Letter from Principal Nelson
Cougar Nation
Seems like we just returned from a break (albeit an unexpected one) and are gearing up for the next one right around the corner. That’s right, Spring Break is set to begin here in the ATX on March 12th at 3:51 pm and last 9 days until the 21st. Hopefully, this break we will all be bestowed with lovely weather and our homes and highways will be fully operational.
Next week we will have even more teachers on campus working with kids in their respective classrooms and we are beyond excited. The more we begin to make the move towards normalcy, the better off we will all be. With more students and staff on campus, we want you to know that we will still be taking all social distancing measures and procedures as seriously as before, including the wearing of masks by all students and staff. We are making headway towards beating Covid-19 and the measures we have taken thus far need to continue to be enforced for the duration. Safety of students and staff is always paramount in all our decisions and the protocols we’ve been following thus far are the reason we can have so many new students and teachers back on campus. We mask up, we wash our hands, and we maintain 6 ft social distancing at all times.
Cafeteria: Due to the fact that our students have been doing such a fantastic job following procedures and being considerate of one another, we are confident in their ability to follow our cafeteria guidelines while sitting in their seat of choice. Meaning, effective Monday, March 8th, students will no longer be required to sit with their 5th/6th period class and can sit with whomever they wish. They will still need to have shields up, wear their masks when not eating, and leave a space between them and their friends, but the friend whom they are with will be of their choice. Please feel free to share this information with them and remind them that if at any time we see that safety measures are not being followed, we will return to assigned seats. Also, remind them this is their reward for adhering to the policies we’ve developed and for doing their part to help stop the spread of this dreaded disease.
Cameras on! The whole while I was on leave I never once missed talking to black screens with white type across them. Not one iota. It’s impersonal and even somewhat distracting when trying to teach. What I missed was seeing the bright shiny faces of our students. It changes the dynamics when we can all see one another and makes the classes more personal and special when we can see whom we are all sharing the experience with. Do what you can to urge your student to have their camera on when able and let them know that their smiles fuel our teachers to reach greater heights in the classroom. It changes the way we learn, the way we teach, and the way we grow as a community.
Have a great week and be sure to email me with any questions, concerns, or even kudos.
Matthew Nelson
Principal
Clint Small Middle School
(512) 841-6705
Last Chance to be in the yearbook
ATTENTION Parents, Students and Staff of Small Middle School,
This is your last chance to submit a photo for this years yearbook. What a wild year it has been and we want to see as many faces as possible represented in the yearbook. The deadline to submit a photo is a week from today, Wednesday 3/10/21 at 4pm.
All you need to do is go to this google form: https://forms.gle/e3J8AHiaCdh97qqa7 and upload a current picture of your student.
Staff: we would love to see your smiling faces as well! Upload your photo TODAY!
Any questions? Email thomas.shoptaw@austinisd.org
Hawaiian day
Thank you to all of you that sent in snacks and drinks to make Hawaiian day so much fun!
Coming back on campus
We would be happy to welcome your student on to campus. I would highly recommend you contact their counselor to let them know that your student is coming. Our counselors have been meeting the kids in front of the school on their first day to make sure they know where to go and are comfortable on campus.
The first thing your student will need to do is to fill out the covid screener. If he/she has a phone, have them download the AISD app. If they don't have a phone, we can use the adult's phone that they are with at the time of drop off. The earliest your student can be dropped off at 7:45. The reason is that we cannot have a bunch of kids in one place like the Cafeteria or Gym like we used to, so we need to make sure all the teachers are in their classrooms to welcome the students, so they are all supervised on campus. We also need to take the students temperature before the parents leave incases there is a fever, they can just go home with the parent and not enter the building.
We do a stager release starting at 3:35 (again so not too many kids are together at once) the official end of day is 3:51.
Starting on Monday all teachers will be back on campus, your student will need to print his/her schedule and go to each classroom specified.
Things your student will need to bring:
- Mask
- Refillable Water bottle (water fountains are closed, except the bottle refill stations)
- Chromebook and charger
- Lunch if he wants (or Cafeteria Breakfast and lunches are free this year)
- Snack
- Maybe paper and pin for note taking
- Printed Schedule
Please let me know if you have any other questions.
LIBRARY BOOKS
If students have any library books from last spring from ANY AISD campus they can be returned at Small. You can put them in the first floor book drop if you are on campus or drop them by the office if you are virtual. Your help is appreciated getting books back in our AISD libraries!
On Campus Students
Need to leave early?
It takes awhile for us to figure out what classroom a student is in.
Here is a trick to speed the process up!
If your student has a doctor appointment or just needs to leave early during the school day, please send them with a note. If the student comes to the main office with their parent note first thing in the morning, We will give your student a pass to leave class at the specified time. That way when you come to pick up your student, they will be in the office waiting for you. No searching involved saving us all precious time!
Snacks
They have gotten quite used to it and we are starting to run low. We have plenty of drinks and salty things for now, but if you are wanting to contribute, we could use more sweet treats. Cookies, chocolates, small candy and the like. Our teachers really feel the love when they can get a quick pick-me up.
Remember everything has to be individually wrapped for covid
Report Cards
The most recent report card for your student is now available for viewing on the Austin ISD Cloud https://my.austinisd.org/ .
In an effort to increase data security, pdf report card attachments will no longer be emailed.
