Hello SBMS Community!

Welcome to the new school year! We are very excited to welcome our new and returning students to SBMS! This is going to be an excellent school year full of academic progress, social growth, and fun! Our goal is to prepare your child(ren) for high school both academically and socially through our focus on kindness, learning, and responsibility.

As a 4J parent myself with kids in a few different schools, I know that there is a lot of information to track. My goal with this newsletter is to provide you with weekly information that will help you and your SBMS student(s).

First Days of School

6th Graders (9/4/24)

• Doors open at 8:00
• Breakfast is available from 8:30-8:50
• Classes are 9:00-2:35 (Early Release Wednesday)

6th, 7th, and 8th Graders (9/5/24)

• Doors open at 8:00
• Breakfast is available from 8:30-8:50
• Classes are 9:00-3:40

Recommended Apps to Download

There are a few things that I highly suggest for you to have: your Canvas Observer Account and your ParentSquare account. Canvas is used to keep up with what is happening in classes and having the ParentSquare app allows you to receive instant notifications from us (this year we no longer have the ability to send text messages from the school). You'll always have email, but the ParentSquare app on your phone will allow you to receive notifications. Information about both platforms is below.

Events This Week

In addition to the first days of school, we do have 2 optional evening events this week:

• The first is our Popcorn with the Principal evening on Tuesday (9/3) from 6:00-7:00 for 7th and 8th grade students who are new to SBMS. This is an opportunity for new to the building 7th and 8th graders to meet a few staff members and have a tour of the building.
• The second event is our annual Chalk the Walk evening, Wednesday (9/4) from 6:00-7:30. This event is for all of our students and families who want to pick up class schedules before the first day, tour the building, or practice lockers! Students who do not attend this event will be able to pick up their schedules Thursday morning.

Thank you for your time in reading this week's Spartan Update. If there is anything that I can do for you, please feel free to contact me at nolan_p@4j.lane.edu, 541-790-8300, or by clicking the Contact Paula button at the bottom of this newsletter.

Have a nice day,

Paula

Paula Nolan

Principal

Spencer Butte Middle School

Canvas is the online learning platform that parents can use to track grades and what is happening in classes (announcements, due dates, etc...). It is a very important tool to use and I recommend that every parent/guardian uses their Canvas Observer account (accessed via the web or the Canvas Parent app on your phone).

The information below will tell new and returning users how to activate their Canvas Observer account for this school year.

All new and returning users must activate their account before you can start using Canvas Observer (even if you had an account last year). To activate your account , complete the following steps:

1. Visit 4J’s Canvas for Families webpage and click on “Forgot Password?”

2. Enter the email you provided your child’s school and then click the “Request Password” box

3. Enter a password after clicking the reset link you receive in your email

4. Return to the Canvas for Families webpage to log in with your username and new password

One account per email- Canvas Observer will not allow you to activate more than one account if parents/guardians have the same email address on file for their student. In this case, contact your school and provide a unique email address for each parent or guardian associated with your student.

Please contact us at 541-790-8300 or email me at nolan_p@4j.lane.edu if you run into any problems with activating your account.

Having the ParentSquare app will allow you to receive instant notifications from the school (in addition to emails). By going to this site or downloading the app you can get registered in a few minutes. Setup is pretty easy (I did it last year for my own parent account). Basically, you'll create your account and then you'll be asked to link your children to your account. The site or app will walk you through the process. If you need any help with it, please call us at 541-790-8300.

This platform is being used at all schools and I encourage our community to download it so you get the instant notifications in addition to emails.

Some student health conditions require medication while at school. We keep medication in the school office and trained staff deliver medication to students as prescribed.

If your student has need of medication at school (prescription or non-prescription), please fill out a Medication Authorization form. If you need a hard copy of these forms they are available at the school. Medication must be brought in its original container. If needed, pharmacists can usually provide a second labeled bottle for school medication. Please contact the school nurse Jenny Downes (downes_j@4j.lane.edu) for further information or clarification on emergency medications.

For information from the district about safely getting to and from school, please click on the link below.

This is a heavier topic for a first school newsletter- but recently the Oregon Department of Education asked schools to share about elevated levels of measles in our state. They wrote that "Measles is on the rise and Oregon along with 35 other states and the District of Columbia are at higher risk for outbreaks due to low vaccination rates. Oregon has seen 26 cases of measles as of August 9th. All were unvaccinated and two required hospitalization."

