Smith's Knightly News
Smith Middle School
Mission: The purpose of Smith Middle School is to ensure learning for all members of our school community.
Website: https://smith.troy.k12.mi.us/
Location: 5835 Donaldson Drive, Troy, MI 48085
Phone: (248) 823- 4700
JANUARY 29, 2024
MONDAY: 1/29
NO SCHOOL - Teacher Professional Learning Day
TUESDAY: 1/30
- 3:10pm - History Club Meeting (Rm 21)
- 3:10 - 4:00pm - Homework Help Club (Rm 28)
- 3:10 - 4:00pm - 7th Grade Volleyball Tryouts (Gym)
WEDNESDAY: 1/31
- 6th Grade WEB Lunch
- Smith Spelling Bee Finals
- 3:10 - 4:45pm - 8th Grade Volleyball Tryouts (Gym)
THURSDAY: 2/1
- Knight+ Day
- 3:10pm - 4:00pm Homework Help Club (Rm 28)
- 3:10pm - Model UN Meeting (Room 20)
- 3:10pm - STAND Club (Stage)
- 3:10 - 4:45pm - 7th and 8th Grade Volleyball Tryouts (Gym)
FRIDAY: 2/2
- 3:10 - 4:15pm - 7th and 8th Grade Volleyball Tryouts (Gym
Feb 8: VIP Lunch
Feb 14: Student Early Release Day (8:19am – 1:33pm) / Teacher PD
Feb 14: PTO Bake Sale during all lunches!
Feb 15: Knights + 7 Period Day
Feb 19 - 20: No School, Mid-Winter Break
Feb 23: PTO Sponsored Dance (3:10 – 4:30pm)
CONGRATULATIONS!
Congratulations to our Smith Advanced Orchestra, who was chosen to perform at the annual Michigan Music Conference in Grand Rapids this past Friday! They were selected out of over 65 groups who applied as one of the top 8 ensembles in Michigan! This journey started last year when, as 7th graders, they put together a professional recording and submitted it along with a lengthy application. The group has been preparing all year for this opportunity and they put on a fantastic performance on stage at the DeVos Performing Arts Center! We are proud of all their hard work! Thank you to Mrs. Murphy and Mrs. Xydas for all your hard work and for making this event possible.
BRAVO!
Under the direction of Ms. Jain, our Smith Choirs put on an excellent show at the TSD Festival of Choirs, which also included the choirs from Martell, Leonard, and Troy Union, as well as Troy High's A Cappella Club.
BASKETBALL WRAP-UP
Congratulations to our 7th and 8th grade Boys Basketball teams! They finished the season this past week with four wins over Larson and Boulan Park! Thank you Coach Koneval and Coach LaFave!
GEOGRAPHY, HISTORY, and SCIENCE BEES
The Social Studies and parts of the Science Department participated in the Geography, History, and Science Bees in December and January. We had 80% of our students qualify for the regional competition. This is outstanding and so exciting. We are in the process of distributing a handout sharing if your child qualified along with some registration details. Students are welcome to participate in any Bee that they qualified for. For students interested in competing, we offer a History Club on Tuesdays from 3:00 - 4:00pm in Room 21 where we practice past question sets and prepare for the regional and national competitions. All are welcome to come and participate.
We are proud to be once again hosting the Michigan Regional Finals here at Smith. We are hoping to have 100+ students participating on April 20. The registration deadline is April 5. Students can reach out to their Social Studies or Science teachers if they have more questions.
Here is the registration link for those interested in participating:
2024-2025 WASHINGTON D.C. TRIP
Attention 7th grade students and parents:
Registration is now open for the 2025 trip to Washington D.C. The early bird pricing will be effective through Feb. 14, 2024, with a deposit of $89. This reflects a $30 discount. Pricing this year does NOT include the full refund program. Please be aware that you may want to opt into the extra insurance protection.
Information for the trip will be shared via all 7th grade social studies teachers Schoology pages as well as the Smith website. You will be able to access the WorldStrides registration link, the parent meeting PowerPoint as well as a video from the parent meeting that was held on Jan. 24. Forms and other materials will be handed out in the fall once the final payment is made.
We are looking forward to another great trip, Mrs. Casko and Mrs. Trice
SAVE THE DATE - VIP LUNCH
Our next VIP lunch will be February 8!
Parents, guardians, or other VIP family members are welcome to come and enjoy lunch with their student. We hope to see you there!
DISCOVERY KITCHEN COOKOFF COMPETITION
We are excited to share a new program that is being held on Thursday, March 14th in the Athens Cafeteria at 4:00pm. Our Food Services department will be hosting a cooking competition that is open to all middle school students.
Our middle school students form groups of 3 or 4 and they can submit an application with their favorite cultural recipe. We will select the groups at the end of the month and they’ll have the chance to prepare their recipe in front of a group of judges. We’ll provide the groups with all the All the necessary tools and ingredients will be provided, as well as help of our Food Service Chefs.
8th GRADE ROLLERCOASTER PROJECT
Our 8th graders finished their energy unit in science this week, completing roller coasters where they could measure and calculate the energy of their marble "cars".
WELCOME AND THANK YOU!
This week we celebrated the end of Semester 1 in Art 6 with an ice cream party. Our 6th graders enjoyed ice cream sundaes in ceramic bowls they created in class with Mrs. McLellan. Our students were also introduced to Mrs. Melissa Velk, who will be taking over our semester 2 art classes at Smith. Mrs. McLellan is returning to Athens to pick up some art courses for semester 2 there. Welcome, Mrs. Velk and thank you, Mrs. McLellan, for a great start to our school year!
MY ONE WORD
During our last Knights+ Day in December, our 7th and 8th grade students took time to think about their goals and aspirations for 2024. Students then committed to "one word" that was going to be their focus for Semester 2 and shared it with their classmates. We will be revisiting these goals this week in our next Knights+ session. You can see many of our One Words posted on the walls as you come into the Smith cafeteria.
7th AND 8th GRADE GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
SMITH WRESTLING INFORMATION
Wrestling season is here!
Smith Wrestling is considered a Club / IM sport. All 6th, 7th, and 8th graders can participate. Students need to pay the $50 club fee and they do need to have a sports physical completed and on file with the front office or on Final Forms from another sport (Wrestling is not on Final Forms since it is a club sport).
Practices will be held at Smith Middle School with Coach Will England (williamengland317@gmail.com).
Our first practice will be Feb 21. More details coming!
INTRAMURAL VOLLEYBALL
IM Volleyball begins Feb 5 and is a Smith club activity open to all students. Practices take place before school and begin at 7:10am. Please see the calendar link below more information and for specific dates of practice.
TSD KINDERGARTEN ORIENTATION
UNIFIED SPORTS SPIRIT NIGHTS
Special Olympics Unified Sports brings people together through team sports and works to promote social inclusion. This is a great opportunity for students of all ages and abilities to come out and see what Unified Basketball is all about!
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...