Mission: The purpose of Smith Middle School is to ensure learning for all members of our school community.

Website: https://smith.troy.k12.mi.us/
Location: 5835 Donaldson Drive, Troy, MI, USA
Phone: (248) 823-4700

We had a busy and fun-filled last week of school with events including our band and orchestra concerts, basketball games, and a spirit week. To cap it off, our staff hosted a winter celebration throughout the building on Friday from 1:30 - 3:00 with a range of fun activities for students to participate in. It was a great way to relax, have some laughs, and kick-off our December vacation.

I hope you and your family have a wonderful break and for all those celebrating, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Happy Kwanzaa! I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year! 2024 has been an exciting year for Smith Middle School and I cannot wait to see what 2025 brings us!

Best,

Ryan

• 3:10 - 4:00pm - 7th/8th Grade Boys Basketball Practice
• 4:00 - 6:00pm - Competitive Cheer Practice

• 3:10 - 4:00pm - Homework Help Club
• 3:10 - 4:00pm - History Club
• 3:10 - 4:00pm - STAND Club
• 4:00pm - 7th & 8th Grade Boys Basketball Game vs Van Hoosen (Away)
• 4:00 - 6:00pm - Competitive Cheer Practice

• 7:00am - Student Council Meeting
• 7:15am - IM 6th Grade Boys Basketball
• 3:10 - 4:00pm - Math Club
• 5:30pm - Solo & Ensemble Orchestra Recital Night @ Larson

• 3:10 - 4:00pm - Chess Club
  
• 3:10 - 4:00pm - Homework Help Club
• 3:45pm - 7th & 8th Grade Boys Basketball Games at Baker (Away)
• 4:00 - 6:00pm - Competitive Cheer Practice (Picture Day)

• 3:10 - 5:00pm - 7th/8th Grade Boys Basketball Practice
• 5:00 - 10:00pm - Smith Restaurant Night at McVees

The Smith Knights sponsored a group for the national Wreaths Across America event that took place December 14. The Smith Knights created a group at the Guardian Angel Cemetery in Rochester and we helped to sponsor 72 wreaths, and we had approximately 30 people attend and help to lay wreaths at gravesites. There were over 700 wreaths sponsored for the cemetery and a few hundred attended the event. Wreaths Across America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded to continue and expand the annual wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery, which was begun by Maine businessman Morrill Worcester in 1992. The organization’s yearlong mission – Remember, Honor, Teach – is carried out in part each year by coordinating wreath-laying ceremonies in December at thousands of veterans’ cemeteries and other locations in all 50 states and beyond. We were excited to give back to the community and participate in such a great event.

A big thank you to the staff, friends, parents, and students who attended this event. We are very thankful and look forward to making this a new tradition.

~Mrs. Casko and the Social Studies Department

This week was a busy one with a spirit week and the candy cane sale during all 3 lunches. We appreciate all of the participation and are happy to say that we are also paying it forward to the Smith community by donating funds to help support families in need during the holidays. While this week was a lot of fun, learning how to give your time and hearts to helping others is a big lesson we like our amazing students to experience. Each sale and fundraiser we do is used in a positive way.

Members of our student council also linked up with some of our 6th and 7th graders to complete a winter activity. This month we made a donut snowman that we enjoyed eating after we made it, and we then made snowmen out of air-dry clay. They turned out so cute!

Happy Holidays and see you all in the new year!

- Mrs. Casko and Mr. Koneval

Congrats to our Smith Science Olympiad Team, who took 6th place out of 46 teams at the Sylvania Invitational in Ohio last weekend! This is a great start to the season and we are looking forward to celebrating more successes!

Mrs. Chatel, our media specialist, is excited to announce the TSD middle school Media Center’s 25th annual Troybery Reading Program potential nominees list. We have an excellent field of 23 books this year, all books published in 2023 and recommended by Troy students, teachers, and librarians. You can access the list here: bit.ly/troybery2025

The Troybery list is known for having a variety of books reflecting our students’ diverse interests, age levels, and backgrounds. Our goal is to promote a love for reading in our students. We encourage students to participate in our program by reading as many as they would like and by voting for their favorites. Mrs. Chatel is happy to work with your child to find the “just right” book for them from the list.

A Troybery book could be an excellent choice if you are looking for a gift idea this holiday season. Your child will hear a presentation in the upcoming weeks about the Troybery program and our exciting selections.

You can visit the Troy Middle Schools Media Center website for more information about Troybery.

The Smith Student Council is selling 8th grade sweatshirts as a memento of Smith. These are popular as holiday gifts and many bring the sweatshirts with them on the trip to Washington D.C. Deadline to submit is December 20 and we expect them to arrive in January. See the order form below. Order forms are also in the 8th grade Social Studies Schoology course pages.

Link to Order Form

This past week, middle school students were sent an email with instructions on how to update to a more safe and secure online password for their TSD login. Many students have already done this, but if your student has not updated their password from the one assigned by TSD, we are encouraging students to do so. Please see the instructions attached below.

The Smith Social Studies department is excited to announce that it is Bee time again. Students will be taking the Geography, History, and Science Bee’s during their Social Studies Classes in December before break and some classes will finish upon return. The Bees are a great opportunity to see students’ knowledge on a variety of topics and if they qualify, they can compete in the Michigan Regional Bee Competition that will be held here at Smith on April 5. Students who qualify to compete will be notified mid-January. We encourage students to participate in the regional competition and give it a try. Many of our students move on to qualify for the national and international competitions. We have been fortunate to have many students travel for the national competitions that have been held in Florida, Virginia and Chicago over the past few years. We want students to take the tests seriously and give it their all and lastly to have fun! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Mrs. Casko, Mrs. Sebastian or any Social Studies teachers.

If you missed the informational meeting, here is a link to the recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rH5NOqU5oLs

Here is a link to the PowerPoint presentation from the parent meeting: https://troyk12mi-my.sharepoint.com/:b:/g/personal/rbrinks_troy_k12_mi_us/Eahj3cON7D9Cn8xwLj67prYBc3c75pSOLFJI2_yH2PR5Bg?e=CI7dlO

For more information, check out: https://www.iatoday.org/ia-east/prospective-students

TSD students are invited to participate in the upcoming MLK Day Creative Contest! Reflect on a time when you made a positive difference in your community and consider how that experience impacted both you and those around you. Share your reflection through a video, essay, poem, or a portfolio of visual artwork.

The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, January 1, at 11:59 p.m. https://www.troy.k12.mi.us/student-life/2025-mlk-day-student-contest-submission-form

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.

Below is a sample of the logo choices for most items...