Smallville-

Happy New Year! That’s right when next we speak, it will be 2022 and we will be halfway done with the school year! We’ve made it back to campus with only minimal bumps and bruises and are looking forward to an even smoother second semester.

We as administrators have made some mistakes this first semester and are excited about the opportunity to learn and grow from them when students return to campus. In an effort to keep our school as safe as can be, beginning January 2022 students will now use the Silo stairwells for heading down, and the North stairwell for heading up. Before school, after school, and on the way to and from lunch, students may use either stairwell. We are making this change due to the huge number of 6th-grade students and their mass exodus down after the 1st period of the day. This way, there will now be twice as much space for students to safely make it to their 1st and 2nd-floor classrooms.

Another change we will be making is keeping students in their respective holding areas (6th and 7th Gym, 8th cafeteria) before school until 8:15 a.m. We are doing this so our teachers can have more time to prep for the beginning of class and because we now have lots of eyes to watch kids in the front Plaza and the Courtyard out back, which will lessen the number of students in the gym and the cafeteria. All grade levels are eligible to chill before school in either of these two outdoor locations.

Social Media and Teens:

This year our school community all of the nation has suffered greatly due to social media misuse by students. We’ve had acts of vandalism and mass hysteria about school safety incited by Tik Tok and other platforms and it doesn’t appear the social media giants are doing anything at all to stop it. They want eyes on screens, regardless of what these eyes are posting, reading, and unfortunately doing. If you make a pros and cons list about social media and your student, chances are the cons will greatly outweigh the pros. If that’s the case, and it is, then why are we allowing our students to continue to use this platform? Please take some time this Winter Break to evaluate whether or not you feel social media is something your student needs and can handle appropriately.

Accelerated Instruction/Tutorials: Please take the time to fill out the Google Form letting us know when you prefer for your student to receive tutoring in Math and Reading for the second semester.

The options are:

• Before School, 7:45-8:15 Monday through Friday
• After School, 4:00-5:00, Monday through Thursday.
• There is also a Saturday option which will begin in February but it will be reserved for students who failed both Math and Reading STAAR. If this is the only day you can attend, know that your student will be required to participate in both subjects even if h/she only require it in one subject.

Please email me with any questions you have. This is all new to us but we are excited to be able to offer up to two hours a week of instruction in Math and Reading each week to our students who need it the most. Here is a copy of the Google Form for those who received the Accelerated Instruction letter in the fall: https://forms.gle/REBggxQDESrGREfm7

Thank you for allowing us to work with your student this semester. We wish y’all the best of luck this holiday season and can not wait to to see their smiling faces in 2022. Please enjoy the Fine Arts Department’s Winter Showcase as your early holiday gift from Smallville.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Matthew Nelson

Principal

Clint Small Middle School

(512) 841-6705

www.smallmiddleschool.org

matthew.m.nelson@austinisd.org

Hi everyone, I am Amanda Elliott the new attendance specialist at Small. I am excited to be working with everyone and look forward to getting to know you. We have updated the Small Website Attendance page and can submit notes online. This will allow for less paper and will help make Small a Greener Campus. On the Attendance Page you can now enter an absence and request an early pickup. Remember when picking up students early to give us at least an hour notice. This will ensure you are not waiting for your student for up to 15 minutes to arrive when you get here. It helps saves you time as well and will make sure you get to where you need to go as well. You can still handwrite an excuse note as well if needed. Don't forget that school starts right at 8:20. If you arrive after that your student will be marked Tardy. Please feel free to contact me with any questions by email at amanda.elliott@austinisd.org or directly at 512-841-6702. Have a wonderful Holiday Season.

Hola a todos, soy Amanda Elliott, la nueva especialista en asistencia de Small. Estoy emocionado de trabajar con todos y espero conocerlos. Hemos actualizado la página de Asistencia a sitios web pequeños y podemos enviar notas en línea. Esto permitirá menos papel y ayudará a que Small sea un campus más ecológico. En la página de asistencia ahora puede ingresar una ausencia y solicitar una recogida anticipada. Cuando recoja a los estudiantes temprano, recuerde avisarnos con al menos una hora de anticipación. Esto asegurará que no espere a que su estudiante llegue hasta por 15 minutos cuando llegue aquí. También le ayuda a ahorrar tiempo y se asegurará de que llegue a donde necesita ir. También puede escribir a mano una nota de excusa si es necesario. No olvide que la escuela comienza a las 8:20. Si llega después de eso, su estudiante será marcado como Tarde. No dude en comunicarse conmigo con cualquier pregunta por correo electrónico a amanda.elliott@austinisd.org o directamente al 512-841-6702. Que tengas una maravillosa temporada navideña.

https://small.austinschools.org/parents/attendance

Have your heard the new jingle staring our 6th grade choir? Check it out here.