Jag-E News
Sartartia MS -- Exemplary Education Every Day -- 9.19.19
Safety Update from Sartartia Middle School
Dear Jag Parents,
Today’s weather event has been a tremendous challenge for everyone—parents, students, and staff. As always, safety remains our highest priority. A major part providing that safety includes ensuring that any adult who comes to pick up a student from the school is a designated adult for that particular child (i.e. they are listed as a guardian, parent, or emergency contact in Skyward). The tremendous number of parents who arrived today to pick up their children early made this task difficult to accomplish in a timely manner. Moreover, due to the limited amount of space we have in our waiting area and a finite capacity to scan drivers’ licenses and verify the identity of every adult, it is easy to understand why patience may be difficult to maintain. I realize many parents had to wait for extended periods of time, even out the front door, before being able to get their child(ren). I am proud of our front office staff who worked non-stop for several hours and forgoing their lunch to accommodate every parent after verifying their identity, as well as for answering hundreds of telephone calls. I truly apologize for the extended wait and for limited parking. However, we cannot compromise student safety in order to increase speed.
I appreciate your support and your understanding during this extremely challenging day. On behalf of everyone at SMS, I hope that you and your family are safe and that you did not sustain any property damage or loss. Please stay tuned to local television/media outlets and the FBISD website for updates related to weather and school status.
Kindest regards,
Cholly Oglesby
Principal
CELEBRATE!
Jags are on the Move!
Dear Jag Families,
We have had an awesome week here at SMS! It is great seeing our students begin to get into the routine of middle school. Their excitement is contagious! I am elated to watch your students continue to grow in the Sartartia Tradition of Excellence. I hope you all took advantage of our flu shot clinic yesterday in preparation for our winter flu season.
Congratulations to the students and directors of our Symphony Orchestra and our Wind Ensemble Band for being selected winners in the 2019 Mark of Excellence project!
In this year’s Mark of Excellence’s National Orchestra Honors project, Sartartia Middle School Symphony Orchestra, directed by Sophia Hsieh, was named a National Winner.
In the National Wind Band Honors project, the Sartartia Middle School Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Julieanne Amos, was named a Commended Winner.
Thank you for your continued support for our JAGS in Volleyball, Football, Dance, Band, Orchestra, and Cheer. Thank you again for all you do in partnership with SMS. You are the best parents in FBISD and we hope to see you soon.
- Monday, September 23: 7th Grade A Football vs. FSMS @ SMS 5:00pm
- Tuesday, September 24: 8th Grade A Football vs. FSMS @ SMS 5:00pm
- Wednesday, September 25: Volleyball vs. Alief MS @ SMS
- WEDNESDAY-COLLEGE DAY-represent your favorite college or university
- THURSDAY, September 26-SPIRIT DAY-represent with Sartartia gear or black and gold
- Friday, September 27: HOLIDAY--No School: Fort Bend County Fair Day
Sincerely,
Cholly Oglesby
Principal
Sartartia Middle School
Student Spotlight
Rebecca Chukwuma is our Jaguar Student of the Week! She is currently a 7th grader at SMS and Rebecca is the youngest of her four siblings. She loves to bake, DIY, and anything that is "artsy".
Rebecca always has a smile on her face and is ready to learn no matter what subject it is. She truly is an example of what it looks like to be a leader in SMS!
Staff Spotlight
Cyndee Hitchcock is in her 13th year teaching in Fort Bend ISD, and she is our Jaguar Teacher of the Week! Mrs. Hitchcock has been at Sartartia Middle School for the last 5 years and currently teaches 6th, 7th, and 8th grade math lab. She also serves as our campus Technology Integration Champion and writes curriculum for the district.
Mrs. Hitchcock’s husband is the associate principal at Crockett Middle School and they have a 5-year old daughter name Zoe who is in kindergarten at Walker Station. They also have an 8-year old golden retriever named Murphy. Prior to teaching, she spent 6 years working for ExxonMobil as an IT Analyst. Mrs. Hitchcock has always loved teaching but didn’t really pursue it until she realized how burned out she was working as a computer programmer for a global company. whether it was teaching dance and tutoring math in high school, working as a TA in college, or training her team at ExxonMobil. At that point, she decided that life was too short and she should be doing what she loved. Mrs. Hitchcock loves being in the classroom!
