SLMS Titan News
Week #14 - November 8, 2021
Greetings SLMS Parents, Guardians, Students, and Staff,
This week is our Fall Teacher Appreciation Week, and I hope that every parent and every student takes a moment to write a note of thanks to each of their teachers, who are working hard on their behalf. The campus and the SLMS PTO have many nice things in store for our teachers and staff, but a word of encouragement and appreciation from parents and students would be especially appreciated. Thank you in advance for the generosity you will show this week to our teachers and staff!
This Thursday, November 11, is Veterans Day, and we are collecting new, in-the-package socks for our homeless veterans to be donated to the Veterans Administration. Please bring sock donations to your 5th period teacher's class. And THANK YOU to all of our parents, community, and staff, who have served in our nation's Armed Forces! SLMS is forever in your debt. See the information below about the sock drive.
Please join us this Friday for the Parent Coffee with the Principal (Virtual) through Microsoft Teams at 10:00 AM. See details below.
Remember to set your clocks back one hour when you go to bed on Saturday evening, as Daylight Savings Time ends and Central Standard Time begins. It will be lighter Sunday morning earlier, but it will begin to get darker sooner at the end of each day.
This week's news contains information about:
- Upcoming Events
- Fall Teacher Appreciation Week: November 8-12
- Veterans Day Sock Drive
- November Parent Coffee with the Principal
- Author Sharon Draper visits SLMS November 12
- Student Safety Tips with Time Change on November 7
- Medication and the Clinic
- Yearbooks On Sale Online Now!!! - Only $40
- Everyone Can Help With Yearbook Pictures!
- Birthday Messages on the SLMS Electronic Marquee
- Important Contact Information
I hope you have a peaceful and enjoyable week!
Sincerely,
Keith Fickel, Principal
#NewBeginnings
#TitansOwnIt
#ReturnOfTheTitans
The Week At A Glance
Upcoming and Important Dates
- Fall Teacher Appreciation Week - Week of November 8
- End of Daylight Savings Time - November 7
- Theatre Performance for Parents - November 11
- Parent Coffee with the Principal - November 12
- Classroom Spelling Bees - November 17
- Picture Retakes/Make-Ups - November 18
November Parent Coffee with the Principal - Friday, November 12 at 10:00 AM
November SLMS Parent Coffee with the Principal
Friday, November 12, 2021
10:30 AM
Microsoft Teams
Veterans Day Sock Drive
Author Sharon Draper to Visit SLMS November 11
Thank you for your support of our Scholastic Book Fair this past week! Students were so excited for the new additions to their home libraries. Hot on the heels of the fair, the SLMS Library will be hosting an online visit with author Sharon Draper on Thursday, November 11th. Students can sign up with Mr. Sinclair in the library or online in the Library Schoology course. Please consider purchasing one of the author’s books using the link below. Local bookstore Blue Willow is arranging this visit free of charge, and campus book sales help ensure we can hold similar events in the future! Visit this link: https://www.bluewillowbookshop.com/virtual-visit-sharon-draper
Student Safety Tips with Upcoming Time Change
As we near the time change on November 7, the morning commute for our student walkers and cyclists will become increasingly dark outside. Therefore, please take extra precaution. We encourage you to speak with your child about the importance of staying safe on their route to and from school. Simple reminders are often the most effective, and these tips are applicable at any time of day. Please remind your child of the following:
- Wear a helmet when riding a bicycle
- Add a light or reflector on bicycles
- Cyclists must obey motor vehicle laws including yielding to pedestrians, stopping for stop signs, signaling turns and traveling with the flow of traffic
- Stop and look both ways before crossing an intersection
- Always walk a bicycle across an intersection
- Stay on the sidewalk rather than riding or walking in a public street whenever possible
- Cross at a crosswalk or intersection as opposed to mid-block
- Always look for moving vehicles
As a reminder, once we return to school on November 8 following the time change, our evenings will get darker sooner. If your child stays at school for extracurricular activities, please share this helpful information with them so they are safe coming home.