Measles is a serious disease that spreads through the air and remains active on surfaces and the air for 2 hours. 9 out of 10 unvaccinated people in contact with an infected person will catch measles. This disease can cause serious impacts including blindness, encephalitis (brain swelling and possible brain damage), ear infections, diarrhea and dehydration, breathing problems, and death. Further, measles places pregnant people and their babies at risk.

The state shared that, "Schools where less than 94% of students are up-to-date with measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccines are at higher risk for measles to spread if an individual with measles attends school." Last year, SBMS had a vaccination rate of 91% for measles. The measles vaccine is a series of 2 shots and it has an effectiveness of 97% in preventing the disease.

If you need assistance connecting with community resources for vaccination, please contact me, the office, or our school nurse Jenny Downes (downes_j@4j.lane.edu).

Per OAR 333-019-0010, in the event of an exposure to a contagious illness like measles, a school administrator must temporarily exclude from school students and/or staff who are deemed susceptible (if someone is susceptible is determined by Lane County Public Health). Exclusion for 21 days or longer may be needed to prevent further spread and to ensure safety.

We are here as a part of your child's team. Whenever I have the opportunity to speak with a parent about something involving a class I always ask if they've had a chance to connect with the teacher. I ask that question because involving the teacher is the most powerful thing that we can do to help your child in class.

Our teachers love to hear from parents. Whether there is information about something happening in the student's life, a fun story about when your child spoke about the class at home, concerns about academic progress, or questions about the class, connecting with staff is the first and most important step in helping your student to succeed.

There are many ways to connect with staff. Sending an email or message in Canvas is the most direct way of reaching teachers. You can also call the school at 541-790-8300 and leave a message for a teacher to return.

Contacting Teachers Via Email

To find a teacher's email address, please access our directory below.

[Link to SBMS Staff Directory: https://spencerbutte.4j.lane.edu/41178_2 ]

Contacting Teachers Via the Canvas Parent App*

You may find the Canvas Parent app the easiest way to send a message. When in the app you can send a message by tapping on a course name and then the speech bubble emoji in the bottom right corner. Alternatively, you can also navigate to the inbox, tap on the speech bubble emoji, and then select the teacher/course you are intending to send the message to.

Canvas on Desktop*

If you are accessing Canvas via desktop you are able to send a message through the Inbox feature. To use that, follow the directions below:

1. Click on the Inbox logo/name on the left hand side of the screen.
2. Once you are in the Inbox, look at the top of the webpage and then click the pictogram that looks like a pencil writing on paper.
3. After you do that, you can select the course/teacher you are attempting to contact.

*Information about how to access Canvas is below.

In addition to contacting teachers, Canvas is also the tool that you can use to keep apprised of your child's grades in class.

How can I access Canvas?

You can access Canvas via the Canvas Parent app (available in the Google and Apple app stores) or by going to https://4j.instructure.com/login/canvas

How do I connect my account to my child's?

In Canvas, parents are called Observers. From the 4J Canvas webpage we learn that "As an Observer you will be able to check grades, monitor assignments and due dates, as well as communicate directly with your student’s teachers."

The key part of becoming an Observer is to pair your parent account with your child's account. To do that, you need a pairing code from your child. There are two ways to get your child's pairing code.

Student Supplied Pairing Code

If you would like to get the pairing code directly from your student, please click on the link below with your child to learn how to get the code:

Link to Creating a Pairing Code for an Observer Video: https://www.loom.com/share/33d85e2c1c7d4b6087ae0a708d63afac

Online Pairing- No Need for a Student Supplied Code

To activate your account, complete the following steps:

1. Visit 4J’s Canvas for Families webpage and click on “Forgot Password?”

2. Enter the email you provided your child’s school and then click the “Request Password” box

3. Enter a password after clicking the reset link you receive in your email

4. Return to the Canvas for Families webpage to log in with your username and new password

Canvas Observer will not allow you to activate more than one account if parents/guardians have the same email address on file for their student. In this case, contact your school and provide a unique email address for each parent or guardian associated with your student.

Please contact us at 541-790-8300 or email me at nolan_p@4j.lane.edu if you run into any problems with activating your account.