WEEKLY BUFFALO NEWSLETTER

S.T. R. O. N. G. Buffalo Country

Hello Smith Family,

Our Buffalo Voyage is on the move with a growth mindset towards STAAR Testing! We are working diligently to increase academic success and showcase scholar talent. Here are some highlights from the week:

Congratulations to Tennis Team with Coach Motton
Breakfast with Community Partners
BU Timberwolves Spirit Tour
Campus Support from Board Members

REMINDERS:

Literacy Around the Continents - (Will be rescheduled)
March 13th - 17th SPRING BREAK

Let's keep the momentum going to reach our STAAR Testing Goals of 45% Approaching- 15% Meets- 5% Masters to move Smith MS to the next level.

SAFE BUFFALO RIDERS

Staff Member will ask Bus Drivers for a YES or NO regarding scholar bus behavior. It is all or none expectation to receive the rewards as follows:

3 consecutive days = Icee Popsicle
10 consecutive days = nachos/drink
25 consecutive days = free dress coupon

This incentive is to promote safe bus riders at all times by following the expectations and demonstrating respect to each other. Feel free to provide feedback.

Another productive week has come and gone. Beyond our regular day-to-day school practices, we had a fun-filled week of UIL events. Thanks to everyone as we balanced our day with our events and kept the focus on instruction. With that being said, next week we will continue with 8th grade Interim Testing on Wednesday and Thursday. We will conduct Interim testing in the Science and Music Buildings, relocating the band classes for the duration of testing. We want all scholars to do their best as we strive to achieve our goals of 45%/15%/5%. A word of encouragement from our amazing Buffalo staff goes a long way to our scholars. I am grateful that we continue to build and achieve together.

Dr. Tamikia Greene, Assistant Principal

Ms. Christina Goss, Dean of Climate & Culture

Greetings Buffalo Family!

Please be mindful of sending scholars out of the classroom without a pass. They are being stopped in the halls and asked to show their pass. Scholars should never be put out of the classroom. Call for assistance if the behavior warrants the scholar being removed from the classroom. A behavior interventionist will assist in de-escalating the situation (if possible) and return the scholar to class. The behavior interventionist will stay with the scholar in the classroom for approximately 10 minutes to assist in helping the scholar be on task.

Please review the following policies and procedures for discipline.

CELL PHONE POLICY

Cell Phone Collection Procedure

Make sure you send cell phones in a bag and label the bag. Complete the Cell Phone Collection sheet entirely. Turn in the phone/air pods into Mrs. Brush as soon as possible. Do not wait until the end of the day to turn this in.

ISS/CRD

Please send all ISS work to D1 each day or Ms. Bennett’s box if the scholar will be in ISS the following day. If they have accommodations, they must still receive those accommodations.

TARDIES

Smith Tardy Policy 2022-2023

Scholars must be allowed to enter the classroom when they arrive. Have the scholar sign the tardy log and follow the tardy policy. Scholars must not be left outside the classroom, regardless of the time they arrived. If they arrive after the 21st minute of class, mark them absent, but still let them into the classroom.

Once a scholar is on their third tardy, please complete an After School Detention form, call the parents and enter their detention date on the spreadsheet. (Detention notice is attached)
On the fourth tardy, complete a referral in Eduphoria and note the date of their detention in the description.

STUDENT OF CONCERN FORMS

Health and Wellness, Social/Emotional, Behavior

Please review the Student of Concern form (printable copy) or Student of Concern Online Form (complete online).

Per BISD discipline procedures, prior to writing a referral, you must complete this form and turn it in to Ms. Goss or Ms. Bryant (for social/emotional support).

COUNSELOR'S CORNER

Forgiveness - As we build relationships, we build character. The March word of the month is Forgiveness. Forgiveness means deciding someone that has wronged you doesn’t have to pay. The word must be written on your board as a visual representation of character building and incorporated in your lessons.

Parent Newsletter - Forgiveness is vulnerable. It involves sharing about hurt, experiencing hurt, and allowing space to potentially be hurt again. Learning and expressing boundaries can help, but it cannot completely eliminate the possibility of being emotionally hurt by another person or group of people. As parents, we can model what forgiveness is all the time. Our kids make mistakes or do small things with or around us that open the door for us to teach in individual moments what forgiveness is.

Questions for parents to consider:
• What does it mean to forgive someone?

Questions to ask your child:
• What is one time you forgave someone?

Mentorship Groups
- Dream Big Girls Mentorship Group - Wednesdays 10:00 a.m. (Room A-8)
- Take My Hand Girl - Thursdays 2:00 p.m. (Room A-8)
- Genesis for Generations - Wednesdays - 12:00p.m. - 12:45p.m. (A-8)

If you would like to mentor at Smith Middle School, please contact Ms. Bryant, Lead School Counselor.