Cougar News
Week of 4/12/21 - 4/16/21
Letter from Principal Nelson
Proud residents of Smallville, USA
While we don’t necessarily welcome the rising Texas temperatures this time of year, we do warmly welcome the new faces and masked smiles that make their way into the hallowed halls of Smallville. Each day we receive more and more students returning and the building is beginning to feel like a school again. Lunches are social and outside and kids are busy doing what kids do...which is a beautiful sight to behold and sound to hear. The library books have been uncovered and teachers are once again able to open their classroom libraries so students can share their love of literature and their content. Inch by inch, step by step, we are all making the move towards a return to normalcy.
If you’re curious as to what it looks like here on campus before your student returns, shoot me an email. I can tell you that for the last 10 days we have averaged roughly 220 students on campus each day, with 6th grade comprising the largest grade level. Our classrooms average anywhere from 2-9 kids per class and we only have one or two classes that are near our desired capacity (Small MS capacity per room is 15). That being said, we view a class of 10 as a class of 15 and begin the process of relocation and/or team teaching once we cross that threshold. We stagger release from each room so the halls are not too congested and we will continue to close the restroom and water fountain during passing periods for the remainder of the year. These efforts have allowed us to maintain social distancing requirements, which in turn helps place our students’ and staff’s minds at ease.
If you are planning on having your student return to school for the round of STAAR tests which are set to begin as soon as April 20th (7th grade writing STAAR), we suggest having your student come to campus a few days early to acclimate to the systems and procedures, as well as build up mask-wearing tolerance. We want our students who are taking the tests to be as fresh and as anxiety free as possible, so giving them a few days to get acclimated will surely lead to a more positive testing experience. Again, if you are on the fence or have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to me.
We will finish the year stronger than how we began, but not near as strong as how we will start 21-22. The last 13 months have increased our students’ resiliency, adaptability, and self-advocacy, which will \pay HUGE dividends for all of us in the not too distant future. Some things we have been doing will dissipate, while others will become mainstays; we have more tools in our toolbox than ever before. Our kids will benefit from the trial and error of this last year and have learned more about themselves than ever before. We are proud of them. We appreciate their dedication to the process. They are the process.
Warmest regards.
Matthew Nelson
Principal
Clint Small Middle School
(512) 841-6705
NJHS
Induction Ceremony for 2019-2020 (current 8th graders who were selected for NJHS as 7th graders last Spring) and for 2020-2021 (current 7th graders who have been recently selected) NJHS members will be held on May 20th at 7:30pm. Current NHS members from LASA will be hosting and welcoming new members and we will have a very special guest speaker! The virtual ceremony should last about half an hour (no commute time!)
Mrs. Manners, your NJHS sponsor, has the emails for the students in 7th and 8th grade as well as the adults-of-7th-graders and she will send a Zoom link to those emails closer to May 20th. If you are an adult-of-an-8th-grade NJHS member who would like to attend the virtual ceremony, please send an email to christie.manners@austinisd.org with the emails of anyone you'd like included (grandparents, bonus parents, etc). Please include the name of your NJHS member and "Zoom Link Request" in the subject line.
Carpool
Cougar Club
Check out the flyer below
Calendar Change
Thursday April 8 the Beginning Percussion students in the band had a “Percussion Accessory Experience” Day. They got to try percussion instruments that are important but were unable to play before due to COVID. We had sooo much fun!
Cheer Try-Outs
Track Results
AISD Community Conversations
LIBRARY BOOKS
If students have any library books from last spring from ANY AISD campus they can be returned at Small. You can put them in the first floor book drop if you are on campus or drop them by the office if you are virtual. Your help is appreciated getting books back in our AISD libraries!
The Small Virtual Library
Austin High Basketball Camp
When: June 28 – July 1
Where: Small Middle School gym
Who:
- Boys and Girls entering 3rd – 5th grades 9:00 am – 12:00 noon
- Boys and Girls entering 6th – 9th grades 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Cost: $100 per camper
The Austin High Basketball Camp will focus on teaching the fundamentals of basketball and will provide campers the opportunity to improve and have fun with the game. Each camper will receive individual as well as group instruction from professional coaches. Coach Brad Ingram, head boys basketball coach at Austin High, will be the Camp Director. All equipment will be provided. Students will need to bring their own water bottle.
Sign up online at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfI2AXbNcpoAvgQIcS-SKnkh2owOX_TIYkmqaDhCyvcUj2png/viewform link and pay at https://austinisd.schoolcashonline.com/ (search for Austin High Basketball Camp)
Austin High Community
Dear Austin High Community,
As always, it's a great time to be a Maroon! Click here to view the March/April Principal's Report.
Sincerely,
Amy Taylor, Austin High School Principal
Austin High Swim Team
We have three dates available for TRYOUTS
(1) Thursday, April 22
(2) Thursday, April 29
(3) Thursday, May 6
Ordered a Yearbook Yet?
Address the CAC Committee
If you are interested in speaking to our CAC using our Citizen Communication time, please email our CAC chair Co-Chair Chasee chappellhudgins@mac.com for the meeting Zoom details.
Citizens Communications. For all regular and other plenary meetings of the CAC, time at the beginning of the meeting shall be set aside for citizens communications. This time is specifically for non-members to make comments to the CAC. The Co-Chairs may limit the time for citizens communications and the time given to individual speakers. The Co-Chairs shall ensure that the district’s “Citizens Communications and Visitor Guidelines” are applied. Under these guidelines, except for requests for clarification, dialogue shall not occur between speakers and members. If the CAC is interested in hearing more from a speaker, the speaker may be invited to a future meeting and placed on the agenda specifically for that purpose. Or, the CAC may call a special meeting specifically for the purpose of open dialogue with non-members (e.g., a “community conversation”), but it must be posted for discussion on a specific topic or topics.
PARENTS CAMPAIGN TO RAVE!
Parents, are you looking for a way to give back to teachers and staff at Small Middle School?
We (A handful of Small Parents) have found a free and very effective way to show some love and thought we would share it with you all.
RAVE: Recognizing All Valuable Employees
Let's send some sparkly gratitude to our faculty & staff this holiday season with an AISD RAVE submission!
- Does your student have a favorite teacher?
- Has someone at Small (or any other AISD School) gone above and beyond for you and your family?
- Do you want to support teachers and let everyone (Teacher, Principal, AISD District) know about it?
All of our faculty and staff have gone above and beyond this semester. The best free, easy, sparkly way to show our gratitude is via the RAVE form on the AISD website (link below.) It only takes a couple of minutes to complete!
This form is received by AISD administration. RAVE submissions mean a lot to teachers and staff. It's equivalent to a virtual hug! And, there's never been a better time to remind the Superintendent how indispensable they all are.
Please submit a RAVE for any teacher or staff member (current or from school years past.)
Maybe send one or two a day! You do need the first and last name of the employee you wish to RAVE about. Those can be sourced on Small's Staff Directory :
https://www.austinisd.org/schools/small/directory
Flooding AISD administration with positive feedback will make an important and lasting impact. Let's make this holiday season sparkle a little extra with RAVES!
https://www.austinisd.org/hr/customer-service/rave
Thank you,
Small Parents
Clint Small, Jr. Middle School
Email: jennifer.newell@austinisd.org
Website: http://www.smallmiddleschool.org/
Location: 4801 Monterey Oaks Boulevard, Austin, TX, United States
Phone: (512) 841-6700