Cougar News
Week of 4/2/18 - 4/6/18
Letter from Principal Nelson
Cougars-
This week we welcome our incoming 6th grade Green Tech students to campus to share with them tips for success, how to get their choice sheets ready, and most importantly, to get to know the new faces and support staff who will be their 8-3:40 family for the next three years. Our goal is simple; celebrate their choice and prepare them for the road ahead.
What is not simple is ensuring we aren’t pulling a “bait n’ switch” with them in regards to what brought them here. Meaning, we are tasked with providing the same programming and activities that attracted them here in the day and age of district cutbacks. Due to AISD’s budget shortfall, we have recently been informed that they are trimming $114,000 from our staffing budget, which effectively means they are no longer supporting our Green Tech and bilingual programs. We will still be able to support these positions this year with money raised from Fun Run and from our activities/building maintenance account, but not without a cost to our classroom sizes and office/teaching supplies budget.
What we are going to be able to do next year is place a bandaid on the problem and make it through with flying colors, but this plan of borrowing from Peter to pay Paul is not a sustainable one. We will need to create and/or find ways to bring funds to campus so we can continue to offer the best, most unique programming in Central Texas or find ourselves in danger of losing them. We all want what’s best for kids, and that is our driving force in our decision to keep funding these programs without district support, but we also need to be mindful of the long term stability of our campus.
Our plan to get through next year with everything in tact cannot be successful without help from our community. What the help looks like is entirely up to what one feels one can offer (money, time, office supply donations, tutoring, etc…) and our new task at hand is to come up with as many opportunities as possible to allow our community to donate their time, talent, or treasure to the cause. After our Glow Party on April 13th that supports our Green Academy, our next campus-wide opportunity which we need support with is our Carnival which takes place on May 18th. This is our 3rd year hosting this spectacular event which our kids, community, and staff love as it allows for camaraderie, fun, and the opportunity to raise money for our school. For information as to how you or your business can help, please contact Jennifer Newell. jennifer.newell@austinisd.org
Enjoy this 3 day weekend with your family. We here are spending our Friday planning and prepping for the months ahead and hope to finish this campaign as strongly as we started it.
Matthew Nelson
Principal
Small Middle School
(512) 841-6505
@smallprincipal
Small Needs YOU!
SAVE THE DATE
Cougar Splash Fest
MAY 18th, 2018 3:40 - 7:00 PM
We have a carnival facebook planning page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/183958045742713/
Join us to brainstorm ideas, learn how you can help and share your talents!
AISD Summer Theatre Production
The Austin ISD Summer Musical AUDITIONS are HERE!
We are EXTENDING the DEADLINE to Sunday April 8th!!!
Please spread the word to your students
***AISD account must be used to access the audition Google Classroom***
Need Dancers, Singers, Actors, Musicians and Technical Students!!!
Side Note: There will be a second summer show in the Black Box, details TBA.
NEED TECHNICAL DIRECTOR:
Please consider this paid position for a great summer project.
AUDITION QUESTIONS:
Email AISDsummermusical@gmail.com
LINK:
https://www.austinisd.org/announcements/auditions-districtwide-summer-musical-open-march-12
Academic UIL
Is your students participating in the Academic UIL contest April 14, 2018 (Saturday) at Marble Falls Middle School?
Please print the permission form and sent it with your student to give to their coach by April 5th.
Click here for Permission Form
Parents/guardians are welcome to attend. Awards ceremony will be at approximately 2:00pm. An event like this takes volunteers, if you are willing and able to help out please email the UIL coordinator Becky.white@austinisd.org
STAAR Stuff
As we prepare for the upcoming STAAR tests, we just wanted to make you aware of a few things...
- The next two weeks, April 2nd - April 13th, we will not be running Ignite due to preparation for STAAR and for testing. We will begin again on April 16th, 2018.
- We will be picking up cell phones and smart watches during testing, these items are not allowed during STATE testing. All items will be returned at the end of the testing window for that day.
Summer Sport Camp Registration
If you child would like to get a leg up on their sport, They can come to a week long Summer sports Camp here at Small. Click the link below to register.
