Cougar News

Week of February 20, 2023

Reminder - No School on Monday

I know there was some confusion about Monday. but we wanted to make sure you knew there is no school this Monday, February 20th!

Letter from Mr. Nelson

Kougar Nation-


We’ve replaced all ‘Cs’ on kampus with ‘Ks” today as we celebrate Kat Day! That’s right, the ‘K’ is for Kindness, and our cids (see what I did there?) are kooly and karefully giving back to the kommunity. It’s a beautiful day here in Smallville.


I kan’t say much today as I am just as geeked about the aktivities as they are and am do for a Spike Ball math in 10 minutes. Then, it’s Pickle Ball, followed by a game of Khess, with a smidgeon of Seed Bombs and Kare packages. Lice the cids, I made sure to inklude some kindness aktivities into my day.


Before moving, I wanted to let you know how fantastic and amazing your students are. When we started talking about Kat Day, we made sure all in earshot knew they needed to take at least one kindness klass during the day. Once we began greeting the scheduler via Google Forms, we discovered we could not mandate the selection or ensure they picked one klass. We tinkered and toyed, but ultimately, we found there was no way to police the selection process.


We didn’t have to. All of our students selected one to two Kindness Klasses on their own akkord. They were told of the expectation and signed up for the Kindness Klass. The honor system at work.


We couldn’t be prouder.


Thank you for instilling this trait in your student.


See y’all Tuesday




Matthew Nelson

Principal

matthew.m.nelson@austinisd.org


(512) 841-6705

KAT day 2023

CAT (Cougar Adventure Time) turned into KAT (Kindness Adventure Time) there were over 45 different activities they kids could choose from. Here are some pictures of a few of them today.
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Attendance Procedure Change

To streamline the attendance process and create a better more efficient system we will be implementing some changes. Starting Monday, we will only accept electronic emails to small@austinisd.org for attendance notes along with the electronic google doc. Paper notes will no longer be accepted. Thank you for your support as we transition to this new system.
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Cougar Tennis Team Tryouts

Tryouts are open to all 7th and 8th grade students.

Must be passing all classes


Students must have had a physical before tryouts.

All online paperwork must be filled out. https://www.austinisd.org/athletics/forms


Students must wear appropriate clothing, including tennis shoes.


A limited number of rackets will be available.


7th Grade - March 6 and 7 - Plan to attend both days

8th Grade – March 8


When: 4.00 – 5.00

Where: Small tennis courts


If you have any questions, please contact

Jill Burgess - jburgess@austinisd.org

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Twilight

Does your student fall in one or both of the following categories: potential credit loss due to attendance and/or potential credit loss because of course GPA? Twilight is a chance to repair/ matain credit loss!

The goal of CSMS Twilight, its team (Mrs. Kirk and Mr. Tabares) and your teachers on how best to recover lost credits. This is a solid opportunity for your 7th or 8th grade student(s) to advance on time and develop study practices ahead of upcoming 8th grade year or freshman year of high school. More importantly, Twilight is a great alternative to having to give up vacation time by having to report to summer school. This is an Austin ISD sponsored program available at most, if not all campuses in the district and it is NOT a "punishment" as much as it is a tool designed for aiding in the success of our Cougars! Time spent in Twilight won't be that much different than spending time in your scheduled classes- but with Mrs. Kirk and Mr. Tabares instead.


"What do I need to do?"
If you are needing to recover credit for attendance, just show up! If you are needing to recover credit for failing grades, check in with Mrs. Kirk or Mr. Tabares in the Library to determine what tasks need to be accomplished to make up grades.

"What does a single twilight afternoon session look like?"
For attendance: Honestly- just showing up and being present recovers your attendance credits! You can come in, draw, read, read comics, be on your laptop, relax and listen to music... so long as you aren't being disruptive and conducting yourself in a manner typical of an academic environment, attendance makeup recovery is super easy. The number of credits made up will be determined by your teachers, Twilight staff and possibly our attendance specialist, counselor(s), and administrator(s).

For academics: Depending on the agreement for the teacher(s) you're making credit up for, an afternoon can be reading/answering questions, performing daily grade work on BLEND, working on worksheets, working on tests, performing test corrections, finishing previously assigned materials... While this sounds daunting, I assure you that we aim to try and make this as easy as possible for you. We don't want to be in summer school as much as you do!

