Weekly Jaguar Newsletter
Week of January 17 - January 21
About Us
Email: Karen_Y_Bryant@mcpsmd.org
Website: https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/ssims/
Location: 313 Wayne Avenue, Silver Spring, MD, USA
Phone: (240) 740-2750
Twitter: @SSIMSPrincipal
Table of Contents
Internationally Speaking, with Principal Karen Bryant
Heath & Safety Corner
Virtual Instruction - Livestreaming vs. meeting with teacher?
Learner Profile Shout Out
Attendance Update
Calendar for Odd/Even Days
ParentVue
Past Newsletter Links
Internationally Speaking with Principal Karen Bryant
We had a nice turnout of parents and caregivers at this month's PTSA meeting. Thank you to PTSA Co-President (and Nurse!), Heidi Armonda, for the important updates on Covid. The presentation held a wealth of information and added perspective to the experience we are working with at school. Please visit the CDC website for updated information related to the virus.
I appreciate the tremendous support our SSIMS families have shown to our teachers and staff. We appreciate the support and care! The mid-week treats in the lounge have been wonderful and the encouraging emails lift our spirits daily! We will continue to partner with you to provide a meaningful school experience for our students.
#TeamSSIMS
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Health & Safety Corner: 1/14/22
Student KN95 masks were distributed to students today in period 7. Each student present received a pack of 10 masks, one for each of the next ten weeks of school. Students are not required to wear KN95 masks, however, they were provided by the county. Students absent from school today can pick up their packet next week. Parents of students who are quarantined or otherwise out of school can come by the main office to pick up their child's mask packet between the hours of 8:30 AM and 4 PM daily.
Reminder: Covid Home Test Kits were distributed to students in period 7 on Monday, January 10th, and throughout the week for students who were absent. It is important to take the test (once this week) and upload results (positive and negative) to the following link by 1/14/22 (TODAY): MCPS COVID-19 Reporting Form
For MCPS School-based Vaccination & Covid19 Testing Opportunities, click HERE.
Changes to SSIMS Building Services: New SCES/SSIMS Facilities Format
At the beginning of December 2021, SCES & SSIMS became a pilot for a co-location building services team model. That means the SCES/SSIMS facility returns to a one-building model with one team to service the entire facility, as it did when it was Blair HS.
This means there will be one Building Services Manager (BSM) and one Assistant Building Services Manager (BSAM), and one building services team that will provide services for both SCES AND SSIMS.
This transition is still fresh with lots of details to be filled in.
As part of the staff shifts related to the new co-location model, Mr. Timothy Sanderson has headed over to Briggs Chaney MS to become their new Building Services Manager. We will miss him tremendously! If you'd like to send your well wishes to Mr. Sanderson on his newest endeavor, I'm sure he'd welcome hearing from the Jaguar community he loves. He can be reached at Timothy_Sanderson@mcpsmd.org.
Welcome to our new Security Assistant: Mr. John Thiero!
Mr. Thiero ( "h" is silent) joined our school team on Wednesday, January 12, 2022. He is a security professional with over 20 years of experience. He has worked for the non-profit world and local governments within the DMV area. He is a native Washingtonian and his spouse attended SSIMS when it was Blair High School! Mr. T, as he likes to be called, looks forward to nurturing the great students at SSIMS.
Learner Profile Shout Out
As a Middle Years Program school, we support our students in the pursuit of becoming lifelong learners. One of the ways we encourage a lifelong learner mindset is through teaching Learner Profile Attributes-10 characteristics that lifelong learners demonstrate. Each month students give a shout out to a classmate and teacher for demonstrating one of our 10 Learner Profile Attributes!
A huge shout out goes to 6th grader Lev Brener, 7th grader Andy Prudencio, 8th grader Prinetta Kargbo, and our Building Service Team members for demonstrating the Learner Profile Attribute PRINCIPLED!
Attendance Update
Odd & Even Calendar for 1/17 - 1/21
ParentVue
Past Newsletter Links
Week of October 11 - October 15
Week of October 18 - October 22
Week of October 25 - October 29
Week of November 1 - November 5
Week of November 8 - November 12
Week of November 15 - November 19
Week of November 22 - November 26
Week of November 29 - December 3