SMS Weekly Update

Dear SMS Family,

I wanted to let you all know that our parent-teacher conferences are just around the corner. They are designed for parents and teachers to collaborate and connect, but students are more than welcome to attend with you. Sometimes that is actually incredibly beneficial. We will host a drop-in style format for our conference on Thursday, October 24th from 4:30-8:00 PM and again from 10:00 AM-12:00 PM on October 25th. Teachers will have pre-scheduled conferences from 8:00-10:00 AM on October 25th. Families and Caregivers will be contacted if teachers or teams feel that a pre-scheduled conference would be helpful.

Additionally, we continue to expand our positive incentive program, recognizing students who consistently make great choices at SMS by creating “Archer Zone.” This is a time when students who have met the following expectations will get a “bonus fun activity during the school day” that looks and functions much like our flex period where students can sign up for preferred activities. Students who have not met the below criteria will be enrolled in a study period and will work on goal setting, or homework completion to catch up or get ahead in their studies. We will host several of these Archer Zone days over the course of the year to celebrate students who are working hard to meet success criteria here at SMS.

Criteria for Archer Zone:

1. Have 90% attendance or greater

2. No major office referrals

3. No more than 2 minor office referrals

4. No detentions assigned for too many tardies (5 or more in a given week)

We often include the necessity of passing ALL classes, but we want to make sure we work through our standard based grading process with students. Grades are looking a bit different in our gradebooks right now, so we are monitoring accuracy and clarity before we are confident in having grades impact opportunities for celebrations.

Sincerely,

Andy

Oct. 11

• Statewide Inservice Day--No School

Oct. 14

• Board Meeting 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Oct. 15

• Monster Dash (during school)
• SMS Service Club - 3:30 pm - 4:15 pm Ms. Scott's room (students only)

Oct. 16

• Early Release -- dismissal 2:26 pm

Oct. 17

• Builders Club 3:30 pm - 4:30 pm Mrs. Christie's room (students only)

Oct. 18

• Picture Retakes
• Freaky Friday 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
• Freaky Friday Dance 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm SMS Students Only

Oct. 24

• Conferences 4:30 pm - 8:00 pm Arena Style

Oct. 25

• NO SCHOOL--SMS ONLY

• Conferences 8:00 am - 10:00 am (teacher scheduled)
• Conferences 10:00 am - 12:00 pm Arena Style

Oct. 30

• Mod Pizza fundraiser (Online Checkout code: MODGIVES 25)

Additional events may be viewed on the SMS Calendar and the District Calendar.

Front Office 7:45 am - 3:45 pm

Student Hours 8:45 am - 3:26 pm (M/T/Th/F)

Student Hours 8:45 am - 2:26 pm (W-Early Release)

Doors Open to Students 8:30 am

This year, Sherwood Middle School is excited to team up with TMG Cares, a local nonprofit dedicated to supporting our community, to launch a Sock Drive for Foster Kids. Recognizing the essential need for socks among local foster children, SMS is joining forces with TMG Cares to do our part!

From October 21 to November 8, SMS Flight Time classes will participate by collecting both youth and adult-sized socks. We invite community members to contribute by dropping off new socks at the SMS front office. Students will bring socks to their Flight Time classes, ensuring that we gather as many contributions as possible!

Through this collaborative effort, we aim to provide comfort and warmth to foster children in our area, demonstrating the power of community and the impact we can have when we come together for a common cause. Let's make this sock drive a huge success and show our support for foster children!

This project is in honor of Isaac Schweitzer, as part of our commitment to community service through our Sherwood Middle School Service Club.

To enhance our students' physical education experience, the SMS PE department is looking to add ping pong tables to our equipment inventory. If you have a ping pong table in good working condition that you no longer use, please consider donating it to our program. We are able to come pick up the tables at your location. Please contact dgrubb@sherwood.k12.or.us to make arrangements. Thank you for your support!

This is a reminder that the deadline to purchase the Device Protection Plan is October 15th, 2024. This optional program allows families to pay a $15 fee at the start of each school year in order to pay reduced rates on applicable damage and loss charges for their student’s device. The fee has already been added to all student's accounts as an optional fee and will be removed after October 15th. You can sign up for this plan on the District's website.

This year our school district will continue to focus on improving student attendance to help our students have the best possible school experience. Your child's regular attendance in school encourages academic and social-emotional success.

Missed days add up quickly: When a student misses as few as two days a month, that’s 10% of the school year. This can make catching up or feeling connected feel overwhelming. Students with solid attendance are much more likely to be successful and have a positive school experience - starting as young as kindergarten!

We will send attendance notifications home each trimester to all families so you are aware of your child’s current/overall attendance rate. We will also communicate with families regarding attendance concerns. We appreciate your partnership and want to see your child at school each day!

