Sugar Land MS Titan News
Week #4 - September 7, 2020
Greetings Titan Families,
We hope you are enjoying this Labor Day weekend with family and friends, and that you are all doing well. We had a great turnout this past week for picking up At-Home Learning Kits and textbooks. If you missed it, please contact Tina Garcia at (281) 634-3117 to set up a time to pick yours up. We had a few technical glitches at our Virtual Open House on Thursday. Some parents needed a password, and others did not. We are not sure why that happened, but we apologize for the inconvenience it caused those who were unable to attend because of it. Be sure to watch the brief open house videos your child's teachers have posted in their Schoology course pages.
We know that this online learning experience has been a challenge. It has been a challenge for everyone. I do want to publicly thank our teachers and staff for the tremendous amount of time and effort that they have expended (and continue to expend) in preparing each day's lesson experiences to make them be the most meaningful and relevant opportunity for every child. They are truly heroes in this challenging season of our lives. We also appreciate the parents who are juggling so many things to make it work for their children. With that being said, please do not forget to select your child's Learning Model in Skyward Family Access by the deadline this Tuesday, September 8. There is important information in the newsletter below about this. As of 10:45 AM Sunday, September 6, there were still 798 students whose learning models had not yet been chosen by their parent (69% of our student body). Thank you for considering the items in this week's newsletter update.
This newsletter contains the following topics:
- Week At-A-Glance
- Learning Model Selection - Deadline 4:30 PM, Tuesday, September 8 (NEW)
- Immunization Update - Preparing for Extracurriculars and Face-to-Face Learning (UPDATED)
- Gifted and Talented (GT) Referral Information (NEW)
- REN360 Screener Information (UPDATED)
- Student Expectations for Engagement & Active Presence in Synchronous Class Meetings (UPDATED)
- Attendance Information from Mrs. LaVergne
- Student-Led Pledges and Moment of Silence
- LockDown Browser Information
- Cheerleader Tryout Information
- SLMS PTO Spirit Night at Willie's - September 16
Thank you for your time, and thank you for your support of Sugar Land MS. Please do not forget to select your child's learning model by 4:30 PM on Tuesday.
Sincerely,
Keith Fickel, SLMS Principal
#GracePatienceOptimism
#BetterTogether
#InfinitePossibilities
#TitansOwnIt
The Week At-A-Glance
Learning Model Selection Process - Deadline is 4:30 PM Tuesday, September 8
A critical step in this planning is determining how many families plan to send their students to campuses for face-to-face instruction, or, as an alternative, will select 100 percent online instruction. This information will be used as Fort Bend ISD campuses and departments implement all health and safety protocols, develop student and teacher schedules, and plan toward the phased transition to face-to-face instruction.
During the Learning Model Selection Process from September 3 – 8, parents will choose the student learning model that best meets their needs. As part of the process, parents will also acknowledge receipt of the Student Code of Conduct and the Student Parent Handbook. Learning model selection will close on September 8 at 4:30 p.m. to allow time for student schedule development.
Learning Model Selection is done in Skyward Family Access.
Note: Any student who does not have a selection form completed will default to face-to-face learning for planning purposes. As per TEA guidance, parents may elect to change student learning models a minimum of two weeks prior to each grading period.
Immunizations Update From Nurse Lincoln
This is a reminder from our nurse that all students must have their shots up-to-date or have a valid exemption on file. This is regardless of whether instruction is online or in person.
All immunizations must be up-to-date before your student may return to face-to-face instruction or participate in any extracurricular activities per the State of Texas immunization requirements. Please send records to angela.lincoln@fortbendisd.com or fax records to 281-327-8745. Nurse Lincoln has emailed noncompliant letters so that you are aware of the immunizations your child needs, if any.
To find out more information regarding immunizations, visit the Texas Department of State Health Services web page.
Gifted and Talented (GT) Referrals Through September 30
If you would like to refer your student to receive gifted and talented services in FBISD, please review this PowerPoint presentation, and refer to the link included to submit your student’s information. The last day to submit a referral is September 30th. If you have any questions, please contact Kimberly Seright, 7th Grade Counselor and Gifted and Talented Testing Liaison for the SLMS. You may reach her at (281) 634-3085 or by emailing her at kimberly.seright@fortbendisd.com.