Medication and the Clinic
Please take some time this week to talk to your child(ren) about what is and is not appropriate to bring to school. Remember that if your child has medication they need to take, even if it is simply aspirin or an over-the-counter medication, it must be administered in the clinic. This means that medication may only be brought to school by a parent and delivered directly to the clinic. Please also talk with your child(ren) about the expectations surrounding our "Titan Bucks" program. The "Titan Bucks" they earn through our PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention/Support) efforts are intended only for them and are not to be pooled together for any kind of rewards. Additionally, students are not to sell any items to other students while at school for any reason--not with legal tender/currency and not with Titan Bucks. Students in violation of this will face disciplinary action.
Yearbooks On Sale Online NOW! Only $40.00
Our yearbook staff is hard at work creating the yearbook for this year. You do not want to miss out. Yearbooks are $40.00, which is the same price as last year, and they may be purchased online by visiting this page on the Balfour website.
We still have copies of last year's yearbook available for sale, as well. They are $40.00, and may be purchased only with exact cash, money order, or check, and they are not available online. Please contact our Yearbook Sponsor, Ms. Simpson at alison.simpson@fortbendisd.com if you have any questions regarding this year's yearbook (or last year's yearbook).
Everyone Can Help with Pictures for the Yearbook
The yearbook staff cannot be everywhere to take pictures for the yearbook, but you can help them out! Download the Balfour ImageShare app to your device, and follow the instructions in the flyer below to be able to share pictures you have taken for possible inclusion in the yearbook. Pictures submitted must be school-relevant and appropriate. The yearbook staff and sponsor will determine which photos to include. Note that any inappropriate photos submitted will be referred to campus administration, and possibly to law enforcement, if warranted.
Birthday Messages on SLMS Marquee
Does your SLMS child have an upcoming birthday? Would you like to wish them a happy birthday on our new digital campus marquee? The PTO is coordinating birthday messages to go on our marquee as a means of raising funds to help meet needs of students and teachers. Publicizing your child's birthday is only $15.00. Please follow these simple steps to get your child's birthday announced on the marquee:
- Visit https://my.cheddarup.com/c/slmspto
- Scroll down to the "Happy Birthday Marquee" item
- Click "Add to Cart"; you are redirected to another screen where you will
- Enter information about your child and select the style of announcement you wish to see on the marquee
- Click "Add to Cart ($15.00)"
- Review your order
- Click "Continue to Forms"
- Enter your child's name and grade level
- Click "Continue to Payment" and finish your purchase
Note that submissions must be received at least two weeks ahead of the desired date to be posted on our campus marquee. Please contact Heather Martin of the SLMS PTO at heathermartincpa@gmail.com with questions. And feel free to order SLMS swag like hoodies, t-shirts, and more while you are ordering your child's birthday message!
Important Contact Information
- Associate Principal - Monika Martin (monika.martin@fortbendisd.com)
- Counselor - Nafecia Brinson (nafecia.brinson@fortbendisd.com)
- Assistant Principal - Dr. Dawn Rogers (dawn.rogers@fortbendisd.com)
- Counselor - Eleni Smith (eleni.smith@fortbendisd.com)
Eighth Grade
- Assistant Principal - Luster Goodwin (luster.goodwin@fortbendisd.com)
- Counselor - Kim Seright (kimberly.seright@fortbendisd.com)
Counselor Clerk - Carmen Brantley (carmen.brantley@fortbendisd.com)
Assistant Principal Secretaries
- 7th and 8th Grade - Tina Garcia (diamantina.ibarragar@fortbendisd.com)
- 6th Grade - Sherri Woodcock (sherri.woodcock@fortbendisd.com)
Attendance - Mary Beth LaVergne (mary.lavergne@fortbendisd.com)
Registrar - Tandi Phillips (tandi.phillips@fortbendisd.com)
Nurse - Shetal Patel (shetal.patel@fortbendisd.com)
Clinic Aide - Cassandra Rodarte (cassandra.rodarte@fortbendisd.com)
Executive Assistant to Principal Fickel - Mary Connealy (mary.connealy@fortbendisd.com)
Sugar Land Middle School
46 Years
1975-2021
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
#NewBeginnings
#Resilience
Office Hours
8:20-4:20 PM
Email: keith.fickel@fortbendisd.com
Website: www.fortbendisd.com/slms
Location: 321 7th Street, Sugar Land, TX, USA
Phone: (281) 634-3080
Twitter: @SLMSTitans