"Where is Twilight?"
Twilight will be held after school, Monday through Thursday, in the CSMS Library from 3:50-4:50.

"How do I know if I'm doing attendance recovery, academic recovery, or both?"

Please email Mrs. Kirk/Mr. Tabares or stop by the library after school to determine what kind of Twilight/credit recovery you will need to participate in. The number of after school sessions, and the type of Twilight you will participate in will be different from student-to-student based on their academic area of need and/or attendance.


How will I know when I am done?
The goal end-date will be a time collaborated on between Mrs. Kirk/Mr. Tabares and your academic teacher based on either your grade(s) or attendance. It can be as short as a week, or it can be through the end of the year if you've missed multiple school days and are in danger of not passing one or more classes.

What happens if I don't accomplish/complete Twilight?

Each case is different from student to student, but unrecovered credits may result in summer school or repeating your current grade year.


When my end date and/or assignments required to fulfill credit is accomplished, what do I do next?

With Twilight- nothing! You've recovered your credit! All you have to do now is continue attending classes at school and maintain a passing GPA in all your courses.


We hope this convers all the necessary information you, and your family may need about Twilight and look forward to working with you to get promoted to the next grade level. Again, please feel free to reach out to Mrs. Kirk and/or Mr. Tabares with any questions or concerns you might have as it relates to the Twilight program.

Parents of Small:


Each year your child(ren) attend an AISD School, they must be pre-registered for the next school year. Online registration is an integral part of our campus’ success (funding and appropriate staffing as well as updated contact information).


Please be sure to log in to your Parent Portal and confirm your child’s information via the Online Registration tile.


Thank you for being a part of the Cougar Community and helping us win together!

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Counseling Corner

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23-24 Choice Sheets

Please visit our Small Counseling Website for all details on due dates, courses, and more. Choice sheets are due the week of 1/23.

Unknown Incoming 5th Grade Info

Is your student zoned to Small next year, but they don't currently go to one of our feeder schools? If so we are looking for you! You are one of our "Unknown Cougars". We know you are out there, but we don't have a way to communicate with you. We have put together a list of things you should know...


Choice Sheets: It is time to turn in your choice sheet for next year. Please go to our Counseling Choice Sheet Page. There you can learn more about what we offer, print a choice sheet and fill it out. Please turn it in asap to our front office. If you have any questions about the choice sheet, contact our counselors cynthia.diaz@austinisd.org, zahra.asadi@austinisd.org, zahra.asadi@austinisd.org


Transition Events: We are offering some summer transition events to make sure your student is very comfortable coming to Small next year. Save the date...


  • Cougar Camp: (Kids only) July 31st & August 1, 2023 This is a 2 day, 1/2 day camp
  • Scavenger Hunt: (Parents and Kids) August 3rd, 2023 11 - 1 PM
  • Parent Camp: (zoom) August 3rd, 6 to 7:30 pm

Communication Tools: You can get lots of information in the following places.


  • This newsletter ;) - If you want to get it in your in box every week, Click here
  • Our Website - Keep an eye on the Calendar and take a look at our FAQ for incoming families. It needs a little updating, but there is a lot of good info there.
  • Parents of Small Facebook - Join here, Ask questions and get answers from other families from Small.

STAAR Tests are coming

Please make sure your student has a charger for testing season. If you need one you can order them off of Amazon see the link below.

Chargers

Every chromebook comes with 1 charger. If your student loses that charge, you must purchase a new one. We do not have extra chargers in the office to loan or give out.


Click here to purchase or see what charger you need for the school chromebooks.

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Order a yearbook online!

Our yearbook is a full color celebration of everything that makes Small special; it's a great fun way to preserve all your student's fond memories of Small. The price is now $40. Get your yearbook today!


Click here for the easy link: https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/productBrowse/2369067/Small-Middle-School/2023-Yearbook/2022092615150740089/CATALOG_SHOP/



If you have any yearbook questions, please email Mr. Shoptaw at thomas.shoptaw@austinisd.org.

Thank you to our Gold Sponsors

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Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! With your help we were able to support almost 80 families. They were able to purchase dinner for their families and gifts for their children. We appreciate you!