- Volleyball Camp
- Football Camp
- Basketball Camp
PTA NEWS 03/23
- Calling all dads, brothers, uncles, male cousins, grandfathers !! PTA is giving away incentives to encourage more men to become members. #48-50 gets a shirt and $5 worth of credit in the cage. #51 gets a shirt for themselves and their kid! We have until March 31 to be eligible for MARS (Men Are Really Super) award, if we have at least 50 men as members. Please join online at https://sites.google.com/site/smallpta/home/PTA-membership
The final PTA general meeting of the year on April 3, 2018 at 6 pm. We are voting in new officers and to update our bylaws. Please plan to attend and vote on the changes at the general meeting. The current bylaws can be found at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qIvChzL96IQco1tDjyc0k9S7qM-YkAhm/view?usp=sharing
The following changes are proposed:
Article VIII Section 2 Quorum: The quorum for the transaction of business in any association meeting shall be Five (5) members. (Previously it was "ten (10) members.")
Article IX Section 1 Composition: The members of the executive board shall be: the historian or secretary. (Previously it was only historian but in our PTA, the secretary is the record/history keeper.)
MESSAGE FROM THE BOWIE TENNIS TEAM COACH!
Attention 8th grade Tennis Players:
Bowie Tennis team tryouts are Saturday, May 26th
you must register at: www.bowietennis.org
Respectfully,
Coach Dammann
Camp Counselors needed
Do you have an 8th grader who is ready for some responsibility this summer? Check out this opportunity for them to be a camp Counselor
AISD FREE PHYSICALS:
April 23 @ Burger Center
Pre-registration is required - Have your son/daughter pick up the forms from the coaches' office.
Tuesday, April 3rd
Student athletes must return the medical forms to the coaches. The parents and the student athletes must sign forms in ALL the appropriate places before the coach will accept the form. This includes a completed medical history, athlete contact information, and both parent and student signatures.
Items to Double Check on Completed Physicals
- Form Completed in Ink
- Contact Information Complete
- Next Years Grade Level
- School Name on Top
- Student ID # on Form
- Medical History Questions Answered-BY PARENT
- Yes Answers Explained Thoroughly-Contact Parent if Necessary
- Sports Circled
- Signature of Parent and Student on ALL Blanks
- Project Access Form Signed
- If Student Has Asthma, Get Asthma Action Plan from Nurse
Melissa Hernandez
PE/ATHLETICS
512-841-6758
Immunizations
Hello Parents!
It is never too early to start preparing for the beginning of the 2018-2019 school year. August is only 5 months away. Now is a good time to make sure your children are up to date with their immunizations. Students entering 7th grade will need to have a Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria and acellular pertussis) within the past 5 years and a Meningococcal vaccine (meningitis). Now is a good time to get your child vaccinated.
Attached are some resources of where you can get immunizations for your child. Vaccinate your child now to avoid the last-minute rush in August. Having your child up to date will also avoid them from being excluded from school on the first day of school. All students need to be up to date by the first day of school in August or they will be excluded from school per state law and AISD policy.
If there is a conscientious objection to your child receiving immunizations, please contact the Texas Department of Health to obtain the appropriate paperwork.
If there is a medical reason your child may not be immunized, a written letter from a licensed physician is required.
If your child has already received these vaccines please send a copy of your child’s immunization record to the Small Health Room or fax a copy to 512-841-6745. You may also check your students immunization record on the parent portal to see which immunizations your student needs.
Feel free to contact the Small Middle School Health Room with any questions- 512-841-6716
Thank you in advance from the Small Health Room Team
Kathy Stanton, MSN, RN
School Nurse Manager Kathleen.m.stanton@austinisd.org
South Austin Composite Mountain Bike Team
Last weekend the South Austin Composite Mountain Bike Team won FIRST PLACE for the third time in a row, competing against mountain bike teams from all over the state in Smithville, Texas.
Notable winners and riders who scored high points for for our team include:
Jackson Bobbitt, 2nd place, 6th grade boys
Beckett Sharp, 8th place, 6th grade boys
Ethan Doucette, 1st place 7th grade boys
Grant Clark, 4th place, 8th grade boys
Ryan Yellitz, 5th place, 8th grade boys
Reagan Foreman, 3rd place, 6th grade girls
Bella Ramsay, 1st place, 8th grade girls
Abby Ruth, 2nd place, 8th grade girls
Free Summer Camp
It is that time again!
Registration for school year 2018-19 is now open! Please visit your Parent Cloud click on the REGISTRATION tile and complete the registration for all current AISD students. Please visit my webpage for further instructions.
2017-2018 Yearbooks On Sale Now!
You can order your yearbook online anytime. Click here
Clint Small, Jr. Middle School
Email: jennifer.newell@austinisd.org
Website: http://www.smallmiddleschool.org/
Location: 4801 Monterey Oaks Boulevard, Austin, TX, United States
Phone: (512) 841-6700