Smith's Knightly News
Welcome Back! - August 26, 2023
Smith Middle School
Mission: The purpose of Smith Middle School is to ensure learning for all members of our school community.
Vision: Smith will be a safe environment where diversity is embraced, and the needs of the whole child are met through innovation and collaboration. With the resources available, the Smith community will strive to provide an engaging, challenging academic experience, while promoting a balance between emotional, academic, and social needs, contributing to the success of all students.
Email: rbrinks@troy.k12.mi.us
Website: https://smith.troy.k12.mi.us/
Location: 5835 Donaldson Drive, Troy, MI, USA
Phone: (248) 823- 4700
BACK-TO-SCHOOL INFO
6th GRADE WEB DAY - MONDAY, AUG 28
We are beyond excited to have your 6th grader join us for WEB Orientation this Monday! Our 8th grade WEB leaders are ready for a wonderful half-day of connection, activities, and FUN with the new 6th grade class of Smith Knights. Students will learn about their school, meet their 8th-grade mentors, make connections with peers, walk their schedule, visit their locker, practice the lunch line, and so much more!
Please remember that lunch will be provided to all students who attend (Monday's Lunch Menu). Students are welcome to bring their own lunch as well. For students who typically ride the bus, our buses will be running 41 minutes later than their normal pick-up times in PowerSchool so that students arrive to Smith by 9:00am.
9:00am - Buses Arrive at School
9:00am - 12:30pm - Orientation
12:30pm - Lunch
1:00pm - Buses Depart
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!
STUDENT SCHEDULES
Student schedules are now live on Schoology. Students can also see if they have A, B, or C lunch by looking at the letter (A, B, or C) listed next to their 4th hour class.
If a student would like to request a schedule change, they can use their iPad to scan the QR Code hanging outside the counseling office and put in their request online. Their counselor will follow up with them on their request.
REPORTING YOUR STUDENT'S ABSENCE
If your student is going to be absent, please call our attendance line:
248-823-4701
Leave your name, your student’s full name, grade, duration of absence, and absence reason. Absences should be reported the same day or within 24 hours.
SIGNING YOUR STUDENT IN AND OUT OF SCHOOL
Late Drop-Off:
- Our 1st hour starts at 8:19am. If your student arrives after this time, please walk them into the main office and sign them in.
- Students will not be allowed to go to class if they arrive unaccompanied by an adult after 8:19am.
Early Dismissal:
- If you need to take your student out of school early, please do so prior to 2:45pm.
- You do not need to notify the office if you are picking up your students early. However, you will need to come into the office and sign the student out when you arrive to pick them up. At that time, we will call them out of class.
WHEN IS THE BUILDING OPEN?
Smith Middle School opens at 7:50am. Classes begin at 8:19am.
Classes end at 3:03pm on regular school days. Students not participating in athletics, club activities, or working directly with a teacher need to be out of the building by 3:15pm.
WE FORGOT SOMETHING! - SCHOOL DROP-OFF CART
Our drop-off cart for student items is located outside the main office doors. Please leave forgotten items there and fill out the information in the drop-off book located on the cart. We will call your student down to the office to pick up their item at the next passing time. You do not need to notify the front office of items dropped off as we check the cart hourly.
PARKING LOT DROP-OFF AND PICK-UP
Our parking lot is a busy place before and after school! We appreciate your continued attention and patience during drop-off and pick-up.
- The lane closest to the school is for buses only.
- The middle lane is for quick drop-off and pick-up.
- If you need to get out of your vehicle or need time to unload or load, please use the 3rd row to take advantage of a parking spot.
SMITH 2023-2024 YEARBOOK ORDERING
SCHOOL SUPPLIES
Please see the link below for a list of suggested school supplies for the 2023-2024 school year.
FREE BREAKFAST & LUNCH FOR 2023-2024 SCHOOL YEAR
First and foremost, Governor Gretchen Whitmer has approved the proposal to offer free meals to all students this school year. This includes free breakfast and lunch for all students. Details on breakfast and lunch menus can be found on the Food Services webpage.
Additionally, snacks and other items will be for sale in the cafeteria in addition to the free breakfast and lunch. The Troy School District has made the decision to return back to MySchoolBucks as our meal payment portal. We will NOT be using SchoolPay this year for breakfast/ lunches.
Funds already deposited to SchoolPay will automatically be transferred to MySchoolBucks. Parents do not need to do anything to get these balances transferred over; SchoolPay has already taken care of this.
Any parent who has a previous account with MySchoolBucks does not need to set up a new one; they should be able to access their old account. Anyone who does not have a current account with MySchoolBucks will need to create one, if they wish to deposit funds via the website.
Link to TSD Food Services page: https://www.troy.k12.mi.us/departments/food-service/
TROY SCHOOL DISTRICT - BACK TO SCHOOL HUB
Whether you are brand new to the Troy School District or returning for another year, we hope this hub helps you start the school year strong. Welcome to OneTroy!
SMITH PTO NEWS
Hi Smith Parents and Guardians!
The Smith PTO has been hard at work in the month of August, planning exciting events for you and your child this school year! Our goal is to build a strong, united Smith Community while having fun!
Three things!
