We are excited to announce that the Troy School District is accepting nominations for our 2022-23 OUTSTANDING TROY TEACHER OF THE YEAR! Please consider taking the time to nominate a special Smith teacher who makes a difference in the lives of countless students.

The entire process is online again this year—you will submit everything electronically, using our Outstanding TSD Teacher Nomination form: https://forms.gle/tGoDscERcSNvEuZA6

All you have to do is fill in the basic information about your nominee and answer four open-ended questions. The best entries include heartfelt words—and don’t need to be lengthy. Please reach out to Mr. Brinks for assistance with a colleague's letter of support.

We have so many wonderful teachers in the Troy School District—please take the time to nominate one or more for our 2022-23 TSD Outstanding Teacher Award. Tell us about a special teacher who goes above and beyond for our students. Sing the praises of that unsung hero working in your building. Take the time to recognize a colleague or mentor who does so much for those around us.

The deadline this year is Tuesday, January 24 at 5:00pm—since everything is done online, you will not be able to submit after that time. If you have any questions, please email Kerry Birmingham at kbirmingham@troy.k12.mi.us.

Scholastic is hosting its Plant Mash Up Contest from now until March 7th. Students who enter will envision, draw, and describe their own hybrid plant to solve a challenge in their community. Winners can earn prizes including up to a $500 VISA gift card and your project featured on Scholastic's website. Fliers are posted around Smith for more information, or see Mrs. Bonnell in Room 2.

Any 7th or 8th graders interested in trying out for volleyball must have all information submitted on Final Forms before tryouts begin. Make sure you have an updated physical on file (you do not need to get another physical if you played a Smith MS sport earlier this school year). Please see the link below for tryout information and season expectations. All tryouts will be held in the Smith gym; please bring a water bottle and wear athletic shoes and comfortable clothing to tryouts. If you have questions, ask Coach Brennan (kbrennan@troy.k12.mi.us) or Coach Tom (tvigilant@aol.com). GO KNIGHTS!

Oakland Schools is very pleased to be hosting the Troy School District’s K-12 student art exhibit from Monday, January 9th through Wednesday, January 25th. We highly encourage families to view the art exhibit and celebrate your student’s artistic and creative achievement at their Art Show Open House on Monday, January 23, from 4:30-7:00PM. Oakland Schools, located at 2111 Pontiac Lake Road in Waterford, is open for visitors Monday – Friday, from 8:00AM – 4:30PM. They are not open weekends; the Open House is the only opportunity for a late afternoon/evening visit. We hope you enjoy this preview video showcasing TSD student work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwVdeQTjpZI

Mrs. Chatel, our media specialist, is excited to announce the 23rd annual Troybery Reading program book list. We have an excellent field of 32 titles this year, all books published in 2021 and recommended by Troy media specialists, students, and teachers. You can access the list here, which includes links to publishers’ summaries of the books: http://bit.ly/troybery2023 Students can check out the books from our media center, from the Troy Public Library, or on our Sora ebook app.

The Troybery list is known for having a variety of books reflecting our students’ diverse interests, age levels, and backgrounds. Our goal is to promote a love for reading in our students. We encourage students to participate in our program by reading however many they would like and by voting for their favorites. Mrs. Chatel is happy to work with your child to find the “just right” book for them from the list.

A Troybery book could be an excellent choice if you are looking for a gift idea this holiday season. Your child will hear a presentation in the upcoming weeks about the Troybery program and our exciting selections.

You can visit the Troy Middle Schools Media Website for more information about Troybery.

Please take a moment to review the drop-off / pick-up map below. We are seeing some specific issues in the parking lot that we want to bring to your attention.

• The middle lane is for drop-off / pick-up only. Please do not park in that row. Pulling in and out of the parking spots is slowing down drop-off and creating dangerous situations for students and vehicles.
  

• If you are going to park your car for drop-off / pick-up, please use the third row of parking spots highlighted in below in blue.

• Please do not drop students off at the Martell/Cotswold intersection.

We have a great online spirit wear store with a number of new modern styles and items for purchase. You can either pick them up or utilize the option of having your orders delivered directly to your home for a small fee.

Click on the link below to check out the wide variety of styles and prints.

https://smithknights.itemorder.com/shop/home/

Below is a sample of the logo choices for most items...

Feel free to follow the great things happening at Smith Middle School on Twitter. We often share pictures from our school day, highlight student work and classroom activities, and celebrations.