SMS Trojan News
Principal's Corner
May 4th - May 8th
This week, we celebrate the hardworking educators at South Middle. Staff appreciation falls during the first week of May every year. This year feels significantly different when we can't celebrate together with them. If you have seen one of our teachers or staff members do something extra for your child, now is a great time to send a note of thanks and recognize them for what they have done and continue to do. If you click here, you can participate in recognizing your teachers with a note, video message, or picture of appreciation. The deadline to submit content is Tuesday, May 5th. *Posts are subject to approval and may be used on any GPSD platform.
Before the school closure, we had our "Pennies for Patients" fundraiser. Even with the coronavirus situation interrupting our fundraiser, our school students were still able to raise a few hundred dollars for leukemia patients! To celebrate, we have our first ever "Virtual Assembly" brought to you by our fantastic leadership students. Click here to view the assembly, or see the video below.
Speaking of our leadership students...we have our leadership class applications available now. Please print and return to South, or fill out the online application. See more details for leadership class below.
Please remember that our "Hang Out" with counselors is happening again on Tuesday morning from 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. Students and families can attend to check-in and talk about relevant topics. This week's conversation will be about "What's trending?" where participants can share what movies or books they've been reading or watching. I've heard the 7th and 8th graders have been reading a pretty good story in their English classes...
Thank you for the response to our South family that recently lost one of their family members. These are difficult times that we're navigating through, and our team here at South is here for students and their families. Please remember that we are here to help out and partner with you. Below are Crisis Support phone numbers should you need them.
We're still holding on to student items retrieved from their lockers. May 15th will be the last day to pick these up before they are donated. Please contact Mr. Sale if you need to swing by and grab your items before they are donated.
Great job with participating and engaging with our distance learning. Packets are available, as are our boxes for turning in last week's work. All information in packets can also be found on the SMS "Learn at Home" website. This week's learning will be due by Monday, May 11th, either online (e.g. Google Classroom) or at South where you picked packets up.
Have a great week!
-Mr. Sale
Leadership Applications
To apply to be in Leadership, please see the applications below. These are available Monday, May 5th, to Friday, May 15th.
Counseling Resources
- Options Counseling: 541-474-5360 for crisis; 541-476-2373 for info services
- Other resources
2. Call to talk to a Counselor:
- Ms. McGarry (A-L): 541-474-5750, ext. 50112
- Ms. Rastellini (M-Z:) 541-474-5750, ext. 50104
- Ms. Hull (Social Emotional Support Counselor): 541-474-5750, ext. 50151
Suggested Schedule for Learning at Home
Attendance
A reminder that we are tracking "attendance" each week. For your student to be counted as "present" for each class, teachers will indicate any contact they have had with the or from the student/parent that indicates the student is engaged in the school work. This can include:
- A phone call,
- An email,
- Attendance at a virtual meeting (Zoom or Google Meets),
- The student logged into to Google Classroom to count for participation, or
- The student hands in printed work.
Norms and Agreements for Distance Learning
- Staff will use pre-existing district communication methods – school provided email addresses, phone numbers, web sites, etc.
- Staff will not be using personal text messaging, personal emails, Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook for distance learning purposes.
- Staff will be public in their practice – when staff are at home, they are encouraged to have others in the room (physical and virtual) to the best of their ability so others can hear and see. Students should also be in a room where others can see and hear the communication.
- When using Zoom and/or Google Hangouts, staff will meet with groups of students as much as possible vs. individual students.
- If possible, when having a one-on-one phone call with students, staff will ask the student to put them on speaker phone so others in the room can hear them.
- During one-on-one phone calls or virtual meetings, staff will be keeping brief notes about the conversation (time, date, content).
- Staff communication will be related to schoolwork; when inquiring about a student’s health or well-being, staff will be sure to ask all students the same questions.
- Staff will not be recording and/or posting a Zoom meeting (or other video-platforming meetings) that contain video of students as it would require consent from the parent to have their student recorded. If it becomes necessary to record any sessions, parent permission will be received prior to recording any session. Staff are encouraged to record themselves teaching a lesson and/or sending a video message and posting for students to view at a time convenient for them. Students should not be recording meetings either as we want to ensure the rights of all are protected. There may be consequences for students not complying with this expectation.
- When a staff member becomes aware of a problem with a student (i.e. concerns over mental health and/or safety), they will report the concern to the students’ counselor and/or administrator immediately. Mandatory child abuse reporting still applies and the educator may be required to contact DHS to file a report.
- Students are expected to maintain appropriate use of all electronic devices and communication using appropriate language, etiquette and to ensuring to report any bullying or harassment experienced immediately to a school administrator.
Please email Mr. Sale if you have any questions or concerns.
Thank you for supporting your student in our GP "Learn at Home" plan which will begin on April 13th.
South Middle School
Email: bsale@grantspass.k12.or.us
Website: https://www.grantspass.k12.or.us/Subsite08
Location: South Middle School, West Harbeck Road, Grants Pass, OR, USA
Phone: 541-474-5750
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SMSTrojans/