Cougar News
Week of May 2nd - May 6th
Letter from Principal Nelson
Proud Residents of Smallville USA-
This Friday morn, we honored some of the many volunteers who help ensure we have the smoothest running and warmest middle school in all of Central Texas. We are who we are and our students are who they are because of all of the support and love from our community. It has been said that it takes a village to raise a child, and that may be true for the younger ones, but when it comes to raising middle school kids, it takes a major metropolitan city! Scratch that; it takes a State.
Wait…I just remembered that Tik Tok exists…
It takes a Country to help raise a middle school student!
While we don’t have the complete support and funding of an entire nation, we have an assembled group of parents, guardians, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and friends that care for our student’s well-being. As I told the group this morning, even if there ever comes a day when schools are gifted with mountains of money to pay for the services our volunteers provide, we still want them to go to school every chance they get. We are always talking about ways to make the connection between school and home, and there is no better bridge to do so than having a representative from their home here on campus. When your students see you here working with us, and for them, it can only add value to their day. We love having as many people who positively affect them around them as often as possible, so please keep coming up here and supporting the Smallville Nation.
Whether you support your student by coming up to campus, or by helping them with their assignments, or even by reading this correspondence, do know that it is appreciated and necessary. These are trying times, and our kids are in the midst of the most confusing time of anybody’s life, and they, like us all, need all the support they can get. If you’re curious what else you can do to make sure they are happy, well-adjusted, and positive, start with a hug, and everything else will fall neatly into place.
Enjoy them now when they need it most.
Matthew Nelson
Principal
Clint Small Middle School
(512) 841-6705
SPLASH FEST!
THIS FRIDAY
Learn More about Splash Fest
- Splash Fest Sponsor
- Splash Fest Raffle - Donate an item from our wishlist
- We Need YOU! Volunteer
- Buy your Splash Fest Wristbands online - Discount's for buying online
Splash Fest Website for all the details
Questions? Email Jennifer.newell@austinisd.org

Thank you Parents
Congratulations Mr. Nelson
Huge Congratulations to Mr. Nelson for winning "TMEA Distinguished Administrator of the Year." TMEA (Texas Music Educators Association) Serves tens of thousands of music educators across Texas. Mr. Nelson received this award for his unwavering support for music on our campus. Thank you Mr. Nelson for keeping music thriving at Small!


Teacher Appreciation Week
Teacher Appreciation Week
PTA Plan
May 2nd – May 6th
- Monday: Sandwiches and Snacks for the Staff
- Tuesday: Cookie Day!
- Wednesday: Students - Send in Thank you Notes, Emails or a RAVE to our wonderful Staff!
- Appreciation Week at Clint Small Middle School – https://www.austinisd.org/hr/customer-service/rave
- Thursday: Breakfast Tacos for Cinco de Mayo
- Friday: Candy Day!
The PTA will be providing the special treats throughout the week, but we NEED your help on shout outs of appreciation and thanks to our AMAZING Teachers and Staff.
Here is a link to the staff favorites. Thank you!



Mental Awareness Month

Links to Physical Forms
Here is all the info you need for your 7th or 8th grader to try out for sports next school year.
Austin High Sports Medicine Program will be hosting a Sports Physical day on Thursday May 12th starting at 3:30pm. Physicals are $20 per child or $30 for sibling pairs. Physicians from Austin UT Health will be completing all physicals. All proceeds go directly to the Sports Medicine program. Austin ISD requires a new sport participation physical every year, so this is a great way to help support the sports medicine program and complete your child's annual physical.
To Sign-Up for Physical Day:
-complete the Medical History Form *make sure any questions answered "yes" are explained and that the parent and student signatures are completed.
-complete the Parent Release Form
-return completed forms to Abby Edwards, Austin High's Athletic Trainer by May 11th
*forms need to be handed to Abby Edwards, NO EMAILING
Important Reminders:
-Physicals need to be completed before any summer or fall athletic activities. This includes summer conditioning camps and fall tryouts.
-All physicals (completed at physical day or on your own) need to be given directly to the Austin High Athletic Trainer(s). NOT emailed and NOT given to a coach.
If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Abby Edwards
Email: abby.edwards@austinisd.org
Office Phone: (512) 414-7242
8th Grade Promotion Ceremony
Join us on
May 27th at 10 AM
In the big gym for our 8th grade promotion ceremony
2 guests per student





Please, Please, Please Register for Next Year!
Do you hate seeing all these reminders about Online Registration?
We do too! We don’t like bothering you guys.
We have 845 people who have NOT registered for the 2022-2023 school year. The more people who register, the faster we can stop bugging you!
Are you thinking “do I really have to register online? My kid is already enrolled.”
Yes! We need all parents to online register EVERY year, so that we have the most current information on file. This helps ensure we have appropriate staffing too.
Can’t remember what you need to do to register?
Please visit portal.austinisd.org click or search the “AISD Student Registration” Tile.
Here are some step by step instructions:
Parent Guide to Online Registration: English
Guía de inscripción en línea para padres y tutores legales Espanol
Not coming back to Small?
No problem, just email giovana.mcgettrick@austinisd.org your student’s full name, and what school they will be attending in the fall. We will update the database, so you come off our list.



