The PAW Print-Family Edition!
Weeks of October 9-20, 2023
Welcome!
Dear Parents,
On behalf of the staff at General Smallwood Middle School, we are looking forward to a productive partnership with you to ensure our students can achieve their highest potential. We recognize that in order to be successful in school, our students need support from both the home and school. We know a strong partnership with you will make a great difference in your child’s education. As partners, we share the responsibility for our student’s success and want you to know that we will do our very best to carry out our responsibilities. We ask that you guide and support your child’s learning by ensuring that he/she:
1) Attends school daily and arrives on time, ready for the day’s learning experience
2) Completes all homework assignments given by teachers
3) Adhere to our schools and County cell phone policy
4) Shares school experiences with you so that you are aware of his/her school life
5) Informs you if he/she needs additional support in any area or subject
6) Knows that you expect him/her to succeed in school
7) Learns and uses appropriate language when speaking to peers and staff
Please consider seeking opportunities to volunteer as our students can greatly benefit from your involvement and contributions to the school’s program and its operations. We seek volunteers to help us with the following activities:
1) Teacher-led instructional support, making copies, cutting out materials, etc.
2) School-wide events
3) Participating in our school fundraisers
4) Student recognition events
5) Outreach and recruitment of parent and community volunteers
6) Joining our PTSO
It is very important that you and your student are fully informed regarding standards related to appropriate behavior for a safe and productive school year. As we prepare for parent conferences scheduled for Monday, October 9th, please continue to keep all lines of communication open to ensure your student's success.
We look forward to continuing our work together as we support the General Smallwood community. We look forward to a wonderful year of partnering with each of you.
GSMS Administration
Meet Your New Administrative Team at GSMS
Scheduling a Meeting with an Administrator, Teacher, or Counselor
In addition, our standard operating procedures for arrival and dismissal do not allow us to meet/talk with parents any time before 9:00 AM daily, nor between the hours of 2:30 PM and 3:30 PM. Our priority at those times is to get our students in the building for instruction and home safely. Thank you for your understanding.
What do the 3 R's Mean?
When you were in elementary school and you heard the 3 R’s, the first things you may have thought were: reading, writing, and arithmetic. The three R’s in this day and age have taken a new meaning. At General Smallwood Middle School, the 3 R’s stand for Respect, Responsibility, and for our students to be Ready to Learn. These are the three pillars of our character education program:
RESPECT: This character trait is of paramount importance. If you are to prove yourself a winner at school, you are going to have to demonstrate respect for yourself, respect for the rights of others, and respect for property (private and public).
RESPONSIBILITY: This character trait is about taking ownership of one’s actions. It’s all about making choices. “If it is to be, the choice is up to me.” As a person of character, you are judged in terms of how you meet your responsibilities/obligations and the choices you make.
READY TO LEARN: This character trait is about being prepared. Meeting expectations in a timely fashion. Being on time. Having all their materials and resources readily available. This includes homework, projects, and classwork.
The 3 R’s are life-long skills that every student needs to master if they are to be successful citizens of the 21st century.
Attendance Reminders
Attendance is one of the most powerful predictors of academic achievement and having your student in their seats, ready to learn for the entire school day will benefit them, their classmates, and our whole school community. Let’s work together to make sure your child has great attendance and can get the most out of their learning opportunities this school year.
OUR PROMISE TO YOU
We know that there are a wide variety of reasons that students are absent from school, from health concerns to transportation challenges. There are many people in our building prepared to help you if you or your student face challenges in getting to school regularly or on time. We promise to track attendance daily, to notice when your student is missing from class, communicate with you to understand why they were absent, and to identify barriers and supports available to overcome challenges you may face in helping your student attend school.
WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU
We miss our students when they are not at school as we value their contributions to our school community. If your student is going to be absent, please contact the school in advance. If an absence was unplanned, please contact the school within two school days of your student’s return.
HOW WE CAN WORK TOGETHER
• Send your child to school unless they are truly sick, such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea, or a contagious rash, tested positive for covid-19 with symptoms.
• Avoid appointments and travel when school is in session.
• Keep track of your child’s attendance using your Parent Vue access or another method.
• Set a regular bedtime and morning routine (including limiting how late your child may use any electronic devices) and finish homework and pack backpacks the night before.
• Have a backup plan for getting to school in case something comes up (this could be alternative bus routes, roads, or a plan with family members, neighbors, or other parents).
• Communicate with the school about how we can work together to support your child’s attendance.
CCPS Attendance Policy
Regular attendance at school is vital to educational development. If students are absent from school due to illness or for another legitimate reason, they must bring a written excuse signed by their parent, legal guardian or doctor. Students and parents/guardians have three days to verify tardiness or absences, after which they are coded unlawful. Parents/guardians are expected to call the school by the third day of consecutive absences.
A student is counted present for a full day if the student is in attendance four or more hours of the school day. A student is counted present for one-half of the day if in attendance for at least two hours of the school day, but less than four hours. A student scheduled for less than a full day of classes is to be counted present based on the amount of time he/she is scheduled.
Parents are highly discouraged from scheduling vacations that result in unlawful absences from school. However, high school students visiting an institution of higher education in anticipation for potential future enrollment may be granted a lawful absence as long as the parents/guardians give a two-week notice, receive permission from the school principal and the trips are limited to no more than five days in any school year. Other lawful absences include: death in the immediate family; illness of the student which requires a note from a parent/guardian or physician; court summons; hazardous weather conditions; work approved or sponsored by the school; observance of religious holidays; state emergencies; student suspension; lack of authorized transportation; health exclusion; and other emergencies or circumstances which in the judgment of the Superintendent provide a “good and sufficient cause for absence from school.”
Students unlawfully absent more than 10 percent of the school days in any given marking period (4.5 days), semester (9 days) or academic year (18 days) may be considered for retention. Parents of students who have a history of chronic truancy may be referred for intervention at any time. Additionally, school officials adhere to the following communication plan:
Daily automated call out
After five absences of any kind, the school will notify parents/guardians through a letter sent home, by phone or other electronic communication.
After 10 absences, parents/guardians are contacted. A meeting may be set to develop an attendance improvement plan and/or the student will be referred to the school’s pupil personnel worker.
After 15 absences, the student may be scheduled for a school attendance review.
Additional absences may result in the student and their parent/guardian being referred to the State’s Attorney’s Office for possible legal action for chronic truancy.
End of the Day Dismissal
The end of the day is a busy time for all of us. It may be tempting to try and beat the traffic and check your student out a few minutes early, but when a student leaves before dismissal, the entire class is affected. Please avoid early checkouts. A pattern of early checkouts may warrant a referral to our PPW, Lisa Glenn.
Student dismissal is at 3:10 p.m. Per our school policy, we will not permit early dismissals after 2:30 p.m. on regular school days or 12:30 p.m. on early dismissal days.
If you have to change your student’s dismissal procedure, please contact the school and send an email to Ms. Johnson at djohnson@ccboe.com. If a note or email is not sent, we cannot verify your wishes through your child. We must have something in writing or by email. Our goal is to ensure the safety and security of all our students, especially during this busy part of our school day.
Please be sure to update contact information in the office in order to receive the calls and email message notifications we send out regularly. Our message system is used for school closings, important meeting notices and other school or district announcements. It is very important to have accurate information in case we need to contact you.
Please be sure your information is current!
A Moment in Student Code of Conduct.
Please review our CCPS and school policy on cell phones.
Thank you.
School Administration