Cougar News
Week of 10/19/20 - 10/23/20
Letter from Principal Nelson
Smallville-
AISD has just announced that in-person, face-to-face learning will begin at all secondary campuses on November 2nd. Families will receive a new Learning Preference Survey either from AISD or from Small asking for an updated “learning preference” for each family. A preview of what face-to-face learning might look like is below and is subject to change. Although not every detail is outlined, we will continue to update families, students, and staff as more information becomes available from AISD.
Face-to-Face Learning at Small Middle School:
- Face-to-face learning will replace the “learning groups” currently offered on-site.
- Families who choose to remain at home will have the same experience, but virtually from home. Teachers will continue to Zoom class sessions while also teaching in-person. This new learning concept may be referred to as “simultaneous learning.”
- Students who return to in-person learning will change classes and receive instruction from their teacher of record.
- Students will still have anywhere from 1 to 6 classes taught online as some teachers will still be working remotely.
- All PRIDE (advisory) classes will take place online in the student’s 7th or 8th period classroom.
- *Students and staff will walk on the right side of the hallway to avoid close contact whenever possible.
- Students will be required to wear a mask, social distance when possible, and wash hands for 20 seconds.
- Classrooms will be capped at a number set forth by the COA guidelines and desks will remain 6 feet apart.
- Breakfast will be served in the classroom and some lunches may be served in the cafeteria. Students will be allowed to eat outside, in the hallways, and utilize the decks during breakfast and lunch, as long as they are being monitored.
- Students can arrive as early as 7:45 a.m. to go through the health screen checkpoint process.
- Fridays will return to either an “A” or “B” day instead of a “C” day to minimize transitions in the hallway.
- no lunches can be delivered, limitation of visitors except for essential school business, safety is top priority and students failing to comply will be sent home
*We are currently exploring new ways to transition in the hallways. Walking on the right side is one option; the other option is to have all traffic move in a clockwise direction.
What is important to know is that families still have the choice of whether to return to campus or continue to learn remotely. We promise the same robust, engaging curriculum online that has been provided thus far and will continue to deliver impactful instruction online and in-person. It’s also equally important to know that your student, although on campus, may still be learning 100% online due to the fact that h/her teacher will be teaching remotely for the next few months. As stated in the above bullet points, it is almost a guarantee that at least one of their courses will be taught online. If this is the case, we expect our students to arrive at their designated location, log into BLEND, then greet their teacher online and begin the day’s lesson. No change from what is happening now, merely a new physical location for the online class.
We will be having students and families fill out information this week so we can get an accurate headcount and complete the setup process. Prior to filling out the surveys, please email me any questions or concerns you may have.
Thank you for your time and for choosing to be a part of Small Middle School.
Sincerely,
Matthew Nelson
Principal
Small Middle School
(512) 841-6705
@smallprincipal
Surveys for Nov. 2 F2F coming
Parents will receive a survey from the district and students will be asked in class and in Pride class this Wednesday. Please discuss your plans with your student so we can have the most accurate information.
7th & 8th Grade Boys Soccer Tryouts
Soccer Tryouts will be
October 22, 4PM until 5PM on the soccer fields behind the school.
All necessary paperwork must be completed before taking the field.(digital copies will be accepted when available)
COVID-19 precautions will be mandated: https://www.austinisd.org/openforlearning/athletics
Athletic Reminder
PROTOCOLS FOR ATHLETICS/SPORTS: Non-negotiables
ALL paperwork must be turned in prior to first practice: Medical History, Physical, Online Portion, Covid waiver. Please Click here for more instructions regarding these forms.
7th & 8th grade GIRLS BASKETBALL TRYOUTS
7th & 8th grade GIRLS BASKETBALL TRYOUTS
OCTOBER 19, 2020
4:00-5:30 IN THE GYM
ALL Athletes will enter the gym on the second floor using the bus ramp stairs.
Bring appropriate workout clothes and shoes.
COVID PROTOCOL must be followed:
Must wear mask at ALL times
Screening will take place using AISD APP.
And temperature checked
MUST HAVE ALL PAPERWORK TURNED IN
Bring your own Water JUG,
Small water bottles will not be enough
Donate to Families in need at Small
Because of COVID-19, there are 21 families within our Small community who have expressed a need for assistance with rent and/or bills to our school counselors. Many families have also expressed a desire to help. This fundraiser has been set up as a way for us to make this happen. The goal is to raise as much money as possible to be distributed equally among those who need it. If you are able to contribute, any amount will help!
Donations will be accepted through Friday October 16th, and then all funds raised will be distributed to families by the school counselors. This is a great chance to make a big difference to people struggling within our school community.
Thank you!
Pink Patch Project
A/B Calendar
Heads up! Due to the F2F and transitions that will start on November 2nd. Our A/B calendar will change again. We will post it in our next Newsletter.
Clubs at Small
More clubs have been added to the list and many are starting next week. Be sure to checkout our list of clubs and email the club sponsor if you are interested. They will add your student to the club blend page that will then appear in their blend dashboard.
Art & Anime Club
Who: ALL currently enrolled CSMS students of interest in one or both art & anime- regardless of experience.
When/Where: Fridays via Zoom from 10:10-10:55 (F2F meetings will be determined at a much later date - announcements will be made then).
Clint Small's Art & Anime club will begin meeting virtually on Fridays during your asynchronous learning time.
If you don't know what anime/manga is and want to learn more, this is a great place to be! Even if you've got shelves and shelves of manga and are a long time subscriber to crunchyroll- this is STILL the place to be! Expand your knowledge or share your expertise! This time will also be for art students to meet and discuss different art strategies they're using or different artists that they may be admiring online or in real life here in Austin. See you all on Friday!
Free COVID-19 Testing
Free testing available for those who:
- have COVID-19-related symptoms
- have had close contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19
- have traveled outside of Austin/Travis County in the last 14 days
Steps:
- Click on “take a self-assessment” at: https://www.austintexas.gov/covid-testinfo
- If this is your first time to request a test through Austin Public Health (APH), you will have to create an account through the APH website in order to take the assessment. You will see the following:
- After you have created and verified your account, you will click on “schedule a test.”
- Complete all the information requested to determine if a COVID-19 test is recommended.
- If a COVID-19 test is recommended, you will be prompted to enter your zip-code/address to schedule COVID-19 testing at a testing site near you.
To view FREE testing sites provided by APH, go to: Free APH Testing Sites
Find COVID-Related Resources here: https://www.austintexas.gov/department/covid-19-information/covid-19-reso urces
Safety Tools
Crimestoppers Reporting Tool: https://new.tipsubmit.com/en/
AISD Safety Resources: https://www.austinisd.org/police
Check out this weeks Living Room Library from Ms. Sylvia.
Address the CAC Committee
If you are interested in speaking to our CAC using our Citizen Communication time, please email our CAC chair Emma Renault-Varian emma.renaultvarian@austinisd.org or 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.
Update your Contact Info
Did you know that parents can update their email preferences by signing into their Parent Cloud Account my.austinisd.org -------> Parent Self Serve------->Student-------->Edit Contact Info and Notifications (See below).
Make sure your Contact info is always up to date!
Discipline Matrix
Ever wonder how Small handles Discipline? Click here to read our Discipline Matrix
Distance Learning Attendance
If you have any questions, contact our new attendance clerk Bettina Schmitz at 512-841-6702 Icela.schmitz@austinisd.org
Attendance Video - English
Attendance Video - Spanish
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