Smith's Knightly News
Smith Middle School
Mission: The purpose of Smith Middle School is to ensure learning for all members of our school community.
Website: https://smith.troy.k12.mi.us/
Location: 5835 Donaldson Drive, Troy, MI 48085
Phone: (248) 823- 4700
OCTOBER 14, 2023
MONDAY - OCT 16
🗯️Motivational Monday - Staff and students are encouraged to wear t-shirts that feature inspiring messages!
- Smith ALICE Drill (Our planned drill for Friday has been rescheduled for this Monday)
- 11:30am - WEB Lunch Day (6th graders will be joined by their WEB student leaders for lunch)
- 3:20pm - Football Practice
- 3:45pm - 7th & 8th Girls Basketball Game vs Baker (Home)
- 4:15pm - Cheer Practice
TUESDAY - OCT 17
⭐ BLACK AND GOLD SPIRIT DAY! ⭐
- Knights+ 7 Period Day
- 2:30pm - Football Pep-Assembly
- 4:00pm - 7th & 8th Girls Basketball Game vs VanHoosen (Home)
- 4:00pm - 7th & 8th Football Game vs Baker (Home)
WEDNESDAY - OCT 18
- PICTURE RE-TAKE DAY
- 3:10pm - 7th & 8th Girls Basketball Practice
- 3:20pm - Football Practice
- 5:00 - 8:00pm - Evening Conferences (In Person)
THURSDAY - OCT 19
HALF DAY - 11:54am dismissal
- Students need to be picked up by 12:10pm
- 12:30 - 3:30pm - Afternoon Conferences
- 5:00 - 8:00pm - Evening Conferences
FRIDAY - OCT 20
HALF DAY - 11:54am dismissal
- Students need to be picked up by 12:10pm
Oct 24: 7th Grade Field Trip to Meadowbrook Theatre
Oct 24: Advanced Orchestra Spooktacular Concert
Oct 27: PTO Sponsored Dance at Smith (3:10 – 4:30pm)
Oct 30: Smith Bands Thrills & Chills Performance (7:00pm)
Nov 2: End of Quarter 1
Nov 3: No School
Nov 2-6: 8th Grade Washington DC Trip
Nov 8: Student Early Release Day (8:19am – 1:33pm) / Teacher PD
Nov 8: PTO Meeting & Fall Troy School District Update (6:00 – 7:00pm)
Nov 9: International Academy East Information Night @ IA East (6:00 - 7:00pm)
Nov 10: PTO Bake Sale (11:30 – 1:00pm)
Nov 14: VIP Lunch (11:30am – 1:00pm)
Nov 16: Knights + 7 Period Day
STUDENT SUPPORT AVAILABLE
We recognize that the ongoing conflict in Israel and Gaza has directly affected some of our students and families at Smith and we know that the constant news cycle of war and tragedy can have negative impacts on all students. If your child is struggling or needs any extra support, please don't hesitate to reach out to our counselors and administrators here at school.
Resources
PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES
We will be using the website application Conference Manager to schedule conferences with families and teachers. Conferences this year will be conducted both in-person and virtually over Microsoft Teams.
Schedule:
- Wednesday, Oct 18 from 5:00 - 8:00pm: In-person at Smith
- Thursday, Oct 19 from 12:30 - 3:30pm: virtual / online
- Thursday, Oct 19 from 5:00 - 8:00pm: virtual / online
Links to each teacher’s virtual Teams meeting will be available on Conference Manager and on Schoology by October 17.
The process for booking individual conferences is broken into the following steps:
Step 1:
Pre-Register at: https://smithmiddle.schoolsoft.com/
You can set up a Parent Account by following the link above. Click the REGISTER NOW button and complete the registration form. Your login credentials (email and password) will remain in the system to make it easy to access the Conference Manager in the future.
If you used the system last year, then you just need to log in. If you forgot your password, you can select the “Forgot My Password” link and have it sent to you.
Step 2:
You can access the Parent Login Page using the link in the Confirmation Email. If you do not receive a Confirmation Email, you can log in by going directly to https:smithmiddle.schoolsoft.com
- Select the session you want to attend (Wednesday evening in-person, Thursday afternoon virtual, Thursday evening virtual)
- Now you will see each teacher’s schedule for that session. Please try to leave five minutes after the end of one session before booking the next. For example, if a conference is from 6:00 to 6:05, please try to select the next one to start at 6:10 to give yourself time between teachers.
- After booking your appointments you will also receive an email containing the teacher name and time of each conference. You can log into the system at any time to view your bookings, print, cancel or re-schedule appointments. You also have the option of submitting comments or questions to the teacher.
If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact the main office at 248-823-4700.
We apologize for any issues you may be having with the app. Troy is working directly with Schoolsoft to resolve the login and account issues. If you need assistance, please call our office.