Get paid to make a meaningful impact! Open to all Austin, TX-based students in 7th-12th grade.
Austin School of Film is partnering with award-winning poet and cultural worker KB Brookins on a free one-time Super 8 film & poetry workshop. Students will learn both the basics of film production on an analog camera and basic poetry skills to create thematic short film poems (images & voice over) while exploring the topic of "policing in school".
All work will be showcased in a final exhibition & screening on May 7, 2022 at Austin School of Film from 6-8pm that is free & open to the public. This is a chance for students to cultivate new skills and participate in a pivotal project combining youth engagement, filmmaking, and poetry.
ALL LEVELS WELCOME!
No prior experience in film or poetry needed.
This project is supported through the Broadway Advocacy Coalition as KB’s final project for the Artivism Fellowship. Each student will be given a $50 stipend for their participation in this experience.
ABOUT BROADWAY ADVOCACY COALITION: The BAC Artivism Fellowship is designed to support artist activists around the US using their tools to have an impact on the world around them. This year’s fellowship focuses on the theme of “Reimagining Justice through Abolition.” Over the course of four months, the program provides financial and production support, mentorship, networking opportunities, community and education workshops.
ABOUT KB BROOKINS: KB Brookins (also known as KB) is a poet, essayist, and cultural worker from Fort Worth, Texas. Their work is published in American Poetry Review, Poetry Northwest, Huffington Post, Teen Vogue, and other venues. KB is the author of How To Identify Yourself with a Wound (Kallisto Gaia Press, 2022), a chapbook selected by ire’ne laura silva as winner of the Saguaro Poetry Prize. They have received Best of the Net and Pushcart Prize nominations, along with fellowships from PEN America, Lambda Literary, and The Watering Hole among others.
This workshop is in-person at our facility and will take place in our classroom studio at Austin School of Film.

The AISD Summer Theatre Series is back!
Students of all experience levels are welcome to shine on stage during the free Summer Theatre Series program. Current fifth through 12th graders in Austin ISD are invited to try out for the program’s seventh consecutive season.
The program will start June 6 and run through July 25 and will feature The Addams Family musical production, Alice in Wonderland black box studio production, and the new Summer Theatre Series Rising Stars program—a one-week educational theatre camp that offers workshops in acting, dance and voice.
The technical track of the Summer Theatre Series allows students to explore design and construction in costumes, make-up, scenery, properties, lights, and sound. Students will work with professionals from the Austin theatrical community to create all of the technical elements of the productions.
Rehearsals take place at the Austin ISD Performing Arts Center. Several transportation options will be provided for participating students, including a daily bus running to and from Bedichek Middle School, carpools and free city bus passes available through the Kids Ride Free program with Capital Metro. City bus locations are located at the corner of Mueller Boulevard and Barbara Jordan Boulevard, and across from Dell Children’s Hospital.
Students interested in participating must register by April 13 and video auditions need to be submitted by April 15.
An audition workshop and Q&A session will be available Monday, April 11. For access to audition materials and more information on the 2022 Austin ISD Summer Theatre Series, go to www.austinisd.org/arts.
For questions, please contact Program Coordinator, Jessica Champion, at jessica.champion@austinisd.org.
Se invita a estudiantes con cualquier nivel de experiencia a brillar en el escenario durante el programa gratuito de la serie de teatro de verano. Se invita a los estudiantes de quinto a 12.° grado del Austin ISD a hacer una audición para la séptima temporada consecutiva del programa.
El programa comenzará el 6 de junio y continuará hasta el 25 de julio y presentará la producción musical La familia Addams, la producción de cámara negra Alicia en el País de las Maravillas y el nuevo programa Estrellas en Ascenso de la serie de teatro de verano, un campamento educativo de una semana que ofrece talleres de actuación, danza y voz.
La opción técnica de la serie de teatro de verano les permite a los estudiantes explorar el diseño y la construcción de vestuario, maquillaje, escenarios, utilería, iluminación y sonido. Los estudiantes trabajarán con profesionales de la comunidad teatral de Austin para crear todos los elementos técnicos de las producciones.
Los ensayos se llevan a cabo en el Centro de Artes Escénicas del Austin ISD. Se proveerán varias opciones de transporte para los estudiantes participantes, incluyendo un autobús diario de ida y vuelta a la Escuela Secundaria Bedichek, vehículos compartidos y pases gratuitos para autobuses de la ciudad disponibles a través del programa Los Niños Viajan Gratis de Capital Metro. Las paradas de autobuses de la ciudad están en la esquina de Mueller Boulevard y Barbara Jordan Boulevard y frente al Hospital Dell Children's.
Los estudiantes interesados en participar deben registrarse a más tardar el 13 de abril y las audiciones en video deben enviarse a más tardar el 15 de abril.
Habrá un taller para las audiciones y una sesión de preguntas y respuestas el lunes, 11 de abril. Para acceso a los materiales de audición y más información sobre la serie de teatro de verano del Austin ISD de 2022, vaya a www.austinisd.org/arts.
Si tiene preguntas, comuníquese con la coordinadora del programa, Jessica Champion, a jessica.champion@austinisd.org.