To access the report card please login to https://my.austinisd.org/ and click on the tile "Report Cards".
For report card questions, please contact your student's teacher.
If you are having access or account issues, please call Parent Technology Support at 512-414-9187
Save the Date: Green Market Days
Small Green Academy Market Days-Cash or Check ONLY
This year's Market Days sale will be held from March 22-26. It will be from 4-5PM after school by the front office.
We will be selling staff and student handmade products. These products include soap, candles, jewelry, bird houses, bookmarks, and MANY OTHERS!
Please come out to support us! This is the Green Academy's only fundraiser. The funding for our projects comes solely from sales like this.
A/B calendar revised 2/26/21
NJHS
NJHS Inductees from Spring 2020 AND Spring 2021-
You and your families are invited to a virtual induction ceremony hosted by members of LASA NHS and your NJHS Sponsor christie.manners@austinisd.org.
Please mark your calendars for the evening of May 20th. More information to come in the Cougar News as the date approaches.
NJHS Induction Certificates for all inductees from this year and last year are in the office now and may be picked up M-F from 8-4 pm.
6th grade parents: Read the Cougar News in Fall 2021 for application information.
Green 2x4 Donation
If you are able to help, feel free to drop off your donation in the main office and contact Mr. Jeansonne at jack.jeansonne@austinisd.org for any questions.
Motion Cameras
Update: We are up $2317.00 towards our goal of $4392. Thank you to those of you that have donated. We can now purchase 42 cameras!
SEL Mural Project
The Small Middle School counselors are super excited to star a special community project. We are hoping to paint two murals in front of the counseling office in collaboration with Small Middle School families. The murals will be made in efforts to promote unity and celebrate diversity.
We are in need of donations that will help in painting the murals and are looking for volunteers to come in shifts and help collaborate in making the murals come to life. Please review the available slots below and click on the button to sign up to donate or to volunteer. Thank you!
Click here to check out the murals we will be recreating
Click here to see what they need and/or to volunteer to help:https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0F49A4A72BA6FE3-selmurals
Green Academy Blog
In case any of you are interested, here is our Green Academy Newsletter. We call it the Green Leaf. It is just a basic updated on projects and fundraisers.
https://insmallgardens.blogspot.com/?zx=e3249402c1fb022c
We are also beginning to take orders for our Handmade soap. We are calling it "Clint's Small Batch". We have 22 different options. They are in relative short supply, as we only have about 12 of each type. If the soap sells well we will make some more. We will also try and make more of the "best sellers". The soap still needs a few more weeks to finish curing. We will begin selling start March 8, the week before Spring Break. Bars are $5. If you have friends or families interested, please share the link. I will be willing to ship bars in packs of 2 for $5 to cover shipping and packaging. Order Soap Here: https://forms.gle/LaqhPWT22FGWKLAM9
Thank you for your interest and support!
Help! Yearbook Pictures
Please take a quick moment to upload a current picture of your student into this form and we will put that picture in the yearbook. Enter your pictures here: https://forms.gle/FVhSBupWdgnPRDnk9
Questions? Email thomas.shoptaw@austinisd.org
Advanced Art
Applicants must have had at least 1 semester of art
Yearbook Pictures
This is the announcement requesting pictures from Small families:
Please send pictures of your students or share them to Google Drive:
- 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.
Clubs at Small
There are a lot of Clubs To choose from. Click Here to see a list and how to join.
Remember that these clubs are an extra service the teachers are offering you and that all school rules apply. Please come and take advantage of the extra social time with other students who are interested in the same thing as you are!
If you have questions, please email the club sponsor.
Small PTA Info
PTA Hassle-Free November Fundraiser
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!
Questions about the PTA? Contact SmallPTA2020@gmail.com
Address the CAC Committee
If you are interested in speaking to our CAC using our Citizen Communication time, please email our CAC chair 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.
PARENTS CAMPAIGN TO RAVE!
Parents, are you looking for a way to give back to teachers and staff at Small Middle School?
We (A handful of Small Parents) have found a free and very effective way to show some love and thought we would share it with you all.
RAVE: Recognizing All Valuable Employees
Let's send some sparkly gratitude to our faculty & staff this holiday season with an AISD RAVE submission!
- Does your student have a favorite teacher?
- Has someone at Small (or any other AISD School) gone above and beyond for you and your family?
- Do you want to support teachers and let everyone (Teacher, Principal, AISD District) know about it?
All of our faculty and staff have gone above and beyond this semester. The best free, easy, sparkly way to show our gratitude is via the RAVE form on the AISD website (link below.) It only takes a couple of minutes to complete!
This form is received by AISD administration. RAVE submissions mean a lot to teachers and staff. It's equivalent to a virtual hug! And, there's never been a better time to remind the Superintendent how indispensable they all are.
Please submit a RAVE for any teacher or staff member (current or from school years past.)
Maybe send one or two a day! You do need the first and last name of the employee you wish to RAVE about. Those can be sourced on Small's Staff Directory :
https://www.austinisd.org/schools/small/directory
Flooding AISD administration with positive feedback will make an important and lasting impact. Let's make this holiday season sparkle a little extra with RAVES!
https://www.austinisd.org/hr/customer-service/rave
Thank you,
Small Parents
Clint Small, Jr. Middle School
