Sugar Land MS Titan News
Week #23 - February 8, 2021
Greetings SLMS Parents and Guardians,
I have been fortunate to have had some extremely candid conversations with students and staff members lately, and it is clear that many are struggling to finding ways to cope with the prolonged stress that this pandemic has injected into our lives. I could truly sense the tremendous weight that many students and staff are feeling, with particular regard to how the COVID-19 virus may cause people isolate themselves from others due to physical/social distancing, or in some cases induce "cabin fever" from being around the same people for so long. I admire the courage that those students and staff members had to be able to share their struggles and pains with me--it was clearly not easy for them to speak about such things. Perhaps just as importantly, I saw that as a sign of trust due to what must have been a vulnerable moment for them. In response I can honestly say that while I cannot predict how or when things will return to a semblance of what our world was like 11 months ago, I know that human connections must somehow find a way to thrive and flourish. These conversations were also a reminder/wake-up call to me to remember that RELATIONSHIPS are the bedrock upon which everything else is built. With all that is going on, changes to procedures, efforts to do the best for all of our students, and even the time that it takes to create something as simple as a newsletter, it can be easy (at least for me) to focus on tasks rather than on people and relationships. For sure, the tasks must be accomplished, but not at the expense of relationships and human connections.
Therefore this week, despite it being busier and more task-laden than ever, I resolve to ensure I pause and intentionally connect with as many students and staff as I can. I am grateful that these students and staff sought me out last week and helped me reconnect to why our school exists in the first place -- to provide a safe environment with high expectations leading to physical, social, emotional, and academic success for all Titans. This is the heart of the SLMS mission statement. I am grateful the students and the staff are my teachers in this moment, reminding me of my "why". Our students and staff are terrific! I hope that you will join me in this resolution this week, as well.
Please take some time today to read through this critically important newsletter. There are several NEW ITEMS in it (marked "NEW!" below) which will affect you and your children this week and in the coming weeks. Topics in this Week's Newsletter:
- Week At-A-Glance
- Upcoming Dates
- NEW! Black History Month at SLMS
- NEW! Learning Model Change Request - February 4 thru 11
- NEW! Course Selection Information - Parent and Student Meetings
- Crucial Reminders for All Parents and Students
- Yearbooks on Sale Now! (until February 11) - $40
- NEW! Yearbook Photos for Students/Staff Not Yet Photographed
- NEW! Coding Club Announcement - starts February 10
- NEW! FBISD Support Portal Student Access via 1Link
- Semester 1 Grade Repair and March Interventions
- NEW! SLMS PTO Spirit Night at Torchy's Tacos Feb. 23
- Federal and State School Report Cards for SLMS
- Explore UT - Annual Event Held Virtually March 5-6
- REN360 Middle of the Year (MOY) Assessments - January 19-February 12
- Resource for Parents of Online Students
- Immunization Reminders for Current Sixth Graders
- and more
Thank you for your time and support of our school. As always, our ongoing priority is to serve our community in the best way possible. Please continue to follow all CDC guidelines for minimizing exposure to COVID-19 through frequent handwashing, use of hand sanitizer, not congregating in groups, and most importantly, wearing a mask. It will take all of us working together to defeat this virus once and for all.
Sincerely,
Keith Fickel, SLMS Principal
#GracePatienceOptimism
#BetterTogether
#InfinitePossibilities
#TitansOwnIt
Week At-A-Glance
Upcoming Dates
- February 8 thru March 11 - S1 Grade Repair (select students)
- February 15 - Presidents Day Holiday (no school)
- February 23 - SLMS PTO Spirit Night at Torchy's Tacos (4-8 PM)
- March 9 - Spring Open House (Virtual Format; details TBD)
- March 11 - Career Day (details forthcoming)
- March 15-19 - Spring Break
- March 22, 23, and 24 - On-Campus Interventions for select students
Black History Month at SLMS
Learning Model Change Request Window - February 4 thru 11
From February 4-11, parents who would like to request a change in their child’s current learning model must complete a learning model change request form in Skyward Family Access. For additional details, please visit the FBISD website.
Course Selection Information - Parent and Student Meetings
Course Selection Time is here! Current 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students will receive course selection information from their social studies teachers this week. Students will have the opportunity to view informational videos regarding elective options before entering their choices into Skyward. All videos will be available on the SLMS website under our Counselor Page sometime this week. Course selection meetings for parents regarding the 2021-22 school year are also happening this week. The counselors have already sent out their own communication to parents about these meetings. Please Note: Because our Zoom account is limited to 500 attendees, please only have one person per family join the Zoom meeting.
