Smith's Knightly News
September 30, 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
MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL
It was a great week at Smith! Student council put on a fun Spirit Week and we kicked off our first home basketball and football games on Tuesday with a lively pep-assembly at the end of the school day. We were also able to celebrate our Knights of the Month with a pancake breakfast on Friday. You will find many pictures in the newsletter highlighting these events and more!
We also have our first Smith service opportunity next Saturday at Blakes Orchard. Sponsored by our Smith Caring Crew and open to all Smith families, we will be picking apples for Forgotten Harvest from 9:00am - 12:00pm. More information and a QR code to sign up can be found below. Hope to see you there!
Our fall Parent-Teacher Conferences are also quickly approaching. We will have three conference sessions. On October 18, there will be in-person conferences at Smith from 5:00-8:00pm. On October 19, there will be two virtual sessions online on Microsoft Teams from 12:30 - 3:30pm and from 5:00 - 8:00pm. All conferences will be scheduled online using Conference Manager. Please take a minute to login and make sure you have an account set up on Conference Manager. Scheduling for conferences will open on Tuesday, Oct. 3 at 7:00pm. Detailed instructions can be found in the newsletter below.
Best,
Ryan
MONDAY - OCT 2
- Motivational Monday - Staff and students are encouraged to wear t-shirts that feature inspiring messages!
TUESDAY - OCT 3
- 7th and 8th Grade Girls Basketball Game vs Ruether at Home (4:00pm)
- 7:00pm - Conference Manger opens for Scheduling Fall Parent-Teacher Conferences
WEDNESDAY - OCT 4
- COUNT DAY!
- 7th and 8th Grade Girls Basketball Game at Baker (3:45pm)
- Football Game at Baker (4:00pm)
- "One-Banded" Concert @ Troy Athens (6:45pm)
THURSDAY - OCT 5
- SPIRIT DAY! Wear White for the Color Run!
- Smith Color Run (3:15pm – 4:15pm)
- Smith Restaurant Night Fundraiser @ Buddy's Pizza (See Flyer Below)
FRIDAY - OCT 6
SATURDAY - OCT 7
- Forgotten Harvest Service Opportunity at Blakes Orchard (9:00am - 12:00pm). More information can be found on the flyer below.
Oct 11: PTO Meeting (6:00 – 7:00pm)
Oct 17: Knights + 7 Period Day
Oct 18: Picture Re-Take Day
Oct 18: Parent/Teacher Conferences - In-Person (5:00 – 8:00pm)
Oct 19: Student Half Day (8:19 – 11:54am)
Oct 19: Parent/Teacher Conferences - Virtual (12:30 – 3:30pm, 5:00 – 8:00pm)
Oct 20: Student Half Day (8:19 – 11:54am)
Oct 24: 7th Grade Field Trip to Meadowbrook Theatre
Oct 24: Advanced Orchestra Spooktacular Concert
Oct 27: PTO Sponsored Dance (3:10 – 4:30pm)
Oct 30: Smith Bands Thrills & Chills Performance (7:00pm)
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/
It is suggested you PREREGISTER prior to 7:00pm on Tuesday, October 3. 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:
Conference Manager Opens to Parents/Guardians – Tuesday, October 3 at 7:00pm
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
On October 3 at 7:00pm or after, book your Time Slots to meet with the teachers
- 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.
Congratulations to this month’s Knights of the Month recipients! Each month students are nominated by their teachers for exemplifying the Smith character traits of Responsibility, Respect, Perseverance, and Compassion. Congrats to Meet Patil, Kshiti Sankanur, Sanaa Sharma, Trenton Pappas, Morgan Chambers, Connor West, Noelle Peck, Sophie Movsesyan, Dominic Kashat, Sophia Mills, Baird, Cole, and Sophia Kehl!
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR APPLE PICKING @ BLAKES
COUNT DAY - WEDNESDAY, OCT 4
This Wednesday, October 4, is our annual fall State-wide Count Day. Attendance for students across the state is used to determine state funding for Michigan’s public school districts, as required by the State School Aid Act. Funding is based on the total student participation and attendance on these two Count Days (one in the fall and one in the spring). It is important that all students attend school on Wednesday, October 4, 2023 for their attendance to be recorded. If your child is sick or unable to attend, please report your absence to our office at 248-823-4720. A student can still be counted if the student has an excused absence and attends within 30 calendar days (following count day) or if the student has an unexcused absence and attends within ten school days (following count day).
Thank you!
Smith's Student Council is off to a great start!
This awesome group of 6th, 7th and 8th graders accomplished so much in the first month of school. Mr. Koneval and Mrs. Casko are thankful for these spirited, motivated, and hard-working students. So far, they have planned our 1st spirit week and our 1st pep assembly. They have also brainstormed t-shirt ideas for STUCCO and for the 8th grade Sweatshirts plus those forms have been distributed so we can have them in time for the 8th grade trip. Lastly, our fundraising and community service committees have been busy planning events for the first few weeks of October. Lastly, we held an election to select our E-Board. These students will help facilitate the meetings and be given a few more leadership tasks this year. We had 10 students give live speeches and couldn't be prouder. They were all amazing and showed how much Smith means to them. It's going to be a fantastic year!
ORDERS DUE BY OCTOBER 6TH!
ORDERS DUE BY OCTOBER 6TH!
SMITH COLOR RUN - THIS THURSDAY!
SMITH TEA PARTIES
8th Grade US Historians in Mrs. Casko’s and Mrs. Sebastian’s classes learned about events leading up to the Revolutionary War this week, specifically spending time analyzing historical documents relating to the Boston Tea Party. Students participated in an inquiry to answer the question “Was Great Britain’s reaction to the Boston Tea Party justified?” Students ended the week by recognizing the 250th anniversary of the actual Boston Tea Party event (which occurs later this year) by enjoying some treats: shortbread cookies, iced tea & lemonade!
PICTURES FROM THE WEEK
X-COUNTRY UPDATES
SPIRIT WEEK FUN!
Smith Model UN
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...