First, to the parents of sixth graders who are not familiar with the Smith PTO, welcome to Smith Middle School! We are a group of parents and school staff who simply try to raise money to give right back to our students and classrooms to make the school experience for your child better. We support clubs and activities within our school and we provide grants for items that teachers feel would enrich the school experience with the hope that teachers do not have to spend their own money. We welcome you to attend PTO meetings. We will be meeting in the Smith Middle School Media Center at 6pm on the following dates: 9/19, 10/11, 11/8, 12/11, 2/7, 3/11, 4/10, 5/8 and 6/5. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.
Secondly, we are hoping to continue many of the events that happened at Smith last year as well as create some new events! We are planning school dances, 8th grade promotion, field day, assemblies and much more! To do this, we need your help! There are larger opportunities if you are interested in chairing a committee, and there are smaller opportunities for those who would like to help with one event, but have limited time. If you have any time at all to donate, we could use your help! :) Please complete the attached Google form to indicate your interests!
Finally, in order to sponsor all of these fantastic events, we need your financial support. We are asking each family to donate $25 per child. This tax deductible donation will fund many PTO activities, including teacher grants, 8th grade promotion, assemblies, Troyberry and field day to name a few. You can donate via PaySchools, using Venmo (@SmithKnightsPTO) or by making a check payable to Smith PTO and delivering it to the main office with your child’s name written on an envelope.
The bottom line is we are a better organization with your support! We know everyone is busy, but please think about any way you can help (large or small), sign up and donate to make this the best year ever!
Sincerely,
Julie Gould, President
Annalisa Heston, Vice President
Catherine Rodman, Treasurer
Karen Hotts, Secretary
Jamie Glab, Staff Liaison
Ryan Brinks, Principal
Cassandra Conaton, Assistant Principal
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...
Aug 28: 6th Grade WEB / Orientation Day (9:00am - 1:00pm)
Aug 29: First Day of School (Half Day 8:19 - 11:54am)
Sept 1: No School
Sept 4: Labor Day, No School
Sept 7: 6th Grade and New-to-Smith Parent Night (7:00 – 8:30pm)
Sept 11: Make-Up Picture Day
Sept 14: Smith Open House / Curriculum Night (7:00 – 8:30pm)
Sept 19: PTO Meeting (6:00 - 7:00pm) DATE CHANGE
Link to Troy Schools District-Wide Calendar for 2023-2024:
FALL ATHLETICS
Final Forms
All 7th and 8th graders participating in interscholastic athletics in 2023-2024 will need to register in FinalForms, where all athletics-related forms will be signed by a parent for the upcoming school year.
- Returning Parents: simply log in to your account and choose to update for 2023-2024.
- Parents new to FinalForms: the Parent Playbook provides information on registering.
Sports Physicals
ALL student-athletes are required to get a sports physical dated April 15, 2023, or later for the 2023-2024 school year. Prior to getting a physical, please update your information in FinalForms, print out the physical form and medical information, and take these documents with you to the doctor. Only the last page, the Preparticipation Physical Evaluation Form, needs to be signed and uploaded to FinalForms.
Athletic Fees
There will be no change in the Pay to Participate fees. The first two sports will cost $75 per sport (must be paid before participating in a scrimmage or game), and the third sport is free. Please do not pay this fee until you have confirmed that your student has made the team. The household max remains at $600. You will be able to make the Pay to Participate payment directly in Final Forms; just follow the prompts.
Students who qualify for free/reduced lunch are eligible for a waiver from the Pay to Participate fee. Parents complete and submit the 2023-24 application for free/reduced lunch as well as the sharing information form. These two forms can be found in your school's main office or online here.
Parents who check off the waiver box in FinalForms can upload a copy of the verification letter from Food Services to receive the free/reduced fee. Verification forms can also be emailed to Camille Marbury in District Athletics at cmarbury@troy.k12.mi.us. A copy of this verification letter must be received in order to grant the waiver.
There is no cost for admission to middle school athletic contests.
7th/8th Grade Football
- All 7th and 8th graders are welcome to play, there are no tryouts.
- You must have an athletic physical completed for the 2023/24 school year before you can practice.
- First practice is Wednesday, August 30.
- Practice runs every day after school from 3:20-5:30pm.
- A full schedule with more information will be available beginning August 17.
- Contact Coach Hughes @ bhughes@troy.k12.mi.us if you have additional questions.
7th/8th Grade Girls Basketball
- Tryouts for Girls Basketball will be Sept 6, 7, and 8, beginning immediately after school and running until 5:00pm.
- Additional details and tryout information will be available during the first week of school.
- 8th Grade Coach - Mr. Koneval; 7th Grade Coach - Mr. Morris
6th/7th/8th Grade Sideline Cheer Team
- We welcome all 6th, 7th, and 8th grade girls, no cuts!
- It’s a great place to make and build friendships. You will learn so much about yourself, others, and the sport!
- We practice 2-3 days a week for about 2 hours and have 3 football home games we attend.
- We do fun activities that involve our Troy High Varsity Cheerleaders!!!
- Register with us: https://forms.gle/spaWyRWEKrWMmETT6
INTRAMURAL CROSS COUNTRY
Smith Sports & Activities Brochure
TROY SCHOOLS NEWCOMERS FAIR
Smith Middle School Twitter - @SMITHKNIGHTS
Feel free to follow the great things happening at Smith Middle School on Twitter. We often share pictures from our school day, highlight student work and classroom activities, and celebrations.