Sugar Land MS Titan News
Week #26 - February 22, 2021
Greetings SLMS Parents and Guardians,
What a year this last week has been! I hope this message finds you well, or at the very least that your situation is improving. Dr. Dupre sent an important message to all families today sharing that Tuesday, February 23, will be a virtual workday for teachers, but it will be a non-instructional day for students. This means that students will not attend school Tuesday. School resumes on Wednesday, February 24 in an all-virtual format, which will continue on Thursday and Friday. Please make sure that you read the article below which explains what "virtual" means for our Face to Face (F2F) students. Dr. Dupre stated in his email: "Please note that this is not full-time asynchronous learning. Students will be expected to participate in scheduled synchronous learning time with their teachers." Normal instruction (i.e. in-person learning on the SLMS campus for F2F students) will resume on Monday, March 1.
As we relaunch a year that has already been relaunched once before (transition from T1 to T2), the word that comes to my mind, against the backdrop of all that has taken place in the last 12 months, is "Resilience". My hope is that each person in our entire SLMS learning community finds ways to be like bamboo, which bends, but does not break, which is another way of expressing resilience.
If there is anything that you need for us to know about regarding your situation or if you think we may be able to help, please do not hesitate to complete this brief form. While we cannot promise that we can help in every situation, we will do our best. We will route your information to the person who may best help you, and it will be kept confidential. We look forward to "seeing" your children on Wednesday!
Please join us Tuesday night for the SLMS PTO Spirit Night at Torchy's Tacos. Details are below.
Topics in this Week's Newsletter:
- Week At-A-Glance
- Upcoming Dates
- NEW and IMPORTANT: "Bell" Schedule for February 24-26
- Black History Month at SLMS
- FBISD Theatre Design and Marketing Contest Awards
- SLMS PTO Spirit Night at Torchy's Tacos Feb. 23
- REVISED: Course Selection Information for 2021-22
- Student Cook-Off Challenge by FBISD School Health Advisory Committee (SHAC)
- FBISD Track Meet Ticketing Information
- Texas Tuition Promise Fund Webinars Feb 24
- Semester 1 Grade Repair and March Interventions
- Federal and State School Report Cards for SLMS
- Explore UT - Annual Event Held Virtually March 5-6
- Resource for Parents of Online Students
- Immunization Reminders for Current Sixth Graders
May you experience resilience this week.
Sincerely,
Keith Fickel, SLMS Principal
#Resilience
#GracePatienceOptimism
#BetterTogether
#InfinitePossibilities
#TitansOwnIt
Week At-A-Glance
Upcoming Events
- February 23 - SLMS PTO Spirit Night at Torchy's Tacos
- February 27 - Saturday Administration of TELPAS on campus (select students)
- March 1 - in-person learning on the SLMS campus resumes for F2F students
- 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 - Interventions for Select Students
- March 29 - Start of Term 4 (T4)
"Bell" Schedule for February 24-26 (Wed-Fri)
Online Students/Teachers – Students in the Online Learning Model will continue their daily schedule with no changes, as they are unaffected by the campus pivot to online/virtual instruction. Their schedule remains 9:00-2:30, with asynchronous time 2:30-4:30
Face to Face (F2F) Students/Teachers – Students will attend their F2F classes virtually, following the F2F bell schedule (8:50-4:05), with one slight adjustment for lunch. Classes will be conducted via Microsoft Teams. Students will receive Teams invitations from their F2F teachers, just like they did at the beginning of the school year). Please note that there are TWO components for each 90-minute period in this F2F schedule:
- Part 1 – 60-minute SYNCHRONOUS engagement (Teams), immediately followed by a
- Part 2 – 30-minute ASYNCHRONOUS experience for that same class
- See the chart below for specific times for each component
When the entire campus must pivot to online/virtual instruction, current Face-to-Face students will follow the F2F bell schedule, but have a common lunch time. We made this adjustment so that there is no “split lunch” class that would break up the 60-minute synchronous engagement during 2nd or 6th period. Students will join their live (synchronous) classes through Microsoft Teams, using the schedule below.
