district’s online option.
Mask Breaks: Students may request a mask break from their classroom teacher for a limited time. Breaks are allowed at the discretion of the teacher.
Physical Distancing: While not required, the Oregon Department of Education strongly advises schools to continue the practice of physical distancing of at least 3 feet between students to the extent possible.
Cohorts: There will not be cohorting at the middle level.
Cohort Tracing and Quarantine: If a student is exposed to an individual who tests positive for COVID-19, staff will examine if the students were wearing masks and if they were physically distancing properly. This includes at least 3 feet apart for students or 6 feet apart for adults. Students must also maintain 6 feet of distance during times where there are exceptions to wearing masks, such as outdoor PE. If both mask use and physical distancing occurred correctly, the exposed student is not considered a close contact and does not need to be placed in quarantine.
If either mask use or physical distancing did not occur correctly, staff would determine if the contact lasted for longer than 15 minutes. If the contact lasted for longer than 15 minutes, the student would be considered a “close contact.” Once a student is identified as a close contact, our school nurses -- in collaboration with Washington County Public Health -- will use the contact tracing process to determine if the exposed student is required to quarantine. Quarantine requirements may be impacted by student vaccination status or development of symptoms, which school nurses will discuss with parents/guardians during the contact tracing process.
Traversa Ride 360 On the Transportation Department page (click here) of the district’s website you will find the instructions for accessing the transportation information for your student/s through our Ride 360 App. This App will allow you to:
Access the stop location and times.
See where the bus is in relation to the stop.
Get an approximate arrival time.
Receive notifications for your students' bus routes if the bus is running late or other relevant information regarding transportation needs to be distributed
SMS Walk Zone Information: Please click here to view the Walk Zone information for Sherwood Middle School students.
Food Service Information: All meals are at no cost to all of our SMS students through the 2021-22 school year. However, for those families who may qualify for additional benefits such as the P-EBT or the reduction/waiver of class fees, etc., it is important for you to complete the Free and Reduced applications online or pick up hard copies from the office.
Please click here to reach the Nutrition Services Webpage and link to the online application.
Permission to Share Form: In order to be eligible for other benefits (such as reduced student fees, athletic fees, etc.) you MUST complete and submit the Permission to Share Form which can be found on the last page of the application.
NOTE: If you completed the Free and Reduced application online, the Permission to Share Information Form still needs to be completed and returned to your student's school or mailed to: 21920 SW Sherwood Blvd, Sherwood OR 97140. Attn: Kelly Rood.