SMS WEEKLY UPDATE

Our second week of school was a great success!

Our fall sports programs began with tryouts and practices. I'm excited to see our student athletes grow in their skills and become great teammates. I can't wait to cheer on our teams, and I hope you're looking forward to joining me!

We started our lunch recess program. After eating, 100 students who are seated, have their lanyards, and have cleaned their tables can receive a lunch recess pass. Students can also remain in the cafeteria and use their cell phones (this is allowed inside the cafeteria during lunch ONLY). Some students may also have passes to visit the library. Soon enough we will have our school store open during lunch as well! Thank you to our lunch supervisors, Mr. Fedulchak, Ms. Littlefield, Ms. Morgan, Mrs. Davenport, Mr. Evasic, and Mr. Smorch, for creating a pleasant lunch time for our students!

On Thursday, students heard a presentation from OK2SAY. OK2SAY is a confidential reporting stysem that allows students to report dangerous or concerning behavior, like concerns about student safety, student drug or alcohol abuse, or cyberbullying. Students can report online, via text at OK2SAY (652729), or via call (855-565-2729).

Classes also reviewed drill safety in preparation for our practice drills next week. They discussed our procedures for fire, tornado, and ALICE drills.

Students receieved copies of the Title I Parent Compacts. Please be sure to review the compact, sign it, and return to 6th hour teachers. If you don't have a hard copy, you can sign digitally via THIS LINK.

Read on to see the updates for the week ahead.

Go Saints!

Mrs. Kasper

Assistant Principal

Monday, September 9

Late to School and Tardies Begin Today!

• 6th Grade Assemblies - 1st and 2nd hours
• Girls Volleyball Tryouts Continue
• Cross Country Practice - 2:50-4:50
• Boys Soccer Practice - 2:50-4:20

Tuesday, September 10

• Cross Country Practice - 2:50-4:50
  

Wednesday, September 11

• Last Day of Girls Volleyball Tryouts - 2:50-4:15
• Cross Country Meet vs Meads Mill - 4:00-6:00
• Boys Soccer Practice - 2:50-4:20
• Bowling Club (at Town N Country Lanes, $5 required) - 3:45-4:45

Thursday, September 12

• Girls Volleyball Practice - 2:50-4:15
• Cross Country Practice - 2:50-4:50
• Boys Soccer Game (at Franklin Middle School) - 3:30-5:30

Friday, September 13

• Suicide Awareness - Wear Purple or Teal
• Girls Volleyball Practice - 2:50-4:15
• Boys Soccer Practice - 2:50-4:20

Upcoming Important Dates:

• September 16 - NWEA Testing Begins in ELA Classes
• October 2 - Official Count Day
• October 8 - Picture Retake Day

For more information about this week's sports, please contact the appropriate coaches:

Boys Soccer: Coach Fedulchak

Girls Volleyball: Coach Wagner (JV), Coach Smorch (Varsity)

Boys Cross Country: Coach Davis

Girls Cross Country: Coach Lindow

Bowling Club: Mrs. Davenport

For general questions, contact our Athletic Director, Mr. Neely

On Monday, September 9, we will begin documenting students who are late to school and tardy to class.

Late to School: If a student arrives at the building after the 7:50 bell, they will need to go through the main office and will get a Late to School pass from Ms. Greenshields in the counseling office. After a student is marked Late to School FIVE times, they will begin to be marked Tardy.

Tardy: During the school day, if a student reports to class after the final bell rings, they will be marked Tardy. Students who are tardy will have to remain in their classroom during passing time, and after passing time is complete, they'll have 3 minutes to get to their next class. If a student is 15 minutes late to class, they will be marked ABSENT.

Getting to school and class on time is critical to being successful in class, and making the best use of their time during passing is an important life skill. Students who arrive to class on time are eligible to attend our RAPS parties, dances, and other events at Stevenson. After 3 total tardies, students begin to lose access to those events.

Please stress the importance of getting to class on time with your student!

IF YOU NEED TO EXCUSE AN ABSENCE OR LATE ARRIVAL FOR YOUR STUDENT, you can do so via Parent Connect. If you need assistance with Parent Connect, you can reach out to our Counseling Secretary and Registrar, Ms. Greenshields.

Over the last two weeks, all students should have received a Stevenson lanyard in the color that corresponds with their grade level (6th - white, 7th - orange, 8th - blue).

For students who already have their ID, the expectation is that they have the ID connected to the lanyard and that the lanyard is on them at all times. If a student has not yet received their ID, they should still have their lanyard on them at all times. This is a safety issue, as it allows us to identify our students. All of our staff wear their ID in the building, all visitors have appropriate visitor identification, and we expect our students to have their lanyards and IDs as well.

