Smallville Community,

As I have been walking around our campus this week, I can hear and see students getting back in the groove of things. Band teachers working outside with kids giving instructions on playing instruments as students try so hard to get the notes just right. We are only a week away from Thanksgiving Break and I know that the teachers, staff, and students can’t wait to enjoy some time off. The work that everyone is putting in is evident and is paying off dividends as we progress through this school year. The struggle for many of our students will hopefully translate to life long lessons about working through challenging times. As both a parent and an educator, I understand the struggle and do everything I can to support my daughter as she navigates virtual learning. I also want to share that as a parent, even though I am in the business of kids, I have many nights where I feel defeated and clueless about how to talk to and help support my own daughter. We know that you all do so much for our campus and your children and we are definitely in this together. I know that our teachers and staff care about kids as I watch them support them in the classroom, hallways, and on the computer screen. We are lucky to have such dedicated staff that are willing to do whatever it takes to make it work. Our Teacher Assistants have taken on multiple roles helping to supervise kids in cafeteria classrooms, helping to screen students out front, running classroom areas, and anything else we have asked. Front office staff help with tech support, student passes, announcements, customer service, and many more duties. Stay safe and looking forward to having a great week before break.

Sincerely,

Assistant Principal / Interim Principal

David Sammon

Small Middle School

(512) 841-6708

david.sammon@austinisd.org

www.smallmiddleschool.org

Wednesday, November 18th at 6:00pm

Our lives are becoming increasingly enmeshed with technology. While there are certainly many benefits of technology, its seductive lure has our children (and us!) disconnecting from what is most important in life – each other and the world around us. To be both successful and happy in life, it is imperative that we learn to help our children navigate these often choppy waters. In this presentation, we will discuss why technologies such as texting and social media have such a grip on us, what effects technology is having on our brains, and strategies to help you and your family use technology in a more balanced way. This pandemic has brought new challenges with online school and more time on screens than ever! Learning these strategies now will enable you to help your children be more successful in school and stay connected in deeper, more meaningful ways. Dr. Brooks’ book, Tech Generation: Raising Balanced Kids in a Hyper-Connected World was recently published by Oxford University Press.

About Dr. Mike Brooks
Dr. Brooks is a licensed psychologist and a licensed specialist in school psychology. He has a wealth of expertise in positive psychology, well-being, the needs of children and teens, effective parenting practices, and technology and gaming addiction. He is a frequent presenter on these topics, has been interviewed by numerous media outlets, and is a blogger for Psychology Today at Tech Happy Life. He and his wife live in Austin with their three boys, and they know first-hand about the many challenges of raising kids in a hyper-connected world!

PTA Hassle-Free November Fundraiser

Click here to donate

This has been a crazy year for all of us, and Small’s PTA is no exception. Our Spring Carnival, which provides over half our annual budget didn’t take place, and it’s unlikely to happen in 2021. Our school store, the Cougar Cage, is closed indefinitely. We need your help more than ever!

The PTA budget will be used to fund unique supply needs of pandemic-era classrooms like chargers, extension cords, and headphones. We’ll provide guest speakers for parents - coming November 18th, Dr. Mike Brooks on screen time - and we’re working on creative community-building events that can be done virtually.

We hope to raise $30 per child. We know it's a hard time for many families in our community, and we appreciate any donation you can make. And don’t forget corporate matching if your employer participates. Thank you for your ongoing support!

Donate to the PTA here

Join the PTA here

Questions about the PTA? Contact SmallPTA2020@gmail.com

This is the announcement requesting pictures from Small families:

Please send pictures of your students or share them to Google Drive:

thomas.shoptaw@austinisd.org

• camp outs
• trips
• backyard gardens
• next to Austin landmarks and murals
• with pets
• baby pics with name of student
• anything celebrating student success and creativity:
• costumes
• customs
• sports
• art
• playing an instrument
• holding up a favorite book

Our yearbook will be a colorful keepsake of the good things that happened this year.

It will be unique. But, this year our campus is Austin, our neighborhoods, cougar homes, and wherever our cougars roam.

We are looking into doing a drive by Picture Day - Look in future newsletters for more details.

7th Graders!!!!

• Do you have at least a B average?
• Do you show good character, leadership, scholarship, and citizenship?
• Do you serve your community outside of the school day?

You may be a candidate for the National Junior Honor Society!

Click here for the application (includes student information, grade reporting, teacher recommendation requirements, and essay) and submit to your Advanced Academics Advocate christie.manners@austinisd.org by midnight, Dec 11.

Applications received after midnight, Dec. 11, 2020, will not be considered.

Imagine if you will, you can't connect to a Zoom class. Is it your computer, your internet, something wrong at the district level? It is hard to figure out.

The AISD has created a page on their website to tell you when any of their systems are down. If you are having a glitch, Go to https://www.austinisd.org/technology/status to see if something is down.

If you are interested in speaking to our CAC using our Citizen Communication time, please email our CAC chair Emma Renault-Varian emma.renaultvarian@austinisd.org or Co-Chair Chasee chappellhudgins@mac.com for the meeting Zoom details.

Citizens Communications. For all regular and other plenary meetings of the CAC, time at the beginning of the meeting shall be set aside for citizens communications. This time is specifically for non-members to make comments to the CAC. The Co-Chairs may limit the time for citizens communications and the time given to individual speakers. The Co-Chairs shall ensure that the district’s “Citizens Communications and Visitor Guidelines” are applied. Under these guidelines, except for requests for clarification, dialogue shall not occur between speakers and members. If the CAC is interested in hearing more from a speaker, the speaker may be invited to a future meeting and placed on the agenda specifically for that purpose. Or, the CAC may call a special meeting specifically for the purpose of open dialogue with non-members (e.g., a “community conversation”), but it must be posted for discussion on a specific topic or topics.