REN360 Screener Information - Testing Window Extended Again until September 11
Fort Bend ISD uses Renaissance Star 360 Assessments to help teachers understand what students know and what they are ready to learn next. Typically, these assessments are given throughout the school year to monitor student progress and are administered in the school setting. Part of our normal testing plan includes a fall, beginning of the year assessment. After careful consideration, knowing the value of this data to make informed instructional decisions for your child, we will be administering the assessment remotely. Our fall testing window is this week, August 25-September 11.
Access REN360 through 1Link. Look for the big "R" icon (Renaissance)
NOTE: The window for REN360 was extended a second time to September 11
Student Expectations for Engagement and Active Presence in Daily Synchronous Class Meetings
At the conclusion of the previous school year and after our "emergency" virtual learning experience, the district received tremendous amounts of feedback from parents about how their children needed more "face time" with teachers--a concept we refer to as "synchronous" or "live" interaction with teachers. The district heeded that important feedback, and created an online learning schedule this fall that drastically increased that "face time" up to 2 hours and 35 minutes weekly (155 total minutes) per class per week. However, that still falls far short of the 240 minutes per week students would typically experience for each class in the traditional, brick-and-mortar school environment. Therefore, the 155 synchronous minutes students have per class each week is vital, and teachers are striving to make the most out of each and every minute. This means that students MUST be in attendance, both physically (virtually) and mentally, for every minute of every synchronous class meeting on Microsoft Teams. Barring legitimate Internet or connectivity issues or emergencies, students are expected to be fully engaged and actively present for the full duration of every synchronous session. This means being prepared to offer answers to questions posed by the teacher in a variety of ways so that the teacher may formally and informally assess their progress. Please support your child and his/her teachers by ensuring that this occurs.
NOTE: Attendance is required at ALL classes in which your child is enrolled, including Period 8 Advisory (Titan Time)
Attendance Information for Parents
Parent notes are required for all absences within five days from the absence date. Notes must include full student name as well as the reason for the absence (including technical difficulties). If a student misses a synchronous engagement, they are counted absent.Please email all absence notes to AttendanceSLMS@fortbendisd.com. Contact our attendance clerk, Mrs. LaVergne, at (281) 634-3089 if you have questions.
Student-Led Pledges and Moment of Silence
We want to include all SLMS Titan students in the opportunity to lead the school in our daily pledges. We will do this using Flipgrid to record students reciting the US flag pledge, the pledge to the Texas flag, and our moment of silence. We will use one video per day, and students will view it at 9:00 AM in their first class of the day when their teacher shows the video. Students must use their Fort Bend ISD student email address for this project. All of the instructions are included in the Flipgrid topic. Click this link to go to Flipgrid to record your contribution. Select "Join with Microsoft" after clicking this link.
LockDown Browser by Respondus
Please visit https://www.fortbendisd.com/lockdownbrowser for information on installing a special browser called Respondus which will be used when students take online tests and exams. District-owned devices will need it to be installed using the following steps:
- Click on the "Start" button (four-pane Windows icon in the lower left corner of the screen, along the taskbar)
- Scroll through the list of programs for "Software Catalog", and click to open
- Look for Lockdown Browser or Respondus Lockdown Browser. Select and it will install
Cheerleader Tryout Information
We are excited to announce that SLMS will conduct tryouts for cheerleader virtually for the 2020-21 school year! Please note that this year’s cheer season may look vastly different than seasons past, but with our TITAN GRIT, we will make the best of it! The SLMS Cheerleaders spread school cheer, spirit and keep our teams ready for VICTORY! If you are interested, please complete the required handouts located in the virtual cheer tryout Schoology course (course code: R5RW-SQRG-N2R8P). Download the SLMS Cheerleader Tryout Information - Fall 2020 document below.
SLMS PTO Spirit Night at Willie's - September 16
FBISD Secondary Online Learning Schedule
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)
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
#InfinitePossibilities
#GracePatienceOptimism
- 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