LANYARDS ARE REQUIRED FOR LUNCH RECESS. We are only able to allow 100 students to attend lunch recess each day, so in order for students to receive a Lunch Recess Pass, they must have a lanyard (as well as be seated at their table and have their lunch cleaned up). Students will not be allowed to go to their lockers to get their lanyards.

Picture Retake day is October 8th. After that date, all students will be required to have their IDs and lanyards on them at all times.

Stevenson Middle School has a fantastic behavior team that works with our students in many different capacities. They work with:

• teachers inside their classrooms to build culture and community, hold restorative circles, and provide support
• small groups of students for conflict resolutions or group
• individual students who may need additional support

Behavior team also processes student statement forms and referrals, and takes parent concerns. If you hear from someone on the team, please know they are there to support you and your students!

We are so lucky to have them!

Below is our team: Mr. Neely, Mrs. Sarah, Ms. Britney, and Mr. Chad (from left to right)

Click on a behavior team member's name to contact them via email!

For all 7th and 8th grade students: It's time to apply for SMS Lighthouse! This team is basically our school student council. If you are interested in being a member, you MUST fill out an application, which can also be found on the student hub. This application does NOT guarantee you a spot on the team. A small number of those who apply will be chosen. Applications are due on Friday, September 13. If you are chosen to be a part of the team, you will be notified through email by Friday, September 20. 6th graders will be able to apply in November.

Please check out the attached presentation to learn more about this team! If you have any questions, please see Mrs. Oberski in room 110, or Mrs. Vasiloff-Ebbitt in the library.

What is SMS Lighthouse?

I have another opportunity to raffle off 100 tickets to the Tigers Game on Friday, September 27 at 6:40 pm.

To be eligible to attend, you must REVIEW THE PARENT COMPACT and SIGN HERE.

After you've completed that step, then you will need to complete THIS FORM. This is where I will pull the raffle names, so please be sure to complete it if you're interested.

GOOD LUCK and GO TIGERS!

Students in Art class broke up into small groups to participate in an icebreaker to get to know their fellow classmates. There was lots of discussion and laughs as the students got to know each other. Great job to the students of Mrs. Cosgove's class!

If you need a physical, you can print the PDF below and have it completed by a doctor. We also have hard copies in the main office.

Bring completed sports physicals to the main office or to the coach. If you have questions, please reach out to our Athletic Director, Mr. Neely.

Academic Requirements:

• Students must pass at least 4 out of 6 classes to be eligible for sports.

Ineligibility Period:

• Students who fail to meet the academic requirements at the end of a marking period cannot play sports for the next marking period.

Regular Checks:

• Academic performance is checked every week.

• If a student is not passing at least four classes during a check, they are ineligible to play until the next check, at a minimum, for the next week.

Credit Records:

• Students must have grades in the school's official records to participate in sports.

6th Graders:

• New 6th graders can compete in sports without their 5th-grade records being checked.

As you may have discovered this past week, arrival and dismissal is a busy time at Stevenson Middle School! In order to ensure the safety of our students, families, and employees during this time, please be sure to follow these guidelines:

• Drive all the way around the building to drop off and pick up your student (see the picture below)
• Pull all the way up in the drop-off/pick-up line, and have your student ready to get out of the car quickly. This prevents delays and traffic backups.
• Please be sure to be in the correct lane for pick up and drop off. If you will be turning left onto Palmer, please remain in the LEFT drop-off/pick-up lane. If you will be turning right onto Palmer, please remain in the RIGHT drop-off/pick-up lane. This will avoid dangerous lane changes while students are exiting and entering vehicles.
• Do not drop your student off in Palmer Road.
• Cross Palmer Road at designated crosswalks ONLY.
• Because of dismissal is a high-traffic time, parents will not be able to come in to excuse students after 2:20 pm. If you need to pick your child up early, please plan to come before that time.

Thank you for your understanding!

Wayne-Westland Community Schools has a Family Resource Center (FRC), offering free services to all students and families within our district. Among the services provided are basic needs assistance, access to over 700 local resources, and a Laundry Assistance Program. Additionally, the FRC offers essential items, such as emergency toiletries, socks, underwear, hats, gloves, and scarves, to those in need. School supplies and backpacks are also available year-round for any district student.

Please contact our Family Resource Center at 734-419-2709 or FRC@wwcsd.net. A Digital Request for Services Form is also available. If you have additional questions about their services, please contact the Family Resource Center directly.