Here are a few of the resources available to help support your child/family with regular attendance:

• In need of assistance with food, clothing, or school supplies? Contact our SHARE Center today at 503-825-5087, or email our Family Resource Coordinator Amy Gillett at agillett@sherwood.k12.or.us.

• Does your child have a recurring illness or dental issue, and need access to care? Contact our Health Services Department at 503-825-5093 or health@sherwood.k12.or.us for referrals to community resources or to speak with one of our school nurses.

• Is your child in need of support for their mental/emotional health? Contact our Mental Health Coordinator Chelsie Vukovich at 503-825-5034 or cvukovich@sherwood.k12.or.us.

Does your child need greater academic support? Reach out directly to your child’s teacher(s), or contact your school’s office for assistance.

Do any of the below items look familiar to you? We are busting at the seams! We will be donating all items remaining after conferences on Oct. 25.

It is very helpful if you label your student's lunch boxes, water bottles and clothes. We make multiple attempts to get the items back to your student when we find labeled items!

We are looking for a parent volunteer to help out with our Tabletop Gaming Club. It is held on Tuesdays from 3:30 p.m.-4:30 p.m. For more information, please call Kristi at 503-825-5510. You will need to have a background check for this year and can be done here.

Would you like to volunteer during our lunches to help in the lunchroom, help check-out recess equipment or supervise the game room? We are looking for two parents to help every lunch period. Please review this sign-up and make sure you have a current background check.

National School Lunch Week celebrates the importance of a nutritious school lunch in fueling students for success. In the 2023-2024 School Year alone, the SSD Nutrition Team served over 217,000 meals to our students. That is a lot of meals!

The Nutrition Team is celebrating by hosting a raffle contest. Next week, each student participating in School Lunch will receive a raffle entry (limit one entry per day). On Friday, we will announce the winner of this year’s prize, an Instax Mini Polaroid Camera (courtesy of our industry partners).

Happy National School Lunch Week!

We are looking for volunteers for several different things. It takes a village to help pull off this fun event for our students, please sign up today to help with Monster Dash Set Up, Presale tickets, and Freaky Friday.

We need more volunteers for Freaky Friday! We promise you that you will have so much fun helping kids and parents have fun!

Sign up today for a volunteer shift during lunchtimes next week. This is not only a fun way to help out with this big event, but see the fun life around SMS.

Buy your Freaky Friday tickets today and pick them up at the event! Just scan the QR code in the infographic and you can complete your purchase.

We are looking for photos to use in the yearbook. Photos can be shared in Treering designated folders via the app or website. If you need help sharing, contact Alison.jedan@treering.com.

Monthly themes:

October: Freaky Friday

September: 1st day of school & fall sports and activities

Yearbooks are 10% off through October so purchase NOW and customize anytime throughout the year. Must be purchased by May 1st to get your book in time for the end of year signing events.

*ALL STUDENTS MUST SELECT YOUR 24-25 FLIGHT TIME TEACHER FROM THE DROP DOWN BOX WHEN ORDERING. This can be found in Student/Parent Vue.

Incoming SMS new students: Your school code is 101612219220699 which is different from your elementary school treering code. You can still login under the same treering account but will add your SMS code to purchase and customize your 2 FREE pages in your book. This code is also shown on the flyer. On Facebook: "Sherwood Middle School PSO" shares Yearbook info throughout the year as well as the SMS Newsletter.

It's time for the 2024 SHS Booster Club Annual Auction. This year, come ready to WIN BIG for our Bowmen athletes with the addition of a Casino Night! This unforgettable evening will feature classic Casino Games, delicious food and drinks, incredible casino prizes and auction items, plus excellent company, all in support of our Student-Athletes.

November 9th, 2024 5pm-9pm @ the beautiful Chehalem Cultural Center

Individual tickets are $80 each or grab your friends and buy a table for 8 for $600 ($40 discount!) - this includes dinner and drinks plus $10 of script to get you started!

Get your tickets today!!

https://fundraiser.bid/SHSBoosterClub2024

You can also Pre-Register for the Blackjack Tournament and Texas Hold 'Em Tournaments - all on the website.

Can't make it for the big night? Participate in our online Auction Nov. 4th-9th!

Questions? Contact haley.ellis@sherwoodboosterclub.com

See you November 9th!

LET'S GO BOWMEN!

“SHARE is a place for families to seek information, resources, and support services. The SHARE Center’s purpose is to strengthen community partnerships and decrease barriers related to student success, thereby improving the ability of all children and families to engage fully in a positive school experience”. - SHARE Center, Sherwood School District (please visit this page for more information)

If you need support obtaining school supplies, please reach out to the Share Center.