8th grade Schlitterbahn Trip - UPDATE
Dear Students and Guardians,
We are opening the May 26th 8th grade Schlitterbahn Trip online payment early (April 11- May 5) We understand that it may be beneficial to pay at certain times of the month. Total cost for the trip is $75.00. Payment however does not guarantee your students eligibility to attend the trip. Please check the eligibility requirements with your student prior to paying.
Students must meet all of the following requirements to be eligible for the Schlitterbahn trip:
Must pass all classes ─ including electives ─ for the 8th progress report (April 29th) and the final report card.
Must have a completely clean discipline record for the 4th 9 weeks. (For example, the student must have no referrals of any kind, no more than 3 trips to lunch detention for behavior, no home suspension, and no bus referrals)
Attendance of 90% for the last 9 weeks (March 11- May 26) (less than 3 unexcused absences)
Must have approval from all of their teachers (including elective classes) for participation in the trip.
Must clear all obligations (including textbooks, library books, Chromebooks, and charger, etc.) by Friday May 13th, 2022.
We are looking for students that will be on their best behavior and represent Small MS in a positive way.
Payment DOES NOT guarantee
your students' eligibility to attend the trip.
Refunds will automatically be issued
if you pay and are NOT eligible at the time of payment.
Any student removed from the trip after May 13, 2022,
will NOT receive a refund,
but will still receive their ticket that can then be used over the summer.
Online payment window will close May 5th
there will be NO late payment acceptions.
Scholarships are available. Please contact Ms. Castenada
Here's a link to the online store: https://austinisd.schoolcashonline.com/
It will show up under the student tab once the parents access the site.
Please complete permission form along with payment: https://forms.gle/fBXMwjVrUSfHhhfq7
Thank you,
8th Grade Team and Mrs Becky White

Chromebook Chargers
We can no longer give out extra Chromebook chargers if your child looses theirs. If your child needs a replacement charger you can purchase them on Amazon. Here is the link: https://www.amazon.com/Charger-Chromebook-ThinkPad-GX20M33579-4X20E75131Adapter/dp/B0834CRZNW/ref=sr_1_3?crid=LEHIAOSVID9C&keywords=lenovo+chromebook+charger&qid=1646338358&sprefix=lenovo+chromebook+charge%2Caps%2C123&sr=8-3
Incoming 6th Grade Information
Important dates for incoming 6th Graders
Cougar Camp - August 1st - 2nd, 2022 (Choose AM or PM Session)
This is the transition camp to help teach kids about how middle school works, make new friends and learn more about the campus - Click here to register and learn more
Scavenger Hunt - Aug 4, 2022 - Time TBD
Come show your parents what you learned in camp. See if you can find your way around Small and that you are ready for the first day of school. More details to come
Parent Camp - August 4th. 5:30 pm - Zoom
This is all the information every new to middle school parent will need to know about Small and how middle school works. Click here to register
First Day of School - August 15th, 2022
Ways to keep informed.
Website: www.smallmiddleschool.org
Newsletter: https://small.austinschools.org/our-school/announcements/newsletters
Parent facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/groups/SmallMiddleSchoolParents/
Questions?
Email or call Jennifer Newell at
jennifer.newell@austinisd.org 512-841-6701

Thank you to our Sponsors!

Be sure to send some busniess thier way for partnering with Small Middle School!!!
Order a Yearbook
Have your heard the new jingle staring our 6th grade choir? Check it out here.
Did you know the Green Academy has a blog? Check it out!