Note: Teachers will record attendance in Skyward for all F2F students as “RS” (remote synchronous) rather than “P” (present) when the entire campus has pivoted to online/virtual instruction.
See the chart below showing the Face to Face (F2F) student schedule for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Note that Wednesday and Friday are "A" Days, and Thursday is a "B" Day.
Virtual F2F Class Schedule
Black History Month at SLMS
District Theatre Design and Marketing Contest
Congratulations to these students who won awards with the district's theatre design and marketing competition!
Course Selection Information for 2021-22
NOTE: The rescheduled course selection windows in Skyward, due to the Winter Storm, have been updated below
Course Selection Time is here! Current 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students received selection information from their social studies teachers during the week of February 8. Students and parents also have the opportunity to view informational videos regarding elective options before entering their choices into Skyward. All videos are available on the SLMS website under our Counselor Page. Course selection meetings for parents regarding the 2021-22 school year were held on February 9 and 11.
UPDATED 2.23.21: For current 6th and 7th grade students, course selection opens in Skyward Student Access (not Family Access) on February 23, and will close on March 10. Students should look for the "Schedules" menu item.
UPDATED 2.23.21: For current 8th grade students, course selection opens in Skyward Student Access on February 23 and closes on March 10, but students will be creating their "career plans" (4-year plan). The courses in students' career plans for 2021-22 (the first year of the 4-year plan) will become their course requests for 9th grade. The KHS counselors and SLMS counselors will be working with students and teachers to explain this process.
For all students, Click here to download a PDF of the FBISD course selection guides (descriptions of courses).
Current 8th Grade Parents
- Watch the recording of the February 9 parent meeting for current 8th grade parents
- Watch this video from the KHS Counselors
- SLMS web page for 8th graders transitioning to HS
Current 6th and 7th Grade Parents
- Watch the recording of the February 11 parent meeting for current 6th and 7th grade parents
- 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. Also, download the document below titled "Parent and Student Communication AAC Designation" to learn about the change in name for advanced courses from Pre-AP to AAC (Advanced Academic Course)
Student Cook-Off Challenge by FBISD School Health Advisory Committee (SHAC)
Fort Bend ISD's Child Nutrition Department and School Health Advisory Council (SHAC) teamed up to offer a cook-off for students. Students are invited to record a recipe video that shows them creating one of their favorite recipes.
The grand prize winner will receive a virtual classroom visit from a Houston Texans player, sponsored by DairyMAX.
The deadline to submit an entry is March 1. For more information, including additional rules, view the flier. Use this Microsoft Form to submit your entry.
Texas Tuition Promise Fund® and Texas Match the Promise Foundation Webinars
Learn more about the Texas Tuition Promise Fund®, the state's tax-advantaged prepaid college tuition plan, and the Texas Match the Promise Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity offering scholarship opportunities to eligible participants in the Texas Tuition Promise Fund.
NOTE: Open enrollment period will end February 28, 2021
Upcoming webinars will provide an overview of the Texas Tuition Promise Fund and information on the different types of tuition units, tuition redemption values and payment options.* In addition, the webinars will present information about matching scholarship opportunities available through the Texas Match the Promise Foundation.**
Sign up for one of our upcoming webinars (Feb 17 and Feb 24)
If you have any questions regarding the webinars, please contact us at TuitionPromise@cpa.texas.gov.
For more information about the Texas Tuition Promise Fund, visit TuitionPromise.org or call 800-445-GRAD (4723), option 5.
* Residency restrictions apply.
** Residency restrictions, age requirements, eligibility criteria, household income restrictions and contribution requirements apply.
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 until we are through. We have had to extend the timeline from its original ending point of March 11, due to the Winter Storm. These 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.
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