Flex-Service - "Uber" services within Troy
Parent-Teacher Conferences are approaching, and we're eager to have all our parents participate in these important meetings.
Recognizing that some parents may face transportation challenges or may not be familiar with technology for the virtual conferences, I'd like to suggest a transportation service.
Within our community, we have access to a convenient "Uber" service operated by the Smart Bus company. This service utilizes distinctive purple cars and offers short rides specifically within the Troy/Clawson area. Please note that they exclusively accept debit and credit cards as payment methods.
This option aims to make attending conferences as accessible as possible for all our parents. Here is the link: https://www.smartbus.org/Services/Flex-Service
PICTURE RETAKE DAY REMINDER
SMITH'S LAST HOME FOOTBALL GAME!
Our upcoming October 17 home football game with be the last football game we have here at Smith on our current field! With construction of "New Smith" beginning this spring, we want to celebrate 55 years of tradition and send out our football team in style!
Tuesday, October 17, will be a Black & Gold Spirit Day. Near the end of the school day, we will be holding a special pep-assembly to recognize many of our former Smith coaches and then cheer on our Football Team on the field along with our Smith Cheer Team! School will still dismiss at 3:02.
Our game against Baker will kickoff at 4:00pm and our Smith Caring Crew will be selling concessions. Our Smith Girls Basketball Team will also be playing VanHoosen Middle School, beginning at 4:00pm. Admission to both games is free. We hope you can join us!
As construction begins, next season's football team will still practice at Smith, but games will be hosted at other schools in the district.
SMITH'S COLOR RUN!!
The 2023 Color Run was a great success!
We had a ton of smiles and lots of laughs as students walked or ran around Smith’s side field on Wednesday afternoon. Students showed up in their brightest whites and left full of color and a big mess. This was our 6th Color Run and this year we were met with some challenges. In the past, we have done it in May and lucked out with the weather. This year we were not so lucky. We apologize for all the change of dates, but we didn’t want to cancel the event.
This year’s color run was a fundraiser to help two veteran organizations. A state expectation for social studies is to create service learning and community projects. This is just one of a few things we hope to do and expand on with our local VFW. It ties in perfectly with our curriculum and teaches students to be a part of a bigger community. We chose to support our local VFW who has had members speak in Mrs. Casko’s and Mrs. Sebastian’s social studies classes the last several years. We are helping them with their charity who helps local veterans in need. It feels good to give back to those who have shared their stories and experiences with the students. The second charity is for the Mid- Michigan Honor Flight. Those students attending the 8th grade trip to DC in November often see the Honor Flight while we are there. For many on the Honor Flight, it is their first time to DC to see the memorials which were made in their honor. My grandfather got to experience this several years ago and it was one of his fondest memories. We raised $750, after I donated the expenses to run the trip.
I want to thank all the participants and volunteers. The staff gave up their evening to have fun and spend time with our amazing students. We couldn’t have done it without them. We are looking forward to continuing the event for years to come!
Best wishes,
Mrs. Casko
SMITH'S CARING CREW PICKED APPLES FOR FORGOTTEN HARVEST
CARING CREW UPDATE
Our Caring Crew met this week to make some birthday cards for staff and to plan their theme and design for the upcoming Martell Trunk or Treat!
X-COUNTRY UPDATE
Go Smith Knights!
On Tuesday October 10th, 64 Smith Knights ran in the all city xcountry meet held at Firefighter’s Park. It was cold and rainy and all participants gave their best efforts! From Smith, 38 boys ran the race. Smith Knight-Erik Nettles, 6th grader, placed 2nd with a time of 12: 33.
26 girls ran the race and our first Smith finisher was Vivienne Hobbs (6th) who placed 7th with a time of 15:43. Mrs. Glab, Mrs. Lerdahl and Mrs. Sebastian coached 82 Smith Knights this season and we are so proud of each runner who showed up to practices since the start of the school year. We encourage them all to keep on running as there are many local fun runs and race events throughout the year to participate in!
SMITH STUDENT COUNCIL HARD AT WORK
This week the Smith Student Council completed some community service by weeding the courtyard and freshening up the mulch. This took several mornings to complete plus, the help of some of Mr. Koneval and Mrs. Casko's classes and even the WEB class. The weather sure did change this week and we had to work fast. It feels great to give back to our building and show our pride on what it means to be a Smith Knight. Be sure to check out their hard work during parent-teacher conferences.
Kudos to all who helped!
- Mr. Koneval & Mrs. Casko
INTERNATIONAL CLUB
MODEL U.N.
SMITH CHESS CLUB
SMITH CARING CREW
We have a great online spirit wear store with a number of new modern styles and items for purchase. You can either pick them up or utilize the option of having your orders delivered directly to your home for a small fee.
Click on the link below to check out the wide variety of styles and prints.
https://smithknights.itemorder.com/shop/home/
Below is a sample of the logo choices for most items...