Current 8th Grade Parents
- Tuesday, February 9
- 6:30 PM
- Meeting will be held via Zoom (Click the "8th Grade Parent Meeting via Zoom - February 9" link below)
- Watch this video from the KHS Counselors
- SLMS web page for 8th graders transitioning to HS
Current 6th and 7th Grade Parents
- Thursday, February 11
- 6:30 PM
- Meeting will be held via Zoom (Click the "6th and 7th Grade Parent Meeting via Zoom - February 11" link below)
- SLMS web page for 6th and 7th graders going into the 2021-22 School Year
- Counselors' web page with informational videos about elective choices
You may also wish to visit our campus webpage dedicated to course selection. It will be updated frequently throughout the coming days as the counselors visit with parents and with students.
Course Selection Parent Meetings - Zoom Links
Yearbook Photos for Students/Staff Not Yet Photographed
We have a record of which students and staff have not yet had their picture taken so that they may have a final chance to be represented in the yearbook. Parents of these children, as well as individual staff members, will receive an email directly from Balfour this week giving them an opportunity to take a picture at home and then upload it to a secure website where our yearbook staff will ensure that your child (or staff member) will not be excluded from the yearbook. We do not want the fact that a child or staff member was an online student/staff, new to the school since picture day, or had an absence from school on picture day be the reason that they do not appear in the yearbook. Online students and staff are just as much a part of SLMS as the in-person learners. Be on the lookout for this email from Balfour this week!
Coding Club Announcement
Are you interested in computers? Do you like music? Would you like to learn how to use computers to create music? If so, join Ms. Stone and the Computer Coding Club after school on Wednesday, Feb. 10 at 4:30 in room 408 or by TEAMS invitation.
Both F2F and Virtual students can participate in this club. F2F students must be picked up at 6:00.
FBISD Support Portal Student Access via 1Link
In an effort to enhance our technology support, Fort Bend ISD has given secondary students (Grades 6 - 12) the ability to report application and hardware incidents using the FBISD Support Portal via 1Link. Students will select Student Application Support or Student Hardware Support to request assistance. See the two screenshots below.
Crucial Reminders for All Parents and Students
- All students (including online students) must complete the wellness check EVERY MORNING. F2F students who need to stay home because of not feeling well will also need to complete the wellness check every day. Continue to submit the wellness check each morning throughout your child's day(s) of absence. Nurse Lincoln must clear students to return, and she will have the needed time to do that when parents complete the wellness screener each morning, even when their child stays home.
- F2F students received new Wellness Check Cards during their 8th period class on Friday, which will cover the months of February and March. These cards DO NOT take the place of doing the wellness check each day in Skyward Family Access. These cards simply indicate that you have already completed the wellness check in Skyward, and are meant to be used by students who do not have a smartphone. School discipline will be administered to students who are found to have a pattern of not completing their wellness checks or who use the wellness card improperly.
- Face to face students who were issued a district-owned device are expected to bring it to school daily, including the charging cord.
- Students are expected to wear their school-issued picture ID badge, using the school-issued lanyard, over their outermost layer of clothing every day.
- There is no left turn allowed out of the front circle drive during arrival and dismissal
- U-Turns are not permitted along Seventh Street after exiting the circle drive
- Students enter and exit vehicles ONLY in the circle drive. Nowhere else.
Semester 1 Grade Repair and March Interventions
Soon, select students and their parents will be notified of opportunities to repair grades from semester 1 in core classes or to have required academic or attendance interventions put in place. The students will generally fall in these categories:
- Semester 1 Grade Repair - Students in both learning models who had a semester 1 (S1) grade between 60 and 69 in any of their core classes will be notified of an opportunity to repair their S1 grade up to a 70. These opportunities will run February 8 thru March 11, and will occur during 8th period (F2F students) or during the asynchronous time for online students (2:45-3:45)
- March Interventions (March 22, 23, and 24) - Students in both learning models who had S1 (semester 1) grades lower than 60 in core courses and/or poor rates of attendance. There are other reasons students may be asked to come to these in-person sessions, as well. These sessions will be held on campus, even for students in the online learning model. Sessions are 2.5 hours/day on the three days following spring break.
Federal and State School Report Cards for SLMS
Schools are required annually to share their federal and state report cards. Parents and staff will receive a separate communication with this same information by February 2, 2021. Links to federal and state report cards for our campus:
- Link to Federal Report Card for Sugar Land Middle School
- Link to State Report Card for Sugar Land Middle School
- Link to FBISD website dedicated to campus report cards
See the parent notification letters below (English and Spanish)
Explore UT (University of Texas) - Virtual Event March 5 & 6
The University of Texas at Austin is excited to bring the wonder and discovery of Explore UT to participants in a virtual format March 5-6, 2021. This free virtual experience will feature live programming with demonstrations, hands-on activities, and other interactive elements to incorporate in the classroom or at home.