SMS Parent U RECAP
Sweethearts @ Skeeters 2019
Counselors' Corner
Hey Jag Parents!
We are so excited about the start of our 2019-2020 school year!! We have BIG plans for this year: exciting new programs and learning opportunities for you and your child to help you navigate through their middle school years. We hope to see you at parent nights and other learning opportunities that we are offering this year. Be on the lookout for dates/times in the parent newsletters and at Open House this week. Below we have included some of the things that are coming up so that you are aware:
Level Changes
We will start to process level changes on Monday, September 9th. If your child would like to change their level from Pre-AP to Academic or vise versa, please send them to the students center to pick up a level change form. Please know that there are many steps to this form and the form will need to be completed before any level change is processed. A few things to note ** A conference between teacher/parent will need to happen before any level change is processed **Level changed will not be granted if a child has a 75 or above in the course, per district policy that is provided for you on the back of the form.
If you have any questions or concerns, please email your grade level counselor.
Be an SMS Mentor
We are looking for adults in our community to volunteer their time mentoring Sartartia students. We will be accepting new mentors this year at SMS until Friday, September 27, 2019. Students who are in need of a reliable, comforting person to help guide them, will be selected by staff referral. The mandatory district orientation (MUST have every 3 years) is: Wed, September 18, 2019 9:30 AM – 11:00 AM at the Fort Bend ISD Administration Building
If you have any questions regarding the application process, please reach out to: VIPS@fortbendisd.com or katherine.friedel@fortbenisd.com if you are interested in volunteering.
JAG SPORTS
SMS Athletics Fundraiser
Today, we are embarking on a new era for Sartartia Athletics. The Sartartia Athletic Department is collecting monetary donations for the purchase of many items that are much needed by OUR student/athletes here at Sartartia. Items such as an ice machine, goal post padding, outside storage shed, new water coolers, are just a few examples of much needed items. Please help donate to a worthwhile cause. The link to the donation page is below. Thank you Jags!
JOIN SMS PTO 2019-2020
JAGS! It's not too late to order some school spirit merchandise! Order deadline has been extended to SEPTEMBER 20th. Orders can be turned into the front office.
A Big Thank you to our amazing Principals and to all those who attended our VIPS Breakfast last Wednesday. It was a huge success. Thank to our Breakfast sponsors--Sprouts and Shipley's for the delicious breakfast.
We had an amazing turnout of excited parents who attended the breakfast and are willing to help us with the different committees. We are still looking for more parents to chair a few more committees. If you or anyone you know are willing to help, please reach out to Lakshmi Koppolu at koppolu.pto@gmail.com or Hemali Rathod at hbrathod@yahoo.com.
Homecoming Dance:
SMS will have a Fall "Homecoming" Dance, on Thursday, October 10, 2019. Festivities start at 6:00 PM and end at 8:00 PM. If you are available to help out on the evening of the dance, or during ticket sales, we would really appreciate the help! Please sign up for a slot (or two). Thanks so much! Fall Dance 2019
Need more information on our PTO, please visit the PTO website by clicking here
Important Allergy Information
Please click this link to read more about our procedures for students with food allergies.
Find All Your Jag Gear Below
CLICK BELOW TO PURCHASE A SPIRIT SHIRT!!
Assistant Principals & Counselors
Courtney Border-Assistant Principal
courtney.border@fortbendisd.com
281.634.6314
Brandi Goodly-Counselor
281.634.6318
7th grade
Dr. Sunday Johnson-Associate Principal
sunday.johnson@fortbendisd.com
281.634.6316
Rachel McCune-Lead Counselor
281.634.6319
8th grade
Paul Wells-Assistant Principal
281.634.6331
Kat Friedel-Counselor
katherine.friedel@fortbendisd.com
281.634.6320
Sartartia Middle School
Help us grow our fan base! Follow us on:
Twitter @sms_jaguars
Email: cholly.oglesby@fortbendisd.com
Website: www.fortbendisd.com/sms
Location: 8125 Homeward Way, Sugar Land, TX, USA
Phone: 281-634-6316
Twitter: @sms_jaguars