Topics covered will include campus life, science and engineering, liberal arts, business, and more—providing a unique look at life on the university’s flagship campus.
More information and a schedule of events will be available on the Explore UT website in February. To receive updates from UT about Explore UT directly to your email, visit this link.
REN360 Middle of the Year (MOY) Assessments - Jan 19 - Feb 12
A separate notification went to parents on January 17 via email that outlined the REN360 middle of the year (MOY) assessments that are being administered through ELA and Math classes between January 19 and February 12. This information was posted on our campus webpage, as well. Please take a moment to read it so you are familiar with it. It is particularly important for parents of online students to read it, as we are relying on you to a degree to ensure it is successful.
Important Resource for Parents of Online Students
If your child(ren) are online, they (and you), may struggle to make sense of everything. If that describes you, please take a moment to check out this "Online Learning: What You Need to Know" resource on the FBISD web page.
Immunization Reminders for Current Sixth Graders (Online or F2F)
Your sixth-grade child did or will receive the Tdap and the Meningitis vaccines at their 11-year-old check-up. If they have had these vaccines, please provide proof of this to the clinic when your child gets them. These are the required shots for 7th grade and providing them as soon as you get them will keep your child compliant! You may email it to julie.cutaia@fortbendisd.com or fax it to (281) 327-3091.
Our experience has been that some parents wait until the last possible minute to be in compliance with these immunization requirements. Please help us help your child be ready for next year, as it will approach faster than you think!
SLMS Titan Masks for Sale - $10
PE Uniforms on Sale
Revised 2020-21 FBISD Calendar
Reporting a Positive Case of COVID-19 or Exposure to a Positive Case
To ensure the safety of all staff and students, it is critical that families report all positive cases of COVID-19, or exposures to a positive case of COVID-19, immediately. If your student tests positive for COVID-19 or is exposed to a positive COVID-19 case, please notify the District by reporting within the Daily Wellness Screener in Skyward Family Access.
Attendance Information for Parents
Parent notes are required for all absences within five days from the absence date. Notes must include full student name as well as the reason for the absence (including technical difficulties). If a student misses a synchronous engagement, they are counted absent.Please email all absence notes to AttendanceSLMS@fortbendisd.com. Contact our attendance clerk, Mrs. LaVergne, at (281) 634-3089 if you have questions.
Important Contact Information
- Assistant Principal - Dr. Dawn Rogers (dawn.rogers@fortbendisd.com)
- Counselor - Eleni Smith (eleni.smith@fortbendisd.com)
Seventh Grade
- Assistant Principal - Luster Goodwin (luster.goodwin@fortbendisd.com)
- Counselor - Kim Seright (kimberly.seright@fortbendisd.com)
Eighth Grade
- Associate Principal - Monika Martin (monika.martin@fortbendisd.com)
- Counselor - Nafecia Brinson (nafecia.brinson@fortbendisd.com)
Counselor Clerk - Carmen Brantley (carmen.brantley@fortbendisd.com)
Assistant Principal Secretaries
- 6th and 7th Grade - Tina Garcia (diamantina.ibarragar@fortbendisd.com)
- 8th Grade - Sherri Woodcock (sherri.woodcock@fortbendisd.com)
Attendance - Mary Beth LaVergne (mary.lavergne@fortbendisd.com)
Registrar - Tandi Phillips (tandi.phillips@fortbendisd.com)
Nurse - Angi Lincoln (angela.lincoln@fortbendisd.com)
Executive Assistant to Principal Fickel - Mary Connealy (mary.connealy@fortbendisd.com)
Sugar Land Middle School
45 Years
1975-2020
Inspiring and equipping the young men and women of our community for futures beyond what they can imagine since 1975.
SLMS Campus Mission Statement
Working collaboratively, the Sugar Land Middle School Professional Learning Community will commit to creating a safe environment with high expectations leading to physical, social, emotional, and academic success for all Titans.
#TitansOwnIt
#BetterTogether
#InfinitePossibilities
#GracePatienceOptimism
- 8:20-4:20 Monday-Friday
Email: keith.fickel@fortbendisd.com
Website: www.fortbendisd.com/slms
Location: 321 7th Street, Sugar Land, TX, USA
Phone: (281) 634-3080
Twitter: @SLMSTitans